"Telling them to take prisoners and interrogate them for information... Yeah, that won't fly. Damn it."
The ants, now outnumbering the goblins, slaughtered them in an instant.
Of course, the goblins resisted desperately. They huddled together, swinging their weapons frantically in a desperate bid to hold out.
But they were crushed like grains of sand swept away by the waves.
When a spear thrust was blocked by a jaw, another worker ant would leap over its comrade's body, pin the foe to the ground with its forelegs, and tear it apart with its mandibles in a single motion.
It was a total massacre. Without blood or tears, they ripped the bodies apart alive, turning them into meat dumplings for the colony.
If I could dictate every single one of their actions down to the smallest detail, I'd have kept them alive to pry out all the information we needed. Unfortunately, concepts like prisoners and interrogation didn't exist for ants.
Once they deemed something an enemy, they attacked and turned it into food. That was it.
"No...! Great Spirits!"
The last remaining goblin chieftain dropped his sword and let out a final scream as his limbs were torn off by the swarming ants before he died.
Afterward, the ants naturally began dragging the corpses of their hunted foes back to the nest for their meal.
How long have they been doing this?
Judging by the goblins' reactions, it seemed the ants had been repeating this kind of thing here for quite a while—or a lot—until I awakened as a deity.
Even if I miraculously gained the ability to control the ants' actions, the fear and hostility toward them that had already spread through that world wouldn't be easy to dispel.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates rejoice at acquiring special food.
In the midst of it all, the ants were thrilled to have obtained that "special food" they'd grown fond of.
Special food—the alert window that assisted me had described it as food infused with mana.
The goblins' bodies must have been imbued with that power, no doubt.
Naturally, this food, far superior to the insect jelly or mealworms I provided, was headed straight for the queen and the larvae.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙They open their eyes to a new taste and power different from mana.
"Hm?"
But when the queen consumed the goblin-flesh dumpling, the notification that appeared was slightly different from before. A power with a different texture from mana.
What the hell is going on here?
Feeling confused, I scratched my head and let out a small sigh.
I couldn't exactly ask the ants directly for answers, so it looked like I'd have to observe patiently and figure out exactly what the difference was.
"What kind of power do my subordinates have?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Subordinates: Subordinates directly influenced by a deity begin to develop and evolve in directions differentiated from their kin.
Subordinates weren't simply beings who took orders from a deity.
By becoming subordinates, they had already earned a certain qualification.
Munching on a hastily prepared meal, I reflected on that fact while shifting the viewpoint on the screen busily to observe the ants.
In other words, my ants, now subordinates, had become entirely different entities from ordinary ants, despite their outward appearance.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙New subordinates influenced by the mana absorbed so far are born.
One piece of evidence was the new worker ants that had just broken free from their pupal cases.
Why are they so huge?
I swallowed dryly at the sight of them on the screen.
They'd seemed unusual even in their pupal stage, but compared to the existing worker ants nearby, their bodies were at least 1.5 times larger.
These individuals had deep black exoskeletons faintly shimmering with blue, and their shells looked far tougher than those of regular ants.
Just by looking, it was clear they had evolved one step further than the others.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙The newly born subordinates have far more developed mana sensitivity than the existing ones. With their emergence, the hive mind strengthens further.
And these evolved individuals began transforming the entire colony the moment they appeared.
It wasn't just that their bodies were bigger and tougher. From the instant they emerged, the movements of the entire ant colony started to change bit by bit.
Even to my eyes, their actions had become far more precise and coordinated.
Repairing the anthill and fortress, processing food, transporting it to the right spots—everything was noticeably faster than before.
Are they going to keep evolving from now on? Just by eating their prey?
To compare with the future, I began recording their behavior now, naturally imagining what the next stages might bring.
The emergence of these evolved individuals had happened simply through absorbing mana from food.
Whether that was natural or a unique ability of my ants, I didn't know yet, but even to my uninformed eyes, it seemed like a ridiculously overpowered skill.
Ants already had short generational cycles to begin with.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates desire more food.
With the colony growing larger and evolved individuals appearing, they naturally required more food.
I tossed in more mealworms and insect jelly than usual into the enclosure.
They needed special food infused with power to evolve future generations, but the staple diet for the worker ants was almost entirely what I provided.
As long as I supplied that, they had no need to forage elsewhere, freeing up excess energy purely for the colony's expansion and development.
Who knew feeding them was such a crucial role.
It was just giving them food, but realizing that what I was doing propped up the entire colony brought a hollow chuckle.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates have found new prey.
Thanks to me providing basic sustenance, they could invest most of their surplus energy into exploring that world.
Scattering scout ants in all directions to expand their territory, they began devouring everything edible, just like regular ants.
But in that world, they were monsters that differed from ordinary ants starting from their size.
"---!"
The massive bear they were hunting now wouldn't normally fall prey to ants.
Just a regular bear?
Seeing the rampaging bear roar, its eyes flashing as its muscles bulged, I flinched involuntarily.
Its size and ferocity seemed different from the bears I knew.
But unlike me flinching instinctively even from across the screen, the ants charged at the bear without hesitation, as if fear was an alien concept, attempting a group hunt.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates know no hesitation.
Whether a comrade was crushed by the rampaging bear's forepaw or not, the ants used it as bait, swarming onto the bear, biting with their mandibles, and dragging it down with sheer force to subdue it.
Now that I looked closely, it seemed like they'd intentionally sacrificed one as bait.
And then, an evolved individual—larger and stronger than the other worker ants—leaped onto the bear's back and pierced its throat with its mandibles in one swift motion, severing it cleanly.
Clean work.
One worker ant had died, but thanks to that, the hunt felt quicker and neater.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙They detect demonic power in the magical beast's body.
Moreover, the bear they'd hunted wasn't an ordinary one.
The moment their antennae detected the special power they craved within it, the worker ants dismembered the corpse in seconds and hauled it back to the nest.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates have found new prey.⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates have found new prey...
This wasn't happening in just the one spot I was watching.
The scouting parties the ants had scattered numbered well over dozens now.
While scouting, they mercilessly killed and devoured any prey they found.
"Telling them they're going to wipe out the seed stock... Yeah, that won't get through either."
I gave a wry smile as I watched their actions.
Concepts like leaving room for the future didn't register with them yet.
As a result, prey in the area dwindled, forcing the ants' range and territory to expand.
No single individual could stop them.
Even if they encountered tough magical beasts hard to hunt, thanks to the evolved individuals speeding up their movements and communication, they could summon reinforcements from nearby in an instant and overwhelm with numbers and organization.
To stop them, you'd need an "army" with similar numbers and organization.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinate has discovered the enemy.
"Are those the same guys from before?"
Such an army appeared for real.
It was a scene spotted by a worker ant on the farthest scouting mission.
A countless horde of armed goblins was marching toward this place.
They're definitely heading for us.
Frozen in place, I watched tensely.
I couldn't know their true motives, grudges, or backstory, but it was clear why they were coming here.
To attack the ants. To attack us.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates detect a crisis.
Through the information relayed by the worker ant, the ants became aware of the enemy force.
They knew the difference between hunting and war.
Naturally, the entire colony began preparing for battle.
How are they this fast?
One thing I noticed in the process was how incredibly quick the ants' response was upon spotting the enemy.
Not just the nest and nearby areas with fast communication, but even distant hunting parties and scouts reacted in perfect unison the moment the enemies were identified.
As if they were carrying walkie-talkies or cell phones.
"Enhanced hive mind. No way?"
A phrase I'd heard in passing came to mind, and my eyes widened.
It wasn't just individual ants evolving.
It wasn't merely that their behavior seemed changed under the evolved ones' command—the entire colony they formed had evolved a step further.
Ants had impressive organization by nature, but this was on another level.
Normally, relaying news required physical methods.
Yet the way they were assembling near the fortress right now was at hive mind speeds.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your subordinates will fight. They consider it natural.
All individuals active in the area were converging, with reinforcements continually pouring out from the enclosure.
Their larger size compared to the goblins made our side's momentum no less intimidating.
In fact, with soldier ants joining in midway, our presence looked even stronger.
We can win this, right?
Still, I couldn't relax easily.
The infamy of the ants had spread through this region, which was why I'd awakened as a deity.
So these invading goblins knew all about it and were still coming to fight the ants.
They had to have some ace up their sleeve.
If we won, we'd gain a massive amount of food at once, but if we lost... I couldn't even imagine the consequences.