{Mind read has risen to lv 5}

If only I had some of the mana regeneration stubs left.

Fuck that Redling! He even ate my portion of the stub!

‘Hum, mana regeneration? They have a way to regenerate mana! He called it stub, but from his thoughts he doesn’t look to have anymore left with him.’

I looked toward the other pair, which was quite far away and thought, ‘May be I will get some from them.’

I then threw the cut apart yellow ant down into the cavern. He screamed, as he entered the abyss beneath and I gained a level at his death.

{Acid manipulation and creation have risen to lv 10}

Acid manipulation and Acid creation have reached their maximum level

And are presenting you with the option to:

Condense or spread.

“Am I seeing right?”

I couldn’t believe myself. For the first time, two skills were evolving together, and were even letting me choose the path the skill would take.

‘So it is an attack skill this time.’

I knew it because of the option provided.

The option weren’t there to simply choose the word you find more lavish, but they explained the future of the evolving skill.

Like this time the option were asking me whether I wanted to create a single point skill which would condense the acid, or an all area affect attack, which coincidently would help me in this situation we were in.

Although I would have loved to have that single point attack, but the situation demanded otherwise, and I chose to spread my acid.

*Ting*

[Skill: Acid Mist acquired.]

Acid Mist: A mist to dissolve them all. The area of effect depends upon the amount of mana used. Use cautiously. The mist doesn’t have eyes.

Attack: inflicts 10damage/sec for everyone with acid resistance under level 10.

Cost: 1cm radius/1Mp

It was a good skill, but for not it was out of my reach or rather out of my mana capacity to use it.

‘Unless I find those stubs.’

{Skill Acting has risen to lv 10}

Another skill evolution notification arrived soon after. I wanted to swipe it away and focus myself on the battle field, but I decided it was better to see what kind of power up Acting would provide me.

Acting has reached its maximum level

And is presenting you with the option to:

Become or Make Believe

So to either fool others with a chance of getting caught or to Become?

At the time I thought that both the option were useless, but who knew it was this skill that would not only allow me to go on a rampage all I wanted without any worry, but there would come a time when it would save my ass too.

*Ting*

[Skill: Shape shifting acquired.]

Shape shifting: Allows you to modify your looks. Can’t change species, size, or gender. The perfection of change depends upon your imagination.

{Mandible cut has risen to lv 10}

[Mandible cuts special skill: Bleeding effect applied.]

‘Not lying. I want to go and spy the ants now…’

I once again looked at the ants and thought of something.

‘Can I really change my looks to look like…’

So I Imagined my looks changing as aforementioned, and with the final point of mana leaving or rather extending and molding outside my body, my looks changed.

Firstly, my color turned red and next changed my face. I willed it, and five seconds later my body completely changed to look like the red ant that I had killed just some minutes ago.

I opened my map to see my projection and flinched when I saw that I looked exactly like the red ant.

I had my doubts whether the skill would really have the kind of effect I desired, but it actually turned out better than I had initially thought it would.

‘Let’s do this.’ I thought as I looked at the red ants standing far away and started calmly walking toward them, as a fierce smile appeared on my face.

Pov: The red ants.

“What the hell was that?”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear someone screaming a while ago?”

“What are you saying? Just focus on regenerating your mana and open fire at the enemies. Don’t waste time.”

I am sure though. Well, with all of them ants screaming here and there it is not impossible that I heard a scream.

Anyways, I should focus more on my mana regeneration than to talk about others.

But let’s check..

Huh? Isn’t that…? What is he doing here?

“Hey look. The Red ant from our twenty fourth pair is coming towards us. Maybe something happened?

“Huh? Where?”

Just look at the side man. Stop showing your ugly mug to me.

“There, there… To your left.”

“Hey don’t turn my neck. It will break. Shesh… Huh, it really is him. I wonder what happened. Maybe he is bored.”

Like hell he is bored. He probably knows what captain will do once he saw him roaming around by abandoning his position.

Sigh! Let’s just ask him.

“Hey, what happened? What are you doing here? Go back before the captain finds out.”

“Oh I’m sorry, but do you have some of the mana regenerating stub left? I emptied my reserves shooting off.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened. Here take a bite. Although it is not much, but this will regenerate at least 10 points of your mana.”

“Thanks. Ah! Let me get that for you.”

Hum, doesn’t he feel kinds… No, I’m imagining things now.

“Hey, For you to have expended all of your mana and resources. How many enemies did you kill? Your kill count surely must have reached fifty, right?”

“Nah, that’s too many. I have only killed two for now. Anyways, let me eat this first.”

Two, just fucking two! What kind of efficiency is that? Even I have killed twenty by now. And he ate all of his resources too. Damn what kind of plebe did the headquarters recruit?!

Ah, even yellow is staring at him in hostility. Shit, I wasted my resources on him. Now my kill count will drop, and I won’t get recognized.

I should ask him to go back.

“Hey. Here, take two more stubs and go back to your station…”

Now, stop staring at me and just go back.

“Okay. Although I wanted to ask whether I could stay here with you, but… It was nice knowing you both.”

“……”

“…..”

Don’t make that kinds of face! Damn it! Wait a minute!!

“Hey what happened to your partner?”

Yes, ask him that yellow. Show him who the boss around here is! No, he is not the enemy you idiot!

“He…”

Again with that face!

“He went to one of his friend’s pair when he saw my skills.”

Damn right he would! Who would stay with a legend like you! You couldn’t even fucking prove your worth you goddamn apostle of misery.

But…

*Sigh*

“Okay. You can stay with us. But no more stubs for you. Just meditate or something if you expends all of your mana. Now help yellow while I meditate.”

Phew, that stupid ant. Let’s just get back to meditating. Though the stubs are good for regenerating mana, but I shouldn’t use them too often or I might grow immunity against their effect.

“Wake me up if anything important happened while I meditate.”

The sooner I regenerate my mana the better. Though I feel bad for killing those poor souls, but what can I do. Orders are orders. Well, they don’t have any choice either. Like us, they are also only just following orders.

Yes, lets medit……

*Thud*

POV changes to Mc:

{Eyes of terror has risen to lv 3}

‘This mind read skill is too good to be true and so is this Eye of terror. Though I don’t like anyone of these rascals, but I have to say he isn’t a bad ant per say. And he is right. We really are just following orders.’

I looked at the yellow ant in lying in front of me, who couldn't take a stab to his chest and had died silently.

'Lets not drop him into the pit.'

I decided to first kill every single one of them fire breathers, and then drop then at the same time to save me from the headache of getting found out, and hoped that the fire breather won't notice anything.

Anyways, that mana regeneration stub; though they called it a stub; in reality it was a seed.

I checked it with appraisal and that cleared away all the confusions that I had. But who knew simple seeds could allow one to regenerate their mana.

{Appraisal2.0 has risen to lv 6}

Mana grass seed (Uncommon)

Regenerates 10 mana points if eaten raw.

‘It says if eaten raw. Then does this mean there are other ways to eat it?’

Well, it was good enough that I had found a way to fill my depleted mana. After all, it was not like I would have been able to kill all of these fire breathers without them noticing anything.

Tough my luck was high, but it was not high enough.

I checked my status and saw that killing that one yellow ant increased my experience 10%.

Was it much? I didn’t know.

All I knew was that by the time I would have killed them all, my level would reach at least 7. There were 25 pairs after all.

I ate the seed, and while my mana regenerated, and filled to the top I checked all of my skills which waited evolution.

“Ah! But let me first mark him on my map.”

I used my maps ability to mark a target on him, and soon a red indicator showing my target or the red ant lying near me appeared on it.

Having done that I checked my skill up messages.

{Shape shifting has risen to lv 2}, {Revenge has risen to lv 7}, {Planner has risen to lv 10}, {Surprise attack has risen to lv 3}

Planner and Battle tactics have reached their maximum level

And are presenting you with the option to:

Raise above all or follow others.

I looked down into the pit and saw my captain using the other brute as a punching bag. There were some enemy black ants who were trying to climb the wall, but my brothers were not letting them do as they wanted to.

I clenched my legs and stared walking toward the next group, as my shape once again changed to make me look like the red ant who was lying there motion less.

At that moment I decided; I’ll rise above everyone and makes sure that none looks down on me.

*Ting*

[Skill: Leader gained.]

[Skill: Roar(1) has changed to Skill: War cry(1).]