《The Most Powerful Ant in the Universe》Chapter Five: Getting Stronger... Barely
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I allow some time for Joule to sulk before asking a question.
[What's this?]
I indicate the blue sheet with my antennae.
[That's your stat board. I finished quantifying you a moment ago.]
I look at it carefully, but I still don't understand any of the symbols.
[And what do these mean?]
A sound followed my question which I can only describe as an exhausted groan.
[You can't read, can you.]
Helpfully, I respond, [What does read mean?]
She's silent for a blissfully long time. Maybe that broke her.
[Okay. If you can't read, I'll just do... this...]
The sheet fades briefly, then comes back into focus.
It's a picture of me from the side, with arrows pointing at different parts of me. Each one has a bar next to it, only partially filled.
[Please. Please tell me you understand this.]
I briefly contemplate saying no and seeing if she goes away.
[...Yes.]
[Oh, thank heavens. I thought I was going to lose it.]
A spider appears. It seems to be the one I fought. Another set of bars appears next to mine. Most of them are lower than mine, except for one.
[What's all this?]
[These are your abilities when compared to the spider you fought earlier.]
My mandibles clack in appreciation when I notice one of the bars. Mine is incomparably higher than the spider's.
[What does that mean?]
[You ask a lot of questions, don't you? Anyway, that is your intelligence quantification. As I'm sure you've noticed, you are significantly more intelligent than most of the insects (or arachnids) around.]
I indicate the bar that I'm lower on.
[And what about this?]
[That would be your size.]
That makes sense. The spider was bigger than me by quite a bit.
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I return to her earlier words.
[What does...] I struggle to remember the word. [...allocate mean?]
[Ah.]
She seems to be getting excited.
[Whenever you eat something, such as that spider or the blade of grass, it is stored in your Void. Provided it has the required amount of potential energy, I can change it into Void energy and increase your abilities.]
I still didn't understand most of what she was saying, but I got the gist of it.
[Like size?]
Her attitude immediately sidelines into a more serious tone.
[The spider you ate had a decent amount of potential energy, but your conversion rate is awf- low.]
I feel like she was about to say something different there, but I don't really care.
[Is that a yes or a no?]
She processes it for a moment.
[Yes. But you may want to eat some more first. I'll be substantially altering your molecular structure, and that won't feel comfortable for anyone. In other words, it's not a process you're going to be wanting to do frequently.]
I consider her words. She talks a lot and seems to know what she's doing, but I still don't fully trust her.
[Turn all of it into size.]
She seems reluctant.
[With increased size, you're going to need increased muscle. I'd recommend splitting it if you're going to do it at all.]
My mandibles clack. Just get on with it!
[Fine. Do that.]
She responds tersely.
[Allocating energy.]
And the world turns red with pain.
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The Great Core's Paradox
A tiny snake with great potential. The sole creation of the Great Core. That was who I was. That was what I was.It was just us, the Great Core and I, tucked away in our little corner of the World Dungeon. Together, we hid from the bad-things and the Coreless of the world outside — safe from the horrors that would consume us.Until, one day, the Coreless found us. Until they tried to steal away my creator. Until, with no other option, I swallowed the Great Core that had made me.Only after that did I become what I was always meant to be.At last, I became the Great Core’s Paradox in more than name.[The Endless Cycle] began.Thus begins the story of a little snake zealot and his journey to greatness.
8 865The Last Human
ALL HUMANKIND died thousands of years ago... …but the xenos still worship them as GODS. Today, hundreds of alien civilizations thrive in the gods’ lost cities and fallen megastructures. One Empire has learned to harness the remains of humanity's forgotten technology to reconnect the distant worlds... and dominate them. Eolh is an old, jaded, avian thief who lives in the dark underbelly of a conquered city. When the Empire first opened the gate between worlds, they stormed his home, killed his gang, and burned everything he held dear. But that was a long time ago. Now, the resistance is dead. No one dreams of fighting back—for the Empire wields the weapons of the gods: warships that fly, robotic constructs that hunt, and rare mysteries scavenged from the tombs of the gods. Eolh lives a half-life, thieving, running jobs, and selling his services as a freelance listener for the last gangs of Lowtown. He trusts no one, and only looks out for himself. When an unusual heist takes a deadly turn, Eolh must bargain with an overzealous android who carries an impossible secret—one that will shake the foundations of the universe. There is one last hope for salvation. For his people, or maybe just for himself… Read this series if you love Dune, Star Wars, or stories about prophecies and long-forgotten technology. Take a journey across far-flung worlds filled with alien cultures and impossible technology. This epic Space Opera mixes elements of science fiction and fantasy, and features a cast of underdog characters who find untold strength as they awaken the ancient wonders buried by time. All this was foretold... One day, a human god will return. Now a Published Novel! Buy a Copy Here or keep reading on RoyalRoad :)
8 148The Kingdom of Ilcor
Every child of Ilcor must go through four trials to be accepted into society. The first trial at the age of 7 is retrieving a dragon egg from the dragon's haven.Second trial at the age of 12 is to swim to the bottom of a lake and outsmart or outriddle a magic clam. Once consumed, its pearl will grant you unique powers and you become a mage. Third trial at the age of 16 is going to a steaming hot wasteland and made to fight beasts and each other with weapons you find on the field. Those who succeed become knights and skilled in the weapons they chose. At the age of 18 you must complete a quest within the job you wanted and if you manage to pass and complete this quest you become a commoner working in that field. However if you fail all trials you are exiled from the kingdom. These people are outcasts and often become pirate or thieves. Follow Jasper as he begins his new life as a mage. First uploaded to: https://www.honeyfeed.fm/novels/3377
8 156Changement : Version Face [French]
Notice: This story is in French, not in english, mainly because of my poor english. I may translate it later if I get better, and hopefully I will. _ Les cris de souffrance résonnent dans ses oreilles, dans sa tête et dans son coeur. Cette dernière image, ces derniers instants, ces morts incompréhensible, rien ne sera plus jamais pareil pour Nils Nocquat. Il sombre, et dans les ténèbres, découvre la fache cachée de son monde. Qui est coupable? Démon, Ange et autres Sonen, tous se renvoient la faute, et maintenant, Nils Change, il doit faire un choix. Indécis, il lance une pièce. Face. Il a choisi son camp. Il deviendra un Ange, le meilleur ou le pire de tous, ce n'est qu'une question de point de vue. - Author's note: this story is a concept. During the first chapter, the main character is faced with a major decision, which will change his life forever, and, not knowing what to do, he decide to play heads or tails, and let fate choose for him. And so there will be two versions of this story, one for each of the result, and their consequences for the main character, as well as all those around him. Here, he got heads. Note de l'auteur: Comme dit plus haut, cette histoire sera en français, car je ne suis pas assez bon en anglais. De plus, cette histoire est un concept un peu particulier, le personnage principal va se retrouver face à un choix décisif qui va changer sa vie pour toujours, et, ne savant pas que faire, il va jouer à pile-ou-face, en laissant le destin décider pour lui. Il y a donc deux versions de cette histoire, une pour chacun des résultats de son lancer. Lien de l'autre version: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/28317/changement-version-pile-french Je vous encourage à ne pas lire les deux versions, ou en tout cas, à ne pas les lire en même temps. Elle sont assez peu similaires, mais des choses vont, logiquement, être répétées, et les confusions risquent d'être rapides, surtout au début des histoires. Dans tout les cas, ces deux histoires vont s'éloigner assez rapidement, tout en restant intrinsèquement liées par leurs personnage principal. Libre à vous de choisir la version qui vous plaît le plus, sachant que vous n'aurez pas besoin de lire les deux pour comprendre toutes les intrigues, elles sont absolument indépendantes l'une de l'autre. C'est la deuxième fois maintenant que je publie quelque chose que j'ai écrit, mais ça ne me rends pas meilleur en terme d'orthographe et de grammaire, donc si vous relevez une erreur, où même si vous remarquez des incohérences, n'hésitez surtout pas à me le faire remarquer. Toute critique, qu'elle soit positive ou négative, est appréciée. En terme de rythme de publication, je pense sortir un chapitre par semaine dans chacune des deux histoires.
8 149The Sister In The Forest(Cancelled)
What do you do when you have a missing sister? Cry for the eternity of your lifeline and do nothing until you die? Or do you take a perfect opportunity of your childhood to explain the explanations of why your sister went missing in the first place? Follow a 16-year-old boy named Aaron Duncan, he is a muted teenager by choice who had lost his sister at a young age. He was five when his sister, Althea, went missing with no explanation. Aaron couldn't do anything, he couldn't prescribe a search until he was sixteen. So, he made it a struggle for the world and went mute, he refused to speak a single word until he finds his sister. And he finally got a chance, his school invited him to a multi-school camp trip to The Kielder Forest, a very recognisable memory for Aaron as it was that forest he and his sister made memories in. No chances were wasted, he agreed and went on the camp trip with his chubby best friend, George. When he arrived at the forest, he felt off. Aaron knew something was entirely eerie about the forest that never felt this way ever before, but he was the only one who felt this way so he shrugged it off and went into the forest with multiple different schools from all around the UK. Meeting Lia Ann kept Aaron thinking about his sister as they had similar personalities. One night, adrenaline was high for Aaron and he decided to go to the cave he made memories with deep in the forest. Everything was intact and his friendship with Lia grew when they both encountered each other. So, normally, Aaron thought nothing of it and continued going back to the cave until one day he was ambushed by a liquid entity that wasn't human. It almost murdered him before he was saved by an unexpected guest, his sister, in pure flesh, was finally in front of him. Aaron wanted to know everything, he asked everything until one question did it for Aaron as he found himself passed out from the help of Althea's distant eyes and woke up in his tent by George. "Was it a dream?" He asks himself dreadfully. A question that will have him explore his character, his purpose, his beliefs, his trust, and his friendships. Will a dream break Aaron down and destroy him? Or will it build him up to be even stronger to find out how his sister went missing? And possibly, what or who may have murdered her?
8 102Vengeful Martial God
Many people say that vengeance is a sin, but is it really? Vengeance can be a drive, a desire, and a motivation for some people like Ye Meng. Orphan Ye Meng has always been an ordinary slightly talented alchemist and cultivator until he gets power far more than he ever expected. Watch how he climbs to the peak of the martial world while going through countless tribulations and calamities. He pays back all who have wronged him ten times over and now begins to live a life that's a bit more than ordinary.
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