Chrysalis Chapter 5 The furious Tiny, the delectable feast!

Tiny lets out a famished roar and plunges straight into the vertical shaft before I can even finish my sentence—landing right on top of me!

My original intent was to descend into the ceiling of this passage and survey the area before making a move. Instead, I am shoved downward by the sheer mass of the great ape, our combined weight propelling us out of the tunnel and slamming us into the floor right between two clashing beasts.

THUMP!

….

Get off me, Tiny, you mindless ape!

Wait a second. Er.

[Get off me, Tiny, you ape!]

He pays me no mind. With eyes gleaming with a hunger for both flesh and combat, Tiny springs up, using my back as a stepping stone. He dives headlong into the nearest creature, fists flying as bolts of electricity crackle in every direction.

He crushed me. I’ve actually suffered damage, damn it!

As it turns out, having a massive ape land squarely on your spine is far from a pleasant experience.

Groaning inwardly, I pull myself up and attempt to shift my mind back into a combat state following that jarring surprise. Once I regain my footing, I try to analyze the situation as rapidly as possible.

What exactly are we facing here?

The corridor itself is rather cramped and radiantly bright, with veins of mana slithering across every inch of the walls. Monsters are locked in struggle all along the passage, even as fresh creatures force their way out of the surfaces where they have just spawned.

It is absolute mayhem! Pure chaos!

Except for the fact that they are all low-level monsters!

Scanning the area, I see nothing but the types of foes I encountered when I first entered the Dungeon. There are slugs, centipedes, wolves, and the occasional Croca-Beast or Thorn lizard. These are the weakest of enemies. I was capable of taking these on before I had even developed a core!

I have undergone two evolutions since those days; I am significantly more powerful now! These creatures are simply no match for me anymore. To be honest, most of them look quite different from this perspective, considering I have grown much taller and longer than I used to be. Even the Dragon-Wolf hounds can no longer look down on me. Ha!

Prepare to witness my fury!

Muahahaha!

Overjoyed, I sprint toward the closest Coral-Slug, spreading my mandibles wide before snapping them shut.

Shattering Bite!

Meeting zero resistance, the glowing ethereal jaws slice straight through the slug. Your slimy hide won't protect you this time!

[You have slain a level 3 Coral Slug]

[You have gained experience]

Who wants to be next?!

A deeply therapeutic slaughter follows. Thanks to my superior stats, physical mutations, and leveled-up skills, these weak, unevolved base-level monsters are trivial opponents. Nearly every target is obliterated with a single bite!

I recall the days when I lived in fear of you—take that!

[You have slain …]

You think you can spit that nasty acid at me? I can barely even feel it! Muahahaha!

[You have slain …]

Oh, you want to whip me with your tail? How about I just bite it off?

[You have slain …]

I vent all the irritation I gathered during those early days in the Dungeon's upper reaches upon these creatures without a shred of mercy. Yes, you wretched little beasts. Serve as my stress relief!

While I am thoroughly enjoying the carnage, Tiny is not. These monsters are far too weak to sate his bloodlust; every single one of them collapses after a lone strike from his massive fist. After clearing everything in his path, the poor guy starts to look quite dejected. He keeps fighting and killing his way through the tunnel, but the passion he showed earlier has faded.

It seems he simply cannot find any joy in a fight unless there is a genuine threat to his life.

Are you some kind of masochist, Tiny? Can't you have fun unless you're getting thrashed?

You seriously need help, pal.

Before long, a significant stretch of the tunnel has been thoroughly cleared by the two of us. We rampage until no monster dares to stand against us. Standing among the corpses of our prey, I am beaming with contentment, having purged my inner stress and demons, while Tiny just looks miserable.

[Cheer up, Tiny! It’s time to eat!] I signal to him.

No sooner have I sent the thought than a massive grin spreads across his bat-like face. He immediately begins grabbing handfuls of Biomass and stuffing them into his maw. I am just as famished as he is at this point, so I dive in with enthusiasm, tearing into the meal with all the power of my ant mandibles.

Biomass still tastes foul, make no mistake, but a person can get used to anything eventually—even gorging on raw monster guts.

It is a bit of a letdown that the monsters here are such low levels. Despite slaughtering about twenty of them, I didn't manage to level up once, and I doubt I'll gain much Biomass even if I consume every last one of them.

I did manage to find three small monster cores, however! I set these aside to add to my experimental stash. It will be a while before I can evolve again, so there is no rush to absorb every core I find. I would much rather use them to level up my skills; I still believe the core engineering skill holds immense potential.

Regardless, Tiny and I eat until our bellies are bulging. Only then do we realize, somewhat sheepishly, that we were supposed to be gathering food for the entire colony, not just ourselves.

….

Got a bit sidetracked there.

It isn't a major issue, though. If there is one thing that isn't lacking during the wave, it is spawning monsters. Even while we were dining, creatures were emerging from the walls, requiring us to dispatch them between bites.

I pull myself further down the corridor to hunt more prey, occupying myself by dragging the bodies back toward the entrance of the escape tunnel. After ten minutes, I have gathered a modest mound of Biomass, and Tiny has done the same after hunting in the opposite direction.

I climb back up the short passage to call for workers to come and fetch the haul. As I do, I observe that the mana veins are already starting to creep up the connection and into our escape tunnel.

Damn it.

It was inevitable, but it still fills me with dread. Hopefully, we can keep digging fast enough to stay ahead of these mana veins. I really don't want monsters popping out of the walls while we are working. The monsters would be killed quickly, sure, but there is a slight risk a worker could be caught off guard, or a monster might spawn right under the larvae before anyone can intervene.

Dozens of ants have already perished during this wave, and we’ve actually been quite fortunate!

"I need assistance gathering food down here!" I declare to the workers after sticking my head out of the small connecting shaft.

At the mention of 'food,' thirty workers instantly cease their tasks and dive down the narrow hole, rudely shoving me aside in their desperation to reach the Biomass!

I end up losing my footing and falling once more, this time landing with a squelch in a pile of monster remains.

…

My dignity is gone!

As the other ants swarm over me to start butchering the Biomass, I take a moment to breathe. After fighting, then digging, and then fighting some more, I really just want to take a nap!