Chrysalis

To hunt under these conditions one needs to be cunning. After all, what was it that allowed humanity to rise above their competitors to be the dominant species of Earth? It was their minds! Their ingenuity!

Combined with a tendency to avoid considering the consequences of any particular course of action, this trait, more than any other, propelled humanity to great heights!

So when I am faced with this environment, in which an ant must truly struggle to hunt, to provide for his family with the necessary sustenance to survive, what could I possibly do? Regular hunting is impossible! It seems that more and more monsters are appearing at any given moment, successfully battling a monster one versus one and then being able to consume or transport the Biomass without attracting attention would be rather difficult.

So then.

Time to use the ’ol noodle to solve this problem. Draw on a little bit of that divine spark of intelligence that my previous life has gifted me.

What I have I come up with?

Pitfall traps!

I shall utilise traps, thus combining my two identities in one, the cleverness of a human and the capacity to dig a hole of an ant!

...

I know all right. Sure it’s not that clever but it is the best I could come up with.

At a reasonable distance away from the nest, a few hundred metres, I’ve begun construction of a large pitfall trap. The construction has been more difficult than I initially expected. Whilst there is plenty of dirt, as I dig further down I inevitably find bits of rock. Fortunately the mana infused mandibles prove up to the task and I’m able to break it up after expending a fair bit of effort.

The excavation skill has once again proven its worth and I’ve already gained a level in it due to my efforts. It’s interesting to notice how the excavation skill actually functions. Rather than creating a magical shovel of light that emerges from my face to help me dig (which would be awesome!), instead I almost feel as if my instincts are being guided by a knowledgeable digging master.

When I was trying to find a location to for my pitfall traps certain areas were more appealing to me as suitable to dig and others I felt should be avoided. I honestly don’t know how I knew that, I just did. When I’m digging as only an ant can, using the mandibles on my face not only as a shovel but also as a barrow, my instincts whisper to me, don’t dig that spot yet, the soil will crumble, tilt your head to this angle, the result will be better.

a larger area dug in less time. I can only imagine that if the excavation skill becomes maxed out then I’ll become some sort of digging god, never making an error and working

it stands it takes several hours of hard work before I’ve been able to dig a large and deep pitfall that I think will be sufficient to hold most monsters, about two metres in diameter and five metres deep, I’ve

small tunnel that runs several meters parallel the forest floor. My intention is that within this small offshoot tunnel I’ll have a private space

creatures in the forest lately I knew that would battle do the death the moment they laid eyes on me (I’m so irresistible!) and the resulting kerfuffle

must display patience for

certainly didn’t trust him not to fight when anything showed

the pitfall with a light layer of vegetation as a disguise there is nothing to do but await the juicy prey that will fall directly into

Muahaha!

moving through this area but they’ve been lucky enough not

could I do to increase the efficacy

would help draw the monsters directly to the pitfall. What I could

sharply interrupting his gentle snoring and drawing my sharp gaze to his resting

Bait... eh?

use Tiny as bait. I refuse to let him die until he’s paid me back in full for the core I lost

dangle this sleeping loafer

monster to fall into the trap. Once I

however! The spirit of the worker pulses within me, demanding that my time be used productively!

needs. Eventually I find a an appealing patch of earth thirty metres away from my pitfall. If

I dug the trap, a huge part of the effort is spreading the dirt around in a way that looks reasonably natural Creating an enormous

of digging I’m startled out of my reverie by

What!

reason it just feels so nice to dig as an ant. As if I’m fulfilling my

to my original pitfall I can immediately detect that some unfortunate monster has fallen prey to

of the pit

POW!