Chrysalis

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

Ah, the satisfying feeling of having my face hands clapping fools. The monsters of the fourth stratum are tough, there’s no doubt about that, but these are all spawned during the wave, without enough evolutions or mutations to really threaten a highly developed monster like me.

A mass of boulders rumbles towards me, acting in harmony as if connected by some invisible force. An earth elemental?

Chomp!

I shatter it.

“Skreeeeee!”

A feathered worm bursts out of the soil in front of me.

Chomp!

Not today, worm!

A weird, dinosaur-looking thing charges at me, waggling its little arms.

Chomp! Chomp!

Needed two that time!

of the tunnels just feels more like home to me. Part of that is likely my ant nature, and the other is probably down to the circumstances

course, it’s not efficient to bite all these monsters one

VOID CHOMP!

of the tunnel wall. There’s a lot of spells I haven’t juiced up with the Altar to see their full effects, and this is merely one of them. Infused with the Will of the Colony, the spell is so

Neat.

down? The ants aren’t going to be able to advance and retake the next layer of walls at this rate, but if I pour water over it all, won’t the rock crack? I don’t want to cause instability and possibly collapse

a clearer head on their shoulders can make those sorts of decisions,

with those now. My antennae have become so large I can cause some real

to Solant and her gang. “After you’ve evolved again, you lot will be able to get in there and do your thing too. The experience and Biomass you can accrue

we don’t seal the tunnels

grown as fast as it has thanks to our successful defence against, and harnessing of, the wave. How many thousands upon thousands of Biomass

nods in understanding, but I

to train your Skills, as well. With every wave, we supercharge the development of the family. Who

crew back to the command centre only to find a horde of

“I assume–?”

“Hurry up!” Victor yells.

a little

bouncing between different tunnels, helping to roll back the encroaching monsters

it all, Solant and her broodmates watch everything like insectile hawks, especially their leader. They study everything, discussing amongst themselves as they develop ideas and strategies together. When I feel it’s safe, I bring them forward and give them

truly endless, as one would expect during a wave. No matter how far back I push the hordes of

frenetic than usual. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that things are a whirling, manic,

not hard to work