The deeper tunnels were nothing like the outer chambers.
The air grew heavier, thicker with mineral dust and the sharp acidic tang of countless bodies moving in perfect formation.
Lin Feng crouched against a cracked earthen wall, golden eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.
He had grown used to the black ants — fast, venomous, predictable in swarms.
But this chamber felt different.
The ground vibrated with measured, heavy steps.
He activated Spirit Eye.
A larger silhouette emerged from the shadows.
> [Target Analysis]
> **Name:** None
> **Race:** Iron Ant Soldier
> **Level:** 6
> **Strength:** 14
> **Agility:** 6
> **Defense:** 18
> **Mana:** 0
> **Description:** Elite colony defender. Reinforced exoskeleton with high mineral density. Slower but extremely durable. Mandibles can crush bone. Resistant to poison.
Lin Feng's pupils narrowed.
"Defense… eighteen."
Almost equal to his own.
The ant's body was dull gray, almost metallic. Its shell looked thick, layered, and unbreakable.
This was not prey.
This was a wall.
The Iron Ant turned, antennae twitching.
It sensed him.
It charged.
The speed wasn't impressive.
The weight behind it was.
Lin Feng dodged at the last instant as the ant slammed into the wall with terrifying force.
*Crack.*
The impact left a visible dent in the packed earth.
His heart pounded.
"If that hits me directly…"
He lunged and bit down on its back.
*Clang.*
Pain exploded through his jaw.
His fangs scraped uselessly against the hardened shell.
The ant twisted violently. Mandibles snapped shut where his head had been a heartbeat earlier.
The tunnel was too narrow for wide maneuvers.
This was dangerous.
The Iron Ant rushed again.
This time Lin Feng waited until the final moment, then slid low beneath its raised body and struck upward — fangs sinking into the softer joint beneath the thorax.
**Venom Bite.**
The ant screeched — a sharp metallic clicking sound.
It thrashed wildly, slamming him against the wall.
Pain flared across his ribs.
He rolled away just before the mandibles closed.
Venom flooded the wound, but the ant barely slowed.
"Poison resistant…"
He circled carefully.
The Iron Ant was slow — built for defense, not pursuit.
That was its weakness.
Lin Feng darted in again and again — bite, retreat, bite, retreat — targeting joints, leg segments, underbelly gaps.
The fight dragged on.
Every collision hurt.
A mandible clipped his flank and sent him skidding across the tunnel floor.
His basic scales barely softened the blow.
Minutes passed.
Finally, the Iron Ant staggered.
Venom had accumulated.
Its legs trembled.
Lin Feng lunged one last time — fangs sinking deep into the weakened neck joint.
The ant collapsed with a heavy thud.
Breathing hard, Lin Feng stepped back.
"That… was not easy."
He stared at the corpse.
The shell really did look like iron.
He bit down.
The taste was awful — dry, chalky, metallic.
But he forced himself to devour every piece.
As the last fragment disappeared, something changed.
A heavy warmth spread across his skin.
Pressure built beneath his scales.
His body tingled.
System notifications flashed.
> [Devour Successful]
> [XP +18]
> [Scale Points +5]
> [Unique Trait Absorption Detected]
A pulse ran through him.
Heat flared along his back.
His scales darkened slightly.
Edges sharpened.
Density increased.
> [Talent Acquired]
> **[Hardened Scale – Rank 1]**
> **Hardened Scale – Rank 1**
> Description: Through repeated absorption of mineral-dense exoskeletons, host scales have undergone structural reinforcement.
> • Minor increase to Defense
> • Reduced piercing damage
> • Increased structural durability
> Talent can evolve through further mineral absorption.
Lin Feng slowly exhaled.
He flexed.
The movement felt heavier.
More solid.
He slammed his shoulder into the wall.
*Thud.*
Far less pain than before.
He dragged a claw across the stone.
Tiny sparks flickered.
A faint, predatory smirk crossed his muzzle.
"So this is your strength…"
He turned his gaze toward the deeper chamber.
In the darkness beyond, multiple Iron Ant Soldiers patrolled.
Before, he would have avoided them.
Now his eyes gleamed with cold confidence.
"You were walls."
He lowered his body, claws gripping the tunnel floor.
"But walls can be broken."
Another heavy vibration echoed from deeper inside.
He activated Spark-Sight for a brief pulse.
Silhouettes of several Iron Ants glowed in his vision.
More soldiers.
A guarded core.
The colony was adapting.
So was he.
His Defense had increased.
His Poison Resistance had grown.
His Venom Bite had grown stronger.
And now — his scales were hardening.
The wolves above still thought he was prey.
They waited.
They hunted.
But down here…
He was evolving.
One Iron Ant had been difficult.
Two would be deadly.
Three would be suicidal.
But he no longer needed to fight them head-on.
He understood their structure now.
Slow.
Heavy.
Rigid.
He would chip them away.
One joint at a time.
One corpse at a time.
He stepped forward.
The tunnel swallowed him once more.
To be continued…