Asumi emerged from the underground maze, now transformed and slightly larger than Gooper. As he approached, Gooper's astonishment was evident.
"Wow, little mouth, big," Gooper remarked, eyeing Asumi's new size.
Close to Gooper, Asumi smiled and replied, "Hey, Gooper."
Still taken aback, Gooper inquired, "What have you been eating? Give me some."
Asumi chuckled, dismissing it. "Come on, it's not a big deal."
Just then, the system prompted: [System: Quest is now available.]
Excusing himself momentarily, Asumi moved to the side of the tree he was next to, preparing for what lay ahead.
Now away from Gooper, Asumi looked at the system window [System: Quest Name: The Level UP. 2/3 Details: level up your understanding of the ecosystem and the world around you]
[Inspect Plant, animals and terrain]
Reward: A map
Time limit: 10 hours.
Asumi stared at the system window, his antennae twitching with intrigue. "Hmm, now it's the ecosystem." Then a picture of that snake flashed into his mind. He added, "Fine, I'd like to know more about this world."
Asumi turned and looked at a tree next to him. He mused, "I'll start with this," as he came close to the towering tree, observing its lush green leaves and sturdy trunk. "Hmm... At first glance, it doesn't seem all that different from what I'm used to on Earth."
He extended his leg, gently brushing his tarsi against the rough bark of the tree.
Asumi, curiously mused, "I wonder if there's more to these trees than meets the eye. Perhaps there are hidden secrets within their structure that hold clues about this world's ecosystem."
Suddenly, he feels a subtle vibration beneath his feet as his legs make contact with the tree's roots.
Asumi, startled, exclaimed, "Whoa... What was that?"
He pauses, intrigued by the sensation, realizing there may be more to this tree and this world than he initially thought.
He mutters, "Oh, I like where this is going," and started climbing the tree, still feeling the subtle vibrations. Then he muses, "This feeling somehow resonates with me. What is this?"
Then he replies to himself, "Well, there's only one way to find out," as he opens up his mandibles, removing a piece of the tree bark. Then he sticks his mandibles into the tree.
Asumi widened his eyes in surprise and mused, "Wait, this is..." The system prompted [System: mana capacity is full].
Then Asumi pulled out his mandibles and said, "So, this is mana, huh? That means every tree, no, every plant in this forest has mana in them."
Then Gooper on the ground crawled up to the tree, yelling, "Asumi, come down, now!" Asumi, looking downwards, muttered, "Okay, geez, you don't have to yell," then he climbed back down.
Meeting Gooper, he asked, "What is it, Gooper?" Gooper turned his face, signaling him to look at some birds.
Asumi turned and looked at the birds chirping from a nest. They were young with little feathers on their bodies, ready to be fed. Then suddenly, a sparrow flew onto the nest using mana to control the air around it. It landed inside the nest, giving its children some food.
Asumi muttered, "Oh, so that's what you meant. Thanks, Gooper. I'll try to be more cautious from now on."
Gooper nodded in response. Then Asumi said, "Oh well, I'm off now," and left to continue his research on this new world.
Gooper looked at him as he walked away, wanting to say something but deciding to keep it to himself.
Asumi moved through the bushes, managing to pass unsuspecting enemies like rabbits, squirrels leaping from tree to tree, and other small creatures. Eventually, he walked up a cliff where he saw something huge.
Then a plain field filled with grasses, there he saw two monsters battling each other with mana.
On the right was a beast resembling a white tiger with two tails and large tusks coming out from his mouth. On the left was a brown bear with a brown crystal embedded in its chest.
The tiger spread out his legs, standing majestically, and roared at the bear. The bear stretched out his hands and roared back in response.
Then the tiger bent down into a sprinting stance. In a burst of speed, it dashed at the bear. The bear started running towards the tiger.
The tiger was running when the tusks started glowing blue in color. The bear, running at the tiger, when its palm started glowing black.
Gathering momentum, the tiger jumped at the bear, opening up its mouth in ferocity, its mighty jaws staring at the bear. The bear, now at the point of contact, swung its palm, slapping the tiger in its face.
The tiger missed its attack and fell, tumbling across the ground, then standing back up, its legs brushing across the ground, making friction, and then completely slowing down.
Then it goes again after the bear. Asumi witnessed the scene unfold, using appraisal to see their names. Asumi turned to look at the tiger, named White Mane Tiger. He turned to the bear, named Brown Gurgle Bear.
He mused, "Wow, so this is what a clash of titans looks like, truly terrifying."
Then he turned back and left, off to explore other wonders in this mysterious forest.
Moving inside the grass, hiding from unsuspecting predators, Asumi mused, "Huh, I've seen the plants and animals. Where do we insects fall in all of this?"
Although Asumi didn't know, he was about to see the true power of the ant colony.
Walking on the towering grasses in the afternoon, the sun shining fixed in the sky, Asumi came out from cover, looking down at the canal of rocky terrain when he saw it.
The ants, countless of them, marching down the rocky valley, carrying the body of a white tiger. The tiger had countless small holes punctured all over its body. In front of the ant army stood the four generals.
The first general, with black mandibles, muttered, "Mean, what a battle. My jaws hurt from all the biting."
The second general, with a black horn on its head, replied, "No complaints. It's the Queen's orders."
The third general, with two big black front legs, muttered, "Yeah, it shouldn't matter anyway. We won."
The fourth and final general, with two strong and black antennae, muttered, "Honestly, once we arrive back and if anything happens to the colony, I'll have all your heads."
The rest of them reassured, snapping their mandibles, "Relax, something like that is not possible." Asumi, watching the long line of ants as they carried an entire beast back to their colony, was in complete and utter shock.
Normally, insects would never stand a chance against animals, not to talk about animals in this new world with mana infused in their attacks. Just how strong do they have to be to not only chase it but also take it down? What monstrosity.
Immediately, Asumi began running back, musing, "No, this can't be. How the hell am I supposed to survive against those monsters?"