He was imprisoned in a cell for about a month. During this time, he gained very limited mastery over life energy. Controlling life energy through thought alone was extremely difficult.
It was possible to direct life energy with various body movements; this was much easier but drew a lot of attention.
Let created channels in his body composed of spiritual energy, hoping to use supernatural powers. Mental energy flowed through these channels, and when it exited the body, it carried a portion of life energy with it. This allowed Let to create extremely tiny electric arcs.
Unfortunately, the ability he possessed was only strong enough to kill a fly. Considering the effort he put into it, this was a very small gain. Not having this power at all might have been better.
Additionally, as a result of his intense efforts, he obtained an extremely weak mind control ability. Sadly, its effectiveness was limited to flies. At the very least, he could use this ability to annoy people he disliked.
---
Let looked at his new identity with pleasure but knew there was a price to pay for it. He was now officially a citizen of this country, but unfortunately, he had to join the military.
Interestingly enough, in this world, military service had nothing to do with warring against other countries. The enemies were, in fact, the monsters sealed underground.
Let would not be sent directly underground; he would only be trained on the surface for a potential battle scenario. However, if a real war occurred, Let would be one of the first to leave the country since he held no emotional attachment to it.
The book already mentioned various methods of traveling to other worlds, so in the worst-case scenario, he would escape from this world.
Since the book did not mention any monster invasion, the seal would remain secure for about a hundred years. Later, due to the actions of an extraordinarily powerful supporting character, the underground and surface would completely separate from each other.
They would become entirely different worlds.
A nearby anthill on the ground caught Let's attention. Let approached the anthill slowly and began to take control of the entire colony using his mental energy.
Within about 10 minutes, he had taken control of the entire colony, including the queen ant. Let did not interfere with the normal functioning of the ant colony; he only observed their behavior, trying to make sense of it.
Let hoped to gain inspiration from the queen ant to improve his mind control abilities, but the result was a complete fiasco. The queen ant controlled the entire colony using various pheromones—nothing to exaggerate about.
Let decided that interfering with the other ants would be meaningless and severed the bond he used to control them. The only exception was the queen ant; he maintained control over her.
Let missed a small change occurring within the queen ant. The queen ant's eyes had an indescribable depth to them. Somehow, Let's mental and spiritual energy had affected her.
Let returned to the place where he had previously slept, only to find it had been taken over by another homeless person. Among the homeless, there were some unwritten rules: if the owner of a spot did not return for two consecutive days, another homeless person could claim it.
Let had not returned to this spot for more than a month, so he had lost his right to it. Forcibly removing the other person was not an option; he had to find another spot to settle in.
After wandering around for several hours, Let finally found a suitable place. He planned to get a good night's sleep tonight, as he would have to report for military service the next day.
---
The queen ant was trembling with fear; today, she had felt an immense power penetrating deep into her soul. Because of the colossal being that appeared above the ant colony, she had temporarily lost control over the other ants and even her own body.
The colossal being left the colony, but the queen ant could still see its projection.
The queen ant could feel a bond connecting her to it—a bond that was quite fragile but one she dared not break.
At midnight, she began to follow this bond. The queen ant's soul traversed through the web, moving toward Let's soul.
The queen ant finally saw him. He was a massive ball of blue fire, far more majestic than the colossal being she had seen before.
[Submit to my power!]
The queen ant did not resist the being before her. She simply bowed silently.
Upon this, a fragment broke off from the blue flame and merged with the queen ant. At that moment, their bond became so strong that escape was no longer possible.
[From now on, your name will be Victoria. You will be my first apostle.]
"It is an honor for me, O Great One."
The queen ant, Victoria, felt a profound change in her soul; she had transformed into something entirely different from what she once was.
Victoria now resembled a human far more than an ant. In fact, she could even be considered beautiful.
Victoria had blue antennas protruding from her head, snow-white hair, and eyes resembling the purest sapphires. Her face was akin to that of an innocent nun, and she wore armor made of chitin.
Victoria requested permission and departed from his presence.
When Victoria's soul returned to the ant colony, she noticed that the only thing that had changed was her soul; her body remained unaffected.