A weird sensation started filling Ben's mind. From his neck, purplish flesh came out; it started forming and turning humanoid. This change pulled the ant queen's attention. She raised her finger, and a fireball then appeared in the air. It started as an ember but quickly grew in size until it was as big as a football.
With a flick, the fireball streaked through the air. It then exploded with a loud boom. But the ant queen didn't feel happy at all. Her eyes were filled with a frown as her lips mumbled something.
The smoke dissipated, showing a transparent barrier. She created a few more fireballs and tried to attack again, but it was futile. Ben's new body had already begun to take shape. It was humanoid, looking just like a normal body but covered in purplish chitin armor.
That is how it looked on the outside, but inside, Ben could feel it. A surge of strength, something he didn't have before. Right now, he felt that even if he were crushed by a truck, he would survive. His single punch should be at least as strong as the royal ant's jaw. Ben looked toward the ant queen, his lips curling into a grin.
BAM! As he fell, he stomped the ant's head, squeezing it like tofu.
[You have killed the ants' Royal Guard]
[You get 25x biomass]
There were a few more notifications, but Ben ignored them all. His focus now was on the ant queen. The magical barrier dissipated the moment he finished his transformation. "Just what are you!?"
"Ah, now I can understand you. It seems absorbing the biomass had this effect."
The Queen was surprised by Ben's response. Before, she couldn't make sense of what he was talking about, but now she could understand all of it. This moment was not missed by Ben. He stomped on the ground, then appeared in front of the queen.
BAM!
His fist dug through her flesh, tearing through her skin. The queen retaliated, her hand engulfed by fire as it grasped Ben's hand. She then raised her other palm to his head. Ben could feel scorching heat gathering inches away from his face, but he wasn't worried. With a will, the chitin armor started creeping upward, covering his whole face and turning into a helmet.
The flame exploded point-blank. Ben could feel the pain, but this was nothing compared to what he had felt before. He kicked the queen's head while performing a backflip, then landed on the ground. 'It seems taking those martial arts classes wasn't pointless.'
Ben pointed his finger forward, then dropped a dozen rock cubes. His goal was to impede her from casting another spell. He then leaped forward, landing on the queen ant's body."STOP! Let's talk."
But Ben didn't listen. 'Talk now!? Fuck you!!!' He knew that before, they couldn't communicate, but it didn't change the fact the woman had just tried to kill him. There was no way he could talk with her just like that.
At the very least, he needed to return the favor. He pointed his arm like a spear, then pierced through her back. His target was the woman's heart. He didn't know how it worked for her body, but since her upper body was humanoid, Ben thought the location should be the same.
Crimson blood splurted out, and the ant's body fell as she grimaced in pain. Then, what followed was silence. The ant queen didn't make a single move or a sound. "Is she dead!?" Ben was puzzled.
The ant didn't seem to move, nor did he feel any life coming from it, but there was no notification. As he was puzzled, suddenly, the woman's hand moved in an unnatural way, hugging him and pressing his body forward. It was like they were hugging, but he was pressed against her back.
Then, in horror, her head turned 360 degrees. She may have been beautiful, but given the circumstances, Ben didn't enjoy looking at her face at all. He tried to break free, but her grasp was too strong. "Stop fighting, and we can talk. I never wanted to kill you, but since we couldn't communicate, I had no choice."
"Bullshit, you could've just ignored me!"
"No can do! In that case, someone else would've taken you. You're a human, the creator species that should be extinct!"
'Extinct? Human?'
"It seems you have no understanding of this world, so the book is true." Her words made Ben feel even more confused. He knew he needed information, but he couldn't help feeling danger in the situation.
"Prove it then. If you really just want to talk, release me."
"…"
"Why can't you trust me? It's clear you need something from me, and as you said, I need more information about this world."
"…"
The ant queen still hesitated; they locked gazes, but Ben didn't relent. With a resigned sigh, she said, "My name is Elvira, and I am not really an ant."
She closed her eyes. The next moment, she opened them, and one of her eyes glowed red. "I am Aetheris, a species where each individual is born with a unique ability. My ability allows me to take over someone's body, then slowly assimilate their abilities."
Her words made Ben become more alert. "What do you mean? Are you planning to take over my body?" But after he asked, he realized that if that was her goal, she wouldn't tell him. She would also not try to kill him; instead, she would have just taken over his body.
"I can't. There are many limitations to my ability. One of them is that I can only try to take over those of the same gender. Secondly, the creature must be weaker than me."
Ben frowned. "But you still haven't released me. Who knows if this is just a lie? Maybe your ability requires me to accept it with a word, or you need me to trust you?"
'It seems he'll never trust me. As expected from a human. The legend does say they are very cautious, even with their own race.'
"Fine, I'll release you, but I'll tell you this: even if you kill me, sooner or later, you will be targeted by the others. And they won't be as welcoming as me."
Ben's lips twitched. 'What welcome, you bitch! You tore my arm and cut my head off! If this is a welcome, what will the others do!?'
Thankfully, this time, Ben's anger had reduced a bit. Making a hole through the woman gave him a sense of relief. Elvira then released her grasp. Ben quickly kicked backward, using the momentum to stay away. He landed close to the pickaxe. Ben wanted to grab it again, but just when this thought formed in his mind, the pickaxe disappeared, leaving only his hand. Elvira's head returned to normal. "Can we talk now? There are many things I need to hear."
"Fine, let's talk, but try something suspicious, and you'll know the consequences." Ben Said with cold eyes, while continuing the last part in his mind, 'I'll escape!' Ben knew now that fighting this woman wasn't easy. Even with his current strength, killing her would be hard. He also need to check through the notifications and learn more about his new body.