The moment Arthur drew close, he caught a whiff of a distinctive odor coming off those ants. That scent was so tempting it felt like the most delicious aroma in the whole world.
Despite their tiny size, they were hauling a beetle easily a hundred times heavier than themselves, moving at a quick clip. Arthur couldn't help admiring their sheer strength. Without thinking, he flicked his tongue out and snatched up the two ants nearest him.
Surprisingly, they tasted a bit like fried chicken. Smacking his lips, Arthur gulped them down and then repeated his move, snagging two more. His satiety meter instantly jumped to 2.
His ambush caught the ants off guard at first, but they quickly split into two groups—one continuing to transport the beetle, while the other swarmed in to attack Arthur.
Eyeing up those ants, which were way smaller than he was, Arthur felt zero threat. He just kept gobbling up whatever crawled within reach. Watching his satiety inch steadily higher, he got greedy and let his stare drift to the beetle the ants were still hauling.
"I wonder how that beetle tastes. I bet it's pretty damn good."
He practically drooled at the thought. Taking two steps forward, he opened his mouth wide—then a sudden jolt of pain shot through his belly.
Arthur flinched and glanced down in alarm to find several ants already on him, clamping down on his stomach. Once they latched on, they immediately released formic acid. Sharp, itchy pain flared up where they bit him.
And that wasn't all—his arms and back began stinging, too. At first, he tried to soldier through it, but the ants kept coming, and the pain only got worse. Eventually, he had to shake them off and bolt.
Still, he wasn't about to leave empty-handed. He dashed forward a few more steps, flicked out his tongue, and grabbed hold of the beetle the ants were carrying, clamping it in his jaws before running away.
Ants can communicate through pheromones, and seeing their prize stolen set off alarms. They instantly called reinforcements.
Scrambling through the grass, Arthur had not expected these ants—small as they might be—to also be decently fast. They kept right on his tail, refusing to let him gain distance.
Worse still, he noticed his satiety was dropping while he ran. In just a short time, it sank from 10 to 4.
To make matters worse, two debuffs—[Poisoned] and [Weakened]—had appeared on his status screen.
Evidently these effects sped up how fast his satiety fell and seriously messed with his movement speed.
It was a train wreck. If his satiety plunged to zero with that poison still active, the ants would catch up, tear him to pieces, and haul him back to their nest.
No way was he letting that happen. Arthur immediately craned his neck and swallowed the beetle in one gulp.
His satiety rocketed from 4 to 26. The [Weakened] status grayed out, and his speed took off again, letting him leave the ants far behind.
Finally, he scaled a tree to check below. Confirming he was safe, he just stood there panting like crazy.
Not wasting any time, he looked for a good spot, used Camouflage, and hid himself so he could digest.
As time ticked by, his satiety slid back to 0. When it finally hit empty, he noted some changes in his status:
[Ding! Your Strength +5]
[Ding! You have acquired the skill "Beginner's Strength Boost."]
Skill: Beginner's Strength Boost
Level: F
Effect: Increases Strength by 10%
Apart from that new skill, Arthur saw that some of his stats had changed too.
[Mutant Gecko · SSS]
[Strength: 6.6]
[Agility: 3]
[Defense: 1]
[Mana: 0]
[Evolution Points: 1/100]
[Status: Hungry (0/100)]
[Description: You're still puny enough that 98.85% of the forest's creatures can kill you easily. Before you evolve any further, you need to fill your belly.]
His evolution gauge had edged up to 1 out of 100!
Arthur guessed that hitting 100/100 might trigger some big surprise. Still, 99% was a long way to go. Yet the jump in Strength really made a difference.
He could literally feel his body get bigger. He no longer looked so small and frail. Running around, he sensed more power in his limbs, and he could leap higher and farther.
"Whoa, that Strength boost is crazy obvious. Looks like my SSS-grade Devour Evolution has way more potential than I imagined!"
"And in this forest, size definitely matters. To stop being some bottom-of-the-food-chain wimp, I need to devour as many creatures as possible. That's the only way I'll get enough power to defend myself."
Arthur was always one to act fast. Now, in this vast forest, it felt a lot like when he first graduated college and learned to survive in the real world. He knew he'd have to build up the right resources and sharpen his abilities if he hoped to get anywhere.
After thinking it through, he quickly put together a devouring plan.
"First off, I'm nothing but a gecko right now. Tiny. Besides, nearly every creature out here can turn me into a snack. I need a place that'll hide my body, supply plenty of food, and let me use Camouflage so I can feast in secret."
"All forms of life need water. Where there's water, there are mosquitoes, ants, and all kinds of bugs. Plus, there should be clusters of shrubs where I can blend in."
"If I find a spot like that, I can solve both my water and food problems at the same time."
Arthur started surveying the area, sniffing for moisture in the air, and checking for tracks left by other animals.
Before long, relying on a few rudimentary jungle survival tricks, he found a path used so often that it had been worn smooth through the undergrowth. Following it, he soon arrived at a not-so-big watering hole.
Just as he'd hoped, shrubs and tall trees ringed the pool. Around it, big animals gathered to drink, and huge clouds of mosquitoes hovered in clumps.
Fixating on a nearby swarm of bugs, Arthur scurried up the closest tree. Finding a spot within lunging distance, he switched his skin tone to match the foliage, then waited, predator-style, for something to land.
It wasn't long before some mosquitoes, tired of flying, settled down to rest on the trunk. They were nice and close.
Arthur didn't hold back. Each time one perched nearby, he gulped it down. Soon he'd cleared out the area—and since mosquitoes don't have much going on upstairs, they didn't notice their numbers dropping. They just kept landing in the same spot and serving themselves up on a platter.
Arthur practically felt like he was dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet, but there was a downside: mosquitoes barely had any meat on them. After chowing down on more than ten, his satiety improved by only 1 point.
And the taste? Nothing special—way blander than that beetle.
Eventually, after half an hour of devouring them, Arthur finished off the swarm. His satiety only went up by 5, and all he got was a little +1 to Agility, no extra skills at all.
Way too slow.
"I need a better food source."