Chrysalis Chapter 5 The furious Tiny, the delectable feast!

Tiny lets out a famished roar and plunges straight into the vertical shaft, landing right on top of me before I can even finish my sentence!

My original intention was to descend to the ceiling of this passage and survey the area before making a move. Instead, I am shoved downward by the massive weight of a giant ape, our combined momentum launching us out of the tunnel and slamming us into the floor right in the middle of two clashing monsters.

THUMP!

….

Get off of me, Tiny, you brainless ape!

Wait a second. Er.

[Get off me, Tiny, you ape!]

He pays me no mind. With eyes gleaming with a craving for both food and combat, Tiny springs up—planting a foot firmly in the center of my back—and dives headlong toward the nearest beast, fists swinging as bolts of electricity crackle in every direction.

He absolutely flattened me. I’ve actually taken damage, dammit!

As it turns out, having a gargantuan ape use your spine as a springboard is far from enjoyable.

Groaning to myself, I struggle to my feet, trying to force my mind back into a combat state after such a jarring surprise. Once I regain my footing, I attempt to assess the situation as rapidly as possible.

What exactly are we facing here?

The corridor itself is fairly cramped and radiating with intense light, as mana veins weave through every inch of the wall surfaces. Monsters are locked in struggle all along the passage, even as fresh creatures crawl out from the walls where they were just spawned.

It is absolute mayhem! Pure chaos!

However, they are all merely low-level monsters!

Surveying the area, I see nothing but the types of foes I encountered when I first entered the Dungeon. There are slugs, centipedes, wolves, and the occasional Croca-Beast or Thorn Lizard. These are the weakest of enemies. I was capable of killing these things before I had even developed a core!

Since those days, I have undergone two evolutions; my strength is on an entirely different level now! These creatures are no longer a threat to me! Honestly, most of them look tiny now, considering I have grown significantly in both height and length. Even the Dragon-Wolf hounds can't look down on me anymore. Ha!

Prepare to face my fury!

Muahahaha!

Overjoyed, I lunge at a nearby Coral-Slug, snapping my mandibles wide before slamming them shut.

Shattering Bite!

Meeting zero resistance, the glowing ethereal jaws crunch straight through the slug's body. Your slimy defense won't save you this time!

[You have slain a level 3 Coral Slug]

[You have gained experience]

Who wants to be next?!

The battle that follows is incredibly therapeutic. Thanks to my superior stats, physical mutations, and leveled-up skills, these weak, unevolved monsters are trivial opponents; nearly everything I touch is annihilated in a single bite!

I recall being terrified of you once—take that!

[You have slain …]

You think you can spit that nasty acid at me? I can barely feel it! Muahahaha!

[You have slain …]

Oh, you want to whip me with your tail? Why don't I just bite it off?

[You have slain …]

I vent all the pent-up frustration from my early days in the upper levels of the Dungeon upon these monsters without a shred of mercy. Yes, you wretched little things. Become my stress relief!

While I am thoroughly enjoying the slaughter, Tiny is not. These monsters are far too weak to satisfy his bloodlust; every single one of them collapses after a single blow from his massive fist. After clearing everything in his path, the poor guy begins to look quite dejected. He continues to fight and kill his way through the tunnel, but the spark of excitement has vanished from his movements.

It seems he simply cannot find any joy in a fight unless there is a genuine threat to his life.

Are you some kind of masochist, Tiny? Can you only have fun when you're getting thrashed?

You seriously need professional help, man.

Before long, a significant portion of the tunnel has been purged by our rampage, until no monster dares to stand against us. Standing among the corpses of our prey, I am beaming with pride, having successfully purged my inner stress, while Tiny just looks miserable.

[Perk up, Tiny! It's time to eat!] I call out to him.

The moment the words are spoken, a massive grin spreads across his bat-like face. He immediately begins grabbing chunks of Biomass and stuffing them into his maw. Being just as famished as he is, I dive in with enthusiasm, tearing into the food with the full power of my insectoid jaws.

Make no mistake, Biomass still tastes foul, but one can eventually get used to anything—even gorging on raw monster remains.

It is somewhat disappointing that the monsters here were such low levels. Despite slaughtering about twenty creatures, I didn't gain a single level, and I doubt I'll gain much Biomass even if I eat every last one of them.

I do manage to find three small monster cores, however! I set these aside to add to my collection for future testing. Since it will be a while before my next evolution, there is no rush to absorb every core I find; I’d prefer to use these to level up my skills first, as I still believe the core engineering skill holds great promise.

Regardless, Tiny and I feast until our bellies are bulging. It is only then that we realize, with some embarrassment, that we were supposed to be gathering food for the entire colony, not just filling our own stomachs.

….

I got a bit carried away there.

It isn't a major issue, though. If there is one thing the Wave provides in abundance, it is spawning monsters. Even as we ate, monsters were emerging from the walls, forcing us to dispatch them between bites.

I drag myself further down the hall to hunt more prey, busying myself by hauling the carcasses back toward the entrance of our escape tunnel. After ten minutes, I’ve piled up a decent amount of Biomass, and Tiny has done the same from his end of the tunnel.

I climb back up the short connecting passage to call for workers to retrieve the haul. As I move, I notice the mana veins are already starting to creep up the connection and into the escape tunnel.

Dammit.

I knew it was inevitable, but it still fills me with anxiety. I can only hope we can dig fast enough to stay ahead of these mana veins; I really don't want monsters popping out of the walls while we work. While the monsters would be killed quickly, there is always the risk of a worker being caught off guard, or a monster spawning right under the larvae before anyone can react.

Dozens of ants have already perished in this Wave, and we’ve been incredibly lucky so far!

"I need assistance gathering food down here!" I signal to the workers as I peek out of the small tunnel.

At the mention of 'food,' thirty workers instantly cease their tasks and dive into the narrow hole, rudely shoving me aside in their desperation to reach the Biomass!

I lose my footing and fall once more, landing with a wet thud in a heap of monster guts.

…

My poor dignity!

As the other ants swarm over me to begin butchering the Biomass, I take a moment to breathe. After all that fighting, digging, and more fighting, I really just want to take a nap!