Chapter 2- Exiled?!

Trying to get used to his new body, Jared stumbles around the large cave. Struggling to move all six of his legs in sync, he falls over more than a few times, bumping into the other eggs around him.

 Luckily, the shells seem tough, preventing any damage from his reckless movement. After what felt to be a few minutes, Jared gets used to walking around with his new body.

 'Front two, middle, back two..' repeating this to himself, he slowly walks in circles, his antennae waving around, picking up a weird signal.

 'Protect?' Somehow inherently understanding the signal's meaning, he thinks to himself.

 *Ding!*

 Looking upwards for the first time since his "birth," Jared noticed some text floating in the air.

 [Pheromome Production gains proficiency due to use. (1/10)]

[Welcome, Lord, to your own "Personal Growth System!…]

"Personal Growth System? Is this some kind of game?" Wondering to himself, he continues to read the messages in front of him.

 [Due to some unforeseen circumstances, you have been reincarnated into the continent of Arantia! One of a few continents spread out in this magical world.]

"Arantia? What kind of place is this? Magical? Am I not on Earth anymore?"

 Seemingly responding to his thoughts, another message appears above him.

 [Error: Not enough information to display the world's name]

"Uhh, o-okay, what can you do then?" A little scared by the situation, Jared "asks" hesitantly.

 [The System has many capabilities, although currently, most of them are locked behind specific requirements that you must achieve.]

[As of now, you have access to your "Status*," "Evolution Path," and "Automatic Communication*." Any word with a "*" symbol can be expanded open with more information. For more information, think of these words, and more information shall appear.]

'Uhh S-Status?" Hesitantly, Jared thinks of the word "Status," jumping back as a small panel appears in front of him.

 ———————————————————

[Status]

[Name: Jared]

[Species: Formica Mana* (Defective*)]

[Skills:]

[Pheromone Production* (Level 1)

1/10]

[Mutated Exoskeleton* (Level 1)

0/10]

[Hive Obedience* (Level MAX)]

————

[Growth Points: 0/100]

——————————————————

'That's a lot of information. Formica Mana? I guess I really am an ant.' Sighing to himself, Jared notices the word "defective" next to his species name.

 'Pheromone Production and Exoskeleton are pretty self-explanatory, so I can check those out after. But what does "Hive Obedience" do?"

[Hive Obedience (Level Max)]

[Being part of a hive mind comes with advantages and disadvantages. With your Queen as the leader, any order she gives is followed instinctively and cannot be ignored.

 This skill is inherent with all species of ants but can be removed under special circumstances.]

'Wait, I have to follow some insects' orders? What the hell?!' Angry and scared by the implications, Jared starts pacing around the room. 'W-what if she orders me to die?! This isn't fair at all!'

Letting out a deep sigh inside of his thoughts, Jared calms down after a few minutes. 'Alright, maybe it's not so bad if I avoid the Queen, then I can't receive any orders, right? That'll be my plan for now.'

'Anyways, what's with the "defective" mark next to my species?'

[Formica Mana (Defective)]

[A scarce species of ant native to the Arantia continent. They are well known for being highly intelligent (for ants) and being able to manipulate the Mana inside of their bodies. This species can only come about through particular circumstances.

 Due to their naturally higher intelligence and mana control, their lifespan is much longer than other ant species.

 (Defective: Due to your soul not being adapted to the energy of the world around it, you were born with a defective body. This defect prevented the creation of a Mana Core inside your body, disallowing you to manipulate mana like the rest of your species.

 Due to this, however, your body has received a proportional boost in strength, making you more rigid, stronger, and more durable than the rest of your colony.)]

'Mana? There really is magic in this world, huh? And I can't use it?! This isn't fair at all! I'm some random bugs slave, and I'm weaker than those around me? What good is some tougher body when magic is involved?!' Agitated, Jared continues to complain, angry over his circumstances.

 'Hmm, maybe my body is super strong then, I'll be like the Hulk of ants!' Trying to justify his issues, he thinks, 'Mutated Exoskeleton.'

[Mutated Exoskeleton (Level 1)

0/10]

[When the soul fails to adapt, the body must adapt instead. Due to high concentrations of mana flowing throughout your body but failing to create a core, your body has been strengthened beyond its normal limits.

 Similar to the normal skill of your species 'Exoskeleton,' this skill may be improved by both passive and active use.]

'Okay, at least I've got some super strong body then! Maybe this will be my most important skill. I'm not too sure what it means by 'active use,' but I hope I don't have to become a masochist.' Thinking of the description, Jared's body shivers a bit at the thought of destroying his own body to improve it.

 'And finally 'Pheromome Production'.

[Pheromome Production (Level 1)

1/10]

[A skill inherent to multiple species of insects, you are capable of both producing and understanding pheromones with this skill. As of now, your use is limited by how much you can produce, as well as the complexity of the messages that you can output.

 This skill can increase in proficiency through both passive and active use.]

'Ahh, so understanding the message left behind by someone else allowed me to increase my proficiency! That makes sense.'

Finally understanding the first message that popped up, he thinks to himself. Looking around, he notices all of the eggs around him, each glowing with a dim blue light, giving a mystical atmosphere to the cave.

 *Crksh*

 Hearing an odd noise, Jared turns around, noticing a crack on one of the eggs nearby. 'Wait, are they hatching?' Watching the egg intently, he doesn't notice another ant, about twice his size, with a pale blue body, walking into the room behind him.

 *Clack clack*

Hearing that weird noise, Jared turns back around, ignoring the hatching egg and looking at the monstrous ant before him. Its body was noticeably more pale blue than his own but seemingly pulsing with a blue light at random.

As it moves towards him, Jared feels another signal released by his larger counterpart.

"Wrong"

'Wrong?'

 Confused by the signal, Jared attempts to release one of his own, trying to ask what the ant means.

 [Due to low proficiency in 'Pheromome Production', your message has been simplified to: "How wrong?"]

Seemingly surprised by his ability to communicate, the larger ant clacks its mandibles menacingly, moving closer and closer.

 'Ah, wait, no!'

Suddenly, the large ant uses its mandibles to pick up Jared, lifting him over its head gently and carrying him outside of the cave into a hallway.

 "S-Stop!"

 [Pheromone Production proficiency increases to due use]

Ignoring his message, the ant continues to carry Jared forward. After what feels to be a long time, passing by countless other ants walking by, the ant drops Jared.

Looking around, Jared is in awe. The cave he was brought to is massive compared to his own body. Countless ants scurrying around, climbing over each other seemingly randomly but never stopping. Some carrying moist chunks of a red mass. Others lift tiny blue crystals and carry them toward the "nursery" that Jared just came from.

 Looking around, Jared notices these blue crystals growing out of the walls and ceilings around him. Countless tunnels lead in and out of the cave, with one of them seemingly leading straight downwards. As he stares at these crystals, they seem alluring, drawing him towards them, making him… hungry.

 *SNAP*

Suddenly, a loud clacking noise draws his attention. Looking towards the noise, his body begins to shake on its own.

 'W-what is this feeling?'

 Unable to move, his eyes lock onto the massive being before him. Taking up about 1/8 of the cave, a large, dark blue, bulbous ant stares at him from what seems to be a throne made of bones.

 With her mandibles alone being the size of his entire body, Jared cannot react, seemingly locked in place by her majestic aura.

 'Wait, is this Hive Obedience? Oh, this is dangerous.'

 After a minute or two of staring at Jared, the Queen releases her own pheromones. Every ant in the room freezes before turning to look at Jared, clacking their mandibles towards him.

 Calming down a little, Jared reads the message that the Queen is releasing:

"Useless Child. You leave or be eaten."

'W-what?!"