The Royal Jelly Hoard
"Over there."
After spreading out my senses to search, I spotted what seemed to be their lair—an ant burrow.
Sentries too, huh?
Five primal thief ants stood at the entrance, guarding it like proper watchmen.
Pretty large-scale operation?
Thief ants usually operated in small groups. Maybe they knew their thieving ways were flawed, but they didn't trust each other much anyway. Typically, a few would band together, dig a shabby burrow nearby, and stockpile food there. With so few numbers, they didn't even have the concept of posting guards.
An organized thief ant group... They only appeared once in the game, right?
Even back then, they had sentries standing watch, and some even patrolled the perimeter—creatures who had to keep their base hidden at all costs. Their behavior was structured like a regular ant legion.
But that was an event boss.
A named primal event: the Thief Ant Queen.
This isn't a game anymore. No way that shows up.
I'd never heard of a Thief Ant Queen appearing in over twenty years before my regression.
Guess I'll have to go in and check.
I drew ether from my body, preparing to activate a skill.
Stealth!
Shhrrrp.
My body blended seamlessly with the surroundings, my presence vanishing.
With my racial trait of presence reduction already enhanced from my recent growth stage, adding the Stealth skill made my movements truly ghostly.
"Kiririk?"
Confirming the skill had worked perfectly, I approached right under their noses. One twitched its antennae and tilted its head.
One individual had unusually sharp senses. But that was it.
They didn't notice me as I slipped past into the burrow.
Definitely narrow.
The tunnel inside was tighter than a typical ant burrow—natural, given their small size.
Anyone bulkier than me would have to crawl.
Like Max from the Hercules clan, Polt from the Kokasus clan, Bartea from the King Baboon clan, or Montiol from the Black Gigantia clan. The passages were too cramped for them to stand straight.
A bit further in, the tunnels widened somewhat, with rocks and dirt piles here and there—perfect for hiding.
Whew.
Maintaining Stealth for so long drained ether rapidly. Planning to expand my senses and proceed cautiously, I released it.
If thief ants approached unexpectedly, I'd need it ready again anyway.
"Kiririk—?"
Descending a flat stretch, I encountered a thief ant. I activated Stealth again.
It sensed something off and cocked its head, but eventually moved on without spotting me.
Repeating this several times as I advanced...
A fork.
Three paths branched out.
Damn, no wonder it felt so big... They've dug it out like a real ant nest?
Ant burrows had countless intertwining tunnels. Without pathfinder traits, even seasoned ant hunters could get lost like in a maze—solo entry was rare.
Hmm.
I stroked my chin.
Thief ants never expanded their burrows to this scale with forks. They lacked the organization and numbers.
Or did they raid another ant burrow?
Aside from the entrance, the tunnels grew wider deeper in. If it was just for them, they wouldn't have dug so spacious.
I couldn't gauge the situation.
Can't turn back now, though.
Forks could lead to more forks, risking getting lost—but I wasn't worried. I had my Sixth Sense.
Middle path.
Guided by my Sixth Sense, I chose the center tunnel.
"Kiririt!"
Stealth!
"Kirrit?"
Stealth on for thief ants, off otherwise. Rinse and repeat as I delved deeper.
Fork? Sixth Sense. Thief ant? Stealth.
After a long descent...
This scent...
A fragrant, sweet aroma tickled my nose.
Found it.
Royal jelly. That unmistakable honeyed sweetness.
As expected.
Sixth Sense never failed me.
"Kirrit, kiriririt—."
"Kiririt."
But six thief ants guarded the tunnel entrance wafting the royal jelly scent.
Just how big is this group?
Larger than imagined. From entrance to here, I'd seen dozens—hundreds maybe.
Had a true 'queen' emerged to lead them? An absurd thought, but it explained the situation otherwise.
No choice but to fight here.
A rock blocked the rear tunnel, making stealthy entry tough. To proceed, I'd have to take them down.
"Kirrit?"
One spotted me as I dropped Stealth—but too late.
Pajit, pajijit.
Lightning ether already cloaked my sword.
1st Variation Form: One Flash Thunderclap
I became a bolt of lightning, crashing down on their heads.
* * *
Not far from the thief ant lair, three hulking figures trudged along.
"Drvito, didn't you have business with that Aleck punk?"
Pasasi's red eyes gleamed as he grilled Drvito.
"Hmmm, I do... but seems like you're the one dying to see him most."
Drvito read Pasasi's inner thoughts from those gleaming eyes.
"Kuh, that coward's cheap shot bruised my pride. Just wanna rematch and pay him back for that day."
"Cheap shot, huh... Was it really?"
"......"
Pasasi couldn't answer readily. His heart screamed it was carelessness, but a corner of his mind whispered the outcome might not have changed regardless.
"He's strong—stronger than you guys. Gotta admit what you gotta admit. Right, Montiol?"
"......Yeah. He's no scrub mantis we can underestimate."
"See? Montiol owns it cleanly."
"Damn it, fine. He's decent, I'll give him that. But that day, he ambushed from behind like a coward! My brain rattled from the jaw shot—I couldn't fight right."
With even Montiol acknowledging Aleck, Pasasi spilled his guts.
Aleck was no ordinary foe, true. But he'd been caught off-guard too. A proper rematch would settle it.
"Heh heh, yeah? Think you can get revenge in a straight 1v1?"
"Yeah! No carelessness, full fight—I'd never lose to some runt mantis!"
"Is that so... Fine. I'll give you a shot later."
Drvito's eyes narrowed vertically, a sinister grin spreading.
* * *
Honeybee hive cluster.
Trainees for this field exercise gathered in small groups out front.
"Whoa, so that's how they harvest royal jelly."
"Amazing. Feels like the primal honeybees are letting us take it."
Katt and Rozin marveled at the harvesting via extractors.
"Exactly. The honey we're taking now? They set it aside for us. They know we protect their hives from threats in exchange. Symbiosis, basically."
Witch spider Gosling knew the odd relationship well, explaining how regulars and primals cooperated.
"Wild. Makes you think regulars and primals could really coexist."
"But we gotta wait like this all day?"
"Probably?"
"We'll be harvesting till sundown."
"Split up? Some guard here, others hunt thief ants."
"Good idea. Fair split of their horn protrusions by headcount."
Squad 10—minus Aleck—had 10 members, more than most. They divided for efficiency.
Hunting team: Emperor scorpion Hanks, camel spider Rozin, samurai ant Dirt, king mantis Katt, giant dragonfly Hems. Five total.
Witch spider Gosling, defense and fortification specialist, stayed to guard extractors.
"Katt, hurry up. Why so slow?"
"Done now. Let's go!"
Katt dawdled, got chewed out, geared up hastily—and as he turned to leave...
Drdrdrdr.
Hm?
Faint ground vibration. Katt glanced at the source.
Just now... something moved underground?
"What're you doing, Katt!"
"Ah! Coming!"
Urged on, he snapped to, tilting his head.
Hallucination?
With lingering doubt, he followed the hunters.
* * *
A radiant golden wave.
I couldn't tear my eyes from the spectacle.
After one-shotting the guards and entering, I beheld a vast cavern filled with a royal jelly banquet.
"Whoa......"
My throat bobbed involuntarily. The piercing sweet scent dizzied me.
"What the hell is all this?"
Regaining composure, I surveyed properly.
Hexagonal trays filled an enormous space—clearly entire royal jelly combs ripped wholesale from honeybee hives.
...This possible?
Small mucus-encased globs aside? Understood—stolen and stored thief ant style.
But those trays? Impossible without ripping out hive sections. For tiny thief ants, it'd take hundreds cooperating.
Either commanded by something... or help from a bigger body.
Odds grew of more than just thief ants here.
Anyway.
"Jackpot, I guess."
I chuckled dryly, then got to work.
Situation be damned—gonna devour this royal jelly first.
100,000 grams? I'd be busy. More than my body weight.
Had to finish before they swarmed.
"Well then... bon appétit!"