Suspicion Confirmed
'What the hell?'
I had a gut feeling that Theo's behavior was extremely suspicious. I immediately suppressed my breathing and presence, following him from behind.
Sasasak.
Theo moved swiftly along the outskirts where few people passed. If I hadn't smelled that Baichohyang leaf earlier, I never would have spotted him.
'No way...'
As I tailed him, my eyes narrowed. Dark thoughts raced through my mind.
I knew the Mantis Hall was always crawling with spies from the four great clan lords. A grim suspicion hit me: what if Theo was one of them?
'Nah, can't be.'
I shook my head, trying to dismiss it. The guy with the kind face, always smiling and encouraging the trainees—it was too ridiculous to imagine him as a spy for the four great lords.
Chak.
Theo kept going until he reached the absolute fringes of the Mantis Hall, a spot where no one ever ventured.
Swoosh.
He glanced around, confirming no one was nearby, then pulled something from his bosom.
I enhanced my vision with ether and saw what it was.
'An Insect Armament...?')
Theo held a small flute, no bigger than a finger.
'He has one of those?'
Insect Armament. A flute used to control tamed primal species.
Primals were generally considered untamable, but with special shamanism or treasures like Insect Armaments, certain species could be domesticated.
That's why the four great lords obsessed over taming stronger primals.
During the war when we mantises rebelled against them, one of the biggest headaches was dealing with their powerful primals.
'Especially Arachne—that primal...'
Tar antula clan's Goliath Stone Eater primal. Memories of facing it made my body shudder.
It had power rivaling the four great lords themselves—a special specimen.
Anyway, primals weren't just for battle; they had other common uses.
'A messenger.'
From the situation, Theo was clearly summoning a primal messenger to contact the outside.
He put the Insect Armament to his lips and blew. A high-frequency sound, inaudible to normal ears, spread in all directions.
Fssshhh.
'As I thought.'
Vibrations stirred in front of where Theo stood, confirming my hunch.
Messenger primals were usually dragonfly or mole cricket species. The digging sound was unmistakably a mole cricket primal.
'A mole cricket.'
It burst from beneath Theo's feet—a child-sized mole cricket primal, bred for messenger duty. Even fully grown, it stayed that small.
Seeing it poke its head out, I realized where the Baichohyang leaf scent on Theo had come from.
'It rubbed off from that mole cricket.'
Mystery solved. Mole crickets were omnivores, and Baichohyang leaves and roots were one of their favorite foods.
'Amar King Centipede clan's emblem.'
I spotted the mark on the mole cricket's forehead.
I'd hoped it was a misunderstanding, but no.
The Amar King Centipede clan—one of the four great pillars, de facto rulers over mantis kind.
Seeing their emblem confirmed Theo was a spy, 100%.
'What now?'
I watched him tie a letter from his bosom to the mole cricket's body, racking my brain.
Option one: Rush in, subdue him now.
Option two: Since I know he's a spy, dig deeper over time.
Each had pros and cons.
Option one catches him red-handed immediately. But the downside was clear.
'That mole cricket messenger—I can't catch it with my current body.'
The definitive proof Theo was a spy was in that letter.
I needed to secure it, but if the mole cricket dove underground, I couldn't pursue.
No letter, no solid evidence.
'Yeah, keep him in sight and watch.'
I focused on why Theo risked exposure to summon a messenger now.
'The only big event coming up in Mantis Hall is the Sama Grand Tournament. Him suddenly volunteering as team leader is suspicious too... Something's brewing.'
My eyes gleamed. Twenty years grinding on Abian Continent screamed it: trouble at the Sama Grand Tournament.
'Catching him now might just cut off a tail anyway.'
A kid like Theo couldn't hold a high position. Just a contact point, nothing more.
'Plenty of time. Watching might yield key clues.'
Ultimately, uncovering any plot was crucial.
I relaxed my ready stance.
'Even reaching to shield clan's kids. Craig... You're unforgivable, no matter how many times I see it.'
Craig. Amar King Centipede lord, one of the four greats.
His vile face flashed—the bastard who'd driven mantis kind to near extinction.
'This time, I'll end you before it gets that far.'
Craig boasted of wiping us out like it was a medal. But he ended up limbless before my blade, begging for mercy.
This time, it'd come sooner.
I burned the image of the retreating mole cricket and Theo into my eyes, then turned back, revisiting bitter memories.
The next day dawned.
"Alright, time for another fun training session!"
Norton grinned at us, but the trainees sensed an ominous vibe in his smile.
"Heh heh, from today, think of it as real training. Yesterday was just the tutorial."
He held up a red ball the size of his fist.
"Know what this is?"
"A ball for games?"
"Right, a play ball. So why'd your instructor bring it?"
"No way... Training's ball games today?"
Norton flashed a deeper grin.
'Ball games.'
The term stirred Earth memories. Surprisingly, this world had sports like Earth's ball games—some identical, shockingly so.
Did intelligent life evolve similarly?
"Sorry, not ball games. Next time, maybe adapt ball sports for training—could be fun. Anyway, today's is 'Fetch the Ball.'"
"...?"
He named an unheard-of drill: Fetch the Ball.
Retrieve that ball from somewhere, huh? Wait—
I eyed Norton, realization dawning.
"Today's drill: Break through the mechanisms in the training ground, reach the chest at the far end, and fetch this ball."
Some trainees gulped. Instinct screamed it wouldn't be easy.
"One tip: Success depends on the leader's spot-on judgments and the team's execution. Fail either, and you won't even get close."
Hmm, this'll demand focus. Gotta watch if Theo pulls anything shady too.
"First team leader today: Aleck."
Norton pointed at me. Theo did it yesterday; my turn now.
I nodded.
Focus on training today. Crucial as first-time leader.
First impressions matter. Nail it to close the gap with Theo.
"Everyone, let's do great today."
I stepped forward.
"I'll run the team differently from Theo yesterday."
Murmurs rippled.
"Aleck! I mean, Team Leader! How?"
"Was about to explain. I'll split 30 into six squads of five."
"Six squads?"
"Yeah, squad concept. Pick a squad leader from each."
"Oho..."
They started puzzled but leaned in as I explained, intrigued.
I smirked inwardly.
'Ant clan style.'
Ants, with vast numbers, needed efficient command. Split and split again: legions to divisions, divisions to brigades, and so on—squads within platoons.
Just like Earth's militaries. I'd been shocked seeing it first time—too similar.
"Oho."
Norton, watching from afar, eyes lit with admiration: How does he know ant tactics?
"Impressive! Didn't know you'd mastered unit tactics."
He voiced it bluntly.
Trainees' eyes sparkled at the praise. Even Norton approved this tactic.
"Memorize this formation."
With Norton's backing, I taught basic tactical formations.
Hexagonal: Me center, six squads at hexagon vertices.
Based on it, adapt organically to situations.
"Training start!"
Once formations set, it began.
Ziiing. Kuku-kung.
Iron puppets surged everywhere. Their eerie aura made the 200 meters to the red-ball chest feel like a thousand leagues.
'Solo, I could reach easy.'
My upgraded body brimmed with power. Unleash it, and smashing through solo was doable.
'But that defeats team training.'
I moved to hexagon center, addressed my gazing team.
"Alright, let's charge!"
They roared back.
"Charge!"
"Woooaaah!"
The moment we stepped in—
Shuwaaa!
A barrage of dark projectiles blanketed our vision.