After checking the status, Ryo poked his little ant head above the protruding root under which he had previously hid and started looking around the area.

(Ryo)-,,It looks like an ordinary forest, but not entirely ... Many plants look quite unusual .... FUCK !!!"

As Ryo began to look around, his attention was enormous from his perspective of a tree. Although looking at the leaves, their patterns and the color of the bark were different from what he remembered from the previous world. The bark of the trees in this forest looked very much like an oak forest, only the bark of the tree is grayer ... a mixture of gray and brown. and the leaves are more like a hybrid of oak leaf and thorny mosaic. Lots of protruding sharp edges. Quite peculiar.

The ground was very black and he listened, there was little grass, most of the plants on the ground were moss or strange blue plants resembling chives.

Ryo figured he was in some specific biome, not a swamp. So the theory is that this is a forest with these "gray oaks" that absorb most of the nutrients from the soil. Not allowing a weaker plant to grow here.

When Ryo was going to focus on looking for animals or other insects. His inner monologue was interrupted very quickly by the sinews of the Horned Rabbit. Having the body of a rabbit but much larger, the size of a dog. And deer horns, but smaller, about the size of his head. However, what was chasing the horned rabbit caught Ryo's attention.

It was a really big wolf, judging by the size of the trees. His height would reach the chest of a fairly tall man. He had black, slightly silver fur. However, the key feature, which in the last second before they were out of sight, was Ryo. There were his eyes, they looked more like spider red eyes.

(Ryo)- ,, Okay, then either a Fantasy world, or a world with a slightly different animal biology. Although since I have magic and mana stats. It's a fantasy world. I will check more and go .... there."

Ryo looked around again because even though such large animals would not have attacked him directly. It is enough for me to step on him, and at the speed that these two animals showed. Ryo wouldn't have had a chance to dodge.

When Ryo decided it was safe and saw that from where he came there was a large stone with hundreds of small holes from which ants like him would emerge. However, from where the two sprinters came from, there is a large mob of smaller brown ants than Ryo. Not much smaller, but look similar but brown in color.

For the simple fact that they look less dangerous than Ryo's ants. Ryo took the slightly longer route to the brown ant anthill. Hoping for an easier hunt, as he had seen one of his species crack the rocks with his tongs in the odala. So it's better not to risk hitting the more pig of his species.

However, after five minutes, Ryo slightly regretted the decision. Maybe it would be a few big steps for a human, but for an ant. It was a long walk, looking around in fear of rushing animals.

(Ryo)-,,The biggest disadvantage of being an ant ... A walk of a few meters takes a thousand times longer than it is for a human. Fuck ... Now I wish I was some flying insect ... Heh ... Oh hard ... Hehe ... And I know how I will hunt."

Halfway through, Ryo noticed an even row of ants following each other. However, at oddly larger intervals of about 3-5 centimeters. Which is not stupid to think, because if there are larger gaps, they are more likely to come back in larger groups on this animal speedway. Known as the "Oak Gray Forest".

However, Ryo noticed that next to this large group is really deep, two centimeters down, or rather an imprint of ungulates. And given his own perceptions, Ryo will be able to ... Ehem ... kidnap distant ants and kill them in this pit. And for other brown ants it will look like another ant has fallen into this pit. And if they don't have the intelligence of Ryo, they'll just keep going. After all, you have to get food, and the weak will perish.

(Ryo)-,,Theoretically, I have to be careful because what I am doing carries a risk. After all, I don't know if these ants have such a thing as pack solidarity. And won't they attack me, but no risk, no glory."

Ryo finally made it to his hideout in a hoofprint. Although he had to go from print to print in order not to attract the attention of hostile ants.

However, this action slightly increased Ryo's knowledge of ants. Single ants that saw Ryo from a distance as soon as he hid in the hoof area. They forgot about it or did not care for its existence sufficiently. And as if nothing had happened, the ant followed the group.

But it was not without Ryo's accelerated heartbeat. As long as the ants have them.

(Ryo)-,,It fucked me up with that idea ... and I might have been looking for bugs ... okay there aren't many options for someone my size. But, as a rock ant, won't your XP be broken by eating rocks ... FUCK !!!.....Okay, too late .... Now ... Kill a few, enough to evolve and advance my two skills. And a tactical retreat and I'll be back in a while. Good plan."

Ryo hoped this long row of ants would end and he would grab the last ant. However, it did not end so Ryo after the opservation. He looked for an ant with slightly larger seeds or what they were carrying there. Since the ants are carrying larger goods, they walk a few inches closer to Ryo's trap, so it will be easier for Ryo to hunt one of them without being detected.

And then about two hundred ants passed by Ryo. Ryo spotted one similar size to him, a small brown ant, carrying what appeared to be a brown pumpkin seed. Which he clearly can't handle. So, as she approached the trap, Ryo, with his buttocks ready, waited, listening to his victim's steps.

(Ryo)-,,It's a matter of nanoseconds, I have to grab it and suck it in quickly. Before the next ant sees, I have to carefully grab the head and cut it so that it looks like the stone has overloaded the ant and fell into it. And as soon as possible, kill the ant. Simple ... Three ... two ... one ...Go!"

As the ant carrying the stone took the first step on the edge of the "chasm". What made her a little swayed, out of nowhere Ryo jumped out and grabbed her by the boundaries of the head and body ... just behind the head. And dragging to the bottom, the hoofprint. his jaws were clenched.

(Ryo)-,,Die!..Die!..Die!..Die!..Please, Die!..Die!!!"

Ryo will be at the bottom of the shelf with all his might, he fought with the ant trying to break free. The ant, even though the jaw on his "neck" was tightened due to the clenching of the jaw. She could not make a sound to call for help. As well as her movements were very limited. Ryo understood that the brown ants mentioned had minimal armor, slightly weaker than Ryo. to survive a dozen or so seconds in the grip of a rock ant.

The ant, despite Ryo's hardships, fought and tried to free itself. Which made Ryo's hunting very difficult, however ...

Ryo was glad to see the announcement. Because with each nanosecond, his grip on the enemy's neck tightened. Ryo guessed why he was promoted two times. Because he used it at all, and because he used it on a creature that theoretically he should never use. It's just a theory though. However, the gain is obvious, because after a few seconds, Ryo's jaw tightened and his opponent's head fell right next to him.

Ryo began to feel much stronger by ant standards. When the forehead advanced, a dusky tingling of the body. Then there was a feeling of refreshment and strength.

(Ryo)-,,I think I will like it ... yes ... indeed. An addictive feeling."

Ryo rested well hidden in the pit for a while, for the simple reason that his eyes had to rest for a while. And while Ryo realizes that he can kill brown ants much faster, he doesn't mind if he takes a moment to rest. And it will repeat this process until it reaches the level required for evolution.

And then the promotion requirements increased 2 times, or 10 ants, before Ryo could retreat to a safe distance and evolve.

Before Ryo left his current position, Ryo ate all the accumulated seeds. However, he remembered not to eat the green pumpkin seeds because he did. He gained 1% resistance to poisons.

The return to his hideout, under an oak with protruding roots, took much less time than before. For the simple reason of promotion, to the limits of his present form.

And once Ryo felt he was safe, he noticed a semi-transparent screen that hadn't disappeared since it reached the evolutionary level. Ryo looked closely at the current evolution option.

Ryo, seeing his current options, was slightly ragged that there was nothing out of the ordinary here. As in some novels, they get something unusual to choose from in the first evolution. However, as Logic spoke, Ryo understood why. The answer is simple, Ryo didn't do anything out of the ordinary. And if he hadn't been killing the other ants, the black option would not have come up. Same with the plague ants, which he got the option only because he had eaten a slightly poisonous thing.

And on mind Ryo decided to choose the plague ant because killing ants is time consuming. And hunting small mammals gives you the chance to get more Xp. Than ants.