Chapter 32 - 31

After the ants were annihilated, the apes didn’t waste any time to once again subdue and capture me along with the Savaga and the Hackclaw. Normally, I should be able to at least fight back and use my wit to escape especially since my bounds had been completely removed. But because of the fatigue after fighting back against those swarms, I surmised that resisting would simply be a waste of energy and time. And when I looked around, it seemed like the Savaga and the Hackclaw were also completely exhausted just like me and that was why the apes easily captured us once again.

While two Banobos and a couple of Lesser Banobos were making sure that we wouldn’t be able to escape, the rest of the apes were being led by the Tronobo to completely demolish the former nest of the ants. And probably also by the order of the Tronobo, a single squad of apes ran and disappeared inside the passageway near the nest. Most likely, that squad was tasked with the job of disposing of the remnants and strays who had managed to escape during the attack.

Judging by the actions of the apes so far, it was clear to me that these monsters were simply defending their turf against those ants. Furthermore, I also had this feeling that those ants were an invasive species that didn’t originally belong in this area. The proof of that was the surrounding area of their nest which had turned into completely barren land. Of course, it was also possible that the area wherein the ants had built their nest was already like this from the very beginning. But given the unusual way in which the barren land had formed surrounded by the greenery of the jungle, the possibility of this being the result of the invasion of those creatures was seriously high.

Of course, even if that was really the case, I wouldn’t suddenly become sympathetic to these apes and join their cause. After all, I saw no merit in helping them and it wasn’t as if I would be particularly bothered if this area was completely turned into a wretched barren land. Besides, these monsters were technically forcing me to fight for them, and they also had no qualms about using me as bait and a sacrificial pawn. Worst of all, I also had this feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time that these monsters would do something like this. Most likely, as long as we (the three monster prisoners) were still breathing, these apes would surely continue using us as the sacrificial pawns. And beyond all of that, there was also the problem with their ruler.

Fortunately, probably as a result of fighting those swarms, I actually gained two levels effectively making me a level 26 monster. With this, I only needed to level up four more times, and I would reach the Third Evolutionary State of my species. Which meant that I would essentially become an alpha-class monster and would probably be as strong if not stronger than my late father. Though one thing to note was that I had a feeling that this Tronobo was about as strong as an alpha-class wolf. And if that was really the case, then that just put into perspective how strong their ruler was. In short; 'the leader of these guys is in the Fourth Evolutionary State or maybe even higher.'

Of course, if we were only talking about insanely powerful monsters, I was sure that the Drake and the Cerberus were currently at the very top spot. But after seeing them up-close, I had a feeling that evolving into the Fourth Evolutionary State wouldn’t be enough to reach that level of power. Most likely, those monsters were at a level higher than that or maybe even beyond that. Though, because of all that fact, the best possible scenario would be if the ruler of these monsters was only in the Fourth Evolutionary State.

'Well, it will be to my advantage if the monster turns out to be an ally. But that is too much of wishful thinking even for me.'

It was then that the apes finally finished demolishing the nest. Following that, the monsters started gathering some ant carcasses that were still in good condition. And obviously, all of those were gonna end up as their food. Then, most likely, I would be eating the leftovers of those things as well.

I sighed. 'You guys better give me lots to eat after this. I earned it after all.'

***

Intermission: Expansion and Conflict

Out of nowhere, a new alpha class monster had appeared from the ape-type monster species. And though this particular alpha class monster was relatively new and was of unknown origins, it still managed to accomplish a feat that could put its peers and predecessors into shame. The feat in question was that the monster had managed to unite all the existing packs of apes living in the area under its rule. Not only that, because beyond its power and status as a unique kind of monster, the alpha-class ape in question also seemed to have an exceptionally high level of intelligence. Then, as if that wasn’t nearly enough, the alpha class monster also had no qualms about sharing its knowledge towards its kins and subjects. As a result, their forces had become unrivaled and they eventually succeeded in completely taking over the whole jungle-type area.

Of course, it wasn’t as if the culture of the apes suddenly became as advanced as those of the humans. In fact, as time passed, it had become painfully obvious that the knowledge which originated from their ruler was still crude and primitive at best. Still, that didn’t change the fact that the knowledge provided by the alpha-class ape was the reason why these monsters had become the ruler of this jungle-type area. In other words, the alpha class monster had essentially built a primitive kingdom of apes inside the hostile environment of the Great Vicious Caverns.

Naturally, after the apes had managed to completely take over the jungle-type area, they then set their sights on what was beyond the borders of their domain. Truly, this greed and thought process was reminiscent of those of a human. Maybe this was the reason why in this world, there was a belief that humans were a close relative of the apes. In fact, there were even some members of the high races that used this as an insult to what they called a race of hairless apes. And just like those human nations and kingdoms, this decision eventually led to a whole new conflict and bloodshed to the newly born Kingdom of apes.

And so, the exploration to the deeper ends of the Great Vicious Caverns proceeded. Because of that, the apes discovered how vast and confusing the interconnected caverns were. Furthermore, during their exploration, they also discovered a bunch of new creatures, some of which were powerful even enough to contend against their whole squad. As a result, a couple of new squads were formed, and that greatly expanded and accelerated the process of exploration. But then, that was when the apes met the group of monsters that would threaten the existence of their primitive kingdom.

At first, the apes simply dismissed the existence of those ants as something negligible and trivial. Unfortunately, all of that changed after an exploration squad found the area wherein the monsters had built their nest.

Normally, the apes should be able to overwhelm a group of ants using their well-coordinated attacks. The problem was, the area in which the monsters had built their nest was as expansive as the jungle-type area. Furthermore, there were also numerous ants crawling in that place. In short, those monsters could easily annihilate the apes using their numbers alone. Then, to make matters worse, among those numerous ants, there also exist several beings who actually reached the Second and Third Evolutionary State.

When the apes realized that, they ultimately decided to avoid any confrontation against the ants. But alas, the Great Vicious Caverns stayed true to its name and finally bared its fangs against the apes. Because just right after they have decided not to mess with those monsters, one Anties Scout had managed to discover the location of the jungle-type area. Following that, the monsters finally began their invasion of the primitive kingdom of apes.