Chapter 47 - 46

For an instant, I froze on my spot upon seeing those notifications popped up. 'Oh…'

Then in order to make sure that I wasn’t just seeing things, I focused my eyes on it and read those notifications over and over again. And when the realization that I wasn’t seeing things finally hit me, I felt the boiling heat of excitement welling up inside my c.h.e.s.t.

'YES!!! I finally made it!!!' I celebrated inside. But while I was bathing in joy of finally reaching the heights that any normal wolf wouldn’t ever reach in their lifetime, I was then interrupted by a sudden attack from an ant. Fortunately, I still managed to sense that attack on the last possible second prompting me to dodge it only by a hair’s breadth.

Pissed by that uninvited interruption, I bit the monster on its hind part as it passed through my face. Then, using the full force of my body, I threw the ant back to its companions who were also preparing to launch themselves forward. As a result, the group of ants toppled over by the impact before coming to a stop. And probably because their sharp protruding fangs were pointed forward, the monster that I threw died in an instant after being pierced by his very own kind.

'Yikes.' Using that as the diversion, I activated Stealth and sneaked away from that spot. And with all that finally out of the way, I once again glanced at the notification still displayed on my vision.

Looking at the notification up front, I could feel my mouth curving into a smile. Though because of how dangerous this place was, I obviously couldn’t afford to be hasty in my decisions. Especially because I knew from experience that evolution itself could be dangerous if I didn’t prepare myself enough. And since this evolution, in particular, would put me on the same level as the alpha-class monsters, then I couldn’t possibly leave it in a gamble just like what I did on the instances before. That was why after staring at it for a while, I ultimately chose no for an answer and temporarily put it at the back of my mind.

While maintaining my stealth and sneaking through the battlefield, I couldn’t help but remember what had happened on my last evolution. 'That was a really close call. If I didn’t have that excess food lying about that time, I might have gone into a mindless rampage in search of food…'

Truth to be told, just thinking about what might have happened if I had gone into a mindless rampage at that place sent shivers down my spine. After all, it was there in that very same area where I met that three-headed monstrosity; the Cerberus. And to be brutally honest, if I had gone on a rampage right there, there was a huge chance that I would happen upon that monster that could eat me in an instant.

'Yep. There is no way I can beat that thing even with this much improvement and progress. So, that time, if I had fought that monster in a contest for food, I would most definitely die. This was especially true since I wouldn't be in the right state of mind to even think of how to escape at that time.' I concluded.

Luckily, for this area, in particular, I had yet to see nor feel the presence of any overwhelmingly powerful monster such as the Cerberus or the Swamp Drake. But as usual, I couldn’t be much too sure about that. Because even though all the ants in this battlefield thus far were all the familiar ones that I had fought during those raids, this place was still undoubtedly their territory so a powerful monster might just be roaming around. And given that it looked like the monsters had absolute control over this area, then it would be safe to say that there was a monster ruling above all these ants much like that Gigarillon for the apes. The problem was…

'The sheer number of the ants living in this place far surpassed the number of the apes living in that jungle-type area. Furthermore, these guys are also somehow completely dominating this area, so I cannot afford to be optimistic and think that their ruler is only at the same level as the Gigarillon… Tsk!! Seriously, what the heck is that Gigarillon even thinking?!'

Of course, I just had no idea whether the Gigarillon was simply incapable of realizing this or if they actually had intel that the ruler of these monsters wasn’t "that" strong. Despite that, it was still insane that they were actually going to invade this den of ants without batting an eye. And it wasn’t as if the Gigarillon was completely unaware of their numbers either. After all, based on their behavior before, it was clear to see that they had planned this attack, so they should have at least an idea about the population of the ants. In fact, being that they sent us here, it was only obvious that those monsters were going to use the commotion that we would make to somehow divide the ants’ forces and lower their defense.

'But even then, that simply will not be enough to diminish their overwhelming disadvantage in numbers…'

It was then that I finally managed to escape the chaotic battlefield. Then, while hiding a little distance away from there, I watched as the swarm of ants continued to charge towards those rampaging monsters I was with before. Looking at that, I couldn’t help but be relieved because my decision to run away seemed right.

'Yep. That choice diffidently saved my life…' I thought while turning away from that scene. 'Well, I guess I should prioritize my evolution for now. In which case, I should first find a safe place to hide then begin my preparation.'

With that in mind, I began walking around while still keeping Stealth on.

***

Intermission: The Preparation

'The time has finally come!!' Those were the collective thoughts of all the apes that were participating in the counter-invasion.

Ever since the ants discovered the jungle-type area, the apes had endured countless battles and invasions against the ants. But because the apes knew that they had no chance of winning against the ants given their opponent’s overwhelming advantage in number, the apes had been forced to simply defend their territory without ever striking back. As a result, despite finally having a taste of the most prosperous era under the Gigarillon’s rule, the monsters living in the jungle-type area were once again thrown in the middle of another bloody conflict. Though this time, it was very likely that the conflict wouldn’t only determine the fate of their new kingdom, and instead would also affect the survival of their very species or at least every ape living in the said area.

Because every single ape had felt these waves of changes, every single one of them made sure to follow every command of their new ruler in their hope to survive. After all, every living ape monster had seen the capabilities of their new ruler firsthand during that time when he was going around conquering all the separated packs. That was why in the minds of the apes, the only one capable of leading their species into certain victory against the turbulent times was without a doubt the Gigarillon.

And so, the apes completely devoted themselves to serving the Gigarillon and following each of his commands. In turn, it also seemed like the Gigarillon was doing everything he could to ensure the survival of their species. Every ape under his rule had witnessed it. More so those that were directly under his command. And even though the apes couldn’t understand the reasoning behind some of the Gigarillon’s commands, they still followed and executed them ultimately leading to advantageous results.

As time went on, the positive effects of the Gigarillon’s commands became more and more obvious. One such thing was the fact that despite constantly battling against the ants, the casualties on the apes’ side were somehow decreasing. Furthermore, also because of these constant battles, the strength of the ape warriors was increasing at a rapid pace. And it wasn’t simply the individual strengths of each warrior either. Because beyond that, the battle tactics and group coordination that the Gigarillon had taught to his direct subordinates were also paying off. As a result, not only did the apes manage to acquire some individual strength, but each of those strong fighters had also become capable of fighting as an army.

Fortunately, the ants didn’t launch any large-scale invasions during these times. As a result, the preparations of the monsters proceeded without any hitch nor interruption in between. In fact, the small-scale invasions that the ants had launched ended up as training for tactics and group fights. And with the existence of the monster prisoners that could be used as bait on top of that, the defense against the ants’ invasion became so easy to the point that they didn’t even have to worry about casualties.

Until at last, after their long wait and preparation, the time had finally come. And following the lead of their ruler; the Gigarillon, the apes had begun to march towards the ants' territory. Of course, every single ape knew. Warrior, or not. Whether part of the invasion army or those that would be left behind to protect their home, they were all aware. Because the simple truth was; the battle wasn’t only their first counter-attack. Instead, it was the first and last stand of their species, which essentially means that; "whoever won the battle, would effectively win the war."