#3 Staredown

I knew that I had to do whatever I could and top those tests. I proceeded to the location a huge screen above us showed us the tasks.

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| Tests (3) : |

| 1.) Obtain eggs (5) from the flame ants. | | 2.) Survive in the blueleaf forests for 12 hours. |

| 3.) Don't die while coming back |

| ***The following tests have a success |

| rate of 73%. *** |

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When they said a near-death experience, I thought they meant extremely difficult tasks. I did not think they would actively try to kill us. Inferno chicken eggs and blueleaf forest, that's suicide.

{-*_*-}

After the anomaly hit 20 years back, Humans weren't the only ones affected. All living things were affected too. The ants had an entire hierarchy revamp. Ants with different abilities popped up around the world. The inferno ones being very dominant bred and took over the normal population in some areas. What was amusing is the fact that multiple ants with this ability popped up around the world. The fact that living things with the same ability were present meant that people possibly could have the same abilities.

In addition to this, all ecosystems began to adapt and evolve which would make us think everything would be in shambles. Well, it wasn't, it somehow worked out. Forests, jungles, deserts, oceans changed beyond recognition. Blueleaf forest was a whole other case. There's said to be at least 50 different special beasts that are more powerful than inferno ants.

{-*_*-}

Under the main screen, there was a huge door and there was some visible aura around it. A weird guy took the lead and got in. After him, everybody proceeded to get in.

A random guy was conversing - "What do you think the don't die part was about."

"Probably some sort of trap for us when we try to get back."- His friend

Everybody was wondering about the tasks and how the last part was vague. Yet everybody felt less stressed about the monstrous task we were to do.

The doorway upfront was void although it was as if I could tell it went to blueleaf. I went through it. And we disintegrated again but this time I was alone. I focused on my hand this time. I was curious about how this thing worked. I wasn't bleeding somehow, they came out like a jigsaw puzzle and I teleported. I saw a blue thread coming from me going far away from me into the void. I looked at the time and memorized it by the second. Then I lost consciousness like last time and came back conscious in the forest.

The pain hit me harder this time and I remembered to look at the time.

12 MINUTES- 12 minutes had passed after the blackout I had. I was sure that it took 12 minutes for me to be teleported here. I was sure now it was someone's ability. I wanted to know how this ability worked but I had other important things to worry about.

I looked around and started thinking about the tasks. I knew I had to start looking for the eggs to pass the test. I had to pass the test regardless of whether I found out what my ability was. I knew the ants lived in colonies and guarded their eggs. I wasted no time and started looking around. I figured the teleport person wouldn't teleport us far away from the inferno ants habitat. And I turned out correct.

I hid behind a bush and looked at some anthills. Each of the guard ants was at least 8 inches. They were all just holding their positions and not moving.

These weren't just some bottomfeeder animals. I knew I had to be cautious. I started sweating not because of the fear but the sheer amount of heat those ants were giving off. I had 24 hours to work out something. I couldn't blindly rush in. I wanted to know how they would react to a threat. I picked up a nearby stone and tossed it towards the sky, estimating that it would fall on the ants to not give away my location.

I focused and didn't miss a second of how they would react. The stone fell near them and one of the ants went towards it and chomped it down easily with its mandibles. After it was done it started waving its head in a weird pattern. The other ants walked towards it and all of them surrounded the broken stones and incinerated it.

I was in awe for a moment. They made sure to burn it down just in case. Although they weren't smart enough to figure out it was a stone. I knew ants were known for their extraordinary sense of smell and collaborative skills and the inferno ants were far more superior than ordinary ones.

Then it immediately hit me. I had made a severe lapse in judgement and wasn't about to be forgiven by the ants. Before I realized the ants were already looking at me, I could feel the temperature surge. All of them got up and looked at me as if they stared into my soul.

I knew there that if I moved, they would charge at me.