Elder Ants

"That is fine, I will take the pleasure of being a masochist for a while!"

With that, Marcus roared. After a couple more stings from the mutant fire ant, his whole body turned purple.

Despite the excruciating pain and relentless itching, he endured till the fourth sting and managed to grab the mutant fire ant's head.

"Ouch! That hurt badly, well, I knew the first five stings would be painful even without the system telling me"

CRACK!!

With one turn, Marcus twisted the head of the baby mutant fire ant, and pale yellow fluid oozed out of its neck region, spraying on Marcus' body.

"Not yet!! I know insects can live for some days without a head!! You won't fool me!"

Marcus took his dagger and pierced the abdomen region, where he believed insects' hearts were located.

"Not yet!!" Marcus continued to pierce the body of the mutant fire ant with the dagger, and before he knew it, a cruel smile had appeared on his face.

[Ding!]

[You have slayed a Rogue Ant!]

[+150 XP!]

[You have leveled up!!] This particular message was written largely and boldly as if the system was celebrating.

[Consume its gene remains to craft a gear]

[Consume its gene cores to acquire an evolved skill]

[You have found a loot—chance stone, take it?]

"It seemed I have shifted from a masochist to a sadist"

Marcus roared with an evil laugh as he continued to pierce and slash the monster's body without glancing at the floating system message.

CRACK!!!

It was only after the edges of his shark-tooth dagger had been completely worn down and shattered upon striking the mutant fire ant's stinger that Marcus finally regained his composure and calmed down.

[After taking multiple stings from a Rogue Ant, You have gained poison resistance and paralysis resistance!]

[You are now immune to stun and poison status effects!]

Marcus breathed heavily for a moment and went to sit down on the sidewalk.

"An apocalyptic location in the city,"

Marcus looked around at the apocalyptic wreckage—crumbling buildings, scorched roads, and gaping holes. Darkness had almost cloaked the ruined location but the light of the sky was still bright enough to see clearly, at least in Marcus' case. Marcus checked the time; in a few more minutes, it would be six o'clock. If it grew dark enough for the battle to continue, the team would fall back and hide in any safe building. It didn't matter if they couldn't regroup at night, that was the plan.

Speaking of the team, Marcus' gaze fell on the squad members surrounded by a swarm of red ants and he was surprised that their defense hadn't been penetrated yet.

"Whoa, they aren't dead yet?"

He was somehow amazed that all of them were still alive, but could the same be said in the case of some?

"Some have turned purple just like me. It seems gaining that immunity has started to make my body turn back to normal."

Marcus glanced at his body. At that time, all his exoskeleton had changed to purple including his exposed part—his head and palms, this also made Marcus to be convinced that the exoskeleton was like a part of his body. Now, it seemed the change in body color no longer applied to some parts, and in a few moments, the poison effect would wear off.

"It seems my body is getting used to the poison. However, I don't like the feeling of my body, I feel so sick."

That was the main reason he went to sit on the sidewalk after the battle.

"Being a masochist is not a pretty experience."

"I guess I was full of myself when I said I would take the pleasure"

Among the combatants were about two females and one male whose bodies had changed color completely, and after some moment, they started coughing out blood.

Marcus wondered if that was the effect of the fifth sting.

"Dianne, move back, I will cover you, try to use your eagle-flight arrow to break their defense, I will deal with anyone that comes close enough to us"

Ming, along with members that still seemed okay and in full combat armor formed an unbreakable battle formation around the one who had received significant damage and a few others—these were armed with long-range projectiles, shooting any mutant ant to their death, and anyone that came close enough to inflict damage to the group was dealt with by Ming and others in full combat armor.

The Cross hell weapon in her hand swung around in a terrifying and graceful manner, cleaving through the exoskeleton of the mutant fire ants like they were nothing.

The leader of the bully wasn't holding back either, he and his underlings maintained an unbreakable formation with Ming and others, and what was surprising was that none of them had taken any damage.

"That is fast!"

Marcus watched these men slaying mutant fire ants with mere hands.

Nope, these particular hands were clad in some menacing gauntlets, these armor were equipped with a retractable, claw-like blade, able to be slashed down at target, and what made it menacing was the speed at which these men slashed the weapon at the mutant fire ants, these weapons could extend and slash down at lightning speed and it was the sheer speed at which they dispatched the ants that made it so terrifying!

In the bullies' case, it was a one-sided massacre!

Then Marcus started noticing many purple messages hovering above the mutant fire ants that were still alive. Perhaps they had been there all along, but he hadn't paid them much attention before, which was why they had escaped his notice. Now, as he focused more intently, the messages became clearer, floating steadily above each mutant fire ant.

[Elder Ant]

[Level: 5]

Come to think of it, Marcus didn't know the level of the Rogue Ant, and it seemed the system wouldn't display it.

"Perhaps it is because it is dead"

In mere consideration, given the Rogue Ant was newly hatched, did that mean that it had a lower mutation potential?

[Rogue Ants are level 10 and rank 8]

"You got to be kidding me"