Yeah, no doubt. Why are these profiles so full of information that would be immensely useful if known before fighting the creature, yet only unlocked afterward…?
I gain another three Biomass from the plant before moving on to continue my exploration, bringing my total to thirty-seven Biomass. It’ll be worth stopping to mutate something when I get a chance.
I continue to poke about here and there, engaging the odd plant monster in combat to learn about their tendencies and train my water magic skills. I end up gaining another Level in Water Magic Affinity and twelve more Biomass from the higher tier prey before I retreat from the marsh. More and more potent croca-beast variants are appearing nearby, so it’s probably time to get out of dodge and regroup with my gang still hard at work on the tunnel shortcut.
[“How are we, folks? Enjoying the wonderful process of tunnel digging?”] I greet them.
[…Yes, Master.]
Nothing from Tiny and a somewhat reluctant reply from Crinis.
“Yup-yup! Having a great time, senior!” A very enthusiastic response from Vibrant.
“Right? Digging is the best!”
“For sure! I just love the feel of dirt in my mandibles!”
Truly, only ant-kind can fully appreciate the joy of tunnel digging. My own people understand me best. As I return to digging, I decide to spend the Biomass I’ve accrued. The marsh is dangerous, and I can’t afford to hold off on building up advantages.
Firstly, I decide to spend fourteen Biomass upgrading my Coordination Cortex to +5 so I can choose a mutation advancement. I’m reliant on my magic for offence in a way I haven’t been before, so I want to get every edge I can in this department.
Once again, the menu appears in my mind with a plethora of juicy options to select from.
Let me see, let me see!
Ooooo. There’s a lot here, as usual. I can give my cortex an affinity to boost the efficiency when using a specific Mana type… I dismiss that option out of hand. General strength is the name of the game! What else have we got…
I take my time browsing as my mandibles stay busy shovelling dirt and I settle on two fairly normal, but in my opinion, excellent choices.
[Harnessed Coordination Cortex: Improves efficiency when the cortex is coordinating multiple brains to work on a single task.]
[Divergent Coordination Cortex: Improves efficiency when the cortex is coordinating multiple brains to work on individual tasks.]
Do I want the brains to be more powerful when they’re working together or when doing their own thing? There’s always the option of coming back to the other upgrade at +10, so it’s possible I could eventually choose both, but which do I want right now?
Using both sub-brains to work together on one big job is handy for sure and something that could surely be useful to have boosted. Although, letting each brain cast its own spell is also great and makes my attacking options a lot more open.
I’ll go for the Divergent.
There is still the possibility in the future that I’ll be able to include more sub-brains and hook them up to the cortex. Having each of them be more capable on their own will give me a better result, I think.
[Do you wish to confirm this selection? This will cost 14 Biomass.]
I still have over thirty Biomass left to spend and a plethora of things to spend it on. Since my legs are already at +7, it makes sense to push them the rest of the way.
[Would you like to improve your Absorption Legs to +10? This will cost 27 Biomass.]
Yassss!
[At this level, you may select a mutation advancement.]
Hit me with that menu!
So many great options for legs. Leaping Legs grabs my attention immediately. I’d be like the famous Jack Jumper ants, able to leap and deliver my menacing bite from a distance! As cool as I think it would be, I’m not sure how good I’d be jumping into the middle of a pack of enemies. I can’t make quite the same landing as Tiny can.
What else have we got?
I can double down on absorption by increasing the rate or dramatically increasing it for a short amount of time. There are options to add slicey-looking blades to the ends of my claws, allowing me to attack with my feet. Even options to increase running speed, reduce stamina cost from Dashing, and improve my climbing ability.
Argh! So much cool stuff.
Think, Anthony!
Look, I don’t think I need more Mana. The absorption already keeps me fairly topped off. Not to mention I have a huge pool of Mana to start with, especially for the number of evolutions I’ve experienced. I’ve maxed out my core, so my raw MP is high, and my Gravitational Magic Gland has a huge tank. I’m not likely to run out of Mana in a hurry.
If we get right down to it, what do I want most out of my legs? Speed and mobility obviously, but I have skills working on that area as well. I have the Stamina skill to build out my stamina and the Dash skill for speed. Is it worth it to double up and have a mutation as well as a skill affecting the same thing? Maybe that’s what I should do in order to get truly impressive results…
Alright, I think I might test something here. Not that this mutation is a bad general choice anyway.
I’m going to take Rapid Legs, which increases running speed and lateral movement potential of the legs.
Very basic and utility upgrade. Even if it doesn’t work out exactly the way I want, I can’t imagine complaining about being able to move faster. Whether running into danger or out, going faster is always a good option.
Right then! Time to confirm the purchase.
[Would you like to improve Coordination Cortex to Divergent Coordination Cortex +5 and Absorption Legs to Rapid Absorption Legs +10? This will cost 41 Biomass.]
Go for it!
SNATCHIFLATCH! Mah brains! They IIIIITCH!
80. The Next Wave
It takes a while for the vicious itch to fade. The Coordination Cortex is like an octopus that sits between my sub-brains and the main mind, so as it mutates and changes, my entire brain zone lights up. It’s intolerable! Combined with the legs, all six of them… I’m not a fan.
But finally gone!
With the process finished, my pet monsters look at me funny. Now see here! Just because you lot can take the sensation of mutating like it’s nothing, doesn’t mean I can! I’m sensitive…
…Maybe.
At any rate, keep digging!
It takes a few hours of vigorous work to connect the new section of the shortcut to the old. Travel time from the surface down to the marsh will be as short as an hour if there aren’t monsters spawning in there, or an hour and a half if there are. It’s a crude tunnel that zig-zags back and forth on a fairly steep grade, barely large enough to squeeze Tiny through. When he evolves again, we’re going to have to put in a lot of work expanding all of these passages for the big lug. To celebrate this momentous achievement, I’ve decided we’ll all pitch in and collect a feast for ourselves and then another feast to take up to the queen.
I place Crinis on defence duty at the shortcut entrance to make sure nothing sneaks out of the Expanse. Tiny, Vibrant and I roam the tunnels in search of Biomass. Crinis isn’t really built to be an offensive hunter, at least not yet. Placing her in position where she can deploy her tentacles thinly like a spider’s web to detect intruders and snatch them up is the best use of her talents. Tiny and I are more than capable of dealing with the monsters that spawn out of the walls.