"Where is it?" Roy asked, looking about the forest with weirdly massive trees, lying on the ground.

Master Abraham handed him the binoculars in his hand and said, "Notice the bottoms of the trees."

Roy looked through the gadget and saw numerous gaping holes made of sand and mud at the bottom of fully-grown trees. He looked with his normal eyes briefly, and then crosschecked with the view from the binoculars. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Are Strange Beasts supposed to be that large?" He wondered aloud. When he had the hi-tech pistol, he was looking forward to this encounter to reap more exp, but now, he was hesitant.

"It’s not surprising," Black Zero said and rose up. "Let’s move."

"Wait!" Roy gulped. "Their venoms paralyze instantly, right? Do we have a plan to lure them out with blood or blow them up?"

"We’re not going to kill them here, on their turf. But to get their attention enough to have them follow us, you have to kill their queen." Abraham then pointed at a hole afar. "See that hole?"

"The biggest one?"

Abraham nodded slightly. "It should be in that one."

"Will the queen be a Mutated?" Roy asked. Since the other creatures were Strange, it was always safe to assume their leader will be that of a higher class*.

"No. Just an elderly Strange, along with the others. Give it a few months and it will surely mutate. However, the Witherflower will surely get to it first and make it an undead."

An abyss creature going from Beast to Undead would the same as going from Level 2 to Level 6. Whereas, going from Weak to Strange to Mutated would be the same as going from Level 2 to 12 to 22 respectively.

Race change was horizontal, while Rank increase was vertical.

Hence, Roy was well aware that the Antsnakes were to be of Level 12 for the strange ones, and meager Level 2 for the weak ones. However, the Strange Beasts, due to their estimated number, were enough cause him trouble, despite Abraham’s help, because he was going to be facing them with a mere knife.

"C-Can’t you just help me with the gun just once?" Roy asked, letting his eyes glisten with moist to look pitiful.

Abraham’s expression hinted annoyance. "If you use guns on these Strange Beasts, what about the Mutated Monsters of later?"

"But—But how can I fight without weapons? You have not still told me how," Roy complained.

"You have to figure it out yourself," Abraham said in his lecturer-like tone.

He paused for a moment, considering Roy’s despondence, and added, "Skills and stats aren’t random. Think of stats as the true passive skills, since they are ever present. And skills as augmenters of said stats, narrowing their use in one particular aspect."

Roy opened his mouth to retort out of reflex, but quickly realized he had nothing to say in response. He kept silent and pondered on that.

’So, myself stats are given to me in consideration of my skills. But what about the skills of my linked hosts?’ Roy thought about this and realized he had already been doubling the effect of Love Sensor, and already tried it with Cupid’s Kiss.

"Get up," Master Abe ordered him and advanced.

Roy obeyed, albeit hesitantly and dusted the dirt off his clothes.

’But I’m not sure that is what Master Abe is talking about though. He mentioned my stats, hmmm. What can I really do with Attack and Defense?’ Roy wondered and hissed aloud.

He climbed over the stomp they hid behind and headed deeper into the Antsnakes’ territory.

He unsheathed his dagger from the back of his waist and half it backwards like he normally did.

"Where are all of them?" Roy asked. He still hadn’t seen a single Antsnake. "Shouldn’t they be guarding their territory aboveground?"

"..." Black Zero kept silent and walked ahead. His orbital drone was ever-present beside him, scanning and videoing.

Roy felt this entire thing was a bit suspicious, but couldn’t place his finger on what. He tried extending his Love Sensor, but it was a skill that only picked up on ’individuals,’ not every single creature out there.

The Antsnakes’ nest was an underground network of pathways, with the queen surely residing in the most essential part.

"I forgot to ask, since they’re underground, how will I find their queen specifically?"

"Are you that clueless?" Master Abraham finally answered. "You’re not incapable, Roy, in terms of strength and means. You’re actually just a bit stupid, no offense."

Roy was astonished to hear this from Master Abe, he flinched back in shock. He was about to flair up when he remembered he had a summon that was ethereal and hostile on command. Of course, it was The Weeping Ghost.

"You could’ve just told me, y’know..." He mumbled with as frown as the virtual card appeared before him.

’Summon,’ he commanded, and the card glowed pink, dissolved into particles, and coalesced into a young ghost-girl with black hair that fell in straight curtains around her pale face.

Master Abraham pointed his chainsword forward, at the large hole underneath the tree. "She sits exactly 16.7 metres away and 11.5 feet deep, guarded by nine adult Antsnakes, with over three-dozen of weak young among them."

Roy studied Hanabira Reina and said, "You heard him right? Please help me get the queen of the Antsnakes."

"Wait, she should be able to, right?" Roy asked Abraham, who once again, didn’t answer.

"To be safe..." Roy made her return to her virtual card form, then activated his 2x Multiplier skill. The energy flowed through him and he touched the virtual card, turning it from pink to blue.

During times he was alone, he tried this out just once in the past week, but since he had nothing to test her strength on locked up in the underground bunker. Master Abraham excluded her from being part of his training, stating he may unconsciously start relying on her, and this was his formative stage. He had to learn to watch him own back and be efficient on the battlefield alone; was what Black Zero said.

Nodding, at the card’s change, he let it materialize once again, and this time, what coalesced were blue particles. Hanabira Reina’s hair was longer and hand a metallic sheen. He pale-face and body had some color, as though life seemed to returned to her a bit.

She stared at Roy as a stranger would.

"Alright. Go kill."

Roy ordered her, and she flew into the gaping hole about fifteen meters away from them.

They watched her and waited.

"Umm..."

"Keep shut."

"Okay."

Just a minute later, Roy heard his system’s monotone voice.

[You have slain the strange beast, Antsnake Queen.]

[+200 EXP.]

And it didn’t end there.

[You have slain the weak beast, Young Antsnake.]

[+20 EXP.]

[You have slain the weak beast, Young Antsnake.]

[+20 EXP.]

[You have slain the strange beast, Adult Antsnake.]

[+200 EXP.]