Across the wide and humid tunnel, a lone black ant was running hurriedly with his six legs. Each time, he would stop at a certain tunnel, his antenna twitching in the air as if sensing something, before running off to another narrow tunnel.
'Even though I did say I need to level up, I should first go find a decent hiding spot before activating the Gate skill.' Noah thought, his antenna flicking in the air, reading pheromone trails left behind by the other ants, giving him a direction to the exit.
'This ant colony is my family technically, but I'm not sure I should use the Gate skill in the nest itself.' Noah was conflicted; his logical brain was telling him not to use the Gate skill inside the nest, since he couldn't be sure if the ants would also be able to use the Gate to enter the demon realm.
There was also another thing troubling him. Can he truly accept the ants as his own? After all, they were still mindless monsters who, if cornered, would even eat each other.
'Fuck it, I should first get sufficiently strong enough before thinking about what I should do about the ants. For now, they at least won't start to eat each other for a week.' Noah thought, his ant body briskly passing into another tunnel, which was leading to the exit.
The hard and rocky ground beneath Noah changed, his ant legs brushing past soft, loose soil and grass. Before Noah's compound eyes, light flickered and came into his view at the end of the tunnel.
Noah quickened his speed, eager to feel the glow and warmth of sunlight again after staying in this dark ant nest for so long. Taking a step outside, Noah's eyes glittered in the sunlight, momentarily blinding him again.
'Goddamn, why so fucking bright again?!' Noah shook his head, his compound eyes glittering in the sunlight like diamonds. 'This really sucks.' Noah clacked his mandibles, huffing in irritation.
His eyes gradually adjusted to the sunlight as he took in the view. In front of Noah, the sight of lush greenery came into view; trees occupied the wide space around the nest tunnel, each large and imposing. Noah didn't waste his time admiring trees; he had more important stuff to do.
Around 30 minutes later, Noah found a good hiding spot at the far end of Jeju Island. The pheromone trails here were none to zero, which wasn't the most perfect place, since any scout ant might come here anytime searching for food.
And if that happens, then that problem will be for the future Noah to handle.
Noah stared at the skill, his brain full of thoughts.
[• Gate: A one-time use ability that creates a spatial rift to the dimensional crack, allowing you to create a successful portal to a Monarch's realm.
The Gate allows permanent access to one of the following realms, hidden from the view of any higher beings.
Please choose: Demon realm or Plague realm.]
'Hmm, Plague Realm or Demon Realm, huh?' Noah scratched his head with his antenna, rubbing his front legs together. 'It's pretty easy for me to decide which I should choose. The Plague Realm must be ruled by the Monarch of Plague—The insect queen Querehsha.'
'I would be an idiot to go inside the domain of someone who can control other insects. No matter how sexy you are, my ant pride will never submit to you!' Noah huffed, clacking his mandibles loudly.
'But seriously, that place is a big no-no.' Noah sighed. 'But Demon Realm is a different thing altogether. If this universe's canon is still similar to some extent, then the Demon Realm must be without its sovereign, Baran.'
'After all, in the actual canon of Solo Leveling, Ashborn had killed the Monarch of Whiteflame, Baran. Putting him into Eternal Rest. So, my best bet to get strong is definitely that place.' Noah made up his mind.
'Alright, let's go Noah. It's time to get strong.' Noah clacked his mandibles gleefully, tapping the Gate skill in the system interface.
[You have selected the Demon Realm. The Gate skill has activated.]
The interface lit up again, then with a bright flash of light that made Noah go blind again.
The space in front of Noah trembled, even the air itself twisting and splitting. His small antenna detecting powerful vibrations that momentarily dazed him, and then with a loud crack that boomed loudly around Noah.
The space twisted and distorted, then a jagged rift expanded quickly, circling around the radius of 5 meters tall and 5 meters wide. The gate was crimson red, giving an ominous vibe; even the air around the gate grew hotter.
'Gulp… Damn, this looks like the gate to hell.' Noah gulped, before sharpening his resolve, his small compound eyes staring at the crimson gate with determination.
Then, with long and powerful steps with his ant legs, Noah entered inside the demon realm.
'Let's start grinding.'