Became the Queen of the Legion

[Achievement, Formidable Enemy (1) completed. 1 trait point awarded as reward]

[Achievement, Voluntary Evolution (2) completed. 1 trait point awarded as reward]

Hunting Ragadon, a tier higher, was clearly an achievement even in my opinion.

As expected, I gained rewards and immediately used them to enhance traits.

「Reproduction Enhancement 2-4」

I felt the power of numbers in today’s battle. I invested one more in reproduction enhancement for easier production and replenishment.

Clearly, if the reproduction speed becomes too fast and the rate of nutrient replenishment can’t keep up, the reproduction enhancement we worked hard to raise becomes useless.

However, it seems there’s still room, so I invested one more.

「Complete Growth」

“What’s this?”

That’s when a new additional trait was unlocked. I muttered blankly, slightly surprised at the appearance of something I’d never seen before.

[It’s an ability to transform directly from egg state to pupa and become an adult without going through the larval stage]

“Isn’t this overpowered?”

My eyes widened as I heard the explanation.

It wasn’t just important that time was shortened.

It also means saving space invested for larvae and workers invested for their care.

Right now, the areas taking up the most space in our nest were the food storage and the larvae rooms.

Black Death Worm larvae, helpless on their own, absolutely needed care from workers.

I thought even that was wasteful and tried to improve it, but it was impossible. Now a way to solve that has appeared.

[However, there are clear pros and cons. To use this new form of growth method, you need a new type of artificial uterus that produces special eggs containing sufficient nutrients, and the cost invested in that is not small. Therefore, I recommend investing from a long-term perspective]

The system, as if it wanted to pour cold water, told me about the disadvantages as I was rejoicing.

However, I snorted at hearing that.

Because I had found a way to solve it on my own.

“Increase the artificial digestive organs more. There’s no need to invest in new artificial uteruses, we just need to create a way to supply nutrients to the produced eggs.”

If nutrients were the problem for becoming adults from the egg state, we just needed to find a way to keep supplying those nutrients.

Just like how I’m currently receiving nutrients through tentacles.

And by doing this, we could also reduce the space wasted on food storage. We digest all surplus food and store it in the form of compressed nutrients.

Then we could extract and use only the nutrients whenever needed.

“We’ll need more space for that too.”

This underground nest, which wasn’t small to begin with, is getting increasingly cramped.

Including the saved space, it seemed we’d need even more space.

[Achievement, Voluntary Evolution (3) completed. 1 trait point awarded as reward]

Indeed, the system judged my actions as another achievement.

「Consciousness Enhancement 2-2」 「Physical Enhancement 2-2」

I used the remaining points on consciousness enhancement and physical enhancement respectively.

Both systematically and externally, we were clearly growing stronger without resting for a moment.

* * *

“As expected, catching Ragadon was the right answer.”

A hunting group that went out hunting encountered Mantas, a tier 2 formidable enemy.

Mantas, judging by appearance, was a giant mantis.

It’s a formidable enemy that freely wields 4 hook-like legs in emergencies, breaking even the bodies of tough demon realm creatures, so normally it couldn’t be caught by a hunting group consisting of just 5 individuals.

However, it’s different now. All the combat troops in the hunting group facing it have replaced their internal venom glands with Ragadon’s acidic poison.

And by attaching spray organs to their mouth parts, they were made able to freely spray that acidic poison.

“—!”

Compared to Ragadon, the amount of poison is small due to their smaller size. However, when multiple individuals gather and shoot together, the amount increases accordingly.

It’s like an upgraded version of ants spraying formic acid.

In reality, Mantas, specialized for close combat, was helplessly defeated by our ranged attacks.

It died painfully with its whole body burning up, without even getting to use its proud hook legs.

[Prey in the area is gradually disappearing. Indiscriminate hunting is continuing for too long]

“Didn’t we already accept that?”

I smirked at the system message’s warning and stood up from my seat.

The chair I was sitting on is a chair made from part of biological tissue. Made to be versatile enough to supply nutrients and transfer omnipotent cells extracted from my body while seated.

As I stood up, several tentacles that were inserted into my spine, arms, and body fell off with a thud and slipped back into the chair.

“Now we can’t be satisfied with just this area.”

From that state, I looked around. Countless tentacles extending from the chair are connected to the artificial digestive organs and artificial uteruses filling the surroundings.

But this isn’t the only place the tentacles are connected to.

Like pipes or wires running through a building, tentacles running along the walls, floor, and ceiling of the nest are spread throughout the entire nest.

Multiple uteruses and digestive organs are already located in other rooms as well.

We’ve already surpassed a total of 1,000 individuals, and even at this moment, they are repeating hunting, scouting, and food collection, running a kind of cycle.

To keep up with that cycle, we can’t rest for even a moment.

“Plus new soldier production and research. Nutrients are always lacking.”

[In this case, if nutrient acquisition stops even for a moment, the entire colony will collapse]

The system wasn’t wrong.

Already, living creatures are dying out starting from near the nest.

Because as we’ve been able to eat more and more plants as well as animals, we’ve devoured them all.

It was also true that if we stop hunting even for a moment, maintenance itself becomes impossible. Most of the nutrients we secure depend on hunting.

We can’t leisurely farm or anything.

“…We just need to catch more.”

We eat our enemies and evolve. That is our identity.

In other words, stopping war means abandoning our own identity.

Even in the game, there were various victory patterns and operation methods, but it was easiest to play when maintaining the identity of the chosen race.

[Achievement, A Step Towards the World (3) completed. 1 trait point awarded as reward]

[A scout has discovered a new area]

At that moment, the world we knew grew another level.

A combat troop deployed as a scout reached an area we hadn’t been to before alive.

“Looks like a similar landscape.”

Of course, there weren’t dramatic changes just because it was a new area.

The familiar demon realm forest was spread out there as well.

The total number of ‘areas’ we’re currently aware of is 15.

Among them, 9 areas centered around the nest are judged to be completely dominated, with no living beings daring to challenge us, and 6 areas where hunting and cleaning are still in progress.

One more area was just added to that.

‘We should just scout it for now.’

For uninterrupted nutrient supply, we’re in a position where we need to keep expanding these areas and devour the creatures existing there.

That’s why we can’t neglect scouting and searching.

In fact, dozens of scouts were currently going out on reconnaissance, risking sacrifice and accidents.

“Hunt them! Hunt!”

“Chase them!”

And that’s when we discovered them.

They were forming a group and hunting a giant caterpillar familiar to us as well.

[Achievement, Encounter with Civilization (1) completed. 1 trait point awarded as reward]

At the same time, a notification that we achieved an achievement popped up.

This was the first ‘civilization’ I encountered since possessing the Black Death Worm queen in this demon realm.

[They are goblins]

“I know that too.”

Goblins were one of the playable races existing in demon realm civilization. Unlike Black Death Worms, I had experience playing them directly as they were directly playable.

In the setting, they were low-tier demon race often looked down upon, but when combined with the player’s traits to compensate for that, they were clearly a race with potential to conquer the demon realm and aim even higher.

“I’m asking just in case, but there’s no way those guys are being played by a player like me, right…?”

For a moment, a chilling thought occurred to me.

What if I’m not the only one possessed in this game? What if there’s someone possessed in the body of another civilization, another race?

And what if that person is desperately struggling to survive like me now, growing their own forces?

[It’s impossible to confirm right now]

“You unhelpful bastard…”

The system didn’t give clear answers at times like this. My face crumpled and anger surged, but there was nothing I could do right now even if I got angry.

“They don’t seem to have noticed yet, so watch them quietly. Where they live, how big their scale is, and so on.”

Anyway, if a player is directly commanding them, it’s bound to show soon due to their special characteristics.

I assigned surveillance to the scout who discovered the goblins, intending to find out about that first.