I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

Thousands of Crimson Needle Ant corpses were piled on the ground.

Some were still frozen in the middle of running, some had fallen in broken and burnt piles.

Other bodies were crushed under the multi-ton caps of the mushrooms, with only parts of their legs or antennae sticking out from beneath them.

The giant mushrooms across the area were broken and bent.

Some were still covered with a white layer of ice. Some had cracked from the middle and fallen on the ground, and a number of their predatory roots remained like frozen snakes in the air.

The soil in areas where Thunder Calamity had passed was black and scorched.

Deep craters from the Queen’s arm strikes and Lian’s blows remained in the ground.

The moss in the range of Bloodborne Calamity had lost its natural color and turned into a rotten and dead red.

In the center of the field, the remains of the Black Brood Matriarch lay like a dry black mass.

Her massive armor had collapsed.

The Parasite Threads were scattered around her body like burnt veins, and part of her vertical slit was still open.

The poisonous mist had completely disappeared.

But the smell of metal, acid, venom, and burnt flesh still remained in the air.

Lian looked at the scene in silence for a few moments. This was the hardest battle he had experienced until that moment, not because the enemy was only higher in Level.

But because everything was against him, lack of mana, thousands of enemies, three vulnerable companions, and the colony’s ability to adapt and control.

He had not won because he was stronger from the start.

The Emergency Mana Crystal had restored his mana.

The Fragments had provided him with the skill he needed for such a battle.

Ravian had seen the weak point of the Brood Carapace.

The Level Up after the battle had saved his body from death.

And in the last moment, only a few centimeters remained between the Parasite Thread and his heart.

A mistake smaller than a second was enough to completely change the outcome of the battle.

Lian took his gaze off the Queen’s remains. His power had increased, but the Forest of Giants was still not a place where he could be arrogant.

At that same moment, his storage space trembled.

”Hmm?” Lian raised an eyebrow. A muffled impact was heard from inside the space.

Then a second impact.

Something inside the storage space was hitting its invisible wall.

The system panel appeared before him.

[The Devourer Egg is hungry.]

[The Devourer Egg has detected a large amount of residual biological essence.]

”Oh, I had completely forgotten about this.” Lian looked at the message for a moment, then turned his gaze to the thousands of corpses around him.

”You chose a good time.”

He moved his hand forward, and the Devourer Egg came out of the storage space and settled gently on the soil.

Its overall appearance had not changed much.

It had a dark and heavy shell with black and golden veins drawn on it.

But the veins were now brighter.

Every few seconds, they pulsed like living veins, and a faint light moved beneath the shell.

The egg trembled once toward Lian, then turned toward the battlefield.

”I promised you a full meal.” He placed his hand on the shell’s surface.

He pointed at the corpses.

”Enjoy.”

The egg trembled more intensely. Its movement was so clear that it almost looked like the excitement of a living creature.

The golden veins on the shell lit up. No crack opened on the egg, no mouth formed, but an invisible wave spread from it.

Then the nearby corpses began to change. The first Crimson Needle Ant slowly dried up.

Its red and black shell lost its color and turned into dead gray. The blood, mana, and remaining Essence inside its body separated from the carcass in the form of thin threads of red, green, and white colors.

All the threads moved toward the egg and disappeared into the shell’s veins.

The second corpse also dried up, then the third, and the process spread like a wave across the entire field.

Hundreds of bodies lost their color at the same time. Biological energy was pulled out through the cracks in their armor.

Dried blood turned into red particles, remaining mana separated from the corpses like colored mist, even the poison inside the stingers and the remaining cold in the frozen mushrooms did not resist the pulling force.

Dark green threads came out of the poisonous liquids, white particles separated from the ice.

Everything was pulled toward the egg.

The remains of the Black Brood Matriarch were the last part of the field to react.

The Queen’s dried body trembled. A very dense black vein came out from the center of her crushed core.

Its energy was different from the rest of the corpses, mixed with something like the existential pressure of a Calamity Seed.

The Devourer Egg trembled violently upon seeing it, clearly even more excited than before.

The golden veins on its shell shone like fire for a moment. The black energy separated from the Queen’s remains and sank into the egg.

The panels appeared one after another.

[Devourer Egg has consumed residual essence.]

[Large quantity of biological energy acquired.]

[High-grade Calamity Seed residue absorbed.]

[Completion: 1% → 3%]

The absorption continued.

The piles of corpses across the field turned into hollow shells.

A weak wind passed through them, and some collapsed into gray ash at that same moment.

[Incubation Completion: 3% → 5%]

Finally, the light of the egg’s veins faded. The battlefield that a few minutes ago was covered with thousands of corpses was almost empty.

Only piles of gray soil, pieces of energy-less shell, and traces of burns and ice remained on the ground.

The egg leaned forward once, then went back.

Lian looked at it.

”Were you satisfied?”

The egg trembled forward and back again, its movement exactly like a nod.

Lian couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.

”Then it’s time to go back and rest.” He placed his hand on the shell and sent the egg back to the storage space.

He was not sure what this egg was and what it would become, but with just one look, it was clear that it was something transcendental.

He had never heard of eggs having consciousness.

So how powerful must the creature inside be to have such awareness even before birth?

After making sure there was no immediate danger around, he opened his panel.

A few unread messages and rewards were still in the corner of his vision, but his attention first fixed on the new talent.

[Talent: Mother of the Colony]

[Rank: S]

Lian looked at the name for a moment.

”Mother of the Colony?” For someone like him, it was a strange name. After all, he was a man.

But the description showed that the title had nothing to do with gender, but rather referred to the central and generative position of the network.

He opened the full description.

[Mother of the Colony — Rank S]

[The user becomes the central core of a colony and can add compatible creatures weaker than themselves to the colony through blood or spiritual bond.]

[Colony members can share part of their senses, location, and condition with the user and receive simple or tactical commands.]

[The loyalty of members fully accepted into the colony increases against external mental control.]

[Creatures with strong will, high Level, or high mental resistance may resist the bond.]

[Current Colony Capacity: 1/10]

[Current Colony Members: 1]

[Further functions will unlock as the Talent evolves.]

Lian kept his gaze on the last number.

One member.

He had not consciously added any creature to the colony yet.

The next panel opened.

[Innate Skill Acquired: Hive Link]

[A permanent mental connection is established between the user and colony members.]

[The user can sense the location, physical condition, threat level, and basic emotions of colony members within a specific range.]

[Current Range: 5 kilometers.]

[Functions Available: Location Detection, Condition Awareness, Basic Command Transmission, Danger Warning.]

His eyes sparkled. The new talent and innate skill he had obtained were extraordinary, still similar to the abilities of summoners.

In addition, he could now have subordinates from among monsters, although for now it was limited to only ten, but even this was unique.

Lian closed the panels and focused on Hive Link.

Almost immediately, he felt something. A small point lit up in the corner of his mind.

A sense of location, a living creature at a not-too-distant distance, was moving toward him.

Lian turned his head toward a root on the right side of the field. A few seconds later, the sound of heavy footsteps was heard from behind it.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

The moss parted, and a large Crimson Needle Worker came out from behind the root.

Its size was almost that of an elephant.

Its red and black shell was cracked in several places, and one of its back legs moved slightly imperfectly.

Nevertheless, its wounds were stabilized in an unnatural way, and no liquid was leaking from them.

Lian prepared his body, but the ant did not attack. It stopped in front of him, its long antennae moved in the air.

Then it lowered the front part of its body, its jaws close to the soil.

The ant bowed!

Hive Link conveyed very simple but clear emotions to Lian.

Obedience.

Waiting.

No hostility.

”This is under my control?” He looked at the creature without moving for a few moments.

Now he was basically a mother!