After finishing the examination of the newest addition to their party, Tom glanced over at the slumped juvenile queen leaning against the wall.

  "Toto, do you need to rest to regenerate your mana?" he asked.

  "It would be good. I'm empty right now," Toto replied mentally, her voice tinged with weariness.

  Tom hesitated, frowning slightly.

  "Do you think Tanky will follow my orders without you guiding her?"

  "She should," Toto answered. "I'm part of your soul, after all."

  Turning to the hulking ant, Tom gave a firm command.

  "Tanky, stand guard over Toto and be ready to jump into action if needed."

  "Yes, my Queen," Tanky responded immediately.

  Tom winced at the title.

  "I'm not a Queen. I'm Tom. If you need to call me something, call me Young Master instead."

  He met Tanky’s confused gaze, seeing a flicker of understanding settle in.

  "Yes, Young Master," she said, nodding firmly.

  Tom stretched, muttering under his breath,

  "I should change into the Basic Acolyte Robes and keep the Basic Wooden Wand out."

  He quickly donned the Acolyte Robes, slipping the wand into a pocket.

  — One Hour Later —

  "What's your mana looking like, Toto? Ready to move?" Tom asked.

  "I'm at 30 now. Ready when you are."

  "Good. We need to find a place to set up the magic tower."

  Toto opened a passage upward, shaping a sloping ramp from the packed earth.

  "Tanky, scout ahead. Make sure it's safe," Tom ordered.

  "Yes, Young Master."

  Tanky crawled out through the exit, scanning the surrounding area, before reporting back mentally.

  "All clear, Young Master."

  Tom and Toto emerged from the hole, and Toto sealed the entrance behind them with a wave of her will.

  "You're down to 20 mana now, right?" Tom asked, recalling the cost of earth shaping.

  "Yes, Tom."

  He nodded. "Alright. Let's move."

  The human and the two ants pressed forward through the dense forest.

  "I was never an outdoorsman back on Earth," Tom muttered. "Never understood the appeal. Just trees and animals that might kill you. Here, they will kill you."

  Tightening his grip on the wand until his knuckles turned white, he added,

  "You two, stay sharp. Toto, your Earthsense has a thirty-foot range, right? Let me know if you pick up anything."

  "Got it, Tom. You can leave it to me," Toto replied.

  — Hours Later, on the Edge of Whispering Pines —

  Tom slowed his pace, taking in the towering trees above. The forest was unnaturally quiet, the only sound the soft crunch of their footsteps on the forest floor.

  "Beep, do you think this is far enough from the city to set up the tower?" he asked aloud.

  "Beep. Just clear some of the trees around here," the system replied in its usual detached tone.

  "It was easier than I thought to travel through the Pines," Tom muttered.

  He surveyed the area again, mentally marking the spot.

  "Alright," he muttered, "let’s clear it out and get started."

  Just as he opened his mouth to issue orders, Toto’s urgent voice rang in his mind.

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  "Tom, something’s coming—and there’s more than one."

  Tom cursed under his breath.

  "How many? Where?"

  "Four. Two in front, two behind."

  "Tanky, take the two behind. Toto and I will handle the ones in front."

  “Yes, Young Master.”

  Seconds later, dark shapes emerged from the trees.

  Duskwolves.

  The name struck Tom the moment he saw their burning eyes.

  Lean, black-furred beasts, moving like living shadows, closing the distance with terrifying speed.

  Toto reacted instantly. With a mental pulse, she activated Stoneplate Mandibles.

  A shimmering layer of rocky armor materialized around Tom’s body, weighing him down more than he expected. His movements felt sluggish, like wading through heavy mud.

  "Again, after cooldown, Toto! Stay sharp!" Tom barked.

  Behind him, Tanky roared and rushed to intercept the two wolves circling from the rear. Her thick carapace absorbed the first swipe of claws, but a second wolf latched onto her leg, its jaws cracking her chitin.

  Tanky shrieked mentally in pain but refused to retreat.

  Meanwhile, the two wolves in front lunged straight for Tom.

  Pointing his wand, he shouted, "Cut!"

  A blade of mana shot from the tip—but the lead Duskwolf twisted midair, narrowly avoiding the strike.

  The second wolf pounced from the side.

  Tom barely raised his wand before the creature slammed into him, knocking him flat on his back.

  The wolf snarled above him, ready to tear into his throat.

  "Tom!" Toto cried out in his mind.

  "Guardian's Roar, Tanky! Now!" Tom shouted desperately.

  Tanky inhaled deeply and released a thunderous roar that shook the forest.

  The four wolves flinched, momentarily disoriented.

  "Toto, trap their legs!" Tom commanded mentally.

  The earth around them trembled.

  With a sharp burst of power, stone hands erupted from the ground, gripping the legs of three Duskwolves and holding them fast.

  They snarled and thrashed, tearing at the rocky restraints, but couldn’t break free.

  Tanky roared again and lunged at the nearest trapped wolf.

  Her massive mandibles clamped down with a sickening crack, crushing its skull.

  Still lying on the ground, Tom gritted his teeth and pointed his wand at another.

  "Cut!"

  A sharp arc of mana sliced into the wolf's side. It yelped and collapsed.

  The last of the trapped wolves let out a broken, sorrowful howl.

  Before it could finish, Toto sprang forward, her stone-plated jaws snapping shut around its throat.

  Crack.

  The wolf’s body slumped, lifeless.

  For a moment, the only sound was the harsh panting of the survivors.

  Tom wiped blood and dirt from his face, his heart still hammering in his chest.

  The smallest Duskwolf, untouched, turned tail and fled into the woods, disappearing like a shadow swallowed by the trees.

  They had survived... but just barely.

  Still catching his breath, Tom tightened his grip on his wand and turned to his companions.

  "Toto, you and Tanky, clear all the trees in a twenty-foot radius around me. We need to set up the tower—and fast. This blood is going to attract more beasts."

  He glanced at the bodies, grimacing.

  "Can you use your bending to bury them about five feet deep?"

  "Got it, Tom. Follow me, Tanky," Toto replied, already moving.

  "Yes, Young Master," Tanky responded with a firm nod.

  "Tom is your Young Master, and I am your Queen," Toto said firmly.

  Tanky paused, glancing between them, then dipped her head low. "Yes, My Queen.

  Five minutes later, the two ants returned to Tom’s side.

  "Beep," Tom asked, "do I just declare this spot by calling it out loud, or in my mind like when I named Toto?"

  "Beep. Either method will work," the system replied.

  Tom took a deep breath, then said aloud, "I have chosen to place my Magic Tower here."

  "Beep. Quest Complete: Find a Place for a Magic Tower (Chap. 1)."

  "Beep. Rewards: Magic Tower Stone Base, Body-Altering Potion, Mana Store unlocked, +5 Mana Coins." (A one-story, 15x15x15 ft. tower—larger on the inside.)

  "Beep. Use Magic Tower Stone Base here?"

  "Beep," Tom confirmed. "Yes, use it."

  "Beep. Recommendation: Stand back before activation."

  Tom and the two ants quickly stepped away.

  Moments later, with a deep rumble, a one-story stone tower materialized where they had stood, solid and imposing against the darkening forest.

  Without hesitation, they entered the tower and closed the heavy door behind them.

  Inside, the air was cool and still.

  Tom slumped against the wall, exhaustion crashing over him.

  For the first time since arriving in this brutal world, he felt something stir in his chest: a fragile but undeniable sense of hope.