Now, however, he had a front-row seat to the brutal reality of insect combat. His two ants clashed against their lone opponent, mandibles locking as they wrestled for dominance. The wild ant thrashed and bit back fiercely, but with the advantage of numbers, Ordis’s minions quickly overwhelmed their prey. Watching the skirmish unfold, he couldn't help but feel a spark of satisfaction—It was surprisingly fascinating to watch his D.Ant swiftly and efficiently take down its prey.
"Hmm, no wonder some people have a hobby of watching animals and insects fight each other."
Ordis observed the status of his D.Ant, noticing a subtle but significant change. One of them had apparently gained something new after the battle. It seemed like the system had acknowledged the kill—or at least the final attack—as an achievement toward leveling up for his minion.
Curious, he focused on the updated status.
[ Level: 1 ( 10 % ) ]
"It looks like my D.Ant needs to kill ten ants to level up. That’s actually much more reasonable than how I gain levels as a dungeon. This must be thanks to the 15% experience boost from my title, " Ordis muttered, analyzing his surroundings.
Nearby, he spotted various small insects—beetles, tiny spiders, and even a newly entered small animal which a centipede. However, those creatures were still far from his D.Ant’s current position of strength, making them less immediate targets.
“Alright, we’ll keep targeting lone ants until these two level up,” Ordis decided. “After that… I can let them fight one-on-one.” His current strategy was simple—have the ants that were already close to leveling up finish off their targets. It was the most efficient way to strengthen them without unnecessary risk.
However, even with a clear command, Ordis quickly realized that his minions’ intelligence was still far from ideal. Their fighting seemed instinct-driven, and it was possible that the heat of battle pushed them to act purely on survival instincts, striking down their enemy in the moment of intense combat, sometimes failing to execute his orders perfectly. Which it make seemed that precise tactics were difficult for them to grasp, making him wonder if they would improve as they leveled up.
"That should definitely be the case, considering the various fantasy stories I've read. Otherwise, I'd be in real trouble if they didn’t get any smarter."
After observing his ant minions efficiently hunting down lone ants, Ordis shifted his attention to his other minions—his D. Mosquitoes. Unlike the ants, their task was much simpler. Since they were flying, their only real threat in this dungeon was spiders. They didn’t need to engage in drawn-out battles or struggle against larger foes.
Ordis gave them a straightforward command: stay clear of areas where spiders lurked and focus solely on eliminating regular mosquitoes. It was an easy job for them, and if they kept at it, their would grow stronger without putting them in immediate danger.
Especially after he noticed that regular mosquitoes seemed slower than ants when it came to sensing danger from his D. Mosquitoes. It was possible that they didn’t recognize them as a threat, perhaps mistaking them for just another mosquito. Or maybe, their survival instincts weren’t as sharp as ants, which constantly faced rival colonies.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Ordis didn’t know the real reason behind this, but honestly, who cared? It only made his job easier. With regular mosquitoes being easy prey, his D. Mosquitoes could level up without much trouble. However, things weren’t as simple when it came to flies. Unlike mosquitoes, flies were far more alert and had quick reflexes, making them much harder to ambush.
Even though his D. Mosquitoes were agile, the flies matched their speed—perhaps even surpassing them. After several failed attempts, it became clear that flies weren’t worth the effort. In the end, Ordis accepted that his D. Mosquitoes’ best targets would be regular mosquitoes.
At this point, these D. Mosquitoes will level-up much faster than his D. Ants.
Ordis observed his two D. Mosquitoes as they ruthlessly hunted down ordinary mosquitoes, their prey offering no resistance. One would swiftly tear through the fragile wings, leaving the target helpless, while the other wasted no time plunging its needle-like proboscis into the immobilized victim. Their teamwork was efficient, almost mechanical, ensuring a quick and effortless kill.
“Okay… this is quite something.”
As Ordis expected, one of his D. Mosquitoes eventually leveled up. The process took nearly three hours, not because hunting was difficult, but because they didn’t hunt nonstop. Like any living creature, they needed rest between kills, taking brief pauses before resuming their relentless extermination of ordinary mosquitoes.
Name: Dungeon Mosquito
Level: 2
Rank: Lesser
Mana Cost: 1 Mana Reserve per summon
Lifespan: 24 hours (unless sustained by the dungeon)
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Strength: 2 (+1) (Can now pierce slightly tougher skin)
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Speed: 6 (+1) (Faster, making it even harder to hit)
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Defense: 1 (Still extremely fragile, a single hit can kill it)
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Magic: 3 (+1) (Slightly improved magical influence)
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Intelligence: 1.5 (+0.5) (Still instinct-driven but follows orders slightly better)
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Basic Attack: Tiny bite (Minimal damage, but slightly more effective)
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Special Trait – Blood Drain+: Now absorbs a slightly greater amount of nutrients and Mana from prey, allowing for longer sustained activity.
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Dungeon Link: Can relay sensory information to Ordis with slightly improved clarity.
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Evasion Instinct+: Improved reaction speed, making it even harder to swat.
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New Trait – Hunting Coordination: When working alongside other Dungeon Mosquitoes, they can synchronize their movements to confuse prey.
“Oh, finally…” Ordis muttered as he observed the newly leveled-up Dungeon Mosquito. It closely resembled the common mosquitoes found in his country, typically ranging from 4mm to 7mm in size. When first summoned, it had been somewhere in the middle of that range, but now, after leveling up and benefiting from the Enhance Size Blessing, it had grown slightly larger.
At Level 2, the Dungeon Mosquito now measured around 5.9mm. While the growth was noticeable, it was still a long way from becoming anything intimidating. At this rate, it would take several more level-ups just to reach a mere 1cm in size. Ordis sighed, realizing that growing his minions into something formidable would be a slow and gradual process.
Ordis pondered for a moment before voicing his thoughts. “I think their rank will be much more important than just leveling… But how do I actually increase their rank? Can you explain it to me?" he asked, hoping for a useful response from the system.
[System Response: Increasing a minion's rank requires a combination of experience, evolutionary triggers, and dungeon influence. Conditions may include absorbing specific nutrients, accumulating enough battle experience, or being exposed to unique dungeon energy. The exact method varies by species.]
“Hm, that’s not helpful at all,” Ordis muttered in frustration. Still, he recalled that in many fantasy stories, rank advancements usually occurred as a creature leveled up. Perhaps it was similar here—his minions might evolve like animals, growing stronger over time. He just needed to keep leveling them up at this moment.
“Well, three hours to level up… that’s not too bad, right?”
Ordis felt confident that he could get all his minions to level three within a day.