Insect Tamer's Ascension-Chapter 394. A rather unsafe evolution process of the mantis

Chapter 394: 394. A rather unsafe evolution process of the mantis

They soon traveled to the next colony, and the same thing happened there.

The worker ants were ruthlessly massacred while the larger colony seized control over the ant queen.

Theo wasn’t sure if the partial taming process had been done yet or not, but the ant queen only conveyed a few emotions through their bond.

It was going to take time.

And that was exactly what Theo gave it.

Time.

While the colony settled and expanded, Theo continued his training with the sword.

He practised along to fix his posture, then trained with Rhys to control his aura. During those sessions, he focused on solidifying the aura in certain areas of his body while deliberately leaving others uncovered.

Theo felt a lot relieved during these lessons.

Whenever he reached a limit in his sword training, whether it was his technique or aura, there was always someone who could guide him forward.

There was a roadmap, built on a thousand years of accumulated knowledge, and all Theo had to do was follow it.

Unlike his affinity, which had terrifying potential, but at the same time, it was a constant pain to deal with.

Time passed with the same routine until the moment came when Theo was ready to attempt for the mantis’s evolution again.

Theo had deliberately waited for so long.

In his mind, he wanted to pause and see where all this would take him.

After all, he had already received the acknowledgement of the Emperor himself, meaning his strength had already been validated.

Theo looked at the mantis’s evolution again, and in his mind, he tried to think carefully once more.

Was this really the one he wanted for his mantis?

*****

{Evolution potential: Detected}

{Evolution Name: Apex Bloom Tyrant}

{Evolution Requirements:

-Reach level 10 (1/1)

-Kill a beast 2 levels higher during the gate (1/1)

-Consume a rare core from a dominant predator (0/1)

-Survive a near-death combat state (1/1) }

{Evolution Traits:

Moss Carapace —> Tyrant Carapace (Passive): The Apex Bloom Tyrant develops a denser, layered crimson-black carapace threaded with bloom-vein patterns. Physical durability and impact resistance are increased sharply, especially against piercing and slashing attacks.

Bloom Overdrive (Ability): The mantis enters a tyrant state for a short duration, massively increasing speed, striking force, and pursuit pressure. While in this state, its basic pain response is reduced, and its kill intent becomes unnaturally focused.

Predator Suppression (Aura-Like Field): A pressure field spreads around the mantis at close range. Beasts within this range with weaker will or lower grade begin to hesitate, their reactions slow, or they instinctively retreat.} 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

*****

Theo looked at the evolution option one last time before he decided:

There was no more room for hesitation.

The break was over, and it was time to evolve the mantis and break through himself.

*****

Guide 3 different beings through growth

- 1 tamed beast (0/1)

- 1 non-tamed beast (1/1)

- 1 human (1/1)

*****

Only one requirement remained now.

Theo ordered Elias to gather as many cores from the market as possible after researching what qualified as a dominant beast.

The part about consuming a ’core’ also made things slightly simpler, since not every beast possessed one within them.

So, over the next few days, Theo kept feeding the Mantis with different cores in hopes of triggering the evolution.

However, nothing happened.

Not a single thing seemed to have worked.

For the first time, Theo felt like he might get stuck with this evolution for a little longer.

If such a core simply didn’t exist in the markets, then it meant he would need to explore the gates by himself and hope to encounter a beast that possessed both a core and also held a dominant nature.

The wait went on for a few days until Theo finally got his hands on a certain core, one that was taken from a certain beast.

The beast in question was none other than something Theo was already familiar with.

The creature came from the eastern kingdom, a land filled with dry terrain where even the grass grew pale and brittle.

The beast was called Skarveth Highfang.

When Theo looked for the beast in the books, its shape reminded him strongly of the lions from his previous world.

But aside from the general shape and some habits, the Skarveth Highfang was not completely the same as the lion.

When the mantis consumed that core, nothing happened at first.

There was no reaction for at least a few seconds, but then...

For the first time ever, the mantis began to act frantically.

_____

At the moment, Theo was far too panicked to care about anything else.

His gaze was fixed on one corner of his room, which only had walls and no furniture.

The mantis had latched itself onto it, one of its forelegs dug deep into the wall for support.

And using its bottom, it began secreting a strange liquid before weakening it into a pouch-like structure.

Both Elias and Clara watched the scene silently from the side. Neither of them dared to pester Theo yet, as his eyes were wild with panic.

’Mantis, talk to me. Are you entering the third stage of Moulting?’ Theo asked again and again through their bond.

But it was as if the mantis was no longer there.

The bond had been shut off, and all it did was weave that pouch.

After around 10 minutes, the structure was complete.

And when Theo saw the last few strands seal the pouch shut, he collapsed into a chair, pressing his hands against his forehead.

Clara and Elias approached him, both wearing concerned expressions as they reached their hands on his shoulders.

"Yeah... I am alright. Don’t worry," Theo said.

"It’s just that... I need to make sure this isn’t the next stage of a mantis’s life cycle... and that it’s simply evolving."

The attendants remained silent.

Theo’s eyes remained fixed on the cocoon-like structure with concern.

No one knew for how long the mantis was going to be there.

And there was nothing any of them could do to help.

And that helplessness was what made Theo’s heart so restless.