The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 1 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Giant Ants

I SEARCHED FOR SMALL GAME along the hunting trail, but I didn’t find much. I could only hunt tiny animals like field mice. If only I could hunt something a little bigger…but no, I knew from experience that greed only led to pain. My abilities weren’t up to snuff yet.

“Nothing…darn!” There didn’t seem to be any small animals around this village. I couldn’t find a single aura when I searched. It was a good thing I’d saved up some fruit I’d foraged. Otherwise, I’d have to dig into my last bit of dried meat.

It was kind of weird. For whatever reason, it felt like there wasn’t much wildlife around here, big or small. I reached out again for auras, and there was still nothing.

I searched for a while longer before giving up, deciding to eat some fruit for now. After that, it was time to find a place to rest.

No holes or caves to hide in… Guess I’m sleeping in a tree today. I managed to find one with a thick trunk. Its branches were more sturdy than what I was used to, so I went for a higher one. Though it was early, I decided to hit the hay. I was tired. When you were traveling, sleep was a luxury, let alone good sleep.

Because a long, comfortable sleep was often your very last. 

A threatening aura woke me up with a jolt. It felt far off, but it was coming this way at incredible speed. Should I move? Or should I stay here and hide? I took deep breaths to calm my heart and reached out again.

Given its speed, I wouldn’t be able to escape. I snuggled up to a hollow in the tree, held my breath, and tried to conceal my aura. I’d just wait for it to pass by.

A little while later, I heard the rustling of something stomping on fallen leaves—no, dozens of somethings. There were so many auras that I couldn’t guess an exact number. I held my shaking body tightly, curling up in hopes of moving as little as possible.

If I move, it’ll find me!

The sound of rustling passed under my tree. I cautiously looked down to the source of the noise and saw countless black bodies gleaming in the moonlight. Those are the “huge ants” I read about in my book!

Huge ants were monsters that formed whole armies for their attacks. I looked closer to see a bunch of black lumps wriggling under the tree. They were more than a meter long, and they were fast! Just seeing them made me shiver, so I shut my eyes and kept hiding my aura.

After what felt like ages, the huge ants marched off into the distance. But I remained frozen. What if they came back and attacked me? It took a long time for me to finally relax, and my body was exhausted.

I didn’t sense anything, but I looked around just to be sure. This forest might’ve been close to a huge ant colony. Was that why there weren’t any animals? Haah…I didn’t realize.

Now I understood why there hadn’t been any game around. Come to think of it, I’d also noticed scratches in the dirt. Were those the footprints of the ants? I didn’t know since it was my first time seeing them, but I’d commit them to memory just in case. When the books said that huge ants form a whole army, they weren’t kidding. 

I’m so glad they didn’t find me. That was scary…