One: Humans were NOT her saviors.
Two: Everything in the outside world wanted to eat her.
Three: She was weak.
Which led to a very important realization.
She needed to grow stronger.
Aya hid inside a crack in the dirt, her tiny ant body curled up as she reflected on her miserable existence.
She had read plenty of isekai stories.
And in every fantasy novel, there were two ways for a monster to grow stronger:
- Get a system.
- Evolve.
Aya held her breath.
Maybe—just maybe—if she concentrated hard enough, a system would awaken inside her.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Then, she shouted in her mind.
“SYSTEM! ACTIVATE! STATUS OPEN! SHOW ME MY SKILLS!”
...
...
Nothing happened.
Aya opened one eye.
Still just an ant.
She sighed.
"Okay. Fine. Plan B."
If she had no system, then she had to evolve the old-fashioned way.
And in every fantasy story, there was only one method to evolve as a monster:
EAT. A LOT.
The stronger the prey, the better the evolution.
She nodded to herself.
"Alright. Time to hunt something edible."
Which led her to mistake #1 of the day.
Aya wandered through the damp underbrush, sniffing the air for anything that smelled like food.
And that’s when she spotted it.
A small, squishy-looking insect crawling across a leaf.
It was slower than her.
Weaker than her.
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Which meant—
It was her first prey!
Aya pounced.
Her mandibles snapped down, biting into the soft, fleshy bug.
And immediately—
Her entire world turned into HELL.
A vile, putrid, rotting taste exploded in her mouth.
Aya jerked back, gagging.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
It tasted like rotten eggs, expired garbage, and DEATH.
And then—
The poison kicked in.
Aya’s body stiffened.
A burning, stinging sensation spread through her insides.
Her legs trembled.
She collapsed, twitching.
The poisoned bug, still very much alive, slowly crawled away as if saying:
"Yeah, that’s what you get."
Aya lay there, suffering.
"Am I… actually going to die like this?!"
She forced herself to move, her body shaking violently as she vomited the disgusting bug meat.
It took several minutes before the burning stopped.
Aya lay flat on the ground, gasping.
She had survived.
But at what cost?
She made a mental note:
? NEVER. EAT. THAT. BUG. AGAIN. ?
And just when she thought her day couldn’t get worse—
Aya limped away from the scene of her horrific poisoning.
She needed something drinkable to get rid of the awful taste.
Which led her straight into mistake #2 of the day.
She stepped into a small clearing—
And instantly froze.
Two huge creatures were locked in battle in front of her.
One was a black wasp, its razor-sharp stinger glinting in the light.
The other was a massive spider, its legs twitching as it prepared to pounce.
Aya’s antennae drooped.
Oh no.
She had wandered straight into a warzone.
The wasp lunged first.
It dove at the spider, stabbing its stinger forward.
The spider dodged, webbing up the air to slow the wasp down.
The wasp buzzed angrily, slicing through the web with its mandibles.
The spider lunged forward, fangs bared.
Aya was still standing there, shaking.
And that’s when both creatures finally noticed her.
The wasp’s antennae twitched.
The spider’s multiple eyes turned to her.
There was a long silence.
And then—
Both creatures turned on her.
Aya’s brain shut down.
“WHY ME?!”
She sprinted away, the wasp and spider now chasing her instead of each other.
Aya ran for her life.
She weaved through grass, jumped over twigs, and zigzagged like a maniac.
The wasp was faster.
The spider was smarter.
Both were closing in.
Aya’s tiny ant legs burned.
Her mind raced.
I need a plan!
And then—
She spotted a hole in the ground.
Small enough for her.
Too small for them.
Without thinking, she dove in.
The wasp’s stinger stabbed the entrance, but it was too late.
Aya was already gone.
She collapsed in the safety of the tunnel, gasping for air.
Outside, the wasp and spider resumed their fight.
Aya just curled up, exhausted.
After nearly dying twice, Aya took a moment to reflect.
- Evolution is NOT easy.
- Not everything is edible. Some things will try to kill you from the inside.
- Even if you’re not involved in a fight, you can still get dragged into it.
- She needed to get stronger FAST.
Aya sighed, staring at her tiny ant body.
"If this world really has magic, I better get some OP abilities soon… or I’m doomed."
For now—
She just needed to survive.
Again.
?? Aya’s Bug Survival Guide, Entry #1:
Rule 1: Hide from predators.
? Step 1: Stay completely still.
? Step 2: Blend in with surroundings.
? Step 3: Don’t make a sound.
? Outcome: Immediately gets spotted by a bird.
"Okay, great start. Maybe this guide needs a rewrite."