Vanguards, the ones crazy enough to break through Portals, got a shit ton of respect. People looked up to them. Kids even saw them as heroes.
But Chen Guang? Definitely not.
He wasn't even the clown.
He was the whole damn circus.
"The guy who chats with ants all day?"
That one never gets old.
"Probably lost his mind!"
He wore the Vanguard badge, sure. But put him next to a normal person, and you'd never guess he was a Vanguard.
Chen Guang was soft around the middle, the kind of guy who got winded halfway up a staircase.
Hand him a sword and he would probably slice open his own hand before hitting anything else.
In this world, power was everything. The strong got all the fame, the money, and the hot chicks to spend the night. Everyone else just got crushed.
And his "power"? A total joke.
[Communicate with Insects]
"Talking to bugs? What's he gonna do, beg bees for honey?"
When they announced his ability, the whole room burst out laughing.
He stuck with it, though. Not because he wanted to.
If it weren't for survival—if it weren't for his sister lying in a hospital bed, racking up bills he could barely count—he'd have walked away a long time ago.
"Hey, bug boy, check the stuff for us, will you?"
Someone's shout snapped Chen Guang back to reality.
Chen Guang, 27. F-Rank Vanguard. Bottom of the barrel.
Most people his age had stable jobs. He only had calluses and sore shoulders. His main talent? Carrying other people's stuff.
"Yeah, yeah, it's all here."
He said, trying to sound upbeat even though it didn't feel real.
"Long... you sure about bringing him? Why him?"
The scar-faced guy shot a look at their leader, who calmly sipped his coffee.
"Less mouths to feed, more for us, and he hauls our stuff. What's not to like?"
Zhou Long emptied his cup and shrugged.
"Long got it right. You—don't mess this up, this stuff's expensive."
The scar-faced man said, lifting his chin smugly.
"Got it, got it."
Chen Guang's face went red as he wrestled the giant pack onto his back.
"Alright. Time's up, let's move."
Zhou Long tossed the cup aside and crushed it underfoot.
Zhou Long led the raid on this Portal. Several lower-ranked hunters followed him, trusting his background in special forces. As a C-Rank Vanguard with a body-enhancement ability, he gave them confidence.
"What rank is this Portal, Long? What if it's dangerous inside?"
A nervous D-Rank Vanguard asked, his voice shaking.
"Relax. The Bureau wouldn't send an F-Rank Vanguard into a high-rank Portal. This one's just E-Rank."
Zhou Long clapped him on the shoulder, then nodded at Chen Guang.
"Ah… okay, that's a relief. Thanks, Long."
He let out a shaky breath.
Zhou Long lit a cigarette. Smoke drifted into the air. No one dared to say a word.
*****
"These monsters are way too weak. No challenge at all."
Another Vanguard muttered, his tone flat.
Monster corpses littered the ground. Scattered cigarette butts lay among them.
"I heard your lungs are shot. You sure you should smoke that much?"
The scar-faced man crushed a spider and tried to wipe the web off his shirt, his face twisted in disgust.
"Yeah, it's bad. But I can't quit."
Zhou Long said as he lit another cigarette and led the way deeper.
"I'm addicted anyway."
"Hey, insect boy, what's the haul?"
Chen Guang dropped his pack and started counting.
"One… two… three… yeah, ten E-rank crystals. And two D-rank."
"Tch. Not worth the effort. Should've gone for a higher-ranked Portal."
The scar-faced man grumbled.
"Half a million for each E-rank, five million for a D-rank. We've been fighting all day and can barely pay for a massage."
Someone else chimed in with a sigh.
Low-level Portals didn't drop much. The loot wasn't worth the effort either. Most Vanguards avoided them.
But for Chen Guang, this money could cover his sister's hospital fees and a week's worth of decent meals. Hauling gear wasn't glamorous or exciting, but he had no choice.
"We're almost at the boss room. Heads up."
Zhou Long called, his voice steady and calm. He had been through this a hundred times.
"You stay out here. Don't come in. You'll just get in the way."
Zhou Long tossed his pack to Chen Guang before pushing open the heavy door.
"Okay. I'll wait here."
Chen Guang dusted off his pants, sat down, and let out a heavy sigh.
He had never fought anything inside a Portal. His job was simple—carry gear and collect crystals from monster corpses.
He hated the way people looked down on him.
"But if I don't do this… there's no money."
He picked up an ant crawling nearby and whispered to it.
At least the Bureau had rules. He still got a cut—tiny, but it was his.
*****
The pale blue Portal flickered behind them as the team gathered in the empty lot outside.
"Holy shit, a C-rank crystal? We really scored this time!"
The scar-faced guy practically bounced on his toes, grinning like he'd won the lottery.
"Seriously, who'd have thought an E-Rank Portal would drop something this big?"
Another guy threw an arm around him, laughing so loudly his voice echoed through the tunnel.
"Alright, let's pack it up. Portal's clear."
Zhou Long flicked open his lighter and lit another cigarette.
"Let's see… one, two, three… ten E-ranks, two D-ranks, and one C-rank."
Zhou Long rummaged through the loot bag, counting out loud. Halfway through, he doubled over, coughing so hard he sprayed spit everywhere.
He started patting himself down, searching his pockets, then yanked out a battered stack of bills, all crumpled and greasy.
"Five million. Here. Take it."
He shoved the cash into Chen Guang's hands.
"The rest splits four ways. Whatever's left, I'm keeping it, since I took down the Boss. Anyone got a problem?"
Zhou Long shot the group a hard look.
No one did. To be precise, no one dared to. Most nodded, while a couple just shrugged.
Chen Guang frowned, staring at the cash in his hands.
"Wasn't the deal ten percent? Why is it only five million?"
Zhou Long paused, his lighter halfway to his lips, eyes dull and tired.
"What makes you think you rate ten percent? You're just a porter. Five million is more than fair."
He lit up anyway, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke that stank up the whole place.
"But we agreed."
Chen Guang shot back, his voice tight.
"You're breaking the rules."
Zhou Long didn't even flinch.
"I'm the leader. I am the rules. Don't like it? Give the money back and get lost."
Sixty-five million. That was the haul. More money than Chen Guang had ever seen, and he'd already settled for a measly ten percent.
Now, even that was being snatched away.
"I don't agree. You'd better pay up, or I'll report—"
He never finished. Zhou Long's fist slammed into his face, fast and brutal.
Chen Guang crumpled to the ground, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.
"Are you getting carried away?"
Zhou Long's eyes were wild as he ripped the cash back and kicked Chen Guang in the ribs.
"You get nothing. Now get out of my sight."
He lit another cigarette, turned his back, and started to leave with the others.
"Oh, and one more thing…"
He stopped, looking back with a sneer.
"Your half-dead little sister? With a brother like you, she's probably better off dead."
He spat on Chen Guang, flicked his cigarette butt onto his head, and walked away.
Chen Guang lay there, shaking.
Was it really… because I was so powerless… that I had to endure this humiliation?
He clenched his fists, feeling dirt grind into his skin.
He bit down until he tasted blood, the metallic tang filling his mouth.
His eyes stung, vision swimming as rage and shame fought for space inside him.
"I want power! I want to crush those bastards, make them crawl!"
Through his ragged breathing, something strange happened.
He heard a faint resonance, like a vibration near his ear.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating, but then he noticed the ants.
Dozens of them were circling him, almost like some weird ritual.
"Rise… Survive… Evolve…"
Then a voice thundered inside his head.
A voice that did not belong to any human.
"YOUR MAJESTY!"
Suddenly, heat exploded through him—volcanic and searing, racing up his spine and into his skull.
His heart hammered so loudly it drowned out everything else. Sweat poured off him in waves.
Inside his head, a cold, metallic voice cut through the chaos.
[APEX GENESIS SYSTEM INITIALIZING]
[DETECTED: EXISTENCE WITH INTENSE WILL]
[HOST IDENTIFIED: CHEN GUANG]
"What the hell is this?"
Chen Guang's jaw locked, every muscle tensing.
[WARNING! WARNING!]
[BODILY STATE INCOMPATIBLE]
[COMMENCING PHYSICAL RESTRUCTURING]
[APPLYING GENE TEMPLATE: ARMY ANT]
His heartbeat kicked into overdrive. He felt his muscles shred, then knit themselves back together.
Bones snapped and reformed. His whole body jerked and convulsed, every cell stretching to the limit.
He was drowning in sweat. His head was a storm, his thoughts dissolving into static. Darkness crept in from the edges of his vision.
[PHYSICAL RESTRUCTURING COMPLETE]
[PASSIVE SKILL ACQUIRED]
[STRENGTH OF THE FORMICIDAE]
[EFFECT: TENFOLD INCREASE IN PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND CONSTITUTION]
The metallic voice faded away.
Chen Guang lay there, pale and gasping, his pulse skipping wildly. As the heat faded, he forced himself up, legs shaking.
He almost went down again, but his hand caught a rusted iron bar. His fingers tightened, and the metal—unbelievably—softened under his grip.
He clenched harder. The bar warped, his fingerprints sinking deep into the steel.
He stared at it, breathing hard, blood still trickling from his mouth and nose. With his other hand, he pushed himself upright.
Crack. Clang.
The bar snapped in two, metal shrieking. It barely even looked like a bar anymore.
He staggered, his legs barely holding him up. The moment his foot touched the ground, the whole area trembled like a minor quake.
"This power…"
He dropped onto all fours, barely supporting himself. Each breath came ragged. His vision blurred again.
"YOUR MAJESTY!"
Voices shrieked in his ears—dozens, hundreds—crashing together like a tidal wave.
Then a jolt shot through him like pure electricity. Goosebumps rippled across his skin.
He glanced down.
The ground was crawling.
Out of nowhere, armies of ants covered the earth, lined up in perfect rows. Every single one bowed its head toward him, motionless… waiting.
[APEX GENESIS SYSTEM – FIRST MISSION INITIATED]
Words blinked into view right in front of him. His eyes widened.
"Accept."
His teeth clenched. Hands trembling, he forced a finger forward and pressed the button.
Everything gave out. He collapsed, hitting the ground with a dull, final thud.
Just before the darkness swallowed him, he saw one last thing—
Thousands of ants crawling over him, swarming up his body, slipping into his open mouth.
And then...
Slowly crawling inside.