Insect Tamer's Ascension-Chapter 34: Moss Carapace Mantis

In a dense forest, there were two humans standing by a tree. A big boar was on their side while a small Silverfang Direwolf pup played around.

The humans were staring at only one thing. There were some slime cores right in front of them, and the sounds of munching came every second.

There was a small grey silhouette near those cores, munching on them as if they were mere food.

Just a minute ago, the boar had stopped at this clearing, and in such a small period of time, the pup had taken care of everything in the clearing, leaving the intact cores there for the mantis to relish.

'Only 2 cores are left, and then… the evolution can commence…' Theo became excited, his eyes stuck on the mantis, which could be ready anytime now.

The mantis really was a glutton. No matter how much it ate, there was always room for more.

In a few minutes of staring at it, another core was down, and another few minutes later, the last core's few small chunks were left.

Theo had kept the status open while Clara looked at him and the mantis with confusion, seemingly knowing nothing about what was happening.

When the mantis was done eating the last one, the status of the Iron Mantis changed.

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Evolution Potential- Detected

Evolution Information:

Next Evolution- Moss Carapace Mantis [Optional]

Requirements-

Absorb 10 Moss Slime Cores (10/10)

Defeat an enemy at least a grade higher (3/3)

Evolution Traits-

Regenerative Moss- Slowly heals with the help of the moss growth on its carapace

Spore Lash- A rapid whip strike that releases spores on impact, stunning the enemy

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'It's done?' Theo didn't know how or what would happen. He knew the mantis would evolve, but would he have to do it on his own, or was that something that happened on its own?

Just when he was thinking all that, Theo heard a small gasp from his side.

He looked at Clara, who was dumbstruck, staring toward the mantis.

Theo's heart raced as the mantis stood still, its body glowing faintly with a soft grey hue.

The air around them seemed to thicken by the second, charged with an energy that made the hairs on his arms stand on end, he felt goosebumps.

Clara took a step back, her eyes wide with a mix of curiosity and fear. Even the Direwolf pup let out a low whine, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. The boar moved protectively in front of Clara, its snout twitching as it assessed the anomaly.

"This is it…" Theo muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms as he watched the slime move up toward the mantis. He wanted to step closer, to intervene, but something held him back. The requirements had been met—this was the moment he'd been waiting for.

Clara's voice broke through his thoughts. "Young master, what is happening to this thing?!" she exclaimed, her face pale and her voice laced with a hint of panic, "First it eats slime cores like they're sweets, and now it's turning into… whatever this is..."

Theo couldn't help but chuckle, despite the tension in the air, he explained, "It's changing, Clara. You'll see soon enough."

Theo went quiet after that. A lot of things were happening in front of him.

He could see the slime's thick, watery body move up to the mantis.

It was unlike anything he had seen, as the mantis had never eaten like this in front of him.

The slime started covering each and every part of the mantis until the mantis had a thick layer of slime on it.

Theo wanted to intervene, as it looked dangerous, but something stopped him. All the requirements of the evolution had been met, so he was almost certain this was the trigger for that.

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All the slime on the ground had now covered itself around the mantis, and with each second passing, it felt like the watery slime was solidifying.

Theo went forward and crouched near it, seeing that the slime was really becoming solid until he could only see a mossy, brownish oval in front of him.

"Is that an… egg?" Clara muttered. Things had become so weird that nothing was making sense to her.

"Young master, please give me an answer. What is happening to this insect??" Clara asked again, but Theo couldn't help but just stare at the hard, egg-like exterior the mantis had covered itself with.

"The mantis is evolving, Clara… You will know soon…"

Clara kept looking at the oval covering with panic. She quickly came to her senses and went toward Theo, only to grab him by the waist gently and jump back to make some distance.

"What are you doing?" Theo asked with a frown. He was so engrossed in looking at the slime covering that he had forgotten about his surroundings.

"The pup is feeling high amounts of energy coming out of this… egg-- It feels danger."

"It's most likely a cocoon, Clara. Not an egg." Theo interjected with a name that made Clara realize it too.

"Just like how those pesky caterpillars become butterflies, young master?" Clara questioned with curiosity.

"There was no need for 'pesky,' but yeah, that is it." Theo had a big smile on his face. While the system was not saying anything else but the fact that the requirements were met, the changes were too drastic to say anything else.

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait for the mantis to evolve… and hopefully, it's sooner than I think it is…"

"Evolve... that sounds like the name of your affinity, young master." Clara connected some dots, and soon her eyes widened in shock. "Is this happening to the mantis because of your affinity, young master?"

Theo sighed and nodded toward her, which made her come out of her trance.

"I apologize for asking these questions, young master. It's just that this is very fascinating."

"Normally, when a mantis molts, it takes about 20 minutes for the process to be over. But I have read that the last molt can take up to 4-5 days, as the drying process at that time is slow and the mantis has to inflate the wings too…" Theo stated and looked at Clara, who had a confused expression on her face.

It made him chuckle. "Don't worry, Clara. Just think of it like reaching the next phase of life. That is what molting is in the life of a mantis. But this… this is unique." He stated with his eyes on the dried slime oval.

"Unique like your affinity?"

"… I hope not…"