Laws of the Insect Hive - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Third Molting (2)

Unfortunately, due to the loss of his external senses during the third molting, System could not test [Ability Enhancement] on other subjects. He would not mind using this ability to strengthen Shava’s power.

“I wonder if Shava has the ability of [Limb Regeneration].”

If Shava possessed [Limb Regeneration], like a grasshopper, and could be enhanced by his [Ability Enhancement], then the crippled Shava would be able to grow new limbs swiftly.

…

System’s molting process took far longer than he expected. After some random thoughts, he continued to work on his newly invented [Tools Menu].

The more System used this derived ability from [Data Compilation], the more he felt he could discover more functions from it.

He could add all sorts of game-like functions into [Tools Menu].

…

Ding! Your level has increased.

Ding! Your [Tools Menu] ability level had increased.

Ding! You have gained 58 units of EXP.

…

System could add a voice alert to his body just like in a virtual game.

Whenever he or his ability leveled up or gained EXP by eating, it would automatically send a voice alert to him.

This voice alert could also be converted into text messages that appeared in his sight. He could even add a time and direction module to his sight to display time and direction.

This simple function could be activated continuously and would only consume a negligible amount of his spirit power. System felt that he could keep it activated forever, and it would not have any effect on his spirit.

System realized that he was transforming himself in a sort of online game player. If he added a health bar, magic bar, and a small map near the corner, he would be no different than a normal RPG player.

Had System woken up with the [Tools Menu] after reincarnating, there was more than a 90% chance that he would have thought that he had been reborn into a game world.

…

System continued to play with his [Tools Menu].

After his [Tools Menu] was integrated, System divided it into several units and renamed them.

They were: [My Info], [Database], [Reading and Analysis], and [Tools].

My Info corresponded to [Self-Information Generation], [Database] had the same function as [Information Entry], [Reading and Analysis] was the same as [Information Reading], and [Tools] was some other small functions that System had created.

System realized that the abilities that could show the outlines of the objects around, such as [Reading and Analysis], could be modified and made more useful.

After making a simple plan, System immediately took action. He experimented with the images stored in the database and began to modify the [Reading and Analysis] ability.

System was not able to enhance the ability to analyze things, but he swiftly upgraded and optimized the ability to make the outlines of surrounding objects glow.

According to the different kinds of objects he was observing, System distinguished the different colors of the glow through [Reading and Analysis]. He set the glow of things that were not dangerous as green, the ones that were not so dangerous as yellow, and the ones that were very dangerous or had never seen before as red.

In that way, the dangers and things in the external environment would become clearer in his eyes after activating [Reading and Analysis].

…

System kept figuring out the various uses of [Tools Menu], and he even forgot that his body was molting.

While he was playing with [Tools Menu], System suddenly heard a buzzing sound. It was like sleeping with a mosquito flying next to your ears, and it was so noisy that you could not rest.

As System searched for the source of the sound, he suddenly found himself in a strange place.

There was nothing but white color around him. Or maybe he himself was not even there physically. He felt as if he had become a cloud of air or a speck of dust that was invisible to naked eyes.

System seemed to have heard a voice, which was more like a telepathic message from his [Mind Transmission] but, at the same time, was completely different from it.

It seemed that this voice was speaking directly to his soul.

“Is this the so-called voice of the world that was supposed to appear during the third molting?

“But I don’t understand it at all.”

Suddenly, System felt some inexplicable power coming from the void, and then it merged into his soul.

His vision gradually darkened, and he fell into a deep sleep.

…

As he stretched his body, a crackling sound echoed.

After System woke up, his third molting had been successfully completed.

His body had grown to about 25 centimeters, and he had obtained an elongated antenna like the Quin. In addition, an unknown and intricate pattern had appeared on his green exoskeleton.

The plant pattern’s origins were unknown, but it was special and similar to the pattern on Quin’s body, yet completely different.

System moved his body and devoured the remaining old exoskeleton on his body.

That was when he suddenly realized that his two forelegs had undergone a significant change. A very obvious circular notch had appeared near each limb’s barbs, and there seemed to be something brown quivering inside it from time to time.

With a little more pressure, several dark brown flesh buds suddenly sprouted around the circular notches. They grew and stretched like tentacles until they reached the limit of about 10 centimeters.

Three of these tentacles grew out of each of the circular notches, and they were about 2 millimeters thick, very flexible, and could be freely controlled by System, just like how humans could control their fingers.

System used these tentacles to grab an ant larva nearby. Then, he used them to tear off a nearby piece of mushroom and put it into the ant larva’s mouth.

…

After being reborn as a grasshopper, System had been missing the flexible fingers of humans a lot.

Only after losing his fingers, did he appreciate the various benefits they offered.

He could easily do many things with fingers, yet now, they were challenging tasks for his grasshopper foot limbs.

Perhaps it was because of his obsession with fingers that he had obtained these finger-like tentacles during his third molting.

Although these tentacles were as useful as fingers, they were ugly. System also felt that it was very awkward for these tentacles to appear on a grasshopper.

As System was haphazardly controlling the small tentacles on his forelegs, he suddenly seemed to sense something.

System shook his body and moved half a centimeter to the left of the cave, and a second later, soil fell from above and dropped down right next to System’s head.

He suddenly recalled the voice he had heard in the mysterious world, the ability that had been given by the world’s voice, as well as some information that had appeared in his brain out of a sudden…