A sea of cockroaches. Yeah, time to fall back! I quickly bring my companions to a quick retreat! Can I destroy these creatures? Probably. Can I do so without a single casualty? Probably not.

I need a way to protect my friends above all. Actually, I know!

[Listen up everyone! We will now begin the most ambitious cockroach ever building project!]

Of course, they don't understand something so specific. I'm just hyping myself haha. I slowly start digging the ground. I slowly extract cube-shaped blocks. This is harder than it looks. The rocks are extremely sturdy, unbelievably so.

Then I slowly change the shape a bit so each block is the same size and is stackable. I add an indentation so the above blocks fit perfectly with the ones under.

Then I start stacking it all. At first, they are just watching trying to figure out what's happening. I delimit a square-shaped area for the foundation then I pile it up. That's when a few finally realize this is another stacking game. Except that this time we are using blocks instead of cockroaches.

Then everything starts to go way faster. I just shape the materials and they all take care of the rest. The blocks are so heavy that they need to coordinate to simply move them. Still, they are doing it like champs. It's only when it's time to do the ceiling that I realize how much of a dumb idea this was.

I could have just dug a cave and sealed the exit to protect them. Ah, but there would be dangers of a collapse then I guess. I'm not sure. Either way, I somehow manage to craft a long and thin layer that I can barely carry myself before dropping it on top. Then we stack a few more until no matter what enemies won't be able to go through.

Then I finish everything by putting an entrance that is slidable from the inside but not vice versa. Okay, I totally complicated my life for nothing on that one. I top it off by inscribing in the rock .

After that, we train a bit with illusion magic, so they actually stay inside as long as there are no emergencies. So far, I'm pretty sure cockroaches have no way to breach such walls but better be safe. Don't want this thing to become their coffin.

I close the door behind them then I slowly make my way toward the especially huge cockroach army. To make sure I don't get lost I dig a line on my way.

Now, time to fight! I get close to them and…. ah, weird. For some reason, they are not angrily charging at me. They are simply observing. I slowly get closer. Comes a cacophony of weird noises.

[Eh, hello?]

That's when they all charge! What the hell? What's up with these guys?! They start attacking when I'm being civil?!

Needless to say their attempts at killing me end up in failure. I'm not even moving and simply standing in place slaughtering them. After a few hundred victims, they suddenly retreat. All of them! Without as much as a warning. I'm left standing here looking around.

I slowly come closer once more. Let's see if they'll still attack me. They retreat a bit nervously. I see many that are just itching to fight some more but something seems to be holding them. Some sort of leader perhaps? Oh, the plot thickens!

It also means that I may have a shot at converting these guys to allies. I keep progressing. After a while, they realize that no matter how much they retreat I simply follow. They stand unmoving and trembling while I'm just walking in their midst.

That feels actually awesome, I think I've managed to intimidate them. Of course, I can only do that because they are individually weak and don't know any offensive magic. Still, I'm enjoying all this power.

That is when I see them parting ways in the distance, seemingly to let someone or something pass unobstructed. Appears a huge Cockroach, about 8 meters big. Is this one a late rank 3? Quite possibly. It's not rank 4 for sure in any case.

It slowly comes closer while showing a defensive posture. Then it starts examining me from head to toe. It's moving its antennas in all directions seemingly trying to figure out what I am. It then comes closer and starts poking me. With enough force to be deadly to a normal human.

It doesn't seem to realize how dangerous its actions are. Then it finally tries biting me for a little taste. I slap it away. It seems shocked and outraged! That's when it starts shrieking. All the surrounding enemies throwing themselves at me.

What the hell is wrong with these things? I barely slapped the big one away. Clearly not enough to hurt it in the least. Thus resumes my killing spree. Seriously the more cockroaches I encounter and the more lost I am.

What is their goal? Why are they so belligerent? What determines the command structure? Is it perhaps whoever is the strongest gets to lead? They have serious incompetence issues too. The tactic of charging angrily at anything that moves….that's how you get wiped out!

They even lucked out by encountering a pacifist like me and they still screwed up. Well, this pacifist is now busy shattering their exoskeletons. After a long while, they finally run away. The big guy finally realizing that they don't stand a chance.

Seriously, what was it expecting? They seem to be retreating in the distance. I go get my soldiers again and we depart, following the tracks of the defeated army. It is the first time I have seen slightly coordinated ones.

All the ones before that would simply fight to the death brainlessly. I wonder if there is any information to be gleaned from observing that one.

Oh well, we abandon Fort Kickass behind, sadly. They also devour the mana of the dead. While on the go we do some more training. This time it is all about establishing an outpost. I give the signal to begin, then I start digging and they establish a defense perimeter around to let me work in peace.

As soon as I am done their job is to rush to the cave I have dug. I then close the way behind them so I can be sure that they are safe.

Slowly but surely we are establishing the proper safety emergency measures. Next, I'll slowly teach them how to actively be implicated in fights. Of course, that will come a bit later. I don't want them dying on me.

I'll make badass roaches out of them! That's when we run into an even bigger group than the last one. Yep, we're unto something. I'm sure we are getting closer and closer to the center of this world of something.

Time for some more exercising!