I couldn’t sleep and the day is already here.

Tiny woke up before his usual time, and woke the awake me up.

A bath, some centipedes and a trip to the excretion room later, soldiers came to take me.

“Are you ready si…r?”

Even he understood that I wasn’t at my top condition.

“You might want to take a bath first.”

I hesitated, asking if there was enough time and he replied saying,

*Ting*

[Skill: Hygiene gained.]

“Oh! Don’t you worry about time. You are meeting the queen. Think about it, she is going to stop giving eggs just to met and award you. Don’t you think you should at least dress up a little bit in the honor of that?”

And I couldn’t resist his reasoning.

*Ting*

[Skill: Clean gained]

Two hours later we left the nursery. Though he let me clean up, but he didn’t let me eat anything, saying I would regret it later if I did.

Though I have to say, being clean sure feels nice.

{Hygiene has become lv 2}

The awarding ceremony took place in a grand hall near the queen chambers. I was told that it was difficult for her to move around so the nearest place was changed to its current state.

{Map has become lv 7}

We went inside through the staff entrance, the hall was too packed. I looked outside from the viewing holes and saw a massive crowd. I even heard murmurs discussing how the one being awarded was a rare buff ant that was more than four centimeters tall and had huge bulging forceps.

Even the soldier snickered hearing that and I smiled.

I saw a familiar face in the crowd, leading some boot lickers, and smiled happily.

“You know this place used to be a market once.”

The soldier told me, but then for some reason his expressions took a massive hit and plummeted once he said it.

That astonished me, and I asked him were the new market was.

“For that you need to go to the commercial area, past the residential block.”

{Common knowledge has become lv 2}

Passing by the area he took me to a room and the captain of the ant army welcomed me.

“Ah! You are here. How are you feeling?” He asked and I replied saying a little down, but otherwise marvelous.

He was going to say more, but then an ant came hurling onto the scene, and started throwing around her weight.

“Where is he? Where is the one being awarded? Don’t you brutes have any idea how much preparation there is needed to make sure that the ant don’t start embarrassing himself or the queen in front of everyone.”

When I saw even the captain sweating, I understood that she wasn’t a normal being.

If her shade being a mix of dark red and orange already wasn’t a clue enough, her behavior sure did prove my suspicion true.

Her eyes then met mine, and before I could think anything, she started firing orders.

“You little one; go and fetch the hero for me, and bring me some grapes too. I am felling low on sugar.”

My smile hardened and I looked at the captain for help, who ultimately told her the truth, but not before sharing a laugh with his subordinates.

“Are you sure? That’s him? Wasn’t he a rare 4 centimeters tall Buff ant?”

The captain giggled once more after looking at me and comparing the two images.

“Yes, this is the dangerous looking, brute and coincidentally is also a muscle head.”

“Anyways, come boy, you look smart enough. You probably won’t need much time to prepare and rehearse.”

*Ting*

[Skill: Connections gained.]

The session she talked about was a lecture in basic manners. She taught me How to behave, what to do and how to express myself in the first ten minutes. She even gave me a script to learn by heart and taught me the very distinguished way of requesting something.

*Ting*

Title: Student(Common)

Get a person of the older generation to teach you something.

Reward: Skill Learning.

*Ting*

[Skill: learning gained.]

The whole ordeal took one whole hour. When finally satisfied, the royal ant, a princess, sent her assistant to get the queen whom she for some reason called mother.

Meanwhile, Manners became lv 6, Acting leveled up to 5 and learning became lv3. Even memory gained another level.

And fifteen minutes later the queen came riding on an ant train.

I actually wasn’t expecting her to look like that.

Ants are normally slender, and become more so after ranking up, but she was humongous.

That was my first impression of her. She was actually six centimeters high and towered above my head. Her length being almost ten centimeters was mostly composed of her egg sack, which covered more than half of her total length.

But somehow just as she came, my head started ringing. She didn’t look at me once but her face started appearing right in front of my eyes.

*Ting*

[Skill: Resistance against Thought influence gained]

{Thought influence resistance has become lv 2…3…4…5…}

But the ringing went away just as she looked away.

She came to the stage, everyone stood up, and the hall turned silent. She gave a small speech, and the princess from before took over the role as a host.

I even heard some people talking about how they wanted to rank up and become a drone just for a nightstand with the princess.

I couldn’t understand what they meant by being a night stand, Well, anyways.

They told me to wait in the crowd. In the middle of it actually, and sent ten soldiers to play bodyguard, when I was eventually called onto the stage.

I was passing by the crowd, when I met the bastard from the scavenger’s hall. He actually snorted seeing me.

I smiled at him and pointed at my feet which made his expressions change into a scowl.

I then felling content for the time stopped looking at him, and went to my position.

{Focus has become lv 8}

*Ting*

[Skill: Patience gained.]

*Ting*

[Trait: Patient gained.]

That bastards (Scavenger hall officer) P.O.V:-

Humph! Does that little bugger think he is the hero!

I am not going to let him play around. I am going to take him out. Yes, let’s give a charge to the assassin ants, and get him.

“Ladies and gentleman now I present to you the hero…”

And some commotion happened in the middle of the crowd.

I tiptoed to see what happening, and saw that the crowd was parting for a single ant to pass.

These royal ants and their shanaegons.

Humph! Awarding the hero my ass! They are doing politics here.

“Your hero, who is not something like a rare buff ant…”

Fu, I am sure even that rumor was supplied by the royalty just for the effects.

“He is not even someone who has ranked up yet…”

And the crowd is going crazy. Shesh! This is why I don’t fucking like the royalty or even these fucking clowns (Civilians).

“He is just a little young ant, a common ant, just like all of you. All of us.”

Oh boy, I can already see these illiterates making him a god after this.

“But even though he is still just a youngling, he not only killed three invaders single handedly, but also trailed an enemy soldier and brought back the position of their camp.”

Fuck! Stop taking those deep breaths. This is annoying, and you hero! Hurry up and get on the stage already.

“Yes, you all heard right. He did all of this, even though he is just a Common ant.”

Now you are all turning silent. Fuck this! I am out of here.

I gave one more look to the stage and decide to wait. The farce was ending soon after all.

“If he could do all that at such a tender age, than what can we do if we get our minds straight and unite? Won’t the world become just another place to conquer?” She said clenching her fist and pumping it into the air.

Yes, yes, now folks give it up for her tremendous speech. She fucking deserves it.

And they are doing it. The noise was already too much, and now I can’t even hear my own inner voice.

The boy then got onto the stage, properly kneeled, and kissed the queens hand.

The queen said some words in his praise, and how every ant should strive to become better and walk toward a brighter future.

“Now, as your reward I give you one wish. Wish whatever you want child, and if an ant can get it you will have it.”

Yes, this is what I was waiting for. Hurry up, wish for a position in the army and make me rich. Otherwise I will be in a huge debt.

Huh why is he turning around? Just look at the queen, and say it already.

Wait a minute, isn’t he….

“….”

I am fucked.

“I wish to be a scavenger.”