By IMERPUS RELUR
--
Lin Shen jolted awake, gasping for breath.
One moment he was scrolling through job applications in his tiny apartment. The next, he was standing alone in a vast clearing surrounded by dense, alien jungle.
Above him, a giant screen hovered in the sky like a god's eye.
[Welcome, New Lord.]
[You have been selected to participate in the Lord Ascension Game.]
[Each Lord is granted a random troop type and starting territory.]
[Survive. Expand. Conquer.]
The air buzzed. The ground pulsed.
[Initialization Complete.]
[Random Troop Assigned: Ant-Type (Earth)]
[Initial Summon: Earth Worker Ants – Tier 1 (★)]
[Quantity: 1,000]
[Core Link: Stable]
Before he could even react, the dirt at his feet cracked open.
Tiny black shapes poured from the fissures in synchronized waves. They weren't large or threatening—just ordinary ants. Thousands of them, crawling with terrifying discipline, forming tunnels and shapes within minutes.
[Lord Core Established.]
[Basic Command Rights Granted.]
Lin Shen felt a pulse in his mind. Instinctively, he raised his hand. The ants paused. Another thought—they scattered into foraging lines.
"No way," he whispered. "They're... listening to me?"
A blue panel flickered before his eyes.
—
Lord: Lin Shen
Territory: Wilderness Grade F
Troop Type: Earth Ant Colony
Controlled Units:
Worker Ants – Tier 1 (★) – Quantity: 1,000
Hive Network: Basic
Lord Level: 1
Resources: 0
—
"I got the weakest possible unit... regular earth ants?" Lin Shen muttered, staring at the wriggling swarm.
Around him, massive trees loomed like natural fortresses. The terrain was raw and untouched. If this world was truly a game, he was starting with the lowest roll imaginable.
Other Lords might get dragons, knights, or undead legions.
He got ants.
But as he looked again—watched how quickly they burrowed into the ground, how they formed a mini-hill for protection, how their movements were fluid, connected—he frowned.
"No... this isn't weakness."
This was foundation.
He knelt and touched the soil. The ants vibrated, sensing his intent.
"Let's show them what a swarm can become."