A scarlet ray of light, moving faster than the speed of light, tore across countless solar systems and universes. It pierced the veil of reality itself, racing toward a green planet far beyond anything Harry could have imagined.
The ray descended like a shooting star upon Prime Terra, slicing through the atmosphere and streaking toward one of the planet's largest landmasses — the Monster Continent Cretis.
Deep beneath the surface, at the very edge of the continent, the ray finally reached its destination: the underground settlement of the Scarlet Ant Tribe.
In a pitch-black chamber, illuminated only by a few scattered luminescent crystals that cast faint, eerie glows, a young boy lay motionless on a crude bed of straw. A thick blanket made of white animal fur covered his emaciated frame. Severe malnourishment had wasted his body away; his cheeks were hollow, his ribs visible, and his skin pale as death. He was clearly on the verge of dying.
The scarlet light pierced the darkness and plunged straight into the boy's chest.
For several long minutes, nothing happened.
Then, a faint red glow began to pulse through his veins, slowly spreading from his heart outward. The light grew steadier, stronger, gently restoring color to his skin and filling out his sunken muscles.
[Ding… Soul Binding Successful.]
The boy's eyes snapped open.
"Where… am I?" he whispered, voice raspy and unfamiliar even to himself.
Sudden, excruciating pain exploded inside his skull.
He screamed, writhing on the straw bed as memories that were not his own slammed into his mind like a tidal wave. Flashes of a different life. A different name. A different fate.
Harry's soul had crossed unimaginable distances. Now it merged with the body of Antares Antis, the seventeenth head of the Scarlet Ant Tribe.
The pain lasted for what felt like an eternity.
[Ding… Memory Merge Successful.]
When the agony finally subsided, Harry — now fully Antares — lay panting, sweat beading on his forehead. He took several deep breaths, forcing his new body to calm down. Five minutes passed before he gathered enough strength to push himself up into a sitting position.
"…That ant wasn't lying after all," he muttered, clenching his right fist tightly. A small, bitter smile tugged at his lips.
He was no longer the heartbroken, betrayed gamer from Earth.
He was Antares Antis — the young king of a dying Scarlet Ant Tribe.
From the merged memories, he quickly understood his dire situation. At the age of four, during a catastrophic beast tide, he had been exposed to lethal mana pollution. Every other victim across all races had died within days. Mana pollution was a guaranteed death sentence.
Yet Antares had somehow survived for thirteen long years.
It was a miracle… and a curse.
Because he still carried the pollution inside him, he was considered a walking threat to the entire tribe. Fearing he would contaminate others, his own father had ordered him sealed away in the deepest, most isolated chamber of the underground nest. Here he had wasted away in seclusion, occasionally waking only long enough to eat before slipping back into unconsciousness.
Now, at seventeen, he had finally awakened.
Antares stared up at the rough stone ceiling, processing everything. The betrayal from his old life still stung, but it felt distant now — like a half-remembered nightmare. This new body, this new world… this was his fresh start.
Suddenly, he heard playful chatter and light footsteps coming from the back of the chamber, near the entrance. His eyes hadn't fully adjusted to the dim light yet, so the figures remained blurry.
"Can you quit making all that noise? I'm trying to concentrate for a second…" he said irritably.
Without realizing it, a faint red aura unconsciously flared from his body — the natural royal authority of the Ant King. The air grew heavy with power and dominance.
The chatter instantly died.
The figures rushed forward and dropped to their knees, bowing deeply until their foreheads nearly touched the cold stone floor.
"We apologize, King Antares! We did not mean to disturb your moment of peace, my lord," said the woman at the front.
She had long, straight, dark brown hair, a medium tanned complexion, well-defined eyebrows, dark eyes, and full lips. Even in the dim crystal light, her beauty was striking. She wore a simple maid outfit like the others, but a scarlet armband on her arm marked her as the head maid.
This was Zarah, Antares' personal maid and caretaker.
"Quickly, go inform Lord Ian of the King's awakening," Zarah ordered one of the maids behind her. The girl nodded and rushed out of the chamber without a word.
"Efficient as ever, I see," Antares said, shifting his posture to sit more comfortably on the straw bed.
"I don't deserve such praise, my lord. I am simply carrying out my duty as your servant," Zarah replied calmly. Yet a small, sincere smile touched her lips.
"So… how long have I been asleep?" Antares asked.
"You've been in a coma for about five and a half years, my lord. You would occasionally wake up asking for food, then fall right back asleep."
"Damn," Antares chuckled weakly, running a hand through his messy hair. "Guess that mana pollution thing really didn't miss its shot trying to kill me. Hahahahaha."
Zarah remained kneeling, quiet and respectful, while Antares processed the weight of his new reality. They chatted lightly for a while — small, careful talk about the tribe's daily life — as they waited for Regent Ian to arrive.
Antares leaned back against the wall, eyes half-closed.
This was it.
No more heartbreak. No more betrayal. No more lonely apartment feeding ants while the world moved on without him.
He was the Ant King now.
And whatever dangers this Monster Continent Cretis held, whatever threats faced the Scarlet Ant Tribe… he would face them as Antares Antis.
The Insectoid Empire would begin here — in this dark, forgotten chamber.
With a faint, determined smile, Antares whispered to himself:
"Time to start building."