Level up the Colony

A pinch for himself currently was the transport.

On the road, the journey took around 20 minutes, uneventful and filled with the usual insults between passengers and drivers, alongside gossip about uncharted gates and black market dealings.

He arrived at his destination, still unable to figure out how to utilize his skills.

'Who gets pheromones as a skill?' he thought as he paid the fare and looked up at the massive structure before him.

The building resembled a luxurious mansion, with sleek, semi-transparent glass shades giving it a sophisticated look.

At first glance, it could be mistaken for a bank, but the bold letters on top read Hunters Association, making its purpose clear.

Timothy stepped inside, heading straight for the receptionist's desk.

"Um, where can I talk to an official?"

The receptionist, busy typing, replied without looking up.

"May I ask what your issue is, sir?"

"Um, I have a Beast..." The moment the words left his mouth, the receptionist's head snapped up.

"...Companion with me, so I came to see what I should do about it." Timothy lied through his teeth.

"Ah, so you're here to reevaluate the rank of your beast companion?" The receptionist's voice carried across the room, drawing more attention than Timothy wanted.

Feeling self-conscious, he gave a slight nod.

"Then please queue up over there and wait for your turn," she instructed, pointing to a line of people.

"Alright, thank you," Timothy muttered before joining the line.

Not even 20 minutes passed before he spotted two familiar faces exiting the evaluation room.

Matthew and Noah.

Timothy looked down immediately.

'They stuck together in the dungeon too. What are the odds we'd meet again today?'

His last impression of them wasn't great, so he had no interest in rekindling any connection.

But things rarely went as planned, he had already been spotted.

They made eye contact.

Timothy held his ground, staying in line as if he hadn't noticed.

Matthew approached first.

"Tim! Didn't expect to see you here," he said cheerfully.

Timothy remained indifferent.

'Seems sincere enough, but I don't feel like talking.'

"Hello," he replied curtly.

"How have..."

"Goodbye." Timothy cut him off, conveniently stepping forward as the line moved.

Matthew stopped in his tracks, but Noah wasn't as patient.

In one swift motion, he grabbed Timothy's arm.

The sudden grip startled him, causing the box in his hand to fall with a thud.

"You bastard! We helped just as much as you did, the least you could do is show some courtesy!" Noah snapped.

For a moment, Timothy's mind went blank.

He instinctively tried to yank his arm away, but Noah's grip was firm.

"Let go," Timothy muttered, his eyes locked onto the ground, scanning for any sign of Gray.

"What's wrong with you? Haven't you heard what happened?" Noah pressed.

"Let go," Timothy repeated, struggling harder.

But instead of releasing him, Noah tightened his grip.

"I'm not letting go until you listen!" he barked.

Matthew hesitated, trying to step in, but Noah was too heated to notice.

Timothy took a deep breath.

"System, add all points to strength," he whispered.

---

[Stats]

Strength: 17

Stamina: 14

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 10

Free Stats (FS): 0

---

A sudden surge of power coursed through Timothy's body.

Fueled by adrenaline, he yanked his arm back, pulling Noah forward.

Crouching slightly, he planted his feet and delivered a clean uppercut to Noah's chin.

The force sent Noah sprawling onto his back.

Matthew froze.

Noah stared in shock.

The entire exchange had happened in an instant.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"That had to hurt."

"Ouch, that'll leave a mark."

"Wow, who's that guy? Acting all weak before..."

"This has to be staged. Where are the cameras?"

Ignoring the murmurs, Timothy crouched and resumed searching for Gray.

His sharp gaze darted around the floor until he spotted something near the shoe of a bystander.

He exhaled in relief.

"How'd you get there so soon, you tricky little guy?"

The young man, probably around his sister's age watched as the termite scurried toward Timothy, climbing into his palm.

When he stood back up, he noticed the stares.

They had no idea what he had picked up, nor did they understand his strange reaction.

He didn't care.

Even after a full-blown confrontation, security had yet to intervene.

Either they were occupied elsewhere, or they simply didn't care.

Timothy chose to believe it was the latter.

"Timothy!!" Noah suddenly shouted, wiping a bit of blood from his lip as Matthew helped him up.

Timothy turned, his face unreadable.

"I'll let you have this one," Noah said, his voice calmer now.

"...But he's coming."

Timothy narrowed his eyes.

"...Edward is coming. He escaped, and he's after the survivors."

Noah's voice was steady, serious.

"Going solo as the weakest won't help you."

Timothy turned away from Noah, his voice steady.

"Like I told him, I'll tell you now, I decide my fate."

...

This information though struck Timothy as helpful

With his path now clearer, he needed strength and for that he needed to understand the system fully.

His next stop: the library.

Boarding a public bus, he pulled up his status screen, his eyes scanning the details.

---

[Status]

Name: Timothy Walters

Level: 1

Class: None

HP: 100

MP: 10

Fatigue: 0

Strength: 17

Stamina: 14

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 10

Free Stats (FS): 0

[Skills]

King (Unknown) Lv. Max

Dash Lv. 1

Pheromones (Passive) Lv. 1

Clarity (Passive) Lv. 1

[Colony]

Silverback Termite (Gray) Lv. 1

---

No matter how many times he looked at this screen, he just couldn't get a hang of some things and so he ignored them.

For a while, he had ignored the "Level 1" indicator, but now, a realization struck him, could he level up? If so, how?

In games, monsters and enemies granted experience, but he wasn't about to cross the line into harming others... Actively.

Dungeon raids, however, were inevitable.

Lost in thought, he barely noticed his dwindling funds until he paid another fare.

The journey bled his wallet, but soon, he arrived at the library.

The Moscow Road Library was never crowded except during events.

The exterior was unimpressive, security lax, but inside, it was decent.

The ground floor catered to children, while the first floor was for undergraduates.

Timothy headed upstairs.

His goal was simple: understand termites.

He browsed until he found a pamphlet dedicated to them.

Sitting down, he skimmed through, his focus sharpening when he reached a section on pheromones.

He had a basic understanding of them, chemical signals insects used to communicate, but now, he needed application.

He still read until the whole book was in his head.

Closing the book, he looked at Little Gray, the termite moving idly across the table.

He'd noticed something strange...

He always knew when Gray was nearby.

He could sense when Gray was happy or active subconsciously.

A subtle connection existed between them, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

And now it was time for an Experiment.

Placing Gray in front of him, he focused hard on communicating...

"Stop."

Nothing...

"Move."

Still nothing...

Timothy sighed.

"Not as easy as in comics."

Then, as he exhaled, Gray ran towards him, climbing his arm and tapping his skin with its antenna.

"It tickles." He chuckled.

The termite crawled away, resuming its usual movements.

Timothy frowned.

"Maybe it's not its emotions but mine controlling it?."

He decided to test it.

This time, he channeled a strong memory, his frustration from being stabbed in the dungeon, his dislike for Noah.

The anger simmered, and he focused on a simple command: Stay still.

To his surprise, Gray froze in place.

It worked...

Now, for something more complex.

"Run."

The termite was quite fast as it went across boards

"Turn left."

Nothing...

Timothy sighed.

He continued giving simple and complex commands until...

He had found a limit, Gray only followed basic commands.

But he was on to something, but this much was enough for now.

Though he hadn't found a practical applicable use for the termite

Then, a notification flashed.

---

[Skill]

Pheromones (Passive) Lv. 2

---

A tingling sensation crawled across his neck, shifting to his forehead, then his temples.

Like… a new limb.

Timothy exhaled.

"That's enough for today, Gray."

The termite skittered back into its box as he packed up.

Unfortunately, the library didn't allow book loans.

The walk home was manageable, so he took his time..

By the time Timothy left the library, it was past 2 PM.

The afternoon sun still bore down, but it was manageable.

Taking a longer route home, he passed a group of hunters preparing for a dungeon raid.

He ignored them.

More dangers lurked in the streets these days, so he stuck to safer paths, eventually reaching his apartment.

Checking the time, 3 PM sharp, he realized he wasn't even tired.

His increased stamina made a clear difference; he felt like he could make another trip to the library and back before exhaustion set in.

The thought was tempting, but he resisted.

Instead, his mind drifted to his next daily quest reward, should he choose the stat points or the item box?

...

Inside, his siblings were already home, but their mother wasn't back yet.

After grabbing a chilled drink, a curious idea struck him.

Calling over his younger siblings, he had them drink from his thermo flask.

To them, it tasted like regular spring water.

Cold was better.

Satisfied, he refilled it with ice water, stored it in his inventory, and headed upstairs.