## **Chapter 2: Ant Nest**
*(From the novel "I Became the Gamer Who Controls Reality")*
Ever since that strange day when Vivaan had found the mysterious phone, his life had changed completely.
While his classmates studied or relaxed, he spent almost every waking moment grinding inside a strange game called **Ant Nest** — slaying endless digital creatures for rewards that shouldn't have existed in the real world.
And yet… they did.
Every stat increase, every crystal absorbed, every ounce of strength gained — he could feel it inside his own body.
A month ago, Vivaan's stats had been pathetic —
**Strength: 7, Speed: 4, Constitution: 7, Primordial Energy: 1.**
Now, after weeks of relentless grinding, his numbers had soared higher than he'd ever dreamed possible.
If he had relied on ordinary cultivation, it would've taken years — maybe decades — to reach this level. But with the game, his growth was terrifyingly fast.
Through experimentation, Vivaan had discovered a rule.
If a crystal's value was **higher** than his current stat, it would instantly raise that stat to the same value.
But if the crystal's value was **equal or lower**, it would simply restore his stamina and Primordial Energy — energy he could then channel into cultivating his **Ascetic Meditation** technique.
So higher crystals meant faster evolution — and the rarest ones were worth more than gold.
Unfortunately, the drop rates were cruel. After thousands of ants slain, the highest Strength Crystal he'd found was **value 9**, Constitution **8**, and only a single **Primordial Energy Crystal (5)** — today's prize.
Vivaan suspected the values reflected the creatures themselves.
The **Vigor Ants** he hunted were physically powerful but sluggish. Their Strength and Constitution Crystals were common, but Speed Crystals were worthless — barely worth collecting.
Still, even the weakest crystals served as fuel. Each one absorbed allowed him to meditate faster, refine energy deeper, and push his limits higher.
If only, he thought, these crystals could exist in the real world.
Just selling the low-value ones would make him rich enough to never worry about rent, tuition, or anything ever again.
But no — the moment his blood-colored avatar touched a crystal, it dissolved into data and merged directly into his body. He couldn't extract it, couldn't sell it, couldn't even show it to anyone.
So, he did the only thing he could — grind harder.
The Ant Nest was vast and endless, crawling with black Vigor Ants.
Each time they spotted his avatar, the swarm grew — crawling, biting, multiplying endlessly.
After slaughtering over a hundred, another crystal finally dropped.
Vivaan's eyes flickered with hope… only to fade as he saw its dull label: **Strength Crystal (3).**
Useless — only good for minor recovery.
He sighed and kept going. The drop rate was brutally low, but persistence was everything.
While others trained their bodies, he trained his will — thousands of repetitive battles every single night.
No wonder he slept through Professor Arvind Rao's lectures.
To the world, he looked like a failure — lazy, aimless, addicted to games.
But in truth, Vivaan Sharma was pushing his evolution beyond the boundaries of science.
Still, even his endurance had limits. The number of ants kept increasing, and soon his avatar was buried beneath the swarm.
He tapped furiously, but it was no use. The screen turned pitch-black — **GAME OVER.**
Vivaan exhaled sharply, pricked his finger again, and let a drop of blood fall onto the screen.
The avatar reformed — alive once more. One drop of blood was all it took.
He dove right back into the hunt. This time, however, his luck was worse.
After another hundred kills — nothing. Not even a single crystal.
Most people would've given up, but Vivaan wasn't most people. His expression didn't waver. Patience was the greatest weapon of all.
And then — something unusual appeared.
Among the sea of black, a **crimson ant** crawled forward.
It gleamed like molten blood, its carapace shining with menace. Its body was larger, its eyes brighter, and its presence alone sent chills through him.
Vivaan's instincts screamed *boss monster.*
He probed its stats — higher Strength, faster Speed, thicker armor.
A challenge.
A grin tugged at his lips.
Finally, something interesting.
He maneuvered carefully, striking again and again. The red Vigor Ant's health bar barely moved, but it *did* move — a few points at a time.
It would take a hundred precise blows to kill it.
The problem? The black ants were gathering again.
Vivaan's heart pounded as he tapped rapidly, dodging, striking, retreating — but the swarm thickened. His avatar's path grew narrower and narrower until—
**CRACK!**
One black ant bit into his side. The screen flashed red — his health bar halved in an instant.
He clenched his jaw. "Damn it."
There was no time to run. No space left to dodge.
He had one chance — one final strike.
"Let's end this!"
The blood-colored avatar lunged forward, fist glowing faintly red, and smashed straight into the red Vigor Ant's skull.
**BOOM!**
The crimson shell shattered. The creature exploded into fragments — and two glittering crystals burst free.
Before Vivaan could celebrate, the swarm engulfed him completely. The avatar vanished beneath the flood of mandibles, and the screen turned black once again.
But this time, he smiled.
Because he knew — if he'd picked up the crystals before dying, the rewards would still apply.
The notifications blinked onto the screen:
**[Killed: Vigor Ant — Primordial Energy Crystal Acquired.]**
**[Killed: Vigor Ant — Vigor Ant Crystal Acquired.]**
Vivaan froze.
He'd seen plenty of Primordial Energy Crystals before…
But the second one — *Vigor Ant Crystal?*
That was new.
He stared at the glowing words, heart racing. He'd read about such items in obscure research papers — unique dimensional crystals carrying the very essence of a creature itself.
"Could it be…?" he whispered. "A Skill Crystal?"
Excitement coursed through him.
As he stared at the screen, a strange pulse spread from the phone into his hand — a faint red light that crept up his veins, seeping into his skin.
Then, everything went white.