Become Stronger, Chimera Ant

"It's not just that we're weak when facing the Dark Continent—even in this world we currently inhabit, compared to the humans who rule it, we are utterly feeble." Meruem saw the moment was ripe and finally stated the true purpose of this conversation. In truth, he had said so much only to make these arrogant ants understand: there is always someone stronger. His earlier description of the Dark Continent was also meant to deflate those ants already swollen with pride. This included the three Royal Guards. Even a lion uses full force when hunting a rabbit, let alone when facing Nen Users. One careless slip, and they might capsize in a ditch. In the original story, nearly all the ants died that way. Perhaps the overwhelming power they displayed against ordinary humans in NGL had made them lose themselves, arrogantly assuming all humans were weaklings and food. But they forgot that even among Chimera Ants, there exists an extreme gap in power between Soldier Ants and the Ant King. The humans of this world are not as simple as they imagine.

"Humans? Those weak creatures? Those beings that exist only as food—where is the danger?" Every ant thought the same.

"Heh heh. Even when I say this, you probably don't believe it in your hearts."

"We wouldn't dare." The ants replied in fear.

"No matter. If I were you, I'd think the same. But the truth is not like that. What do you think of that old man from before?" Meruem didn't explain first but instead asked a counter-question. Of course, the "old man" he referred to was Chairman Netero, who had previously stormed the Ant Nest.

"Very strong. Of all the humans we've encountered so far, he is the strongest. I think he might be the strongest human, meow." This time, it was Neferpitou who answered Meruem's question. Although Pitou had also fought Kite, Kite's combat power was on a completely different level from the Chairman's. Kite might be stronger than a Squad Leader, even slightly stronger than some Phantom Troupe members. But compared to a world-class expert like Netero, there was no comparison.

"I hate to admit it, but he's a formidable guy. I was completely helpless. But rest assured, my King—next time, I'll kill him with my own hands." Youpi growled the last sentence viciously. Just mentioning the Chairman made the veins bulge on Youpi's forehead; it seemed the Chairman had dealt him a heavy blow.

"..." Pouf remained silent. He didn't want to bring it up. His proud abilities had been completely suppressed, especially that terrifying area-of-effect skill—he couldn't even run away. In truth, if he had faced anyone else, Pouf wouldn't have suffered so badly. His abilities were versatile, both offensive and defensive, but against Netero, without a word, the old man just slapped him across the face.

The Squad Leaders who had been one-shot looked somewhat embarrassed. Even the leopard, who usually talked the most, wore a constipated expression. They had just been thinking humans were food, and now they were instantly slapped in the face.

"Very strong, right? No wonder that guy was once the strongest human in the world."

"As expected." Hearing this, the ants' expressions relaxed a little, and they felt somewhat better. But Meruem's next sentence plunged them back into the abyss.

"But that old man's current strength is less than half of his prime." Half? What did that mean? The freak who was absurdly strong enough to one-shot a group of Squad Leaders and suppress the three Royal Guards—that was only half his former strength? Less than half? Then in his prime, he must have been unstoppable, killing gods and Buddhas alike.

"But no matter how strong he is, even if he returns to his prime, I don't think he'd be a match for the King, meow." Pitou said calmly. Unlike the Squad Leaders, the three Royal Guards had personally witnessed Meruem casually cripple one of Netero's arms. So even if the opponent were twice as strong, he still wouldn't be the King's match. That's right—what did it matter if he was in his prime? Our King is the strongest!

"Hmph. Indeed. If it were an Enhancement-type like that old man, I wouldn't lose." But what he feared were bizarre and unpredictable abilities. For example: the Zoldyck Family's unknown entity. Even the current Meruem felt uncertain facing something so strange.

"But this world is not as simple as you imagine. That old man's current strength doesn't even rank in the top five of this world. Even I only dare to claim a spot in the top three. As for the number one position, I'm not confident either." How strong was Netero at half his youthful power? Was he in the world's top three? Who the hell knew? The original story never said. Meruem was just spouting nonsense here. However, the manga did mention that the Ant King's body was already in its most perfect state. Even facing Netero's full-power 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, and the life-sacrificing full-force 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva Zero, it only grazed his skin. If not for the Rose Bomb, the world's top-ranked experts would likely have mobilized, resulting in a chaotic battle of strange abilities. But one thing Meruem didn't lie about was the world's number one. Unlike the chuunibyou Ant King of his past life, the current Meruem wasn't confident he could take that spot. At the very least, he needed to deal with the unknown entity and the nuclear bomb problem. Besides, the Hunter World was full of bizarre things—even the Demon King's song had appeared. Who knew if the Demon King actually existed? So it was better to keep a low profile. Wasn't there a saying? Play the pig to eat the tiger.

Although much of what Meruem said was exaggerated, he said it deliberately to make these restless ants understand that there is always someone stronger. What? You say the ants who left earlier don't know? Why bother with those suicidal fools? Besides, Meruem planned to strengthen those departing ants so they could divert other humans' attention. The chuunibyou Ant King of the original story had now become a slightly more cunning Ant King.

Of course, if it were purely physical combat, Meruem wouldn't fear any human in the Hunter World. After all, in the original story, Netero had said that Meruem was the pinnacle of physical limits. But in the Hunter World, did being physically stronger mean you were better? The answer was no. This wasn't the Dragon Ball universe, where combat power was the benchmark. Any magic or special skill was a minor path. The Nen of the Hunter World was famous for its bizarre abilities. Vows and Limitations were a major feature of the Nen system—a perfect tool for counter-kills. As long as your potential was strong enough, you could make a vow with Nen and swear to abide by it. The stricter the limitation, the more explosive the martial technique. For example: Gon's transformation into the dark, hardened form. At that time, Gon's strength wasn't progressing as fast as Killua's. His actual combat power wasn't even a sure win against a Squad Leader (and Killua wasn't either). But after making a vow with Nen, he instantly reached a level where he could brutally slaughter Neferpitou. It was common knowledge that the gap between a Royal Guard and a Squad Leader was like the difference between a Saiyan transforming into a Super Saiyan and not transforming. And everyone knew that Nen, that mysterious thing, sometimes erupted even more after death. Yet even Pitou's post-death outburst was suppressed and slaughtered by the dark, hardened form. Although the price Gon paid for that transformation was enormous—without the unknown entity's omnipotent wish-granting ability, Gon might have met God long ago—the Hunter World was full of freaks, deviants, and geniuses. What if a hundred or eighty of them collectively went crazy and made a massive Vow and Limitation? Even Meruem, no matter how strong, wouldn't be able to withstand it.

"So we're still this weak." After Meruem finished speaking, that was the only thought in every ant's mind present.

"Alright, my loyal subordinates. Although we are still weak now, we still have room to grow. Remember, you were all born less than a year ago, and I was born only a few hours ago. By human standards, we are still in our infancy. So, everyone, please strive to grow stronger. Become the right hand of Meruem, the King of the Chimera Ants." Meruem spoke sincerely. If it were the chuunibyou King of the original story, he would never have said something so cheesy. Unfortunately, the current Ant King was a transmigrator—Meruem. Yang.

"My King!" *N "Oh~ my King." Though a bit cheesy, many ants were still moved by his words. Pouf was the most affected. Hey! Your snot is about to drip into your mouth!

"Then first, we need to find a base to develop and grow. So... let's go there."

PS: Please recommend.