Insect Ruler
6 - Reality

Ryuu looked at the raw duck meat residue that was still attached to his hand, with a mixed expression between annoyance and helplessness.

He never imagined that his life would turn out like this. Being a woman, being chased by a giant duck monster, and even having to eat raw meat to survive.

For some reason, at this moment Ryuu did not feel disgusted by his actions. Although he actually felt disgusted, but the circumstances that required him to do so made him ignore those feelings.

Krakk...

He cut the corpse of the duck with a heavy heart, but at the same time, he also realized that he had to survive.

"What mistake have I made, that my life has turned into this nightmare?

While enjoying the delicacy of the duck meat he had just eaten, Ryuu's mind flew into the past.

He recalled the times when his life was still normal, without the presence of the monstrous monsters and the uncertainty that surrounded him now. His life was like a never ending nightmare.

However, Ryuu suddenly gasped from his daydream as he choked coughing backwards.

He quickly got up and looked around him with a thumping heart. He was surprised to see that he had eaten most of the duck monsters.

A jumble of horror and disbelief enveloped him.

Clumps of feathers and the inside of the blood-soaked duck's stomach lay on the ground and on his body.

Even so, fate sided with Ryuu as her mandible and antennae remained clean, even though her chin felt sticky.

"Subject.... "

With a grimacing face, he tried to clean his hands and arms by wiping them on bushes and grass as much as possible.

Ryuu feels uncomfortable with his feminine new body that looks naked, even though he is alone in the middle of the forest. He hoped to find something to cover his exposed body.

"I can't believe the fact that I actually ate raw meat directly... Although it is actually still disgusted, but the feeling is really delicious!" ryuu muttered with a mixed expression between disbelief and satisfaction.

The hunger that engulfed him was completely satisfied, leaving behind a feeling of fullness and contentment.

Ryuu rubbed his stomach, a habit he still does since becoming a human. Although his body had changed, the habit was still attached to him.

He finally stood up and continued on his way with a worsening sense of unease in his stomach.

The smell that followed made him even more worried about predators that might be interested. Although the situation was not ideal, he could not help but care.

Then, he felt a stabbing pain in his stomach. He staggered, shaking his head trying to relieve the pain. Her feminine little arms and legs look weak as she tries to fight the pain that shackles her.

"Fuaa..... I think this is due to eating too much and greedy," he muttered guiltily. Despite feeling full, somehow his stomach still feels something stuck.

The pain grew stronger as he continued on the journey. He decided to pause in a small open space. He turned back towards the rocky hills that looked quite desolate.

In his mind, he kept thinking about his wife. Missing his wife made him anxious. Although his wife often babbles him, he still loves the wife who is carrying it. He misses her very much.

"Evely.... "

He truly longed for the warmth and support of his dead wife, and now feels lonely in this dangerous adventure.

He needs someone who can be his companion, someone who can help him through all the strangeness and dangers that lurk.

"Really, am I dead?" murmured Ryuu, his gaze directed towards the sky.

"How could I be stranded in this strange world and turned into a monster? How strange. There's even a giant duck and who knows what other strange monsters I'll meet, like a giant centipede. Ah, just imagining it, gives me goosebumps."

Fear flashed across Ryuu's heart, yet he immediately let out a long sigh. He felt lucky that the stupid duck was weak.

He hopes that in the future, he will not meet with a stronger monster until he finds an answer to this oddity.

"I need a weapon" he murmured.

Ryuu feels desperate to seek shelter and weapons that can be used in the face of the dangers around him. However, he only found a stone that he had taken before as the only option there was. His heart was pounding, yet he forced himself to remain calm.

He shook his head and continued his journey with a strong determination. His new life has formed a new instinct of his body, and he currently feels pulled forward by his decision to avoid predators.

Despite realizing that in his mind, he did not care much about it. After all, he had not done anything that could trigger danger.

Eventually, Ryuu reaches a hill and climbs it until it reaches a relatively safe place. Under the jutting rock, it finds protection from the sight of predators, but remains not too far from the forest providing the necessary cover.

Without hesitation, he crouched down and started pushing the stone, creating a small hole in the ground using his hand. After which, he sat back down, swept away the sweat that poured down his face, and let out a long sigh.

His eyes closed for a moment, the memory of the previous fight still haunted his mind.

When Ryuu thinks about the possibility of encountering a more terrifying monster, he realizes that the time it takes to defeat him will be longer than he previously anticipated.

Every fight is going to be an increasingly tough challenge, and he has to be ready physically and mentally.

The day began to darken as the sun sank behind the forest, coloring the western sky with a faint orange color.

The light dwindled, and darkness began to rule the surroundings. Although it had only been a few hours, today it had become very heavy for Ryuu. However, he knew that his struggle was not over.

At that moment, the pressure in his stomach again increased. The uncomfortable sensation continued to be disturbing, although not as heavy as he had imagined before.

"Aargh... Why doesn't this weird taste in my stomach go missing, damn it!" ryuu sighed in frustration.

Actually, it was not too painful, but there was a strange sensation as if something was gathering and ready to come out from the lower part of his body.

Ryuu groped his stomach anxiously, trying to figure out the cause of this unusual sensation. Is it because of the food they eat? Or is there something deeper that he should be worried about?

And along with that, Ryuu felt something else stirring within him. He realized that the feeling had been there before, but he was too busy with other affairs so he could not pay attention to it.

That energy felt infiltrated throughout his body, flowing and gathering by itself. Ryuu felt that the energy was being prepared for something big.

Suddenly, the pressure on his stomach suddenly subsided, as if a bubble had erupted.

Ryuu was pushed back and propped himself up with one hand behind him, while the other hand instinctively grabbed onto something in front of him.

Plok!

He saw a faint glint around him, as if there was light emitting from the object he was holding.

"uh? What'sthis?" ryuu muttered with astonishment.

He held an object shaped like a blackish-brown egg, just like the shell he had come out before.

The turbulent energy earlier seemed to have gathered within the egg.

After examining the egg carefully, Ryuu placed it in the hole he made, watching it curiously. However, questions continued to haunt his mind.

"Eggs? But where's this egg from?" ryuu muttered, trying to figure out the origin of this mysterious egg.

At first, the egg was about the size of an ordinary chicken egg, but now it seemed to be enlarging rapidly, as if it had been compressed and opened.

Ryuu estimated his height at least thirty centimeters, yet he felt that it had yet to reach its full size.

A shocking surprise fills Ryuu's mind as he realizes the origin of this egg.

"Don't.... Don'tdon't.... Please no.. No. gabe... No. gabe.. "

He was horrified and broke out in cold sweat as he looked down, examining his stomach in panic. Sweat splashed across his face as he pinched the base of his nose firmly.

And then, a terrible reality hit Ryuu hard. The eggs she had removed earlier came from and came out of her new reproductive apparatus as a female insect. His forehead was filled with the liquid coming from that egg, giving an indisputable omen.

Fear and confusion swept through Ryuu's mind. It felt like he was in a nightmare.

"FAAAAKKKKKK! DISGUSTING - WHY DOES THIS ALL HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME DAMN IT!!!!" Ryuu shouted with anger and disbelief.