The bustling sounds came a lot closer to Kazuma and Zoukar, but Zoukar wasn't the one to feel panicked or frightened; it was Kazuma who had his brows wet. He squinted his eyes to get a closer look at the incoming enemies.

Two massive silhouettes appeared out of nowhere as he focused his gaze. Their aura and crackling sounds were more explicit than before. Now the vague rumbling was crystal clear.

Furthermore, their silhouette had lots of giant limbs with numerous jointed attachments and tentacles. Those creatures stepped forward. They looked like black giant ants with long tentacles and sharp teeth, which freaked Kazuma out of his wits.

Their large pointed teeth could easily grind him, and their long legs could serve as a cage to catch small creatures. They could easily bind and gnash any small being at their leisure.

"Wh-what the hell are those damn scary ants? Am I supposed to fight them with this small ass body?" Kazuma stuttered in his head.

His brows became wet as he frowned with his jaw dropped. However, beside him, Zoukar had his face impassive and aloof. He was almost unfazed by those incoming creatures.

"Haha... this time I’ll be fiercer than before, you dirty insects!" Zoukar exclaimed. There was a firm determination in his eyes, which must be due to the fact he had to dash out before. Yet that creepy smirk of his shuddered Kazuma’s inner self.

Zoukar stated, "My undead element is not best to fight an ant hill of numerous ants. They’re vulnerable to fire elements. That's why I invested my expensive fire scrolls on you."

His remarks were either targeted toward Kazuma or maybe that senile old mage developed a habit of self-talk since no one would like to have a decent conversation with this type of man.

Zoukar resumed with chuckling, "Although I never knew what type of beast was the carcass I found in that detached space hidden in the cave, it seems my gamble of you having flame affinity worked. Otherwise, I may have to stay here for lots of days while contemplating new strategies."

Kazuma stared at the magician with a doubtful and condemning gaze. That man used an unfamiliar carcass of an unknown beast and even used his scrolls without even confirming whether they could be of use or not.

"Does that mean all about me having flame affinity was the work of his gamble and nothing else? Don't tell me he could have even made my soul disappear with those types of gambles in summoning. What senile old man did I get summoned by?" he sighed with deep solicitude.

"Astroth, it's time for your debut! Go and show me your valor through those destructive flames from your mouth. Prove your worth now!" Zoukar commanded.

"Am I some sort of pokemon that he chooses to fight with? All that's left for him is to yell fireball while throwing me there!" Kazuma snorted while thinking inwardly.

Even so, he had no other option but to fight as a meat shield for this bastard of a black magician. Sometimes Kazuma even considered whether this mage even had some achievements under his name or he was just one of those self-proclaiming freaks with no real knowledge.

Disregarding these thoughts for some time later, Kazuma focused on his current situation. Zoukar ordered him to battle with the incoming giant ants alone with no support, which had a big impact on Kazuma’s mentality.

Even with his bullies, he never fought; more likely, he was thrashed around a lot, so how could he one day wake up and fight those terrifying creatures before him? This time he was even inhabiting a small reptile's body.

"If I had known that ants could be such a danger, I would have walked more carefully and never stomped on them while sauntering around," Kazuma sighed.

He stepped forward with his four limbs. This was the first time he even took so many steps with that unfamiliar body, and to outright fight for the first time was freaking him even more. Those small paws of his were specifically adorable, but not the type to battle, and kill monsters.

Yet Kazuma marched towards the enemy while gazing upward at their heads. He never thought ants could someday look like he saw them recently. One of the ants noticed him and crackled towards him.

"Is it trying to talk things out? Well good for me!'' Kazuma sighed with relief. However, his fantasy was shattered when the ants raised its leg and abruptly stomped on the ground, obviously targeting Kazuma, who was a teeny tiny reptile before it.

With his senses and great reflexes, Kazuma crawled his way out of the ants' life-threatening strikes. His heart jumped to his mouth for a while, and he panted as his soul was about to escape from this body.

"What the? This bastard wants to kill me even though I'm the victim here. I just became a slave out of nowhere and has to battle as a gladiator for someone’s entertainment. That's my life!'' Kazuma shrieked with his animal squeals.

"Why’re you crawling around? Fly when you have wings on your back, Astroth!" Zoukar screamed, watching the brawl from behind.

Although his voice echoed in the surroundings, the ants kept their focus on Kazuma, maybe since he was closer to their antennae, which provided them with a sensual perception of the surroundings. However, their eyes must have noticed Zoukar behind them. Certainly, his vibe may be more threatening than Kazuma's.

"Wait, I can fly! That means fly, fly. Do the protrusions on my back resemble wings? That's one hell of a body I have. But how do I fly? I never even had money to travel by plane on earth," Kazuma pondered in excitement.

Nevertheless, he had to somehow learn that skill on the spot. However, his buzz didn't last long as the ants marked him as their target, and this time both of the ants tried to stomp him underneath their appendages.