“Alright, I’ll help you put it on your back.” Ban could only agree after seeing little Eva’s insistence.

He then went towards the huge spherical rock and tried lifting it from the ground. As he did so, he could not help but be surprised as he realized that the rock was actually heavier than he had initially thought.

He was fortunate that it was pushed by a mechanism before when he entered, or else, he could only dream about entering the Queen’s Chamber with the strength he had before as a normal human.

“Are you really sure about this?” Ban inquired for the last time after he tried lifting the spherical rock. The rock was heavy and he doubted if little Eva’s tiny body could handle it.

Eva nodded her small head eagerly as she asserted Ban’s worry. Ban then nodded his head as a response.

Using his newfound strength, Ban lifted the huge spherical rock off the ground slowly before carrying it over towards little Eva.

He then placed it slowly on her small back before slowly releasing his strength.

Little Eva struggled to carry it at first, but a little while later, she got accustomed to it.

Upon seeing that, Ban could not help but open his mouth in awe. It was really fascinating seeing a small bodied insect like her lift such a heavy and huge object.

And as promised, Ban did not sit idly as he also searched for a rock that would be suitable for him.

After spotting a rock that was heavier and larger than Eva’s, Ban finally put it behind his back before dropping to the ground for a push-up position.

Little Eva also did the same and with the count of three, the two then started their push-up training with great enthusiasm.

Although they were deep inside the Demon Ants Lair, the air circulation was still as good as outside so they have no problem with their breathing.

1…

2…

….

100…

101-

With their strength as an X-Rank Mortal, they finished the 101 push-ups after ten minutes of continuous pumping.

Ban set aside the stone on his back first before he helped little Eva set aside the stone on her back.

Little Eva’s breathing was a little hurried but with the one-minute break, Ban guessed that she should be able to recover her energy before starting the next round.

Ban was in the same state as that of Eva, but due to him being already used to exercising, his breathing was not that rigid and instead was a little relaxed.

They rested for a minute and after seeing that their breathing stabilized, they immediately started the second round, which was doing 101 squats while carrying a heavy rock tied to their back.

The same with the first instance, Ban helped little Eva first before he put another huge spherical stone on his back.

The two then started doing squats at the same time. Ban was counting the number of squats they made while little Eva keeps on spouting the Krrrr! Krrrr! Krrrr! sound trying to imitate Ban’s counting.

Another ten minutes passed by in the blink of an eye.

Ban and little Eva were already done doing the 101 squats, and they were now resting to prepare for the eleven-kilometer run.

“Are you alright?” Ban asked the panting little Eva on his side.

Krrr! Krrrr!

Little Eva nodded her head eagerly as she raised her hands up in the air.

“Alright!”

“Just don’t push yourself too much, okay?” Ban added in concern which little Eva replied with a nod.

After the one-minute break was finished, Ban and Eva instantly stood up to prepare for the run.

While they were resting, Ban had already decided on their route.

As he will ultimately need to return to the city, he decided to take the route leading to it while doing the eleven-kilometer run.

If he remembered correctly, the city should be around fifteen kilometers away from where they are right now. He was not entirely sure but that should be a good estimate already.

He was familiar with the route leading to this beast-filled forest as he would always help the carriage drivers of the city for an extra income.

Although it was his first time entering the beast-filled forest proximity, he still remembered the route when he came here so returning should also not be a problem for him.

Ban turned around and saw the platform where the Demon Ants Queen was lying earlier, the only evidence left was the red puddle of blood on the platform as the body was no longer in sight after Ban devoured it with the [Skill] Greed.

Ban was also a little worried that the one who injured the Demon Ant’s Queen might return to take the body, so leaving now was also a good opportunity for him to escape.

“Are you ready little Eva?” Ban inquired as he rubbed little Eva’s head softly with his fingers.

Little Eva expressed her delight upon contact of his fingers. She then nodded her head eagerly as she hops around playfully around Ban.

“Jeez… Alright then, follow my lead, in 3, 2, 1-“

Go!

The two instantly erupted with great speed surpassing what normal people could do.

Eva followed closely behind Ban as he traced back the route he had taken previously.

Even with her little figure, Ban still did his best to run as he already knew how capable little Eva is.

Their strength and speed were also almost the same with only a meager difference.

Ban could not imagine what will happen when the time she matures arrives.

Ban thought that only one thing was for sure, and that is, she will become an extremely strong Demon Ant Queen in the future.

And she was Ban’s first summon, and his little Eva!

_______

I’ve added an illustration for the Demon Ants in my Discord Server!

Join now if you want to see it!

Discord server link: https://discord.gg/j2GgEpkPuf