I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

The silence was oppressive. As if the forest itself were holding its breath, waiting for the outcome of something it did not fully understand.

The trees, once so alive and full of sounds, now seemed motionless, their leaves suspended in the air, the wind interrupted.

The eight giant rats remained still, their red eyes glowing like embers amid the dimness beneath the trees.

The sunlight, filtered through the dense canopy, created a dance of shadows that moved across the creatures’ muscular bodies.

Their dark fur stood on end, and old scars marked their flanks, witnesses to past battles, to violence and survival.

Foamy drool dripped from teeth as long as daggers. Every breath was a guttural growl, every movement a restrained threat. Their black, sharp claws scraped impatiently against the ground, carving grooves into the soft earth.

Tilbo stood planted like a living wall before Lukas and the wounded man. The giant ant occupied the center of the clearing, her six legs firmly planted on the ground of dirt and leaves.

The ant’s mandibles opened and closed slowly, emitting a threatening metallic click, the sound of a guillotine being tested.

Her silver carapace pulsed with veins of mana, reflecting the faint light that pierced through the canopy. Tiny sparks of light danced across her metallic surface, like stars in a dark night.

Lukas felt his heart hammering in his chest, each beat echoing in his temples. Sweat ran down his forehead, and his hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from adrenaline.

His small body, still that of a child, seemed insignificant before those creatures. The man behind him panted, kneeling, blood flowing from the deep wounds on his legs and chest. The smell of blood mixed with that of damp earth and fear.

”They... came from a cave...” the man muttered, his voice hoarse, each word requiring effort.

”They’re monsters...”

One of the rats took the first step. Its front paw touched the ground with enough weight to make the earth sink slightly. Then another step. Then another. Its red eyes never left Lukas.

Then, as if a silent command had been given, they all charged.

’SKREEEEEEE!’

The collective screech tore through the air, a cacophony of hatred and hunger. The rats leapt together, claws extended, teeth bared, red eyes fixed on their prey. The sound of their paws striking the ground was like a rain of stones.

Tilbo reacted instantly. Her powerful mandibles closed around the first rat that jumped, crushing its skull with a wet crack.

The animal’s body convulsed for a second before going limp, hanging from the ant’s jaws like a bloody rag. Blood ran down the metallic carapace, dripping onto the ground in small dark puddles.

But the other seven did not stop.

Two attacked the ant’s flanks, driving their claws into her carapace with a sound of metal scraping against metal. The screech was sharp, painful, like nails on a chalkboard. Three others tried to circle around, aiming for Lukas and the wounded man.

”Tilbo! Don’t let any of them through!” Lukas shouted.

The ant spun her massive body, her armored carapace striking a rat in midair and hurling it into a nearby tree.

The impact snapped branches, and the trunk shuddered. The rat hit the ground, shaking its head, still furious. A splinter of wood was embedded in its shoulder, but it seemed not to feel it.

The red eyes showed no pain, only irrational hatred.

Lukas immediately realized the problem.

Tilbo was strong, absurdly strong, but it was eight against one. The ant could not protect both humans and attack all of them at the same time.

Even with her durable carapace, scratches were beginning to accumulate, small shining marks on the metallic surface.

One rat was already approaching from the side, drooling, ready to leap at the wounded man. Its pink tongue licked across its teeth, and a low sound, almost a purr of pleasure, came from its throat.

”This won’t work. Tilbo can’t do it alone.”

The thought was clear and cold. Lukas was not someone who would simply watch. He had strengths as well. He had power.

”Prata! Where are you?!” he shouted loudly, trying to call his other companion.

But he knew there was no time to wait.

He extended his hands. Over the past few weeks, he had trained even more diligently with the webs he could produce.

Mana flowed through his fingers, summoning the reinforced threads that Prata had taught him to manipulate, or rather, that he had learned by observing the spider. The familiar sensation of energy coursing through his arms was like a warm current.

A silver web, thin yet incredibly durable, shot from his palms like a living whip. The threads gleamed beneath the sunlight, tracing a silver arc through the air.

The strand struck the front legs of two rats attempting to flank Tilbo. Lukas pulled hard, using his abnormal strength.

The rats stumbled, screeching in rage, their hind legs thrashing uselessly against the sticky threads. One fell onto its side, the other was dragged across the ground.

Tilbo seized the opening. Her mandibles descended once more, decapitating one of the trapped rats.

Dark blood sprayed out, painting the earth with a wet splash. The rat’s head rolled several meters before coming to a stop, its eyes still open.

But the others gave no respite.

Three rats leapt onto Tilbo’s back, driving their claws into the joints of her carapace. The ant roared, a deep, vibrating sound that echoed through the forest, and rolled her body, crushing one of them against the ground.

The rat squealed once before becoming a shapeless mass. The other two held on tightly, biting into the carapace.

Lukas did not stop.

His body moved on instinct. He ran to the side, launching more webs. A wide net trapped another rat’s legs, partially immobilizing it. The animal thrashed, biting at the threads, but the mana made them too elastic and durable for ordinary teeth. The web stretched, but did not break.

”Take this!” Lukas growled.

He ran to the trapped rat, grabbed the main strand of the web with both hands, and spun his body, using all the momentum of his legs.

The rat was pulled like a living projectile. Lukas spun once and released it with a powerful kick to the creature’s flank.

The impact was brutal.

The rat flew through the air, spinning uncontrollably, and slammed headfirst into the thick trunk of an ancient oak. The crack of breaking bones echoed through the clearing. The body slid down the bark, leaving a trail of blood, and fell motionless to the ground. The red eyes remained open, but empty.