Chapter 103 – The Anthill
#103.
Clouds were blocking the sun and it was colder than usual, so in the morning the air was cold, Gaon and the others were just leaving the annex.
“Then is everyone ready?”
“Yes, Master!”
“Gaon-san, I’m ready too!”
“Then Let’s go.”
Both of them were lively, probably because they had given them so much pleasure last night. Gaon nodded and headed toward the east gate, thinking that there would be no problem at this level.
The destination they are heading to is, of course, the Devil’s Land. They are busy from early morning to enter the ant nest that has existed in the Barrymore estate for decades.
Of course, it wasn’t just for hunting. Ga-on looked at each other in turn, then spoke to Ha-yeon to make sure she remembered what she had told her yesterday.
“Hayeon, do you remember what you heard yesterday?”
“Of course! Aren’t you looking at me so stupid? I heard you have to find Jang Bo-do in the ants’ food storage?”
There is a legend here in Barrymore Manor. It is that Sintu, who came from the Moorim district, hid the treasures he had collected so far in the ant nest.
It is considered half superstitious now, but in fact, three years later, Shintu’s shopping cart was discovered here.
‘In fact, even calling it Jangbodo is ambiguous.’
In the case of an ant nest, its structure changes from time to time. When the number of ants increases, the burrow is enlarged, and in the process, a fork in the road occurs and the original road is blocked.
Perhaps the god Tu at the time was also concerned about it, and he drew several routes to the place where he hid the treasure.
It was Gaon’s goal to secure it.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m glad you know me. Then, how about Mr. Chorin? How are you today?”
“Me? I have no problem. In the case of Familiar Magic, it hasn’t reached the level Gaon-san wants yet, but it will probably be reached sooner or later.”
“I will believe you.”
He didn’t bother to comfort me by telling me not to be burdened. That means you don’t trust Chorin, and it’s proof that you’re insecure.
While that may be reassuring, it doesn’t help. Chorin was a strong woman who could do it alone.
As if she was happy with Gaon’s trust, she smiled at Chorin.
They left the east gate after checking equipment and items one last time before entering the anthill. Going a little further from there, I saw barracks lined up around a huge sinkhole.
These ants that flew from the other world are covered with black thorns like carapaces, and each one surpasses humans in size. That’s why the size of the ant’s burrow they came in and out of was bound to be enormous.
And there were just as many mercenaries. All of them were veterans, and they didn’t even look below C-class.
In other words, each one is at a level that can handle the minimum mana. It can be said that the level is quite high even if it is impossible to express the aura yet.
After giving the two of them time to look around for a while, Gaon led them into the ant nest.
There are dozens of entrances to ant burrows. There are thousands of crossroads, and it is difficult to count the number of ants living in them. Perhaps at least hundreds of thousands live there?
As I passed through the gently sloping passage and went down to the basement little by little, Ha-yeon, who had followed me from the rear, alerted me, opened her mouth.
“Master, something is creepy.”
“Don’t be too tense. It’s called an ant nest, but it’s not just ants.”
“I know. You said there are things like moles and bats, right?”
“Yes, moles are ambush in the ground, so focus on your senses.”
They said that all the guys who came from the other world were all big. I don’t know if it’s originally like that, or if it’s changed due to some influence in the process of passing it on, but the fact that it’s dangerous is all the same.
In the case of moles, their claws were hard and sharp like steel, so they were very dangerous when attacked. Many of those who were attacked by it had their ankles cut off in the blink of an eye and became crippled.
And bats have red eyes, and they have infrared vision, so they can see through invisible magic.
I just hope that Chorin’s family language, Rinne’s fairy tale, will not be caught in infrared vision. Since it melts into the environment itself, perhaps it can be recognized as an inorganic substance.
They are heading towards 11 o’clock. According to the rumors that had been heard at the time, Jang Bo-do was found in the food warehouse over there.
‘Did I say the 5th floor?’
Ant nests are divided into layers according to depth. The higher the number of floors, the higher the risk, and on the 5th floor, there was only a difference of 2 floors from the spawning room with the queen.
The place they are heading to is dangerous.
Fortunately, since it is winter now, the queen has gone into hibernation and most of the colony is concentrated in the spawning chamber. There was a high possibility that he could not even see the shadow of an ant before entering the third floor. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should be careless.
The Gaon group continued to advance. They haven’t even gotten past the entrance to the first floor yet. It will take three days just to reach the fifth floor, so for the time being we have to keep walking like this.
Time went by like that, and it was time for lunch. And when Cho-rin and Ha-yeon’s vigilance slightly softened due to the feeling of empty stomach, the surprise attack was carried out.
– The mole is coming! Wake up both of you!
Gaon noticed the presence through his senses and gave a firm warning to the two with an electric sound, firmly gripping the spear.
A ray of energy stretched out from the storm coiled inside the body, and it was released to the outside in an instant to cover the spear. The steel spear, which had been tinged with dull gray, was dyed pitch-black and let out a sharp cry.
Looking behind me, the other two were also preparing to respond. Ha-yeon grabbed her spear to protect Cho-rin from all sides of her, and Cho-rin was preparing magic under Ha-yeon’s protection.
There are a total of three magical patterns that revolve around Chorin. In other words, now you can use three magics at once beyond double casting. It was growing much faster than expected.
‘Actually, I don’t have to go this far.’
Called the Steel Mole, this guy usually travels alone. To be exact, the male hunts and the female takes care of the young in the nest, so usually only one face is most of them.
Even now, there is one sign that is getting closer to the feeling. As if searching for a little bit, he wanted to spin round and round around him, then moved backwards and jumped off the ground to hit Chorin.
Wedge liquid—!
The mole’s claws swung along with the eerie sound of cracking the air. It contained the power to tear apart even rocks. If it fits, it’s about the size of a human body. It can be easily cut.
But there was no way Hayeon would just leave it alone. He immediately hides Chorin behind him and responds by swinging his spear.
Kwajik-!
“Keek!”
The blade, which glowed pale orange, broke the mole’s steely claws. Now that she was able to use her aura even Ha-yeon could not harm her with the hardness of barely steel.
As the mole let out a scream in her bewilderment at the loss of one of her means of attack, Chorin quickly used her magic.
[Swamp!]
Chorin’s ability is compatible with plant magic. But that didn’t mean she neglected other magic. She turned the land into a swamp by her magic.
The mole, which was about to disappear into the ground after passing by her just as if crossing Ha-yeon, could not easily dig into her sticky ground and began to struggle.
In that gap, Ha-yeon’s spear, which ran quickly using instantaneous acceleration, was thrown out and cut off her breath. The aura-infused spear pierced his skin as easily as splitting tofu.
The fight is over. However, Hayeon and Chorin were not vigilant. Ha-yeon immediately retrieved her spear and was wary of her surroundings, while Cho-rin started her new magical chant to prepare for her surprise attack.
Gaon, who smiled contentedly at the sight, shook the spear and announced the end of her situation.
“Good job, both of you. There are no more enemies. Let’s just collect the loot and start again.”
“Yes! Master.”
“Yes, hold on!”
Chorin decided to keep the subspace pouch. As Gaon and Hayeon had to fight alongside the monsters, it was a natural decision because there could be an unfortunate incident in which their pockets were torn and damaged.
As soon as Chorin retrieved her mole’s steel claws, her group set off again toward the food storage.
After three days, they were able to reach the 5th floor of the anthill.
***
“Keughyaaaaagh!”
“Beep!”
A black bat and a beautiful green bird were fighting in a dark cave. When his eyes were all focused on the other person, the tree vines that Chorin stretched out imprisoned them in all directions, and then they stretched out and entangled the bat.
The bat lowered its eyes with flashing red eyes and burst into rage, but it was not enough to counter the force that bent its wing joints. In the end, the guy fell headfirst, his wings completely broken and he started crawling on the floor.
The moment when further resistance was judged useless, Chorin used the magic she had cast in advance.
Slap!
The stone mass, imbued with magic power, flew away with a heavy noise and shattered the bat’s head.
It was pitiful to see her breath cut off with a scream and her whole body trembling. As Chorin took a breather, Gaon and Hayeon, who had already slain other monsters, approached.
“Thank you for your effort.”
“Sister, you worked hard!”
“Ah, Mr. Gaon did a good job too. Hayeon, you suffered too. Are there any injuries anywhere?”
“Yes, I am fine.”
Looking at both of them, Chorin nodded at her unscathed appearance and looked at the endless aisle beyond.
“Gaon-san, are you reaching the 5th floor now, by the way?”
“Yes. From now on, ants will also appear in large numbers. Food storage is important.”
Food is important for the ants to survive the winter, but it was more important to feed the offspring that will be born as the queen, who has finished hibernation, starts spawning in earnest.
Anyway, since it was such an important facility, the ants couldn’t afford to be vigilant. It is not known where Jangbo-do will be among the many food warehouses. Not sure how much risk to take.
That is why her role is even more important. Ants have a well-developed sense of smell. In order for them to sneak, a way to block out the smell was essential, so Chorin learned the magic involved.
Chorin nodded to Gaon and started casting magic. After building up her magic formula step by step for about a minute, she successfully executed the barrier magic.
The translucent barriers spread out like concentric circles, then melted into the air and disappeared while maintaining an area of about 5m centered on Chorin.
This barrier blocked sounds and smells from spreading from the inside to the outside, while all changes made on the outside were transmitted to the inside.
It was safe to say that there was no risk of being caught by the ants first. You might wonder if it was okay to use this from the beginning, but then Chorin would only be able to use up to two magics at the same time.
Even with her Rinne’s summons still maintained, assuming her vigilance, when she was attacked, she had to respond with only one magic. That means you have to take risks.
Rinne is unable to see through the terrain, so she has to rely solely on Gaon and Hayeon for attacks from underground.
‘Are you okay.’
Having to depend on others for your own safety is unsettling. But Chorin wasn’t worried. If she is Gaon and Hayeon, she can protect herself enough.
Besides, didn’t Gaon even give Liquianes’ petals for this? As a result of waking up early in the morning and checking, it showed that it did not budge even when Gaon’s aura was loaded.
There are 7 patterns of petals engraved on the pendant. Since one pattern is always consumed per attack, the maximum number of attacks that can be blocked is only 7. But in other words, at their level now, it means that they can block 7 attacks unconditionally.
It’s like having 8 lives. It is an effect worthy of the grandiose name Artifact.
If she still doesn’t believe it, it’s proof that her feelings for Gaon are only that. I couldn’t tolerate that myself.
Chorin shook off even the slightest bit of anxiety and followed Gaon’s back to the 5th floor of the anthill.
