Chapter 29: 4th Floor. World of Insects (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 29: 4th Floor. World of Insects (4)
[Passive Skill: Observation]
• Rank: Lowest-Grade
• Proficiency: F
• The power to find answers by observing objects. When examining a target, you can find the answer more quickly and accurately.
A passive skill.
It was the proof that he had finally found the answer. Now that he had it, there was no reason to linger here any longer.
“Farewell. Charlie. Alpha. Omega.”
Having spent several days among them, he had grown somewhat attached. He bid the ants a quiet goodbye and departed.
Kang Jun-hyeok walked toward his designated destination.
Whenever he lost his bearings, he would merge with a passing swarm to recalibrate his coordinates. Even without getting lost, the journey required several days of constant walking.
I never would have found it if I were just wandering around on my own.
Even knowing the exact direction, it took this long; without that knowledge, the task would have been utterly hopeless.
After several more days of trekking...
Kang Jun-hyeok pushed through the dense forest and saw it.
A vast plain.
The area was crawling with ants. At a glance, there were over a thousand. The density was on an entirely different level from any group Jun-hyeok had encountered so far.
And in the center stood a gargantuan ant. It was too far away to see clearly with the naked eye.
[Vision Expansion.]
Upon activating the skill, his target came into sharp focus.
It was twice the size of the other ants, and its most striking feature was a grotesquely bloated abdomen.
That was the Queen Ant.
* * *
As I thought.
It was physically impossible to kill every single ant in this world.
Then, what was the method to clear the quest with a 100% achievement rate?
The answer was simple.
Kill the leader of the swarm.
Every colony had its monarch. When the monarch died, the colony crumbled.
Kill the Queen.
That was the true objective of the 4th-floor quest.
Just as Kang Jun-hyeok was about to turn back to devise a plan now that he had confirmed his goal—
In the distance, the reclining Queen Ant suddenly stood up.
It was likely a meaningless, almost subconscious movement. However, as her head turned, her gaze landed directly on Kang Jun-hyeok.
Jun-hyeok’s reflection appeared within the ant’s compound eyes. Soon, an emotion began to flicker across her alien face.
Kang Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue.
“Tsk.”
[Skreeeeee!]
The Queen Ant let out a thunderous roar. Hearing her cry, the surrounding ants sprang to their feet. In an instant, the Queen was hidden behind a living wall of her subjects.
“This is going to be a pain.”
Kang Jun-hyeok frowned.
Ordinary ants had vestigial eyes. They couldn't distinguish things by sight and relied solely on pheromones to tell friend from foe. That was how he had been able to blend into their swarms.
But it seemed the Queen Ant’s vision had not degenerated.
No, it was more than that—it was exceptionally keen. She had spotted him instantly from a distance he could barely see even with Vision Expansion active.
“Did I get careless?”
[It’s more like bad luck. To lock eyes with the Queen the moment you stepped out of the forest.]
[Skreeee!]
[Kieeeek!]
The ants began to swarm toward him in a massive, black wave. The Master of All Weapons spoke.
[The orthodox method of assassination is off the table. What will you do now?]
Kang Jun-hyeok pondered for a moment. Should he retreat? He quickly shook his head. That would be the worst decision. Now that she had spotted an enemy, the Queen would hide herself perfectly. Retreating would only drag this out.
His deliberation ended.
The goal of the 4th floor was to kill the Queen. It didn't matter how he did it, as long as she died.
Kang Jun-hyeok drew his greatsword. He poured strength into his entire body.
Cr-crunch!
The earth gouged beneath him as his body hurtled toward the ants. The swarm reared up, rushing forward to eliminate the intruder.
He pulled back the hand gripping the greatsword, stepped forward, and swung.
BOOM!
About fifteen ants were literally pulverized into nothingness. Kang Jun-hyeok took another step forward without losing momentum.
Crunch!
Once again, another fifteen ants were turned into mush. Ants trying to cling to his legs were shattered into fragments by his kicks and sent flying.
It was a literal sea of ants filling the plains. There were over a thousand of them. For an ordinary player, let alone charging through, even escaping such a quantity would have been a struggle.
But not for Kang Jun-hyeok.
With every swing of his greatsword, over a dozen ants fell. Of course, even for him, a direct frontal breakthrough against a thousand ants was impossible. Thus, he used his strength to shake off the ants clinging to him while moving at high speeds to find openings in the tide.
Slowly but surely, Kang Jun-hyeok was closing the distance to the Queen Ant. At this rate, he would definitely reach her.
However...
[Skreeeeee!]
[Kieeeek!]
From behind him, he heard the cries of more ants. Kang Jun-hyeok looked back and grimaced.
Bursting through the forest were hundreds—no, thousands—more ants rushing toward him. The Queen Ant had issued a command with her roar: Kill the enemy before me.
That command had been issued to every ant in this world.
Soon, every single ant would converge on this location. He had to end this before then. Kang Jun-hyeok put more power into his legs.
Crunch!
Ants were sent flying, reduced to paste. His body tore through the swarm at high speed.
[Skreeee!]
At that moment, the ants' movements changed along with the Queen's cry. Instead of trying to kill him, they were now trying to block him with their bodies. They were trying to buy time until the rest of the swarm arrived.
Since they were focused entirely on defense, even Kang Jun-hyeok’s speed was forced to slow down. As a result, the ants from the outskirts began to arrive at the plains.
Thousands of ants charged at Kang Jun-hyeok all at once.
Squish!
He struck down and trampled the ant corpses. He crushed them again and again. The bodies began to pile up, but even more ants rushed in to fill the gaps.
Amidst the chaos, Kang Jun-hyeok saw a familiar ant. His eyes widened.
“Charlie!”
It was the ant with the one short antenna that he had lived with in the swarm. It was Charlie.
Following the Queen’s command, Charlie was desperately trying to attack him. With a heavy heart, Kang Jun-hyeok raised his greatsword.
Crunch.
Charlie fell, sliced in half.
* * *
Without even time to mourn, Charlie’s carcass was buried and disappeared under the other ants. Kang Jun-hyeok’s expression slowly hardened.
Even if he was strong, he was currently at the level of someone around the 30th floor. Since he lacked wide-range skills, this sheer number was becoming difficult to handle. Though his high defense reduced the damage, his health was slowly being whittled away.
His mind raced. The ants were moving according to the Queen’s orders. He didn't know the exact method, but she seemed capable of giving instantaneous commands.
He had to target the Queen.
But how? Could he break through this many ants and reach her? Even for him, that was impossible.
Then, was it possible to keep the Queen in his line of sight?
That, he could do.
In that case...
Kang Jun-hyeok changed his movements. He didn't block, he didn't dodge, and he didn't look for another path. He simply trusted in his raw physical strength and charged straight ahead.
Crunch!
Ants were crushed by his sheer power. Kang Jun-hyeok plowed through the corpses. Realizing his intent, the Queen Ant issued another command.
[Skreeee!]
[Kieek!]
The ants swarmed together to block Kang Jun-hyeok’s path. They trampled over one another to form a living wall.
Kang Jun-hyeok braced his legs and slammed into it with all his might.
THUD!
The wall rippled and shook. He was pushed back slightly. But the wall didn't collapse; instead, it held its form even more firmly.
Kang Jun-hyeok thrust his greatsword into the wall and threw his body into the mass of ants. His form vanished, buried under the swarm. The wall shook a few more times from within, then fell silent.
[Kieek.]
I killed the enemy targeting me.
Just as the Queen Ant felt a moment of relief at that thought—
[Thrust.]
Puchi!
A greatsword erupted through the wall of ants. Then, an explosion followed.
[Fireball.]
BOOM!
With the explosion, a hole was blasted through the wall. Kang Jun-hyeok leaped out. The ants flailed, trying to grab him.
[Air Jump.]
His body kicked off the air and soared upward. Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes met the Queen Ant’s.
But that was all.
Their eyes had met, but the distance between them was still significant. And between them, hundreds of ants were still waiting.
[Skreee.]
The Queen Ant let out a mocking cry. You cannot reach me. What will you do? That was what her cry seemed to say.
Kang Jun-hyeok stored the greatsword back into the Master of All Weapons. Then, he pulled out a spear. He gripped the spear tightly and hurled it into the air.
[Spear Throw.]
The spear soared through the sky.
* * *
[Chirp!]
The Queen Ant flinched for a moment at the thrown spear, but she soon realized something. The spear wasn't flying toward her; it was flying toward the sky. No matter how she looked at it, the angle was wrong; it could never hit her.
The enemy made a mistake out of desperation. Just as she was about to feel relieved—
The spear, which had been soaring toward the heavens, suddenly curved its trajectory. It wasn't a natural arc. It looked as if a law had been applied, forcing it to fly toward its target no matter what.
The lowest-grade active skill: Spear Throw. Its effect was a guaranteed hit on the target.
The spear pierced through the Queen Ant’s abdomen.
Crunch.
[KIEEEEEEE!]
The Queen Ant shrieked in agony. That emotion was immediately transmitted to the other ants. The swarm fell into a state of confusion, scurrying about aimlessly.
Dash.
Kang Jun-hyeok did not miss that opening. He immediately charged toward the Queen. Struggling through the pain, the Queen Ant managed to issue another command.
[Skree!]
The ants rushed together to form a massive wall between the Queen and Kang Jun-hyeok.
[Wall Climbing.]
But Kang Jun-hyeok simply trampled over the wall of ants, running up its side. In an instant, he cleared the wall and plummeted toward the Queen.
[Skre—skree...]
The Queen Ant tried to issue a frantic command, but the greatsword was already buried in her chest.
Crunch.
[SKREEEEE!]
The Queen Ant let out a pain-filled scream. She flailed her legs wildly, trying to shake Kang Jun-hyeok off. She attacked him with her sharp mandibles and venomous stinger.
He suppressed all her attacks by pinning them down with his hands. He grabbed the Queen and slammed her into the earth. Then, he raised his greatsword and drove it through her head.
Crunch.
[KIEEEEEEEEE!]
With one final death rattle, the Queen Ant’s body went limp.
[Level Up.]
• Stamina +20
• Strength +1
• Proficiency in Wall Climbing has increased.
• Proficiency in Air Jump has increased.
• Proficiency in Thrust has increased from F to E.
Kang Jun-hyeok sheathed his greatsword.
“That was harder than I expected.”
An unexpected problem had arisen at the end. If he had been even a little bit weaker, he would have had to give up on the Perfect Clear and run away.
But he had won.
[Kieeeek!]
• Skreeee!
Having lost their Queen, the ants began to break down. Their antennae twitched uncontrollably as they scratched at their heads, and one by one, they slowly ceased all movement.
And a few hours later.
[Kieek.]
The movement of the very last ant stopped completely. At that moment, a system window appeared, announcing the end.
[4th Floor Quest Cleared.]
• Rewards will be determined based on your performance.
• Calculating achievement rate...
• Calculation complete.
• Achievement Rate: 100%
• Perfect Clear. Congratulations! Additional rewards will be granted.
• The effect of the Title: Perfect Player has been added.
• 10,000 Gold has been granted.
[Acquired Perfect Clear reward [Necklace: Queen's Poison Stinger].]
[Acquired Perfect Clear reward [Title: Queen Slayer].]
• Players who have Perfect Cleared the 4th floor: 1.
• You are the only one!
[Universe Announcement.]
• Please offer your congratulations! Everyone in the universe! A Perfect Player for the 4th floor has appeared. This is a feat that no one has ever achieved before!
[Feat +4]