Chapter 75
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Level Up (3)
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"Damn those orc bastards..."
"Shut up and fire! They're coming!"
When the orcs fled westward and Bellona's nomadic horde began pursuing them...
The massive ant army that had descended across the now-empty plains charged straight toward the barrier erected by the empire.
To the ants, battles involving barriers were all too familiar.
Aerial forces striking at the right moments, siege warfare using leaping ants and spider ants—it had become a specialty they could call their own.
Had the empire simply built the barrier and fought the ants in a conventional manner without any special tactics, the ants might have turned that massive wall into a new hive or smashed right through it with overwhelming force.
[Asmorea is surprised by the enemies' firepower]
"Magic cannon batteries, aim complete... Fire!"
However, the fruits of Deity Astragon's desperate efforts to elevate the empire's civilization and technology—while holed up inside until the Holy Kingdom fell and the orcs were finally driven out—were now evident.
The magic cannon batteries unleashed their firepower in unison.
Myriad shells sliced through the sky, raining down on the swarming ants overhead and exploding to wipe out dozens in a single blast.
This was vastly different from the old magic cannon batteries fired by groups of cooperating mages.
The key difference was that only a single mage controlled the spells. And the speed and accuracy were superior too.
Composed of magic circles and spell structures far more advanced than before, these batteries represented technology several generations ahead of existing magic.
Their power was so immense that the ants' once-overwhelming numbers visibly began to dwindle.
'If even those insane monsters are taking hits like this, the other deities' forces must be nothing special. Systems really are what matter. Relying on a single hero to change the world is outdated old-school thinking!'
Astragon smirked at the sight.
The orcs who had pinned their hopes on a few heroes, and the Holy Kingdom's church, had both crumbled under the ants' relentless waves.
Astragon, convinced that only elevating his faction's overall scale could counter the ants' vast numbers and sophisticated group tactics, reveled in the vindication of his choice.
"They're climbing up!"
Of course, even with the improved magic cannon batteries' fire support, some ants inevitably scaled the barrier.
To counter them, those waiting in reserve stepped forward with massive shields in hand.
Shields etched with complex spell formulas emitted blue barriers the moment the knights infused them with mana, repelling the ants.
"Fire!"
At the same time, they aimed short wands held in their other hands and unleashed spells in unison.
These short wands, which allowed even non-mages to fire stored spells, were another symbol of the Lukadia Empire's advancing magitech civilization.
[Enraged Asmorea orders a retreat]
In the end, Asmorea predicted that resources expended would soon exceed those gained from the hunt and temporarily withdrew her forces.
This was a far cry from the brutal barrier battles in the Holy Kingdom.
"We need to keep the momentum. Deploy the golems. Pursue them!"
The imperial commander grinned in satisfaction at the sight, then sent out his forces alongside the waiting golems, advancing beyond the barrier.
These golems thudding into motion now were not the prototypes once showcased to the ants, only to be overwhelmed by heavy armored ants and other large variants.
These were a new series of combat golems, far superior to previous technology—varied in size, with materials and mobility several times stronger.
Unlike past golems that relied solely on brute strength and weight, these bore inscribed spells on their bodies and wielded massive weapons, poised to reshape the Edelion battlefield with this new civilization.
"At this rate... it looks like nothing we do will work."
The Lukadia Empire's hidden power exceeded all expectations.
I was just as stunned as the ants watching them get pushed back, at a loss for words.
The boasts in the community weren't entirely bluff after all.
Considering how their subordinates were growing abnormally fast under the intervention of a knowledgeable, resource-rich deity, catching up with conventional methods seemed impossible.
What kind of animal did I need to feed them to create variants that could withstand that firepower and those golems?
Until now, the ants had advanced triumphantly thanks to their unique abilities, but contrary to the misunderstandings, they weren't mere creations of an Outer God.
They were growing subordinates. They had to have vulnerabilities somewhere, and this was that moment.
"To think magic like that exists in the world..."
But the shock wasn't limited to me and the ants right now.
Seira Redenverk, who knew magic better than anyone among us, was trembling as she reviewed the shared hive mind intel.
The more you know, the more you see. She must have been hit even harder than me.
"Is it... that bad?"
"Unbelievable. It's a development that upends everything we've researched about magic from the ground up."
On the screen, Seira shook her head in the lab with Count Merlen, setting aside the research materials.
She, who had planned to implant mana and Demonic Power handling into the ants, now looked like she'd hit a massive wall.
"Their magic, bolstered by a deity's aid, will surely keep advancing."
"Feels like my strength's draining away. All the knowledge we've studied and researched over centuries... turns out it's worthless roadside pebbles to them."
Count Merlen sighed and slumped into his chair.
No surprise—an ordinary person would feel utterly defeated.
Subordinates chosen by deities leap ahead just because of that favor, granted vast knowledge or power.
I used to envy F-rank hunter success stories or young CEOs miraculously running hunter companies.
Now that I knew it was all thanks to deities behind the system, it left me cold.
"...If we could steal their knowledge, we might break through our current roadblocks."
But instead of despair, Seira's eyes gleamed.
She was declaring her intent to steal their tech and apply it to the ants.
"Who could possibly do that? You?"
Count Merlen stared at her pointing to herself and sighed in disbelief.
"With that body?"
"...I can remove the shell parasites. With the queen's permission."
Seira fiddled with the hard exoskeleton encasing her body and mentioned Asmorea.
"The queen is furious. She wants to crush and devour the strengthened foes. If I can soothe that rage, she'll hear me out."
[Asmorea makes contact with Seira]
She closed her eyes, attempting to communicate with Asmorea.
Seira understood Asmorea better than I'd thought.
The current Asmorea would do anything to vent her rage and claim victory.
[Asmorea accepts Seira's proposal]
In truth, Asmorea—who desperately needed a way to triumph over the empire's magitech—accepted Seira's offer without hesitation.
'Seems like the best option to me too.'
I agreed.
Barring Seira stealing their tech herself, closing the tech gap looked impossible.
"The great one has permitted it. No time to hesitate."
"Mm..."
Immediately, the shell ants wriggling on Seira's body began peeling away.
She caught her breath, savoring the liberation, then casually dressed in front of the clearing-his-throat Count Merlen.
Afterward, Seira pulled up the hood on her robe and set off.
'Can't waste the remaining time.'
Seira heading to infiltrate the empire would take time to reach her goal and succeed.
Plus, though the empire had surged out in pursuit to build momentum, they'd quickly retreated—thankfully, no plans to push far beyond the barrier yet.
I decided to use this interval gathering food that would help the ants.
[Asmorea is satisfied with the new prey and the abilities gained from devouring it]
Currently, Asmorea was chewing meat from a small land tortoise broken down by worker ants, absorbing its abilities.
After chameleons, I'd started supplying reptiles and amphibians—easy to obtain from the shop run by the broker I'd been indebted to.
Using these new devoured abilities, Asmorea was forging tougher exoskeletons to endure the enemy's enhanced firepower and bulking up variants, maximizing her limited resources.
'Mana stones, right? She definitely needs those.'
And that wasn't all.
Watching over Seira let me learn what her research required.
Mana stones—minerals infused with mana there, but a catch-all term for ores holding special energies like mana or Demonic Power.
Naturally, they existed in my world too.
"..."
I pulled a small stone fragment from my drawer.
This faintly purple mineral, resembling amethyst at a glance, was one of the 'gifts' I'd received upon joining the company.
Mana stones are rare, valuable resources even on Earth.
Hard to acquire, but what if I dropped it into the enclosure?
Walnut-sized to me, but massive compared to an ant's body.
Easier and faster to source than finding the same size over there.
[Asmorea reacts]
I opened the enclosure lid and dropped it in; naturally, Asmorea noticed via a worker ant outside the tunnel.
[Asmorea receives the great one's gift and grasps its meaning]
The ants were already collecting mana stones and magitech from the battlefield.
Not knowing what they were or how to use them, but gathering anyway.
Seira deemed even that insufficient.
Magitech wasn't that common, and reprocessing pre-inscribed mana stones was inefficient, per her.
"A stone that size costs millions..."
The issue was I couldn't easily acquire mana stones either.
It wasn't just money.
In this era, sourcing or legally handling them required ties to the relevant industry.
The hunter world—the one I'd quit—I'd have to dive back in.
Ah, I was thinking of just washing my hands of it... Anyone wanna buy my company and hunters cheap?
That scale? Might as well just give it away.
But I couldn't go back as a mere employee like before.
I needed a position where I could skim off the top, knowing everything.
...And as I checked the Divine Community now, methods to do just that came into view.
End of Chapter 75: Level Up (3)