Chapter 53
Chapter 53
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Friendly Fire
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Frame.
The winged ants, flying madly toward me, were sucked into the summoned subspace before they could even turn around.
Dozens of winged ants were drawn into the frame, and the sky fell silent.
The ants, trapped in the painting with no visible exit except for me, flew about in panic amid the scorching heat of the blazing desert.
Eventually, exhausted by the heat, they instinctively began crawling into the burrows made by the Earth Spider.
...Hmm, Spider buddy. You gonna be okay?
I was wondering if I should go in and finish off the ants myself when the Earth Spider suddenly popped out from somewhere in the desert painting, hopping excitedly as it stood at the burrow entrance.
The entrance quickly sealed up. The spider blocked the burrow with white webbing, did the same to the others, and then slipped inside itself.
Uh, um...
Seems like I didn't need to worry.
Its joyful hopping was just like a kid out at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
I ignored the frame and started dealing with the other ants clinging to the trees.
Hmm, sorry about this, trees.
Rivers of fire flowed across the ground,
and fiery rain poured from the sky.
The lush forest turned into a crimson hell, swallowing the ants whole.
But isn't this the Tower's fault?
No matter how easy the previous floors were, if they pull this unfair crap, am I supposed to just ragequit~ or not?
Hmm, doesn't seem like there are any left... but why hasn't it ended?
Even as I circled the sky, scanning below to the crackle of massive bonfires, no ants were in sight.
Nothing seemed left in the fire hell, so maybe it ends when all the ants in my painting die?
I couldn't see inside the Earth Spider's burrows, so I just waited, cheering it on silently.
A few minutes later, something odd caught my eye.
The ground bulging up like a pimple.
Then, like a volcano, it erupted! Spewing dirt and lava.
At the center, something pitch-black spun round and round as it surged upward.
"Kieeeaaah!"
An ant?
It was three or four times larger than the winged ants I'd seen before.
Its massive abdomen and body were hideous—burn marks from escaping the fire hell stuck here and there, legs melted and fallen off, pale muscles writhing beneath peeled shell. Grotesque.
Queen ant... maybe?
Normal queen ants lose their wings and live underground laying eggs only, but this one had intact wings.
It gave me chills seeing my reflection in each of its huge compound eyes. Its trembling antennae radiated pure hatred and malice.
Even with its partially melted body, it shot toward me like an arrow.
Its wings pushed air downward for a sharp ascent.
I hurled a Fireball at its back as it barely grazed past me.
But the damn thing—not even a dragonfly—performed a right-angle turn in that state and dodged the fireball effortlessly.
Ant boss, huh?
Several fruitless exchanges followed.
The queen ant's maneuverability was insane for its size, a real headache.
Even wind blasts were dodged or sliced through by its streamlined body. Flames? It avoided them just by sighting them. Hitting it was no joke.
Putting it in the frame like the others? Could the Earth Spider handle it? If it built its kingdom in there, I'd lose my subspace.
The open sky was the problem.
Without an attack that swallowed the whole space at once, no solid hits landed.
Big wind swings connected somewhat, but only slowed it slightly—no real damage.
Sending compressed wind like thin blades? It ghosted them every time.
The air compression caused subtle distortions, giving it away.
Anyway, wind attacks were the only viable option.
But wind alone wasn't enough.
To land effective hits here...
Then I felt a powerful updraft from below. The fire hell's expelled wind carried scorching heat.
I'd seen it in foreign news on massive fires or disaster movies.
Fire whirl. Fire tornado.
Hot air from the blaze rises, sucking in outside air due to pressure differences.
The bigger the fire, the stronger the convection, drawing in flames to form a deadly vortex soaring upward.
I dove down like plummeting, wind in one hand, Flame in the other.
Target: the forest's most raging inferno spot.
Above the fire hell where heat alone dealt damage, I watched the queen ant dive at me.
Combining wind and fire, I formed a swirling fireball and tossed it into the fire hell's center.
The already boiling ground overflowed with flames like oil had been poured.
"Kieee—"
The queen ant closed in right before me.
Its sharp fangs clashed viciously.
At that moment, an enormous flame pillar shot skyward behind the queen ant.
Whirrr—
Even prepared, I barely held against the sudden pull. The queen ant lost control momentarily, staggering.
It recovered before touching the fire, but the flame vortex was just beginning.
It sucked in more air amid fierce convection, drawing surrounding flames. The core burned hotter, accelerating the updraft.
Kuwaaa—
A waterfall roared.
A reverse-flowing waterfall of fire.
The fire tornado ballooned instantly, devouring everything around.
The queen ant included.
I quickly widened the distance and watched.
The queen ant struggled desperately to escape the tornado, but the gap never grew. It couldn't break free of the sucking airflow.
The fire tornado loomed right up close.
Not even touching yet, its wings ignited, body melting.
Once its wings succumbed to the flames, the queen ant plunged straight into the blaze.
Its black body vanished behind the inferno in an instant.
"Kiaa! Kieeek!"
Would the apocalypse look like this?
A world of fire burning with sky-scorching fury.
The clear notification popped up alongside it. Dodging the flames big enough to swallow me too, I snapped a proof shot and returned to the waiting room.
Quest experience...
Experience...
Lv18! ...
Amid minor notifications,
Wind Cut (B-Rank)Fire Tornado (A-Rank)
In special circumstances, it evolves into Flame Dragon (S-Rank)!
The skill I just used was registered.
But what's this, a transformation skill like some cigar? Nah.
Probably due to environmental factors.
Still, I confirmed it grows to insane power with plenty of kindling like on floor 19, so I'm satisfied.
Cool name too. Flame Dragon.
(Hellfire photo)
Eh, bro's got it.
Unfair or whatever, I'll eat it all ㅇㅇ
Word of my survival and the shocking photo spread fast.
Hot post status right away.
Jackpot, sweet.
Halfway to main page already.
For my personal Death Note in phone memos, I'll seize absolute power no matter what.
Kim Aram had been thoroughly enjoying her time since transferring to the Association.
Due to her illusion specialty lacking combat prowess, she'd stagnated as a mediocre C-rank hunter, unable to even challenge floor 10.
Thus, instead of a guild, she joined government service, leveraging her uniqueness for NIS work.
Started out fun, feeling like a spy.
But mostly surveilling shady politicians, guild masters, and foreign scouts.
Shady types only frequented seedy spots, so Kim Aram had to tail them through all sorts of filth.
Hence, she preferred working cooperatively with the Association.
Then, on a day off, a call came.
The familiar number was her old NIS superior.
"Guide... you?"
A key figure visiting Seoul—attach as guide for full-day mark.
She considered refusing, but it was government kin, and NIS carried weight.
Association got the official request too, urging quick action, so Kim Aram headed to the spot.
There stood a bear of a man.
'Baek Moon-hyuk? Busan's S-rank hunter in Seoul... and a person of interest?'
Startled but professional, Kim Aram altered her face with illusion and approached smiling.
"Hello, I'm Kim Yun-seo, your guide for today."
Using her alias, she introduced herself, but Baek Moon-hyuk's tigerish eyes pierced her.
'S-s-scary...'
He tilted his head, snorted heavily, then strode into the crowded street.
Guide's supposed to lead, why's he going ahead?
She hurried after, and his steps halted at an arcade.
Suddenly gaming?
Kim Aram, uninterested in such things, found it just noisy, but Baek Moon-hyuk settled in familiarly.
And then,
"Pick one, sit."
"Pardon? No, I'm your guide... and I can't play games."
"Hah, playing dumb... Forget guiding, just play."
Baek Moon-hyuk dumped a pile of coins into the opposite machine.
Flustered, Kim Aram summoned countless hooks and sat before the cabinet.
Insert coin, pick random character, fight starts. Mashing buttons and stick randomly, but naturally no match.
What the hell is this even about?
Then, thunk! from opposite, and furious Baek Moon-hyuk shoved his head in.
Winning and mad? Why?
"You. Don't pull tricks, play for real. Or you ain't leaving till you win."
At Baek Moon-hyuk's growl, Kim Aram made a tearful face.