Exterminating the Fission Fly Queen
html, body { margin:0; padding:0; } Actor: Derek Walker 21
About an hour had passed since we'd left the female ogre's corpse to rot. Just as Kelly let out a yawn and started loosening her guard, a buzzing noise suddenly echoed from the far side of the swamp.
Kelly yanked her staff close, going on high alert.
"I hear something weird. It's huge."
It wasn't just some fly or mosquito hum. It sounded like a drone in flight—instinctively ominous.
"Something's coming from over there!"
Kelly pointed straight ahead into the swamp. There, like a school of flying fish slicing through the ocean, an enormous swarm of flies surged toward us. It was like a thick fog reaching out with malevolent tendrils.
"Is that the Fission Fly? There's a ton of them."
"Nah. There's exactly one."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You'll see when we fight it. Get ready."
I channeled mana, loading up Holy Missiles. The swarm approaching the female goblin corpse to feast slowed its advance.
It had sensed my mana. Don't let those innocent-looking flies fool you—they're this dungeon's boss.
"Holy Missile."
I unleashed twenty holy missiles at the swarm. The flies dodged the incoming light orbs with nimble maneuvers.
The sight of countless flies moving as one to evade the attack was straight out of a spectacle. Massive gaps opened in their cloud-like formation, letting the missiles slip through harmlessly.
"Crit!"
Kelly slammed her staff into the ground. The swamp began to bulge upward.
"Oh! You can control the swamp too?"
"It's mixed with water, so it's tough, but it has earth properties too."
The sticky mud crashing down on the swarm was like a tsunami. But the Fission Flies, agile enough to dodge my holy missiles, slipped past Kelly's mud assault with ease.
When it comes to mosquitoes, the best weapons are a lighter and bug spray. These weren't Fission Mosquitoes, but close enough—fire should work just fine.
"Fire Control. Wind Control."
I conjured flames in the air with Fire Control, then blasted them outward in all directions with Wind Control.
No matter how nimble the Fission Flies were, they couldn't escape flames roaring from every angle. Chunks of the swarm got caught, roasted to a crisp. Fly kebabs? Just thinking about it killed my appetite.
"We got a bunch!"
Kelly shouted triumphantly. But that was a drop in the bucket—no real damage to it.
"We need to take out the queen. This swarm moves around her. As long as she's alive, they'll keep splitting."
The Fission Fly was essentially a single monster. With its queen at the core alive, it could split indefinitely, true to its name.
No sooner had I spoken than part of the swarm veered toward the female ogre's corpse.
"Burn the body before they eat it!"
I fired a Fire Arrow at the ogre corpse. But a chunk of the swarm devoured it in seconds. Suddenly, a massive horde of Fission Flies burst from the ogre's body.
"They split already!"
"If they catch us, we'll be fly chow too...!"
Kelly yelped in horror. She wasn't wrong.
"Fire Wall!"
I threw up a wall of flames to block their approach. But the swarm, with its superior flight, vaulted over my barrier and closed in.
"Annoying bastards. Wind Control."
I whipped up winds to repel the flies. It worked—Wind Control was effective. Their predation and splitting were top-tier, but as flying insects, they were weak to strong gusts.
"Wind Control it is."
But they countered my skill with sheer numbers. Parts of the swarm dodged the winds and pressed forward.
If even one got inside us, it'd devour our flesh and split in seconds. We'd turn into fly nests.
And with all this meat on me, it'd be a mansion. Horrifying just to imagine.
"Air Pocket!"
I trapped the incoming swarm chunk in an air bubble, then roasted it with Fire Control. Naturally, no queen inside.
Without killing the queen, they'd split forever, and we'd end up as dinner.
"What a pain. No way to snag the queen?"
The armadillo-shaped Arme on Kelly's shoulder drawled lazily.
"There is. But to use it, I need to lure part of the swarm. The queen's deep in the middle."
"You and Kelly handle it. Kelly, you up for it?"
"With you? Always!"
"Sweet! Let's hustle then."
Suddenly, a chunk of the bright ground lifted into the air. Kelly swung her staff, maneuvering the floating platform like a pro, soaring through the sky. A portion of the swarm chased her.
Perfect. The swarm's almost split in two.
This was my chance.
I pulled an item from my inventory.
◈ A special cigarette with a fragrant aroma and flavor. The beneficial substances within purify the body.
◈ Production halted due to divisive taste; extremely hard to obtain.
※ The best way to look cool without harming your health.
I lit the Purification Incense Stick and puffed smoke into the air. In the real world, cigarette smoke repels pests, but not here.
Fission Flies love mint scent, especially the queen. Straight from the strategy guide—guaranteed.
Smoke doesn't spread far like corpse stink, so couldn't use it for initial lure. But up close? Game changer.
The flies' wingbeats intensified at the minty smoke. They locked onto me, charging at top speed.
The queen's gotta be in there!
They abandoned tactics, barreling straight at me.
Exactly as I'd lured them. I gathered mana swiftly. Time for fire.
Fire Blast
A blue flame orb formed in my palm, roiling with enough heat to incinerate everything. I hurled the blazing projectile at the fearless swarm.
"Burn!"
-SWARM ANNIHILATED-
The orb slammed into the swarm and detonated spectacularly. Countless brainless flies got sucked into the scorching blast, reduced to ash. Power rivaling a Darkness Cannon.
The skill level of 'Fire Blast' has increased.
The skill level of 'Elemental Mastery' has increased.
Perfect timing—skills leveled up. Elemental Mastery hit 8 now. No awkwardness using any element anymore.
"Mr. Walker! The flies—they're dropping like flies!"
Queenless chunks hit the ground like they'd sniffed bug spray. I scooped them into a jar. The witch could pluck the eyes herself. Not my mess.
*-*-*
I headed to the "Fairy's Spring Inn" where the witch was staying. The quirky name made it easy to spot.
Unlike expected, the inn was rundown. Was the Snow Witch broke?
Or blowing all her cash on potions? Not my business.
"You've arrived."
Finding the witch was as easy as the inn. She sat in the first-floor dining hall, gray-robed, like she'd been waiting.
"Got the lava flower fresh. You being here means you nabbed the Fission Fly eyes too."
"Of course. Right here."
I pulled out the jar of flies. Limp like corpses, packed tight. The witch snatched it without flinching, inspecting closely. Hood hid her face, but she was definitely intrigued.
"Definitely Fission Flies. With healthy blood, we're set. Early, but I'll hit up the Rostan Marquis house for it—they wired me they got the goods."
The witch stood.
"Coming along?"
"That okay?"
"Yeah. Planning to borrow their workshop and whip up the golden apple right away."
Smooth sailing. Music to my ears.
"Got it. Let's go."
We headed to House Rostan, on Kegen's outskirts.
This area was nobles-only. Streets worlds apart from the bustling markets—guards with spears patrolled, spot-checking.
"Hey! You there. Looking shady. Papers?"
The witch got stopped, naturally—face fully hooded.
"Here."
She flashed a small hand mirror. Guard nodded, "Hm. Legit," and moved on.
"Magic item?"
"Yup. Wandering witch essential. Basic hypnosis. No good on strong-willed folks."