Ant Nest? (5)
Not long after heading down the left path, I pressed my hand against the cave wall as I advanced, wondering if I might stumble upon another mana stone imbued with teleportation magic. “Haa…” A musty smell hung in the air, probably because the ventilation was poor with walls blocking every direction, and the place was damp. ‘A labyrinth with a Giant Ent as its boss having mana stones capable of teleporting an entire passage of this scale…’ Even as I pressed forward, it didn’t make sense. Drawing on my knowledge from my hardcore gamer days, mana stones like these only appeared in upper B-rank dungeons. No matter how I looked at it, the only explanation was that someone had deliberately installed the teleportation stone—or that it had been created artificially.
While tracing the wall, I eventually reached an open space. ‘…What’s this?’ The surroundings felt brighter somehow. No, they were definitely a little brighter. Sparkling things filled the area. Though faint, they gave off multicolored light, clinging to the labyrinth walls here and there and softly painting the dark passages like watercolor. ‘What on earth are these?’ Orange, blue, green—curious about the stones emitting different hues, I approached the wall. And once again, I was shocked. ‘Wait, these are all mana stones?!’ They were quite rare ones, too—valuable stones that could grant useful enchantment properties to weapons if refined. Was this place a mana stone labyrinth? ‘What kind of mana stone is this…?’ Among them was one I had never seen before. It was either unknown to the public or something even my veteran self had never encountered. ‘Is it related to teleportation magic? Or maybe…’ I brought my sword up to the nameless mana stone embedded in the wall and tapped it a few times. Thud. Thud. Nothing happened. Judging by the lack of reaction, it wasn’t a trap stone. ‘…Should I dig it out?’ Something told me I shouldn’t just pass it by. My intuition was speaking loud and clear.
While I was still debating, something whistled through the air. Thwack! “……?!” I reflexively jerked my head aside. Something had flown past right next to my head. Thanks to the killing intent I sensed in that split second and the flow of energy I could now detect with my reconstructed danjeon, I had dodged by a hair’s breadth. The object that embedded itself in the wall was a single rock. I hadn’t escaped completely unscathed—blood trickled from my ear. I turned toward the direction the stone had come from. “Kieeeek…” …A goblin? A short body under a meter tall with disgusting green skin. There was no doubt—it was a goblin standing in the opposite tunnel, glaring at me. Strangely, it held a pickaxe in one hand. Why was a goblin here? Their kind usually settled in windy hills or forests, not deep underground labyrinths like this. Something felt off. “Kieeeek! Kieeeeh!” Damn. It looked like I wouldn’t have time to think. The goblin charged at me with a furious expression.
“Hup—!” Swish. Thud, plop. I twisted my body and easily severed the goblin’s head as it lunged. Blood from the headless torso soaked the cave floor. “Why the hell is a goblin here…?” Then it happened. “Sssssss!” “Kieeeek! Kieeeeh!” From the tunnel the goblin had emerged from, two more monsters appeared in quick succession. One was a spider-type monster—a Big Spider. If I recalled correctly, it was a lower B-rank beast. The other was a goblin archer holding a bow. ‘What kind of combination is this?’ I was baffled. It was surprising enough to see a B-rank Big Spider, but for it to appear alongside a goblin? Goblins and Big Spiders weren’t symbiotic. Their habitats were different, and they had no relationship at all. Normally, unrelated monsters would fight to the death if one invaded the other’s territory. So why were they showing up together…? This was something I had never experienced even in the game. A sense of dissonance mixed with my confusion.
“Sssssss!” As if refusing to give me time to think, the Big Spider charged straight at me with terrifying speed. The way its eight legs skittered across the ground reminded me of a cockroach. Still puzzled, I raised my sword and took a stance. “Kieeeh!” “……?!” Just as the Big Spider closed in, the goblin archer behind it drew its bow and aimed at me. ‘What the— they’re coordinating an attack?!’ The Big Spider leaped toward my upper body. “Sssssss!” “Ugh!” I barely managed to block it with my sword, bracing against its weight. “Hrrgh!” Then, with all my strength, I slammed the Big Spider onto the cave floor. Thud! “Sss…!” The Big Spider flipped over, writhing in pain. But it wasn’t over. “Kieeeek!” The goblin archer finally released its arrow. The moment I saw the string snap, I stepped aside and dodged to the right. “Kgh!” Whoosh! Thunk! It missed by a hair. The arrow embedded itself in the wall where I had been standing. “Annoying…” “Kieeeek! Kieeeh!” “……?” The instant I moved away with my footwork, the goblin archer rushed forward and took the spot I had just vacated, now watching me warily. That was when I noticed something strange. ‘Why…? Shooting me from that distance with the bow would’ve been much safer…’ The Big Spider, having recovered, also rose and began circling me cautiously. This fight wasn’t going to end quickly. “Sssss! Sssssss!” “Kieeeek! Kieeeh!” “Haha…” I just had to survive first. Setting all my questions aside for now, I gripped my sword again and assumed a stance.
“Huff, huff…” It had been a grueling fight. Whenever I tried to target the Big Spider, the goblin would cover it with arrows. Whenever I focused on the goblin, the Big Spider would pounce on me. A Big Spider coordinating with a goblin? That was a first. If my level had been any lower, I might not have been able to stop the Big Spider in time and would have lost. …What kind of place was this labyrinth, anyway? Stepping over the corpses of the goblin and Big Spider, I walked toward where the goblin archer had been. “Haa…” After letting out a sigh, I stared at the mana stone still embedded in the wall—the one I hadn’t managed to dig out earlier—and pondered. ‘…The first goblin that appeared was trying to protect this spot too, wasn’t it?’ Could it be because of the mana stone right in front of me? Both the first goblin and the archer seemed to be guarding something here. If there was anything worth protecting in this spot, it had to be this stone… “……” The stone glowed with white light. It was strange for a mana stone to emit white light. Usually, they only gave off multicolored hues… Feeling curious, I reached out toward it. The moment my fingertips brushed against it— Fwoosh! “……!” A sudden, intangible change made me yank my hand away immediately. The stone’s light had shifted to blue. “Wh-what…?” I checked my hand and body. There was no visible change. However, it felt like a bit of my mana had been drained. Startled, I looked at the stone again. It was still glowing brightly on the wall. The only difference was that it had been white before and was now blue. “…A mana stone that absorbs mana? That’s weird. I really should dig it out.” Luckily, I still had the pickaxe I had taken from the goblin I killed earlier. I decided to mine it and examine it later. I picked up the pickaxe lying beside the goblin’s corpse and swung it down at the mana stone that had absorbed my power. Clang! Clang! Clang! With the sound of stone fragments falling, the mana stone came loose and dropped to the floor. I picked it up and examined it closely. “……” It no longer tried to drain my mana. But the light was still blue. “I don’t know what it is, but… for now.” I slipped it into my pocket. I didn’t have time to waste. I needed to find my companions. Since I had encountered monsters on this side, there was no guarantee they hadn’t on theirs. I sheathed my sword, took a quick drink from the water in my bag, and pressed forward into the darkness once more—this time with quicker steps than before.
***
“Monaka! Monaka!” “……” “Snap out of it. You can’t lose consciousness here!” “……” In an unknown location deep within the underground labyrinth, Monaka had lost her mind. It was only natural—she had watched Andrei, her longtime companion, get brutally crushed to death right in front of her. Adventurers who specialized in C-rank requests usually hunted relatively weak lower-ranked monsters. Their lives were safer compared to higher-ranked adventurers. Because of that, she had never experienced watching someone get crushed to death before her eyes. “Monaka…” Zeke shook her shoulders with both hands. “……” There was no response. “Kgh… Damn it!” Zeke slammed his fist against the stone floor. Thud! Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud… The sound echoed through the cave. “I need to find Victor. At this rate, there’s nothing I can do…!” Zeke hoisted the seated Monaka onto his back. Gripping his sword in one hand, he began moving through the tunnel. Only the sound of his trudging footsteps echoed in the deep cave. “Haa, haa…” Several minutes passed. While traversing the deep interior— “Sssssss!” “Sssss! Sssssss!” Strange sounds echoed from somewhere. “What’s that noise?!” Zeke raised his sword warily toward the source. “Sssssss!” The sound grew closer. Zeke swallowed dryly. Just as the eerie scraping sound—like nails on a chalkboard—began to grate on his ears, the source revealed itself. “Sssssss!” “…Big Spiders?!” He recognized the monsters immediately. Big Spiders, B-rank beasts. Though only half the size of a Giant Ent, they possessed a potent venom that caused excruciating pain and instant death upon biting. Their agility also made them a threat that even veteran B-rank adventurers treated with caution. “Not one, but two…?” Zeke gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword. Then he spoke to Monaka on his back. “It’s okay… It’s okay, Monaka! I’ll… somehow…” That was when it happened. ““Sssssssss!”” From the tunnel the Big Spiders had come from, multiple more of their kind cried out simultaneously. It wasn’t just one or two. At least five or more. The moment the sounds reached them, a swarm of Big Spiders appeared alongside the two already confronting Zeke. “Sssssss!” “Sss! Sssssss!” “N-no…” Zeke’s pupils trembled. He felt fear. This wasn’t a problem that could be solved with willpower alone. He glanced at Monaka on his back. She was still staring blankly into space with unfocused eyes. “……” For a moment, Zeke quietly set Monaka down on the cave floor. Then he muttered to her. “I-I’m sorry, Monaka… I’ll definitely… I’ll definitely come back for you!” Zeke turned and sprinted away at full speed. Then he screamed. “Kgh, hwaaaaaah!” His wail contained neither helplessness nor anger at his failure to protect her. It was simply the cry of an infant crushed by primal terror. “Ssssss…” “……” The swarm of Big Spiders approached the fallen Monaka. Strangely, they didn’t attack. Instead, they circled around her. “Sssss, sssssss.” “Sssssss.” The Big Spiders seemed to communicate among themselves. Eventually, one of them extended its head and lifted Monaka onto its back. It began moving in the direction it had come from, disappearing into the darkness. The rest of the swarm followed in a line, vanishing into the shadows after it.