Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Ant Tunnel Blueprint
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Ants usually dig holes underground and live in colonies.
Deeper and deeper.
They excavate tunnels layer by layer, steadily expanding their spaces.
Commonly known as an anthill.
Even the types of chambers inside varied greatly.
Pupa chambers, larva chambers, corpse chambers, queen ant chambers—rooms serving all sorts of roles existed.
And passages connected those rooms in a chain.
A complex, intertwined structure. Long passages. Considerable depth.
That was how a typical anthill was made.
And Agas's anthill wasn't much different.
📖 Description: A blueprint of the ant tunnel passages created by Excavator Leader Mosian. It refines the existing ant tunnel passages and plans additional excavations, with the ultimate goal of connecting them to the cities of each coalition force.
It was visible.
The ant tunnel passages, dug deep underground like a maze and stretching out long and complex, were laid out on the blueprint.
The center of the ant tunnels was right here.
Small City Chandler. And radiating from Chandler, passages connected to the other coalition forces' cities.
Some of those passages were nearly complete.
The rest seemed poised to reach their targets after a set amount of time.
An underground network. One that the coalition forces had refined and remodeled from ant tunnels.
'What the...'
A chill ran down his spine.
Using ant-dug tunnels to link entire cities.
And there were even long rail lines drawn through the middle, likely for transporting supplies or personnel.
Separate means of transport in operation.
If these passages were completed, they would undoubtedly have a massive impact on the war.
Supply lines.
Troop movements.
Swift sieges and defenses.
They could reap all sorts of benefits through the underground network.
And without any interference.
'Wow, these guys are playing the long game.'
Now it made sense why they were controlling the ant tunnels and dragging residents along.
Polishing what the ants had dug.
Forcing people into labor to dig additional passages.
'They said dozens came and went frequently.'
Not just Chandler.
Temporary entrances punched midway through.
Cities where passage construction had recently finished.
Manpower was steadily being poured in through those as well.
In other words, Chandler was just the starting point.
Thanks to the pre-existing ant tunnels, the connection timelines were shortened somewhat.
'It's been about two weeks, and it's already this far...'
At least one or two months.
By then, passages would stretch to nearby cities.
Once that happened, linking even more distant cities would become feasible.
Perhaps even the front lines.
Or beyond, into enemy territory.
The coalition forces' secret plan.
Discovered through theft.
By stealing the ant tunnel interior blueprint.
'Pulling off something this big must cost a fortune in money and manpower.'
Maybe their outrageous tyranny was tied to the ant tunnels too.
But that wasn't what mattered to Luke right now.
What did matter were the other entrances.
Temporary ones midway through the passages.
'This one's pretty big.'
Chandler.
This was the heart of the ant tunnels.
Also a dungeon managed within the city.
So guild members' vigilance was airtight.
The dungeon entrance was small enough that two people could easily block it.
But the temporary entrances scattered between passages? Those would be different.
Not exposed like Chandler's, so surveillance would be laxer.
'Time for another steal.'
Thanks to it, he saved time.
And could infiltrate the ant tunnels more safely.
And that wasn't all.
The ant tunnel interior blueprint.
The coalition forces' plans derived from it.
These were valuable intel on their own.
For example, mid-sized guilds locked in fierce battles with the coalition.
He could sell this info back to Dokkaebi, once ruler of the wasteland.
For a hefty price.
'If he verifies it, it'd be a jackpot for Dokkaebi.'
Of course, they might not believe it.
But if Secret Liar Iron Mask dropped the bait?
'They'd have to bite.'
Scouts were already approaching from all sides.
Some even visiting Kaum and Jermi to ask the lord to bridge the connection.
Mid-sized guilds weren't moving openly yet, but if he reached out first, that could change.
'Anyway...'
A way to sneak inside had opened up.
All that remained was entering the ant tunnels via the temporary entrance.
And the target there: Prime Minister Del Markr's legacy.
'Time to go.'
Luke's eyes gleamed.
A short while later.
'Here it is.'
Luke arrived at another passage entrance.
This spot was at the base of mountains not far from Chandler.
According to the blueprint, a temporary ant tunnel entrance was nearby.
Swish.
Luke scanned the surroundings.
'No guards around...'
No surveillance.
Just people climbing the mountain or passing by.
No players wearing coalition insignias in sight.
Now was the chance.
Sensing it, Luke hurried to the marked spot on the blueprint.
'Definitely under this tree... Huh?'
He felt around the ground a few times.
Finally, his fingertips caught on something.
A slightly protruding section of floor.
Gripping it, he slowly lifted.
Creeeak.
The square lid camouflaged as the ground opened.
Ding!
'They made it to be entered. Gotta oblige.'
An obvious choice.
He'd already confirmed via blueprint: this was a temporary ant tunnel entrance.
No signs of presence, footsteps, or sounds from inside.
No reason for Luke to hesitate.
As expected.
The secret entrance led straight into the ant tunnels, just like the blueprint showed.
Difficulty: D-grade.
No clear conditions, as was typical for open dungeons.
Monsters spawned periodically based on numbers.
Boss monsters appeared at set intervals.
The layout wasn't much different from outdoor fields.
Just a hunting ground formed inside.
'Surprisingly spacious.'
Made by giant ants, perhaps.
Inside, it was quite roomy.
'No one around.'
Not even the giant ants that spawned in the dungeon.
'They're messing with the respawns.'
Respawn.
The regeneration of characters or monsters in a set area after death.
Filling vacated spots as numbers dropped.
Usually, you'd hunt them down quickly below a threshold to respawn more.
But White Tiger Guild seemed to be suppressing it instead.
Otherwise, the ant tunnel wouldn't feel so empty.
Luke moved forward slowly, forming that theory.
Soon, roars echoed from across the way.
"Queeeek!"
It was a giant ant.
"Just take down this one?"
"Yeah, grab that one and leave the rest. Killing even one more here will trigger a mass respawn."
"Got it."
The ones battling the giant ant: coalition-insignia-wearing players.
White Tiger Guild members.
'Knew it.'
Luke eyed the giant ants huddled in the corner.
Seven in total.
Most low on HP, but the guild members deliberately left them alive.
Only killing one.
The one at the very front.
'Kill one more there, and they all swarm back.'
So they pulled and killed one by one.
To manage the numbers.
'Guild average around level 100.'
Over ten visible already.
A lot.
Slipping past without drawing eyes wouldn't be easy.
So Luke stayed hidden and pulled out Del Markr's secret map first.
'This only marks the ant tunnel location.'
Unfortunately, no interior details.
He'd end up wandering the whole thing.
Through White Tiger-infested tunnels.
But Luke wasn't worried.
He simply pulled a weathered compass from his pocket naturally.
That's right.
The Eternal Compass.
Just like when finding the Germanic tomb, it reacted to this secret map too.
Having tested it beforehand, Luke checked the needle's direction.
North from here.
Straight toward the White Tiger members' central area.
'No easy path, huh.'
Two options.
Force through.
Or sneak in.
The latter suited Luke best.
So his gaze naturally drifted to the cornered giant ants.
That moment.
"By the way, the queen's chamber... How about the door..."
"Won't budge... Tried every damn trick... No dice."
"Really?"
Guild members' voices drifted from beyond the wall.
'Door?'
Luke's eyes darted around.
The queen's chamber door.
Separate from the major passage works.
"It's in there... "
"Dunno, guild said it's a hidden... Piece or something..."
"Damn, piece... Whatever, door's gotta open first..."
Hidden Piece.
His eyes lit up at the words.
Del Markr's hidden legacy.
Possibly connected.
Considering it, Luke checked the blueprint again.
Current floor: Basement 2.
The queen's chamber they mentioned: Basement 5.
To reach it, he'd have to pass them first.
'Whew.'
Throwing dagger in one hand.
Black blade in the other.
Another infiltration moment.
But this time, distractions were prepared.
"Queeeek!"
"Wh-what?!"
"Shit, who aggroed the mobs?!"
It was precisely...
The newly respawned giant ants.