Japan (4)

The moment Yu-shin’s body cleared the transport plane, the laws of gravity seized him, dragging him toward the earth. He plummeted at a breakneck speed, the sound of the wind screaming past his ears growing ever more deafening. As he fell, the landscape below sharpened into focus. Thousands of ants of all different varieties had already sensed his presence, trampling over one another to welcome him. The sight was like a churning black tide. An ordinary person might have screamed in terror or fainted, but Yu-shin’s reaction was different.

“Well now, looks like a field of money.”

His eyes sparkled. Without slowing his descent even a fraction, Yu-shin pulled the King Slime's Core from his inventory and hurled it toward the swarm. “Come out!” As if responding to his playful shout, the King Slime revealed its form.

“Alright, eat up! It’s feeding time!”

Squish! The King Slime seemed excited, its gelatinous body rippling as it opened up to receive the ants rushing toward it. Squish-squish-squish! The creature’s jelly-like body surged with excitement as it swallowed countless ants, its mass growing larger by the second. In the meantime, thanks to the slime clearing the landing zone, Yu-shin touched down on the ground.

“Whew… this is no joke. You little bastards.”

It was a wasteland. Or rather, it hadn't been one originally. The evidence lay in the scattered debris—fragments of pillars, twisted metal, and broken tiles that had once been part of a structure. That was when he felt it: a faint vibration traveling through the soles of his feet. Yu-shin shifted to the left just as the ground beneath his original position erupted with an explosive roar. Amidst the swirling dust, a massive shadow emerged. It was nearly three meters tall, its shell so hard and metallic it looked like it was clad in iron.

“Whoa, that’s a big one, isn't it?”

The creature clicked its sharp pincers open and shut several times, as if issuing a threat. “Careful now, you little shit.” As Yu-shin said this with a half-smile, the creature tilted its head. Suddenly, the King Slime, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠which had grown even larger behind Yu-shin’s back, opened its maw wide and swallowed the creature whole. But the prey wasn't going down without a fight; the King Slime’s body heaved violently. A massive lump bulged and vanished on one side, while the outline of sharp pincers poked out and retracted on the other. Through the slime’s translucent body, the desperate struggle of the ant could be faintly seen. But that, too, was brief. The King Slime’s movements began to stabilize.

“You’re pretty impressive, aren't you?”

Squish! As if understanding the praise, the King Slime rippled its body. “Good. You handle the small fry. I’m going to go play with the ones that look a bit tougher.”

Where he pointed, much larger ants were approaching. It was as if they were righteous older brothers coming to punish the friend who had bullied their younger siblings. As he watched them, black light sparked in Yu-shin’s palm. The Maha that had annihilated the bats had reappeared. Even though it was a flame no larger than a grain of rice, the heat was palpable on Yu-shin’s face.

“Alright, go.”

Yu-shin thrust his hand toward the approaching ants. The Maha latched onto them and began to spread in an instant. Like a wildfire, it jumped from one to the next with terrifying speed, causing the ants' bodies to burst apart.

Countless notifications rang in his ears, accompanied by the sight of multicolored Magic Stones glittering atop the corpses. A smile tugged at the corners of Yu-shin’s mouth. By now, the Maha had begun to spread toward the "big brother" of the swarm, the Great Ant.

‘Go ahead, get a taste of hellfire.’

The Great Ant, having experienced the Maha firsthand, thrashed violently. Yu-shin waited in anticipation, hoping it would cough up a green-glowing Magic Stone. That was when the antennae of the massive, colorful Giant Queen Ant, which had been protected by the Great Ant, began to twitch.

Pop!

The black flames of the Maha vanished instantly. Then, frost began to coat the Great Ant’s entire body. Yu-shin’s eyes twitched at the sight. ‘Did my Maha just get extinguished?’ By a mere ant? His pride was wounded. No matter how much his power was sealed, the fact that a lowly ant had nullified his attack was infuriating. If Marcas had seen this, he would have been rolling on the floor laughing, and Yu-shin wouldn't have had a word to say in his defense.

Then, the Giant Queen Ant’s antennae twitched once more. The Great Ant’s armor, which had just melted away, began to regenerate. “Huh? You can heal, too?” Yu-shin’s voice was a mix of surprise and irritation. He cracked his neck, the bones popping audibly. “I was going to let you go easy, but I guess that’s not happening.”

His gaze shifted. As Yu-shin reached out, the air around him grew heavy. The Maha began to burn once more. Yu-shin focused his Magi into the flames, and the tiny, grain-sized fire rapidly expanded. The black flames danced like a living creature. Seeing the fire that had been burning them reappear, the giant ants reacted instinctively. Their massive bodies lunged at Yu-shin with incredible speed, swinging sharp pincers that looked like the scythes of death. But they were met by Yu-shin’s Maha.

The flames melted the pincers in an instant. The black fire devoured the giant ants’ bodies like a starving beast. The armor that had looked so sturdy melted away like burning paper. Kshhhhhhh! The giant ant let out a painful shriek as it felt its body dissolving. The Giant Queen Ant seemed to notice something, its antennae moving rapidly. As if reversing time, the melted flesh began to regenerate. But this time, Yu-shin’s Maha burned even more fiercely, as if refusing to lose.

Kshhhhhhh!

The shriek of the giant ant, caught between Yu-shin’s destructive Maha and the Giant Queen Ant’s powerful healing ability, swept across the battlefield. Its body was burning and regenerating at the same time—a literal hell of agony. But in the end, Yu-shin’s Maha won. The giant ant vanished, leaving not even a pile of ash behind.

“How was that? The taste of my Maha? Hot, isn't it?”

Yu-shin smirked, mocking the Giant Queen Ant. But the queen wasn't finished. In response to Yu-shin’s provocation, its antennae began to tremble violently. The air around them vibrated, and the ground began to shake. “What? An earthquake attack this time?”

Yu-shin’s eyes widened. Something was rising from beneath the earth. Boom! Boom! As the ground split open, dozens of Giant Soldier Ants revealed themselves. Each one looked as large and powerful as the one he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had just fought. “Huh? Ants have abilities like this?”

Yu-shin frowned. There really was no end to it. He turned his head back to look at the King Slime. It seemed to have reached its limit, no longer absorbing anything. It was hunting the ants one by one using its acid. But at this rate, there would be no end in sight. Yu-shin turned back to the front. In that moment, he realized something.

‘The hell? Do ants even have facial expressions?’

The Giant Queen Ant looked as if it were sneering at him. The newly appeared Giant Soldier Ants surrounded him, slowly closing the distance. “I’ve really fallen far.”

In the Abyss, he would have driven a spear into the back of a fleeing opponent and blasted them with magic. To be treated like this here… it was enough to make him sigh. Yu-shin reached his left hand toward the sky and spoke.

“Then I guess I’ll have to teach you.”

Teach them who he was. What kind of existence he had been in the Abyss. Yu-shin’s pupils turned black. The air around him grew so dense it felt sticky. At the same time, the clear, sunny sky began to darken. Rumble-rumble-rumble! A roar that sounded like the sky itself was collapsing shook the air. The Giant Queen Ant, the Giant Soldier Ants, and all the others looked up at the sudden change in weather. And they saw it: countless meteors filling the sky, accompanied by thunderous roars. Their bodies froze at the sight, a scene reminiscent of the end of the world. Then, the meteors fell upon them.

When the first meteor struck, a massive explosion rocked the earth. A giant crater formed, and even the ants that weren't hit directly were torn apart by the shockwave. Gwooooooo! The Giant Queen Ant came to its senses and let out a high-pitched shriek. As if it were a language of their own, the ants began to scatter in an orderly fashion. But no matter how powerful a being might be, one cannot escape the rain falling from the sky. Hundreds of meteors began to bombard them. The Giant Queen Ant’s healing ability was useless in this moment. The ants were obliterated before they even had a chance to regenerate.

The ants that had been so strictly controlled moments ago were gone. Only pathetic ants remained, breaking ranks and fleeing in every direction to save their own lives. “Yeah, that’s how monsters should act.” Yu-shin smiled. He turned his gaze to the Giant Queen Ant. ‘Impressive.’ Its shell was oozing fluid, suggesting it had been wounded. To be wounded in this situation meant that its sturdy-looking shell had actually withstood the meteor shower. But it was only holding on; it was gasping for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠air, dying.

That was when he saw a meteor flying directly toward the Giant Queen Ant. If it hit, it would be over. The meteor would completely annihilate the queen, leaving not even a corpse behind—just like the others. He had been standing with his arms crossed to admire his handiwork, but his face stiffened. ‘…Wait? Hold on? The corpse has to remain, right?’

If he wanted to sell it, there had to be something left. Only then did Yu-shin realize his mistake. His relaxed muscles tensed instantly. Yu-shin’s eyes darted between the meteor and the Giant Queen Ant. The queen, lacking the strength to dodge, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could only stare in despair as the meteor crushed down upon it.

‘The hell?!’

Kwang!

Yu-shin’s feet kicked off the ground, and his body shot forward like an explosion. The sound of the air tearing apart rang in his ears. “Hey, you little shit! Who said you could touch my property?!”

Yu-shin’s body, nearing the meteor, was exposed to extreme heat and pressure. But he didn't have time to worry about that. He focused his Magi into his right arm, turning the limb pitch black. He gritted his teeth.

“Get lost!”

His fist shot toward the meteor. At the moment of impact, a blinding light flashed. Kwang! With a massive shockwave, the burning meteor shattered into pieces and scattered across the sky. To an observer, it would have looked like a spectacular firework display. Yu-shin landed on the ground, clenching and unclenching his aching fist. Around him, fragments of the broken meteor fell, still emitting smoke.

“Now the corpse should be safe.”

Yu-shin muttered, turning his gaze back to the Giant Queen Ant. But then.

“You little shit?”

The wounds were gone, and the queen was rising, its body fully regenerated, glaring right at him. Perhaps the "dying" act from moments ago had been a show all along. Yu-shin’s eyes, deceived by a mere monster, burned with fury.

“You’re dead!”

Wrapped in Magi, Yu-shin’s body shot toward the Giant Queen Ant.