Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Platinum Promotion Match (3)
Translation: godtl
Metal Worm.
From as small as tens of kilometers to as long as hundreds of kilometers.
Perhaps even beyond.
Its length had never been accurately measured.
Naturally so.
Its massive weight, rivaling its length, and its fortress-like exoskeleton made its very existence a siege weapon.
"Kreeek!"
"Look over here!"
"B-block it!"
"Block it?! Just dodge, you idiot!"
Its ferocious temperament, befitting its appearance, never allowed anyone to measure it without consequence.
"Kieeeeeh!"
With a grotesque roar, its massive head came crashing down toward the players.
True to its burrowing nature, its mouth—split into four jagged sections—was a weapon in itself, whether gaping wide or snapping shut.
Kwaaaang!
A deafening explosion.
The participants directly struck by its head vanished without a trace, not even leaving behind a scream.
"W-what the hell?!"
"One-shot kill...?"
The faces of those who survived twisted in horror.
"Pull yourselves together! We need to regroup, even if it's just the remaining players!"
"Assassin Class! Prioritize rescuing survivors buried in the debris!"
Still, this was a Platinum Promotion Match.
A few quick-witted players rallied the others and began forming ranks.
One.
"Ugh, ughh!"
"I think my leg's broken!"
"Get me out of here...!"
Like a massive sinkhole.
The entire surrounding area had been overturned and collapsed.
Rescuing survivors buried under the wreckage would take considerable time.
"Kieeeeh!"
The ferocious Metal Worm had no intention of waiting.
Like a stretched rubber band.
Whoosh!
Its head elongated once more before slamming down again.
Cunningly, it targeted the survivors trapped helplessly in the debris first.
But then—
Crash!
A powerful impact sent its head flying in the opposite direction.
The players, who had turned pale at becoming its next targets, turned toward their savior.
A strikingly handsome man with sharp features.
"K-Kim Si-mun!"
"Si-mun!"
It was Kim Si-mun.
After delivering a crushing blow to the Metal Worm's head, Si-mun descended to the ground.
Tap.
With a flick of his finger.
Rumble—
Like the miracle of Moses parting the Red Sea, the debris split apart, revealing the survivors buried beneath.
Si-mun gave a slight nod toward the stunned Assassin Class players.
"Hurry and get them out."
"T-thank you!"
The assassins bowed repeatedly before quickly gathering the survivors Si-mun had freed and retreating.
—Honestly, our oppa is just too kind for his own good.
A sharp voice whispered into Si-mun's ear.
It was the Philosopher's Stone.
—Why are you even saving them? Did you forget what those bastards did?
At its complaint, Si-mun smirked slightly.
'I didn't save them purely out of goodwill.'
—Then why?
'Abandoning them right now would be too risky.'
—Risky?
At the Philosopher's Stone's questioning, Si-mun nodded.
'This Arena started with a Metal Worm. What do you think comes next?'
Metal Worms were high-tier Insectors even within Insectia.
And besides—
'With this much commotion, we must have drawn the attention of other Insectors.'
Most Insectors lived in swarms centered around a ruler, didn't they?
Future attacks were practically guaranteed.
—Ah, I see what you're thinking. You need bait, don't you?
'Close. More accurately, I need people to share the aggro.'
Swarming hordes of Insectors.
That meant an immense battle of attrition.
Of course, with Si-mun's stats now far surpassing Gold-tier, he could handle it.
'But there's always that "what if."'
Preparing for the unexpected never hurt.
—Honestly, it's no wonder you're an alchemist. You're terrifyingly thorough.
'I'll take that as a compliment.'
—It is a compliment~. I like men who are this meticulous!
'You little—'
Chuckling at the Philosopher's Stone's teasing, Si-mun turned his attention back.
"Kieeeeh...!"
The Metal Worm writhed and groaned, its movements sluggish.
"It's still moving after taking a direct hit from Tyrant Emperor Break?"
Tyrant Emperor Break was a technique from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
And yet, even after taking a clean hit to the head, it was still struggling to rise?
'Its durability is abnormal. This isn't just any ordinary Metal Worm...'
Even compared to the Metal Worms he'd seen in his past life, this one was exceptionally large.
Which meant its body must be incredibly long...
As that thought crossed his mind—
'Wait. Don't tell me?!'
Si-mun's eyes widened.
Tap.
Kim Si-mun immediately flicked his fingers.
Having already cast Multiple Body Transmutation on himself, Si-mun used the debris as stepping stones.
Tap.
In an instant, he leaped into the air.
"Kieee......"
The Metal Worm had already fully righted itself.
The impact of the Tyrant Emperor Break must have been considerable, as the creature shook its head violently, letting out pained groans.
Then—
"Kieeeek!"
With clear irritation, the Metal Worm began undulating its entire body—from the neck-like segment coiled around the area, all the way down to its main body buried deep in the ground.
Glllrrrk—glllrrrk—
Without pause, the Metal Worm initiated its synchronized movement.
"As expected......"
Si-mun, who had already soared above the creature's head, nodded as he observed the Metal Worm beginning its undulations despite its shattered cranial exoskeleton.
'I knew it.'
Endurance enough to withstand a direct hit from the Tyrant Emperor Break without collapsing.
On top of that, a frame far larger than ordinary Metal Worms.
Those who had never encountered such a massive Metal Worm might not know, but those who had experienced it even once understood all too well.
The true terror of a giant Metal Worm didn't lie in the savage violence born from its sheer size—
Glllrrrk—
But rather, in those undulating, synchronized movements.
"Ki—Kiek!"
Perhaps realizing Si-mun was now above its head, the Metal Worm flailed in panic, hastily opening its maw toward him.
"Too late."
Si-mun, already gripping a condensed mass of dark Demonic Energy, delivered his prepared gift straight into the creature's gaping mouth.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Wave Annihilation Cannon.
Piiing—
A Black Beam shot out in a straight line, distorting the air as it plunged deep into the colossal maw.
"Kii......"
The undulating body stiffened momentarily.
Then, like a great tree toppling—
The Metal Worm's massive frame slowly collapsed toward the ground.
Kuuuooong—
A tremendous tremor shook the entire area.
"My god......"
"I-Is it dead?"
The participants gaped at the Metal Worm, which had fallen so abruptly.
"Hmm......"
Yet the expression of the very man who had felled it in a single strike was far from pleased.
Instead—
Kiiiiing—
Golden magic circles unfolded over his left eye, scanning the creature's entire body.
And then—
'I was the one who was too late.'
His finely shaped brows furrowed.
He couldn't help it.
Because what Odin's Eye, now activated, revealed wasn't just the corpse of the dead Metal Worm.
Kwa-jik.
Ggrrduk.
From the sprawled carcass of the Metal Worm came the sound of something—tearing.
The noise grew louder, more violent, until—
Ccrrreak.
The once-impenetrable exoskeleton split open.
"Krrrrrl!"
A pitch-black tide poured forth.
"W-What the hell are those?!"
"Ants! Giant ants!"
"Shit! It's the Ents!"
Ents.
Also known as giant ant-kind, these Insectors came flooding out of the Metal Worm's corpse by the dozens every second.
"Aaaaah! There's so damn many!"
"Hey! Hold formation!"
"Are you insane? How the hell are we supposed to fight that?!"
"They're right! We need to run—now!"
Chaos instantly engulfed the main force.
And then—
Tap.
A clear, crisp sound reached their ears.
At the same time—
Drrrrr—
The earth before the group began to tremble.
"Krrrl?"
"Krrk?"
A dark shadow loomed over the swarming ants.
Its identity was none other than—
Grrruuuu—
A tidal wave of earth, surging like a tsunami.
It swallowed the entire area—everything except the Players—
Kwaaaaang—
And with the brutality of a merciless tidal wave,
It buried the hundreds of giant ants—along with the Metal Worm carcass they had spilled from—alive.
In an instant, the battlefield had become a massive mound of earth.
But it didn't end there.
Tap.
Another crisp sound rang out.
Kwaduk.
With a ghastly crack,
Spiked pillars erupted from the ground like a forest of spears, impaling the buried ants and the Metal Worm alike.
Given the thick, viscous fluids oozing sporadically between the spikes,
There was no need to ask what had happened beneath that earthen tomb.
"Hah......"
"......"
As if time itself had frozen,
Those who had been about to flee and those who had stood their ground alike were rooted in place.
Only those who had watched Si-mun's broadcasts managed to react.
'As expected of Kim Si-mun... To think I raised my voice at someone like this...'
'This is legit terrifying...'
'H-He's Gold-rank? Like me?'
Gulp.
They could only swallow dryly, blinking rapidly.
But they weren't the only ones stunned.
—Wow... Holy shit! This is insane! Those spikes look like goddamn tombstones!
-This hyung's scale is insane every time I see him, isn't it?
-He didn't even use that lightning spear or flame sword, yet he's showing this level of destructive power?
-And he did it without any incantations. Does this person have infinite mana?
-Before that, I can't even process him smacking down a mature Metal Worm. Isn't he supposed to be Magic Class?!
The viewers witnessing this spectacle also erupted in collective astonishment.
One.
"Tsk."
Si-mun, the creator of this massive grave, merely clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied expression.
'Since the Metal Worm already cleared a path, there's no helping it.'
The ants that had poured out and those still about to emerge.
He'd annihilated them all, but—
'Disgustingly numerous.'
Through Odin's Eye, he could see thousands of Ents swarming beneath the underground.
'Should've killed the Metal Worm faster.'
Originally, the larger a Metal Worm grew, the more it tended to belong to swarms of other Insectors.
Though none had uncovered the reason—one of Insectia's mysteries—
Grouped Metal Worms used their massive bodies as living tunnels, becoming transportation for other Insectors.
The undulating movements it made right before dying were precisely the precursor to that.
'Even in my past life, it was their primary ambush tactic.'
After the official Arena began, frequent Outbreaks occurred.
Whenever Insectors appeared there, this Metal Worm ambush tactic was inevitable.
A Metal Worm bursting suddenly from deep underground.
And the flood of Insectors pouring from its massive maw rendered the very concept of defensive lines meaningless.
'I forgot for a moment since I'd only seen it through broadcasts.'
Scratching his head, Si-mun glanced at the teeming underground.
'Well, it's gotten a bit annoying... but I'll just have to wipe them all out.'
He reached his hand toward it.
Just as he was about to flick his fingers—
'Hm?'
Si-mun's left eye, where Odin's Eye was activated, twitched.
The underground, connected by earthen tunnels.
There, an Ent adorned with extravagant patterns busily scurried about.
Rumble—
Coarse vibrations sent crumbling dirt falling onto the ornate Ent's head.
Pausing its sprint momentarily, the resplendent Ent glanced back.
[Have they already reached our tunnels?]
A voice resonated through its unique vocalization.
Two escort Ents following behind slightly bowed their heads.
[Yes. But we've already dispatched a Metal Worm and numerous troops.]
[Even if they breach the tunnels, they won't reach here immediately.]
[Is that so...]
The resplendent Ent trailed off.
It gazed at the small white bead cradled in its arms.
'We've already lost two Queens to those Vespa bastards.'
The Queen's Egg that would determine Insectia's future.
The balance that had been maintained was shattered.
Vespa had already birthed two additional Queens.
[If we lose this one too, Insectia will belong to Vespa...]
[That's what I don't understand!]
One escort Ent burst out angrily at the resplendent Ent's murmur.
[The other Insectors must know this too, so why aren't they helping us?!]
[Exactly. Even if we're not the same species, isn't this about Insectia's balance collapsing?]
The escort ants voiced their outrage.
In response, the resplendent ant shook its head slightly.
[Their ambush was simply too swift. The other Insectors must have sensed the battle's aftermath by now.]
[You mean...]
[Yes. They're probably mobilizing to aid us as we speak.]
If they died here and lost this egg too—
The other species knew well that Vespa would become unstoppable.
'They must be coming...'
Just as Prince Ent's brow furrowed with concern—
Rumble—!
The entire tunnel housing the Ents violently shook.
[T-this! The Vespa bastards are already here!]
[Your Highness, retreat! We'll hold them off!]
The two escort Ents stepped forward to shield the resplendent Ent addressed as Prince.
Despite their fervor—
Prince Ent didn't move.
He shook his head with a hardened voice.
[No. This isn't Vespa.]
[Now that you mention it... something does feel off.]
[Vespa couldn't possibly dig tunnels this fast...]
Before the escort Ent could finish—
Crrrrack—!
The ceiling shattered.
A rapidly rotating conical structure burst through.
Then—
"Phew. Disgustingly deep."
A voice completely unlike Insector vocalizations echoed through.
[That presence...!]
Prince Ent's body trembled slightly upon identifying the voice's owner.
"Hoh. Seeing it up close makes it even more interesting."
Another voice rang out.
Golden eyes locked onto Prince Ent.
More precisely, it was the white bead that Prince Ents carried within him.
Prince Ents seemed to sense that gaze as well, his body flinching slightly—but that was all.
"Whatever it is, to suddenly reap the harvest like this—"
Before the words of the abruptly appeared human could even finish—
[Receive it, O Noble One.]
[Wha—Prince?!]
Prince Ents extended the white bead he had been treasuring so preciously.