Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Queen's Spawning Ground
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Forty-three demon-possessed users led by Gremix.
Eight users who had joined the raid on their own, independent of Gremix's crew.
Geon-woo and Pang were among those eight.
And so, Gremix and the users entered the Queen's nest.
"We'll proceed with the raid slowly and steadily. Our goal is to reach the Queen safely."
After dealing with the charging creatures and entering the largest tunnel, Gremix laid out the basic strategy first.
Go slowly, but safely.
It was common sense anyone could understand.
But the raid that followed was always a beat slower than necessary.
'This feels intentional, doesn't it?'
Geon-woo quietly asked Pang so only he could hear.
'What does?'
'Isn't it moving too slowly?'
'Doesn't seem that slow to me?'
'Compared to the other groups, we're going incredibly slow.'
'Huh? Other groups? You keeping tabs on them too?'
'Oh, right. That's it. I'm comparing us to the progress in the other three directions, so the difference stands out.'
Only after seeing Pang's reaction did Geon-woo realize why Gremix's raid felt so sluggish.
And from that, he figured out what Gremix was aiming for.
'What is it? What's going on?'
Pang asked, sensing something from Geon-woo's expression.
'The groups in the other passages are fighting way more often and handling way more creatures than us.'
'Really? Bad luck for them?'
'No, it's a simple response—sending more creatures to wherever more are dying. Gremix knows that.'
'So he's dragging this out on purpose to funnel more creatures to the other paths?'
'Yeah. Just a hunch, but I doubt I'm wrong.'
Geon-woo answered while glaring at Gremix.
Steady advance.
Creatures appeared now and then, but nothing the group couldn't handle.
In contrast, the other three directions already had jiangshi joining in because the creatures were swarming that badly.
'That bastard!'
Geon-woo felt the urge to slaughter every demon-possessed user right then.
But to the Queen and her creatures, possessed users were no different from normals.
'Fine, let them be for now. Until we meet the Queen, it's eye for an eye.'
Demon vs. demon wasn't so bad.
Best case, they kill each other off.
Plus, in Onboard, when a demon-possessed user died, the possession broke, and they regained their sanity.
Two birds with one stone—no reason to pass that up yet.
= My lord, Amryeong, Gongryeong, and the others are starting to engage in earnest.
At that moment, Ilryeong reported on the jiangshi's status.
Geon-woo focused his consciousness to check on the jiangshi in the other routes.
In all three directions, the jiangshi had taken the front lines, leading the fights.
The steadiest group, naturally, was the one with the native mercenaries.
Dokryeong and Sulryeong led two elite jiangshi there, dominating the field.
The native mercenaries welcomed them enthusiastically, mistaking the jiangshi for Dark Phoenix mercenaries.
In contrast, the routes where Amryeong and Gongryeong each led one elite jiangshi had demon-possessed users throwing tantrums.
The jiangshi had shown up when users were on the ropes, pulling aggro from creatures and easing the pressure with overwhelming force.
Yet the possessed users griped because the jiangshi weren't official raid members.
Fortunately, most users defended the jiangshi, and a few even recognized their Dark Phoenix mercenary armor, naturally revealing their affiliation.
The problem was the sheer number of creatures pouring into those three paths—far more than here.
'We're deeper than them despite going slow.'
= That's because we're encountering fewer fights. Gremix's plan is working.
'Yeah. Since things are this way, guide the others to minimize casualties. No rushing ahead recklessly.'
= Yes, my lord. The combat jiangshi can adjust on their own.
'Good. And the demon-possessed users hiding among the players? They might tragically fall to the creatures.'
= Of course, my lord.
Possessed users had to die in Onboard.
That was the only way to break the possession on their Earth bodies.
"Humanoid creatures ahead. Stay sharp."
Just then, one of the possessed users scouting ahead issued a warning.
Geon-woo loosened his mental link to the jiangshi slightly and focused on this path.
* * *
Perhaps nearing the Queen's spawning ground, the number of creatures in this route was increasing rapidly.
Which meant more action for Geon-woo and Pang.
"Still, this is way better than the other sides."
"Yeah? How so?"
"The others haven't even made half our progress. And they're facing even more creatures than us."
"The Queen's an idiot? She knows we're closer but still sending more her way?"
Pang looked baffled.
"It's a queen, sure, but just a bug female. Not a beast or humanoid—pure bug creature."
"So it's stupid?"
"Simple, I'd say. Seems wired to think wherever more creatures die is the bigger threat."
"But we're killing a decent number now too."
"Still nothing compared to them. We've got momentum built up. Snowball effect—the sizes are different."
"I see."
Pang nodded along with Geon-woo's explanation when—
"Everyone, move! The creatures blocking us are retreating."
Gremix, at the raid's center, shouted to the group in an excited voice.
And sure enough, no creatures blocked them for a while after that.
"What gives?"
Pang, stuck to Geon-woo's side, asked.
"Other paths are still fighting. She's sending our creatures there too."
"Huh? Clearing the path for us?"
"All creatures from the nest are heading to those three spots. The Queen's even dumber than I thought."
"If that's true, yeah."
Pang muttered skeptically.
Shortly after, the group finally reached the Queen's spawning ground.
A few small creature packs popped up along the way, but they were easy pickings.
"This is it?"
"The spawning ground?"
"Those the creature eggs? That's where they come from?"
"Bug creatures hatch from them. Then they evolve into beasts or humanoids."
"I know that. But aren't the eggs tiny? Barely two finger joints big."
"Eggs are small by nature. It's just bug eggs—what'd you expect, chicken eggs?"
"Fair. So the Queen's not that huge either?"
The spawning ground was damp and musty.
Where countless tunnels converged, no specially carved chamber—just raw space.
There, they'd piled shredded branches and leaves like compost.
The Queen's eggs were mixed right into the half-rotted muck.
"Insane. Just these eggs alone—hundreds of millions."
Pang gawked at the scale, face twisted in disgust.
"Eggs from one spawning ground like this get shipped all over demon territory. Oh, see that?"
Geon-woo pointed at something he'd spotted.
Pang followed his finger to a wriggling bug and grimaced hard.
"Ugh, what the hell is that?"
"That's how they spread—stick eggs to their bodies and scatter. Hatch in suitable spots. That's how demon turf expands."
"Oh? Never seen one, though. Bugs plastered with eggs."
"Obviously rare. When things get urgent..."
Bam!
Geon-woo started explaining when a user smashed one such bug.
Eggs rained off its body.
Many flew pretty far too.
"They strip the eggs at the slightest threat. That's why you never see carrier bugs with eggs."
"Got it. So..."
"Right. Bugs only drop eggs after ditching them when attacked or attacking."
"Makes sense."
Pang nodded, scanning the spawning ground.
But eggs everywhere made him scowl.
The oblong eggs, two finger joints long, came in white, brown, red—mostly murky.
Just looking at them stirred revulsion.
"Alright, we're at the spawning ground. Everyone, clear eggs and hunt the Queen."
Gremix climbed a taller compost heap, drawing eyes as he spoke.
"Scatter here?"
A non-possessed user eyed Gremix skeptically.
Queen's turf—safe to split up?
"From what I know, the Queen has no attack power. And she's only about forearm-length."
"That small?"
"Yes. Older ones grow bigger, but one this close to the border won't be huge."
"So she hasn't been here long, right?"
"Exactly. But being small makes her hard to find. We all need to flip this place upside down."
"Why not just AOE it clean?"
Another user asked why complicate things.
"We must confirm and kill the Queen. Sweep without proof, and we're screwed if we miss her?"
"Uh, well..."
"She's small and fragile. Find and finish her personally."
Gremix's logic sounded convincing.
Even Geon-woo might've bought it without context.
Clap clap clap!
"Come on, let's move. Who knows when creatures swarm from outside."
Gremix clapped to refocus them, finalizing the plan.
Then he hopped off the heap like that was that, heading one way with two buddies.
The remaining possessed users paired off in twos or threes and scattered.
Thus, Geon-woo, Pang, and the other eight normals had no choice but to split too.
Couldn't just stand idle while everyone hunted the Queen.
"Geon-woo, know anything?"
Alone now, Pang asked.
"He held back on the Queen. She's down below."
Geon-woo pointed at his feet.
"Below?"
"Yeah. Surface looks messy, but it's a funnel shape. Narrows downward."
"So she's at the bottom?"
"Yep. Gremix knew that too."
"Then why?"
"Why? Users scattering as bait so he can reach her."
"Bait?"
"Tougher than he looks. Even his possessed buddies are bait—only him and those two are safe. Three total."
"So this place is dangerous?"
Pang glanced around warily.
Just stinking compost piles studded with bean-like eggs.
No obvious threats.
Pang eyed Geon-woo questioningly.
"What's the danger?"
That's when Pang asked.
"Kraaaah!"
"Aaack!"
"S-Save meee!"
Screams echoed from afar.
"Looks like it started."
Geon-woo muttered, staring toward the screams.