Long Live the Queen

With a slithering sound, the unusable weapon melted into the greatsword. In an instant, the blade corroded, rotting into a complete mess. The weapon's color faded, its form beyond recognition. Yet it remained wrapped in that subtle, sparkling glow.

Yeonwoo glared at the light and drove the greatsword in with all her strength. Squelch, crack. Kwazik. The gruesome sound of churning from within was horrific. But to Yeonwoo, it was pure ecstasy—a signal screaming that she wasn't wrong. The queen ant was dying.

"Ha, yeah. Die."

So Yeonwoo swung the handle scorching her hands. She pushed forward with increasingly sluggish, ragged steps.

-Kee, kiiiii... The queen ant's cries grew fainter. Even its twitching resistance faded. At last, the queen ant's body slumped heavily to the ground.

"Ha."

Yeonwoo exhaled shortly. She couldn't relax yet. Instead, she covered the handle entirely with her body. Sizzle.

"Ugh."

The heated handle seared her stomach, but it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was bearable enough. If anything, it was a relief to lean on something when her body felt on the verge of collapse.

Ziiik. Ziiiik... A sound rang out. Not the sizzle of burning flesh.

Zik. Ziiiik... It was the heavy drag of something massive being pulled.

At the same time, her body slowly tilted forward. Lifting her gaze, she saw red soldier ants. They were shoving their dying queen away. Even on the brink of death, limp and sagging, they jammed their jaws into her body and dragged her off.

"Yeah. Get lost."

Yeonwoo murmured lowly. She no longer had the strength to speak properly. All her power had to be poured entirely into the weapon.

Yeonwoo tapped her earring. The fishy, rusty iron stench assaulted her nose, but she didn't care.

Another weapon she couldn't use normally. [Curse of Sharpness] — [Drains the user's physical abilities to maximize the weapon's sharpness.] An option she obviously couldn't use. But she fused it anyway. She hefted the weapon like she was merging it, gathering her strength. Slowly, with maximum effort.

Through her narrowing vision, the queen ant receded into the distance. But it didn't matter.

'I've tried everything.' To wield her Stigma 'Weapon Expert', she'd truly tried everything. So this sensation was familiar.

Thud. She stepped forward. Then pulled her twisted waist, yanking her upper body straight.

Whoosh—! Finally, her hands felt at ease. Hwooooook! With ferocious rotation, the greatsword launched.

Yeonwoo hurled the greatsword. Corroded but with maximized sharpness, the blazing blade gathered rotational force, cutting power, destructive might, weight, keenness, acceleration, elasticity—and shot forth amid the sparkling light.

Splurt! The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠greatsword vanished into the queen ant's body as if sucked in.

"......"

Silence fell. As if time itself had stopped.

Thud. The soldier ants carrying the queen collapsed one by one. Plop, plop. Plop. As if on signal, the ants dropped limply to the ground. Spreading across the wasteland centered on Yeonwoo and the queen. They curled their legs pathetically, pressing their massive heads to the earth—like prostrating before a new queen's birth.

"Hahk......"

Yeonwoo collapsed too. She no longer had the strength to stand. She barely propped herself with her arms.

Shrrrrk— A welcome sound echoed overhead. The anomaly sky vanished entirely. The chains blocking the gate entrance disappeared into the horizon. The red sky normalized, and the numbers that had hung in the heavens for so long faded.

It was truly over.

"Ahh."

At last, she could release the tension. Her vision shook. Or maybe her body did. And amid the shaking, a system window rose.

Pfsh. Drdrdrk. The greatsword embedded in the queen ant's body scraped the ground as it returned to Yeonwoo. No longer glowing or hot, corrosion-free and pristine, it nestled into her earring. And somehow, another weapon was now in her hand—a rod about arm-length. Its blood-red shaft was tangled with greedy golden veins at the tip, centered by a massive gem that brilliantly reflected golden light.

"Hoo."

A laugh slipped from her lips. Legendary. Those two letters she'd never obtained before in her life. And it wasn't the end.

The 【 】 characters vanished from the sky, and the system window melted down. Like thick blood, it dripped from the heavens, soaking Yeonwoo's crown. The sticky mass solidified into a resplendent golden crown. A brilliant golden crown matching 'Long Live the Queen.'

With the message, the crown seeped into Yeonwoo's body.

Superiority. Meaning utter dominance.

'Every kill makes me better at killing them. Something like that?' Hence, Species Annihilator. A power fitting for Yeonwoo, who slew all twelve queen ants and swept the wasteland clean.

"Hahat, heuk."

Yeonwoo's eyes widened enormously. She couldn't hold back the churning surging up her throat.

"Kuhak......!"

Yeonwoo vomited a clot of blood.

"Hahk, heuk......"

Her vision spun wildly. There was still more to check. The Stigma evolved from 'Weapon' to 'All Weapons.' She had to see what changed. Plus, the special option on her first legendary weapon.

This was the moment to savor the fruits of victory, joy, and triumph leisurely. Yet her trembling fingers couldn't confirm anything.

Yeonwoo arduously lifted her head.

'But why... is the sky still red?'

She tilted her head stiffly before realizing it wasn't the sky—it was the ground. Then why was the ground red? Why was it still flowing?

"Ugh."

And her side felt empty. Reaching slowly, she found a hollow void. Her palm stained as red as the floor.

"Ahh....... This."

She couldn't die now. Ah. Or could she? I didn't die back then either.

"Ha."

So after coming this far, obtaining such overwhelming power...

'What a waste.' Was this what they called a life flashing before her eyes? Yeonwoo recalled her days as a veteran hunter, toiling like a dog.

'Nothing was in vain......'

Splatter. Yeonwoo collapsed into her own blood.

"......Hunter Yeonwoo!"

At the approaching voice, Yeonwoo finally closed her eyes in relief.

* * *

While Yeonwoo and the hunters battled desperately in the Ant Nest, the real world was abuzz with massive repercussions.

The Ant Nest Gate—practically the starting point for new hunters—had closed, leaving countless hunters without ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a place to grind. But they weren't too disheartened. Hearing about anomalies on the news daily, they felt relief at not being caught up in it.

News shows invited experts and intellectuals to yap endlessly about anomalies.

[Anyway, it's life-changing. Mega corps line up to recruit you. What? Why so big a deal? You idiot! Liberators are valuable just for affiliation, so they...]

Real-time broadcasts buzzed nonstop about the Ant Nest and anomaly.

Communities everywhere kept the Ant Nest chatter alive.

All eyes fixed on the Ant Nest Gate. Crowds even gathered at the sealed entrance. Streamers filming for views, reporters and company headhunters hunting scoops, and families of those who entered last.

Time passed. On the 21st day since the Ant Nest sealed...

Shrrrrk— Harsh noise filled the transfer passage.

"Uh, uh, uhm?"

A dozing man jerked his head up at the unfamiliar sound. Spotting the blue whirlpool entering the gate, his eyes bulged.

"I-it opened? Hey! It opened! The gate's opening!"

"What......? Hey, hey! Rookie, wake up and grab the camera! Hurry, kid!"

People surged toward the entrance. Would hunters emerge triumphantly? Or would it just stay an empty portal? Tension mounted as they watched.

Ziiing— At last, the blue whirlpool rippled.

"Liberated! It's liberated!"

"Ha, haha. Yeah. Come back. Hurry up and get out!"

"Hear that? Ant Nest liberated! Fire the article now!"

Flash. Pop. Amid the exploding flashes, hunters began emerging.