Chapter 12: Another One?
Amidst the thousands of ant workers and soldiers encircling their mother, their large dark compounded eyes fixed on the intruder, a strange sense of patience emanated from them. It was as if they knew better than to disturb their queen during her mealtime. The scene was gruesome, a pile of human corpses, their flesh and bones merged together, blood pooling beneath them. The ants formed an orderly line, each taking their share of the mutilated meat before passing it down to their queen's gaping maw. The putrid stench of decayed human flesh was soon replaced by an indescribable odor.
Cyrus froze in horror as the message flashed before his eyes:
[You have been marked by the Queen's ant pheromone. You will be targeted by the colony.]
He knew what that meant. The giant ants in the gate were controlled by a single queen, and once someone was marked by her pheromones, they became the colony's primary target. He had to act fast if he wanted to survive this gate.
"GI!"
"GIII!"
"GIGI!"
The hunt began as the pheromone wafted through the air, signaling the ants to converge and attack their prey. The sound of thousands of steps thundered through the closed room, causing the ground to tremble beneath Cyrus's feet. In the face of this overwhelming force, he quickly retreated back into the smaller enclosed space he had just left. Rather than taking on the ants from all sides, he wisely chose to face them in a linear direction, allowing him to fully focus on what was in front of him and avoid unexpected attacks from blind spots. The cramped space would also limit the number of enemies he would have to face at once.
"OVERLOADED HEAT!"
Cyrus unleashed his Awakened ability. Flames erupted from his body, consuming everything in his path except for the shorts he wore and the small metallic vial tucked away in his pocket.
[You have lost 1.5 hp]
[You have lost 1.5 hp]
[...]
As he depleted his health with the continuous usage of his ability, Cyrus quickly glanced at the gift Mr. Hinks had given him. A small smirk of satisfaction appeared on his face as he confirmed their unblemished appearance. Soon after, the ants that had entered the small corridor started to grotesquely burn, quickly turning into cinders.
[You have dealt 15 damage]
[You have dealt 15 damage]
[You have dealt 15 damage]
Just like during his virtual examination for his hunter's license, the ants were defeated within seconds. Cyrus's high damage per second (DPS) coupled with their low health points (HP) made this possible.
[You have killed Ant Worker, you have gained 4 experience points]
[You have killed Ant Worker, you have gained 4 experience points]
[You have killed Ant Soldier, you have gained 6 experience points]
[...]
As the first wave of monsters charged towards him, Cyrus unleashed heat left the ants in a pile of broken bodies. But even as they fell, more emerged from the shadows, eager to take down this intruder in their territory. Again and again, Cyrus fought off the waves of monsters, gaining valuable experience points with each kill. Despite his success, Cyrus remained focused and alert, knowing that at any moment he could be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of his foes. As he gained levels, he resisted the urge to allocate his attribute points, knowing that he would need them for more dire situations that lay ahead.
After realizing that a significant amount of time had passed, Cyrus reached for a metallic container he kept in his left pocket. Carefully removing the lid, he retrieved one of the ten vials contained inside and swiftly consumed its contents. The restorative liquid coursed through his body, reviving his depleted vitality and granting him an extended duration for his abilities.
[You have consumed a Health Potion. You have healed 20% of your maximum health]
[You have lost 1.5 hp]
[...]
Eventually, after relentless killing, the number of ants gradually decreased until none dared to enter the corridor Cyrus was on. With his Overloaded Heat still activated, Cyrus confidently strode out of the entrance, stepping on piles of black dust that scattered from the wind he emitted with every step. He stood once again in the room where the queen lay. A good portion of the populace had been wiped out, leaving only a few hundred ants that remained very close to their mother.
"Hmm... It looks like most of them are elite monsters," Cyrus observed.
He assessed the ants closely, noticing that the ones with blue names were only slightly larger than the common ones. Despite this, Cyrus prepared himself to face them. However, to his surprise, the elite monsters began marching towards their queen and jumped right into her mouth.
Cyrus stood there, dumbfounded by the sight before him.
"GI!"
"GIII!"
After devouring all the remaining Elite monsters, the queen ant's stomach emitted a bright orange light that formed a circle. The luminescent ring swiftly exited her stomach and plummeted onto the hard ground.
*Bam*
After devouring the last of the elite monsters, the queen ant's stomach emitted a bright orange light in the form of a circle. The glowing circle quickly shot out from her stomach and fell onto the hard floor.
"Is that an egg?"
[The Queen Ant used 'Sacrificial Birth']
"Did she sacrifice her soldiers to summon this egg?"
Suddenly, a small crack appeared on the surface of the egg, and a small orange head emerged from within, followed by the rest of its body. What stood in front of Cyrus was a tiny orange ant with a golden name tag on its head.
"How is this possible? Another one?"
[Lv.12 - Fire Ant]
"GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone