"Hee-hee-ha-choo!"
Even after the frog monster died, Tiona continued to pummel it with her fists and feet.
"It's really useless?!"
The Amazon girl was shocked. Its skin could be easily pierced with a sword, but no matter how she swung her fists, she couldn't deal any damage.
Not only that, Tiona hefted her greatsword and, using Akshi's head, which was tied to the tip, as a hammer, she smashed it down hard.
The result was also completely useless!
"!!!"
Completely immune to blunt attacks?
It's an extremely specialized type of monster. If I could peel off its skin to make armor or a shield, it might be quite good…
Isagi thought as he and Lefiya found the Magic Stone inside the great frog.
As expected. After the Magic Stone was removed, its huge body turned into flying ash, and the only drop item was a section of its tongue.
Tsk.
The Dungeon really isn't that kind.
But at least they had the quest item. Now they faced another problem, which was…
At this moment, Tiona hesitated for a moment before putting Akshi down. She then asked Lefiya for a cloth and began to wipe her greatsword.
Just now, hadn't she plunged her weapon, along with Akshi, into the frog's mouth? When she pulled it out, it was covered in the monster's "saliva"—to be precise, some kind of transparent slime.
It didn't smell particularly bad, but it looked disgusting. The viscous, transparent liquid, enough to drench her whole body and still dripping, was something the girl simply couldn't accept!
Tiona was a girl, after all.
After much difficulty, she finally wiped the greatsword clean. As for Akshi, who was also covered in slime (he had passed out again from being poked around inside the frog's big mouth), the girl thought for a moment and decided to tie him with a rope and drag him behind her.
Isagi also called Asfi over. Then, using the fork specifically for picking up dung pellets, he picked up the tongue and placed it into the large pot in the woman's hands.
There was no other way, there was nowhere else to put this thing!
Mainly because this thing was still dripping water—after being placed on the ground for a while, the surrounding area had become wet, covered in that sticky, transparent liquid.
Damn it!
That great frog had that much water in it?!
So, besides the large pot for dung pellets, there was no other choice. And it didn't really matter, did it?
Isagi thought.
The old Goblin called this thing a "delicacy," so what was the difference between it and a dung pellet? Besides, it's not like he was the one eating it. And anyway, the old Goblin wouldn't know.
Isagi felt there was no problem at all!
To this, Asfi at the side only felt that the boy was inexplicably a bit "terrifying." This child was definitely someone you must not offend.
After dealing with things here, the party continued forward.
But just as they walked away, in the pitch-black cavern, something came to the spot where the boy and girls had just been.
Then.
It licked clean the somewhat congealed slime left by the frog monster on the ground…
…
Exploring the cavern.
Gradually, Isagi and the girls began to encounter all sorts of insects. Their bodies were quite large, about the size of an adult wolf, but they were quite easy to deal with.
These insect monsters had little intelligence, and their defense and vitality were also very low. They could basically be killed easily in two or three hits.
They did collect a few more frog tongues, as well as what the old Goblin mentioned, the "moth larvae"—they were the size of a palm, white and thick, looking full of protein!
Isagi also put them all into the dung pellet pot in Asfi's hands.
The journey was quiet. The quieter it was, the more uneasy it made people.
The monsters here were too simple. It was abnormal. And the more abnormal it was, the more it meant something "big" was coming.
As they continued to traverse, without knowing how long they had walked, Isagi was also drawing a map as he went—after arriving here, that guy Akshi had no idea which way to go, even brazenly saying he had never been here before, so he didn't know!
What a useless fellow!
And looking at the map in his hand, which was full of circles, winding around, and even had several layers, Isagi felt this place was like some kind of circuit board. It was too outrageous, wasn't it?!
And just at this moment.
A chewing sound came from the darkness.
"…"
"Lefiya, you're not eating fried potato snacks, are you?"
"No."
"Isagi?"
"Not me."
The boy and girls looked around, then all looked up at Asfi flying in the sky.
"?"
Why are you looking at me?!
The woman was speechless. How could she possibly be eating while holding this large pot?!
As for Akshi, that was even more impossible.
This guy would never open his helmet's faceplate in a place where he might encounter monsters. Moreover, he was currently tied up with a rope by the Amazon girl, being dragged behind her, looking quite carefree.
The slime on his body had caused the glittering golden armor to pick up a lot of dust and dirt from being dragged along, making it filthy.
So…
Continuing forward, soon, something in the darkness seemed to run away with a 'swoosh'.
And when Isagi and the others arrived, they only saw the corpse of a frog on the cavern floor, more than half of which had been eaten.
They continued forward. More and more of these half-eaten monster corpses appeared, of various insects, frogs, and even... Goblins?
Were they the guys from the [Management Layer]?
At this moment.
The party had already gone deep into the [Hybrid Zone], arriving inside what seemed to be some kind of "nest."
Although Akshi said this was normal, that the non-Goblin monsters here originally fed on other non-Goblins, and some monsters even ate their own kind, just like the Kobolds.
"That's why they're all beasts…"
"Shashashasha—"
The ground trembled slightly, interrupting Akshi's words. The originally carefree little Goblin suddenly raised its head alertly, as if confirming something, before shouting loudly.
"Oh no! The ant swarm is coming!!"
He spoke too late.
The swarm of giant, pitch-black ants was like a tide. Not just on the ground, but also on the rock walls and ceiling. Many had even balled up and were rolling towards them.
A swarm of Killer Ants!
For rookie adventurers in the Dungeon, this was the most severe test. These ants were individually weak, but they would constantly call for companions, so if the battle dragged on, more and more Killer Ants would swarm from all directions.
It could even trigger a [Monster Party]. Many adventurers experienced the Dungeon's "malice" for the first time at the hands of these guys.
To this.
Isagi, long prepared, had already switched his character card to "Retracing the Journey to the West." Facing the oncoming ant swarm, he directly used the Spirit Essence skill of the Two-Headed Lizard transformation.
Amidst swirling clouds and mist.
A huge lizard head slammed down in the cavern, then spat out crimson pus towards the ant swarm.
At the same time, there was Lefiya's magic. But at this moment, the elf girl did not release the wide-area [Fusillade Firebolt], but instead used the new magic she learned from her compatriot, Filvis.
"Sweep away the enemy, holy staff of evil's bane!"
"[Dio Thyrsus]!!"
A single-target lightning attribute magic, it originally released an extremely fast current, causing paralysis and damage to all monsters it touched.
In Filvis's hands, the girl often used this magic in conjunction with her short sword, delivering a secondary strike with the current to the wound she had just inflicted, and using the paralysis to delay the monster's counterattack.
But in Lefiya's hands, the magic changed again. The elf girl deliberately slowed down her chanting speed, maximizing the amount of her vast magic power she poured into it.
Then…
As a golden lightning serpent manifested from her staff, the thick current quickly submerged into the black ant swarm. The elf girl did not stop chanting, but continued to cast the same magic.
Repeat x1!
Repeat x2!!
Repeat x3…
Clearly, she had also learned Isagi's previous trick! An ultra-short chant magic, filled with the maximum amount of magic power, caused several lightning serpents to intertwine, forming a dense electric net between the boy and the pitch-black ant swarm.
Those charging Killer Ants in the front were directly corroded to nothing by the thick liquid spat out by Isagi's Two-Headed Lizard form, leaving only a floor full of tiny Magic Stones.
The rest crashed into the "electric net" maintained by the elf girl's constant repetition, turning into one charred corpse after another.
"…"
Asfi, flying in the sky, felt her heart pound watching all this.
The strength Isagi and Lefiya were displaying now far surpassed that of "normal Lv. 2" adventurers. But that made sense!
With a Dungeon like this, normal adventurers would have died countless times already!!
And when the clouds dissipated and the magic's electric light quietly vanished, Tiona shot forward like an arrow, charging into the ant swarm.
Swinging her greatsword with one hand, and using Akshi as a meteor hammer with the other, she efficiently reaped the monsters. This was the kind of combat the Amazon girl was familiar with in the Dungeon.
It's just…
These ants seemed quite smart and possessed a considerable ability to "learn and adapt."
Several ants, even as their bodies were shattered by the little Goblin, still used their sharp mandibles to bite through the rope in the girl's hand!
"Eh?!"
Her hand suddenly felt light. Then, from within the distant ant swarm, came Akshi's loud screams.
"Help! Help me!! Adventurers!! Quickly save…"
Within the black tide, Akshi's golden armor was so conspicuous. He was being swarmed, but the Killer Ants couldn't seem to break his defense, causing his tiny body to rise and fall in the ant swarm, tossed up one moment and surrounded the next.
However, more Killer Ants continued to pour in, leaving Tiona unable to spare a hand to help him.
So, Isagi thought of a good idea.
He called Asfi to his side. Amidst the woman's confusion, Isagi opened the large pot containing the fat, white, and wriggling moth larvae, the still-slimy frog tongue, and the pile of various dung pellets.
From it, he used the fork to pick up a dung pellet and threw it towards Akshi.
Bullseye!
The little Goblin, having just crawled out from the swarm of Killer Ants, had just raised its head when it saw something explode right in front of its eyes!
"Poof!"
Even with only a tiny slit in his faceplate, Akshi was hit as if by a heavy blow, instantly knocked out by the stench!
Perfect, it's super effective!!
Didn't the dung pellet's description say that its rich smell could attract or repel certain creatures? Isagi thought that ants couldn't possibly like to eat "snacks," so if this thing exploded in the ant swarm, it would most likely disperse them.
The result…
"Eh?!"
Tiona, in the middle of battle, only smelled a foul odor coming from the distance. Then, the Killer Ants in front of her all turned their heads and swarmed towards the back.
What's going on?!
And in the distance, Lefiya and Asfi saw it more clearly. The black ant swarm was completely attracted to Akshi, all heading towards the little Goblin?!
Holy crap!!
They really do eat snacks!!
Umm…
Isagi felt this wasn't a bad outcome, maybe even better! So he used the fork to pick up a few more dung pellets and threw them in Akshi's direction.
It felt a bit awkward. He thought that when he got back, he should ask Cecil to forge a weapon specifically for throwing dung pellets. After all, he couldn't really use his hands, could he?!
A game is a game, but in reality, Isagi still couldn't bring himself to do something like that.
And as the ant swarm's attention was completely drawn, even piling up into a tall ant-hill where Akshi was, the rest was naturally easy.
As crimson firelight illuminated the cavern, several streams of flame from the elf girl's staff surged forward, exploding in the center of the ant swarm.
The Mage's wide-area magic was the best "one-button screen clear" at this moment.
The lingering flames devoured the fragments of the ant swarm. Amidst a foul, burnt smell, Akshi crawled out from the small mountain of what looked like charcoal.
Although his golden armor was still filthy, it was completely undamaged.
Awesome.
This thing was probably more than just gold. But even so, the boy and girls, in the first instance, told the little Goblin to stay where it was and not come over!
Let the smell on it dissipate a bit first.
But very quickly, just as one wave of ants was eliminated, the familiar "shasha" sound came from the other side of the pit.
Again?!
Asfi flew up again, letting the light from the Magic Stone lantern in her hand shine further.
Then, as expected, she saw a large group of Killer Ants, still densely packed, blocking the entire cavern in the distance.
It's just that.
This time they didn't swarm forward, but stayed where they were. Was it because the previous attack was completely ineffective, so they were thinking of a new strategy?
These idiots really do keep summarizing their experiences and then "evolving"?
So.
What are they going to do now?!
Just as Isagi was thinking this.
Suddenly, one of the ants bit a companion next to it. Its sharp mandibles instantly pierced the black shell, causing deep green liquid to flow out as it began to devour it.
"?"
The gathered ant swarm, almost simultaneously, all began to devour their other kin around them.
Cannibalism?
No, this must be a prelude to something!
Sure enough, as the mutual devouring proceeded, in the blink of an eye, humanoid, pitch-black ants, as if "shedding their shells," stood up from the mangled ant swarm.
They had human-like forms, tall and strong, each a muscular giant over two meters tall.
Even their faces and heads were roughly humanoid, and they even had facial features, only they still had no hair, and short antennae remained on their heads.
The originally massive ant swarm.
In an instant, only a dozen or so of these "Killer Ant muscle-men" were left.
Quantity wasn't working, so now they're going for quality?
Just as Isagi was thinking that the speed at which these bugs adapted and evolved was a bit too fast.
A pitch-black Killer Ant giant was already running towards him. Its clay-pot-sized fist was coming straight for his head!
Isagi didn't defend, but instead drew the Glimmer Greatsword from his back, because Lefiya behind him had already raised her staff and activated a defensive magic.
"Bang!"
The Killer Ant giant's fist landed heavily on the sky-blue magic barrier. The huge impact even caused its arm to instantly deform—was the force too great for it to handle itself?
Or did this guy not know how to use a human-like body?
Isagi couldn't be bothered to think. He just swung his greatsword, unleashing the three energy points he had just accumulated, and gave the guy in front of him a fully charged heavy attack!
A downward sword strike caused deep green "blood" to burst from the Killer Ant giant's muscular body. Next was a repetition of the combat art [Glimmer Slash].
And Tiona, who had now come to support, swung her greatsword in a cross slash with him! The almost overlapping cross instantly cut the Killer Ant giant before them into four pieces.
Their companion was quickly dispatched. This seemed to leave the remaining Killer Ant giants somewhat at a loss. They stood in place, and the next second, they began to devour each other again.
Not only that.
From the depths of the cavern, another batch of Killer Ants swarmed in.
These newcomers also began to devour each other, and finally, from the remains of the ant swarm, only a single figure stood up.
It was a glittering golden Killer Ant giant.
"Holy crap?"
Ants are social, highly cooperative insects. Even as monsters, they naturally retain certain "characteristics." But the way these ants just devoured each other to create a stronger individual reminded Isagi of the previous "Meat Cup Queen."
Could it be that these ants had also learned the Kobolds' method of becoming stronger? Did they also know the so-called [Warmth of Blood and Flesh]?
And it seems they will continuously learn, adapt, and then become stronger?
The current glittering golden Killer Ant. Was it because Akshi's golden armor had left them helpless, so they thought a golden shell was a symbol of being more advanced and powerful?
These stupid donkeys are still just instinctive creatures with no wisdom, huh.
Isagi guessed.
But what concerned the boy and girls the most was that the golden ant giant's "name" did not appear.
So, it's still just an elite monster? Did it not eat enough ants?
It should be. After all, the Meat Cup Queen ate up the entire [Meat Pit] to give birth to the Meat Cup Princess.
So it's an elite monster. Perhaps after a few more fights, when all the Killer Ants in the [Hybrid Zone] have devoured each other, a so-called BOSS will be born?
Will this guy learn to use magic and weapons later? Isagi felt his imagination was getting a bit too rich. After all, if the ants were that powerful, how could they have been locked up here by the Goblins?
Something was wrong.
Isagi was sure there was a BOSS on this floor.
But it probably had nothing to do with the ants in front of them.
Suddenly realizing something.
Throughout the journey, he and the girls hadn't encountered many monsters. But just now when they arrived here, a large number of ant swarms poured in.
Were they chasing them?
Or perhaps…
Isagi noticed that the golden Killer Ant, on its completely expressionless face, its compound eyes, unique to insects, were not looking at him and the girls.
But in another direction.
That was where Akshi was. And it was standing still now, not launching an attack, not because of anything else, but because of—
Fear.
Isagi could feel that the golden Killer Ant was afraid. Its muscular legs, which could rival a bodybuilding champion after pulling the Nine Dragons Coffin, were trembling slightly.
Even after gathering the power of all its surrounding kin, having reached what should be its strongest form, it still found that it was no match for a certain something—and it was precisely because it had become stronger that it could feel the other's power, and the gap between them.
At this moment.
Akshi, lying in a distant part of the cavern, suddenly felt something in the darkness approaching him.
Accompanied by a faint chewing sound, an intense sense of terror quietly descended.
The little Goblin opened its mouth and let out a sudden, sharp scream. The sound pierced the darkness of the cavern, so loud that even Akshi himself couldn't believe it.
But there was no choice. Because at this very moment, it saw the face of one of its own kind.
"What's wrong?!"
Isagi was the first to react, looking towards Akshi's direction. As Asfi, flying in the sky, also cast the light of her Magic Stone lantern over.
Under the orange glow.
Isagi saw an extremely twisted figure lying on the little gold-armored Goblin.
It had half a Goblin's face, the other half was a Kobold's. Nearly half of its body was composed of black shadow, while the remaining part had an insect's carapace on the surface, and claws like a lizard's.
It barely had a "human" shape, but its various body parts seemed to be pieced together from different monsters.
It lay on Akshi's body. Sticking out a long tongue that constantly secreted transparent slime, it continuously licked the little Goblin's golden armor, seeming to want to swallow it whole.
What the hell?!
And the moment the boy and girls saw its figure, silent characters also faintly surfaced in their minds—
[Hybrid Pallum].
Huh?
Isagi could hardly believe it. This guy, about the same size as Akshi, was actually the BOSS of the [Hybrid Zone]?!
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan