Two hours had passed since we set out.
Suddenly, Astrid stopped.
In front of us, something unbelievably rare was unfolding. At first glance, it looked like nothing more than an anthill—which was strange, considering we were in the middle of an icy continent.But this world clearly followed very different rules.
Either way.
It seemed we were standing before a dungeon.
And the longer we watched, the more ants poured out of the mound—straight toward us.
"T-This… this can't be happening. Here? Now?" Astrid said, her voice trembling.
"What's wrong, Astrid? You can just stomp those things, can't you?"
She shook her head.
"They're S-Class monsters. W-We're going to die."Her voice cracked."I knew I shouldn't have come here. I should've listened to Father. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."
My gaze shifted back to the ants. They were large, red, and disgusting to look at. The hole behind them kept widening, as if it were pulling them inward. The ground began to tremble. Chunks of ice broke loose and fell into bottomless darkness.
Then we were dragged in as well.
"AHHHH!!!"
—
A few moments passed.
I opened my eyes. It was dark—and yet I could see everything. We were inside something that resembled a cave, but the walls were soft. Moist. Alive.
The baby was still in my arms. Astrid was curled up in a corner, trembling, sweat running down her forehead. She was terrified. I could feel it clearly.
I didn't quite understand it. The ants looked dangerous, sure—but I felt no fear. As if I instinctively knew they posed no real threat to me.
Suddenly, a hole opened in the damp wall. The material warped like viscous slime—and an ant emerged.
Huge.At least four meters tall.
[ENEMY DETECTED]
[THREAT LEVEL: S]
So, S-Class.
I observed it closely. Above its head floated something… a level? It was blurry, hard to make out.
⸻[MONSTER: KIRA-ANT — LEVEL 300]⸻
I slowly walked over to Astrid, knelt down, and placed the baby in her arms.
"Calm down. Everything will be fine."
She looked at me. Her eyes—frozen with fear just moments ago—began to change.Suspicion faded into uncertainty. Then—trust.
"O-Okay…"
Of course she's scared. That ant is over 200 levels above her.This isn't a fight—it's a death sentence.
I stood up, stepped forward, raised my hand to my chin, and loosened my neck.
Crack.
"Oh. That felt good."
I'm allowed to look a little cool now, right?This thing is over 600 levels below me. One hit. One movement. That's it.
The ant charged.
It's fast. Damn fast.
I raised my right fist, shifted my weight, stabilized my stance—and—
BAM.
It exploded.
A single strike, and the beast burst like an overripe fruit.A shockwave tore through the cave, black lightning crawled along the walls, stone shattered, and the ground shook like thunder itself.
And I just stood there.With a slight twitch in my shoulder.
The walls burst apart, slimy cracks spreading through the rock, and dozens of ants charged at me at once—a wave of clattering legs and serrated mandibles, ready to kill.
I stopped counting. One. Two. Many.
I crushed them—one after another—with my bare hands. They scratched, they bit, they threw themselves at me like blood-crazed beasts, but none of it reached me. I felt no pain. No exhaustion.
When the last body hit the ground, I stood there—covered in blood, staring straight ahead. My skin was littered with scratches, but none of them were deep enough to even slow me down.
Astrid stood behind me. Still trembling—but steady.I glanced over my shoulder and made a brief gesture. She understood immediately and followed.
"That way. I can feel something."
Something was different. Not like the others.Deeper within the dungeon, a presence lurked that stood out even in this abominable place—denser, heavier, as if the entire dungeon condensed around it.
That had to be the boss.
We moved forward. The passage was slimy, damp, pulsing with the strange organic energy that permeated the dungeon. Ants kept appearing, trying to stop us—but I didn't let a single one through. Their attacks were meaningless. They never stood a chance.
Whatever awaited us ahead—I was ready.
At last, we arrived.
Before us opened a colossal chamber, so vast its ceiling vanished into mist. The air was thick, humid, vibrating beneath the sheer presence of the being enthroned at its center: a gigantic ant—but unlike any before. No red carapace. No ordinary drone.
This one was white. Unnaturally white.As if sculpted from bone.
"That must be the queen," Astrid whispered behind me."Can you handle it, Boss?"
I studied the creature. It was large, yes. Powerful too. But…
⸻[MONSTER (BOSS): KIRA-ANT QUEEN — LEVEL 500]
[MISSION: DEFEAT THE BOSS → REWARD: +5 LEVELS + ???]⸻
A reward on top of that? Nice.But what's with the damn question marks? Why not just tell me what I'm getting, you "mysterious" system. Always with the theatrics.
I stepped forward. The ground trembled beneath my weight. I inhaled deeply, felt my body tense… then let go.
⸻[BERSERKER'S HOWL]⸻
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A bone-shaking roar echoed through the hall. Lightning burst from my body, slamming into walls, floor—and enemies. The drones around the queen were blown away, bursting or collapsing before they even realized what hit them.
The queen snapped her head up, lashed her antennae—and then lunged.A white blur of chitin, mass, and rage.
She was suddenly right in front of me.A bite aimed straight at my torso.
Her jaws slammed into my skin—
and shattered.
Fragments flew through the air like broken glass. She recoiled—but I was faster.
My hand closed around her skull.My fingers bored through her armor like a hot knife through butter.
I took a step forward, swung her up, sprinted a few meters—and hurled her massive body into the wall with all my strength.
A dull impact.Then the rupture of flesh, bone, and carapace.
She burst.
Blood sprayed everywhere.The stench was horrific.The noise faded.
Silence.
[REWARD GRANTED]
[LEVEL: 978 → 983]
STR: 360 (+5)→ 363
AGL: 180 (+5)
INT: 70 (+5) → 72
DEX: 160 (+5)
CON: 208 (+5)
Hmm. Okay.Solid. More strength—that fits. It's my main stat, after all.Agility and constitution are fine too. And intelligence… well, if I really plan on becoming king, I probably need more of that as well.
Even if I still don't fully understand what INT actually does in this system. Maybe someday.
[SPECIAL REWARD GRANTED: KIRA-ANT CLOAK (S) 1/3]
[CLOAK: +5% All Attributes | Poison Immunity | Slice Damage Reduction +10%]
Okay, honestly… isn't that a bit much?
I mean, I crushed those things effortlessly—and now the system showers me with rewards, level-ups, and an S-Tier cloak?
…I'll gladly take it. Obviously. I'd be stupid not to.
I check the interface again.
"Set Bonus: 1/3"
So it's part of a set. And if I find all three pieces, I get even more buffs?
Sounds pretty damn good.
I turn to Astrid.
"Hey, Astrid! Where are the other anthills? Are there more like this?"
She looks up briefly and shrugs.
"Hm? No idea. S-Rank dungeons are extremely rare, Boss. And even if you find them, you usually don't get matching pieces. Set items are practically legendary."
Great.At least she seems calmer now. No more panicked shaking.
I examine the cloak more closely. White, with strange red patterns running through it like veins. It feels pleasantly warm—soft, yet durable.
"Stylish and functional," I mutter. "What more could you want?"
I throw it over my shoulders and let it flutter slightly.
If I'm going to be absurdly overpowered, I might as well look good doing it.
The room began to collapse, the ground shaking violently—and with a sudden jolt, we were ejected. We were hurled dozens of meters into the air. Astrid screamed, the baby clutched in her hand.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced my head, like a red-hot nail being driven through my temple.
Then—a voice.
It sounded like me.But something was off.
"Hey, you damn bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?! Get out of my body—now!"
I blinked, trying to orient myself.What was that?Am I hallucinating?Am I… schizophrenic?
"Schizophrenic?! What the hell is that, you miserable worm?!"
Silence.
Oh no.He… can read my thoughts?!