Chapter 33: Dungeon Black Hole (3).
The tunnel leading through the passage was as vast and deep as expected of an ant colony. True to its name, this anthill was long, deep, and more intricate than most labyrinths.
“Item: Recalling Turtle, retrieve.”
Before setting off, I pulled out an item shaped like a turtle from my inventory.
It was an E-grade item of high rank, so I had to use a retrieval opportunity, but it was well worth it.
This item was known as a favorite among even low-level hunters for exploring labyrinth dungeons or the Abyss due to its cost-effectiveness.
The item only needed to memorize a location once, and it would return to that location no matter what happened. In other words, no matter how far I wandered, I wouldn’t lose my way back.
After memorizing the location of the main chamber and pocketing the turtle in the front of my hospital gown, I grasped my blazing sword and proceeded forward without hesitation.
-Squeak!
How long had I been moving? After passing two forks and slipping down three slide-like cliffs, a soldier ant finally appeared before me. It was the same kind of scout I encountered in the first wave.
My response was quick. I had learned the most effective way to handle them in the previous battle, so I attacked immediately.
-Screech!
The creature let out a ghastly shriek, clacking its menacing mandibles as it rushed at me. I dodged its charge with a smooth slide and aimed my sword at its only weak spot.
Six strikes.
As I withdrew from beneath the fallen ant, it collapsed, its legs buckling as it sensed its imminent death. I finished it off, then quickly moved from the spot.
Ants don’t communicate through sounds like that. If they detect an intruder, they release warning pheromones across their entire body instead of crying out.
This soldier ant had likely used its wails to distract me while filling the entire colony with a mass of pheromones.
“Now it begins.”
I had two goals.
One, to figure out why these creatures were targeting the queen’s egg, which they should treat as sacred.
The other was to identify the being leading these ants.
Now that the ants had realized there was an intruder within their home, they’d undoubtedly be on high alert.
“Might as well level up to my heart’s content.”
Sure enough, within less than thirty seconds of killing that ant, I could already hear the sounds of more soldiers rushing in from every direction.
I quickly drank a sensory expansion potion and sought an escape route, my senses heightened.
“I can take on five at once at most.”
That was only a maximum estimate. To handle them safely, three at a time would be ideal.
Even with the optimal strategy to exploit their weakness, they were still formidable monsters at the [Unique-E+] rank.
One hit. Just one hit would spell my defeat. These ants’ massive bodies and the immense strength unique to their species meant no matter what tactics I used, I couldn’t withstand a direct blow.
I counted the number of soldiers advancing through the six tunnels now amplified in my senses and dashed down the third path.
This path had only four soldiers, while the others had between eight to ten charging towards me.
Calmly, I roused the power of the sun within me, letting the blazing sword absorb its radiance.
“No mistakes.”
No matter how large and wide this ant tunnel was, it was too narrow for more than one ant soldier to squeeze in side-by-side. Meaning, they were all charging toward me in a single file.
“In theory, I’ll face them one by one.”
Of course, theory doesn’t always play out perfectly in practice. But at least I wouldn’t face more than one at a time.
As soon as my heightened senses detected their presence, I lowered my body and rushed, striking the legs of the first soldier that rounded the corner.
I didn’t just sever the joint to weaken it. My power combined with the ant’s charging momentum blew away three joints of its left legs in one sweep.
-Screech!
I darted past the fallen soldier and slid under the next one.
Although I’d attacked suddenly, the ant’s vision covered a full 360 degrees, so it spotted me immediately as I slid beneath it.
With surprising agility for such a huge creature, it jumped up, narrowly dodging my sword aimed at its joint.
In actuality, my blade struck its shell, doing little damage.
“Damn it!”
I didn’t have time to curse my failure. All three ants had now recognized me as their enemy.
These ants were smart. Observing the damage inflicted on the first soldier ant through the corner’s blind spot, they quickly deduced that I was targeting their legs and prepared accordingly.
〚Unique-Rank[D-] LV 20: Elite Soldier Ant has appeared!〛
As expected, these were not mere scouts but elite soldiers. Their rank letter had changed, signifying an entirely different level.
They were more strategic, their shells tougher, their strength greater, and their bodies even larger.
“Damn, this is going to be tough.”
There was no other option. Facing three of these ants under these circumstances was impossible. I activated one of my trump cards: Equivalent Exchange.
My Mugeuk stat soared to its limit, and with the Heart of the Colossus effect, my Sun stat also surged to its peak.
“Hah…”
Before I could relish the rush of power, the elite soldiers attacked.
They were cunning, aware that their large frames made this tunnel a disadvantageous space, and they aimed precisely above and below me.
If I jumped, the ant in front would slice me in two with its jaws; if I ducked, the massive head of the ant behind would smash me into the wall.
“A head-on confrontation is impossible.”
Even with my boosted stats, the [D-] rated soldiers needed at least an [F+] level of skill to deal with them effortlessly, even with mythical stats.
There was only one way to dodge this attack.
“First Wing of Arrogance!”
“Yesterday’s unfinished skill… I must complete it with all my strength.” As I spread one of my holy wings, my full power surged forth.
〚The first wing is now active!〛
〚When the wing is active, the Rare Stat: Divine Power manifests temporarily!〛
〚When the wing is active, all stats receive an additional boost of +10!〛
〚Due to low proficiency, activation time is limited to 10 minutes!〛
〚The Mugeuk Stat has temporarily transcended its rank!〛
-Screeeech!
-Kreeek!
The ants’ overwhelming, inescapable assault came at me from both above and below, intent on ensuring my death.
But with a calm mind, suppressing fear, I watched for the moment they drew close, then slightly lifted myself.
-Screech!
With crushing force, they lunged at me from above and below, trying to smash me.
But I stayed calm. My purpose in lifting myself wasn’t to dodge.
I twisted my airborne body completely into a spin.
“Redirect the attack…”
With my Mugeuk Stat enhanced by buffs, I now had the talent to complete this technique.
As the Authority Manbyun transformed into a single sword, I attached it to the mandibles of the soldier ant lunging up from below.
At the same time, my blazing sword connected with the mandibles of the one descending from above.
I spun my body.
In less than three seconds, I executed every movement flawlessly.
My transcendent Mugeuk Stat, now at a rank beyond its previous limits, allowed me to master the technique of deflection.
As my body rotated, I directed the ants’ attacks away from me and toward each other’s necks.
Guided by my swords, their attacks followed the path I set. Their destination? Each other’s throats!
The powerful jaws of the soldier ants, enhanced further by my strength from the deflection technique, shattered through their own once-impenetrable shells, lodging firmly in each other’s necks.
Crunch!
With a brutal sound, the two ants’ jaws clamped down with devastating force, and they perished without understanding what had just happened.
〚You have perfectly redirected an attack several times stronger than yourself along the ideal path.〛
〚You have fully assimilated a technique that surpasses your limits by several levels!〛
〚The system is impressed by your incredible performance and has enhanced your reward!〛
〚Skill: Soft Overcomes Hard [Unique-SS+] has bloomed!〛
As the skill bloomed, something beyond the perfect deflection I had just executed was engraved within me.
A martial art that allows me to absorb an enemy’s attack with my breath and redirect it along the desired path—this was the essence of Soft Overcomes Hard.
〚Skill: Soft Overcomes Hard
Rank: Unique
Grade: SS+
LV 1
Description: The soft can overcome the hard.
Abilities
- Allows all attacks below a certain level to be [Guided].
- Unlocks at LV5〛
A smile spread across my lips as I read the description. I could now “Guide” all attacks. Yes, it was no longer just deflection—I could guide attacks wherever I wanted.
I grabbed the mandibles of the last soldier ant charging toward me and slammed it into the ground with my sword.
Boom!
With a resounding blast, the final soldier ant met its end, bewildered by what had just happened. At last, a smile spread across my face.
“Not bad. Not bad at all.”
I finished off the first soldier ant, which had been lying there, watching its comrades fall.
〚Unique-Rank[D-] LV 20: Elite Soldier Ants ×4 have been defeated!〛
〚Contribution 100%〛
〚Reward: Navy Coin ×100, Unique-[D-] Magic Stone ×4, Soldier Ant’s Steel Mandibles ×2, Soldier Ant’s Steel Armor ×1, Soldier Ant’s Steel Helmet ×1〛
〚Experience 10,000〛
〚LV UP!〛
〚You have gained 1 extra point!〛
This was already my second level-up since entering the dungeon.
I assigned the extra point to my Mugeuk Stat, then sank to the ground.
Pulling a health potion from my inventory, I sipped it, feeling the fatigue from the swiftly vanishing buffs.
“The remaining time…”
There were still over 14 hours until the next wave.
Factoring in the time to return, I’d need to set off at least 10 hours in advance, leaving me with 4 hours to spare.
With time to relax, I rose to my feet and set off slowly, seeking more enemies and information.
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