137 - - precious ant

The ants were closing in, not only on the floor of the corridor, but also running through the walls and ceiling.

The large insects, floating in the white light, appeared one after another in waves, irregularly shifting their timing.

Against them, there was only one red-haired swordsman with two swords at the ready.

His fiery hair was hidden under a helmet resembling a dragon's head.

Stratchia, now a black mass, stands motionless in front of the swarm of ants.

The monster pounced on its prey, which had forgotten how to move, without mercy.

As soon as the first one enters sword range, a black blade cleaves the air in a haphazard motion.

Like mowed weeds, with a single swing, the body of the first ant is torn apart and flung through the air.

Then another.

And another.

Each time the black swordsman flashes his blade, the severed pieces scatter to the ground.

Thor stared at the head that rolled to the ground at his feet.

The shape is indeed that of an insect.

However, the size is different.

An ant's body would be about the length of an adult's arm.

But that should not surprise us now.

What was more striking was their unusual appearance.

The parts of the ants that had been separated had a sunset-colored sheen to them that was thin and translucent.

With a shell as luminous as a jewel, this monster was called the jewel ant.

Its body is said to be made up of a composition very similar to that of ore.

The species that Straccia is currently dealing with are called Amber ants, which correspond to worker ants.

Their shells are low in hardness, but they are very numerous and have a more troublesome constitution.

We tried to turn them over by lightly kicking them with our toes, but their heads would not budge.

The reason was the yellowish body fluid that was pouring out of the cut.

The sticky fluid makes it difficult for them to separate from the ground.

These ants look like amber, but they are not amber.

Therefore, it will hurt you if you believe in their appearance too easily.

Amber ants store a sticky fluid in their bodies, and when their carapace is damaged, they release it to the outside to stop their prey from taking action.

It was for this reason that Thor was stopped when he tried to draw his sword earlier.

Naturally, the red-haired swordsman was also exposed to the sticky liquid to the point of disgust...

"Wow, that's amazing. It disappears so cleanly..."

"The captain's sword and armor are both pretty good eaters, and I'm sure they'll gobble that much up."

As Kugase proudly interjected from the side, the black scaled armor and blades showed unusual phenomena.

The ants' bodily fluids that were supposed to have adhered to them disappeared in an instant.

"I think this is the material of the rotting corpse dragon, right?"

"Yes, it was very hard to beat it. It was very hard to beat.

Zoldamarg, the dragon of rotting corpses, one of the labyrinth masters of the abandoned underground prisons.

As its name suggests, Zoldamarg is an immortal monster that is driven by a miasma that causes noxious gas even after death.

The body of the rotting dragon is consumed by an endless hunger, and it absorbs anything it touches.

Therefore, the armor made of the outer skin and fangs still has the ability to absorb excess substances.

This means that no matter how many times a monster is cut down, there will be no blood stain left behind, and the wearer will be able to withstand exposure to strong acids and boiling bodily fluids.

However, if you accidentally bleed while wearing it, it will end up being absorbed endlessly.

"Looks pretty good. Don't you have any extra fangs or something?

"What are you talking about, old man?　Fifteen white gold pieces for that one sword!"

"Wow, that's a lot of money. But you don't say you don't have any, does that mean you have some left over?

"Well, there's a short one left, but it still costs three white gold coins. ......"

Crouching down with a surprised look on his face, Kugase reached for the head of the amber ant.

He then forcefully snaps off the horn-like part in the center of the two antennae with his fingertips.

The tips of the stripped protuberances glowed brightly under the girl's fingertips.

"Here is one of these, a large copper coin. If you want fangs, this is enough for 240,000 ants. Do you know what that means?

With a sigh of exasperation, Kugase tucks the tips of his antennae into a leather pouch on his waistband.

Although the appearance of the jade ant is similar to that of a jewel, it is not a mineral and will deteriorate over time.

For this reason, they are not considered to be of great value.

However, there is an exception: the third antennae on the forehead, called the ant jade, were popular among some connoisseurs because of their resistance to tarnishing.

"Yes, they are a bit numerous, but not too many to deal with. And if you go down there, you'll find more expensive ants, right?"

"......At all, you're a funny old man if you really mean it. I've never heard you talk that big with a white tag down.

Shrugging his shoulders in an exaggerated manner, Kugase begins to retrieve a series of treasures from the heads of rolling ants.

"Come on, come on, the first one to get it is the winner. If you take your time, you'll run out.

"All right, let's get a big haul."

"I won't lose!　Oh, and if you're looking for high ants, they seem to be here already.

Next to the girl who added this, there was the vice captain who gracefully held out his arm into the air.

His right hand was covered by a long glove bag that was hooked around his middle finger, and a bright red flame crystal stone was shining on the back of his hand.

"Red fruits of the flame tree--"

With a sudden chant, a fireball the size of a child's head was born from Ninessa's fingertips.

The fireball was shot out almost without pause, and flew past the man in black armor standing in front of her to the far end of the passage.

A beat later, a roar sounded, followed by a strong gust of hot wind.

After the dust and other debris had settled, what appeared were the remnants of ants that had melted into mush and were clinging to the walls and ceilings.

It is hard to believe that this is the magic of the lower branch skill, but it is probably due to the fact that the ants are in a full branch state and are augmented by their equipment and characteristics.

Furthermore, amber ants are vulnerable to heat.

That is why an open fire is the best way to burn them off.

The swarm of ants seemed to have been wiped out by a single blow, but upon closer inspection, only one ant remained in its original form.

With jaws snapping, it managed to turn around and try to escape.

The amber color of its carapace had peeled off in places, revealing a milky white shell underneath.

The red-haired swordsman finally moved his foot forward.

He closes the distance in an instant, and with a single swing, he cuts off the head.

Kugase is the first to step on the ant's head as it rolls away, and he turns to Thor with a look of triumph on his face.

These white-shelled ants are milky stone ants.

When they become aware of an intruder, they have the habit of calling out for amber ants endlessly.

This is not the only troublesome aspect of this monster. It also has the ability to change the color of its carapace at will and pretend to be a different ant.

Kugase proudly holds up the jewel of the milk white ant, and Rammera comes up to her and pulls her by the sleeve of her armor, taking her to the end of the passage.

The two girls face each other again and begin to talk in a hushed tone.

"What are you two getting so friendly about, Cu?"

"But, but ......"

"But I don't mean 'but', you know what I mean?"

"After all, I can't leave it alone."

"You know, in the end it's you who will suffer. Just ignore them.

"Hey, I'm leaving you, okay?"

The girls turned around in a hurry at Ninessa's call, then broke off the conversation and ran to catch up with her.

With their own agendas in mind, the group headed deeper into the dungeon.

Meanwhile, in the border town of Dadan...

"Today's To-chan, your poop is so long."

"If it's Thor-chan, she's out this morning on a very important matter.

"Mwah!　You're so rash to miss Moe!"

"He said everyone is staying at home because Tein is all alone."

"That's funny. They must be eating something delicious!"

"No way. You have such a pretty wife?"

"Grandpa says you'll get hurt if you sit on your ass."

"What?"