Chapter 72

This mine shaft spirals downward and does not have the vertical elevators found in modern mines, so Chu Feiyue and Qin Yue had to descend in circles. The winding mine tunnels had countless branches on the walls, which were the best routes for the ants to attack.

Perhaps jumping straight down would be a shortcut, but Chu Feiyue couldn't yet fly with Qin Yue, so they could only proceed in the normal way.

Ants that couldn't be seen on the surface were everywhere once they entered the mine. The first creatures they encountered were worker ants, a group of both terrifying and comical monsters.

"Blood-striped Worker Ant: Level 17 Elite. HP: 810. Description: A group of mutated ants originally living under the mine, which took over the mine after it was excavated. They identify enemies by smell. Skills: 1. [Ant Acid]: Blood, saliva, and bodily fluids contain strong acidity, which can corrode equipment. 2. [Miner's Heavy Pickaxe]: Using the heavy pickaxe in their hands, they attack after charging up, with a chance to cause dizziness."

These monsters were the bane of shield warriors. They looked comical, with their limbs on the ground and their front claws evolved into pickaxes and large pincers, and a large concave space on their backs for storing minerals, making them look silly from a distance. However, they were also terrifying, as each one was 3 meters long and 2 meters tall, with their massive bodies and constantly opening and closing jaws making them look particularly menacing.

The group of worker ants was diligently chipping away at the small red-striped stones on the mine walls. Occasionally, one of the ants would fill its back space and then turn to crawl down the mine, with another worker ant quickly taking its place to continue the work.

"They have such high efficiency," Chu Feiyue admired the social structure of these ants, which was efficient, simple, strict, and loyal.

However, this did not mean he wanted to become the ants' lunch. So when the friendly worker ants came in groups to invite him to lunch, he blasted them to pieces.

Divided Mind Control was a rather perverse magical skill that allowed Chu Feiyue to use multiple magic attacks. Combined with the almost instant small fireballs, Chu Feiyue could instantly blast off the ants' thin legs. The joints were the ants' weak points, which were very fragile. Without legs, the ants were just stationary targets.

Thus, the overwhelming number of worker ants could only become a gray and dark background...

Because Chu Feiyue had killed too many worker ants, the queen ant, hidden deep in the mine, issued an expulsion order. A group of soldier ants carrying the expulsion order came to confront him.

When this group of soldier ants slowly crawled out of the cave with a murderous aura, Chu Feiyue and Qin Yue were really taken aback, as they looked too fierce.

Black hard armor, huge jaws, mighty bodies, and dangerous weapons were the true portrayal of these soldier ants. Their size was similar to that of the worker ants, but they looked completely different. They no longer had the large pickaxes and pincers, but instead had a pair of sharp, large scythe-like front claws. They also lacked the ridiculous mineral storage bags on their backs, making them more agile and nimble.

"Blood-striped Soldier Ant: Level 20 Elite. HP: 980. Description: The enforcers among the mutated ants living under the red-striped stone mine, maintaining the dignity of the tribe. Skills: 1. [Super Ant Acid]: Blood, saliva, and bodily fluids contain strong acidity, which can corrode equipment, even stronger than regular ant acid. 2. [Two-stage Impact]: Swing the front claws to launch a high-damage two-stage slash, with a high chance of knocking back."

Indeed, these guys were not only the bane of shield warriors but also capable of wiping out an entire party.

This group of soldier ants was even more enthusiastic, crawling from all directions to greet Chu Feiyue. Especially from above, when they suddenly jumped down, it could give someone a big scare.

However, unfortunately, Chu Feiyue's elemental perception made these killers, accustomed to hunting in the dark, unable to hide. Although the rich elemental energy in the surrounding red-striped minerals interfered with his perception, it did not prevent him from finding those large creatures.

Thus, this group of soldier ants also became a tragic mess, with no return.

The ground was covered with the corpses of giant ants, making the mine look extremely fierce and terrifying.

However, Chu Feiyue didn't care about this. He and his sister had now reached the bottom of the mine, and continuing downward would lead to the ants' own home.

After countless practices on the way, Chu Feiyue could now control twelve fireballs simultaneously, a limit he couldn't surpass no matter how hard he tried.

"Stupid master, it's because your total mental power is too low," the voice of the necklace spirit Freya, who hadn't come out to criticize for a long time, echoed in Chu Feiyue's mind.

Huh? Total mental power?

"Yes, the current limit of the master's mental power is to control 12 spells simultaneously. To control more, you need to increase your total mental power."

How do I increase it?

"Um, just train. Um... that is, what you call leveling up now. Every time you level up to a certain level, the master's mental power will get a phased increase. For example, when the master went from level 9 to level 10, the mental power tripled."

Indeed, this was also sealed by the princess.

"What is the master asking? Freya can't think of it."

It's fine, you can go back to sleep.

"Um, the master is a bad person..." Freya mumbled and fell silent again.

Knowing the reason wasn't with him, Chu Feiyue felt much better and decisively entered the large cave leading to the ant nest.

The ants' home had fewer branches than the mine, mostly a straight path. Along the way, Chu Feiyue cleared out the ants' storage rooms, mineral storage rooms, nurseries, and moth breeding rooms, directly approaching the queen's palace.

Outside the queen's palace was a long, narrow corridor, with a long line of royal guard ants standing in pairs.

These royal guard ants looked even more terrifying, with their entire bodies evolved into a blood-red color, and their front claws evolved from the soldier ants' large scythe-like claws into huge war scythes and battle axes.

"Blood-striped Royal Guard Ant: Level 23 Bronze Elite. HP: 1600. Description: The queen's royal guards and breeding machines, usually eating red-striped stones to strengthen themselves. Under the queen's blessing, they can unleash several times their killing power. Skills: 1. [Super Ant Acid]: Blood, saliva, and bodily fluids contain strong acidity, which can corrode equipment and cause severe burns, even stronger than super ant acid. 2. [Hook]: A chance to disarm when attacking, pulling enemies within range to the front. 3. [Heavy Axe Chop]: Raise the axe high and chop down forcefully, causing area damage in front, with a high chance of dizziness."

If these ants were in a dungeon, would anyone really be able to defeat them? Chu Feiyue was highly doubtful.