Chapter 44. Ant Nest (4)

However, Luna's smile did not last long.

The black ant that the instructors had deliberately let loose.

Luna dodged the legs and attacked from the side, but failed to sever the neck with one strike.

"Tch!"

The injured black ant went berserk, and it was only after the other children swarmed in and beat it that they could finally finish it off.

"...Not even able to handle one properly."

Luna's eyes darkened.

It means that it did not help her improve her skills at all.

"Hehe, you did well enough. The other kids only aim for the neck after cutting off all the legs, you know?"

"But even so... "

How could she ever complete her revenge with skills that couldn't even beat her peers?

Given how far away her goal was, it was only natural for Luna to be disappointed in herself.

"Hehe, don't worry. Miss Luna will get stronger soon."

"Comforting me, huh? Well, thanks anyway."

"It's not just comfort. The Lester family's sword technique is beyond Miss Luna's imagination."

"Hmph! I know that too. Our family's sword technique is the best on the continent. Well, I'm not proficient enough right now... "

No, Luna doesn't know the true power this sword technique holds.

None of the family members have shown her the real strength.

"Damn... Why am I so weak..."

The anxiety and unease that Luna felt and carried were transmitted to me.

'Usually a sharp cat, but now she's trembling like an abandoned kitten...'

I quietly whispered a secret that only I knew to help Luna.

"Hehe, Miss Luna, don't worry. The real Lester family's sword technique can cut the moon."

"The moon?"

"Yes, that's right."

Luna stared at me blankly.

Then she spat out a single word.

"What nonsense... Are you crazy?"

Luna twirled her finger by her ear, her expression suggesting she thought I was a lunatic.

I couldn't help but feel wronged.

No, really.

It can cut the moon...

* * *

"We've arrived. Take a 10-minute break now."

After about an hour of walking, we reached a vast plaza.

To be precise, it was a large cavern with a high ceiling. The peculiar thing was...

"Wow... Look at that."

"Insane. How can there be so many holes in the wall?"

"Surely they can't all be paths, right?"

The wall was riddled with countless holes.

Moreover, they were all shrouded in darkness.

They were deep, too deep to gauge with the naked eye.

"Ugh, it's creepy..."

These holes surrounded us.

My hair stood on end.

When strange wailing sounds came from the holes, the children's faces turned pale.

Of course, the ruthless instructor Charon had no consideration for them.

"From now on, act according to the pre-assigned groups. The holes are numbered, so each group can move accordingly."

This was an ant nest.

As befitting a place where ants live, there were dozens of paths.

"What group are we in again?"

"Hehe, Group 3."

Eight students per group, and each group had an instructor attached.

Characters I had never seen in the game. In other words, extras.

"Hi everyone. I'm 'Ron,' the instructor for Group 3. I'm a graduate, so feel free to be casual."

I didn't remember the instructor's name.

A group full of extras. Perfect for dying.

'Well, no one will die in this dungeon, though.'

This was the first ambush event where the main characters come together and the first large-scale event.

No one died when this event ended.

'It can be considered a safe episode.'

Even if you deliberately troll, the result is the same.

Just before the last survivor in the party dies,

Charon suddenly appears and finishes off the remaining ants in one strike.

Not catching any ants means no experience points or rewards, of course.

The harsh words and penalties from Charon only made the veterans angrier.

'No matter how hard the veterans tried to insult Charon...'

Even in special situations, it was the same.

Charon would always appear, destroy everything, and save the students.

In short, there was no need to worry about a group full of extras.

We had the ruthless Charon behind us.

"Oh, time's up. Let's go in. Have you formed your formation?"

"Yes, we've divided into front, middle, and rear positions."

Three in the front, two in the middle, and three in the rear.

Luna and I were in the middle.

"Not bad. I'm sure you all know, but I'll only intervene if it gets dangerous. So please be as careful as possible."

As we moved along the path,

One of the children in the rear asked,

"There are so many holes in the plaza... Isn't that dangerous?"

"At first, it was. But now it's safe. We've blocked over 80% of them."

"But can't the ants dig through them again?"

"Haha, it hasn't happened yet. Even if they do, it will only be a few. We can handle that."

"But what if all the holes are dug through?"

"Umm~ That would be dangerous, of course. But it won't happen. The ants aren't that smart, right?"

"I see. By the way, can I cut off a few ant legs? I want to show them to my parents on the weekend."

"Well, as long as you can fit them in your pocket, it's fine."

"Then I'll take some too. I'll give them when I confess!"

"Hmm, you might just end up as good friends, you know?"

Haha.

The children and the instructor laughed heartily.

Of course, I was at a loss after hearing their conversation.

'What? The holes won't be dug through? The ants aren't smart? Show to parents? Confession?'

It's hard to stack clichés like this.

Especially when they're all clichés leading to death.

What kind of extra group is this?

'It's all because of these guys.'

It wasn't the game developer's doing, but these guys were definitely the ones who piled up the clichés and made things worse.

'The Ant Nest Plaza Ambush Incident.'

Contrary to the instructor's expectations, the ants diligently worked to create paths, and most of the blocked holes were on the verge of being dug through.

Just as the main characters returned to the plaza to take a break, the ants' ambush began.

In the game, this was the first battle after the tutorial and the battle where the main characters realized each other's existence.

At the same time,

'This is the battle where I can level up quickly.'

Famously, a level-up storm.

I also planned to complete the quest to kill 100 monsters.

There were a few minor issues, but it would work out somehow.

'The biggest problem is getting rid of the stalker...'

I looked to the side.

Stalker... no, Luna was constantly on guard.

Her tension was at its peak.

Being a good person, I decided to help Luna relax.

"Miss Luna."

"What?"

"If you cut an ant into three parts, what do you get?"

"Are you calling me an idiot? Head, thorax, and abdomen, of course."

Luna laughed, thinking I was making nonsense.

I firmly replied to her,

"No, it dies. An ant dies when cut into three parts."

"..."

Haha.

Even now, I think it's an incredible wit and sense of humor.

Did my consideration work?

Luna, who had been staring at me, smiled.

"Zero, do you know what happens when a person bites another person?"

Oh, is she trying to relax me now?

Such a considerate Luna.

I almost cried at the sight of her growth.

But I had never heard such a quiz before.

"Hehe, do they become zombies?"

"No, they die."

"Huh? What kind of question is that..."

The children slowly moved away from me.

Instructor Ron also kept his distance.

Why are they all moving away?

Ah.

I saw Luna open her mouth wide and move it around.

Then I realized the meaning of the quiz she had given.

"Probably not? Then we should test it, right?"

"Oh, please don't, Miss Luna."

"Don't be tense. I just want to show you the answer."

Luna slowly approached, a smile on her face.

A moment later.

My screams echoed throughout the cavern.

* * *

After the small incident where Luna, the fierce beast, bit my head,

We continued to move along the path and soon reached our destination.

"Collect the wooden plaques over there. Then we're done when we return."

Instructor Ron pointed to one side of the wall.

There was a small wooden plaque hanging on the wall, with the words "Group 3" carved on it.

"What? It's over already? It wasn't much of anything."

"Right? No one got hurt."

"Did we finish everything?"

Hmm, spouting the ultimate cliché leading to death.

I don't know how many times I've done this.

As the saying goes, clichés are science, so the many hidden monsters, who had been relaxing, attacked us...

-But that didn't happen.

To spout a cliché that causes problems and still be alive.

They are really lucky.

'Well, the ambush will start when we return to the plaza.'

Famously, the Ant Nest Plaza Siege Incident.

They are probably gathering for the siege right now.

"Still, I didn't expect low-level monsters to be this weak. We can probably handle mid-level monsters easily, right?"

"What? They were shaking so much that their legs fell off before they fought."

"It's just that they were waiting for an opportunity? I can handle dozens of these monsters without a problem!"

"I'll confess to her when we get back."

To still be stacking clichés in this situation. Truly remarkable extras.

If this ends without any deaths, I might genuinely respect Charon.

"We've arrived. Good job, everyone."

We soon returned to the plaza.

The wall of the cavern, riddled with countless holes.

It's still creepy to look at.

Soon, ants will rain down from there.

"Oh, quite a few have returned. This batch is quite skilled, it seems?"

I looked around. About 70% of the people seemed to have returned.

It means the ambush is imminent.

It also means the time for a level-up storm is approaching.

'There are three things I need to do now.'

First, find the secret passage.

Second, get away from Charon and the others.

And the last, third thing.

'Get rid of the stalker... no, Luna.'

"What are you thinking about?"

"......Hehe, nothing at all?"

"It's suspicious..."

Luna tilted her head.

Usually, she has no sense, but she's surprisingly perceptive at times.

She's definitely a stalker.

"Miss Luna, are you thirsty? Shall I get you some water?"

"No, I don't need it?"

"I'm thirsty. I'll be right back."

"Let's go together. I'm thirsty too."

"......?"

Did I miss the flow of the conversation?

I thought she said she didn't need it a few lines ago.

"I'll go to the bathroom for a moment."

"You said you were going for water?"

"Hehe, I need to go to the bathroom first. Want to come and watch?"

Luna frowned.

It seems she won't follow me to the bathroom.

"......60 seconds. Run and come back."

Only 60 seconds?

If I really needed to go to the bathroom, it would have been very inconvenient.

I'm a big(?) person, after all.

Of course, I'm talking about height.

After blending in with the children, I slowly moved towards the wall.

I started feeling around the wall.