Chapter 46

46. Ant Nest (6)

'They say this batch is a golden generation... It wasn’t just empty talk.'

I didn’t actually have a conversation with them.

I just overheard information while hiding in the shadows.

Among them, there were some who spoke ill of me, but it didn’t really bother me.

I wasn’t allowed to have emotions, after all.

I faithfully carry out my orders.

That was my role and the meaning of my existence as the "Imperial Rat."

"Rain Fire!"

Kaboom!

A dozen or so ants were pierced by the rain of fire.

The ants, pierced in various places, were unable to exert their strength.

The children of the Yuridia faction rushed over to finish them off.

"Indeed, Lady Yuridia! Haha! When the Yuridia faction unites, this is nothing at all!"

"Alfonso! I'll leave this to you!"

"Huh? Then where are you going, Lady Yuridia...?"

"I have to save the children in danger!"

"L-Lady Yuridia! It's dangerous!"

Alfonso reached out his hand.

But his action stopped there. He didn’t chase after Yuridia.

He was afraid. After all, ants were still pouring down.

"Dyke, make sure those filthy things don’t come near me."

"Yes, understood."

Teron took out a handkerchief and pinched his nose.

It was because the smell from the monsters was indescribable.

At the same time, Dyke began to swing his sword in earnest.

Crack! Crunch-!

One by one.

He steadily eliminated the ants.

But his targets were only those that came near Teron.

Watching this, Caron thought.

'There are indeed a diverse group of humans.'

Someone trying to save other children.

Someone who only values their own life.

Someone who prioritizes their hygiene over others' safety.

Someone who faithfully follows orders.

But Caron didn’t want to criticize anyone.

'There is no right answer.'

While Yuridia, who cares for others, is admirable, it can’t be called the right thing to do.

It’s a judgment that could put not only herself but also the lives of her comrades in danger.

Crack!

Just as Caron was about to move again after smashing an ant’s face, a girl’s voice pierced his ears.

"Zero! Where are you!"

A voice he was now quite familiar with.

Luna.

'Is she alone? And why is she wandering around?'

In this situation, the best option is to be under the protection of an instructor.

The second-best is for students to support each other.

Yet, she was still wandering alone.

It was a very dangerous action.

Squeak-!!

Reality, as usual, matched Caron’s expectations.

An ant blocked Luna’s path.

"What do you want! Get lost!!"

Snap!

Luna beheaded the ant with one strike.

To be able to cut it down with a single blow without the family’s secret sword technique.

It was impressive.

Well, being covered in blood was a point deduction, but still.

'Has her skill improved? Excellent.'

Caron felt a sense of pride without realizing it.

He thought he should give her some points once this place was cleared.

"Zero... where are you..."

Caron heard Luna’s muttering in his ear.

She didn’t seem to care about her own condition at all.

Seeing this, Caron thought.

"Tsk, Ron, are you there?"

He immediately called out to Instructor Ron.

"Yes, sir?"

"Mark that child."

"Huh?"

"She’s about to make a big leap. However, she seems to be swayed by her emotions. If she’s in danger, help her."

"Yes, understood!"

Ron, despite being a bit showy, was one of the top three instructors.

It meant he could protect Luna while dealing with the monsters.

With Luna’s safety secured, Caron looked around.

'Now that I think about it... that guy is missing.'

The mysterious child, Zero.

He couldn’t be found anywhere.

'Strange. I didn’t think he was the type to run away.'

If he had died somewhere, there should be a body.

But there was none.

In the end, Caron decided to use his trump card.

'I have no choice but to use it.'

A tracking scent he created independently through a combination of special chemicals.

After cleaning out his nose with the chemicals, he focused.

The tracking was easy.

He had already embedded the tracking scent on Zero.

Soon, Caron began to move, following the scent.

'How dare he leave Luna alone? Ah... no, that’s not it.'

Caron shook his head to clear his thoughts.

It was impossible to be angry because of Luna.

No, the reason he was angry was...

'How dare he leave the battlefield. Zero, you bastard.'

If you’re caught, you’ll get 5 penalty points.

Caron soon reached where Zero was.

The tracking scent was all over the wall. No, rather,

'The scent continues behind the wall?'

It meant there was a space behind the wall.

Caron put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small, sharp dagger.

Clank!

He threw four daggers, but only three sounds were heard.

One had disappeared. Precisely,

'This is it.'

When he pushed his hand into where the dagger disappeared, his fingers vanished halfway.

An illusion spell. More accurately, an illusion spell array.

'I didn’t receive any report about this.'

He lowered his body slightly and moved inside.

Pitch-black darkness.

But Caron could see the structure clearly.

Darkness was his main stage, after all.

With even a small light, he could see through the structure.

'There’s light coming from somewhere... that means...'

There’s a gap somewhere.

And it’s very likely that it leads somewhere.

Caron’s well-trained senses told him so.

'There’s no trap... strange?'

Setting up an illusion spell array is not an easy task.

Money, materials, time, physical disguise, and a high-level mage.

Since it was an illusion spell array that even he couldn’t detect, it must have taken a lot of effort.

'But there’s not even a simple trap?'

What was even stranger was that this space, which wasn’t on the map and which he had entered dozens of times without noticing, had been found by Zero, and he had even hidden his body here?

'There’s a smell.'

A bad smell was wafting.

Finding Zero wasn’t difficult.

It was a dead-end, and he was standing in the center of the exit.

Well, it was probably because the exit was a cliff.

Zero was looking at the opposite cliff.

Countless black lines were drawn on the cliff.

The strange thing was that these lines were moving slightly.

As if they were alive.

"..."

No, no. Those aren’t black lines.

'Ant-type monsters...!'

Caron couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

Black lines. Upon closer inspection, each one was an ant.

The number was so great that they looked like lines.

'If all of them come at once...!'

Caron and the instructors could survive.

But the students’ safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

'Zero isn’t the important one.'

How he found this place and why he came here didn’t matter.

What mattered now was a quick evacuation, sealing the entrance, and requesting support.

'I’ll take him out immediately!'

Just as Caron was about to grab Zero’s collar, Zero placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and spread his feet wide.

Then he slightly bowed his waist.

'That stance...?'

The unique ready stance of the Lester family.

Suddenly, Caron remembered the entrance exam.

The scene of Zero imitating Luna’s [One Slash] to break through Raymond’s defense.

'But why would he perform such a demonstration here?'

Before Caron’s thoughts could finish,

Zero moved.

His slightly bent left knee, the sword sheath standing at a right angle to it.

The explosive rotational power of his ankles and wrists, visible only to experts.

The deeper bow of his waist due to this.

And.

A massive beam of light that swallowed the surrounding light and flew.

Yes, that was it.

The first secret technique of the Lester family.

'One Slash...!!'

Caron couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

Not because the opposite cliff was collapsing.

But because the back view of the Lester family, which he deeply admired and respected, was right there.

'Renia...?'

The head of the Lester family and Luna’s mother.

Renia de Lester.

The back view of Renia and Zero overlapped in his mind.

It was a perfect match. The proud sword technique and.

That confident back view.

'You... what are you?'

How could you perfectly use the secret technique of the Lester family?

The most likely possibility was.

'Could he be an illegitimate child of the Lester family?'

But the proud Lester family wouldn’t hide the existence of an illegitimate child.

They would rather announce it proudly and let the public judge.

'Especially Renia.'

Of course, he couldn’t jump to conclusions. They were human, after all.

If Zero was an illegitimate child, it would make sense why Luna trusted him.

They would be half-siblings.

"..."

But what if it’s not that?

If he was a spy planted by 'them'.

If he was plotting to use the Lester family again.

'I’ll deal with him here.'

Caron slowly approached. On the back of his wrist,

A small, sharp dagger was hidden.

* * *

A single beam of light.

But the aftermath of that beam was far from small.

Kaboom!!

A deafening explosion.

The cliff shook as if it might collapse.

The opposite cliff was filled with dust.

At the same time, the cries of the ants, almost like screams, filled the space between the two cliffs.

'Crazy...'

Checking the information window, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

My level is 25. It’s increased by 10 levels.

My points have also jumped to 130.

'To earn enough points for a potential stat gamble in one go.'

It was even more shocking to have increased 10 levels at once.

The highest level-up record for veterans was 6 levels.

I had just broken that record, by 4 levels.

The dust slowly settled.

Aiming for the top of the cliff for safety, the upper part of the cliff had completely disappeared.

'So, it can’t be used on humans.'

But it can be used on monsters.

I took up my stance again, putting my sword back.

Potential stat gamble? I can do that later.

What’s more important now is to take advantage of this golden opportunity.

'I’ll scrape every last bit of it.'

By the way, in the game, no matter how many skills I use, the ants don’t cross over.

It’s assumed that the spaces are independent and not connected.

'That’s why there are two queen ants.'

The same was true now.

They were in chaos, only guarding and repairing, not moving towards us.

It was clear there was no path.

"Zero! What are you doing here?!"

A sudden shout from behind.

I couldn’t help but be startled.

The shout was loud, but the person who shouted was none other than.

'Caron? Why is he here?'

Breaking the terrain, dancing and singing, jumping off the cliff.

No one had ever come here, no matter what I did.

Yes, this is.

'A new hidden piece.'