Chapter 58

In the night forest, countless presences draw near.

Black, countless creatures crawling on the ground—illuminated by the light source Lumina generated, their familiar insect forms were revealed.

However, each one was about a meter in size.

■ Legion Ant Pawn

Type: Monster

Level: 20

Status: Active

Attribute: Earth

Battle Position: Ground, Underground

As the name suggests, they are ants.

The insects, encased in black, hard-looking carapaces, were surging towards us in overwhelming numbers.

The sight of a black swarm of insects approaching from the darkness is quite chilling.

"Ah! I'm getting goosebumps, I'm getting goosebumps, teacher!"

"Well, I can't blame you... I'm a bit unnerved myself."

The sight of such a large number of insects, even at their real size, is quite terrifying.

And these are about a meter in size.

For those who dislike insects, it must be a nightmare.

I can feel a rare sense of unease as one of the ants charges towards me.

Clicking its mandibles, the ant lunges to bite, and I immediately swing my sword blade down.

"Kii—!"

The blade, swung down at its head, splits it in two with a hard sensation.

It seems that one hit was enough to deplete its HP, and it rolls over, revealing its corpse—yet there is no sign of the numbers decreasing.

Just within the visible range of the light, they swarm like a mountain.

I can't help but frown, wondering just how many more are out there.

"Damn... This is troublesome."

Even when one is defeated, there is no sign of fear.

Rather, they don't seem to feel anything when their comrades are killed.

It's insect-like, or something... I'm not good at dealing with opponents that lack any semblance of emotion.

There is no discernible killing intent. They just mechanically target us.

The bees, at least, seemed to have a will to attack concentrated at the tips of their stingers, but these ants just keep swarming.

Threatening them seriously won't be very effective.

"You, fall back!"

"Huh!?"

"Teacher, are we running away? That's unusual..."

"Idiot, we're retreating while fighting. If we get surrounded, it's over!"

In the dark forest with poor visibility, a black swarm of insects is surging towards us.

It wouldn't be surprising if we were surrounded without realizing it.

In this situation where we are overwhelmingly outnumbered, I at least want to avoid being surrounded.

Even if each one is weak, being swarmed by this many will surely lead to death.

Therefore, it's best to maintain distance and take them down gradually.

"Hizuma, create a wall!"

"I know—*Spell Charge*, *Flame Wall*!"

While running towards the rear, Hizuma casts a wall of fire.

The wall of fire, illuminating the forest in red, burns only the ants surging from behind without setting the trees on fire.

However, the ants' advance does not stop.

Even as their bodies are burned, they continue to surge towards us.

"Damn... I'll hold the rear. You deal with the enemies coming from the sides. Lumina, use magic."

"But...!"

"Idiot, you're not used to enemies of that size. Use magic to deal with them without overexerting yourself!"

Lumina has repeated training, but she's not yet at a level where she can handle real combat.

She can fight alongside Hizuma, but it's still too risky to let her fight alone.

However, as a mage, Lumina is more than competent.

With her flying ability, she won't fall behind a swarm of ants like this.

I pat Lumina's waist, and she floats up, hesitantly generating orbs of light around her.

Well, if she's flying, I'm not too worried about her. Rather—

"This is more dangerous!"

The problem is on my side.

While activating *Enhancement Magic*, I slash at the surging ants.

Of course, as the one holding the rear, I bear the most burden.

However, since they are damaged by the fire wall, they are not too difficult to defeat.

"Teacher, are you okay!?"

"Don't worry about me, worry about yourself!"

While slashing at the ants trying to flank us, I shout back to Hizuma.

Hizuma should be fine.

Since she's on the side, the number of ants is fewer. With Hizuma's skills, she should be able to handle it.

The rest is—

"Unfamiliar opponents—but, huh, this is kind of interesting!"

Dealing with opponents without killing intent is difficult. It's hard to anticipate their attacks.

However, these ants' only attack method is to bite when they get close.

The real threat is their numbers. Well, that's the biggest problem.

The wall of fire will soon disappear. The damaged ants are easy to scatter, but the undamaged ones are another matter.

What should I do—

(I've never had combat experience with such large insects, let alone spiders.)

The spiders at least had a clear will to fight, making them easier to handle.

These cold, machine-like ants are difficult.

I crush the swarming ants, slash at their leg joints with my sword, and slide back.

If I stop, I'll have to deal with many ants immediately.

I can handle a certain number, but if I'm surrounded from all sides, I won't have enough hands.

"Teacher, which way do we run!?"

"Towards the mountain path. Better visibility."

I don't want to bump into trees in this darkness.

The wall of fire has disappeared, and the number of surging ants is increasing. I slash with my sword, and the ants that flinch are trampled and swallowed by the ones behind them.

I kick down at the surging ants.

Attack—Hammer Foot.

The ants hit directly shatter, and the shockwave blows away the surrounding ants.

A hole opens in the ground, and the ants are gone.

Thanks to their lightness, it's not too difficult to blow them away.

Nodding in understanding—suddenly, a chill runs down my spine, and I look up.

At the same time, two ants fall from the branches above.

"Damn—!"

I strike one of the falling ants with my left gauntlet—unable to deal with the other, it bites into my shoulder.

Wincing in sharp pain, I snap its neck and tear it off with my left hand.

It feels like I haven't taken a proper hit in a while.

The pain and the heat of anger sharpen my thoughts.

"Teacher!"

"Use magic, fire!"

"Spell Charge, *Fireball*!"

"Ugh—!"

The fire Hizuma released explodes, and a flash of light erupts over a wider area, blowing away the ants.

Area attacks are indeed convenient. Well, we don't have any skills to use right now, so it can't be helped.

As the ants are blown away, we leap out of the trees onto the mountain path.

"Head towards the checkpoint. We'll whittle them down gradually."

"I understand, but are you okay?"

"It's nothing, let's go."

It's been a while since I've been injured, but it's just a scratch.

This level of injury won't hinder my movement. Rather, the pain sharpens my awareness.

However, the damage isn't significant, so I can heal it quickly with *Seizure Sword*.

It seems the damage from a single attack isn't significant. My HP hasn't decreased by even 10%.

Well, if I get bitten by that many, I can't say that.

"I'll limit their movements. Use magic in the meantime."

"Understood. But be careful, okay?"

"Stupid disciple, who are you talking to?"

With the wider field of view, it's easier to sense the approaching ants.

At least, there won't be any surprise attacks from above in this area.

Therefore, it shouldn't be too difficult to handle.

I kick away the ants charging at me with my greaves and slash their legs with my sword.

I don't need to finish them off. As long as they can't move, the rest is—

"Fireball!"

"Vanish!"

The explosion of fire and light slashes through the darkness of the mountain.

A considerable number of shadows are blown away. Indeed, dealing with such numbers is most efficient this way.

While retreating and scattering the approaching enemies, we can eliminate them with the magic cast by the two of us.

As long as we can see them, it's not too difficult. I alone can't eliminate them all, but it's enough to buy time.

"Good, keep it up!"

The number of ants has decreased, but the remaining ones continue to approach.

Their reactions are still mechanical. Perhaps worker ants don't need advanced thinking.

Honestly, it's troublesome that I can't anticipate their attacks due to the lack of killing intent, but it's not difficult to handle with the field of view secured.

The numbers are decreasing, and the rest is—

"Let's finish them off soon."

"We're not at the checkpoint yet?"

"There's no reason to go that far. Let's finish them off quickly."

The number of ants on the mountain path has decreased to a countable level.

There are still many, but compared to the beginning, it's a world of difference.

At this level, it shouldn't be too difficult to deal with them.

I continue to slash, kick, and crush the ants that keep approaching.

Since they only attack with their legs, it's impossible to counterattack with a water flow, but it's not impossible to avoid.

"—*Seizure Sword*"

I take the opportunity to recover my HP.

The wound on my shoulder heals, and the pain disappears, but I maintain the sharpened awareness.

With a step, I crush and swing the blade in a side grip.

Sword Technique—Hard Form, Bell Tower.

I slash the ant's mandibles with the raised blade, eliminating its HP and blowing it away.

Without looking at the next ant, I swing the blade down at the next target.

Sword Technique—Hard Form, Bell Tower: Fall.

Ignoring the ant split in half, I crush the next target.

While doing this, Hizuma burns and slashes with her flaming sword, and Lumina continues to shoot light arrows from above.

Then, the area magic cast by the two of them explodes again—and the swarm of ants is finally eliminated.

*Your level has increased. Please allocate your status points.*

*The skill level of *Sword* has increased.*

*The skill level of *Identification* has increased.*

*The skill level of *Tame* has increased.*

*The level of the tamed monster *Lumina* has increased.*

■ Avatar Name: Kwon

■ Gender: Male

■ Race: Human

■ Level: 21

■ Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 21

VIT: 16

INT: 21

MND: 16

AGI: 13

DEX: 13

■ Skills

Weapon Skill: *Sword: Lv.21*

Magic Skill: *Enhancement Magic: Lv.14*

Set Skill: *Dead Point Strike: Lv.15*

*MP Auto Recovery: Lv.10*

*Seizure Sword: Lv.12*

*Identification: Lv.14*

*Life Sword: Lv.13*

*Demon Slaying Sword: Lv.5*

*Tame: Lv.9*

*HP Auto Recovery: Lv.7*

*Life Force Manipulation: Lv.1*

Sub Skill: *Mining: Lv.1*

Title Skill: *Fairy's Blessing*

■ Current SP: 18

■ Avatar Name: Hizuma

■ Gender: Female

■ Race: Human

■ Level: 23

■ Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 23

VIT: 15

INT: 20

MND: 17

AGI: 15

DEX: 14

■ Skills

Weapon Skill: *Sword: Lv.23*

Magic Skill: *Fire Magic: Lv.18*

Set Skill: *Fighting Spirit: Lv.16*

*Spell Charge: Lv.12*

*Fire Attribute Enhancement: Lv.14*

*Healing Aptitude: Lv.8*

*Identification: Lv.13*

*Dead Point Strike: Lv.12*

*Martial Arts: Lv.14*

*Combat Skills: Lv.14*

*Endurance: Lv.13*

Sub Skill: *Gathering: Lv.7*

*Mining: Lv.4*

Title Skill: *Crimson Sword Princess*

■ Current SP: 24

■ Monster Name: Lumina

■ Gender: Female

■ Race: Sprite

■ Level: 9

■ Status (Remaining Status Points: 0)

STR: 17

VIT: 12

INT: 28

MND: 19

AGI: 16

DEX: 15

■ Skills

Weapon Skill: None

Magic Skill: *Light Magic*

Skill: *Light Attribute Enhancement*

*Flight*

*High Magic Resistance*

*Low Physical Resistance*

*MP Auto Recovery: Large*

*Wind Magic*

Title Skill: *Servant of the Spirit King*