Chapter 17

EP.17 Ant Nest (2)

It was already deep into the night.

As I got off the carriage, a gorge came into view. Although it was dark under the moonlight, it was an incredibly majestic sight, hard to believe it was only about a four-hour journey from the academy.

Right in front of me was the entrance to the Tantak underground cave. The inside was pitch black, looking like an ordinary cave entrance. Once inside, a downhill path leading underground would stretch out.

"Student, are you really okay with this?"

The carriage driver asked with a worried voice. Really, I'm fine...

But I can't scold someone who's worried.

I nodded with a light smile.

"I'm fine. Be careful going in."

"You be careful too..."

The driver took the fare I gave him and started to drive the carriage away.

Silence had settled in. After taking a deep breath, I entered the cave.

...It's really dark.

I took out a glowing lamp from my magic bag. The portable lamp emitted light, illuminating the surrounding scenery.

[Portable Glowing Lamp]

: A lamp containing a glowing stone. Easy to carry.

Grade: 9th Tier

Pitter-patter-patter-patter-patter!

"Whoa!"

When I shone the glowing lamp at the ceiling, the bats hanging there started flapping their wings in all directions.

Wow, I thought my heart was going to drop...

I'm weak for this kind of thing...

"Ah, so scary..."

I put my hand on my chest and tried to catch my breath.

Even if I had come during the daytime, it would have been just as dark. Don't regret coming at this time, me...

Anyway, the darkness and fear won't last long. If I keep going in, there will be glowing stones that Garzia set up with mana to distinguish the paths.

Just hold on until then. Well, there are no ghosts or anything.

I slowly moved forward.

"..."

A downhill path appeared. A gentle slope. If I keep going down, I'll reach the underground maze.

I had memorized the entire underground maze. It's a basic skill as a veteran of *Merchen's Magic Knight*.

I started to carefully descend the slope, being cautious not to trip.

"..."

Oh, but really.

It's so scary.

The range illuminated by the glowing lamp is limited. Beyond the light, it's still pitch black.

Suddenly, I imagined a ghostly white, terrifying face popping out of that darkness.

I would definitely faint. Yeah, I would faint.

I swallowed hard. In the intense tension, I quietly, quietly moved my feet.

...Then.

──Screeech─!!

──Crash───!!

"......!!"

A piercing scream and the sound of boulders collapsing echoed from behind.

My heart sank. I held on to my nearly fainting mind and barely regained my composure.

That was a woman's scream. It can't be a ghost...

I turned around and started running up the slope towards the cave entrance.

"......?"

When I reached the top of the slope, I saw broken boulders scattered around the cave entrance.

And when I extended the glowing lamp forward, I saw a familiar female student sitting in the middle.

Wearing the same Merchen Academy uniform as me, a green-haired girl with two braids was trembling.

She looked at me, then quickly turned her head away, trying to hide her sobbing expression.

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Lv: 91

Race: Human

Attribute: Wind, Ice

Danger Level: X

Psychology: [She is embarrassed to show you her shameful appearance.]

Why is Kaya here...

"Kaya...?"

"Ah, Mr. Isaac. I, that... "

Anyway, she was the one who screamed just now, right?

Could it be that Garzia's henchmen have appeared?

I quickly ran to Kaya, knelt down, and met her eye level.

"Why were you so startled?"

"..."

"Did you encounter a giant ant...?"

"Ba, bats..."

"Huh?"

"Because of the bats... I was startled..."

...I see.

"I'm sorry..."

Kaya apologized in a dejected voice.

There's no need to apologize.

As long as it's not a dangerous problem, it's fine.

"Alright. But why did you follow me?"

"......!"

The reason Kaya was here. Judging by her appearance at this moment, it seemed she had followed me.

Her surprised reaction confirmed it.

'Why?'

I know she admires me. But is Kaya the type to stalk the person she admires?

"I also have business here..."

"You followed me."

"Ugh, that... I can't tell you the reason."

Maybe I'm seeing a side of Kaya I didn't know.

If she doesn't want to say, that's fine. I didn't plan to force her to tell me right away.

"Can you stand?"

"..."

"..."

When I extended my hand, Kaya, who had been hiding her expression, suddenly stared at me.

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Psychology: [She feels awkward about your gentle attitude.]

Ah, right.

I've been cold to Kaya so far. I pretended to be strong, acting like I was showing my true colors.

I still can't reveal my true self to Kaya. If she finds out I'm actually weak, I don't know what kind of backlash might come.

To avoid unnecessary suspicion, I need to maintain my usual 'pretend-to-be-strong but show my true colors' attitude.

"Ha."

A sigh.

"Did you come to interfere with me?"

I asked in a sarcastic voice.

Only then did Kaya's suspicious expression subside, and she looked at me with a mix of admiration and fear.

"No, no! I wouldn't do that!"

Kaya jumped to her feet, looking very alert.

I ignored her and started moving down the slope again.

Kaya followed me closely.

"Then why are you here, Mr. Isaac...?"

There was no need to hide my purpose, so I decided to answer honestly.

"To kill a demon."

"Is, is that so!"

Kaya's response, as if she had expected it.

"There's a demon here...!"

"You shouldn't be here. Go back."

It's dangerous for Kaya to be here. Even if the secluded Garzia isn't at full strength, her level is higher than Kaya's.

"No, I will help too."

Kaya came to my side and looked at me with a determined expression.

"To protect the academy."

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Psychology: [She feels she looks cool for trying to protect the academy's peace.]

What is she imagining...

Whatever it is, I can tell she has a vivid imagination.

Protecting the students by entering the darkness behind the academy and defeating the evil horde.

She must be imagining something like that.

Thinking about it, having Kaya here might not be bad.

Beyond this darkness and downhill path is an unknown territory. I can't handle all the variables.

Besides, Kaya is very skilled. If unexpected variables come up, she can cover my back.

If the secluded Garzia attacks, I can protect her.

"...Do as you please."

I reluctantly agreed.

Kaya's expression brightened. She nodded and turned her gaze forward.

Kaya, holding a wand with a green magic stone embedded in it, entered a defensive stance. She looks reliable.

We walked down the slope for 20 minutes, relying on the light from the glowing lamp.

Beyond the slope, a dim corridor appeared.

The entrance to the "Underground Maze."

"Here?"

"Underground Maze. It's easy to get lost, so follow me closely."

"Ah, yes...!"

I immediately quickened my pace, and Kaya followed closely behind.

As we entered the underground maze, neatly arranged light brown glowing stones on the walls came into view. They were made by Garzia's rock attribute magic to easily distinguish the paths.

Thanks to them, the surroundings were easily distinguishable, making the glowing lamp unnecessary.

I covered the light of the glowing lamp and put it back in my magic bag.

We walked through the maze quietly. When we reached a fork, I quickly chose the path before Kaya could hesitate.

Sure enough, the structure is not much different from when I played *Merchen's Magic Knight*.

I can easily reach the center.

"Mr. Isaac."

Suddenly, Kaya stopped and called me.

"I've been wondering, how do you know the way so well?"

"..."

...Huh?

Wait a minute.

'Am I being suspected?'

I glanced at Kaya and checked my status window.

[ Kaya Astraen ]

Psychology: [She suspects you might have a background where you were once allied with demons and then decided to oppose them.]

What kind of scenario is that...

Kaya's vivid imagination leads her to all sorts of strange thoughts. This could become a difficult variable to handle.

I need to answer this clearly.

What should I say? Hmm...

Ah, how about this.

"I'm sensing the demon's mana to find the way. I've felt it since the beginning, even when I was at the academy."

What I said is ridiculous.

Sensing the mana of a demon in this underground cave from the academy? How far can the range of mana sensing be? It's a very far-fetched story.

But Kaya seemed to believe it.

"Wow..."

She was extremely surprised.

"I couldn't sense anything at all... Is this the mana sensing ability of a great mage!"

Kaya exclaimed in genuine amazement with her mouth wide open.

She really is simple-minded.

"You'll be able to sense it soon."

Kaya and I started moving again.

She looked at me with sparkling eyes for a while.

Ah, those sparkling eyes. They feel like stars pouring down, making me very uncomfortable.

─Then.

Scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch...

A sharp scratching sound, the sound of boulders being moved, and the sound of antennae rubbing.

Kaya and I stopped and looked forward together.

Scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch...

Garzia has henchmen. Known as "Disaster Ants."

One of the factors that increase the difficulty of Chapter 2, Section 4.

Scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch...

Disaster Ants have excellent collective intelligence. They are a cancerous element that pressures players with various strategies and tactics. I also suffered a lot from them when I first played the hell difficulty.

If Garzia is hiding here, it's natural that a Disaster Ant army is guarding this maze.

About 300 of them are likely to be stationed in this underground cave.

Scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-scritch-sc