Ant Nest (2)

Astroth and Eli prepare themselves to enter the nest through the cave. Before leaving, Eli inspects her Royal Elven bow, which endured the fire that even damaged Astroth's scales.

It even amused Astroth. His curiosity about magical weapons grew more than before. Incidentally, Hero Tatsumaki left some of his legendary items in this world.

Convincing himself with those items, Astroth released his mana, casting [Search] to survey the nest structure beforehand.

His mana slowly seeps into the nooks and crannies of the nest through the cave, revealing its nature and blueprint. It was a complicated structure, comprising two main elements: a vertical shaft with horizontal chambers.

Before investigating, he was unaware of where the entrance to the dungeon led. However, now he knew they were hundreds of feet below the surface.

The dungeon had some typical mechanism to trick a mana-sensitive creature like Astroth. He learned a lesson about his overconfident self and focused on the nest with caution.

Eventually, they reached the cave opening and found the ant nest. Now Astroth and Eli have officially invaded the ant colony.

It likely connected the cave to one of the lowest chambers deep underground. Focusing on the mana, he could feel different lifeforms in each chamber.

Some had little mana in significant numbers, while others had big mana in relatively low numbers. The mana clumps he sensed were probably individuals; the small ones were likely larvae, while the large ones could be different ants in the colony.

Astroth focused on the massive chamber, sensing a terrifying presence. Suddenly, his face paled, and cold sweat trickled down his spine, forcing him to retract his mana. His instincts prevented him from advancing any further.

He concluded the presence must be Queen Ant, with a large mana pool. If she notices a presence peeking at her, this monster can trace mana back to the source. Therefore, Astroth backed off.

Now he had to find an exit without using search magic, leaving them with only the option of exploring. Besides, they had to avoid crossing paths with the queen as much as possible.

Since her chamber locates on the upper floor, they had to cross the vertical pathway stealthily. Slowly, they paved their way into the anthill.

It was tricky to determine a path to the exit. They couldn't even follow an ant trail, Since these ants hardly leave the nest to avoid exposing themselves to other monsters. Their massive size could be one reason.

They had no choice but to survey each path of this nest. Astroth avoids using [Stealth] and other magic to preserve mana for emergencies.

However, the probability of avoiding every ant was very remote. Some guard ants could identify a target even by penetrating the magic layers.

He gathered all the knowledge, combining memories from his previous life and information left in [Astrith]. Since most of his knowledge is theory-based, he was cautious with each step forward.

--

Suddenly, a foul smell choked their throats, forcing them to cover their mouths tightly. They turned around to check the surroundings, finding themselves in a dump yard.

He regretted not watching any ant shows on Earth today. He never cared about insects, and this must be his retribution.

Since he did not know about the behavior of ants, how would he know about the existence of a dumping ground?

While he was focusing on the stinking odor, a tapping sound advanced towards them. Not understanding what to do in such a situation, he lifts Eli and leaps into the dumpster, hoping that ants will avoid the heap.

As a group of black ants entered the chamber, they spread out far from one another. While clenching their teeth with their hands, Astroth and Eli peered at the ants.

They felt disgusted to watch someone take a dump, even if it was a monster. Unfortunately, they had no choice but to wait for the ants to finish.

As soon as the ants had relieved themselves, they left the place with a stinky smell. Another batch of ants, smaller than the previous ones, enters the chamber and collects the dung as a heap in one corner.

Astroth patiently waits and gives the signal when the chamber is empty. They leaped out of the heap and took a deep breath as if someone had been choking them for a long time.

Yet they couldn't breathe because of the sickening atmosphere. The entrance draws attention with a faint light.

Astroth grips Eli's hand and runs out of the chamber to save them from this stinky atmosphere. The two rested there to catch their breath while Astroth glanced at his side to check whether ants were present.

Thanks to his lucky stars, the alley connecting each room was empty.

After this loathsome experience, Astroth had a dilemma convincing Eli to explore the rest of the nest. Since their lives depended on it, Eli agreed to continue.

They moved around to check other chambers, but not a single ant crossed their path. Primarily the lower chambers were used as trash bins, so not many ants guarded this area.

With the help of a berm, Astroth hurriedly climbs with Eli to the next floor and moves stealthily. The narrow path concerned him, which could easily entrap someone.

As soon as they reached up, they heard a loud rustling noise. Astroth hides with Eli in a corner.

He peeked, and many ants were marching toward the next floor. The presence of these ants shocked him since they resembled the one he killed.

For a brief moment, their disclosure concerned him. However, the movement ants made suggested something else.

After entering some chambers, these ants emerged with a large amount of food. He figured out their identity as worker ants.

The food transport must have begun, giving them a reason for gathering. The moment Astroth finds the path empty, he sneaks into the chamber.

He was standing in the food storage room; ants usually store food for strenuous climatic conditions. He was relieved to discover that these ants behaved similarly to earth ants.

Putting their size aside, he has yet to encounter any intelligent ants. These details intrigued him since he could use them to his advantage.

He walks into the food storage, filled with grains, fruit, and some monster carcasses, stinking of decay and rotting. There was no way to explain how these ants could endure the smell and eat this.

Suddenly, a thought passed through his mind. He grinned with a big smile, and a sinister expression took over his face.