Chapter 139: Cat and Mouse

In the cavern, Richard, who was studying insect egg specimens, was startled by the activation of a runic alarm on his desk. 

The warding magic circle he had set up had been triggered.

Richard frowned slightly. "Ulysses, did you run into any troublesome insects while out having your fun?"

"Caw, not at all. Those bugs are still as dumb as ever. I just flew around a bit and lost them easily," Ulysses replied, baffled.

Buzz!

Another rune lit up on the desk.

This meant another warding circle had been triggered.

Without hesitation, Richard began packing his things into his magic pocket, preparing to relocate from this cavern.

The caverns he chose were abandoned and secluded, places the Black Crystal Insects had forsaken, where they rarely ventured.

The activation of his magic circle indicated that this place was no longer safe.

Watching Richard swiftly pack up, Ulysses suddenly understood. "Caw, more insects have triggered the alarm, huh?"

Richard nodded, grabbing his staff and heading for the tunnel on the other side of the cavern.

A hideout should always have more than one exit.

"Caw, you're too tense. These tunnel systems are a maze. It's normal for an insect to get lost occasionally. No need to change spots every time an alarm goes off," Ulysses complained from Richard's shoulder. "Even if they stumble upon us, we could just deal with them instead of moving."

Every time they relocated, they would spend ages finding a suitable new hideout within the hive.

For safety, Ulysses had to meticulously explore the tunnel structure around each new hideout, a tedious task.

In response to Ulysses' grumbling, Richard calmly said, "We're deep in the hive; we can't afford any mistakes. If those insects catch onto us, we're in big trouble."

"Caw, so what if they do? Didn't we find a perfect hideout to shake off pursuers two years ago? It's not far from here."

Richard shook his head. "That cursed place is a last resort. I wouldn't want to go there unless I have to."

...

Two minutes later, an alarm insect cautiously entered the cavern. Upon seeing traces of a wizard's presence, it immediately let out a call.

Soon, a squad of insects arrived, led by Insect Inhart.

"Master, your insight is impressive. The wizard creature indeed stayed here."

Insect Inhart ignored the flattery, quietly entering the cavern.

From within, he discerned many traits he shared with the wizard creature—caution, calmness, restraint.

The cavern had no decorations, only a platform and a stool.

Insect Inhart ran his limb over the platform, soon finding a mark.

According to the golden-armored warrior insect, it was called a rune, akin to their script. But wizard runes possessed mystical abilities, similar to priest insects. In the rear of the hive, many priest insects were attempting to learn and decipher these runes.

From this mark, Insect Inhart sensed a faint energy residue, indicating it had been triggered recently, and the wizard creature had left not long ago.

"After him! That wizard creature isn't far ahead of us! Split up and use the surrounding tunnels to narrow his escape routes."

...

"Caw, kid, seems we've got insects on our tail."

In the tunnel, Ulysses flew from behind, landing on Richard's shoulder.

Richard frowned. He had been so cautious, yet they were still onto him?

"What did you notice?"

"Caw, nearly every tunnel around here shows signs of insect activity. Doesn't seem like routine movement."

"Are you certain?"

"Caw, don't you trust my judgment?"

Richard rubbed his forehead. "This complicates things."

If this large-scale search targeted all wizards, he might be safer. But he feared the search focused solely on him.

As a first-circle wizard, he couldn't afford the risk of being singled out by the hive.

"Alright, let's prepare for both scenarios and head towards that place."

A kilometer ahead in the tunnels, Insect Inhart analyzed the surrounding tunnel layout with his warrior insects.

While the hive's complex structure posed challenges for wizards, it was equally challenging for insects.

An insect, despite physiological advantages, took years to familiarize itself with the tunnel structure around its settlement. For interactions between settlements, a special insect called a map insect was required.

"You say this wizard creature knows the tunnels well? Better than you?" Insect Inhart asked incredulously.

A native Black Crystal Insect admitting an outsider knew the hive better was a bad joke.

"Master, these wizard creatures have a tool that easily maps the surrounding tunnels," the warrior insect explained. "It's called a revealing crystal ball. Each infiltrating wizard has one.

If they spend time mapping, it's not impossible for them to know the tunnels better than I do."

The warrior insect's explanation was logical, but Insect Inhart sensed something unusual.

There was a feeling of helplessness in the warrior insect's words—an ominous sign.

"Warrior, lift your head," Insect Inhart commanded.

The warrior insect obeyed.

Insect Inhart gazed at him, the black crystal on his brow gleaming.

"Tell me, warrior. Are you harboring fear in your heart?"

"Master, I..." The warrior insect wanted to deny it, but instead admitted, "I am."

"Master, we are far from a match for these wizard creatures."

"That's no excuse!" Insect Inhart's antennae lashed the warrior insect. "Be grateful I noticed this. If another priest had, you'd be Mother God Cannon fodder!"

The warrior insect shuddered, hanging his head silently.

"Warriors, look at me." Insect Inhart flew into the air, his body radiating a holy light.

"I know many of you harbor fear, but I must tell you, we will not fail!

We have fought sky dragons, the Cavern Spider beneath the earth, and faced countless defeats in war, yet we've always won in the end!

No matter how fearsome these wizard creatures are, under the Mother Insect God's guidance, we Black Crystal Insects will prevail in this war!"

Insect Inhart's words were powerful, accompanied by his holy glow, resembling the Mother Insect God's descent.

The warrior insects fell to their knees, tears of repentance falling.

Their proud history was filled with victories over many foes. How could they harbor fear with such a legacy?

They would triumph.

Descending, Insect Inhart was pleased with the insects' reactions.

Defeatism had no place in the military, not even a hint.

"Now, go capture that elusive wizard creature and sacrifice him to the Mother Insect God!"

...

"Catch the wizard creature!"

The black-armored warrior insect screeched, leading a swarm of warrior insects speeding through the tunnel.

Richard's expression remained unchanged as he cast a black fireball with his staff.

Boom!

Black flames filled half the tunnel. A magical shield protected Richard from the flames, but the insects suffered, the stench of charred flesh and shell filling the air.

Richard had no time to relish their plight. Glancing at his crystal ball, he continued flying close to the ground through the tunnel.

Richard's situation wasn't ideal. Hundreds of insects scoured the nearby tunnel system, including rare ones like Spider Knights and priest insects.

Especially the priest insects, who used the world's will for vague answers to hone in on Richard's location, thwarting his attempts to hide using shadow merging.

Fortunately, few priest insects were among his pursuers, allowing him to leverage the complex tunnels to evade them.

Ahead, a dark figure emerged, stopping precisely beside Richard.

"Caw, insects are ahead too. They took a shortcut and are in front of us. We can't go this way."

Ulysses' voice was urgent, lacking its usual calmness, which worried Richard.

"Are we surrounded?"

Richard examined the crystal ball, which mapped the hive tunnels he'd recorded over the years. The map showed few viable paths, most leading to dead ends.

A massive net had ensnared him.

"Caw, what now? Fight our way out, or..." Ulysses queried.

Richard eyed a large blank area on the map's edge and sighed.

He wished to fight his way out, but lacked the strength.

He was in the hive, the Black Crystal Insects' stronghold. If a first-circle wizard could dominate here, the wizards would have razed the hive long ago.

"Seems we have no choice but to head for that place."

Insect calls echoed in the tunnels as Richard stowed the crystal ball and turned towards the leftmost tunnel at the junction.

Seconds later, Insect Inhart arrived at the junction Richard had turned down. Three paths lay before him, with no trace of the wizard creature.

Normally, they would split forces to cover all paths.

But Insect Inhart didn't divide his forces. Instead, he tossed a mushroom onto the ground. The mushroom rolled, eventually pointing towards the tunnel Richard had taken.

"Follow this tunnel," Insect Inhart ordered.

"This tunnel?" a warrior insect hesitated. "Master, if the wizard creature knows the tunnels well, he wouldn't take this path."

"Why not?" Insect Inhart asked.

"Master, this tunnel has a few branches, but they're all dead ends. If he doesn't take a branch, this tunnel leads to only one place."

"And that place is?"

The warrior insect shivered, recalling something terrifying.

"Master, this tunnel leads directly to... the Abyss of Origin."

--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there 

patreon.com/LegendaryTL

Thanks!