24. Monster, Mega Jyo Ant
It was an unbelievable event, but undeniably real.
How could one not believe, with the vivid scars left on the ground he was looking down at.
“…….”
He descended to inspect the colossal cave, pondering deeply as he surveyed it alongside.
If a monster larger than any ordinary building were to appear in the heart of modern civilization, the potential disaster it could bring about.
“Hmm… Perhaps it’s not as ordinary as it seems.”
Even now, monsters occasionally emerged through the open gates of dungeons in the world of Han.
There had been no sightings of a creature as colossal as the Giga Worm that Han had faced, but the existence of such monsters meant that they could appear on Earth at any time.
‘The fact that they haven’t appeared yet doesn’t guarantee they never will.’
The worry about the dungeon’s existence began to resurface.
Thud.
That moment arrived.
Something fell from the cave’s ceiling.
Instinctively, Irina raised her sword and assumed a defensive stance.
“…?”
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However, she quickly halted her movements.
The thing that had fallen to the ground was a slippery, gelatinous lump.
“What’s this?”
Irina prodded it with the tip of her sword.
The blade easily pierced into the squishy mass. It stuck to the sword before falling with a squelch.
“…….”
Irina’s gaze shifted to the ground.
The previously dark floor was now illuminated by torchlight, revealing the entire cave filled with slippery lumps.
Unknown fluid-like secretions dripped or viscous mucus fell from the ceiling.
“Huh.”
‘What’s this?’
Irina. And Han, who was watching.
Both of them, clueless, looked around.
‘…What on earth is this?’
[This is the mucus secretion of a Giga Worm. To survive in the harsh, arid planet of Frey, Giga Worms always excrete their sticky mucus to advance through the surrounding soil.]
So, this was it.
A kind of slippery liquid exuded all over the body for the creature to move.
Like how snails or earthworms exude slippery fluids to move.
Ugh, it feels somehow unpleasant.
That sticky thing clinging all over the earth.
Something is bound to pop out…
Pop.
At that moment, as if sensing something, Iriana reflexively perked up her ears.
Her ears stood up stiff like a cat’s.
Staring beyond the black abyss like a front-facing abyss, hinting at something beyond.
“…What is it?”
It wasn’t just Iriana who heard that sound.
Han did too.
Now is the moment for Han to act.
In a world like this, there’s no need to passively observe from behind.
What’s important is to step forward beforehand, read the danger, and warn. That is also Han’s role.
Whoosh!
By the fire Han summoned, the darkness beyond, as dark as charcoal, was revealed.
And from that darkness beyond, Han could spot a wriggling life form.
“…Wait. Is that?”
The one hiding in the darkness.
It was none other than a monster with a distinctive color.
“An ant?”
***
Megajaw Ant.
Literally translated, it means an ant with particularly developed large jaws.
It’s a term referring to one of the monsters that modern hunters despise and fear the most.
Surprisingly, the ants of this era are the monsters hunters consider most dangerous.
Don’t think of them as mere Earth ants.
Dungeon-born ants with larger stature than humans need to fill their stomachs with meals of equal mass to maintain their physique.
Moreover, possessing strength to hunt down humans, cattle, pigs, like slaughtering those large creatures, one by one.
Considering these ants live in groups.
In essence, the area they inhabit is a death zone where no one, no matter who, can survive.
And now.
The identity that Han’s elves faced was precisely that perilous entity.
“Chirp?”
The creature spotted her.
The Megajaw Ant looked at Iriana and cocked its head.
“Chit!”
Irina swiftly drew her bow at the appearance of an ant.
“Sis!”
“Don’t come here, Zion! Stay there!”
Zion, realizing there was a monster, tried to enter while grabbing his bow. Seeing this, Irina urgently stopped him.
Looking straight at the monster again, Irina carefully aimed at it.
Luckily, the movement of this large ant was on the slower side.
Even to the untrained eye, it was somewhat visible, but to her, as an inherently agile elf, it must have felt even slower.
However, that didn’t mean it wasn’t a threat.
The creature that revealed its threat by spreading its mandibles wide, a Mega-Jo Ant.
True to its name, the Mega-Jo Ant possessed massive mandibles that seemed capable of devouring small animals in one bite.
It assumed an attacking stance.
As the creature approached with heavy footsteps, both Zion and Irina were equally taken aback.
“Why is there an ant here? And is it really eating slime?”
The answer inevitably came from the system.
[This is a tunnel connected to Mega-Jo’s nest. Due to the vibrations caused by the Gigaworm’s emergence, the tunnel where Mega-Jo resided was linked to the nest.]
“…I see.”
So, the reason for the appearance of this ant ultimately stemmed from the disruptive emergence of the Gigaworm.
Oh my goodness.
Thwack!
An arrow shot by Irina.
While the aim was sharp, it didn’t hit the Mega-Jo Ant.
The arrow bounced off futilely, rolling on the ground nearby.
“…Huh?”
A look of perplexity crossed her face.
Mega-Jo.
They had a threateningly tough exoskeleton.
If even regular bullets couldn’t penetrate, how could a mere arrow?
“Kieek!”
In the meantime, the Mega-Jo Ant rushed right up to them.
Spreading its mandibles wide, it charged forward.
“Dangerous!”
Zion shouted in alarm.
Fortunately, Irina managed to avoid the creature’s attack.
She agilely rolled on the ground to evade. It was a hair’s breadth escape, sending chills down the spine of onlookers.
While Irina dodged the attack, she understood the creature’s strength.
The sheer force contained within its mandibles was evident as the solid, icy ground crumbled like soft tofu.
Ants were simply not suited for proper combat.
Their bodies were large, slow, and not agile in the least.
To say she had a weapon was an understatement; the massive jaw blade was the sole defining feature.
But this single weapon, particularly menacing, made hunters wary of the diminutive ant-folk.
The fact that their only armament was potent enough to hunt down even larger creatures than themselves was the reason.
“Well then….”
With that, she forced a confident smile.
He was undoubtedly a formidable opponent. An adversary impervious to arrows.
But she still had a trick up her sleeve.
Bestowed by Han, it was Irina’s new power.
A golden light lingered on her arrows.
The source of it was none other than the Holy Enchant.
Zap!
As the weapon was imbued with divine power, the dark tunnel space was illuminated by a radiant golden glow, as if engulfed in flames of gold.
“Hyah!”
The moment her golden arrow flew through the air, it finally reached the Mega Ant.
Boom!
It was a single strike.
The tough creature, which even repelled arrows, shattered into pieces without a trace.
“Wow, amazing….”
***
The results of the ant extermination were rewarding.
“Done!”
Irina proudly held up the piece she had completed after a considerable amount of time.
Watching her quietly, Han finally revealed his approval of the finished product.
“Oh… Is that a shield?”
He never imagined that crafting armor using natural materials would require such skill.
What Irina had created was a large shield made from the head of an ant.
The materials she used for the shield were not particularly extraordinary.
Inside the shield, she twisted straw to make a handle and attached mushrooms around it.
By doing so, even if she endured significant impact through the shield, the soft and cushiony feel of the mushrooms would sufficiently reduce the damage.
To craft such an excellent shield.
Moreover, she managed to create such exceptional armor using only materials commonly found around the square.
It was a skillful utilization of the surrounding materials.
Seeing the outstanding craftsmanship, Zion and Yumina, who were watching nearby, sparkled with admiration and clenched their fists.
“Wow, amazing!”
“hahahaha, thank you, guys.”
Irina proudly stood, holding the shield, and spoke confidently.
“Zion, would you like to try swinging the wooden spear at me?”
“Yes!”
Zion nodded eagerly and rose from his seat.
“Hap!”
The energy was strong.
In its own way, there was strength in it.
Of course, even to the eyes of an ordinary person, the speed of that movement fell within a reasonable range that was quite apparent.
Kang!
However, despite the added force and speed of the wooden spear’s attack, Irina’s ant shield effortlessly blocked the attack.
Irina smiled as if satisfied.
“Good. Feeling okay? Want to try a more serious attack?”
“Am I okay?”
“Of course. Give it a shot.”
As expected, she skillfully blocked the attacks.
“Amazing, really.”
Han, who was watching, exclaimed.
Another excellent piece of armor was added.
Generally, shields were so rigid that the impact would transmit directly through the wearer’s hand.
However, the interior of the shield was surrounded by mushrooms, providing a suitable cushioning effect, capable of absorbing most physical impacts.
Irina’s ability to utilize the tools around her was quite remarkable.
Even to an unknowing eye like Han’s, it was noticeable.
***
Irina prepared to step outside with her bow strapped on.
Now she was not alone.
But since the two siblings were still just young children, Irina repeatedly emphasized caution.
“If a monster appears, you must never confront it. Instead, create a diversion. So I can see. Understand?”
“We’ll remember!”
Zion was quite determined.
“Got it.”
Seeing the boy’s firm response, Irina chuckled and ruffled his hair.
“Then I’ll be off.”
“Take care!”
With those words, Irina left the Square of the World Tree.
She wandered around the nearby ruins.
It was for reconnaissance, but also to find useful materials.
Various broken items were scattered in the ruins.
Remnants of the past era.
Of course, most of them had deteriorated and become useless over the years, but occasionally, some seemed salvageable.