Chapter 415 – 409 Underground Ant Den
The passage of the anthill was higher and wider than expected, and the floor was properly leveled.
= Were there more than a thousand chimeras coming and going? Walking isn’t bad.=
=The ceiling is close to 4m and the width is 3m…… There must have been a thousand humanoid chimeras to make these dens.=
When Anne opened her mouth while silently walking through the underground rock cave where light did not reach, Isilite, who followed her with her knight sword stretched out, accepted it.
=It would be difficult to maintain that much, so how did you stay underground?=
=… Really. Even the Chimera that came in second was not small, so where did they get their food?
“Isn’t that human meat?”
It’s human meat. Isilite and Anne’s expressions frowned at Hwan-yeon’s response as they scouted ahead with the earth spirit on Hwan-in’s shoulder.
The size of the Chimera that had been attacked varied.
The insect + human synthetic chimera at the time of the 1st raid was human-sized, but among the 2nd and 3rd mixed chimeras, there was an individual that was three times the size of a Kodiak Bear.
Even the three-headed wolf Chimera, who was killed by Hwanin’s hands, was a little taller than a horse, even excluding spider legs.
How many calories does an object of that size need to consume per day to maintain the body?
Although smaller than that, the number of insect + human chimeras was over a thousand. The amount of food consumed by a thousand or so animals in a day must be staggering, but where did they get all that?
= That’s right, a person… There is no such thing as meat. Can you send it to hunt and catch animals, beasts, and monsters around you? Like an ant.=
= Could it be that the surroundings were so devastated that Chimera was unknown…… ?=
“…….”
The amount of light was sufficient because he was carrying a light stick magic tool to save the spirit power of fantasy.
While listening to the conversations of his girlfriends, Hwanin continued to examine the rock walls on the walls and ceiling.
A chimera with hard leather rubbed and rubbed several times on a rough-hewn wall, and the wall turned smooth with traces of beasts and abrasion.
I took out an anesthetic dagger that Yurupa had made before and scratched the wall, and white powder fell.
‘Is it limestone ground? It could be karst terrain.’
Considering the collapsed land found while securing an intermediate level spirit, the traces of erosion pits, and the large and small lakes and rivers that existed in the vicinity, the possibility is high.
That means there must be a water source underground…….
= What do you think of Doryong? What do you think monsters eat?=
“…… People will not use it for food. Humans are probably the main ingredient for Chimera. Instead, the chimera will not produce only finished products, so the failed products will be eaten by the chimeras, and the fresh or nutritious protein caught outside may be dedicated to the owner of this anthill.”
If there were no dead livestock in the village and the fields were fine, I would probably go back to that system because I would eat meat.
Isilite and Anne shut their mouths tightly at the explanation that was more heinous than the human meat Hwanyeon had said.
“It is just a hypothesis. The only thing I know about the ecology of chimeras is that they use animals and people as subjects.”
Hwanin was curious about the ecology of the chimera.
How is a chimera born? There was no surgery involved in bringing together creatures of different species. Who’s trying to synthesize? In what way?
Is it made by something like a queen ant eating it? Or do lifeforms exist that can merge two or more creatures into one? If not that, a synthesis of magical elements?
=A crossroads.=
As we were going downhill, we came to a fork in the road. It is not that the two roads diverge in the future, but that the roads that have already been divided are merged into one.
“I’ll send an earth spirit to the back……. …… Well, that side seems to be connected to the entrance to another anthill. Just keep going up.”
Hwanin took out a notebook, wrote down that it was on the first floor, and after entering the entrance, drew a distance and a crossroads, and said,
“Keep moving forward.”
Marking a terrain as complex as an anthill on a single piece of paper is difficult when considering visibility. The simplest way is to create a map by dividing it into layers according to height.
‘I must hope that I never go down 500m underground.’
If that were the case, even if 10m was the standard, it would have to be divided into 50 floors.
The reason why the place where the chimeras came out was called an anthill was because the first chimeras they encountered had ant or cockroach body parts attached to their human bodies.
When Hwanin first called it an anthill, his women also said it, and Maze = Radha and the sky knights also called it an anthill.
If it wasn’t for that, wouldn’t it have been called Chimera Denden?
I did…….
=It’s a real anthill.=
As Anne said, the underground passage was in the shape of an ant’s nest.
A cavity between a long passage and a small burrow or next passage. There are almost no crossroads, and the aisles go all the way down.
Enemy chimeras rarely appeared. Even if it appeared occasionally, it was a chimera that looked like a worker with ant legs attached to the naked body of a woman and additional ant heads attached to the shoulders and neck.
Ugh, Agag…… Interest. Kid…….
A woman’s face playing separately, with her left and right eyes flipping and shaking together with an eccentric moan.
Such a Chimera did not attack even when it encountered the Hwanin party. In the first place, they were curled up in their burrows as if they were in pain, or they were just spinning around in one spot like ants whose antennae had been ripped off.
Condition was not good either.
It’s not uncommon for a leg to rot or a wound on the body to fester terribly, boiling with maggots and oozing pus.
Uterus sticking out of the body and being ripped open, bleeding goo from the wound, or the anus and intestines are ruptured, and the stomach is filled with blood like a pregnant woman, walking around with blood and internal organs, or an ant with a human head smashed or wandering around with your head.
「Ugh. Why did it happen? Aren’t they like that between the same guys?”
=…….=
=…….=
When Issilite and Anne first saw the female Chimera, a pot-bellied female Chimera with her intestines stretching several meters through her anus and scratching the wall until her finger bones were exposed, Isilite and Anne were unable to wield their weapons.
If it was a battlefield where life flowed, I would have fought as a warrior, not as a woman. However, as a woman, after watching the scene, the two of them became disgusted with it, but for an instant, they hardened.
Hwanin, who shattered the chimera’s head and heart with an iron spear he brought from the Sky Knights supply warehouse in place of the immobile women, finally came to his senses and said to his girlfriends, who had a bitter look on their faces.
“The deeper you go, the worse you will see. Eat your heart out.”
=Yes.=
= Yes…….=
“… Judging from what Yurpa didn’t talk about, it’s safe to say that there’s no way for the Chimera to return to being a human. So, killing them quickly and freeing the spirit trapped in the body of the monster would be the greatest mercy we can give them.”
=Yes.=
As a result of the switch, the two women pass through an oyster sprayed with unknown bodily fluids and a cavity that smells like gnawed bones are thrown away, and the moment they encounter a sick worker chimera, they cut off the chimera’s head and burst its heart.
Fu-wook—
= Oh, ugh…….=
The twelfth worker Chimera’s heart was pierced from behind by Isilite’s knight’s sword, and she slumped with a small moan.
Hwanin forcibly seized the soul escaping from the body, awakened it with a wave of tranquility, and asked the same question for the twelfth time.
“We are the people who came from outside to break down this anthill. Do you remember who made you this way?”
“I don’t know…… No, I don’t want to be here anymore…….」
“…….”
Hwanin, watching the woman’s soul disappearing after sobbing, felt that it would be difficult to find out information through the chimera.
Even in the 2nd and 3rd raids, some human souls were captured and asked about the situation inside the ant nest, but most of the souls did not want to think about it or think about it, and reached Buddhahood as it was.
Still, I didn’t give up and kept holding on to what I saw, but at this point, I wondered if something was manipulating the mind or soul to delete the memories.
Is it because I didn’t achieve Buddhahood by putting down my lingering feelings or resentment? After recovering a few light beads, Hwanin opens his notebook and updates the map.
It has been 12 times that the floor has been changed in units of 10m while checking the depth of the ground through fantasy.
On the 12th floor, Hwan-in, who was drawing a joint in the 12th notebook, sighed silently when he saw Hwan-yeon rubbing her eyes.
Even after descending to the 120m underground, all you can see are sick chimeras.
As it is an anthill with almost no crossroads, if you come down this far, you should start to see Chimeras, who can be said to be the main force, but still not a single one.
‘Are they really gathered in a limestone cave?’
Food is important for life, but drinking water is more important than that. So it would be safe to say that they are gathered near water resources.
If so, no better.
It’s fortunate if the limestone cave is closed, but usually there is a erosion basin near the limestone cave, and the cave is often connected to such a place.
=There is a possibility that the monster that caused this situation may have escaped there.=
= Ugh. That’s why I’ve only seen a sick chimera until I came down this far. That’s a bad story…….=
As a result of an investigation by Hwanyeon and the Hwangsulsa belonging to the Sky Knights from the outside, it turned out that the ant nest was about 7km in diameter.
In terms of area, the entire Gangbuk area between Gwanghwamun and the Han River is covered. If you run away, it’s too late to come and chase after you.
“I was concerned about that, so I came in right after killing all the Chimeras that had been attacking me, but……. I guess I’ll have to think about making a fool of myself.”
If it was the 2nd Chimera unit sent not to secure the material for the Chimera, but to notice the strength of Isilite and Anne and to grab the ankle of this side, then it was done right.
=If that happens, it will be as if a huge remorse has been released.=
“I hope you don’t.”
Not for the well-being of Radsea and Nionebreth, but not to be hindered by her return to Earth.
I’m guessing that to increase the power of the pattern, you have to break through the labyrinth and absorb the power of the Wish Stone, but if the Chimera situation prolongs and spreads, it will be difficult to do so.
「Hwaanin…… I’m sleepy, the owner of the house… Make it mon…….”
“Okay. I’ll wake you up when I need your strength, so get some sleep.”
“My wife…….”
Hwanyeon, who lasted another hour while slapping his own cheek and pinching his thigh, fell asleep.
They are half human and half spirits, but they are small in size and have different life activities from humans.
He had to sleep for 12 hours a day and the amount he ate was twice his weight (about 250g, according to Hwanin).
It seems that the blood of the spirits is doing something to see that the digestion and absorption efficiency of digesting what they ate is excellent, and there is no problem in surviving only about 500g of meals a day.
Hwan-in, who had been awake for nearly 16 hours and eventually fell asleep, put Hwan-yeon in his breast pocket and restored his physical strength by releasing energy to increase sleep efficiency, then twitched one eyebrow.
‘I just felt…… What was it?’
Somehow, compared to before, the feeling of warmth and cold flowing through the body reacted.
It’s like releasing a wave of the soul…….
“Wait a moment.”
=Huh?=
Hwanin, who summoned his girlfriends, closed his eyes and clenched his fists while recalling the sensation from a while ago. Then, the chill starts to creep into his fist.
…… Hwaaak-!
For some reason, the moment I opened my fist with a sense of energy release, thinking that it was now, a faint golden wave filled the aisle and spread before disappearing.
= Huh? What is it, that wave of tranquility…… Isn’t this?=
=Master, I have strength in my body.=
“…… An energy release merged with a wave of serenity.”
= Huh? Was it something that could be merged with the wave of serenity?=
When it comes to energy release, Isilite and Anne, as well as Yurpa, are well aware of it.
A skill that is used to awaken their senses when intermingling with him, and when received when you are about to pass out from exhaustion, you can regain your energy at once and struggle to climax for another hour.
Originally, it was a technique that used his own physical strength to restore the tired body of others, but that merged with the wave of tranquility?
‘It’s not over yet.’
Hwanin looked at his right hand with deepened eyes, but this time he focused his cold energy on his palm and tried to spread it by mixing energy absorption with a wave of tranquility.
Aww—
Then, a golden glow flows from Isilite and Anne’s body and is sucked into the hands of the Hwanin.
= Oh… !=
= Ugh?! I just ran out of stamina…… Could this be energy absorption?=
“Okay. It seems to absorb ranged stamina… I can’t tell the difference. I think it will be the same with energy release.”
When she restores her physical strength that was stolen from her, Anne murmurs in amazement as she watches the waves of gold scattered across her face.
= It’s amazing. A wave of energy release and a wave of energy absorption…….=
= This is…… That’s awesome. If you use it together with the salvation magic tool, you can recover allies’ HP on a large scale without restrictions.=
= Since the enemy can heal it, wouldn’t it be useless during battle?=
=If you match the sum or bring a potion of energy to drink?=
= Well, that’s fine. If you are prepared, you can endure the loss of your stamina for a moment.
But if you don’t know, your posture and mindset will be greatly disturbed by the sudden feeling of physical strength, which leads to death.
The girlfriends are exchanging plans to prepare for the energy absorption wave, saying that it will be more useful than expected.
Hwanin, who heard the story, deepened his eyes at the strange sensation that came to him again.
It feels like there is still something left…….
Even if there is, this place is the enemy’s lair. Let’s postpone finding out until after this event is over.
“Come on, let’s leave.”
Hwanin, who stopped the female friends who were trying to find a way to cope with the energy absorption wave, announced her departure and moved her steps again.
It’s past midnight and 3 hours have passed since entering the anthill.
Hwan-in, who went downhill by opening his soul’s sight to the end of the aisle and expanding his senses to check the surroundings instead of sleeping Hwan-yeon, felt that his premonition gradually turned to the wrong side.
The current location is 220m underground. There were 33 Chimeras encountered so far, and all of them were sick worker Chimeras.
I haven’t seen a single chimera that can fight properly. Bardul, naturally corrupted, can only think of escaping the anthill with his main power.
A little change came when he was gradually preparing to deal with the enemy’s escape.
= Master……. It feels like the slope has disappeared since before and gradually turns into a gentle flatland.
“Is this the bottom of the ant nest?”
If so, the depth of the anthill is 220m, and there is a high possibility that the corrupted Vargul is on this floor.
Hwanin admitted to making a mistake in judgment.
Even if the radius of the spirit of fantasy is 500m, it cannot detect a place where there is no spirit. Also, earth or earth spirits do not only live in the ground, nor can they see everything underground.
Rather, they prefer the ground and cannot see the depths of the ground.
So, just as one’s soul’s vision cannot see deep in the water, Hwanyeon cannot clearly see deep in the ground.
‘It wasn’t that there was a strange feeling 500 meters underground.’
Hwanin looked at the aisle that led like a plain rather than a slope, then took out the core of the light spear and held it in his hand.
“As much as you suspect that you are deep inside the ant nest, don’t be vigilant and go.”
=Yes.=
=Uh.=
Hwanin, who was advancing forward, sensed a completely different life reaction from the sick worker Chimera at the tip of the spirit.
An active presence that can be felt. The doubt that he might have missed the enemy was blown at once.
= Doryeong. I think something is coming in front of me.=
“Okay. This time it is a combat type.”
As soon as Hwanin finished speaking, a monster similar to the mixed chimera from the second attack appeared from the corner of the aisle ahead.
… Kyaaaaa
A mixed chimera with a rat head and a featherless turkey body that shudders when it finds this one, then flashes red eyes and makes a rustling sound.
“Go safely.”
As soon as he sensed the enemy with his sense of humor, he immediately fired the prepared 2-stacked soul arrow and pierced the thick turkey body of the mixed chimera, which was contemplating whether to attack or not.
Puhak-
Kyaaaaagh
A hybrid chimera that lets out a piercing scream as soon as a soul arrow pierces its body.
But the scream didn’t last long. Isilite spurred off the wall and slashed the heads of mice and people with the sword of light she blew into the knight’s sword, then returned to her seat like the wind.
The body of the mixed chimera’s turkey, which had stopped screaming, collapsed with a thump, and the soul of a human, beast, and monster escaped from the body in turn.
Hwanin did not hesitate and forcibly summoned all three souls.
“Ah……. Freedom, freedom…….」
However, the male soul ignored the compulsive force and only the soul of a brown turkey and a giant rat that appeared to be a monster came flying.
Hwanin, who gave up trying to find out something from the soul, said while converting the souls of the upper-middle monster rat and the middle-level wild boar into soul arrows.
“I guess it’s too early to be disappointed that I missed Bardul. Be careful and go fast.”
=Yes.=
=Yes.=
From that point on, mixed chimeras made of two or more people mixed with humans began appearing in small caves, small rooms, and passageways, and Hwanin drove soul arrows into the body of the chimera whenever an enemy appeared.
Kwyeh-!
Squeak.
Rumble!?
Bang!
The mixed chimera, maddened by the pain and estrangement of the soul, is like a scarecrow made of straw for the two women to practice.
As the number of chimeras gradually increased, the women continued the battle with the mindset that this was the real thing from now on, and Hwanin also collected the souls of the chimeras as many as the number consumed and turned them into marbles, advancing without hesitation at a speed that could be said to be rapid.
The back is a single road they have cleared as they pass by. There is no reason to worry about the rear.
And which joint arrived.
=Woo, what is this?=
=This is where the chimera is created.=
In a limestone cave the size of a gymnasium, the party witnessed the process of creating a chimera.
It looks like it has grown thousands or tens of thousands of ants in a honey jar. A woman, a monster, and a beast were coming together like an amoeba in the stomach filled with that amber fluid.
