Chapter 4
“…!”
Suho froze in shock.
The black magical beast that had suddenly appeared was clad in a pitch-black exoskeleton like a suit of armor, while black smoke endlessly billowed from its entire body.
Its form…
was that of a gigantic winged ant.
The black haze surrounding it shimmered like shadows dancing in the light.
The moment Suho saw it…
fragments of forgotten memories flashed through his mind.
Could it be… the one from my dreams…?
He knew this creature.
The countless ant monsters that had appeared in his dreams long ago.
And the leader of those terrifying ants…
looked exactly like this.
But then…
something completely unexpected happened.
The ant walked straight toward Suho.
Thud.
It dropped to one knee before him.
“Young Monarch! I, Beru, have come! You may rest easy now!”
“…What?”
Suho’s eyes widened.
What…
was going on?
Even while kneeling, the ant was so enormous that Suho still had to look up at it.
Then—
The atmosphere changed.
Before Suho could respond…
the ant’s expression suddenly hardened.
It had noticed Suho’s condition.
His body was covered in wounds after being mauled by the giant wolf.
The instant it saw those injuries…
an overwhelming killing intent exploded from its body.
“You filthy cur actually dared bite His Young Majesty’s precious body?!”
“I’ll tear your jaws apart!”
Then—
A horrifying shriek erupted from the ant’s mouth.
It was so deafening that the entire building shook.
“SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!”
At that moment…
the world became hell.
RUMBLE!!
“Grrr…!”
Terrifying bloodlust flooded the surroundings.
The giant wolf, pinned beneath the ant’s foot, desperately lifted its head.
Crunch!
It bit into the ant’s leg.
The ant slowly looked down.
“How dare an insect like you crawl before me!”
Black smoke erupted violently.
In the next instant…
the ant kicked the wolf away at blinding speed.
BOOM!
“Ghkk!”
The enormous wolf was launched backward with a pitiful cry.
But before it even finished flying…
the ant overtook it.
BOOM!!
It slammed the wolf into the floor again.
Then…
grabbing both of the wolf’s forelegs—
RIIIIP!!
It tore the giant wolf in half.
“Kraaaagh…”
Black blood sprayed everywhere.
This wasn’t a battle anymore.
It was simply…
slaughter.
The tyranny of an absolute predator.
Standing atop the wolf’s mangled corpse…
the ant unleashed another maddened roar.
“SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!”
The overwhelming killing intent reached the Hunters who had just entered the museum’s first floor.
Every one of them froze.
“W-What is this killing intent?!”
“I thought this was supposed to be a D-Rank Dungeon!”
Shock.
Terror.
The building trembled as though it would collapse at any moment.
Yet…
for some reason…
Suho wasn’t afraid of the black ant at all.
If anything…
it felt strangely familiar.
Like the scent of a cherished memory long buried in the past.
What is this…?
It feels like I’m about to remember something…
“Ant… ant…!”
What memory was this?
Somewhere deep within his fading memories…
he heard the cheerful laughter of a baby happily drawing ants inside a sketchbook.
Who…
A piercing pain exploded through his head.
“Gh…!”
His mind was in complete chaos.
But there was one thing he knew for certain.
At least…
I’m alive.
[HP: 1/140]
Thud.
The last of Suho’s tension disappeared.
He collapsed onto the floor.
“Young Monarch?! Y-Young Monarch! Please stay with me—!”
As the ant rushed over and desperately cradled him in its arms…
Suho had one final thought.
Why…
…is this monster’s embrace so warm?
Even as consciousness faded…
a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Ding.
[Quest: Rescue the Survivors has been completed.]
[Survivors Rescued: 33]
[Level Up!]
* * *
Suho dreamed.
He dreamed he was a baby…
riding happily on the back of a giant ant.
The baby laughed without a care in the world.
Whenever the baby laughed…
the ant laughed too.
Wherever the baby went…
there were always ants.
An ant wearing an apron fed him from a baby bottle.
Another helped him practice counting.
Another tucked him beneath a tiny blanket before lying down beside him for a nap.
If the ants disappeared…
the baby burst into tears.
The moment he cried…
ants rushed over from every direction.
They shook toys.
Made funny faces.
Did everything they could to comfort him.
Soon the baby stopped crying…
and smiled again.
Watching that smile…
the apron-wearing ant’s eyes filled with tears.
It stepped forward.
“Young Monarch… when did you grow into such a fine young man?”
“This humble servant, Beru, is overwhelmed with emotion.”
…!
The baby suddenly grew older.
In an instant…
he became twenty-two-year-old Sung Suho.
Beru…
Suho silently repeated the ant’s name.
Beru looked at him proudly…
wiping away tears.
“My original mission was to remove Your Young Majesty’s seal.”
“Yet you broke it through your own will.”
“As expected of our Young Monarch.”
Sniff…
Sniff…
Beru cried so much that tears poured from his eyes like a faucet.
Then he continued.
“However…”
“The seal has not been completely removed.”
“The most important things remain stored elsewhere.”
He rummaged inside his clothing.
Ding.
[Item Acquired: Key to the Shadow Dungeon]
Shadow Dungeon…?
Another message appeared.
Confused, Suho looked at it.
But this was only a dream.
His voice couldn’t reach Beru.
Beru gently placed the key into Suho’s hand.
“When you are mentally prepared…”
“Use this key whenever you wish.”
“Everything that originally belonged to Your Young Majesty lies within.”
Then…
Beru knelt once again.
Placing both hands on Suho’s shoulders…
he looked directly into his eyes.
His voice was solemn.
Yet filled with warmth.
“There is only one thing you must always remember.”
“Great power requires a vessel worthy of containing it.”
“If someone receives power beyond what their vessel can bear…”
“…the vessel itself may shatter beneath its weight.”
A great power…
A great vessel…
Suho quietly repeated the words.
Beru smiled mischievously.
“In other words…”
“Raise the level of your vessel.”
Then he stood.
Bowing respectfully…
he smiled.
“Young Monarch…”
“My mission ends here.”
“I would dearly love to remain by your side…”
“But my comrades are desperately waiting for me.”
Then he winked.
“After all…”
“I’m quite an exceptional healer.”
A healer?
A healer?!
That was easily the most ridiculous thing Suho had heard in days.
Beru bowed once more.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Until the day we meet again…”
“Please… stay healthy.”
His nostalgic voice gradually faded into an echo.
Wait!
There’s still so much I want to ask—!
Suho desperately called out.
But no sound left his lips.
At that moment…
he woke up.
* * *
“Hah!”
“An ant?!”
Suho bolted upright.
He quickly looked around.
White walls.
The smell of disinfectant.
A quiet hospital room.
“Oh!”
“You’re finally awake.”
A nurse changing his IV smiled at him.
“Where… am I?”
“In the hospital.”
“Don’t you remember?”
“A dungeon appeared at your university.”
…So…
Was it all a dream?
Although he was awake…
Suho remained dazed for quite some time.
Where did the dream end…?
The ants?
The dungeon?
Or even the Level-Up System…?
Everything felt hopelessly confusing.
Just then…
the television in the hospital room continued broadcasting the news.
“The Gate that appeared at Korea University two days ago has now been almost completely cleared…”
“Experts are calling the remarkably low casualty count a miracle despite a Dungeon Break occurring in the middle of the city…”
Two days…?
So…
the incident at the museum hadn’t been a dream.
Then…
Were my childhood memories real too?
Only now did Suho finally remember.
The giant ants he had played with as a child.
Those joyful days…
How had he forgotten them for so long?
Thinking of Beru…
a feeling of regret welled up inside him.
We barely got to talk…
…and then he disappeared.
Suho looked up.
The floating messages had been patiently waiting for him.
[Quest: Rescue the Survivors has been completed.]
[Your quest rewards have arrived.]
[Would you like to claim them? (Y/N)]
Claim.
He accepted immediately.
After nearly dying several times…
he deserved to at least see the rewards.
[The following rewards have been prepared.]
Reward 1: +5 Allocatable Stat Points
Reward 2: +3 Strength
Eight stat points…?
Suho’s eyes widened.
Apparently…
every level increased all stats by one point automatically.
Which meant…
these eight additional points were worth even more than an entire level.
Risking my life to help people really paid off.
He immediately opened his Status Window.
[Status Window]
Name: Sung Suho
Level: 3
Class: None
Title: None
HP: 140/140
MP: 14/14
Stats
Strength: 15
Vitality: 12
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 12
Available Stat Points: 5
Skills
Passive Skills: None
Active Skills: Ruler’s Authority Lv.1
Compared to the system in his high school dreams…
many new functions had appeared.
Back then…
only his level had been displayed.
There had never been a detailed Status Window.
Hmm…
Which stat should I raise?
The three bonus Strength points had already been applied automatically.
Now he had five free points left.
Instead of spending them immediately…
Suho examined each stat more carefully.
An information window appeared.
[Information]
Strength: Increases physical power and speed. Raises attack power.
Agility: Improves dynamic vision and physical reaction speed. Raises reflexes and evasion.
Vitality: Increases maximum HP and HP recovery speed.
Intelligence: Increases maximum MP and MP recovery speed.
Perception: Enhances the five senses. Improves danger detection.
Looking at the descriptions…
every stat seemed valuable.
I’d better think it over before deciding.
Closing the Status Window…
Suho suddenly realized how thirsty he was.
Come to think of it…
I’ve been unconscious for two whole days.
He walked over to the small refrigerator beside his bed.
Click.
He opened the door.
“…Huh?”
Suho’s eyes widened.
Inside…
a tiny Beru—
now only about the size of a fist—
was quietly peeling an apple.
“Y-You…!”
“Heh.”
Beru — Lv.1
Private Grade
The once majestic King of Ants had somehow become unbelievably tiny…
and strangely adorable.
Looking embarrassed…
he held out an apple carved into the shape of a rabbit.
“I ran out of mana…”
“So I couldn’t go home.”
“…”
