YMDR 11

Chapter 11 …

E-Rank Labyrinth – Fire Ant Nest (3)

Even after my remark about not being able to handle spicy food, our evil god remained stubbornly silent.

“Then I suppose I’ll have to prepare a different offering. Since Lord Lidni possesses such a delicate tongue that he can’t tolerate spicy food…”

Just as I muttered that and pretended to look around for another corpse, my right eye popped out and transformed into the blind crow.

A moment later, the voice of the wisest evil god reverberated violently inside my head.

【Do I look like some pathetic deity incapable of swallowing a little lukewarm flame?! I merely failed to answer because I was occupied with other matters for a moment!】

Crunch, crunch!

【Delicious. The fiery sensation scorching my tongue is truly memorable!】

Lord Lidni absolutely was not someone who couldn’t handle spicy food.

【Especially… sssss… every time I chew… haaahhh… the sparks bursting inside are positively intoxicating.】

Admittedly, strange interjections like “sssss” and “haaahhh” were mixed into the oracle.

But surely they were merely unique exclamations.

There was no way the Herald of Twisted Truth would fidget over spicy food like some frail mortal.

“So you like it that much?”

I nodded in satisfaction.

“I’m delighted that the Wise One is pleased. I gathered plenty of Fire Springs from the Fire Ants this time, so I’ll prepare this again for you next time.”

【……】

For some reason, our evil god responded to His faithful believer’s words with prolonged silence.

“Lord Lidni?”

【Ahem. My child, swallowing delectable knowledge all at once, only dulls one’s mind. A traveler who has embarked upon the road toward Truth must learn moderation!】

Caw!

The blind crow suddenly let out a loud cry in the middle of its meal and began furtively watching my reaction.

I glanced over.

It had only eaten part of the offering’s upper body.

Meanwhile, every single Fire Spring topping I had carefully arranged had been pushed down beside the lower half.

“Why is it acting like that? Surely Lord Lidni hasn’t ordered His messenger to stop eating because He can’t endure the heat of fire?”

【It would seem… my condition simply isn’t at its best today.】

“I knew it. I almost made the greatest of all divine beings seem like a child throwing a tantrum because He disliked offerings with Fire Springs.”

【Wait a moment! I see now! you’re making fun of me!! Honestly, what is wrong with Cultists these days…】

Drip.

While Lidni was angrily shouting…

Blood suddenly streamed from my left eye and nose.

A side effect that occurred whenever the evil god’s voice became too loud.

“Kar!”

Having watched in silence until then, Marlin rushed over in alarm and wiped the blood away.

As I quietly accepted the now more delicate touch made possible by her newly increased Dexterity, I gazed blankly into the air.

【…Half-elves truly are fragile creatures.】

The one responsible for the bleeding lowered the volume of His oracle to little more than a whisper.

【Tch. I don’t like this. Back in the old days, my followers would happily keep listening even after both eyes burst and blood poured from their mouths, all because they wanted to hear one more word from me. Don’t whine like a child over a little blood.】

The most important thing when speaking with Lidni was pacing.

It was easier if I imagined I was dealing not with a deity deserving worship, but with an elderly person reminiscing.

I had memorized all the correct answers.

But unlike the game, where I merely had to pick preset dialogue options, this was reality.

I needed to stay vigilant.

“You’re absolutely right. Isn’t tasting the agony of having one’s eyes shattered, and skull crushed by an evil god’s scolding something every Cultist experiences at least once?”

【Now that’s more like it! Kar, you’re terribly audacious, but you’re still different from the other young Cultists.】

I brought out the acting skills I had honed at my previous company while dealing with Manager Choi… the devil who treated subordinates as disposable tools.

As expected, Lidni responded favorably.

【Your knowledge is strangely abundant. You even wield Mysteries you only just acquired as though you’ve used them your entire life… Now that I think about it, you’re suspiciously odd. You aren’t some supervising priest sent by the righteous gods, are you?】

“No. There’s hardly any need to monitor you when Lord Lidni has so few followers.”

A deity’s power increased with the number of believers.

If not a single worshipper remained, the god would perish.

Most existing evil gods had no more than double-digit numbers of followers left.

Objectively speaking…

Their danger level was much like that of chickens—the descendants of dinosaurs that once ruled the world, yet were now widely consumed as food.

Though fighting cocks could still be dangerous enough that you couldn’t simply ignore them.

【…Very well. I shall continue watching you personally, so do not disappoint me.】

The blind crow that had been idly wandering around my feet returned to my right eye socket.

【If we continue talking any longer, it will become a burden upon you. I shall withdraw now. What would you like in exchange for this offering?】

“For Your lost traveler, who has yet to come anywhere near Truth itself… Please grant me a Mystery.”

【Speak the name of the sorcery you desire, my child.】

“I ask for Veil That Defers Wounds.”

【The divine power contained within your offering is insufficient… but I shall grant it regardless. You seem destined for great things.】

Crackle.

A sharp sting spread through my body as an eyeball-shaped tattoo appeared on the ring finger of my right hand.

“Thank you.”

【Next time, bring me a really special meal!】

Leaving behind one final complaint about side dishes…

The evil god’s presence vanished from my mind.

Only then did Marlin finally relax.

“Now that I’ve experienced it twice… I think I understand the difference between when the evil god possesses you and when you’re normal.”

“Impressive. That isn’t something most people can distinguish through intuition alone.”

This was exactly why I had no choice but to choose her as Explorer Candidate No. 1.

Her younger brother Abel had remarkable potential as well…

But Marlin’s natural foundation was simply exceptional.

She was rewarding to train.

“Anything else to do?”

“Let’s leave.”

Returning the bloodstained dagger to Marlin, I walked out of the garbage dump.

Grrr!

A large swarm of Fire Ants had gathered near the entrance.

Marlin quickly stepped forward and split every single one in half.

But before long, another wave surged in to replace them.

“Ahh, there are too many!”

Even while whining, the novice thief slaughtered every Fire Ant with her dagger and spiderweb spears.

Like the capable assistant she was, she automatically began harvesting mana stones and Fire Springs without being told.

I stopped her and continued walking.

“Tired? Shall we head out?”

“Not really. But do explorers always fight this much?”

“Normally, thieves don’t stand on the front lines fighting monsters.”

“Then why am I…?”

“Because, Marlin… You’re not an ordinary thief. You’re a thief personally trained by me.”

Marlin tilted her head, seemingly unaware of just how extraordinary an opportunity she’d been given.

“But you’re still only a Level 1 explorer too, aren’t you?”

“Is that any way to speak to your sponsor?”

Even as we talked, my eyes remained fixed on the map.

Our current location was the lower-right section of the ant nest.

The destination for the real strategy lay near the center.

Taking the shortcut from here…

It would still take around ten minutes.

I patted Marlin’s shoulder.

“From here on, let’s move a little faster.”

“Why?”

“Would you prefer the long explanation or the short one?”

“The short version.”

“If we don’t pick up the pace, we’ll be torn apart by a massive swarm of Fire Ants and die in a gruesome state.”

“…The long version.”

“Fire Ants have poor eyesight. But instead, they communicate through fire.”

According to the research of a renowned monster scholar…

Although the flames emitted by the Fire Spring all looked identical to human eyes…

They actually contained an enormous amount of information.

Normally… They used those flames to warn the colony whenever enemies appeared.

“Very soon, the heat from the flame signals left behind by the dead Fire Ants announcing the presence of intruders will spread throughout the entire nest.”

“When that happens… countless ants will come to kill us.”

“How many?”

“Roughly speaking… Well over a thousand.”

An army utterly impossible for a low-level Cultist and Thief to handle.

If we lingered… We’d be swallowed by the tide of ants.

Marlin’s ears shot straight upward.

“That’s way too dangerous! I thought this was supposed to be an easy labyrinth!”

“It is. How is a thousand Fire Ants considered easy?!”

“In difficult labyrinths… Even a single monster can be stronger than an entire swarm of Fire Ants. Compared to that, a labyrinth where only Level 1 monsters roam is practically a children’s playground.”

“……”

Labyrinths were never designed in the explorer’s favor.

No matter how many times you emphasized it…

That remained the most fundamental rule.

“Hmm.”

“If ‘playground’ makes you uncomfortable… Would ‘the back alley near an academy full of delinquent students sound better?”

“Forget it!”

My young assistant smacked my arm with her tail and immediately broke into a hurried pace.

“Which way?”

“That way.”

“Got it!”

“Hurry!”

While we moved along the shortest route…

Every Fire Ant that appeared was cut down without hesitation by my novice explorer assistant.

She was gradually slowing down.

The fatigue was beginning to show.

“Conserve your strength. It’ll be a problem if you’re exhausted already.”

“But they just keep coming!”

“Go on ahead. This is the correct route.”

After opening the map and pointing out our destination for the breathless Marlin…

I sent her ahead while I examined the surrounding terrain.

It was my first time seeing it in reality instead of graphics.

I’d expected identifying it to be difficult.

Fortunately…

I recognized it almost immediately.

‘We’re almost there.’

Near the very center of the Fire Ant Nest.

The sprint had been worthwhile.

From my right index finger, I produced several strands of spiderweb as thin and sharp as possible.

Then I stretched them between the floor and ceiling at regular intervals…

Like the bars of a cage.

Grrr!

As I hurried away…

The Fire Ants poured in.

Because they lacked eyesight…

They couldn’t avoid even blatantly obvious traps until they’d already fallen victim to them.

Just like this.

Slice.

The leading ant’s head split cleanly into left and right halves.

Four more met the same fate.

Only after that did the fire signals left behind by the dead ants finally spread through the colony…

Bringing the aggressive charge to a temporary halt.

Spiderweb That Binds All Things was weak against fire.

It wouldn’t be able to stop them forever.

But total extermination wasn’t my objective.

So that wasn’t a problem.

As I continued advancing…

I repeatedly set up identical traps.

Grr… Grrk!

Pitiful cries from the Fire Ants echoed continuously behind us.

Quite a few of them were probably being sliced apart by the spiderwebs.

Their corpses would naturally clog the tunnels.

Since taking another route required a huge detour…

The more dead ants piled up…

The slower the advancing army trying to eliminate the intruders would become.

“Kar!”

Marlin had stopped in the middle of a tunnel.

Exactly where I’d instructed her to.

I’d worried she might lose her way…

But as expected, someone with 19 Perception was different.

“But what exactly are we doing here? This is just the middle of the ant nest!”

“That’s right.”

Which was precisely why it had taken me so long to discover it.

Who would’ve guessed…

That among every single tunnel in this enormous Fire Ant Nest…

Only one spot, completely indistinguishable from all the others, concealed the Hidden Piece?

I handed Marlin the pickaxe she’d been carrying on her back…

Then pointed toward the wall on the left.

“Break through here. A new passage will appear.”