Chapter 83: Mysterious Cave
While excavating, right after a sensation like my chain shovel swung into empty air, my body plunged straight into a mysterious hollow.
“(Tch, 〖Air Jump〗!)”
I hurriedly leaped backward.
The wall behind me was solid rock, but there was a hole only where I had entered. I returned to that spot.
“(Phew, that was close… What is this place?)”
I stood on the edge of the collapsed wall and looked down into the hollow.
It was about the size of a large warehouse.
There were two entrances, lined up opposite where I was.
Then, I shifted my gaze closer.
There, a pile of rocks was stacked high. It wasn’t like the ceiling had collapsed; it was clear that someone had intentionally built it.
“(A food storage, perhaps…?)”
That was the first possibility that came to mind.
Whether it’s Golems, Gargoyles, or Steel Ants, many of the Demon Beasts in this mine like to eat rocks and minerals that contain a lot of 〖Mana〗.
The possibility that the Demon Beasts living in this cave are storing food is quite high, I think.
There’s also the possibility that it’s a human mineral storage site, but if that were the case, they wouldn’t store it in a place like this; they’d take it back to town.
There are no guards posted either, so the probability is low.
“(Looks safe enough.)”
After observing for a bit and determining there were no traps, I jumped down to the floor of the hollow.
Well, I don’t really know how to identify traps. If there are any, I plan to deal with them by force.
Using 〖Stealth〗 and 〖Parry〗, I landed quietly, then turned to look back at the pile of rocks.
It’s a pain to examine them one by one, so I’ll just store them all away.
“(—It all fit. The capacity is amazing after all.)”
I tossed them into the bag, and storage was complete.
This bag is the largest one handled at Ergo’s place—the size of a sandbag—and Paula has expanded its space with magic, so the inside is incredibly vast.
“(Now, which way to go…)”
The two entrances are connected to an uphill and a downhill slope, respectively.
It’s hard to choose, but… okay.
“(I’ll go down the slope.)”
The 〖Mana〗 is denser this way.
The current location has a 〖Mana〗 concentration similar to the Ferocious Beast Zone, but I can feel even denser 〖Mana〗 from below.
“(If it keeps getting stronger at this rate, it could be a 〖Feral Beast〗…!)”
I shivered with anticipation of a strong enemy, and entered the passage, going down the slope.
The passage was narrow for me, but not so narrow that I couldn’t pass. I released the imitation of the Forest Shackles, narrowed my body, and proceeded.
After a while, I came to a fork in the road. It split to the left and right.
This time, the 〖Mana〗 density is about the same, so I’m not sure which way to go…
“Gijijii!?”
“(Oh?)”
I interrupted my thoughts. A Steel Ant appeared from beyond the corner of one of the paths.
Perhaps this is a Steel Ant nest.
“(Lightning Strike, then.)”
I launched a focused Lightning Strike at the distant Steel Ant.
Although inferior to real lightning, the incredibly fast Lightning Strike pierced the Steel Ant’s head without giving it time to evade.
That individual, which was only a 〖Greater Beast〗, died instantly, but it seems there were other Steel Ants nearby.
A loud, metallic screech echoed.
This sound is a 〖Skill〗 that calls for allies. If my prediction that this is a Steel Ant nest is correct, then allies will appear one after another.
“(That’s convenient.)”
I stood with my arms crossed—it’s just a matter of feeling—at the center of the fork, waiting without any particular apprehension.
After a while, I could hear the overlapping sounds of many footsteps. The floor seemed to be trembling slightly.
“(Here they come.)”
The ants surged in from all three passages.
Most of them were 〖Greater Beasts〗, but I could also see a few 〖Dire Beasts〗.
They embodied the violence of numbers, rushing in all at once without any strategy.
For an average Demon Beast, this would be a desperate situation.
“(This is quite a haul, 〖Replicant Form〗!)”
However, that’s not my problem.
I directed two Forest Shackles towards each passage.
And as soon as the Steel Ants entered my range, I pierced, impaled, slashed, and crushed them.
Dealing with the avalanche of Steel Ants was quite a challenge, but thanks to 〖Multi-Weapon Style〗 and the slime’s all-around vision, I wasn’t overwhelmed.
There’s also a considerable difference in 〖Speed〗.
Therefore, the ants quickly became a mountain of corpses, and the survivors became wary of their actions.
They stopped outside the reach of the Forest Shackles, formed ranks, and glared at me.
Then, they lifted their rear ends like shachihoko (a mythical fish), and aimed them at me, and then they began to shoot out a mysterious liquid from the needles at the tips.
“(Oh, that’s… acid. But it’s not concentrated enough to melt me.)”
I was about to be showered with a rain of acid, but this level of acid wouldn’t melt me or my weapons.
The ranged attacks also included rocks and steel, but even those couldn’t inflict a single scratch.
Well, it’s annoying to have my vision obscured, so I’ll use 〖Clairvoyance〗 to see through it.
“(Still, it’s interesting. It’s like the three-stage firing I learned about in history.)”
It seems that the re-use of ranged attack 〖Skills〗, including acid, requires a cooldown.
However, by quickly switching the individuals that have finished firing acid with the ones behind them, they are creating a relentless barrage without any gaps.
“(They’re smart for ants, aren’t they?)”
While admiring their systematic coordination, I imitated the Hydra’s poison sword.
I tilted it horizontally towards one of the passages and slashed. I sliced through the walls on both sides.
“(〖Wave Slash〗)”
The slash, which advanced while shattering the rock walls, wiped out the Steel Ants in one fell swoop.
Because of the difference in 〖Speed〗, the Steel Ants didn’t even have time to defend.
“(〖Wave Slash〗)”
I swung again and annihilated the other passage as well.
For the last remaining passage, I’ll try using the weapon I made in the Ferocious Beast Zone.
“(〖Weapon Storage〗, New Explosive Arrow)”
What I took out was a single, giant arrow.
Underneath the rubber-like Mana Mineral covering its surface, lies an explosive stone with outstanding explosive power, harvested in the Ferocious Beast Zone.
“(Eat this!)”
I nocked it on the bow, carefully aiming between the acid shots.
Because I used a large amount of rubber mineral for the fletching, it’s resistant to stimuli from my side.
The arrow I released landed perfectly in the group of ants, and a flash of light illuminated the entire passage.
—WHOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Was that the sound of the arrow exploding, or the sound of the passage collapsing?
After the flash and the explosion, I couldn’t see what happened to the Steel Ants because of the rocks that were collapsing.
“(Well, I can tell even if I can’t see.)”
Immediately after the detonation, I could roughly estimate the power from the blast that hit my body.
It felt more powerful than the explosion magic I had once experienced from a high-level adventurer. In other words, it was dangerously powerful.
…I should stop using it in narrow places from now on…
“(…The 〖Dire Beasts〗 were more numerous in this direction.)”
Then, I recalled the situation during the battle and decided which way to go.
The direction where more strong Demon Beasts came from would have denser 〖Mana〗, and therefore, the dwelling of stronger Demon Beasts.
And so, I began to conquer this Steel Ant nest.