Chapter 294: The Centipede’s Nest
Thus, Rest ventured into the mine where the centipedes dwelled, accompanied by Isis Carbelt and Ula Lavender. This mine had originally been excavated as a well, but it had been expanded to allow entry after the discovery of Rainbow Crystals.
“It seems the centipedes here are sensitive to light. We can’t see them at the entrance where the outside light filters in, but…”
“They’re definitely here. Crawling all over the place.”
“Gross.”
Isis spoke with a wary tone, and Ula nodded in agreement. All three of them possessed the magic of Life Search, allowing them to sense the presence of monsters nearby. As they probed the area, they quickly detected the writhing presence of the creatures.
“They’re coming…!”
“Shararararararara!”
From a side tunnel, a massive centipede slithered out. It wasn’t just one; soon two, three, and four more followed, increasing in number rapidly. The centipedes ranged from two to three meters in length, their bodies encased in a black, armor-like exoskeleton. With large fangs at the front and countless legs skittering about, the sight was enough to induce a visceral revulsion.
“Everyone, be careful!”
“Shararararararara!”
“Wind Cutter!”
Isis was the first to unleash her magic. Although Rest possessed significantly greater magical power, Isis’s speed in casting spells surpassed his.
“Shat…”
The leading centipede had its head split open and fell lifeless. However, another centipede emerged from behind, ready to attack.
“Water Cutter!”
“Wind Cutter!”
Rest and Ula fired their spells to intercept the approaching centipedes. Yet, no matter how many they defeated, more kept appearing.
“This is troublesome… Each one isn’t particularly strong, but there are just so many of them…”
Rest wished he could unleash a powerful spell to blow them all away at once, but unfortunately, that wasn’t feasible. They were underground in a mine, and using large-scale magic could risk a cave-in.
“I guess we have to take them down one by one…”
“It’s tedious, but that seems to be the case.”
Isis replied with a sigh. The three of them continued to scatter the centipedes, and after defeating about thirty, their onslaught finally ceased.
“Looks like we can take a short break… but there are still plenty more below.”
Using his magical power to probe deeper, Rest sensed a writhing mass of monsters lurking beneath. The thought of so many monsters hiding underground was terrifying. Perhaps there were similar dangers buried beneath the town Rest was building. A chill ran down his spine.
“Once we get back, I should thoroughly investigate with magic… I wouldn’t want to encounter a giant mole monster or something.”
“However… with this many centipedes, won’t it take forever to finish? It seems impossible to exterminate every last one.”
Isis wiped the sweat from her brow as she spoke. The idea of eradicating hundreds of centipede monsters one by one was far from realistic. Yet, if they let even one escape, it could breed and multiply.
“You’re right… What should we do…?”
“Queen.”
“Huh?”
As Rest and Isis pondered, Ula quietly muttered a short word.
“What did you just say?”
“Queen.”
“Oh…?”
“Yes… Queen.”
“Could it be that they have a queen like ants or bees?”
While Rest raised an eyebrow in confusion, Isis snapped her fingers as if she had just realized something.
“Indeed, there are species of insect monsters that have such a hierarchy.”
“But… how do you know that? Do you have knowledge of these monsters?”
“Eyes.”
Ula pointed to her own eyes, which displayed a strange mix of colors.
“Good eyes.”
“………”
Did she mean her eyesight was good? No matter how sharp one’s vision, it wouldn’t necessarily grant knowledge of insect biology.
“Still… now that you mention it, there is a larger one among the centipedes.”
As Rest carefully searched for their presence, he noticed a particularly large centipede radiating a significant amount of magical power. He had overlooked it amidst the other centipedes, but could that be the centipede queen?
“I see… So if we defeat that queen, no new centipedes will be born. This simplifies things considerably.”
While exterminating all the centipedes might be difficult, taking down the queen seemed manageable.
“In that case, let’s head toward the strong presence. Is that alright with you both?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“Yes, I will follow… for life.”
“Alright, then let’s set off.”
Ula seemed to say something else, but Rest paid it no mind as he pushed the centipede corpses aside and ventured deeper into the mine.