Dungeon Maker

Chapter 34 Recapturing the Gold Mine 2

The more urgent the moment, the more cold-hearted he became.

Yong-Ho's senses had sharpened, amidst the pain, caused by the additional effect of the mana potion.

Was it because of the demon's blood?

Or was it a talent that Yong-Ho himself had that had been dormant, and which only became active now due to him experiencing the thrill of combat?

It didn't matter which way it was.

Even when groups of Crazy Ants started to charge towards him, Yong-Ho remained calm.

The ants were already extremely close by the time he grabbed Catalina by the waist.

At the moment he pulled Catalina into his chest, the ants were so close that he heard them breathing through their rake-like mouth.

Nevertheless, Yong-Ho continued to analyze the situation around him. As he stabbed the ground with Aamon, he began to control his mana, as he felt the weight of the Crazy Ants swarming above him and then ignited the ants.

He didn't expend all his mana at once out of excitement.

The gold mine was a lot smaller compared to the room outside.

He only had one mana potion left and if he overdid it, then he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to fight against the Queen Ant.

As if he was agilely dodging throwing knives with minimal movement.

He released his mana. Aamon responded. He controlled the flames!

It looked like a blast of fiery wind. The flames started from the ground and quickly rose up as it enveloped Yong-Ho. The fiery whirlpool burned the Crazy Ants around him.

He couldn't breathe. He continued to control the fire. Instead of recklessly releasing the fire, he condensed it to one point.

His senses were sharp. He could read every move of Catalina, who was crouched beneath him while heavily breathing. He felt the very essence of the fire as if it had become one with him.

This entire process only lasted for a few seconds at best.

During this short time, Yong-Ho once again trusted his instincts. The condensed flames that were shooting out in a single direction suddenly split into two and charged down both passageways.

Half of his mana had been consumed. His mana had temporarily become stronger many times because of the mana potion and it provided a similar effect to when his mana was maxed out.

The inside of the gold mine continued to burn. The burning smell of Crazy Ants filled his nose. It was difficult to breathe because of the hot air around them.

And in one second.

Yong-Ho raised his head. The Crazy Ants, who were near the center of the fire and had fought against Yong-Ho, had turned to ashes. The ants that were near the center didn't turn to ashes but were still very dead. The ones that had kept their distance were still alive but weren't in any condition to continue fighting.

Yong-Ho breathed out.

Catalina, who was within Yong-Ho's arms, breathed the same. Instead of standing there absent-mindedly, she stepped out and looked around. She used her long ears to see if she could hear the enemy, but couldn't hear anything.

'I can't do it a second time.'

The cost of trying to control the flames, not just releasing them, was far heavier than he had first thought. Mentally, he was exhausted. If it wasn't for Aamon in the first place, he wouldn't have been able to get this far, but regardless, it was still too much.

Yong-Ho frowned and turned his attention to the inside of the mine. He used Aamon as a cane to support himself and brought up the dungeon map through the wave of a finger.

It was just as he had expected. The gold mine wasn't very deep. He couldn't find the tunnels that the ants had dug, but Yong-Ho didn't care. The dungeon map showed the most important information right now.

"Queen Ant."

The target of this battle was located in the deepest part of the mine.

[The number of Crazy Ants within the gold mine has decreased significantly.]

[There are few Crazy Ants left where the Queen Ant is located.]

[You're almost done. Just a little longer!]

Yong-Ho laughed bitterly. He was nearly done. His whole body ached with pain, and he could only fight for a little longer.

'Not yet.'

Yong-Ho consciously gritted his teeth and straightened himself up. He had no choice but to hurry, not only for his own physical condition but for the Salamander and Skull, who were guarding the entrance.

"I'll take the lead."

Catalina spoke quietly and took a couple of steps ahead of Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho followed behind Catalina without a word.

[Because of the mana that the Queen Ant is emitting, I'm unable to see the situation in the innermost part of the mine.]

[I'm not sure what they have planned, so please be careful.]

Yong-Ho nodded his head and examined the dungeon map again. Except for the Queen Ant and her remaining soldier ants, he couldn't see any other significant force.

In that case, the last remaining fight will be with the Queen Ant.

Yong-Ho took a deep breath for the last time. The passageway leading to the innermost part of the mine had a slight incline. Nothing was visible to him beyond the cave entrance, which was around two meters in diameter.

Catalina's ears flinched. She could hear something crawling inside the cave. The entrance was quiet.

Yong-Ho and Catalina exchanged a glance. As Yong-Ho nodded his head, Catalina grabbed her dagger with her left hand and grabbed a fiery short sword she obtained from Kaiwan's armory with her right.

Catalina flew inside. Immediately after, Yong-Ho kicked off the ground and dashed inside as well.

A large space.

The space was large enough to have a proper volleyball match.

The ceiling was high. Dozens of white eggs, a little larger than a human's head, were dotted in bunches around the twisted circular room.

Two soldier ants were visible in the deepest part of the room and as they raised their head, they threatened Yong-Ho and Catalina. They were still around 20 meters away, but it was enough to attract their attention.

However, Yong-Ho didn't get submerged this time. The moment he entered the room, he felt a sense of discordance with what he saw.

Something had to be in this room.

He couldn't see the Queen Ant.

How come?

Why?

"Kyahhhhhh!"

A sudden terrifying shriek came from the above. Right when Yong-Ho looked up, Catalina jumped on him. They suddenly fell to the ground and rolled a few meters to the side.

Fwoosh!

About a dozen icicles that were each about one meter in length fell on the spot that Yong-Ho was previously standing in. While rolling with Catalina, Yong-Ho quickly examined the ceiling.

It was a wall, not the ceiling. He could see a huge monster, crouching on the wall right above the entrance.

The creature was an enormous, blue ant that looked three or four times bigger than a soldier ant.

Like a spider, their abdomen was far larger than its head and above where its head would be, sat the upper body of a naked woman. Excluding the antennae that were on her forehead, she was incredibly beautiful. Moreover, she had long, blue hair.

"Kyahh!"

Suddenly the Queen Ant charged towards Yong-Ho and Catalina at the same time. Behind the woman were sharp antennas that extended outwards and resembled a mantis's legs

Yong-Ho felt it.

'Magic?!'

He focused on the concentration of mana. Blue mana was gathered at the end of each of the antennas. Yong-Ho didn't wait any longer. Catalina quickly rose up and kicked off the ground.

Swoosh!

About a dozen icicles were formed in the air once again and targeted Yong-Ho and Catalina.

Yong-Ho rolled on the ground again and Catalina dodged, but she didn't stop there. She kicked off the wall, utilizing her high agility. She threw her body into the air after kicking off the wall and closed the distance between her and the Queen Ant.

The Queen Ant was flustered by Catalina's quick movements and quickly turned her head. However, Catalina had already released an arrow before the Queen Ant could move.

Her aim was right on target. However, the arrow didn't pierce through the Queen Ant's forehead. It just bounced off, as if it had been blocked by an invisible wall. After firing, Catalina swiftly executed a mid-air somersault and landed safely on the ground.

[I'm detecting a strong mana emanating from the Queen Ant!]

Yong-Ho made a rough assumption. The Queen Ant was a demon that had occupied the gold mine since the previous generation. Furthermore, the Queen Ant was powerful enough to exert control over the entire colony of Crazy Ants.

Just from the fact that the Queen Ant possessed the upper body of a human, showed just how extraordinary she was.

'Is that defense magic?!'

Yong-Ho didn't stay in one place. He quickly stood up and tightened his grip on Aamon. The Queen Ant wasn't the only monster nearby.

"Gahhhh!"

Two soldier ants rushed towards Yong-Ho at once. Yong-Ho charged towards the one on the right and aimed for its head with Aamon.

"Gahh!"

The ant tilted its head and dodged Aamon. Yong-Ho released a portion of mana to create a fireball. Which blew up beside the ant's head, causing it to release a grotesque sound as it twisted its body.

And at that moment, Catalina swung her sword as she leaped on top of the ant on the left. With a single attack, she completely cut off its head. She didn't stop there, however, and immediately released another arrow that pierced through the ant on the right side.

"Kyahh!"

The soldier ant staggered after being hit on the head again. Yong-Ho quickly grabbed Aamon and attempted to stab the ant in the head again. The moment he felt Aamon pierce through the ant's head, he channeled some of Aamon's fire and burned the inside of its head.

It had taken them a few seconds to kill both of the soldier ants.

Yong-Ho didn't have time to catch his breath and immediately turned his attention back to the Queen Ant. He suddenly hesitated for a moment without realizing it.

The Queen Ant had moved towards the ceiling and was staring at him with venomous eyes. She was holding another body beside her head. The giant Queen Ant was frantically feasting on a small girl.

It was a terrible and incomprehensible sight to behold.

Where did the girl come from? Why did the Queen Ant suddenly stop fighting and start eating the girl?

[She's recovering her mana by eating the Princess Ant!]

The moment the Spirit of the Dungeon shouted, the Queen Ant shot icicles at him once again. Yong-Ho threw his body to the side and dodged the incoming icicles that were pouring down like rain. Though it wasn't exactly the cleanest roll, he had managed to dodge the icicles just in time.

But that wasn't the end. The Queen Ant jumped off the wall. She was targeting Yong-Ho, not Catalina.

She moved at an extremely fast pace. Since he had no time to think, and given that he had just rolled on the ground, all he could do was extend Aamon out in front of him. He poured out his remaining mana and created a fiery wave.

The wave of flames crashed against the Queen Ant.

"Master!"

Catalina yelled. Within the flames of Greed, Yong-Ho examined her. A defensive magic was being created from the Queen Ant's head, which pushed away the incoming fire.

As soon as she landed on the ground, the Queen Ant released a scream and started to attack between the flames with her sharp antennas. She glared at Yong-Ho, while the blood of the Princess Ant dripped from her mouth. Another Princess Ant laid across the Queen Ant's back, but she couldn't even let out a moan.

Clash!

The Queen Ant's metal like mouth collided with Aamon. Yong-Ho released a painful groan as he managed to block her by holding Aamon in an upright position. Even though he had somehow blocked her, her physical strength was incredibly powerful.

"Kyahhhh!"

The Queen Ant glared at him and gave out a shriek. She retracted her antennas and targeted Yong-Ho!

"Ahhhh!"

Catalina screamed. She distracted the Queen Ant's attention and fired an arrow towards her head. Afterwhich, she immediately jumped on the Queen Ant's back.

The arrow once again bounced off the Queen Ant's head. But, Catalina didn't stop. The Queen Ant couldn't ignore Catalina anymore. Her antennas, which had originally targeted Yong-Ho, now changed their target to Catalina.

Catalina leaped high into the air. She leaped so high that she avoided all of the Queen Ant's antennae and then did a somersault in the air. With her facing the ground, she turned her body like a spinning top and quickly changed directions. With that, she fell towards the Queen Ant.

Silver.

The short sword targeted the top of the Queen Ant's head. She failed to pierce through it because of the defensive magic, but she was able to cut off a couple of her antennas. The Queen Ant started to scream in pain since it was equivalent to cutting off the limbs of a human. The rest of the Queen Ant's body must have felt affected too because her whole body began to writhe in pain.

Catalina landed awkwardly because she was too focused on her attack and instead she ended up rolling on the ground. Instead of looking at Catalina, Yong-Ho stared at the Queen Ant. Given the opportunity of the Queen Ant's current situation, he grabbed Aamon with his right hand.

He was out of mana.

He didn't have enough time to drink the mana potion that was on his waist.

But there was still a way.

[I'm transferring the mana of the dungeon!]

The Spirit of the Dungeon poured the dungeon's remaining mana into Yong-Ho. Yong-Ho concentrated all of his mana. He poured the mana into Aamon and threw it towards the Queen Ant's body.

Green flames. The flames of Greed!

At a distance of just three meters, it didn't take Aamon long to reach her. The lance was enveloped in green flames, which made it look like a falling star.

Aamon collided with the Queen Ant with ease. The lance destroyed the Queen Ant's defensive magic, despite its weakening green flames, and continued its momentum. The sharp end of the lance pierced through the Queen Ant's chest. The lance suddenly let out an explosive flame, as if the soul of the lance, Aamon himself, was in control.

"Kyahhh!"

Green flames suddenly ruptured through all of the Queen Ant's orifices.

Catalina gulped. Yong-Ho didn't turn his gaze away and continued to watch the Queen Ant in her last moments.

It was indeed her last moments.

The Queen Ant's body began to drop. One of her legs collapsed, and immediately, the rest of the body followed. Her human body attached to the ant fell to the ground as well.

The Princess Ant was still attached to the Queen Ant's back and remained stagnant, so Yong-Ho wasn't sure if she had died or just lost consciousness.

Moments later.

While he was catching his breath.

[The Queen Ant has been defeated!]

[The Crazy Ants have been relinquished from the Queen Ant's control and are in extreme chaos!]

[The Crazy Ants located in the entrance room are fleeing towards the inactive rooms!]

Yong-Ho and Catalina looked at each other. They let out a sigh of relief.

Yong-Ho stood up from his seat. He extended his hand out towards the dead Queen Ant.

He consumed the Queen Ant's spirit.