Chapter 277

Chapter 277: Ant Network

As the Remote Speaker in the lord’s castle study was retrieved, time shifted once more.

Elsewhere.

Adventurer’s Guild.

Upon receiving news of the town’s encirclement by ant forces, nearly all adventurers rushed to assist. Grace rose with a grave expression, preparing to join them. Remembering the necessity to first alert neighboring guilds, he turned to the counter attendant.

"Elena, fetch me the Remote Speaker."

"At once, Guildmaster."

Elena retrieved the device from the rear shelf and hurriedly passed it to the burly, bearded man. As his fingers brushed the artifact, Grace’s features contorted in alarm.

"Down!"

He shoved Elena aside with sudden force. A razor-edged appendage sliced through the air where she’d stood – through Grace’s combat-honed vision, he barely glimpsed the insectoid monster’s limb before it vanished.

The Remote Speaker clattered against stone tiles, rebounding upward. Mid-arcing fall, the enchanted stone with arcane carvings blinked from existence.

"They wanted the Speaker?" Grace hissed through clenched teeth, twin blades flashing from his belt as he crouched in defensive stance, tension etching new lines across his face. "Stay behind cover, Elena."

His eyes darted across the guild hall even as he spoke. Five ash-colored ant monsters materialized amidst the wooden benches, their emergence utterly silent. Decades of battlefield instinct screamed through Grace’s veins – these weren’t common fodder.

A single specimen radiated more menace than entire hordes he’d vanquished. Against five? No warrior’s prayer could save him.

Cold sweat traced his spine. Yet as panic crested, realization dawned – the creatures made no aggressive move.

No bloodlust.

"Just the Speaker then?" he murmured. High-tier monsters possessing strategic thought? Could they be blocking communications? But how had they known…?

The guildmaster’s racing thoughts shattered as a surviving adventurer roared:

"By the gods! Vermin dare breach our walls?!"

"Ants excel at tunneling through soil, so perhaps they emerged from the town’s underground sewers."

"But they’re merely a few ants! We’ve got the mighty Guildmaster Grace with us!"

"Right, Guildmaster! We’ll assist you too!"

"Charge! Follow Guildmaster Grace and crush these ants!"

"Ahahaha! Eliminating ant monsters invading our town would be a glorious feat! Miss Elena, don’t forget to upgrade our adventurer rankings!"

Only about twenty adventurers remained in the Adventurer’s Guild, all Class D members.

Inspired by Grace’s formidable presence, the adventurers charged with fierce determination toward the ten Class B Stealth Ants within the guild.

"Fools! Don’t provoke them!"

Grace’s warning came too late, his voice laced with alarm.

The sword-wielding adventurers failed to make contact with the Stealth Ants. Before they could react, their bodies were hurled airborne.

Simultaneously, they were flung backward with even greater velocity than their initial charge.

Crash! Thud! Bang!…

Two dozen adventurers either smashed into walls, leaving spiderweb cracks in the stonework, or collided with furniture that shattered into splinters across the fractured floor.

The once-fervent warriors now lay scattered in disarray, grievously wounded and moaning across the guild hall.

"You lot…!"

Grace stared in astonishment.

Though mere Class D adventurers, their instantaneous defeat – faster than even his eyes could track – revealed these gray ant monsters’ terrifying power surpassed all expectations.

Yet curiously, the creatures had shown restraint…

Keeping wary eyes on the Stealth Ants, Grace noted the injured adventurers’ conditions.

Severely wounded, but none fatally.

What were these monsters truly…?

Before he could strategize, commotion erupted outside – panicked shouts accompanied by distinct ground tremors.

Distracted by the external chaos, Grace glanced through a window. When his gaze returned, the five Stealth Ants had… vanished?!

Impossible!

He stood dumbfounded for several heartbeats before regaining focus. Mystery would have to wait – action was needed now.

"Elena!"

"Y-yes, Guildmaster?"

The clerk cautiously raised her head from behind the counter.

"The ant monsters… Where did they…?!"

"Gone. Administer Life Recovery Potions to these fools. I’m investigating outside."

Grace thrust open the guild’s heavy doors and strode into the tumult beyond.

"What happened?"

Just as he was about to inquire from a nearby passerby, he noticed the individual gaping skyward with widened eyes. Following the pedestrian’s line of sight, his own eyes dilated in astonishment, lips parting wordlessly.

"What’s… that? Are those flying creatures… ants?"

The purple-tinged entities possessed dual pairs of translucent wings, six articulated limbs, razor-sharp mandibles, and quivering antennae – an uncanny resemblance to winged ant monstrosities. Their numbers stretched beyond a thousand, swirling through the air like ominous storm clouds above the town.

Beyond the aerial threat, Grace observed the massive Magic Shield enveloping the settlement trembling violently, its luminous aura diminishing with each passing moment. The entire scene suggested imminent collapse. Simultaneously, unsettling tremors rippled through the ground, spreading panic through the populace.

…

Elsewhere

The instant Magic Rainbow’s words faded, azure radiance from the Magic Defense Crystal’s protective dome began shuddering. Even atop the fortified walls, Philid perceived subterranean vibrations through his boots.

Ants’ renowned expertise…

"Tunneling?! Could this quaking mean…"

"Precisely your apprehension," came Magic Rainbow’s composed voice through the Psychic Call resonating in every human mind. "Your settlement now rests above a subterranean network spanning kilometers – my daughters’ masterpiece."

"The current tremors merely reflect their assault upon your defenses’ foundation." A calculated pause followed. "Now observe the heavens."

Philid’s gaze snapped upward reflexively.

"Flying… monsters? Impossible! Those are-"

"My airborne brood," Magic Rainbow purred. "Your predicament offers neither celestial escape nor terrestrial refuge, Philid. Does surrender still require your lord’s deliberation? Or…" Her spectral laughter echoed mentally. "…shall we await your armored carapace’s shattering before negotiations?"