Chapter 16 Black Route (5) (1/2)

[Number of monsters hunted: 543]

The dungeon was shaking up and down. Stone dust fell from the ceiling.

Surprised by the sudden earthquake, monsters broke out of their areas causing a disturbance.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Yeon-woo rushed into the tunnel while holding his dagger in a reverse grip.

The scorching heat and the burning flames left no safe spot for him to tread on, but Yeon-woo held his breath and focused every single one of his senses on the ant tunnel.

[Combat Will]

[Sense Strengthening]

*Whoosh*

As soon as he activated his skills, time around Yeon-woo seemed to stretch out.

As his senses reached their peak potency and with the help of his heightened concentration, all the information about his surroundings poured into his brain.

Although a terrible headache followed, he could withstand the pain thanks to his occasional practice.

‘I can only last five minutes in this state!’

*Thwish*

Yeon-woo rushed in between the ants that were struggling in pain and put them out of their misery.

Even those that ran towards him while letting out a screech had their shells burned. It wasn’t hard to get rid of them.

‘It’s a shame I can’t eat all the hearts that are lying here.’

Still, he got to kill a large number of monsters at once, so it wasn’t too much of a loss.

The ants that were still alive or died of suffocation still had their hearts intact, so he could enjoy them later. Even so, he didn’t think of eating them right away.

Even if the explosion swept through the tunnel, nearly half of the ants had survived the impact. Most of those that died were mere antlings or eggs that had yet to hatch. Therefore, there were still many worker ants left alive.

‘It won’t be too late to clean this up after I get Bathory’s Vampiric Sword. Right now I have to focus on….’

Kieeek!

An ant that was approximately five times bigger than the average Blue Army Ant ran towards Yeon-woo.

“The Ant Queen!”

The Ant Queen expressed her fury towards the criminal who destroyed her den.

[A boss monster, Blue Army Ant Queen has emerged.]

If she were in optimal condition, Yeon-woo would have no chance of winning.

The Ant Queen currently had two of her six legs blown away, her wings were completely torn apart, and her burned exoskeleton was festering. Her one remaining eye was blazing with anger.

*Kung* *Kung*

The ground shook with every step she took. The pressure he was feeling was greater than the one he felt when he faced the Red O-Gong.

‘Four minutes.’

Yeon-woo quickly searched for the gate. But it wasn’t easy to find because the tunnel was too wide.

The Ant Queen swung its leg towards him as he searched. Yeon-woo swiftly rolled on the ground and narrowly dodged the attack.

In the meantime, he continued searching for the gate.

‘Three minutes.’

Time was ticking.

Yeon-woo’s senses finally caught on to something. A small gate was hidden beyond the fried ant eggs.

‘That must be it!’

However, even if he found its location, the Ant Queen didn’t seem to have any intention of letting him pass.

‘Two minutes.’

The use of thought acceleration through Combat Will paired with Sense Strengthening was very convenient as it allowed him to execute quick judgment, but the headache and dizziness caused by the aftereffects were severe. If he had to suffer from the aftereffects amid this situation, it would be over for him.

Yeon-woo drew three daggers from his waist and threw them at the Ant Queen.

*Tang*

Kiek!

The Ant Queen lightly flung the daggers aside and let out a sardonic screech.

However,

*Swish*

*Puck*

A fourth dagger flew in with a slight delay and struck deep into the Ant Queen’s remaining eyeball.

Kieeeek!

The pain caused the Ant Queen to go into a frenzy.

In the meantime,

‘One minute, now!’

Yeon-woo slid underneath the belly of the Ant Queen and went past her. At the same time, he severed two of her remaining legs.

*Kung*

The Ant Queen’s body tilted forward, and her head slammed onto the ground.

The other ants started to assemble in order to protect their queen. The whole cave shook as they moved all at once.

Meanwhile, he managed to reach the gate after passing through the ant’s territory. At that moment, a massive headache and dizziness hit him as the effects of thought acceleration wore off.

While holding in his vomit, Yeon-woo quickly entered the gate and closed it behind him.

*Kwang*

The gate shut just before the ants’ legs could reach him. The place he found himself in was completely cut off from the ant tunnel, so none of the ants were able to enter the room.

[You have entered the ‘Temple of The Vampire Lord’.]

“Hoo.”

As soon as he saw the message, Yeon-woo leaned against the wall, taking a second to catch his breath.

*Kung Kung Kung*

Outside, the ants were banging at the gate, trying to get him out of the room. He could also hear the Ant Queen’s screeching noise occasionally.

He didn’t know whether this room and the ant tunnel were a completely separate dimension, or there was some kind of aura that was keeping them from approaching the temple. Nevertheless, the ants only kept pounding on the gate without even thinking of breaking into the room.

Yeon-woo took a look around once his headache subsided.

It was a small room with about 70 square meters of space. The ceiling covered the room from high above, and a beam of light streaming from above illuminated a part of the room. An altar was sitting in that spot, glowing with a crimson aura.

There were five steps leading up to the altar. Bronze braziers were emanating an ominous green fire on both sides, and a statue was standing right in the middle. It was a woman with snake-shaped hair and long sharp fangs. Her lifelike eyes gave off the illusion of her coming alive.

‘Bathory, the Lord of Vampires.’

Yeon-woo looked at her face and soon moved his gaze toward the dagger in her hand.