23 Chapter 23: Spectral Dagger (1/2)
Inside of the dungeon, Wilhelm gradually made his way back to the sparkling blue lake. He washed off the sludge that tainted his blemishless skin and brushed his straight hair. The small cuts on his body had already healed, and he was in perfect physical condition. Nonetheless, the mental strain was still inconceivably rough—fighting for a few days without rest was not an easy task.
Once his body could be considered somewhat clean, he stretched his limbs and walked out of the narrow cave, heading for the ant colony. He slicked his long hair behind his moderately pointy ears, causing droplets of water to fall in the process.
His eyes were squinted as he clenched the silver dagger in the palm of his hands, treading along the dungeon with caution. It was about time for him to start getting serious about leaving the dungeon; staying cooped up in the darkness was less than desirable. His level had drastically risen, giving him more confidence to ascend the upper floors.
With this in mind, he soon arrived near the ant colony. Using his night-eye skill, he followed a few tracks that moved westward, through a relatively small cavern. The rocks and grooves were uneven, forcing him to move on all fours. Furthermore, the absence of light would typically result in fear, but Wilhelm had long grown used to the murk.
It took him a few minutes of continuously climbing and running until he could finally hear the sound of dirt and rocks being moved. Straight ahead, a small group of worker ants were busy digging tunnels. They used their thick mandibles to transport stones and dig deeper into the cave, baffling Wilhelm.
The dungeon seemed to be alive as if it were some kind of animal kingdom. He was unsure if the ants could possibly break free from repeated digging, or if there was some kind of barrier like the entrance he had entered from. Either way, it was something worth investigating, especially if he wanted to escape.
However, most of his troublesome thoughts were blown away by his empty stomach. Even the gross looking ants started to look delicious in his eyes. He tightly clasped his silver dagger, reaching for the rusted knife with his left hand at the same time.
The group of five or so ants were very unsuspecting, none of them anticipated a small knife to penetrate their compatriots behind. Immediately, a rusted dagger was embedded into one of the ants acid sacks, causing it to writhe on the ground.
Wilhelm didn't waste much time and rushed forward, albeit, the small cavern wasn't spacious enough for much movement. The other ants could hardly react before Wilhelm already reached them, slashing down with his weapon. The silver dagger gleamed within the darkness, temporarily impairing their sight.
Slash! The first ant was cut in the neck, causing a stream of blood to splash onto Wilhelm's face. His expression didn't contort in the slightest as he used his other hand to subtly grab the rusted dagger, twirling around and kicking another of the charging ants in the same motion.
Using his masterful hands' skill, the blades seemed to dance as the ants fell one after another. Perfect sense of control, precision, and lethality caused Wilhelm to become a master of efficient killing. Blood flowed on the ground, reflecting Wilhelm's extremely cold face.
The more he fought, the more his skills from the past awoke. Alongside his masterful hands' skill and the training he did in the past, there were not many things that could compare to him when it came to fighting technique. In fact, the only thing that previously held him back was rust and age. Alas, muscle memory was a wondrous thing.
[150 experience has been acquired for killing a worker ant! x5]
After contemplating for a few moments before gazing down at the lifeless bodies below. He used their flexible limbs and tied them together, forming a strange line of ant carcasses. Once that was complete, he dragged them back to his makeshift residence. To him, it didn't matter if other ants followed the trail of blood; he would gladly welcome more experience.