A few meters into the nest, Liam realized that the entire cave system had been carved out by the giant ants. Every tunnel formed a uniform tube burrowing through the earth. In Liam's opinion, mapping the tunnels would be nigh impossible with the technology level he had observed in this world. Instead of attempting to remember each turn, he used the torch to burn an arrow into the ground at each intersection in order to help him find the exit later on. Some of the tunnels spiraled downward, some were simply straight, and some were straight-up pitfalls.

Several minutes into his search, Liam realized he had not encountered any of the giant ants. That was good.

Actually, isn't this stupidly crazy? Liam thought. If any of those ants show up again...

In spite of the danger, he delved further into the tunnels. Usually, the greater the risk there was, the greater the reward there would be. With that in mind, he searched for anything worth taking. At some point, his torch began to die, so he pulled a fresh one from his inventory and lit it with the old one.

Deeper, deeper, and still deeper he traipsed. How long had he been searching these tunnels? Surely he was bound to find something, even if he had to spend all night.

Hmm... is it just me, or is this tunnel widening? No, it's definitely widening.

Until now, he had basically been speed walking, but he now slowed his pace. He crept forward along the wall to his right. Gradually, the walls of the tunnel expanded into a large room. A reddish-orange light flickered from his torch, lighting the way. Though he could not see everything at first, he eventually noticed a large shadow near the back wall.

Stopping, Liam squinted as he tried to see what was there. Even with the shifting light from the torch in his hand, he could tell that whatever was there was moving, albeit barely. By instinct, he crouched before drawing closer. He inched forward, step by careful step.

The closer he got, the more his torch showed what was there. A large, shiny, black wall loomed over him, taller than three of himself standing head to toe. He looked up, only to realize the ceiling was out of view now. However, the 'wall' was not. In fact, it was not a wall at all. Enormous, jointed poles extended from the side. Glancing left and right, he saw that there were four in total. To the right, there was a pile of white, maggot-looking things.

He did not have to be an expert to realize what lay before him. It was, most assuredly, a giant among giant ants. No. There was no doubt in Liam's mind. This was the queen.

Forget loot, I'm leaving. Liam thought as he deftly spun around. He took a few steps, but a rumbling from behind made him stop. He slowly craned his neck to look at the source of the rumbling. His heartbeat quickened. Beads of sweat formed on his brow.

Oh, hell no... Is my stealth useless or something?

Gigantic, fire-red, compound eyes reflected the torchlight as the creature's massive head faced him. If an elephant stood next to that head, it would not even be half the size. One by one, jagged and sharp legs lifted from the ground and fell in tandem, echoing like a war drum throughout the cavern. Only a few seconds passed while the titan of an ant turned toward Liam, but to him, it felt like several minutes.

On the queen's back, two mammoth-sized wings fluttered, showering dust everywhere. In a panic, Liam used his body to shield his torch from the rain of dust, some of which was clumpy and tough. If anything, it felt like a hailstorm on his back. When the dust settled, he once more looked at the towering creature. It looked back, unblinking.

Liam had no idea how long they looked at each other, but it was long enough that his fresh torch began to die. Like before, he pulled a fresh torch from his inventory and used the old one to light it. When he did so, the queen chittered with her massive mandibles. To Liam's surprise, the creature was trying to back away from the flame. It even crushed hundreds of those maggot-like things in the process.

Is it... scared? Of fire? Liam wondered. To test the waters, he held up both torches and took a few careful steps toward the creature. In response, it chittered restlessly and backed itself completely against the far wall.

“...You are shitting me, right? It was this easy to stop you bastards?”

Now filled with some confidence, Liam stood straight and ambled toward the giant creature. In a fervor, it thrashed with its giant limbs.

Shit. I got too confident. Liam thought as he retreated from the reach of the frighteningly sharp limbs that looked more like sickles than legs. One slice from those and I'm a goner.

From there, the two fell into a stalemate. Of course, Liam considered retreating, but having an enemy's weakness at hand was too good an opportunity to pass up. Who knew how much the beast's body parts were worth?

With the understanding that he could not simply approach the creature, he surveyed the room for anything he could use to his advantage. Unfortunately, the only other thing in the cavern was those maggot-like things. They looked disgusting, but if they were eggs or larvae, then they were probably flammable.

Alright. Time to start a fire.

Keeping the queen in view, he crept toward the pile of eggs, or larvae, or whatever they were. As he circled the edge of the cavern, the queen skittered in the opposite direction. Each of her steps rumbled the entire area. Several stones plummeted from the ceiling as a result.

Damn, this is irritating. I'm going to burn you real good.

Before long, he reached the pile of egg things. Without hesitation, he placed the almost dead torch on top of the pile. Only a few seconds passed before smoke rose from them.

[SKEEEEEEEEEEEE!] The queen erupted with an ear-shattering screech which forced Liam to close his hands over his ears.

Yeah. I'm flaying this bitch if it's the last thing I do.

Of course, he brought this on himself by setting her offspring ablaze, but that didn't matter. However, what did matter was the fact that the enormous creature was now rushing toward her pile of egg things.

Not wanting to be crushed - and who could blame him? - Liam sprinted away from the pile. Although it was not completely roasting, flames had begun to sprout and spread. Above them, the queen smashed the ground in a tantrum like the dumb beast it was. While it was thrashing, the flames spread further, lighting the cavern with an eerie, reddish glow. Shadows danced on the walls as though they were demons celebrating the slaughter of the unborn insects. Liam himself gazed at the blaze in triumph.

Alas, his glee did not last long, for the queen turned its massive head toward him. It chittered angrily with its enormous mandibles.

Why couldn't it just burn with that shit pile? Liam thought while turning on his toes. He sprinted for the tunnel, hoping the queen would not fit. The cave walls shook violently with each stomp of the queen's limbs. Stone and clay fell from the ceiling and walls. The tunnel quickly closed in around him as he fled back into it.

*BOOOOM*

An explosive sound of the queen ramming itself into the tunnel entrance echoed around him. The intense impact shook the cave so violently that Liam stumbled and tripped, dropping his torch in the process.

As soon as the debris stopped falling from the ceiling, he retrieved the torch. He was slightly surprised that it was still lit, but he could be thankful for that later. Facing the thrashing queen that was now stuck in the tunnel, he grinned. The thing was trapped.

Sidestepping the chittering mandibles, he gazed triumphantly into the unintelligent eyes of the disgusting, oversized insect. If he had been able to see his own face at that moment, he would have assumed himself to be some sort of villainous pyromaniac.

As soon as he was within reach, he tapped the torch against the hard exoskeleton just below the creature's left eye. Instantly, the fire burned through the carapace and enveloped the eye.

[SKEEEEEEEEEEEE!] The enormous insect screeched again and thrashed even more wildly, shaking the entirety of the tunnel.

Once again, Liam stumbled and fell, though he held his grip on the torch handle this time around. To his surprise, the queen reared back, pulling its head away from the tunnel. Large stones and clumps of clay showered around him. He covered his face, but many of the stones lacerated his skin in multiple places. By the end of it, his neck, shoulders, arms, and even some of his face were checkered with cuts and contusions. Even more pissed than before, he clenched his teeth and whispered, “Ohohoho~ I am soooooo going to tear your corpse apart after I burn you to a crisp.”

Eyes ablaze with fury, he ran into the cavern where the queen was skittering about madly, head engulfed in flames. With an idea in mind, he opened his inventory and pulled out two more torches. After lighting both of them, he glared at the monster before him. With all his might, he threw the oldest torch into the air above the creature. His aim was as true as a javelin thrower, and the torch landed on top of the queen's thorax. Of course, it rolled off, but not before leaving a trail of flame in its wake.

Experience in Throwing Weapons recognized.

Adjusting Skills.

…

Skills adjusted.

Not now, dammit. I'm busy here. Liam thought as he instantly dismissed the irritating notification. As soon as it disappeared, he threw a second torch. For some reason, it suddenly felt like he was using perfect throwing posture. Ignoring the inconsequential feeling, he chucked the torch above the queen's abdomen. Like the previous throw, it landed on top and left a trail of flame down the side as it rolled off.

From here, it was simply a waiting game while the fire devoured the queen and her egg things. Retreating to the tunnel, Liam watched with an elated smirk as his enemy slowly roasted in the flame he had set. He even sat down and laid the remaining torch on the ground next to him in order to quietly enjoy the show.

Several minutes later, the queen collapsed and shriveled up within the blaze. It was a beautiful sight.

“...Shit! I can't collect it's body parts if everything burns, dammit! Gaaaaaaaaaah!” Liam exclaimed as he pounded his fists on the ground.

You have slain a Colossal Myrmeke Queen!

This grand achievement has earned you the title: Slayer of the Colossal!

116,257 exp. earned.

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