Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 76: Mysterious Cave

Episode 76: Mysterious Cave

I was digging when there was a sensation that my chain shovel struck nothing but air. My body, still propelled by momentum, plunged into an unknown hollow space.

“(Tch, [Aerial Jump]!)”

I quickly jumped backward. Behind me was a solid rock wall, but there was a hole at the spot where I had entered. I returned through it.

“(Phew, that was a close one… What is this place?)”

Standing on the edge of the collapsed wall, I looked down at the hollow. It was about the size of a large warehouse. There were two entrances, both on the opposite side of where I stood. 

Then I shifted my gaze to the pile of rocks below. It didn’t look like a natural cave-in; rather, it seemed that someone or something had deliberately stacked them.

“(A food storage room, maybe?)”

That was the first thing that came to mind. Whether it was the Golems, Gargoyles, or Steel Ants, most of the beasts living in this mine liked to eat rocks and minerals rich in |Mana|. It seemed likely that some creature here was stockpiling food.

Of course, there was a chance that it was a human mineral storage. But if that were the case, they would’ve likely taken the minerals to a town instead of leaving them in a place like this. Plus, there were no guards, so the probability of that seemed low.

“(Looks safe enough.)”

After observing for a bit and seeing no traps, I leapt down to the floor of the hollow. Although I wasn’t great at identifying traps, I figured I’d just deal with them through brute force if necessary. Using [Concealment] and [Receiving], I quietly landed and then turned to face the pile of rocks behind me. 

It was too much of a hassle to inspect each one individually, so I decided to store them all.

“(Got them all in there. The capacity of this bag is seriously amazing.)”

One by one, I tossed the rocks into the bag. This was the largest bag available at Ergo’s store—the size of a sandbag—but thanks to Paula’s spatial magic, its internal space was far larger than its external appearance.

“(Now, which way should I go…?)”

There were two exits, one leading uphill and the other downhill. After some thought…

“(Let’s head downhill.)”

The |Mana| was thicker in that direction. The area I was in already had |Mana| concentrations equivalent to those in the Grand Beast Region, but I could feel even denser |Mana| coming from below.

“(If the intensity keeps increasing, there could be a Sovereign Beast down there…!)”

Shivering in anticipation of a formidable opponent, I entered the passageway and began descending the slope. The tunnel was a bit cramped for me, but I managed to pass through by dissolving the chains and slimming my body down.

Before long, I came to a fork in the road, with paths splitting to the left and right. Both seemed to have roughly the same |Mana| concentration, making the choice a tough one.

“Gijiji!?”

“(Oh?)”

My thoughts were interrupted as a Steel Ant emerged from around the corner of one of the paths. It looked like this might be a Steel Ant nest after all.

“([Lightning Strike])”

I sent a narrowed lightning attack toward the distant Steel Ant. Although not as powerful as the original [Lightning Strike], the bolt’s incredible speed struck the Steel Ant’s head before it had any chance to evade. 

The creature, which seemed to be at the [Greater Beast] level, died instantly.But it seemed there was another Steel Ant nearby.

A resounding, shriek echo is heard. 

This voice is a [Skill] that calls allies. If this really was a Steel Ant nest, more were bound to come.

“(Perfect.)”

I stood confidently in the center of the fork, taking a defiant stance—not that it was necessary—and waited without any particular sense of urgency.

Soon, the sound of numerous footsteps overlapped, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

“(They’re coming.)”

Ants surged from all three tunnels. Most of them were Greater Beasts, but there were also a few Grand Beasts among them. They embodied the power of sheer numbers, charging en masse without any strategy. For a weaker creature, this would have been a hopeless situation.

“(Looks like it’s going to be a big hunt, [Replicant Form]!)”

Of course, this wasn’t a problem for me. I directed two chains toward each tunnel. As soon as the Steel Ants entered range, I pierced, slashed, and crushed them.

Handling the swarming Steel Ants was a bit exhausting, but thanks to my [Multi-Sword Style] and the slime’s 360-degree vision, I was able to keep up with the onslaught. Besides, I had a significant |Speed| advantage.

As a result, the Ants quickly began to pile up as corpses, and the survivors became more cautious. They stopped just outside the reach of my chains, forming ranks and glaring at me.

Then, like stinger-tailed creatures, they raised their abdomens and aimed them at me. A moment later, a mysterious liquid shot from the tips of their stingers.

“(Ah, that’s… acid. But it’s not concentrated enough to dissolve me.)”

Even if I got drenched in acid, it wouldn’t melt me or my weapons. They also launched rocks and pieces of metal, but those couldn’t scratch me either.

Well, since my vision is getting obstructed, I’ll use [Clairvoyance] to see through it.

“(Still, this is pretty interesting. It’s like the triple-line volley tactics we learned about in history.)”

It seems that there’s a cooldown period for using ranged attack [Skills], like their acid shots. However, as soon as one Ant finishes firing its acid, it quickly switches places with the one behind it, maintaining a relentless, continuous barrage.

“(Pretty smart for ants.)”

Admiring their systematic teamwork, I mimicked the poison sword of the Hydra. I aimed it at one of the tunnels and slashed horizontally, cutting through the walls as well.

“([Wave Slash])”

The strike ripped through the rock walls and annihilated the Steel Ants in its path. The |Speed| difference was so great that the ants had no time to defend.

“([Wave Slash])”

I swung again, obliterating the Ants in the second tunnel. As for the final tunnel, I decided to test out a weapon I made in the Grand Beast Region.

“([Weapon Storage], New Explosive Arrow)”

I pulled out a massive arrow. Beneath the rubbery covering of the enchanted mineral on its surface lay an explosive stone I had obtained from the Grand Beast Region, with incredible explosive power.

“(Take this!)”

I notched the arrow, carefully aiming between the acid shots, and let it fly. The rubber-coated fletching made it resilient to outside impact. The arrow hit its mark, striking the cluster of ants, and the entire tunnel was engulfed in light.

──BOOOOOMMMMM!!

The deafening roar echoed through the cave. Whether it was the sound of the arrow exploding or the tunnel collapsing, I couldn’t tell. After the flash and blast, rocks crumbled and obstructed the view, leaving the fate of the Steel Ants hidden.

“(Well, I can guess what happened without seeing it.)”

From the shockwave that hit me right after the explosion, I could gauge the force. It was stronger than the explosive magic I’d been hit with by a High-rank adventurer in the past, meaning it was insanely powerful.

…Yeah, maybe I should avoid using it in tight spaces from now on…

“(There were more Grand Beasts coming from this direction.)”

Reflecting on the battle, I decided which path to take. The direction where the stronger beasts came from likely led to an area with dense |Mana| and possibly even stronger creatures. With that reasoning, I continued my assault on the Steel Ant nest.