Chapter 26 – Guiding Lights.

Rusty cautiously approached the source of the sound, his grip tightening on his sword and newly made shield. As he continued to move the noise of something getting crunched started to get louder. Eventually, he peeked around the corner to see a strange white creature going at the mana crystals in this cave.

‘What is that? It’s different from the other monsters but looks similar to the ants…’

What he found was a rather small-looking monster. It was similar to the Myrm Ant drones but somewhat smaller than even the smallest drone he had encountered. Its carapace was not brown or dark but had a white silvery sheen. Besides the coloring and size difference, it also had a slightly larger head with more pronounced antennae. Yet, it wasn’t the creature’s appearance that struck Rusty as most peculiar; rather, he found himself wondering why it was consuming the blue crystals.

‘It looks really weak and is also just a G-rank monster, should I just slay it?’

Annoyed by the intrusion, Rusty stepped forward, his armor clanking a lot less than usual. While stepping forward he noticed a resounding cracking sound as he stepped into something. When he glanced down, the mystery of this monster appearing here revealed itself. On the ground, there were eggshells from the egg that he brought over from within the ants nest. It was now clear that this monster had hatched from inside and for some reason, it was fine with the light crystals here.

‘It’s different than the rest… it might be dangerous…’

This cave served as Rusty’s sanctuary, a place where he could unwind and safeguard his loot. The light crystals effectively repelled other insects and even aided him in his battle against the ant queen. The fact that one of her spawns could now bypass the protective glow of the crystals spelled trouble. If more of these creatures existed, they posed a threat to his newfound base.

As Rusty pondered his next move, the Minuscule Myrm Mana Ant continued to feast on the mana crystals, seemingly oblivious to his presence. Its mandibles clicked as it chewed, each bite punctuated by a small crack as it shattered another piece of crystal. Rusty knew he couldn’t allow this creature to roam freely in his sanctuary. While it was small now, everything in this world evolved and it could potentially lead more of its kind here.

Rusty tightened his grip on his sword and shield. In his current upgraded form, this monster posed no threat at all, which gave him an idea. The Myrm Drones were able to leave small dents on his previous body. Though smaller than the Myrm Drones, its mandibles seemed capable of inflicting damage. Thus he decided to let it attack him a few times, to test his newfound durability.

The creature, engrossed in its feast, didn’t seem to notice Rusty’s approach until he was a few steps away. With a sudden awareness of the armored figure before it, the ant’s antennae twitched in alarm. It reared up slightly and its mandibles clicked a few times but something wasn’t the same.

He expected for the ant to rush him just like the drones did when he attacked their colony. However, this smaller creature seemed more docile, almost as if he was similar to the monsters from the original dungeon. Was it possible that the voice that had vanished was influencing this ant?

‘It doesn’t feel the same… the connection is lacking…’

Rusty still remembered the voice of the dungeon which seemed to have a name. If what the demon king claimed was true, then the thing he knew as the voice was the dungeon heart. He was created by it and had felt a deep connection before he fell into this area. There was a similar connection to the other monsters inhabiting those dungeon levels, something that was missing here. Despite not being part of that dungeon, the ant refrained from attacking and left Rusty perplexed by its behavior.

The small insect moved closer in a slow fashion. Rusty remained still, anticipating its bite. However, to his surprise, the ant behaved differently. Instead of attacking, it repeatedly touched his bronze body with its antennae. After a brief moment, it glanced up and began a peculiar wiggle which left Rusty perplexed. Eventually, the monster turned away and returned to munching on the tiny mana crystals.

‘It clearly doesn’t see me as an enemy but what should I do with it?’

This was quite the conundrum as for some reason he felt conflicted. On one hand, the monster was a potential threat and it was also eating the crystals here. What if it ate all the crystals and his lair was destroyed? Yet, on the other hand, the creature’s consumption rate was negligible, just like its size. It wasn’t depleting the crystals at a rapid pace and it would likely take years for it to make a large enough dent.

‘It’s a G-rank monster so it won’t give me much experience either, perhaps not even more than 1…’

After farming these dungeons Rusty has also realized one thing. The higher level he was becoming, the fewer experience points he gained. These ant monsters were the weakest types that were around and wouldn’t offer him much, even less after he became an E-rank Bronze Twilight Armor. Rusty considered his options and something about its behavior nagged at him. It wasn’t behaving like a typical monster which made him want to observe it more.

‘I wonder, would it attack the other monsters?’

A thought crossed his mind, perhaps there was a way to use this strange creature to his advantage. While it wasn’t his enemy, what of the other insects in this underground area? There was a possibility that it could aid him against them, just like the skeletons before. Even though it was quite weak, it could potentially act as a distraction.

For the time being, Rusty decided to retreat and think his options through. After visiting the Soul Forge and engrossing himself with blacksmithing, he knew that it was sometimes better not to rush. His status screen still had some new secrets that he had not uncovered and first he needed to go through his skills. He could feel that something new had appeared but he wasn’t sure if it would aid him in battle.

‘What are these skills…’

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

‘My guide?’

Rusty was perplexed at this new skill and wasn’t sure what to think of it. However, he knew that it was always best to not dwell on these things when activating the skill would give him all the answers. Thus, without thinking much he activated the Call Guide skill. Which he needed to do through the world system window, similar to his inventory screen.

He was given a choice between two individuals but could summon both of them together. After reading the names he instantly knew what this skill was about. After deliberating for a moment he decided to call both the Fallen Demon King and the Betrayed Hero. He figured that there was no reason to call them separately and also wanted to see what both had to offer for him in the real world.

The cave flickered momentarily, and then two shimmering orbs of light materialized before him. One radiated a dark, ominous aura while the other emitted a faint, ethereal glow. The Demon King and the Hero quickly materialized before him and looked exactly the same as they did within the Soul Forge.

“HAHA! I knew I would return! It was only a matter of time. The world shall tremble once more before the might of Demon King Aburdon. All shall pay for their folly!”

The booming laughter echoed through the chamber as Aburdon’s triumphant voice echoed. His form exuded an aura of darkness and contrasted sharply with the bright lights of this crystal-filled cave.

“Is this really the real world?”

The hero’s voice was a lot more silent and some confusion was mixed into it. It contrasted with the demon king’s maniacal cackling. His form shimmered with gentle light and seemed to take in some of the light from the environment to shimmer even more.