I can’t move. My stamina and magic energy are spent.
My breastplate and shield lasted ten minutes in this fight. All I have are my greatsword and bracelet. I’m also down to my underwear because of their acid.
Said acid also hurts a lot when it burns my lower body.
I drink a potion in the middle of all the big ant corpses. My pain eases, and I can feel myself slowly recover.
I throw the bottle into my Storage Space, and take out a change of clothes. They’re my normal clothes, not the thicker protective gear I use for my job.
I look at the dead big ants, and praise myself for surviving that.
I didn’t actually beat them all. I wouldn’t have been able to, I only beat about a hundred or two hundred.
So how come I survived? It was down to luck.
I guess you can’t call being attacked by a huge group of big ants lucky, more like a silver lining.
As I fought the big ants, I noticed one that was away from the others, and was bigger than the rest.
This bigger big ant had a large swelling on its stomach, and seemed to be struggling to move.
Then it hit me. Was that the queen?
I wondered if that large group was the whole nest moving, because I saw a documentary on ants on the Discovery Channel.
And I saw a lot of ants protecting the queen.
I was going to die anyway, so I gave it a shot.
I pushed the big ants away with a big swing of my greatsword, and used Earth Magic to make footing so I could charge at the queen like a cannonball.
A feathered big ant in my way noticed me, but I cut its wings down before it could do anything.
I kept going towards the queen, and cut its body before it could react.
The big ants went into a frenzy when I attacked the queen, but stopped completely once I cut its head.
Then they went back the way they came, and I lost sight of them.
It was a desperate move as I tried to find any way to escape, but that dramatic change saved my life.
◇ ◇ ◇
I approach the queen’s corpse, looking for anything that might be worth something.
The bodies of normal big ants can be made into equipment for beginners, so they’re salable, but the queen’s is all soft and flabby. It wouldn’t make for very good equipment.
I touch it to make sure, and then wonder what’s stuffed inside.
I cut its stomach to check, and the first thing I notice is a sweet smell. It’s coming from the amber liquid pouring out.
I scoop up a bit with my finger, and bring it slowly to my mouth so it doesn’t fall.
It’s like lightning running through my body. I can barely stand.
Then I black out.
When I come to, I have my head inside the queen’s body, and there isn’t much honey left.
As I lick it, I wonder just what happened.
My body just started moving. How frightening.
I take out a water bottle from my Storage Space, and wash my crusty face. When I lick the water as it falls, I almost go crazy again.
This is dangerous. I should bring it back to investigate.
I don’t want to leave a single drop, so I put it in a plastic bottle. But that’s not close to enough, so I fill other bottles and containers. Once I’m done, I put it all in the Storage Magic.
I check one final time to see if there’s nothing left, and see there’s just some lining up its stomach. I put that in the potion bottle.
Ahh, nicely done.
I feel a bigger sense of accomplishment than I ever felt, and hum as I go back.
◇ ◇ ◇
After leaving the dungeon, I take the big ant bodies to the buying area, and see a lot of seekers gathered there.
When I ask the receptionist what happened, I hear some of them had a bad time.
When I say ‘I see’, the receptionist looks at me with a cold expression that stays with me.
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『Queen big ant’s essence honey』
Honey that big ant queen’s seldom produce.
It does not find its way to market’s often, and when it does, there is an auction for it. They fetch high prices, with it reaching between two hundred million yen and five hundred million yen.
Also, since its effects became known, it has not been seen in any market, making it a legendary item.
(Effects)
Beauty and health
Youth
Small boost to basic abilities
Ten percent chance to cure incurable diseases
*One of the ingredients to make elixir
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Haruto Tanaka (24)
Level: 11
Skills: Earth Magic, Trace, Healing Magic, Spatial Grasp, Toughness, Magic Energy Control, Physical Strengthening, Poison Resistance, Storage Space, See Through
Equipment: Agility bracelet, greatsword of fortitude
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For those curious, salable is actually correct