Soon, the entire expedition stood face-to-face with dozens of small caves.
"Do we break into groups?" a man asked.
"Of course not! Some of these could be decoys—we stick together."
"We can't fight effectively if we don't split. The caves are too narrow for large group fights. In fact, we can't even fight at full strength individually because of the size."
Rain kept his distance, watching. His role here was to ensure everything went smoothly. This was training—although for Lime, it was also a good opportunity for the others.
A mage spoke up. "We should move in groups of five. Each group must have at least one mage using mana sense to warn them of incoming attackers and to locate the queen."
"Agreed. Alright, split up. One mage per group, three attackers, and one ranger. Try to keep it balanced if possible. We move in five."
Lime watched as people began forming teams. He spotted the woman with the pets and the burly man joining forces. The woman waved him over.
"You know mana sense, right?"
Lime nodded.
"Good. Welcome to the team."
The burly man sighed but didn't object. Soon, a man with a dark green bow and light, movement-friendly clothing joined, followed by another with a tower shield.
The march to the ant queen was about to begin.
Twenty groups of five advanced into the caves. The tunnels were dark, but the mages cast spells to illuminate their path. With each step, the oppressive weight of a massive mana signature pressed down on them.
Then, one by one, the mages felt it.
"WE'RE SURROUNDED!"
The ants—just as zombified as before—began pouring through the walls. Their pincers snapped at the closest targets. Warriors and archers did their best to hold them off, but the confined space left little room for spellcasting. Only the earth mages had the advantage.
Perfect for Lime.
He could see his allies struggling. He felt Asil—injured inside his pet space.
He closed his eyes and channeled earth mana throughout the cave. This was going to take a toll on him, but he had to fight. He had to grow stronger—strong enough to escape and protect himself from anyone who could harm him.
Even Rain.
Dropping to his knees, he pressed his hands against the ground for better control.
Jagged stone spikes erupted in all directions, skewering every ant within dozens of meters. It wasn't enough to kill them outright, but it gave his allies the breathing room they needed. Those precious seconds allowed them to regain their coordination and push forward.
"Jesus, kid. Where the hell did you learn to do all this? They said you were crazy, but this is just insane."
Lime shrugged and pointed to the man's left. Instinctively, the man drove his sword into an ant that had just crawled from the wall, stopping its ambush in an instant.
Lime felt his mana running thin. He downed his last potion and pushed forward.
They fought as they moved, cutting down any ant that surfaced. Their teamwork had fully returned. And then—
Light.
They had found the queen.
But the sight before them was... grotesque.
A massive, bloated form lay before them. A far cry from a normal ant queen, she resembled a tumor more than a monster. Thick veins stretched from her swollen body, connecting her to the other ants like strings on puppets.
And she was laying eggs.
So were the ants connected to her.
Endless waves of eggs.
That explained the never-ending enemy forces.
"W-What... what is that?" A man stammered, nearly collapsing.
Rain stepped through, his eyes widening in shock.
"No... no, that's not possible. This evolution is supposed to be extremely rare. To find it in this layer? How is that possible?"
"What is it?" a woman asked.
"A parasitic ant queen," Rain muttered. "She sacrifices everything to become more of a hive mind than a colony. She becomes the brain that controls every single ant."
"That's not all."
Rain trembled—not in fear, but excitement.
Lime recognized that look. Rain was obsessed with monsters.
"She took control of ants from other colonies. Those ants surrounding her? They're all queens. Every one of them is laying dozens of eggs a day."
"That explains the zombified ants… but what the hell are we supposed to do?!"
"Can't we just kill them now? They seem… vulnerable," a female mage suggested.
Rain shook his head. "Ants keep their strongest fighters near the queen, and—"
Before he could finish, the ground split open.
A dozen champion ants erupted from below, positioning themselves between the queen and the expedition.
The air grew heavy.
Lime clenched his fists.
"...This is great."