Chapter 46: Rank D dungeon (part 2)
The massive door opened slowly, revealing an immense dark room with a vaulted ceiling, lit only by bluish luminescent crystals embedded in the walls. At the center of this gigantic chamber, a monstrous creature stood proudly, surrounded by a roaring horde of warrior ants.
It was the queen of the ants, immense, white, her colossal body bristling with pearly scales shimmering faintly under the strange gleam of the crystals. Her gigantic abdomen was swollen and pulsating slowly, clearly filled with gestating eggs. Its hideous head was adorned with massive mandibles that snapped violently, emitting grating, ominous sounds.
But what immediately drew the team’s attention was the huge egg placed in front of them, cracked and already slowly hatching. The queen ant was visibly exultant with excitement, repeatedly snapping her mandibles with feverish intensity.
The egg suddenly burst open, releasing a terrifying creature. A colossal ant soldier, much larger than the usual warriors, slowly unfurled, rising to his full height with a sickening crunch. Its shiny black carapace was covered with sharp spikes, its chitinous limbs blade-like, and its head possessed multiple eyes of a deep, bright red, immediately staring at the group of hunters with an unhealthy, horrifying intelligence.
The queen emitted an excruciating sound, akin to squealing laughter, as she admired her monstrous newborn:
- My child... my perfect soldier... my masterpiece...
The entire group immediately paled at this terrifying sight, clearly understanding that they were now facing an enemy of a completely different caliber. Jack slowly tightened his grip on his broad sword, his face pale but resolute:
- This thing... it’s way beyond anything we expected...
Isaac, however, coldly observed the creature with icy calm, his face closed, his eyes burning intensely with rage. Without averting his gaze from the monstrous soldier, he speaks in a cold, determined voice:
- I’m taking this newborn ant. Take care of the queen and the other soldiers.
Jack opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the icy determination in Isaac’s eyes, he simply nodded, clearly understanding that no amount of argument would change this decision.