Chapter 75: Infiltration

We timed our approach to the depths of the mine ant nest, where Georg and the others would likely be infiltrating, and headed towards the queen ant. The final infiltration team consisted of myself, Galatea, and three others from Vigna.

Other members were assigned tasks such as guarding the passages we had traversed so far, ensuring our safe retreat.

Observing the mine ants we encountered.

"It seems like the behavior patterns of the mine ants are changing soon..."

"Yes... Perhaps it's because Georg and the others are attacking, the ones who were searching for minerals seem to be heading to the battlefield to defeat them."

"It seems the queen ant chose to attack rather than defend. And the sounds of battle are much closer to the nest than anticipated. What shall we do, Master?"

I hesitated for a moment with the map in hand. Georg and the others seemed more capable than I had thought. Perhaps, even if we leave them alone, they might defeat most of the mine ants. In that case, it might be worthwhile to wait until their numbers dwindle to the last moment...

But... If the queen ant decides to defend instead of attacking, it could be troublesome...

"Galatea, let's go to the queen ant. Let's take her down now!! Vigna, protect my back and remain vigilant for a pincer attack!"

"Understood, Master."

"Got it!!"

And so, to avoid unnecessary battles, we moved through narrow passages towards the nest of the mine ants. After a while, we arrived at the location Galatea and I had previously explored.

Where once there were hundreds of them, now there was no sign or shadow of the mine ants. It seems the operation was a success, as most of the mine ants were engaged in battle with Georg's unit.

"From here on, it's the mine ants' territory. Let's be cautious as the paths might be different."

Referring to the old map, we continued deeper into the tunnels, noticing that various passages were dug out haphazardly. It seemed the mine ants, having multiplied excessively, had depleted the minerals near their nest.

So, they must have come all the way to the dwarves' city...

"This is insane... If it continues like this, the whole mine might collapse."

"Yeah... Donovan would go crazy if he saw this, wouldn't he? These creatures are just looking for food..."

"Even after digging this much, if they can't find minerals in the mine…Will Dwell be okay from now on?”

At Galatea's words, a dark thought briefly crossed my mind. Indeed, if the minerals deep within the mine were depleted, even defeating the mine ants might not brighten Dwell's future.

No, now isn't the time to dwell on such matters. It's about defeating the mine ants. Reminding myself of this, I pressed forward and found a passage not marked on the old map. Did the mine ants create a new room?

As I stepped in with a sense of foreboding, I couldn't help but gasp at the unexpected sight.

"These are... eggs..."

"The number... no matter how many we defeat, they just keep coming..."

"There are hundreds of responses..."

Inside the room were rows upon rows of what looked like large white cocoons. This must be the egg chamber of the mine ant.

"What should we do? Should we defeat them before the eggs hatch?"

"No... If we rampage here, surely other ants will come. First, we need to..."

"Master, we're under attack!! It's... a gigantic monster... and the emotion it's emanating is overwhelming hostility, isn't it?"

With those words, a deafening roar reverberated, and the sound of something approaching with tremendous force could be heard. Emerging from the depths of the nest was a gigantic mine ant.

This... could it be... the queen ant!?

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