[Vol. 7] Chapter 175: The Meaning of Companions
"Boom!!!"
A surge of blazing dragon breath shot out from Lenka’s mouth, burning hundreds of [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] that were about to pounce. However, the aftermath of the attack strangely crumbled and scattered in an instant, failing to unleash its full power.
This happened because the magic forming the dragon breath had been devoured by the massive swarm of ants. If not for the fact that her attack was already at a legendary level in terms of strength, she might not have even been able to take out the first few dozen ants.
"Cough, cough..."
The little girl let out a few dry coughs, releasing wisps of white smoke from her mouth due to the "overheated cannon." Two classmates who were taking turns immediately stepped forward to replace her since she couldn't "fire" again for now, holding back the overwhelming wave of attacking ants.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp... Cough, cough, cough...!"
After chugging the water handed to her by Qionghua, Lenka accidentally choked from drinking too fast. She finally caught her breath, but as she looked at the endless, pitch-black flood of ants still rushing toward them, even someone as thick-skinned as her couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.
"Oh my Dragon God, this is way too terrifying! What [Church of Truth], fake [Church of Truth], compared to these things, they’re just a bunch of weaklings! How are these monsters even on the first ten floors?!"
"Uh, technically speaking, [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] are classified as Tier 2 (mithril level) magical beasts, so it does make sense..."
"I wasn’t actually asking you that!"
She shot down a certain classmate from the [Magic Rock] Tribe, who was practically useless against the swarm due to his abilities. Recently, after spending too much time with a certain priestess, Lenka had become much better at making sarcastic remarks. Now, she just held her forehead in frustration.
Because they were young and fearless, most of them had agreed when Xiao Guang suggested using brute force to break through the blockade of [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm]. But the terrifying scale of the swarm had far exceeded everyone’s expectations, making them all look serious now.
"What’s done is done, there’s no point regretting it now! Just hold on a little longer! One more push, and we should reach the entrance to the Jungle Zone!"
At this critical moment, it was actually Qiqi from the [Snowstep Forest Deer] Tribe, who had voted against the plan earlier, that turned around to help. While using her ice magic to freeze and slow down the approaching swarm of ants, she loudly encouraged the others, who were taking shelter inside a temporary cave. This cave had been created by Yogg using his earth-based abilities, giving them a moment to catch their breath.
Though they were in a difficult situation, just as Qiqi had said, their team was now very close to their final destination.
[Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] are extremely sensitive to magic, making them the natural enemy of most mages. Even warrior-type fighters struggle to deal with such a swarm. However, these creatures have one major weakness, they are not good at breaking through hard rock. Normally, they only dig and build nests in softer soil.
Xiao Guang used this trait to their advantage, forming a strategy based on Yogg’s [Magic Rock] Tribe abilities. Their plan was simple but effective: after each powerful charge forward, they would retreat into stone caves to defend and take turns resting before launching the next attack.
Of course, while the plan sounded straightforward, it wasn’t something that could be executed easily. If not for Violet’s intense training, Yogg wouldn’t have been able to create real granite that contained no magic at all. Even as an adult, he wouldn’t have been able to do it without that training.
However, even the toughest rock wouldn’t last long under the constant digging of the [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] if they were completely surrounded. That’s why someone had to draw the attention of the majority of the swarm, creating an opening for the rest of the team.
Thinking of this, Lenka couldn’t help but worry as she turned to look toward the distant basin, where powerful flames and a fierce aura surged.
With such an overwhelming release of magic power, over 80% of the [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] had been drawn in that direction. Yet, even the remaining ants here were already pushing their team to their limits. Lenka couldn’t even begin to imagine how much pressure Xiao Guang was facing alone.
[Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm] couldn’t fly, so under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat to a dragonkin like Lenka. However, they were a team, and Xiao Guang, as their leader, would never abandon them and rush to the lower levels alone. She was the one who proposed this plan, taking full responsibility for its risks. That was why everyone had agreed to go along with it, despite knowing it was dangerous.
Until the rest of them broke through, Xiao Guang had to stand her ground and endure the relentless attacks of the [Magic-Devouring Ant Swarm]. If she retreated now, the ants would immediately turn their attention back to the others, and if that happened, they would all be doomed.
If Xiao Guang were at full strength, she might still be able to hold on without too much trouble. But unfortunately, before the competition started, Violet deliberately sealed away part of her power…
Even though Xiao Guang showed no sign of struggle, Lenka, the only one who knew the truth, understood just how much greater the risks were for her than anyone else imagined.
Why did it have to go this far…?
Even so, Lenka could vaguely sense the reason behind it, the expectations placed upon them by their seemingly cold and distant friend, who actually cared deeply for everyone she acknowledged.
Thinking of this, the usually cheerful, carefree dragonkin became serious for once. She turned to her teammates, who had just finished resting.
"Qiqi is right! If everyone is ready, let’s move out! The sooner we reach the entrance, the sooner Sister Light can escape. We’re a team, we can’t leave everything on our captain’s shoulders!"
Normally, seeing Lenka acting so serious would be amusing. Any other time, her classmates would definitely tease her about it. But in this moment, no one laughed. Instead, they exchanged glances, nodded in silent agreement, and their eyes burned with determination.
There were no fools in their advanced class. They understood what needed to be done.
"Let’s show these filthy ants what we’re made of! Move out!"
"Yeah!!!"
Pressure.
Since her battle with the [God of Subversion and Paradox], this was only the second time in her life that Xiao Guang felt this kind of overwhelming strain.
The seal Violet placed on her had forcefully suppressed her power, dropping her to legendary-level. Only Xiao Guang herself could truly understand what that meant.
When she was born, her level was already higher than what most creatures in this world could ever hope to reach in a lifetime. After some time growing and training, she had even stolen a portion of divine power collected by the [God of Subversion and Paradox], she directly leaped to the peak level of the transcendent level.