My front door leads to a comic strip

eat!

Eat like crazy!

Eat everything!

From the moment they are born, the Legion Ants are instilled with this idea in their brains.

They don't know why they were born; they only feel their stomachs are empty.

Hunger and darkness enveloped them, with only a faint glimmer of light in their vision guiding their way.

That was the light of magic, the light of evolution.

rustling sounds—

The clamor of crawling swept across the ground like a tide, and the crisp sound of carapaces rubbing together grew more and more frequent and closer.

Amidst the piercing screams of the unknown creature, the alluring light finally came within reach.

It opens and closes its jaws, biting wildly.

It was absolutely delicious.

"What...is this?!"

The girl's scream pierced the air. Her trembling fingers gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, and she swung it decisively with a desperate, all-or-nothing attitude.

Swish-!

A strong gust of wind swept through, sending countless legions and broken legs of the legion ants flying, but ants continued to surge upwards through the gaps in the blade.

"Sarin, don't sleep, wake up!"

Her voice trembled violently, choked with sobs, but the man only arched his back in pain, groaning softly.

He looked up, his vision gradually darkening, blood flowing from his seven orifices. He stared intently at the girl, managing to squeeze out a single word from his throat.

"quick……"

Before he could finish speaking, another wave of excruciating pain struck, and his body curled up like a shrimp.

Finally, in the instant the girl swung her sword, his pupils dilated and lost focus, his drooping hand opened limply, and the last word was uttered:

"escape…"

"..."

The rustling, gnawing sound was like a whisper from hell, sending chills down one's spine.

The girl watched as her companion's body was swallowed by the red wave at a visible speed, and her lips instantly lost all color.

Just then, a steady male voice rang out behind her.

"Let's go quickly, he's beyond saving."

Gu Yuan stared at the constantly wriggling ant colony, his brow furrowed, his expression extremely grave.

One second it was a warm farewell, the next it turned into such blood and violence.

Is this the maze?

That's really cruel.

He grabbed Milie Alde's wrist and practically dragged her around as he turned and left.

Kraft need not worry him; as a former savior, he wouldn't be defeated by a bunch of ants.

The sound of crawling reached my ears; danger was imminent, and the white fog ahead seemed particularly hindrance.

Seeing this, Kraft stepped forward and grabbed Amy's shoulder.

He used his knuckles to apply pressure, his tone persuasive, and retreated just as quickly.

"Miss Amy, Lord Gu Yuan is right. Anger and grief cannot bring the dead back, and acting on impulse will not save your life."

As a monk, Kraft had compassion for all living beings. Although he was used to the deaths and lives of short-lived creatures, he would still lend a helping hand at crucial moments.

Amy's pupils trembled slightly, clearly still immersed in the grief of her companion's death. It wasn't until she heard these words that she snapped out of her daze, and tears finally streamed down her face.

She was pulled away by Claf and quickly disappeared into the thick fog.

……

--Hungry.

Even though they had already eaten their fill, the legion ants still felt ravenously hungry.

After they finished eating, their antennae trembled slightly and collided with each other, making a soft sound.

Then, all the ants turned their gazes toward the direction where Aimee had disappeared.

That tall creature just killed many of their companions?

Eat, I must eat her.

Some primal, instinctive intuition tells them that by devouring a few dozen more of these creatures, they can complete the crucial metamorphosis.

Splash!

A red wave surged from the corpses, their mouths opening and closing rapidly, devouring even the bones in their wake.

……

"What the hell are those things? Man-eating ants? There are so many of them, I wonder if the insecticide will even work..."

As Gu Yuan sped along, he frequently looked back at what was behind him.

Although he couldn't see anything through the thick white fog, the clearly audible sound of his joints grinding together served as a constant reminder that danger was closing in.

"Tsk... What a hassle. I just wanted to make some money to survive, and now I've run into a creature that can wipe out this whole floor."

Ants are not a threat when they are alone, but when they grow in numbers, they become an overwhelming disaster that even a forest fire cannot burn them all.

With the magic of humans or elves, at most a million could be burned, but the number before us is probably in the tens of millions.

Should we just escape?

Gu Yuan subconsciously turned his gaze to Kraft beside him.

The other person was running barefoot on the uneven ground, but their steps were as steady as if they were walking on flat ground.

Even if he used magical items to speed up, he could keep up with him with ease.

This astonishing speed and formidable physical strength reaffirmed his belief that inviting Kraft to accompany him was the absolutely right decision.

only……

"Kraft, do you have a way to deal with those ants?"

Gu Yuan couldn't help but ask, his brows still furrowed.

Kraft turned his head at the sound, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, then gently shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"It was possible before, but not now."

"Even we monks would be powerless against these ants that can devour magic with our bare hands, let alone in such large numbers."

"Man-eating magic?" Gu Yuan was stunned. There was such a setting?

Kraft seemed to see through Gu Yuan's doubts. He lifted Amy, who was carrying him on his shoulder, up slightly to make sure she wouldn't slip, and continued to explain in a deep voice:

"I have seen these monsters before. They secrete a slime that corrodes magic, and magical attacks are almost ineffective against them. Only pure physical attacks can kill them."

"But unfortunately..."

He looked down at his empty hands.

"I have no weapons on me. If I rely solely on my inner energy to fight, I will be exhausted before long."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan fell into deep thought. Was it a purely physical attack?

He glanced down at the knife at his waist, his fingers stroking the hilt, before making up his mind.

"Give it a try, I've already ordered several."

"But Kraft used to use a sword; now that he's switched to a knife, will he be used to it?"

Who cares?

Gu Yuan no longer hesitated. Rather than fleeing in such a sorry state, he might as well take a gamble.

With a sudden stop, his breathing changed, and he abruptly halted.

He gripped the knife with both hands, his arms taut, staring intently at the faintly surging red tide in the mist ahead, and solemnly spoke:

"So, in other words, as long as you have a good weapon, you can take care of them, right?"

"Use mine."

He handed the knife to Kraft, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Let me see the power of the former strongest swordsman."

This is a good opportunity to observe Kraft's combat skills.

After leaving this place, I might be able to integrate it into my own techniques and further improve my strength.