NOVEL WEB Chapter 115: Chrysalis Forest (2)
Before stepping through, Ryuzen had made the final adjustment to the dungeon settings — [Hard] difficulty. The monsters inside would be higher in level, deadlier, and far more aggressive. But the rewards, in both experience and loot, would be worth the risk.
The moment the Junior Blood Legion crossed the shimmering threshold, the world shifted.
They emerged into a colossal forest. Towering green trees rose like ancient guardians, their trunks so wide it would take ten men to wrap around them. Thick canopies blotted out most of the sky, letting only scattered shafts of golden light pierce through the leaves.
The air was dense with the scent of fresh soil, wild vegetation, and something else — an undertone of movement, of unseen predators lurking just beyond sight. Every step on the moss-covered ground made a faint crunch, a sound that seemed far too loud in the oppressive stillness.
From somewhere deeper in the forest came the faint clicking and scraping of mandibles, the telltale signs of the dungeon's denizens.
Irina's scanned their surroundings with a sharp gaze. "Visibility's poor, Leader."
Ryuzen nodded, his senses sharpening, his golden slit eyes narrowing as he took the lead. "Stay close and keep noise to a minimum. We're not here for sightseeing. Keep formation, and the moment you spot movement, call it out. No lone heroics."
The deeper they moved, the more the forest seemed to close in, the trees crowding tighter and shadows growing thicker. Even for a D-Rank dungeon, the oppressive atmosphere and alien silence pressed on their nerves.
Somewhere in that darkness, the giant ants were waiting.
Rustle, Rustle...
A faint rustle came from the left flank. Ryuzen froze mid-step, one clawed hand rising to signal the group to halt.
From between two massive roots, a black chitinous form emerged — a Giant Ant, its glossy carapace reflecting the dim shafts of light. Mandibles clacked together in an unsettling rhythm, and its beady insect eyes locked onto them with mindless hunger.
[ Giant Ant – Level 21 ]
Venus stepped forward without hesitation.
Bang!
With one brutal punch, she exploded the ant's head from its body. The creature collapsed with a wet thud.
"That was… easier than expected," Rudos whispered.
Ryuzen's gaze didn't soften. "Don't relax. That could be a scout."
Ryuzen didn't like the role of a leader, but since he was appointed as one, he decided fulfill his responsibilities to the end.
As if on cue, the forest around them erupted with noise. From the undergrowth, between tree trunks, even from burrows hidden beneath the moss, came the relentless chittering of countless mandibles. The ground began to tremble as dozens of black forms poured out, their segmented bodies glinting in the gloom.
The swarm had arrived.
"Formation!" Ryuzen said, stepping forward with sword ready. "Venus, take the right flank! Felix, use your blood arrows from distance. Irina, you distract some. Rudos, cast your boost skills!"
"Ye-yes leader," Irina and other replied with faint smile.
The first wave of ants crashed against them like a black tide. Their screeches and the metallic clang of carapace against weapons filled the air, the once peaceful forest now a battlefield.
Ryuzen charged forward, his blade cleaving through the first ant that lunged for him, splitting its head clean in two. Chitin cracked under the force, and the body slumped lifeless to the mossy ground.
Venus darted along the right flank, her gloves shining like fiery fist of destruction.
Felix's crimson arrows streaked through the air, punching clean holes into carapaces before the bodies hit the earth.
Irina leapt sideways, taunting a cluster of ants with swift, agile feints, pulling them away from the main group. Her movements were unpredictable, her daggers flashing in the dappled light.
Rudos planted his staff into the ground, crimson runes spiraling outward. A surge of power pulsed through the team — muscles tightened, reactions sharpened, and their attacks struck with greater weight.
The swarm was unrelenting. Ants climbed over the corpses of their kin, mandibles snapping at any exposed flesh.
One ant lunged for a junior member, but Ryuzen stepped in, intercepting with a swift horizontal slash.
"Stay in formation! If you break the line, you die!"
His voice carried no panic, only hard certainty.
A dozen more black forms burst from a nearby burrow, racing toward their left side. Venus was already there, her blade glinting as she cut them down, her movements perfectly in sync with Ryuzen's.
The battle was a blur of chitin, steel, and blood. The Junior Blood Legion was holding — but this was only the first wave.
---
The forest floor was already littered with twitching ant corpses, their black blood soaking into the moss. The swarm had pressed them for over ten minutes now, each passing second testing the Legion's stamina.
Ryuzen's breath came steady despite the chaos. His blade flashed again, cleaving another ant in half. "Rotate! Left side, switch with rear guard!" he barked, and the formation shifted without hesitation.
Venus held the right flank like a fortress, not with a blade, but with her own fists wrapped in thick, steel-plated gloves. Each punch shattered chitin like glass, her movements a blur of brutal precision. Felix kept up his barrage of crimson arrows, each one finding the gap between an ant's plates. Irina darted in and out, keeping enemies distracted and breaking their coordination.
Rudos was relentless with his boost spells, the air humming with energy. Even the less experienced members were moving with surprising coordination under Ryuzen's orders.
Then the ground shook.
It wasn't the frantic tremor of dozens of ants — it was heavier, deeper. The chittering fell into a strange rhythm as the swarm pulled back, leaving a gap in their assault. From the shadow of two massive trees, a figure emerged.
It was a giant among giants — an Elite Ant Soldier, towering at twice the size of the normal ones. Its carapace gleamed like obsidian, and jagged red markings ran along its thorax. Its mandibles were like twin guillotines, each bite easily capable of severing a man in half. A faint acidic mist leaked from its mouth, hissing when it touched the ground.
[ Elite Giant Ant — Level 29 ]