NOVEL WEB
Chapter 71
Suho, Miho, and Taegyu successfully entered the beehive, having narrowly avoided the rain of arrows. The two younger hunters shot forward immediately upon landing with tremendous speed. They swiftly severed the throats of the archers responsible for the arrows.
[Contaminated Ghoul has been defeated.]
[Contaminated Ghoul has been defeated.]
They resembled the mutants on the ground.
“Damn it... They’re all my hunters.” Taegyu recognized their faces and gritted his teeth. Despite their mutation, traces of their past appearances lingered.
“They were the members of the Fiend Guild?” Miho asked with a serious expression. “No wonder Lee Minsung was killing the other hunters but kidnapping the Fiend Guild hunters... Do you think he wanted to be the guild master this badly?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have time for questions. We’re inside the beehive, so let’s look for the owner. Beru, show us the way,” Suho said.
“Yes, Young Monarch. Please follow me.” The makeshift navigator, or rather “Berugation,” led the way with a quick flick of his antennae.
At that moment, one of Suho’s swords, Rakan’s Fang, spoke to its master. “Be cautious. This beehive has turned into a sanctuary.”
“This place is a sanctuary?” Suho asked, glancing at Rakan’s Fang.
[Rakan shrugs his shoulders, denying any involvement.]
“If that’s the case, this must be Querehsha’s sanctuary.”
“I believe so.”
“Do sanctuaries usually just pop up anywhere like this?”
“Of course not. Sanctuaries are the resting places of Monarchs. Since all the Monarchs died, sanctuaries have become places for rituals dedicated to them.”
Suho recalled Rakan’s sanctuary, which he had explored before. “That means that there might be a relic inside this place.”
“That remains to be seen. Whether there’s a relic, a successor, or perhaps even a shaman, is unknown.”
“Well, I guess we’ll find out when we meet Lee Minsung.”
What appeared to be a beehive was a completely new space once they were inside. The polarity between the interior and the exterior was extreme. The inside of the structure felt like a different dimension as an ominous sky loomed overhead with thick clouds. It looked as though a massive storm was about to be unleashed. The air inside was frozen with dread, and a sinister smell of decaying corpses permeated the atmosphere.
“It feels like we entered a gate. Perhaps a new dungeon has emerged?” Taegyu asked as he glanced around.
Suho replied, “I believe this place is different from a dungeon.” To be precise, we’re in a sanctuary.
His words made Taegyu uneasy. “This is different from a dungeon? How do you know for sure?”
Taegyu, who was still suppressing the rapidly rising toxicity of the royal jelly with his mana, was completely on edge. The pressure of assuming accountability for the disaster as the guild master of the Fiend Guild also weighed heavily on him. The public had already turned their backs on them, and he wasn’t sure how he’d resolve the situation at hand.
The scope of Minsung’s actions was unknown, but the fact that the Fiend Guild’s former vice guild master had opened a dungeon in the heart of the city was undoubtedly a massive blow to their reputation. Not to mention the enormous compensation that would need to be paid to the victims of the disaster.
Regardless, Suho’s statement stumped Taegyu. The young hunter’s mana was at a C-rank level, so the validity of his words was questionable, seeing he was an S-rank hunter with far more experience.
“If this isn’t a dungeon, then what is it?”
Miho urgently intervened between the two. “We don’t have time to argue like this. Guild Master Lim, are you currently unable to use mana?”
Taegyu winced as if he had been struck. “That’s correct. A poison is spreading through my body, and I’m suppressing it with mana.”
“Did you not receive any healing?” Miho asked.
“Healing didn’t have any effect on this poison. It looks like I’ll need a higher-ranked healer, but there’s none nearby right now”
“Then why did you come along?”
“Even if I can’t use mana, my physical strength alone will be enough.”
The exceptional physical abilities of an S-rank hunter meant they were capable of unleashing tremendous power even without mana.
“Ah, you can act as a shield. That’s great news.”
Taegyu was stumped by Miho’s suggestion.
“Stop it. You’re going to make the kid cry.” Beru jumped in to defend him, looking at Taegyu with genuine pity.
Did that thing just call me a kid? Taegyu was momentarily overcome with rage. But for some reason, as he locked eyes with the ant, an instinctive aversion washed over him. Am I feeling fear right now?
“Hm. Seems you’ve aged quite a bit over the years,” Beru said, speaking to him as if he knew him.
Taegyu felt an odd sensation, but it quickly dissipated.
“Everyone, prepare for battle,” Suho said as he gazed at the sky, scanning the surroundings with his heightened senses.
Up above, a swarm of dark bees was gathering.
“This is crazy... You’re telling me that the clouds were actually a giant swarm of bees?” Taegyu said, flabbergasted.
“This really is a beehive. Look at all the bees.” Beru twitched his antennae. “I’m sensing a strong energy coming from those clouds.”
“It looks like we have to take to the skies again,” Suho said.
After breaking through a rain of arrows, they found themselves confronted with an immense swarm of bees that they had to soar through.
[“Sanctuary of Insects” has been activated.]
At that moment, Suho suddenly felt a chill down his spine. The feeling was reminiscent of the time he entered the Sanctuary of Beasts...
[Passive Skill: “(Unknown)” has been acquired.]
In an instant, Suho’s shadow spread in all directions, engulfing the entire beehive.
And then, time stopped. Everything had come to a complete halt.
***
I’m here again? Suho stood alone at the edge of the empty horizon—a world of perfect emptiness. This sure looks like the Place of Eternal Rest.
However, its atmosphere was entirely different from the resting place of Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs.
Are these insects? Suho glanced down at the ground. On second look, the entirely white world was a swarm of white insects.
At the edge of the empty horizon, a woman sat with crossed legs, arrogantly looking down at him.
In an instant, Suho realized her true identity. “Are you Querehsha?”
The corners of the woman’s mouth curled up wickedly. “Yes, that’s correct. My name is Querehsha. To be more precise, I’m the spirit of the soul your father killed...”
At that moment, the system urgently displayed a message.
[Querasha is watching you.]
As soon as Suho read the message, the woman’s presence began to expand enormously.
Not only was her freighting aura increasing, but the white insects that formed the dimension began to converge into her, making her a colossal being.
“A long time ago,” Querehsha said, savoring the sight of Suho, who was significantly smaller than her now. “I wanted to eat another Monarch. I was curious about the taste.” The Queen of Insects formed a sardonic smile. “But in the end, it was I who was consumed.”
The ground beneath Suho’s feet transformed into a colossal hand and grabbed his body. The hand lifted Suho to Querehsha’s face.
She slowly scanned him, reminiscing her past. “Did you know that your father was more venomous than any insects I’ve ever encountered?” She pierced into his eyes as if she were looking for Sung Jinwoo’s shadow, the man who had killed her. “You remind me of him quite a lot.”
“Really? People say I resemble my mother more,” Suho quipped.
A mischievous glint flickered in Querehsha’s eyes. “What would happen if I eat you right now? Like father, like son, perhaps?”
Her face reminded Suho of a child about to squash a small insect, but he remained composed.
“For a spirit that’s been dead for a long time, you sure talk a lot, huh?”
“I see you’ve inherited your father’s arrogance.” Querehsha cast a sinister gaze at Suho and lowered his body to the ground. “But you are correct. I am already dead. However...”
At that moment, an ominous system message appeared in front of Suho.
[A quest has arrived.]
Before Suho could check the rest of the message, Querehsha’s cruel smile gleamed ruthlessly. “I am both a single entity and a collective existence.”
Starting as a humble insect, Querehsha had toiled to become the Queen of Insects, having consumed countless insects and undergoing remarkable growth. Every insect she had consumed was now a part of her body, and the insects that made this world were essentially the remains of Querehsha’s body and soul.
“From the moment you set foot in my world, I effectively swallowed you up.”
The ominous air of danger he felt from the beehive immediately filled the white world. He could feel that the entire dimension was becoming more hostile toward him.
A quest window unfolded in front of Suho.
[Emergency Quest: Querehsha’s Poison]
[The Queen of Insects and the Monarch of Plagues, Querehsha, has drawn you into her poison.
The insects that form Querehsha and her world now see you as their enemy.
Survive for the required time to prove your worth.
Required Time: 4 Hours
Remaining Time: 4 Hours, 0 Minutes, 0 Seconds]
From her elevated position, a haughty smile graced Querehsha’s lips as she looked downatn Suho.
“It’s time for you to struggle like us insects. Just as I did before your father!”
Every insect comprising this world began swarming aggressively toward Suho, but he remained utterly unmoved.
Querehsha sensed that something was amiss. After all, Suho couldn’t summon his shadow soldiers in her domain. “W-wait,” she said, looking more bewildered. “What in the world is that power? Could it be...?”
A dark energy was swirling ominously around Suho’s arm. Not only that but a mystical wind was blowing over him as his hair began to turn silver.
Querehsha, well acquainted with the source of the two energies, was unable to conceal her astonishment. “You... Just how many powers have you inherited?!”