Sargon was carefully exploring the 5th floor and Demi-Ura was helping. Compared to the upper floors, floor 5 was even more maze-like. It vaguely resembled an ant’s nest with multiple tunnels interlocking with each other. Some tunnels were big wide corridors while others were too small for a human to fit. An occasional pale mushroom sprouted here and there. The mushrooms could be harvested for food, but they tasted bitter and it took a while to make them edible by boiling.

One of the tunnels led to a large chamber which gave off a smell of compost and fermenting leaves. The area was full of oversized mushrooms, the same kind he noticed before but they were even bigger and there were hundreds of them.

He stopped to inspect a particularly large mushroom, its cap was huge, if he wanted, he could completely hide under it. He crouched under and did it so just for fun. However, it was not the time to play around. A swarm of ants approached them. The ants were here to harvest the shrooms. Some workers already had pieces of overgrown caps and shafts in their mandibles.

The [Ant Warrior] clacked its jaw and wiggled its antenna smelling the enemies nearby. The swarm stirred and more of the ant warriors showed up; five in total.

Nothing the duo could not handle, although the little but fat ants behind the warriors, unsettled Sargon. He hasn't seen them before, it was a new enemy. They were green in colour and their ant butts were unusually large,0 making them look fat.

“Take cover.” Demi-Ura instructed as she ducked under a patch of large mushrooms.

Sargon did not know what to expect from the green ants so he listened to her. He pulled a particularly large mushroom cap off its shaft and used it as a shield to hide behind.

*Splat* *Splat* thick liquid splashed on his improvised shield. The cap started to smoke and fizzle.

He peaked his head out to see what it was. He saw the small-fat ant spitting green substance towards him. He hid under his shield again but as soon as it received another glob of acid it broke in two. The acid was slowly dissolving it.

Sargon rolled and ducked under another mushroom not get acid in his face.

“What do we do?” He asked Demi-Ura looking at the spot where she was crouching.

Their eyes met but there was no response. Probably because she did not know either. She could blow the small ants with her magic [Dark blast] but big warrior ants were protecting them with their bodies.

Sargon had an idea but it was risky.

“Confuse the [Ant Warriors], as many as you can. I will charge at them.”

Demi-Ura nodded and cast the [Confuse] spell. Sargon didn't know how long the spell will hold or even if she was able to sustain it on multiple foes but he took the risk regardless.

He grabbed a different mushroom cap to use as a shield and launched himself in a sprint. As he ran, a dark glob of magic flew past his side hitting one of the big ants who has been standing guard. The acid splashed on his shield slowly eating at it. It crumbled and fell apart but he was almost there. Another dark projectile whizzed past, confusing another warrior ant. Sargon dropped down avoiding the blow of acid and slid past the confused ants, only two of the warriors reacted but they were too far to stop Sargon now.

The green ants were within his weapon’s reach and he didn't wait for them to spit at him.

“[Slice]!” he used his skill to cut through three of them at once.

Then he used the remainder of his momentum and rolled to avoid being splashed by acid. He followed up with a [Slice] two more times getting rid of the rest of the [Spitter Ants]; they were not particularly fast or nimble.

The two warriors were approaching him rapidly and he knew that the other three will not be confused for long. Also, there was a swarm of [Worker Ants] he will have to deal with too. He did what he had planned but he forgot to plan for what comes after, he was in a pinch and about to be surrounded. There was only one thing left for him to do.

To shout for help.

“Demi, help!” He had even shortened her name.

...And then to fight for his life.

The [Ant Warrior] was dangerously close to him so he used [Slam] and hit it’s head with as much force as he could. It did not kill, it only stunned the ant. Then, just in time, he turned to jab at another ant. He was in a rush and could not aim properly so all he did was injure it on its side. This gave him a few so much needed seconds to dodge ant's attack.

He looked to his side checking on other warrior ants. The confuse effect wore off and one of the ants was charging towards Demi-Ura. The remaining two, even without the [Confuse], continued fighting each other.

By the looks of it, he will not get any help soon; Demi-Ura had her own pest problem to solve. Or so he thought.

“[Dark Blast]” She chanted while stretching one of her palms towards the charging ant.

A dark projectile formed in the middle of her palm and then shot straight to the ant hitting its head. The head exploded sending pieces of its exoskeleton in the air.

“Coming!” She exclaimed while running towards him.

Sargon got awestruck for a second or two. He did not expect someone belonging to a caster class to put herself so willingly in a melee, but then again she was not a normal caster. He stabbed at the already injured ant properly this time and split its head in half. This wedged in his weapon, he was unable to pull it out. Once again it was not an end to his bad luck as the ant behind him tackled him to the ground.

He found himself pinned under it. The [Warrior Ant] lowered itself to bite off his head. Sargon was not the one to give up so easily and simply resign to death. He grabbed his dagger and shoved it the ant's torso as the ant lowered itself. He kneeled at the dagger wedging it even deeper. The blade hit something important and killed the ant, its body slumped on Sargon pinning him.

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The boy was alive but not for long. A swarm of [Ant Workers] were making their way towards him. They would not pose much of a challenge as he had slain hundreds of them already; but now he could not move and was unarmed.

“Help!” He shouted once again and desperately.

“Safe.” His saviour took a position next to him.

“Blast them before they come!” He didn't feel safe or saved yet.

“No mana.” Demi-Ura said while shaking her head.

She lowered her shoulders and shifted the weight of her body getting ready for the ants. The ants swarmed her but she stabbed at them with her tail killing them before they could reach Sargon.

One by one the entire swarm was rendered dead. The mushroom forest got quiet and peaceful once again.

“Safe?” Sargon asked to be sure, he did not want any bad surprises.

Demi-Ura nodded affirming that it was over. The other two warriors were still wrestling each other, uninterested about the Sargon and Demi-Ura.

Sargon squirmed once more trying to get the dead ant off him. The ant was heavier than he thought it was, he could not escape. Demi-Ura grabbed the ant's side and tried to lift it up. Her arm muscles tensed up and her arms trembled slightly.

“Too weak.” She said somewhat disappointed in herself.

Sargon was thinking desperately. They could cut the ant into pieces and free him, but this would take too much effort and time. Who knew when another swarm will show up?

He looked at her beggingly for ideas, but none came. He looked again, this time concentrating more on her toned figure, he was inspecting her body.

Her arms might not be particularly strong but her legs were a different story. She had wide hips and muscular thighs. Her lower body strength was definitely higher than even his.

“Try pushing it with legs?” He offered.

His companion gave him her signature nod and sat beside his head. Sargon got flustered by her positional choice for a moment, but then it made sense. This was the best position to start lifting if he wanted to get out.

Demi-Ura bent her knees pressed her hooves on the ant’s carapace and pushed. At that time Sargon saw more than he should since her butt was just to the side of him. Apparently, she had no undergarments under that cloak.

He did not have much time to think about such things because the dead body pinning him started to move. It moved only a few inches up but it was enough for Sargon to slide free.

Once he got himself out, he patted on Demi-Ura’s shoulder surprising her.

“Thanks, you saved my life. I owe you.” He really did.

“No problem.” Demi-Ura pointed at the dead monster and asked “Dagger?”

He forgot that he had left it embedded in ant's belly. To get t it hey had to turn the ant over, but it was a lot easier with the two of them, also they used his coa as a leaver to help to topple the monster.

Then they collected the cores from the dead ants. The winner of ant wrestling competition, the ant which fought another ant, was rewarded with swift death and its core was harvested too.

Sargon tried to harvest the acid glands from the spitters, those could be sold for good coin. It proved to be more challenging than he thought. Some of the glands were already damaged and he accidentally pierced some while harvesting it, rendering it useless. He managed to secure only free acid glands. He put them in his bag to be sold or used later.

The quiet mushroom forest became noisy again. It was not them or another swarm of the ants. It was the noise of shouting and clanging weapons; it was another party of adventurers.

Sargon got curious and headed towards the sound to investigate. The sound of battle got stronger and stronger and finally, he was close enough to see the cause of it.

An adventurer party of four were engaging the ant monsters, a swarm of [Warrior Ants] and [Spitter ants]. The adventurers were human, two males and two females, all still teenagers.

There was a brown-skinned boy with long dark hair. He had a spear, wooden buckler and leather vest for protection.

Another man wielded a fine cutlass for a weapon. He was well armoured, his body was covered in insect-like armour. His chest was protected by a piece of ant’s carapace, his arms had mandibles formed into armbraces and pauldrons, his knees and shins had a similar style of armour.

One woman had short black hair; a bandanna decorated her forehead. She wore a leather vest and a tunic underneath. She had well-made leather boots. On her shoulder was a quiver full of crude arrows, arrows she probably had made herself. In her hands she clutched old and weathered bow, it had scratches here and there but by the looks, it did its job well.

The last party member was a foreigner woman. Her skin was pale and she had slanted eyes. Her black hair was tied in a bun and had a stick stuck in them. She wore an expensive looking dress which looked like it was made out of silk. For a weapon, she had a staff with a round bauble and multiple rings on top. She didn't use it offensively at all because she was in a support class. Probably a healer of sorts.

Sargon headed towards the group past the oversized shrooms. He wanted to give them a hand since it didn't look like they will be able to keep it together for long; there were just too many ants.

Just before he could make it out of the mushrooms a hand stopped him, it was Demi-Ura. Sargon looked at her confused.

“No... Watch.” She said pulling him back in shadows