As the queen fell, a heavy silence settled over the forest.

Her last screech faded into the shadows, and the red ants around us hesitated, twitching and scurrying in all directions, lost without their leader’s guidance.

The once-organized swarm had dissolved into chaos.

Some ants tried to flee, scattering desperately through the undergrowth, while others attacked wildly, as if fighting an invisible enemy.

Their bodies, which had once been a single, unified force, were now a sea of panicked individuals.

It was a pitiful sight—creatures so conditioned to follow, now abandoned to confusion and terror.

Our forces, however, wasted no time.

The chimeras pounced on the disoriented ants with relentless ferocity, while the beetles marched through the remaining groups, their thick shells deflecting the desperate bites.

Even the golems, their massive stone arms moving slower with each swing, dealt crushing blows, obliterating the last pockets of resistance.

Within minutes, the forest grew still again, and the battle that had shaken every leaf, every blade of grass, finally reached its end.

I felt a weight lift from my chest.

The queen had fallen, and the swarm was no more.

Exhaustion washed over me, mingling with a strange satisfaction.

I looked around and saw the remnants of our alliance—chimeras with battle scars, beetles whose shells bore the deep marks of battle, and, of course, Krothe, who now flapped down beside me with a triumphant grin.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a small but regal figure moving toward us.

The blue queen ant approached, her mandibles clicking softly in a rhythm that almost sounded like a melody.

She came close and chittered in a delicate voice, her antennae dipping respectfully.

“Gree… gee…”

I felt a pang of respect for her—a queen who had risked everything to defend her people.

Krothe cocked his head, listening, then translated.

“She is thanking you.”

I smiled slightly, nodding. “Well, it’s what I promised her.”

The queen dipped her head, her antennae brushing the ground in a gesture of gratitude.

As she stepped back, other creatures began to approach—creatures that had fought beside us, as well as those who had remained on the outskirts, wary but curious.

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“Krii…” A massive beetle with a shell that gleamed like dark stone took a step forward.

It chittered, its voice deep and resonant. Krothe listened and nodded, his feathers ruffling with excitement.

“They want to join you,” he said, his eyes glinting. “They all wish to enter your dungeon.”

I gazed at the gathered insects, each one bearing the scars of the battle, their eyes bright with hope and loyalty.

This was more than just an alliance.

This was an army—a collective force, bound by our shared victory.

“Alright,” I replied, my voice carrying through the clearing. “I accept you all.”

The creatures let out a collective cry, a chorus of shrieks, clicks, and hums that filled the forest with a triumphant song.

Krothe flapped his wings, the thrill of victory evident in his posture as he grinned down at me.

“Now, our forces will be stronger than ever!” he crowed.

“Yes,” I agreed, taking a long, deep breath, feeling the weight of our newfound power. “This alliance will make us unstoppable.”

I looked around at the fallen bodies, the remnants of our hard-fought victory.

I was grateful to each one of them, for their courage and loyalty.

But something nagged at the back of my mind.

The battle was won, but there was still something left to do.

“Help me find something, Krothe,” I said, turning to him.

Krothe tilted his head, curious. “What do you need?”

“The system mentioned something…a dungeon core,” I replied, trying to recall the brief notification from before. “Do you know what that is?”

Krothe’s eyes widened, a hint of awe in his voice. “Oh, yes. Usually, in some dungeons, rather than a dungeon boss, there’s a dungeon core. It’s the heart of the dungeon, and all monsters protect it.”

A core—the very essence of a dungeon’s power. I felt a rush of anticipation, my heart pounding with the promise of something greater.

“Then let’s find it,” I said, my voice steady with resolve.

Krothe nodded, his wings lifting him into the air. “I’ll search from above. You check around the clearing.”

As Krothe disappeared into the canopy, I walked through the wreckage, my senses heightened, searching for anything unusual.

I moved deeper into the queen’s nest, each step crunching over shattered egg shells and remnants of the battle.

The darkness felt heavier here, pressing in as I searched, my eyes darting over every corner.

But there was nothing—just broken remnants, each carrying the faint echoes of what could have been.

Frustrated, I scanned the room again, hoping I’d missed something.

My gaze fell on a section of wall, slightly rougher and darker than the others.

Instinctively, I reached out with my green aura, letting it seep into the cracks and crevices, feeling the textures and shapes on the other side.

Slowly, an image of the wall’s inner structure came to me.

As I probed deeper, I felt a subtle change—a space, hidden by layers of packed soil and stone.

A secret chamber, hidden in plain sight.

I called Krothe and the moles back immediately, excitement thrumming in my veins.

They arrived swiftly, Krothe circling above and the moles burrowing through the dirt with practiced efficiency.

“What’s going on?” Krothe asked, his curiosity sharp. “Did you find it?”

“I think so,” I replied, nodding toward the wall. “Get the moles to dig here.”

“Kaw! On it,” Krothe said, and with a few quick calls, the moles got to work, their claws ripping through the earth with ease.

Moments later, the hidden chamber finally revealed itself, a dark, narrow passage that led down into a concealed hollow.

I stepped inside, my breath catching as I saw it—a massive, glowing sphere at the room’s center, its pulsating light casting strange, shifting shadows against the walls.

The air was thick, charged with an ancient energy that hummed with power and mystery.

“Krothe…is this the dungeon core?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, reverent in the presence of such raw, potent energy.

“Kaw! Yes, it’s exactly as the system described,” Krothe confirmed, his tone unusually subdued.

I moved closer, each step feeling both exhilarating and terrifying.

Reaching out, I placed my hands on the core, feeling its surface hum beneath my touch, like touching the heartbeat of the earth itself.

Tentatively, I channeled my green energy into it, letting it mix with the power of the core.

Instantly, my vision darkened, as if sucked into a vortex.

Images exploded before my eyes—a flash of fire blazing across a forest, consuming everything in its path.

Screams and cries pierced the air, a symphony of agony that clawed at my mind.

I saw creatures, twisted and monstrous, tearing through villages, leaving trails of blood and ruin.

The smell of burning wood and flesh filled my senses, so vivid that I could almost feel the heat searing my skin.

Suddenly, a scene shifted—a towering mountain with an ancient fortress at its peak, surrounded by swirling bodies.

At the fortress’s center, a throne of steel, and on it sat a figure, cloaked in darkness, their eyes piercing through me with a gaze that felt ancient, malevolent, and all-knowing.

The being raised a hand, and with a simple motion, waves of destruction swept across the land, consuming all in its path.

I recoiled as my mind snapped back, gasping as I released the core and staggered back.

My heart pounded, my body trembling from the remnants of terror that clung to me.

Krothe flew down beside me, his voice sharp with concern. “What happened? Are you alright?”

I struggled to regain my breath, my mind still reeling from the visions.

"I… I’m not sure. When I touched it, I saw…flashes. Destruction, fire, endless screams. There was…something. A figure on a throne, an eerie, powerful being. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Krothe tilted his head, his gaze turning wary as he looked at the core.

“Kaw… That sounds…unsettling. You think it was some sort of memory from the core?”

I nodded, swallowing the lingering fear in my throat.

“Maybe. But it felt more than just a memory. It was like a warning. Or…a message. I can’t shake the feeling that what I saw was real, as if it’s something I’ll have to face.”

I turned back to the core, its steady glow somehow less comforting now, shadows dancing across its surface.