That days, it had been exhausting, physically and mentally, to be surrounded by giant ants, and not be able to stop fighting. But now, they could rest while the others struggled, could talk, and they had more than enough supplies, which made the situation much more bearable. In addition to not forcing them to continually maintain concentration.
They had started fighting against level 34 ants, and had come to face levels 38, in a number that they had already lost count after several hundred of them. As a result, three of them had managed to level up, from 40 to 41, while Eldi was now at level 37, having unlocked five spells and five skills.
The first spell had been Light Blast, similar to that of fire and ice but without damage, and whose effect is what indicates its name, blinding those around it.
Then, there was Earth Blast, which throws numerous stone chips in all directions. It doesn't cause too much damage, but many bruises, and it is easy for the fragments to get embedded in the skin, and even to damage sensitive organs such as the eyes.
The next two were useless spells in the game, but now they might not be so much, although their names left much to be desired. Stove allows heating an area of up to one hundred square meters, one hour per level of compatibility, that was at 2. Like the next, Air Conditioning, it has a high mana cost. And the latter, as deduced from its name, cools instead of warming, and his compatibility was at 3.
The fifth spell had been Ambient Light, whose effect is easy to imagine, and whose use in the game had been sporadic, so he had it at 5.
Regarding the skills, the first three had been passive resistance to poison, paralysis and illusions, and that he had at 10. Like all the passive ones, they were trained without realizing it.
Sharpening Senses is a very expensive skill, because it consumes a lot of energy per second, so he could barely keep it for a minute with its current resistance. However, it can be very useful at specific times, such when being blinded. He had it at 4, and added it to the list of which it was a priority to level up.
Finally, there was Hold the Breath, which allows diving, or to not breathing poisonous clouds for almost four minutes at his current level. Like the previous one, it consumes energy per second, but less. It was at level 7, having been used in the game often to explore the depths of lakes in search of treasures.
“I know you're tired, but we haven't finished the job yet. We have the opportunity to cast them out forever,” Fita encouraged them.
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Although wishing to rest, everyone knew she was right. They had won a victory that they didn't believe they could achieve. And, with it, many supplies that would ease the lives of their people for a time. Although it wasn't their favorite food, it would avoid hunger, so common at certain times of the year. The foreigner was keeping them, and had promised, not only to hand them over, but to add that of other ants that he had defeated in the past.
But, now, it was necessary to kill the queen. They couldn't allow them to recover and be a threat.
They entered through one of the cracks, listening and advancing with caution, but there were no ants in their path. They walked the tunnels created by the insects, towards their destination, without Eldi knowing how they could be oriented, since to him all those tunnels seemed the same. Finally, they reached a wide chamber.
Everyone was put on guard, because they weren’t alone. In addition to an ant ten times the size of the rest, there were twenty others. Fourteen of them were workers, whose levels barely exceeded 30, but the other six were what was called the Royal Guard, soldier ants of levels close to 45, and that were a dangerous challenge for them.
Eldi used his recent Air Conditioning acquisition, which had proved very beneficial against their enemies. They could resist the temperature drop well enough, wearing warmer clothes if needed, but the ants suffered their metabolism slowing down. And, in fact, the spell just leveled up to 4.
Eldi and the lower-level warriors-mole had the mission of killing the low level ants as quickly as possible, and then supporting those who were facing the Royal Guard. It wasn't difficult, they had practice, although the insects were somewhat stronger and tougher by being close to the queen, something that was affecting all the ants in the area.
However, the ants' movements were the same, and everyone knew them by heart. In fact, they had practically automated their responses against them, so it wasn't very difficult for them to contain the strongest, but it was to harm them. At level 40, they get a skill that strengthens their bodies, making it difficult to penetrate that protection. Although the ants continued to fall into the traps that their adversaries laid on the ground, sinking again and again.
Once the minor ants were eliminated, all those in charge of them went together towards one of the high level ones. It was the most efficient, eliminating them one by one while the others were busy. It is true that its body was more resistant, but not enough to repel the joint attack of the whole group.
Thus, they were eliminated consecutively until only the queen remained. Eldi feared it was like a final boss, but the reality turned out to be that it was helpless without its subjects. He almost felt guilty about the death of that helpless being, but, alive, it would be a dangerous threat.
They sat fatigued, satisfied that they had released those tunnels, for there could be little or no danger in the territory of the ants, apart from the ants themselves. Maybe, they could take advantage of part of the network of tunnels, but they should be especially careful with the ones which led outside. They could probably partially seal it, and establish several intermediate security chambers. Or maybe it would be better to seal it completely.
But the eyes of the warriors-mole were heading at that time to the mountain of ant eggs, a delicious delicacy that they could enjoy for some time. Although, they didn't seem so appetizing to Eldi.