Since it was dark and they had fallen into a trap connected to an ant nest made by ants, Ackster had expected their fall to end with them surrounded by, well, ants. And it hadn’t gone that differently, per se.

However, it wasn’t the mindless, simple, smooth, brown worker ants that had attacked Ackster and Karandiel in the millions up on the surface. There were some that had accompanied them in the eight-second-long fall. But those that survived the fall quickly vacated the hall-like cavern and left Ackster and Karandiel alone with what appeared to be a superior version of the common ants.

They had the same brown chitin that formed a sturdy exoskeleton around their bodies. It might have been a little glossier than their smaller siblings, but there was no noticeable difference there. The largest difference between the ants surrounding them in an orderly manner while leaving a single two-meter-tall tunnel open was the shape of their bodies.

The common worker ants had been like any other ant, just a lot bigger than any other Ackster had seen, which was freaky but not so bad.

The soldier ants, as Ackster decided to call them, had the two lower or hind parts of their bodies, the thorax and abdomen, parallel to the ground, along with four of their legs. On the other ants, the head came after that. However, the soldier ants first had an upright, almost humanoid torso supporting their head and the two remaining legs, which had evolved into arms. They looked like centaurs, except with ants and ants instead of humans and horses.

‘C-antaurs, heh.’

The only reason Ackster had the free time to make bad puns, despite being surrounded by dozens of higher-ranking ants, was the fact that they weren’t attacking. They didn’t even look like they were going to do anything other than stand still and act like sentinel statues.

Ackster gave the cavern another glance around, a little more thoroughly this time now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. The uneven walls of the almost round hole they had fallen into were littered with tunnel entrances that the ants had probably used to dig out and destabilize the ground beneath where he had been fighting.

‘I can use those.’

Ackster had just enough time to think the thought and start planning how to get out by jumping from tunnel entrance to tunnel entrance when he noticed they were rapidly closing. Ants were filling up the entrances with dirt and blocking them off.

If he ran and jumped at once, he might be able to make it. But that entailed leaving Karandiel behind since he didn’t feel like he could do it while carrying her and her golden egg. He was left looking at the ants rapidly sealing the tunnel entrances while still keeping an eye on the soldier ants. They were still doing nothing. But they were doing it a little more intensely. Ackster almost thought he could feel impatience from them.

Karandiel noticed that something strange was happening. She was a little worried since she didn’t know whether it would be safe to do so, but her golden egg wasn’t doing anything, so she dispelled it. It was just draining her energy anyways. If she weren’t being attacked, she would be better off canceling it and saving up for when she needed protection again so that Ackster could go wild without worrying about her safety. She had a feeling that might happen again before long.

“Any ideas, miss angel?”

Karandiel was more experienced, both from his perspective as Ackster, transmigrator, and Brian, adventurer self-assigned to help a certain angel during her stay on Millmeria. So, it only made sense to ask her.

“Oh, and congratulations on successfully regaining some of your strength.”

“I’ll happily receive your congratulations in the shape of a delicious meal once we get out of here, so save that until then.”

“Okay. How do we do that, then?”

“No idea. What about you? All brawn and no brain?”

“Definitely more brawn than brain, at least.”

“So…?”

“So, we’ll do as we’re told, I guess.”

Karandiel followed Ackster’s gaze to the one tunnel they were allowed to walk through by the soldier ants. They could both tell that they had gone from being under a siege attack to being invited inside, albeit a little forcefully. It also confirmed Ackster’s feeling that there was an intelligent being controlling the ants. And that being wanted something with Ackster and Karandiel.

Based on how the ants had focused on Ackster, and Karandiel appeared no different from any other ordinary human, Ackster had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with him. But he couldn’t rule out the ants sensing Karandiel’s previously divine origin, so he didn’t draw any hasty conclusions.

While remaining vigilant and while walking next to each other, close enough for Ackster to react and protect Karandiel should anything happen, the two entered the dark tunnel.

The hole where they had fallen had at least been open up top, so there was enough light to see, even during the hour before dawn. However, that trickle of light faded quickly as they entered the tunnel.

Karandiel hadn’t seen much even in the reception hole, and she relied on Ackster in the tunnel. But even Ackster was having trouble seeing much. He could vaguely see the walls around them. However, sight wasn’t his only sense. And Keen Senses, despite having run on overtime for what felt like too long, helped him navigate the tunnel using his hearing and sense of touch.

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Their footsteps bounced and echoed off the walls as their bare feet pushed against the cold, slightly damp, and hard-packed soil. Ackster intentionally walked with a little more force, both to make his footsteps louder and to leave footprints behind in case they needed a way back to the only entrance and exit they knew of.

Occasionally, the tunnel also got smaller or turned, which let Ackster feel the walls up close.

However, after several tense minutes where his senses were on full alert, Ackster gradually felt the walls on all sides grow distant. The tunnel was widening. It wasn’t much at first, but as he could hear click-clacking sounds of mandibles snapping shut and chitin exoskeletons rubbing against each other, Ackster could confirm that they were about to reach the end of the tunnel.

Once again, Ackster wasn’t sure what to expect aside from ants, considering they were in an ant nest and could hear a lot of ant sounds coming from the front. And once again, he was wrong. He wasn’t completely wrong. It just wasn’t the kind of ants he had expected.

But he was forced to admit what they stood in front of made sense.

As they approached the end of the tunnel, it didn’t only widen. It also began lighting up. At first, it was so little Ackster thought he was just getting used to the darkness, got a new skill, or Keen Senses ranked up. But after they finally left the tunnel, they entered a large, dome-like cavern with white stones dotting the ceiling like stars.

Those stones were what had given the tunnel’s exit the eerie light tone. And they were what lit up the cavern Ackster and Karandiel entered upon leaving the tunnel. The stones’ light was weak, but it was enough for even Karandiel to make out most details of the ants surrounding them.

Although the general shape was similar, most of the ants around were clearly a superior version of the soldier ants. Their exoskeletons looked like they were reinforced with an extra layer of thin armor. They even had something like helmets on their heads.

Ackster could also notice there was clear intelligence in their black eyes. However, while the lieutenant ants, as he decided to call them, were impressive and certainly more dangerous than their soldier or worker counterparts, his main focus was something else.

It had been pricking the back of his neck with danger warnings ever since they stepped into the chamber.

On the other side of the cavern, atop a raised dais, was what Ackster could only assume was the ant queen. A majority of her hill-like body was a disproportionally large abdomen. Other than that and its darker, almost black color, it looked mostly the same as the other ants.

Next to the queen, Ackster also noticed another ant.

‘That’s a general ant, then.’

As it seemed at least as dangerous as the hill-like ant queen, Ackster decided it was only fitting it received a greater name than the other ants. The humanoid ant, with two sets of arms and one pair of thick, seemingly muscular legs, met Ackster’s eyes. Its folded, transparent insect wings trembled a little as the two stared at each other.

But even if the general ant was intelligent and clearly powerful, Ackster knew it wasn’t in charge. It was still subservient to the queen, so he ignored the general and looked at the queen.

The queen’s mouthpiece and mandibles trembled and clicked together several times, making sounds that sent shivers down Ackster’s and Karandiel’s spines.

“‘Human.’”

Ackster and Karandiel’s eyes widened in surprise as they held back their shock at the queen speaking the common language of the Tenger continent. There were some monsters intelligent enough to speak and converse with humans. Many also imitated human speech to trick humans, such as the Doppelganger Slime.

But as far as either of them knew, ants didn’t have that capability. Rather than the necessary intelligence, ants didn’t have the proper organs to talk the way humans did. They used pheromones and simpler sounds to communicate.

“‘Wrong?’”

The queen’s eerie voice continued as it tilted its head and looked at the two humans with a more pressing weight behind her gaze.

The ant queen could speak, but based on what it had said and how it said it, Ackster could assume it wasn’t the most eloquent speaker.

“No, you’re right. We’re humans.”

Ackster didn’t know what the ant queen wanted. But if it could communicate, there was a possibility they could try and find a peaceful solution where Ackster and Karandiel could live. At the moment, their situation wasn’t too bright, after all. The lieutenant ants around them, the soldier and worker ants outside, and finally, the general ant right next to the queen were all things they would have to defeat before they could leave. Not to mention the queen itself, which was just as much of a threat.

It was a challenge that even Ackster deemed a little too challenging, especially when he needed to maintain Karandiel’s safety. She hadn’t shown much of her future potential. But a day after losing her power, she had already regained enough to create a protective shield that didn’t break even under the avalanche of thousands of ants.

Unfortunately, Ackster was pretty sure it wasn’t easy for her to get power-ups like the way she got her golden egg. And her future potential was meaningless in front of present trouble. So, their best course of action would be to solve things peacefully.

The ant queen raised one of its legs and pointed at Ackster.

“‘You. I eat.”’

It moved the leg toward Karandiel.

‘“You. Leave.”’

Ackster put his hand on his sword as he glared at the ant queen. It seemed like the ant wanted to have him offer up his life in exchange for Karandiel leaving alive. It was scarily intelligent if it could analyze and devise a method like that, considering its background as a ground-dwelling ant.

But it didn’t matter. Just because the ant queen was smart, Ackster wouldn’t give up his life. Even if Karandiel lived, it would be meaningless if he died. After all, his purpose in keeping Karandiel alive was so she could eventually help keep him alive by stopping The Hero from destroying the world.

“No, thanks.”

Karandiel didn’t say anything since her answer would have been the same as Ackster’s. She had not long ago almost been resolved to die so that Ackster wouldn’t have to try and secure her safety. There was no way she would suddenly turn around and easily let Ackster die just for her to live.

In the first place, if the ant queen was smart enough to propose a trade of lives, it was definitely smart enough to lie.

The ant queen seemed to think for a few moments before glancing at the general ant next to her and exchanging a few clicks. It then looked at Ackster again.

‘“You. Give arm. You. Leave.’”

‘It’s negotiating? Why does it want me so much?’

Ackster was confused about the entire situation. But what he really couldn’t grasp was why the ant queen was willing to let Karandiel go for merely one of his arms. However, if it wanted his body, or parts of it at least, he realized there might be a relatively peaceful solution.