"This way."
They met at a passage with a fork. The young antfolk pointed the way to the right. Isaac followed him.
Just like the others, the passage they walked through was not much different; the walls and floor were dirt. Their view was limited by the darkness and the air felt humid. Of course, this was not a problem for the demon.
After walking for thirty minutes, Isaac felt a sense of presence. Not just one or two, but hundreds of them. At the same time, the young antfolk stopped and raised his hands in the air. He crawled to a pile of dirt and hid behind it. That creature signaled the demon to follow suit.
Isaac followed suit. He followed hiding behind the pile of dirt with the young antfolk.
"Lord Isaac, look at that."
About 10 meters from where they were hiding was a small hall. At the end of the hall was a giant gate guarded by dozens of heavily armed antfolk warriors.
At first glance, Isaac knew that behind the gate was where the antfolk kept their eggs.
His companion turned to him with baited breath. Isaac could hear his heartbeat racing.
"L... lord Isaac. I can only escort you here. As you can see, there are dozens of antfolk warriors standing guard. Fighting doesn't suit me. I probably can't hold out against them for even one second. I am totally useless."
Of course, Isaac understood. The young Antfolk was dead weight to him. Protecting him had given Isaac nothing and letting him go was not an option. The only good option was to get rid of him.
This was not a difficult matter.
The demon smiled widely. "I see."
The young Antfolk smiled as he heard the desired answer. "Thank you, Lord Isaac." He felt relieved.
"But, you stay here. You go, you die."
That relief feeling quickly disappeared.
Isaac quickly got up and walked casually, approaching the dozens of antfolk warriors. Both of his hands that had been empty suddenly appeared twin pistols.
The young antfolk watched in disbelief. Even though he had never seen Yandez or any antfolk warrior dare to fight against dozens of enemies alone. This was a suicide. So unreasonable and stupid.
However, after remembering the passage full of blood and corpses of his kind, he changed his mind.
The young antfolk felt that Isaac was an exception. Isaac was a monster of monsters. There was no guarantee that he would survive if he stayed with the demon any longer.
He would wait for the right time to run.
"Hey! Stop! This is forbidden territory!"
"Stop stupid ant. You want to die, huh?"
No matter how many times they warned him, Isaac did not stop. He continued to walk confidently, as if nothing had happened.
The distance and shadowed face made Isaac difficult for the antfolk warriors to recognize. They thought the demon was their kind. It was not until the shadows was dispelled by the light of the torches on the walls that the antfolk realized Isaac wasn't one of them.
Isaac took off the ring around his neck.
Ding!
[Mortal Ring removed]
[User stat returns to normal].
<Status Character>
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 117]
[Rank: 69th - Baron]
[Title: Chief of Beasts, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[Skill: 2/4]
[Strength: (36) 75]
[Magic: (90) 180]
[Constitution: (48) 96]
[Dexterity: (51) 103]
[Perception: (50) 100]
[ Unallocated stat points: 36 ]
"Let's see... how much exp those monsters give."
White hair, pale skin, and a handsome face; Isaac presented himself to the dozens of antfolk warriors who stood with trembling bodies.
"S-stran...stranger..."
"Damn it, it's not supposed to be just one, red-haired woman, is it? He's a man."
"Who cares, she intends to break into the egg storage. Everyone, it's time to fight."
The warrior of antfolk squeezed their spear weapons. Their teeth chattering, the antennae on their heads raised high, signaling that they were ready to fight.
Seeing the enthusiasm of the horde of ant monsters in front of him, made Isaac even more excited. Throughout walking down the hallway with the young antfolk, he hadn't met a single antfolk warrior. Finally, he was able to stretch his body a little.
"I'm busy... do it quickly. You guys are attacking me. Or I'll kill your queen."
The demon provoked dozens of his enemies. The antfolks considered the Queen to be their god. There was no mercy for those who insulted their Queen.
Like fish eating bait, they easily fell for the simple provocation. They attacked Isaac simultaneously while shouting war roars.
"Kill that bastard!"
"Kill fucking him!"
The horde of antfolk warriors ran up to Isaac with spears pointed at him. They were going to kill Isaac, trampled his body, and made him beg for mercy. The antfolk could not let anyone who insulted their Queen live. They had to die.
Isaac must die.
Of course, that was not going to happen.
Isaac quickly drew his gun. His lips lifted as they got closer.
"Good bye, the pathetic ants."
Cleack
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the hall. Flashes of light dispelled the darkness.
"Kuagggh!"
"Keeeugggh!"
The antfolk warriors collapsed one by one, they fell, and their blood flowed profusely. Their bodies were scattered. They died in blink of eyes. Some were still alive. They laid in a pool of their own blood, moaning in pain, hearing to the endless gunfire.
The hall turned into a slaughterhouse.
"What the..."
Thump!
The young antfolk fell down, his eyes wide open, and his mouth gaping. Horror was clearly painted on his face. After seeing how his kind were slaughtered with such ease, he thought that it would be impossible for him to run. Even his legs were now unable to stand.
"I would die..."
Now she realized. His life was now completely in Isaac's hands. The young antfolk could only give up.
Only when the screams were no longer heard did the gunshots disappear. Hysteria was replaced by silence. There was no sound other than the sound of dripping. A fishy, burnt smell filled the air.
All the gatekeepers had been eliminated. Not a single antfolk warrior was alive.
"Huft... troublesome. It was pretty good... but I only got this much."
In his head, the notification sound was ringing.
[You killed 500 'Antfolk - Warrior (A)']
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
[You leveled up]
<Status Character>
[Isaac Constantine - Lv 120]
[Rank: 69th - Baron]
[Title: Chief of Beasts, First Challenger, Master of the Wind, Heart Touch, The Conqueror]
[Skill: 2/4]
[Strength: 75]
[Magic: 180]
[Constitution: 96]
[Dexterity: 103]
[Perception: 100]
[ Unallocated stat points: 45 ]
"Only leveled up three levels huh? Looks like I've reached my exp limit."
Isaac then put his weapon into his inventory. He looked back. A smirk crossed his face as he sighed. The young Antfolk followed his orders. He thought that little creature would run away while he was fighting the antfolks warrior. It didn't.
"Looks like I'm not going to kill him," Isaac muttered.
Letting the young antfolk go never crossed his mind. There was a possibility that the young semfolk would call for reinforcements and attack him.
Of course it would have been easier for Isaac to kill him on the spot, but killing on a whim was not who he was. Isaac was not one to kill for no reason. He needed motivation to do that.
Therefore, Isaac gave the young antfolk a chance. If that antfolk ran away while he was fighting, he would kill him. On the other hand, if the young antfolk followed his orders and stayed put, that monster ant's life was saved.
This was how Isaac determines one's life and death. As long as you obey, you would live.
"Come here..."
Isaac called out to him from a distance. The young antfolk appeared with a trembling body. Fear was evident from him. He looked at the corpses of the antfolk scattered around with a look of horror on his face.
With trembling lips and stammering speech, the young antfolk said, "E... eugh... are you going to kill me for?"
Hearing that innocent question, Isaac snorted, a hint of laughter. "No, I'm not. You've done your job well. I still need you. Now, do me a favor."
The young antfolk did not know what he should do. But, his gut feeling told him this man before him held his word. He could trust Isaac.
"Yes, lord." The young antfolk replied with a nod.
"Good."
Isaac then walked toward the great gate. Beyond it, he could feel millions of lives gathered there.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l