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Chapter 52: Thirteenth Floor, the Forest of Insects (2)

I wasn’t entirely sure what had triggered my Sixth Sense earlier, but we likely wouldn’t have found the keybug in time without it.

Ha Hee-Jeong murmured to herself, seemingly coming to a realization.

“Of course... If we need a keybug’s key for the shelters, it stands to reason that we’d need one for the bug queen’s chamber too."

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. It’s a good thing that we found it.”

“Ugh, damn it. I’m sorry. If it weren’t for you, we’d have been running around like headless chickens.”

“Huh? You’ve got nothing to apologize for. They’re the ones who left out the key information, not you. But, Hee-Jeong… I think we’ve got more pressing concerns right now."

There had been seven minutes left earlier. I hadn’t checked the timer since, but it had to be almost up by now.

As if on cue, a notification flashed before my eyes.

[Survive the bugs swarming throughout the forest. Time remaining: 3 hours 30 minutes.]

[All bugs in the forest are now hostile toward the climbers.]

The buzzing in the forest immediately swelled to a deafening roar, and the sky above darkened from the swarm.

Seemingly arriving from every direction, enormous bugs—some tinted red, others blue—descended upon us. Each one was about the size of Doppy’s head. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them gathered into dense and writhing clouds. They began surging toward us, like a crimson and cobalt fog that raced through the trees.

It reminded me of something.

Ah, right. Locust swarms.

Of course, these creatures were much larger, but the sight was eerily reminiscent of the biblical swarms of locusts that devastated crops.

“Ugh...”

I couldn’t help but grimace, revulsed, with shivers crawling up my spine. My shudders weren’t a result of fear, but more of a deeper, visceral disgust.

Should we run?

“Think we should make a break for it?” I asked, eyeing the mass of bugs darkening the sky.

“There’s no need for that. Let’s keep moving at a steady pace. We’ve got the key now, and it’s a straight path. I’ll handle the rear, so you take care of the front.”

“Just the front? Got it."

I turned toward the approaching horde. The bugs in front of us were still a little ways off, but they were closing in fast.

How should I handle this? Do I summon a spread of lightning or focus it?

The idea of using my Lightning Essence skill to zap them down instantly reminded me of an electric fly swatter. If I used it like that, I would need to spread the arcs wide...

Before I could settle on a plan, I felt a rush of heat and light come from behind me. Ha Hee-Jeong was already dealing with the closest wave.

Crackle, crackle—

The sound of wings beating behind me rapidly died down. Now, the only buzzing came from the swarm ahead.

As I began channeling mana with Lightning Essence, Ha Hee-Jeong called out.

“Don’t make the lightning too weak!"

Too weak? She had a point. These were creatures from the thirteenth floor, so a weak jolt wouldn’t be enough if I wanted to do real damage.

I focused and amplified the intensity of the lightning since I needed to cover the entire one-hundred-and-eighty degrees in front of me. Simply spreading it wide wouldn’t be enough, nor would throwing up a basic lightning wall. The trees were too thick and dense, and they would potentially interfere with the flow of lightning. ɌŊȱƐ

It had to be strong and capable of chaining between the enemies. I had to deal with the first wave quickly and decisively.

I condensed my mana, converting it into lightning with Lightning Essence, and ensured it would spread the moment it made contact. Lightning naturally chained from one target to another, but I needed to boost that effect.

By now, Lightning Essence had reached level 8, its power far beyond what it once was.

The first bolt shot toward the oncoming swarm, slicing through the air, almost instantly connecting with the first cluster of insects.

As soon as the bolt struck, it leaped from bug to bug, spreading like wildfire through the horde. With a rapid series of crackling pops, the entire swarm disintegrated. Their bodies burst in a cloud of blue blood that hung in the air like a ghostly mist.

Another one.

Beyond the blue fog, another wave of bugs closed in.

I released another bolt. This time, the lightning flashed hundreds of times within the mist, illuminating the swarm before it dissolved into a red haze.

To the right now.

A third, fourth, and fifth bolt followed, each splitting the air with sharp, sizzling cracks. None of the bugs reached nearby before they were reduced to ash, their bodies popping and disintegrating mid-flight.

The smell of burning protein carried on the wind. It was like I was wielding a remote-controlled electric fly swatter. Though somewhat grotesque, I had to admit there was something oddly satisfying about it.

Despite the sheer number of bugs I had just taken out from a distance, my mana reserves were rapidly replenishing. Thanks to the Mana Accumulating Gauntlet of the Underworld, I absorbed energy from every dead enemy.

During a brief moment of calm, I replayed the fight in my head. Though calling it a "fight" felt generous, since it had been more of a one-sided massacre.

Maybe I overdid it a bit.

I had followed Ha Hee-Jeong’s advice and cranked up the power, but in hindsight, it was probably overkill. Next time I would dial it back.

While my gauntlet was restoring my mana reserves, it was still important to manage my energy wisely. There was no point in wasting mana on weaker opponents. Developing the bad habit of using my mana recklessly, as if it were water, was something I wanted to avoid.

I was about to move forward and take advantage of the gap left by the dead swarm when Ha Hee-Jeong suddenly warned Doppy.

“Doppy, when you see those colored clouds, hold your breath.”

“Kriee? Human! What?”

“That mist is toxic. Don’t waste your strength on cleansing spells. Just hold your breath and push through."

Toxic? Wait, why didn’t she mention this to me? She was warning Doppy, but what about me?

A flicker of annoyance crept in.

“Hee-Jeong, what about me?”

“Hey, you have…!”

She turned to face me, eyebrows raised in disbelief. Suddenly, her expression softened and she smiled, seeming to understand something. She muttered something under her breath, but my heightened abilities caught it easily, “Right... I guess you didn’t realize."

“You’ve taken so many elixirs this fog won’t even affect you. In fact, you should breathe it in to boost your Poison Resistance.”

“Breathe it in? On purpose?”

“Yeah. Every time you walk through one of those clouds, take a deep breath."

“... Alright."

I nodded, though my face must have betrayed my bewilderment. Breathing in toxins on purpose sounded absurd.

Then again, it wasn’t too different from people deliberately injuring themselves to level up their healing abilities.

Wait… that wasn’t such a bad idea. I wondered if the tower would recognize that as a kind of self-training.

I will ask Ha Hee-Jeong about that later. For now, let’s focus on the toxin.

I hadn’t actively tried to level up my Poison Resistance before. Except for the first floor where I was poisoned by the goblin’s brew, and the twelfth floor with Herkest, there hadn’t been any opportunities to improve it. Thankfully, some of the elixirs I had drunk improved the skill without me needing to train it.

The blue mist loomed ahead. I took a deep breath and stepped into it.

“Ugh— Cough! Cough!"

The toxin was far stronger than I had anticipated.

***

[Survive the bugs swarming throughout the forest. Time remaining: 2 hours 58 minutes.]

[All bugs in the forest are now hostile toward the climbers.]

By now, I had grown accustomed to the thick, toxic haze that filled the air. It felt like breathing in concentrated smoke, almost like cigarette fumes compressed twenty times over.

Passing through the blue mist instilled a freezing sensation in my lungs, while the red haze felt as though it warmed them. Oddly enough, the blue fog was far more suffocating than the red one, yet with each breath I became more accustomed to the sensation.

My lungs weren’t deteriorating, so I figured my Poison Resistance must have increased, though I didn’t bother confirming it. There was no point in checking my status window while we were still moving toward the hidden mission. Nothing would change.

Ha Hee-Jeong unleashed waves of fire, and I wielded lightning. Our actions were repetitive, like clockwork. Every thirty minutes, the swarm’s attacks paused, giving us a chance to press forward steadily.

But as we advanced, an unsettling feeling crept over me.

... Wait, what am I missing?

It was as if I had overlooked something crucial. My thoughts wandered as we walked, and after a moment, inspiration struck.

We were heading toward the fire bug queen’s lair. But there were two types of bugs in this forest: fire and ice.

Is there really only one queen?

The key I obtained after defeating the fire bug nagged at me. For some reason, I felt like there might be an ice bug that held a key as well.

Not to mention this floor is designed for two climbers.

So far, the thirteenth floor didn’t feel like it truly demanded two people. As long as you caught a keybug within the time limit, the mission was doable.

Sure, weaker climbers might struggle, but the tower wasn’t known for being merciful. And then, there was the fact that the fire bug queen was supposedly on the right side.

So if there’s another one… Would the ice bug queen be on the left?

Once the thought crossed my mind, everything seemed questionable.

Sure, it was possible that a single queen controlled both the ice and fire bugs, but something didn’t sit right. Regardless, a feeling nagged at me that we were missing a vital piece of the puzzle.

Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned her information came from the Community, not firsthand experience. It bugged me that the key to the queen’s chamber hadn’t been mentioned at all.

“Hee-Jeong."

“Yeah?"

“Do you think there’s only one bug queen?"@@novelbin@@

“What do you mean?"

“We’ve seen two types of bugs—ice bugs and fire bugs. Don’t forget this floor is designed for two climbers. If there’s a queen on the right, isn’t there a chance another one could be on the left?"

“... Wait a second."

Her eyes widened, then she frowned, clearly deep in thought. I waited silently and watched her process what I had said. Her reaction seemed to confirm my hunch.

“I’m not sure. The information I got said there was only one queen, but…"

“The fact that they didn’t mention anything about the key bothers you, doesn’t it?"

“Yeah, that’s part of it. But now that you mention it, it makes sense. There’s a high chance there are two queens. Damn it! Why didn’t I realize this sooner? I’ve been operating on faulty intel from the start."

She bit her lip in frustration.

Regressors would often fall into a similar pitfall. They had so much information to organize and act upon that the details blurred, and instead of verifying and analyzing what they did know, they would simply assume their knowledge was the truth. The complexity of reality would be dismissed and they would rely on only surface-level knowledge.

“Why would those bastards lie about something like this? Ugh… now’s not the time to dwell on that."

Ha Hee-Jeong snapped herself out of it by taking a deep breath. She was right that there wasn’t time to waste. If there was a second queen, we had to act quickly. Too much time had already passed.

“I’ll go check the other side."

“You will?"

“Yeah, we’ve burned through a lot of time already, and we’re pretty far from the starting point. You and Doppy take care of the queen on the right."

Of course, there was a chance that the left side wouldn’t have a queen, but I couldn’t ignore the likelihood that two queens existed. Killing both would likely grant us greater rewards.

It was a gamble between securing the known hidden mission or completing the floor perfectly. Regardless, we would share whatever achievement points would be earned, so the risk was worth it.

“… Yeah, that’s the best plan. Let’s do it."

Ha Hee-Jeong readily agreed as if she had anticipated my thoughts.

“With one queen to the right, the other is probably on the left if it exists at all."

“Exactly. If my Sixth Sense kicks in along the way, I’ll follow its lead."

“Got it."

I nodded in response to her confirmation, before turning and sprinting back along the path we had already taken. I had to move fast.

***

After about thirty minutes, a new notification flashed before me, seemingly triggered by Ha Hee-Jeong’s actions. I quickly turned my attention to the message.

[The fire bug queen has been slain. From now on, all bugs in the forest will attack climbers, regardless of time.]

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has inhaled ice bug toxins. He has resisted it. He has gained the skill Ice Resistance lvl 1.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has inhaled fire bug toxins. He currently possesses Fire Resistance lvl 5. He has successfully resisted the toxins.」

…

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has inhaled ice bug toxins. He has resisted it. His skills have leveled up. Ice Resistance is now lvl 3.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has inhaled toxic fumes. He has resisted them. His skills have leveled up. Poison Resistance is now lvl 6.」

…

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s companion slew the fire bug queen without his direct participation. He has been awarded 300 achievement points.」

「Invisible message: Due to the death of the fire bug queen, every fire bug’s power weakens, while every ice bug’s strength increases.」