Chương 91: Ants and Learning

Shanna yanked her sword free from the carcass of the third ant she had slain on her own. She wanted to scream, half in triumph, half in despair, but she was too exhausted. Every muscle in her body burned. She had pushed herself to the limit, fighting almost non-stop for five straight days. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd moved so much. Collapsing onto the ground, she massaged her legs vigorously.

Beside her, Travis sat down with a groan, adjusting his glasses before frowning at the blood smeared across his hands.

"Four-eyes, how did you get blood on you? Did you actually do something for once? I thought you were too smart for violence?" she teased sarcastically. Travis looked worse than she felt. She doubted he'd ever exercised a single day in his life before now. But he didn't rise to her jab. Instead, he silently pulled a towel from his storage ring and began wiping his glasses clean. Shanna glanced down at the silver band on her finger and smiled. A storage ring. She still couldn't believe she had one.

The sheer convenience of it was intoxicating. No more backpacks. No more carrying everything on her shoulders. She squealed with glee until she noticed Locke watching her in silence. She blushed and quickly looked away. His eyes were intimidating, and since he rarely spoke, she had no idea how to deal with him. He was a complete enigma.

"Tell me that was the last of the ants," she complained, turning to Meris, who dropped down beside her, blood still dripping from her twin blades.

"Yes," Meris said firmly.

"That was the last of them in this sector. We should be clear until we reach the next barrier. But this is not the best place to rest. We should fall back to the cave from earlier and recover before moving on." She rose fluidly to her feet.

"Right now? Can't we rest a little longer? My legs feel like jelly." Shanna held out her hands imperiously.

"Four-eyes, help me up." Travis slipped his freshly cleaned glasses back onto his face and sighed. As he pulled her gently to her feet, she patted his cheek affectionately, leaving streaks of blood behind. She giggled.

"Sorry, forgot my hands were still covered in blood. Let's go. Meris, can you make us a hot spring again? I'd murder a bath right now. And speaking of baths, remember that time on the way to Ladradad when Four-eyes fell into a puddle…" She rambled relentlessly until they arrived back at the cave. A couple of hours later, inside the cave and beside the steaming hot spring, Meris had conjured. Shanna spun around in shock, her face glowing red with embarrassment.

She had completely forgotten that the Voldura had no concept of modesty. Both Locke and Meris had stripped and waded into the bubbling water to wash.

"Shanna, stop being shy and join us," Meris called, emerging from the water as she scrubbed blood from her hair.

"I can't do that. It's too embarrassing," Shanna stammered, cheeks burning hotter. The image of green skin stretched over rippling muscle seared itself into her mind. How were they both so muscular? She glanced down at her own slim figure and felt despair. There was no way she was going to undress and humiliate herself.

"You look fine," Meris shouted back, as if reading her thoughts.

"Humans are far too prudish. You should learn from us." She slapped Locke on the shoulder as he worked soap onto his arms.

"Locke promises not to look, don't you?"

"I promise," Locke replied flatly, never pausing in his scrubbing. But those words weren't enough to convince Shanna. She crouched near the entrance, stubbornly facing away from them until they finished. When the time came, she all but chased them out of the cave, except Meris, who refused to leave. In the end, Shanna relented and slipped into the water while Meris helped clean her hair, chatting idly. That, at least, she could tolerate.

"How do you make these hot springs? I haven't seen you use any water skills," Shanna asked.

"It's a scroll, from the Progenitor. You should have a couple in your ring," Meris replied. Shanna blinked, then rifled through the contents of her silver storage ring as she bathed. Sure enough, she found several hot spring scrolls. There were others, too, scrolls that conjured warm fires, and dozens of other useful items.

"Did he think of everything?" she muttered in wonder.

"How much must he have spent on all this? Is he… rich?" Her hand stilled as she discovered the food section. Piles and piles of roasted meats and fresh vegetables filled her ring, neatly packed and ready to eat. Her mouth watered instantly. Even though the Progenitor had given her something so valuable, she couldn't help but curse him in her heart for tossing her into this nightmare of ants and blood. She hated every moment of it.

"Meris, how many more areas are there?" she asked, leaning back against the smooth stone and sinking into the warmth of the water.

"There are three sectors left," Meris admitted with a sigh.

"But the difficulty rises each time. At this rate… I'm not sure we can even clear the last one."

"What do you mean? What happens if we can't clear it? What do we do?" Panic filled Shanna's thoughts. Oh no. Are we going to die here? What's the point of all this? Meris was silent for a long while before speaking.

"He will come if things get too bad," was all she said. She didn't explain how she knew, and Shanna tried not to dwell on the flicker of worry she had heard in her voice. The next day, they trudged toward another barrier and more ants. Shanna fell into her usual position at the rear alongside Travis. He was even worse than she was in battle, but no matter how much he complained, he still had to fight. The sheer number of ants forced it.

Their swarm kept growing larger with each sector, leaving no room for anyone to sit back. As Shanna groaned inwardly, her eyes caught another one of those strange stone pillars with a bright red button on its face, just like the others. Naturally, when no one was looking, she pressed it as she passed. Again… nothing happened. Seriously? What's even the point of these stupid buttons? She shook her head, already wondering if maybe something would finally happen at the next one.

__ Meris cursed as she fought tooth and nail against four ants simultaneously. She couldn't spare a glance to check on the two humans; they were too weak, and right now, just staying alive took every shred of her focus. Her blades carved arcs of green light as she desperately pushed back the swarm. When she finally dropped the last of the four, relief washed through her as she spotted Locke.

He stood like a wall of steel over the exhausted humans, his twin swords weaving a dance of death, cutting down everything that dared approach. Reliable as ever. Meris spat blood into the dirt. Her body ached. They were running low on healing pills, but only one sector remained ahead. She couldn't understand why the difficulty kept spiking higher and higher. Her thoughts snagged on a memory. She'd read the rules clearly when they entered. All they had to do was not press the shiny red buttons in each sector.

She had warned them. She had told everyone. And they'd all nodded in agreement. But now… she wondered. Did one of them press the button? No. She was just being paranoid. Exhaustion was twisting her thoughts. None of them would be foolish enough to… A curse tore through the cavern as three more ants charged her, dragging her back into the deadly rhythm of battle. Her dance continued. __ While the four young intrepid guests teetered on the edge of life and death, Joe and Corel arrived at their own destination.

A small musical instrument shop tucked away in downtown Heliopolis. As they walked inside, Joe caught the way Corel's eyes widened in awe. Over the months they had spent together, he began to notice her quiet fascination with music. The only person he knew who played an instrument was Samira, and she had been the one to recommend this shop in particular. It boasted one of the broadest selections of instruments she had seen, and the added benefit that the shop owner's wife held a music-based profession.

That meant they offered not just instruments, but also scrolls and, occasionally, information disks on how to play them.

"Pick out anything you want," Joe said with a smile.

"Whatever you choose is on me. No price is too high." Corel's face lit up as she rushed deeper into the shop to get a closer look at the rows of instruments. Joe made his way to the counter where a short girl stood, the shop assistant.

"Hello, young lady," he greeted warmly.

"I was hoping you could help my friend pick out a good instrument. She's never played before, so she'll need some guidance. Here…" He shook the girl's hand, transferring ten thousand credits to her. With a wink, he put a finger over his lips.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't," he said mischievously. The girl gaped at him before quickly regaining her composure. With cheeks flushed red, she bowed deeply before rushing over to Corel and introducing herself.

"You're not spoiling Mira, are you?" a gruff voice called out. Joe turned as a heavyset man approached.

"Of course not, sir," Joe replied with mock innocence.

"I just gave her a little tip to make sure the whole Voldura thing didn't distract her. I know some people still aren't used to seeing one in the city."

"Ah. Then I take it you're the Progenitor everyone keeps talking about?" the man said, eyeing him carefully.

"What gave me away?" Joe asked in mock surprise. The man simply pointed at his sunglasses and shook his head.

"Just don't give her too much," he said with a chuckle.

"I don't want to wake up one day to a house full of new pets that appeared out of thin air." He extended his hand.

"I'm Boris. Nice to meet you, Progenitor."

"People who know me call me Joe," Joe replied as he shook the man's hand. Soon, he drifted toward a polished piano along one of the walls. He ran his fingers lightly over the keys.

"How much is this one?" Boris broke into a wide grin, sliding into seller mode as he launched into a detailed explanation of the piano's make, tone, and craftsmanship. It took an hour before Corel waved Joe over, Mira beaming proudly at her side.

"I think I want this one," Corel said, pointing at the instrument before her. Joe didn't immediately recognize it, so he used Identify. Identify: Guzheng - Chinese plucked zither. 64 inches in length with 26 strings.

"Wow, good choice," he said, with admiration in his voice. The instrument was crafted from rich dark-brown wood, smooth beneath the touch. Faint veins of mana pulsed through it, enhancing its resonance.

"Mira here was very helpful and full of knowledge," Corel gave the girl a gentle pat on the head.

"Thank you, and you are welcome to come visit anytime."

"Can I come to see the cats?" Mira asked eagerly.

"Yes, and if your parents are okay with it, you can even have one of the kittens." Joe opened his mouth to protest, it was probably not the best idea to hand out sabretooth cubs; he was too late. Mira had already bolted off toward her father, bubbling with excitement. He sighed, shaking his head.

"I think her dad's going to wish you hadn't told her that," Joe said, watching Mira animatedly telling Boris about the cubs.

"Why not?" Corel asked, genuinely oblivious to the carnage she might have just unleashed.

"Don't worry about it," Joe said with a chuckle.

"Shall we see if Boris's wife is free? A little birdy told me she might be able to give you lessons on how to play."

"A birdy? I didn't see any birds. Where is it?" Corel asked, glancing around in confusion. Joe laughed, taking a moment to explain what he meant. The following day, Joe sat beside his pond, weaving Nature's Paradise throughout Landradad. The mana pulsed in steady waves as he listened intently to Corel listing the next slate of upcoming Integration competitions. The first was a team race, beginning in one week. Then, a week after that, a solo treasure hunt.

"Which pillars are entering the treasure hunt?" he asked.

"Voldura. The Race is represented by humans," Corel replied. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Can you let the clans know I'll be participating?" She nodded.

"There's a clan meeting in two days. The same day, you'll be at the yearly Empire Meeting." Oh right. He had completely forgotten that, as the number-one ranker, attendance at every yearly Empire Meeting was mandatory.

"Right. Guess I'll be going to that then. Yay," he said with zero enthusiasm. Just as he closed his eyes, he felt a communicator flash inside his storage ring. He pulled it out and swore when he saw it was Meris. The crystal atop the communicator glowed with the emergency red signal: Help. Now. Joe vanished, Space-Jumping toward the gate. [The brats are in trouble. I'll be back soon.] - Joe. [I warned you, you should have gone with them.] - Corel. [I know, I know. I'm sure they are fine and just panicked.] - Joe. A swirl of colours enveloped Joe as he crossed the threshold, entering the gate. When the distortion faded, Joe stood in a stone chamber with a single door. He sprinted forward and burst outside, only to find himself in a sprawling desert of jagged mountains and towering rocks. He extended his senses, but his heart sank. Suppressed. He could only feel a few hundred meters in every direction. A translucent screen flickered before his eyes, outlining the rules of the gate. He was level one.

All skills locked. Unlock through kills.

"Fuck." At least the suppression wasn't absolute; he could still feel his strengthened body. He bent his knees and launched upward, leaping nearly fifty meters into the air. From his vantage, his eyes swept the endless horizon. His stomach dropped. A sea of ants. Hundreds of thousands of them blanketed the land, crawling in every direction like a living tide. And at the heart of that swarm, he spotted them. Four figures struggling desperately against the flood.

"Uh oh," he muttered as he landed with a heavy slam, Aura blasting outward in all directions. He broke into a sprint, tearing across the desert toward the horde of ants. He felt the attention of every consciousness inside the gate snapping toward him. Perfect. Hopefully, the youngsters would use that opening to throw down one of the barrier arrays he had given them, buying him the time he needed to reach them. He scooped up a massive rock as he ran and launched himself into the air again.

For a brief moment, the ants swarming the group, still a couple of miles away, paused before resuming their attack. He cursed, crushing the rock in his grip until it shattered into fragments that exploded outward. He seized a handful and, with all his might, hurled them at the horde. The shards stuck with the force of a shotgun blast, tearing through the ants in bursts of gore. His level ticked upward as he hit the ground again.

Grinning, he leapt once more, repeating the manoeuvre, blasting apart swaths of ants with nothing but stone and sheer strength. The more he killed, the more he levelled. The stronger he became, the bigger the rocks he could throw. Soon, he was hurling an entire boulder into the mass, crushing fifty ants in one strike. A notification flared before his eyes. Unlock one skill. Which skill do you choose? He selected Space-Jump and laughed as he blinked into existence in the midst of the swarm.

Then the real slaughter began. __ Meris exhaled in pure relief the moment the Progenitor's Aura swept over the battlefield. The number of ants was overwhelming, but when all eyes turned away from her party, she seized the chance. Pulling out her last shield array, she slammed it to the ground. A green bubble flared around them, giving them precious cover.

"Oh my god! What is that? Is that a monster?" Shanna screamed, her voice shrill with fear. Meris gave her a flat look, barely holding back her irritation.

"That… is the end of this cursed gate. He's here to save us." Her body slumped in exhaustion as she whispered, "He's finally here."

"Who?" Shanna asked, spinning in panic. Before Meris could waste breath answering, a small explosion ripped across the sand. She blinked as shards of rock tore through a cluster of ants, killing them outright. For a long moment, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was he… throwing rocks? From that far away? And killing them? Her mind reeled. Just how strong was he? Minutes passed, each marked by another deadly shower of stones.

Then, impossibly, a colossal boulder smashed down, ploughing through hundreds of ants and carving a path of ruin through the sea. Meris blinked, half-convinced she must be hallucinating. Maybe she was already dead, and this was the afterlife. That thought evaporated when he appeared. One heartbeat, he wasn't there. The next, he was. Standing amidst the swarm, and in that instant, everything around him died in a shower of gore. __ Joe danced through the sea of ants like a knife through butter.

With each kill, more skills unlocked. Mana Waves pulsed outward, culling hundreds in bursts of power. Vines erupted from the ground as the barrier around the four youngsters collapsed, wrapping around them, shielding them more from the rain of blood than any real danger. Joe himself was already drenched. His toga was ruined, so he didn't even bother with his barding. He simply moved, killing, carving his way through the endless swarm.

An hour bled away before the battlefield finally fell silent, every ant reduced to gore. The gate quest screen flashed before his eyes. Instead of waving it away, he took the time to read it: Incursion of the ants: Current difficulty set to max. All sectors cleared. Final Boss Ant released. Arrival in five… four… Joe appeared at Meris's side, pressing four magic-grade healing pills into her hand.

"Give these to them. The boss is coming. By the way, why did you guys set it to max difficulty?" He Space-Jumped away before Meris could respond. He didn't see the anger ignite in her eyes at his words. The ant boss itself wasn't much of a challenge. This gate had been designed for a party of level thirties with a broken class, not for someone over level 140. He killed the boss in two strikes and strolled back to the bedraggled group. His status flashed a notification: the quest had been completed. Rating: 100%.

All that was left was to accept. Before he could, raised voices drew his attention.

"You idiot! This was your fault. We almost died! I told you not to press those damn buttons!"

"I didn't know! They were just there, I couldn't resist!" Shanna screamed back, her face flushed as she stood toe-to-toe with Meris. Joe paused mid-step, deciding very wisely not to put himself between the furious young woman and young Voldura.

"I warned you multiple times! You told me you didn't press them! You lied to my face!" Meris roared.

"I'm sorry! I was exhausted and stressed and didn't know what I was doing! It's his fault!" Shanna shouted suddenly, jabbing a finger toward Joe.

"He put us in this hell! If it wasn't for him, we would never have had to go through this!" Joe sighed. This was going nowhere. He almost stepped forward as Shanna and Meris lunged at each other, but Locke moved first, planting himself between them. He absorbed their blows with only a few grunts, tanking fists and kicks.

"Okay, okay. Enough!" Joe's mana-enhanced shout thundered through the air, silencing the group. Both girls froze mid-swing, finally ceasing their assault on poor Locke, who still hadn't said a single word. Instead, they settled for glaring daggers at each other.

"Look," Joe began, "I understand tempers are running hot. Travis, please take Shanna to the side. Locke, grab Meris and come with me a moment before we leave." He gestured firmly, and Travis hesitated before gently guiding Shanna away while the fiery Volduran pair stepped toward him.

"Care to explain what that was about?" Joe asked, his voice measured. Meris inhaled deeply, then recounted the events: the buttons scattered through the gate that increased difficulty, how she had warned everyone not to press them, and how Shanna had been secretly pushing them anyway while contributing very little in combat. That left Meris and Locke to shoulder the bulk of the fighting on their own.

"Okay. For now, you two rest here, I'll talk to Shanna," he placed a hand on both their shoulders, "You both did great, by the way. I'm proud you cleared the gate." His words seemed to ease tension. Meris visibly relaxed, though Locke, as always, remained unreadable. Joe crossed over to Shanna and Travis. Just as he expected, she was mid-rant, babbling non-stop in Travis's face.

"She's so annoying! Can you believe she blames me for everything? All I did was press a stupid button. How was I supposed to know what would happen?"

"Well… the gate screen did warn us not to press the buttons unless we wanted to increase the difficulty," Travis replied meekly.

"Are you taking her side? I hate you!" Shanna snapped.

"Shanna, stop. Calm down before you say something you'll regret," Joe cut in sharply as he reached them. Thankfully, that was enough to silence her. She went scarlet, biting back whatever she had been about to say. Joe gave them both a few moments before speaking again.

"Now, Shanna, tell me what happened."

"I just pressed some stupid buttons," she mumbled.

"I promise I didn't know it would mean more ants came like that."

"Why didn't you read the rules? Or listen to Meris?" Joe pressed, his tone calm but firm.

"It disappeared too fast, I didn't have time to read it!" Shanna shot back.

"And Meris kept barking orders, complaining about everything we did. She made us fight even though she knew we were bad at it. She led us straight into the mass of ants. Aaahhhhh!" Joe listened patiently to Shanna's complaints, reigning in her tirade whenever it crossed a line. Eventually, her anger sputtered out. She slumped into Travis's lap, sobbing openly as the tears flowed. Joe gave Travis a gentle pat on the shoulder and a sympathetic look before leaving them to settle down.

By the time emotions had cooled enough for an actual discussion, the gate timer ticked to zero. In a shimmer of light, they were all teleported back to Landradad, back to the fresh air of the forest.

"First. I'd like to say congratulations on completing the quest," Joe began as he confirmed the quest notification. Meris, Shanna, Locke, and Travis all received their own completion messages. He could see the relief wash over them. They were finally free from the system-issued quest. But Joe wasn't finished. His role wasn't just to guide them; it was to fix them. A final notification hovered in his vision, one he had read and reread several times. He knew what needed to be done. And he knew it would hurt.

He also knew that the group had yet to talk about what happened during the gate. The tension and animosity between them. But he pushed that to the side and decided to press forward for now.

"I know you're all tired, and it's been a long few days. But I need you to read this." With a flick of his hand, the last quest screen appeared before the group. Their faces paled as they read: their bodies had been saturated with corrupted mana. To fix their broken classes, that corruption had to be purged. It would not be pleasant. Once cleansed, their classes would reset, dropping them to level one but granting them a complete set of classes to choose from.

Meris was the first to step forward, conviction firm in her expression.

"I will do it," she said without hesitation. Joe nodded and motioned her closer. If the others saw her endure this, it would help them decide for themselves. He guided her to sit with her back toward him.

"Lower your top just below the shoulders," he instructed.

"I'll need to place my palms on your back." She obeyed without complaint, though he felt the tension in her frame as his palms pressed gently against her skin. Her body trembled; she was afraid, though she masked it well. Joe pulled a small privacy shield from his ring, activating it. A dome shimmered around them, cutting off sound from outside. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Corel watching intently, her expression unreadable. He drew in a steadying breath, then paused as another thought struck him.

Reaching into his ring, he pulled out a thick piece of wood and handed it to Meris.

"Bite down on this," he said quietly.

"It's going to hurt." She bit down on the wood, and Joe began. He was thankful for the privacy shield. Meris's screams, raw and piercing, echoed inside the dome as he forced the foul, rotten mana from her body. The stench of decay filled the enclosed space, so strong he wished he had a gas mask. More than once, he considered stopping. When her body sagged, and her eyes fluttered, he nearly did. But even through her pain, she raised a trembling hand, urging him to continue. So he did.

He poured his mana into her, cleansing every vein and organ with Nature's energy, burning out the black corruption that clung to her. For ten long minutes, the battle raged until at last the final strands of tainted mana bled from her skin and pooled onto the floor. Meris slumped forward, spent and trembling. Joe caught her gently in his arms. [Corel, I need you to help Meris wash, meet me on the other side of the pond] - Joe. He Space-Jumped out of sight, carrying her carefully.

At the water's edge, he helped peel away the filth-stained clothes before Corel arrived to take over. Leaving her in Corel's care, Joe jumped back to the shield and grimaced at the stench. He did his best to clean the reeking pool of black mana before turning to face the others. Three pairs of terrified eyes stared back at him.

"I know that looked bad," he began, but Shanna cut him off, her voice high and frantic.

"Is she okay? Oh my god, that looked horrific! Do we have to do that? What was that black stuff that came out of her?"

"It was just corrupted mana. Think of it like purging impurities from your body. I won't force any of you to go through that. But think carefully before you refuse. Now, Locke, are you ready?" Locke didn't look ready, but to his credit, he stepped forward without a word. Inside the shield, the process repeated. Ten agonizing minutes later, Joe carried Locke out, barely conscious, and handed him to Corel. She cleaned him up and guided him to rest alongside Meris. Now for the more troublesome pair. Shanna and Travis.

Neither of them had the endurance of Meris and Locke; physically, this would be far harder on them.

"Have you decided?" he asked, giving them one last chance. For a moment, silence. Then Travis rose slowly to his feet.

"I'm ready,""Travis, wait," Shanna said quickly, scrambling up beside him.

"You… called me Travis?" he asked, startled. Her voice wavered as she spoke.

"Are you sure we should do this? Let's just go back. Forget this ever happened. We don't need to fix our classes. We can… do something else." Her words sounded hollow, more like a plea than a conviction. Travis shook his head firmly.

"No, we can't. You know that." He placed both hands on her shoulders, his voice trembling along with the fear in his eyes.

"You felt it too, didn't you? Looking at them. We have to do this. I have to do this." He stepped into the shield and sat down. As Joe sat behind Travis and placed his palms on his bare back, he couldn't help noticing how slim the young man was. There was almost no muscle on him at all. Joe handed him a piece of wood, and Travis bit down hard, body tensing in anticipation. Thirty seconds into the purging, Travis passed out from the pain, which, truthfully, Joe was thankful for. Still, he didn't stop.

He held Travis upright, forcing the corrupted mana out as fast as he could. Again and again, Travis jolted awake, screaming, before fainting once more. Each time, he begged Joe not to stop. For someone so frail, the strength he showed in those moments surprised Joe. After ten gruelling minutes, it was finally over. Joe carried him to the pond's edge and carefully began to clean away the foul residue. Shanna hurried over, wordless, and knelt beside him.

Together they scrubbed the thick, blackened mana clinging to Travis's body, both of them fighting the urge to gag at the stench.

"He'll be okay," Joe assured gently.

"He did great." Tears streaked down Shanna's cheeks as she nodded. Corel appeared to take Travis away to rest, leaving Shanna to step silently into the shield. She sat, trembling, and looked at Joe.

"Before you begin… Can you knock me out first? So I don't feel anything?" she asked. Joe shook his head.

"That won't work." Her eyes closed, lips moving in silent prayer. Then Joe began. Shanna's purging was the worst of them all. She screamed, fainted, and screamed again. But worse than the pain was the sheer volume of corrupted mana inside her body. It dwarfed the others by a staggering margin. Joe grimaced, forcing his power through her again and again, doing everything he could to purge it quickly. Even so, it took three long minutes longer than the others before it was finally done.

The young woman went limp, unconscious in his arms. He carried her to Corel, who gently cleaned her and carried her to the prepared room. At last, it was finished. Joe didn't know what would come next, but he knew he had done his best, given them all the chance to start over with new classes, a clean slate, and the strength to forge ahead. But he was spent. Before Corel returned, he stumbled into their room and collapsed onto the bed, sinking into its comfort. Exhaustion claimed him in an instant.

Just before sleep dragged him under, his heart skipped a beat as a soft, foreign voice whispered in his mind:"Mar vo ko, put itf cookartook."