There were many monsters with the Digging Evolution Code in the west of the Enterprise Union.
The monster was called an I-Ant Lion, and as its name suggested, it dug tunnels to create traps and ate I-Ants. The reason such monsters were clustered in one place was that a massive I-Ant colony existed to the west of Dragon Lord Ladespina’s territory.
Monsters that fired Parasite Bullets were also in that vicinity. These were creatures that lived parasitically inside the mouths of other monsters, stealing their food before firing spiral-shaped eggs. Their name was Veraport, and one had to be careful because they could even attach themselves to humans.
“Can they live parasitically in the mouth of an Apocalid?”
“Krruk.”
Choi Kangjoong pried open Lutal’s mouth. It was filled with hard teeth and could hold Acid Fluid, so it seemed like it would be a difficult environment for them. Choi Kangjoong checked the coordinates and opened a Gate to cross over.
He arrived at the Dimensional Sea. The dimensions were far off, and a cluster of I-Ants passed nearby. It was a mass of thousands of I-Ants clumped together, which was the simplest and easiest way to cross the Dimensional Sea.
‘If I follow those, I’ll find an I-Ant Lion, too.’
Choi Kangjoong activated Source Space Severance and pursued the I-Ant cluster. Most of the I-Ants were hibernating, but a few were awake, moving their antennae to adjust their direction. Soon, the I-Ant cluster reached a dimension. As Choi Kangjoong expected, I-Ant Lions were inhabiting it.
There was nothing more to see, so he immediately summoned Walkers and Air Walkers. The I-Ant cluster that had guided him was seized by the Walkers and dropped into a Soil Pit. Even the large I-Ants were either torn to pieces or dragged away. Thanks to the muscles from the source of consumption, the Walkers possessed overwhelming strength.
“Krruk.”
The shrunken Lutal sat atop the head of the largest Walker and commanded the swarm. The Walkers entered the traps dug by the I-Ant Lions. Lutal used the I-Ants to gauge the level of the I-Ant Lions and judged that sending the Walkers alone would be more than enough.
Crunch!
Massive pincers erupted from underground and bit into a Walker.
Skreeee! Skreeee!
The I-Ant Lion exerted force to snap the Walker in two, but the Psionic Chitin Armor at level 7 withstood it easily. The Walker used its jaws to sever the pincers biting it and then dug into the ground.
The I-Ant Lion turned its body, trying to bite the Walker with its mandibles.
The Walker did not panic at the attack of a prey much larger than itself and tore off the I-Ant Lion’s mandibles. The I-Ant Lion writhed in pain, and the Walker bit its head, dragging it backward.
Sliiiide.
The I-Ant Lion, which was two to three times the size of the Walker, was pulled out of the ground. An Air Walker flew over and transported the monster. With its mandibles and pincers ruined, the I-Ant Lion could do nothing as it fell into the Soil Pit with a splash.
[I-Ant Lion Evolution Code Deciphering Rate: 1%]
[Veraport Evolution Code Deciphering Rate: 1%]
“What? So the Veraports were already parasitizing them.”
The 10,000 monsters Choi Kangjoong summoned began their work in earnest. They threw all organic matter near the Soil Pit into the pit, tossing in every I-Ant Lion they found. The deciphering rate for the Evolution Code rose rapidly. One dimension wasn’t enough, so they had to move to another to continue the hunt.
[I-Ant Lion Evolution Code Deciphering Rate: 100%]
[Veraport Evolution Code Deciphering Rate: 100%]
Having obtained the Evolution Codes, Choi Kangjoong entered the Evolution Chamber.
“Apply the Parasite Bullet to the Air Scouts, Fighter Warriors, and Fighter Giants.”
From now on, the flying Apocalids produced would fire evolved projectiles.
“I should make a ground version, too.”
Choi Kangjoong called up the basic form of the Scout Class. First, he equipped it with a Chitin Rifle that utilized Parasite Bullets. It was a bioweapon where the body and mouth acted as a single firing mechanism, capable of firing Chitin Spikes using core muscles and Mana.
He reduced its weight by thinning out the Chitin Armor. Since it wasn’t an Apocalid meant for close-quarters combat, he sacrificed some defense for mobility. He modified the left Abyssal Claw to be wide and thick so it could serve as a Shield to block arrows.
[A new Scout Class has been born.]
[Would you like to name it?]
“Rifle.”
[The Apocalid Rifle Scout is being saved.]
“I should do the Warrior Class, too. Its power is a bit vague.”
Against enemies of a similar size, the Rifle Scout’s firepower was sufficient. If they faced larger foes, it was better to just blast them with a Cannon Giant.
“If I make them and mix them in with the Rifle Scouts, there will be a use for them eventually.”
[A new Warrior Class has been born.]
[Would you like to name it?]
“Rifle.”
[The Apocalid Rifle Warrior is being saved.]
“Produce 5,000 Rifle Scouts.”
A swarm of Rifle Scouts poured out of the Soil Pit. Meanwhile, he applied the Digging Evolution Code from the I-Ant Lions to the Walkers, Scouts, Warriors, and Giants.
“They look more like Apocalids now.”
While he was at it, Choi Kangjoong decided to create a Bomber Giant. He increased the size of the Fighter Giant to 60 meters and made the wings even larger. As the name suggested, it took on the appearance of a massive bomber.
[A new Giant Class has been born.]
[Would you like to name it?]
“Bomber.”
[The Apocalid Bomber Giant is being saved.]
Choi Kangjoong produced one Bomber Giant and fed it an abundance of nutrients. It grew rapidly, reaching a size similar to a Central Command Giant before evolving into a Central Unit. This individual would analyze information obtained from the vision of the Sky-eye Giants and command the flying Apocalids.
A few days later, the mass production of Apocalids was complete. The number of Super Titans grew to ten, and the Titan Class increased to 160. Rotiaon was scheduled to arrive in six days.
“Let’s go.”
Leaving the Apocalid Dimension behind, they moved out. Rotiaon’s neighbor was the Green Dragon Riden, whose characteristics were similar to Grifinel, the first dragon to be consumed. He had cultivated a massive amount of plant life across several dimensions and ruled over the Elves.
Even though Riden knew of the Apocalid invasion, unlike Grifinel, he remained huddled in his lair. It was a wise choice. He wouldn’t suffer like Grifinel, who was defeated in the Dimensional Sea without even getting a chance to properly use plant Magic.
A Green Dragon surrounded by living plants was a being that should never be touched. One could say he was similar to a Red Dragon inside a volcano or a Blue Dragon underwater. Plants were the Green Dragon’s limbs and energy, and within them, the power of plant Magic was maximized.
However, to Choi Kangjoong, he was just a rat in a trap. This was a perfect opportunity to test the might of the newly produced Super Titans and Titan Classes. Choi Kangjoong summoned the large-scale Apocalids near the dimension where Green Dragon Riden’s lair was located. Appearing as if to cover the Dimensional Sea, the large Apocalids glided forward.
“There certainly are a lot of plants.”
Riden, noticing the approach of the Apocalids, did not stay idle. Buds attached to tree trunks with diameters exceeding 100 meters began to move. Pointing their tips toward the Dimensional Sea, they fired seeds using stored elasticity and Magic. As thousands of them were fired, a wall of seeds seemed to form between the Apocalid fleet and the dimension.
The seeds were not ordinary seeds. They were projectiles that, upon slightly embedding themselves into an enemy’s armor with the force of their launch, would rotate to drill through. Once they took root inside an enemy’s body, they would suck out water and nutrients to sprout.
“Ku-eong.”
Choi Kangjoong didn’t even need to give an order to stop them. At Kuongi’s command, the Light Titans turned and fired their Mana Cannons and Chitin Cannons. Anything that pierced through the barrage of the Mana Cannons was struck down by the rapid-fire Chitin Spikes from the Chitin Cannons.
Kuongi decided to break through the Shield Riden had deployed first. Mana and Source Energy seethed within the bodies of the ten Super Titans. Breath was fired. Ten blasts, intense enough to push back the heavy bodies of the Super Titans, rained down upon the dimension.
Terrified, Riden retracted the Shield to cover only his lair and increased its thickness.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Breath fell upon the trees firing the seeds. Trees the size of buildings were split apart, and trunks snapped and collapsed. Fires started by the heat of the Breath spread through the leaves, creating a massive conflagration. Thick black smoke billowed upward.
Kuongi fired 100 Biological Torpedoes. Accelerating rapidly, the Biological Torpedoes plummeted into the dimension. They wedged themselves between the lush trees and exploded. Numerous Elf Guardians were blown apart before they could even fire their Magic or arrows.
Having destroyed more than half of the enemy’s air defenses, Kuongi brought the Titans closer to the dimension.
Magic and arrows flew toward them, but they were at a level that could be ignored.
Reaching the sky directly above the dimension, the Titans began their bombardment. The Cannon Giants on the backs of the Titans did not rest either.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The areas where the Sky-eye Giants detected heat and Mana were turned into a wasteland. The Elves could not even utilize their fast feet as they were slaughtered by the barrage of shells sweeping across the vast region.
“Why is he staying still?”
Until then, Green Dragon Riden had not moved. Choi Kangjoong, wondering what he was up to, sent down a Central Stealth Scout.
The Central Stealth Scout ran quickly and cautiously entered Riden’s lair, showing the interior.
“He’s not here?”
Inside the lair, there was only a pile of Mana Stones. The pile was emitting heat and Mana wavelengths similar to a dragon. It was like putting a pillow under a blanket to pretend a person was there.
“He ran away — “
Choi Kangjoong was dumbfounded. He hadn’t even considered that an arrogant dragon would flee.
“Maybe I should have come sooner.”
Still, the result would have been the same. If the Apocalids approached, Riden would have definitely used a Gate to escape. Since the dragon was gone, there was no need to hesitate. Bio Pods filled with Walkers fell into the dimension one after another. Battle Titans also descended and began logging with their massive Abyssal Claws.
Starting from the outer vegetation, they began to consume everything step by step. As time passed, the areas covered by plants decreased, and more bare ground was revealed. Choi Kangjoong waited for Rotiaon while devouring the plant-filled dimension.
Rotiaon approached recklessly without even scouting. With five dragons and a force of ten million, it was understandable why he wasn’t afraid.
“It’ll be better to fight on the dimension.”
To actively utilize the newly acquired Digging Evolution Code, there needed to be ground. Choi Kangjoong hid the Apocalids in advance beneath the ground where Riden’s lair had been.
Rotiaon approached within a day’s distance of the Apocalids.
At that point, it would have been wise to stop, rest, and then attack, but Rotiaon did not stop moving.
— Damn monsters. How dare you deceive me!
This was because he was in a fit of rage, thinking he had been tricked, when Choi Kangjoong had simply attacked an easier-looking target.
‘This is a stroke of luck.’
Even at a glance, the Guardians looked exhausted. Even the dragons were not in peak condition. It was clear this would be an easier fight than expected.
“I should call Iselin and Dielka.”
Choi Kangjoong brought Iselin and Dielka over. They were already prepared, so they only needed to be transported. However, the number of knights Iselin and Dielka brought was 10,000 each. After competing over who would bring more, they had settled on 10,000.
He also brought Yoonseo and placed her among the Elven knights. Han Junghwa did not come, as she was focusing on her training.
Soon, the Guardians approached and landed on the dimension. The dragons only watched from a distance.
Choi Kangjoong also left the enemies alone as they climbed onto the battlefield he had chosen.
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