We arrived at a location where we could see Kaesong City.
I shook insect guts out of my shoes.
[You have exterminated multiple new monsters.]
[Exploration Stat +20.]
[120/300 until reaching Enlightenment Stage 3.]
The few high-rise buildings in downtown Kaesong had already been occupied by monsters.
It seemed very likely that the insect monsters had already spotted us.
After all, they could see the whole city from there.
“Let’s stay low and move.”
At least the ants didn’t have any alert sirens.
But that didn’t mean they were incapable of ranged attacks.
There could be individuals that spray poison or something like that.
After I finished speaking and readied my rifle, the Holy Knight unsheathed his greatsword as if he had been waiting for that moment.
A strange light like sunlight flowed from the Holy Knight’s greatsword.
“We went through all the trouble to disguise ourselves, but really…”
We walked along the wall of a building, heading for our target.
The monsters were gathered in the densely built-up part of the city with the high-rise buildings.
“We’ve arrived.”
I hid behind Pineapple and, while crouching, observed the scene ahead.
On top of the wall, Ant Monsters stood watch, and a wall constructed from cars and furniture formed a perimeter.
“Let’s hurry and get inside.”
“Why aren’t the monsters attacking?”
“They could be trying to surround us. Or maybe they’re too distracted by other preparations. For now, let’s try getting inside the perimeter.”
Crossing the Barrier wasn’t a great idea.
We’d have to fight on terrain advantageous to the Ant Monsters.
It would be better to go in from the front.
We moved along the building’s wall in search of an entrance, and the ants on top of the Barrier quietly watched us.
“There.”
“Let’s run on the count of three.”
The entrance to the Ant Tower.
I opened the gas valve mounted on Pineapple’s back.
Sensing something unusual, the monsters charged at us, and at the same time, we sprinted toward the entrance of the Ant Tower.
“… Tch. Disgusting creatures.”
The thing I hate most are insect-like monsters.
I can’t even stand Cockroach Bugs—giant ants bigger than a person are…
“Don’t get bogged down, keep moving.”
As the Holy Knight ran, he slashed an Ant Monster, killing it.
Tang!
I followed after the Holy Knight, taking down as many of them as I could.
Looking closely, the Ant Monsters resembled mantises more than ants.
There were spiny protrusions here and there, and their blood wasn’t red but some strange color.
“Ming Ming, lead the way. We’re looking for the Heart of the Labyrinth.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Ming Ming half-unfurled his wings and proudly charged ahead.
I hurried after Ming Ming.
The Ant Monsters didn’t seem able to approach us effectively.
Luckily, the DDT we’d been spreading seemed to be working.
We soon reached the depths of the area, and the sight that greeted us was horrifying.
The streets of North Korea looked similar to the everyday reality I remembered.
That subtle difference, though, created an unsettling sense of dissonance.
It was as if I were dreaming a bad dream.
Cars that seemed off, Korean writing that seemed different, pavement blocks that were not quite right.
Not a single living person could be seen in the city.
The fact that monsters and monster remains decorated the place offered no comfort at all.
Traces of battles were everywhere.
Gunshot scars left by rifles on the outer walls of buildings, splatters of human blood, and monster blood in bizarre colors. Shell casings rolled everywhere.
As we paused, staring at the sight before us, more and more monsters began to gather from all directions.
Although the Ant Monsters were keeping a safe distance, apparently unwilling to approach Pineapple’s insecticide spray, there were more than just a few of them.
Tang!
I fired my rifle into the densely packed horde of monsters.
One monster collapsed, its blood spraying everywhere.
“What are they doing…?”
“They’re surrounding us. Looks like they’ve figured out the properties of the chemical weapons we’re using and are keeping their distance.”
“Isn’t that giving the bugs too much credit?”
“Better than underestimating them.”
I could hear the hard clattering of the monsters’ exoskeletons all around us. We were already surrounded. There were hundreds of them.
And it got even worse.
Our third objective was to take out the enemy’s giant type, the high-value target…
Yet only hundreds of small bugs surrounded us, and the high-value targets had already disappeared from our view.
Ah, of course, “small” was relative—they were human-sized.
“It’s about time to break through.”
“Yeah.”
I scanned the area, keeping close to the wall.
They really weren’t just dumb monsters.
As soon as we tried to infiltrate, they carefully concentrated their forces to surround us…
“We’ll have to break through the front.”
We couldn’t let the encirclement tighten any further.
The Ant Monsters had re-concentrated, forming an impenetrable wall.
“Let’s change tactics. We’ll climb a nearby building, get a look at the situation from above, and strike where the enemy is massed.”
“Sounds good.”
There was no time to waste.
Bang!
The Holy Knight smashed through the door of a small villa and hurried up the stairs.
“I wonder how the Ant Monsters will react.”
Will they chase us inside?
If they did, it might actually work in our favor.
If the insecticide was concentrated in a confined space, it would be easier for us to fight.
I followed the Holy Knight up the stairs.
The door to the rooftop was locked, but the Holy Knight struck it once, and the rusted door bent open.
We soon reached the rooftop.
“Pineapple, guard the rooftop door.”
“Understood.”
Ming Ming headed out to the rooftop first.
I moved to the rooftop railing and looked down at the surroundings.
“Damn.”
With no moonlight, I could barely see a thing ahead.
I pulled down my night vision goggles and scanned the area again. Monsters were spread all around us.
“Strange.”
I could see Ant Monsters forming a procession along the road somewhere.
“Over there. There’s something near Kaeseong Station.”
***
Battle begins.
The Holy Knight’s firepower exceeded expectations.
He was pulverizing the Ant Monsters like a blender, making short work of them.
I busily followed behind.
Pak!
Blood spattered near the Holy Knight.
I hid behind Pineapple and fired my rifle, keeping the monsters from clustering together.
Dozens of Ant Monsters had already fallen.
We moved rapidly toward our target, cutting through them like a slicing blade.
The Holy Knight pushed back the monster horde with his shield at the front.
The Sunlight Ring enveloped the Holy Knight.
——–!
Every time he swung his sword, bursts of sunlight-like flames erupted around him.
At last, the doors to Kaeseong Station swung open.
I followed the Holy Knight and Pineapple into the station, keeping low.
What a sight.
The building’s interior was far more miserable than it looked from outside.
Inside Kaeseong Station, corpses were piled here and there.
Some were North Korean Soldiers or Public Servants, and others were just ordinary people.
“Ugh…”
Unable to bear it, the Holy Knight turned his head and retched.
A natural reaction.
It would be an exaggeration to say I was used to it, but having seen scenes like this many times, I could remain relatively calm.
“We must be getting close to the objective.”
Ming Ming set the pile of corpses on fire.
A pink flame slowly began to consume the tall heap of bodies.
Burning human bodies produces a lot of smoke—there’s a lot of moisture.
I tapped Pineapple.
“Pineapple, spray all the insecticide you have left in this building.”
“Confirmed.”
The broad hall inside the station.
Between cracks in the marble-adorned building, hundreds of monsters appeared.
Among them were the enormous Giant Army Ants, just like in the Drone Video.
I reloaded my rifle, never taking my eyes off them.
“Here we go again.”
The monsters charged at our position.
But this time, it wasn’t the small ants we’d seen before, but the gigantic ones that had smashed North Korean army tanks.
With every step, cracks spread in the floor.
Their forelegs, as big as a person, and their exoskeletons looked armored.
The marks of shells, likely left by the North Korean army, still scarred their exoskeletons.
There wasn’t just one of these monsters—there were several.
Some could even fly.
“Good luck.”
“I’ll provide cover.”
The Holy Knight once again wreathed himself in sunlight and charged into the horde.
The huge monster charged at the Holy Knight.
Not just one—several.
“Pineapple!”
Luckily, the monsters’ attention was focused on the other side, not on me.
I hid behind Pineapple, firing at any monster trying to approach the Holy Knight.
“Take out the flying ones first!”
The enormous insect monsters shoved aside objects in their way, closing in with terrifying speed.
———!
The Holy Knight’s sword struck the giant monster’s exoskeleton.
“I expected as much, but still…”
The Holy Knight’s greatsword couldn’t cut through the monster’s armor.
In the blink of an eye, the bugs had surrounded the Holy Knight.
“That looks dangerous.”
I immediately tossed a flashbang toward the Holy Knight’s direction.
Blinded by the intense light, the monster flung the Holy Knight away.
Confirming the Holy Knight’s safety, I raised my rifle at the giant bug.
“I wonder if I can crack that monster’s exoskeleton.”
Calmly, I squeezed the trigger.
Bang—!
A direct hit.
It didn’t do much, but a crack appeared in the monster’s exoskeleton.
“Feels like throwing a stone at a tank.”
The giant monster swatted the Holy Knight aside and charged straight at me.
At the same moment, Pineapple leapt in front of me, and the insect monster crashed into the machine.
With a loud noise, Pineapple was smashed apart.
The Holy Knight drew his sword again, climbed onto the monster’s back as it turned away.
Damn.
Bugs were swarming from all directions, but the Holy Knight had seized the high ground.
Light gathered on the Holy Knight’s sword.
Sword strike.
A burst of white light exploded outward.
It was like the sun had suddenly risen.
“A new skill? Did he level up?”
White Flames rained down from all around.
The Holy Knight wielded his sword as if chopping wood, or performing a funeral rite, bringing it down on the monster’s back.
The monsters writhed as if shrouded in white fire, and the giant bug crushed under the Holy Knight’s blow collapsed to the floor.
I swapped magazines and took aim at the unmoving monster’s head with my Hunter Rifle.
It hadn’t worked earlier, but if I keep firing…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Finally, the giant monster stopped moving.
I approached and used my Explorer’s Trait on it.
[You have slain a Giant Army Ant.]
[Exploration Stat +30.]
[150/300 until reaching Enlightenment Stage 3.]
[You have discovered the Army Ant Nest.]
[Exploration Stat +20.]
[170/300 until reaching Enlightenment Stage 3.]
At least we managed to take down a Giant Army Ant.
Pineapple slowly lifted its head from the mix of monster blood and rubble.
There was a crack on its screen, but it looked like it could still move.
“Oh, you survived.”
“Incineration Protocol active… Several protocols paused to maintain operational status. Locomotion possible.”
“Good.”
“Thank you, human.”
Pineapple shook itself like a puppy.
With that, stone dust and monster blood fell off the robot’s body.
“Let’s keep moving. We’re almost there.”
At this rate, we’d reach the Ant Queen’s Chamber soon.
We should be able to find it before sunrise…
We hid in the building’s emergency staircase, checking our status.
The Holy Knight seemed more badly injured than expected.
After all, the Giant Army Ant had swatted him around earlier. Blood was seeping out from somewhere, soaking his clothes.
“This is bad.”
“Are you all right?”
“No.”
At least he was still able to joke.