Chapter 32: Dance with giant insects~

“Fifty-five points?” Ye Lian looked at Bai Xue’s contamination level and murmured to herself.

Her own starting contamination level had been 35, noticeably lower than Bai Xue’s.

“‘Maximum 100’—what does that mean? Does something terrible happen if it hits 100?”

Just looking at the contamination value gave a bad feeling.

It naturally made people think of something ominous.

“Master, what does this number do?” Bai Xue followed Ye Lian’s gaze to the contamination stat and asked.

“I suspect it’s related to the effects of dream intrusion,” Ye Lian said, voicing her guess.

“So if it reaches 100, does that mean we’re done for?” Bai Xue asked nervously.

Ye Lian shook her head.

“Not sure yet. Was it already 55 when you first entered the game?”

“…” Bai Xue furrowed her brows, trying to remember.

***

After a while, she finally spoke.

“I didn’t pay much attention at the time, but it definitely wasn’t this high.”

“Did you experience any dream intrusions before?” Ye Lian asked.

“I did. A few days ago, I started having scattered nightmares… really scary ones…” Bai Xue nodded, her expression turning grim.

“If we assume the initial value is connected to dream intrusion, then the increase must’ve happened gradually during gameplay,” Ye Lian theorized.

“I really have no idea,” Bai Xue said, her delicate brows creasing.

She hadn’t been injured, nor had she run into anything terrifying…

“Wait, could it be because of Zhao Gang? He suddenly turned into that monster. Maybe he had some kind of negative effect on us.”

“That’s very possible,” Ye Lian nodded.

After being infected by that golden slime, her own contamination level had broken past the limit.

Her body had transformed into the Demon Emperor, and the effects of dream contamination no longer worked on her.

‘Most people probably wouldn’t be able to surpass the contamination threshold like I did. Which means hitting 100 might lead to unpredictable, bizarre changes.’

As she thought this, Ye Lian turned to Bai Xue and said, “Keep checking your contamination value from time to time. If you feel any discomfort, let me know immediately.”

“Yes, Master,” Bai Xue replied.

“It’s getting late. Let’s go,” Ye Lian said softly, withdrawing her gaze and looking toward the place that seemed like a city in the distance.

At their current pace—fighting monsters along the way—it would take roughly thirty minutes to get there.

Of course, that was only an estimate.

If anything unexpected happened along the way, they’d definitely be delayed.

***

Not even five minutes later, Ye Lian and Bai Xue did in fact run into trouble.

“Master, this cave is huge.”

“Yeah. It’s probably a monster nest,” Ye Lian said calmly as she stared at the oval-shaped opening at the base of a small hill.

The entrance was about 2.3 meters tall and nearly 4 meters wide—big enough for a small car to drive through.

The packed earth around the entrance showed faint traces of footprints.

“Looks like the nest of a large insect,” Ye Lian remarked after checking the surroundings.

“What should we do, Master?” Bai Xue asked, looking into the cave where faint glimmers of light could be seen deep inside.

She really didn’t like this kind of cave.

‘Who knew what kind of disgusting bugs might come crawling out of it?’

Ye Lian paused in thought.

“Let’s go in and take a look.”

She didn’t like caves either, though her reason differed from Bai Xue’s.

She simply found them dangerous.

Still, considering that the surrounding monsters were too low-level and made leveling up difficult, it was worth taking some risks.

If they really ran into something dangerous, she could just cancel the transformation and bulldoze her way through with the full power of the Moon Demon Emperor.

“Yes.” Even if she didn’t like it, an order from her master was absolute.

Bai Xue understood her role perfectly.

***

The moment they stepped inside, Bai Xue caught a whiff of a foul stench and nearly vomited on the spot.

Seeing this, Ye Lian gestured for her to come closer.

Her Divine Silver moon Armor could automatically adapt to and purify the surrounding environment.

Now, the nearby air was cleansed by the armor’s power, turning crisp and fresh.

As Bai Xue stepped closer to Ye Lian, she instantly felt like she had entered an ancient forest.

The foul odor surrounding them vanished as if by magic, replaced with a refreshing clarity.

Just as she marveled at the change, Ye Lian stepped forward again.

They widened their distance, and Bai Xue quickly covered her nose and followed close behind.

There was no way she was going to breathe that disgusting, filthy air.

Side by side, the two of them walked deeper into the cave.

The further they went, the wider the tunnel became—wide enough for even a tank to pass through.

Along the way, they spotted numerous traces that looked like the tracks of massive insects, along with piles of gray-black excrement.

There were definitely monsters here.

And not just one or two.

Bai Xue instinctively heightened her alertness.

She raised her small shield with her left hand and gripped her sword hilt tightly with her right.

Ka-sha ka-sha ka-sha!

Suddenly, a strange rustling echoed from ahead.

“They’re coming,” Ye Lian said, drawing her long spear.

“Mm!” Bai Xue nodded and unsheathed her sword, eyes fixed straight ahead.

A swarm of gray-black figures surged forward like a tide.

They were all giant ants!

“There must be at least a hundred…” Bai Xue’s pupils contracted slightly as she whispered.

“I’ll hold the front. You handle the ones that slip through,” Ye Lian instructed calmly.

“Got it!” As she watched Ye Lian step forward with her long spear in hand, Bai Xue felt a strange stir in her chest.

***

A few seconds later, the ant horde reached them.

Each one was the size of a full-grown pig, their limbs thick and powerful.

Their compound eyes gleamed green, and their oversized mandibles were filled with razor-sharp teeth.

Getting bitten by one wouldn’t just hurt—it could be fatal.

“Hoo~” Ye Lian let out a soft breath, her violet eyes locked onto the charging swarm.

Her left foot stepped forward.

Her spear shot out like a dragon!

The violent thrust carried the force of a storm, blasting straight through the ants at the center of the charge.

Their bodies were torn apart in spirals, flung in all directions.

The advance of the ant army was disrupted, their momentum stalled.

At that moment, Ye Lian surged forward, her movements like a wind spirit as she danced with her spear—executing a one-sided massacre.

Watching the scene unfold, Bai Xue’s blood boiled with excitement.

***

In the midst of the carnage, a giant ant broke through and charged at her.

These creatures felt no fear—only the instinct to hunt.

‘Looks like a worker ant,’ Bai Xue noted, focusing intently.

Thanks to the recent battle, she had gained some confidence.

Now, even in the face of this charging behemoth, she felt no fear.

Her blood surged with anticipation, ready to be unleashed.

The ant’s mandibles opened wide, its eyes flashing with murderous green light.

It was going to crush her in one strike!

Bai Xue snapped into full concentration, waiting for the perfect moment to strike back.

She had no intention of clashing head-on with something that strong.

‘Using my weakness to attack its strength would be a stupid move.’

As the ant’s deadly jaws came within inches of her—

(Now!)

She sidestepped in a smooth, sliding motion, narrowly dodging the attack.

Her eyes locked onto the gap where the ant’s head connected to its body.

She slashed.

The sharp blade sliced down.

A fountain of green blood erupted on impact, and the ant’s severed head rolled to the ground, its glowing green eyes dimming.