The ground quaked under the sheer tidal wave of ants surging from every crevice of the nest. A swarm of red and white horrors, each the size of a warhound, charged with brutal coordination and unrelenting fury. Their movements formed a living storm — chittering limbs, gnashing mandibles, and gleaming eyes — a nightmare tide that would shatter the resolve of any ordinary Rank 2 team, and even leave some Rank 3s trembling.
But not Denwen.
He was a phantom amid the chaos, weaving through the mass of writhing bodies like a force of nature. His essence surged in violent waves, crackling beneath his skin, dancing like restrained lightning. The hammer-axe hybrid in his hands sang a death song, cleaving arcs of destruction in every direction. Each strike shattered exoskeletons like brittle glass, limbs and ichor exploding with every blow. The red-streaked weapon moved like an extension of his rage, cutting through the swarm with brutal artistry.
"You all don't seem terrifying at all," he muttered with a half-grin, his breath calm despite the inferno of motion around him. He slammed the hammer head into the skull of a white ant, its cranium imploding with a sickening crunch, then twisted, letting the axe blade rip cleanly through its body. The other side exploded into fragmented carapace, his grin widening in grim satisfaction.
But that grin faded the moment he looked skyward.
From above, a hellish screech pierced the din as the roof cracked. A horde of grey ants with serrated wings drilled through, spiraling downward like dive-bombers. Their carapaces shimmered with a steely gleam, jagged and refined — unnatural. Before Denwen could react, the earth beneath him exploded. A massive grey ant, larger than the rest and eerily silent, lunged from below, its jagged mandibles clamping around his waist. Though it couldn't pierce his skin, the sheer force was enough to lift him off the ground, pinning him mid-air in a crushing grip.
"Shit, is this another variant?" he thought, eyes narrowing as more grey ants emerged, their movements unnervingly precise. They didn't screech or charge wildly — they hunted, and they hunted him. From above, below, and the flanks, they converged. One flew in and slammed into his weapon arm, another latched onto the axe, wrenching it from his grip.
More swarmed, piling on without hesitation. A storm of grey and white twisted into a grotesque orb, dozens of ants forming a dense spherical mass that encased him like a burial mound. The ball pulsed and crawled, shaking as jaws snapped and limbs flailed within.
Any normal warrior would've died screaming. But Denwen remained still.
Inside, his skin gleamed faintly, the crystalline glow intensifying as he glanced at the incoming system prompt with a tranquil smile.
PING
[System Notification]
Event: Iron is forged through fire and strength through endless battles
Result:
➤ Strength: 870 → +100
➤ Agility: 770 → +100
➤ Stamina: 770 → +200
➤ Vitality: 900 → +50
➤ Essence: Undefined
"This seems alright," he said, nodding ever so slightly. Outside, the ants screamed and clawed — but it was as if the storm could not reach him.
"Resonance Armor is indeed strong enough to stop even pseudo Rank 3 attacks without breaking a sweat… but I wonder what its true limit is." The thought lingered as the crystals beneath his skin surged outward, growing in thin, razor-edged patterns. Like ice forming in reverse, the shards pushed the ants back, forcing them off him as he stood at the heart of a forming crystal sphere. It sealed around him like a divine cocoon, a perfect sphere of mirrored light.
"The last time I saw this skill being used, the caster wasn't safe… and until I've got 100% crystal law immunity, I wouldn't want to find out what it would do to me," he muttered, watching the reflected ants clawing at the barrier. Then, the glow intensified.
Outside the sphere, light fractured. Like a sun splitting, the energy refracted and shattered into multicolored beams, forming intricate arrays of floating sigils. Each one pulsed in rhythm with Denwen's essence.
"If using this skill once can drain peak Rank 2 monsters, what would happen if I pour in my own essence?"
A wicked grin touched his lips. His innate ability stirred awake, the dark blue essence erupting within him like a tidal wave of force. He extended his will, channeling that volatile power directly into the crystal matrix.
A low hum echoed. The crystal began to shift, forming multiple jagged spikes, each one gleaming with malevolent intent. They hovered for a heartbeat—then launched outward with unimaginable speed.
The aura alone forced the swarm back. Their primal instincts shrieked in terror. Hundreds turned and fled.
But they were far too late.
A blinding light burst from the sphere, followed by a massive—
BOOOOOOMM
The explosion tore through the chamber like a wrathful god's decree. Entire tunnels collapsed. The pressure wave vaporized ants within fifty meters, their bodies atomized in the radiant shockwave. Those further out were torn apart by thousands of crystal shards, each one homing in on the nearest threat with lethal precision.
When the smoke cleared, silence reigned.
In the very center stood the crystal sphere, intact — then, with a soft hiss, it cracked and peeled open like a blooming lotus. Denwen stepped out slowly, unscathed, as light refracted across his skin in sharp glimmers.
PING
[System Notification]
Event: Your proficiency has risen.
You can now do more than just rapidly shoot crystal shards like some machine gun.
You can now cause even those stronger than you to fear your explosive might.
Result: ➤ Level 2: Prism Shard Volley unlocked.
"So that's what Level 2 can do," he chuckled darkly, his boots crunching over shattered ant remains. "And I didn't even court death this time."
He approached one of the grey ants, its body partially intact, the glow fading from its torn wings.
"These grey ones seemed like the strongest of the bunch… hopefully they've got something interesting." He paused, blinking. A shiver ran down his spine. "Wait a minute. Did they have anything interesting? I don't want to grow an extra limb. Or an exoskeleton. Or—gods forbid—wings."
The thought of himself sprouting insectoid limbs made his stomach churn. He shook his head, driving the image away with a sigh.
"I need all the strength I can get. Beggars can't be choosers."
PING
[System Notification]
Event: Assimilation Unavailable
Advance to the Queen's Lair and clear the dungeon to receive your reward.
"Looks like I won't be getting any new skills from these Vault dungeons…" He clenched his fists, savoring the raw power coursing through his veins. "But at least the strength is real."
Suddenly, his instincts roared in alarm.
Without thinking, he raised his arm to guard his head. Crystals erupted from his skin just in time—
—CRACK!
A black, three-fingered fist collided with terrifying force. The impact launched Denwen like a ragdoll, his body smashing through stone walls, one after another, until he slammed into a jagged outcrop in a wide cavern. The air whooshed from his lungs as he hit the ground hard, his body skidding and tumbling.
He groaned, coughing as he tried to push himself up. His right arm hung limp, twisted grotesquely. He glanced forward through the haze of dust.
And then he saw it.
A black humanoid ant, towering and sleek, stepped forward with a deliberate calm. Its body glistened with obsidian chitin. A deep purple aura pulsed from its form — dense, oppressive, primal. Its eyes glowed red, narrowed with righteous fury.
It looked at Denwen like a high priest spotting a blasphemer defiling sacred ground.
Denwen gritted his teeth. Crystals wrapped around his broken arm, resetting and reinforcing it in seconds. His skin glowed brighter than ever before — Resonance Armor shining like a second sun as it surged around him, ready for war.
And then—
From behind the black ant, two more stepped forward, their auras just as intense. They flanked their leader with terrifying synchrony.
Three monsters. All full Rank 3.
In this battle… there would be only one result.
Would he run?
Or with boundless resolve, would he rise and outgrow adversity itself?