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The baby Yakum sniffed the surrounding passageway and searched for the signal heading outside.
I’m not sure yet, but thanks to Akum’s guidance, we seemed to be gradually getting closer to the exit.
“Shh! Wait!”
All the party members stopped at my stop sign.
I detected several Soldier poison ants nearby.
Nam Jinhyuk, who was being supported by me, whispered quietly.
“Another enemy attack?”
“Yes, they are roaming on the aisle ahead.”
“I don’t think these disgusting ants are going to let us go.”
It was good to find the way to go outside through Akum, but it became more difficult to escape due to the Poison Ants that moved smarter than expected.
At first, I thought it was a coincidence to meet soldier poison ants in each aisle, but now it is changing to not a coincidence.
“Let’s take a break here.”
“Yes. Everyone, come this way.”
He helped Nam Jinhyuk to lean comfortably.
As he continued to move on one leg, his physical strength was being consumed twice as fast.
“Sehe, are you okay?”
“Yes… I’m okay.”
Yun Sehe had also consumed a lot of physical strength due to continuous battles and enforcement.
At least, it was fortunate that Jung Taeho was still active.
“I think you should drink another bottle of antidote here.”
“You said you had four bottles left, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I’m fine, so give my share to Sehe.”
“Will that be alright? Sihyeon, you haven’t taken a single bottle of antidote….”
“I’m fine. Let’s save the antidote as much as I can.”
I deliberately refused the antidote, smiling as if I was fine.
Nam Jinhyuk did not force me as if he understood my intention.
“Sehe, Taeho. Drink a bottle of antidote.”
I took the antidote to both of them who were resting.
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Sehe opened the lid and took it as soon as she received the antidote.
Her pale complexion seemed to get better.
On the other hand, Jung Taeho held the antidote still in his hand.
“Taeho, why aren’t you taking it?”
“…I’m fine, so let’s keep this.”
“What? If you don’t eat now, it’ll be harder to endure.”
“I won’t die right away. I can handle a little bit of pain.”
“Don’t push yourself. We don’t know how much longer you’ll have to fight.”
“Haah. You’re holding onto your pain. Aren’t you Mister.? Do you think I don’t know?”
Jung Taeho’s point was accurate.
No matter how high my resistance skill was, it was not completely immune to poison.
Before I knew it, my body was getting heavier little by little.
“Shorty and the supervisor don’t have enough stamina to hold out, so shouldn’t we leave 2 bottles? I’m physically fit, so I can hold out more.”
“Taeho…”
Is this the power of youth.?
I felt proud looking at  Jung Taeho growing as a man.
Jung Taeho handed Yun Sehe the antidote he received.
“Will you… will you be alright?”
“I’m all right. Hurry up. I’m not giving it because I like you, but because I can’t use my strength if I don’t get the support of your spirit.”
“…Thank you.”
Jung Taeho said something mean for no reason, but Yun Sehe cherished the antidote and thanked him.
Taking a break for a while, we began to move again.
Kiii!
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
As expected, the group of Poison Ants was waiting for us.
<Freeze, a sharp blade of ice! Swing a merciless blow of the storm!>
First, Nam Jinhyuk reduced the enemy’s power a lot with his strong range magic.
“I’m going!”
“Okay, Xiyan” –
“Haaaaaaaaaaah!”
The combination of Jung Taeho and Yun Sehe, who are gradually in sync, has been able to eliminate the remaining enemies without hesitation.
“Take it! It’s tickling powder, popi!”
When Gyuri sprayed tickling powder on the Poison Ants, they trembled all over and temporarily became defenseless.
“Let’s go, Akum!”
Pow wo wooo
I and Akum easily killed off the defenseless Poison Ants.
In order to overcome the difficult situation, teamwork between team members was inevitably important.
We worked so well together that I couldn’t believe that we met for the first time today.
And the more we worked together, the stronger our trust in each other grew.
About an hour and a half after trying to break through the cave.
The stuffy air in the passage was changing little by little.
We have a hunch that the exit was not far away.
Pow wo wooo Pow wo woooo
The baby Yakum who was guiding us made a pleasant cry.
Perhaps it meant that the exit was not far away.
“I don’t think there’s much time left.”
“Are you sure, Mister?”
“Yes, the exit is just around the corner.”
Everyone’s eyes got filled with hope at the news that the exit was just around the corner.
There was once again a fork in the road in front of us.
Pow wo wooo
Pow wo wooo.
Akum pointed to one side of the road, as he had guided us.
“Huh? That’s the exit direction?”
Pow wo woooooooooooooooo
If it was the normal pattern, the Poison Ants should be waiting for us in the direction of the exit unconditionally.
However, now, I can’t feel any signs of Poison Ants in the direction of the exit, and rather, I can feel the movement of numerous Poison Ants on the other side.
‘What? What’s wrong with them?’
They’ve been horribly disturbing us, but suddenly, in the end, they are letting us go without a fight?
When I didn’t move with a serious look on my face, Nam Jinhyuk asked me with a strange look.
“Sihyeon, what’s the problem?”
“That’s…”
I told everyone, including Nam Jinhyuk, what I felt and thought.
Jung Taeho accepted the situation with an optimistic attitude.
“Didn’t they just let us go since we were too strong?”
“I hope so…”
Yun Sehe, asked me with a relatively careful look.
“So you think it’s a trap?”
“I think it’s a possibility. Looking at the movements so far, they are not stupid creatures.”
Everyone’s opinions were divided
Naturally, attention was focused on Nam Jinhyuk, the most experienced.
“I think Sihyeon has a point. The queen ant, who actually leads the Poison Ants, is known to be quite clever.”
“Eh? So it’s really a trap?”
“I don’t know. But there’s definitely a possibility.”
Nam Jinhyuk added strength to the opinion that it could be a trap.
“But even if we knew it was a trap, we couldn’t help it. We don’t have much time left, so I think we should breakthrough.”
Everyone’s expression hardened at his insistence that we breakthrough even if we know it’s a trap.
I knew it would be a tough fight even if I didn’t say it.
“Supervisor Jin is right. If those guys don’t intend to let us go out, we have no choice but to force ourselves through…”
Yun Sehe and Jung Taeho also nodded their heads with determination.
We moved in the direction indicated by Akum.
In the long passageway, not only any signs of soldier poison ants but also that of worker poison ants could not be found.
Whooooo
A very weak wind was blowing at the tip of my nose.
In the wind, I felt a cool freshness, not the stuffy air of underground.
“It’s the wind.”
“I think we’re really at the exit,”
Yun Sehe and Jung Taeho said with a relieved expressions.
Nam Jinhyuk and I looked around with a cautious expressions.
I couldn’t relax yet.
A few minutes walking down the aisle with the gentle wind.
We could see the light.
“The exit… I see the exit.”
“Mister! We did it! I did it!”
Pow wo wooo
“Hahahah. I’m excited, popi!”
Seeing the two happy people, Akum and Gyuri shook their bodies excitedly.
The moment I was trying to relax!
What I was worried about began to become reality before my eyes.
Poison ants popped out from all sides as if they were waiting.
And among them, a poison ant with enormous pressure that we had never seen before appeared.
“That’s… a General poison ant? Why is he here?”
” General poison ant?”
“The most powerful poison ant escorting the queen. They don’t usually move away from the queen’s nest…”
“As expected, these guys didn’t want to let us go.”
“Mister! Over there, exit! At the exit!!”
While looking at the General poison ants for a moment, an urgent cry came from Jung Taeho.
Workers’ Poison Ants who appeared at the exit were trying to destroy the exit with their hands.
At last, I saw the intention of the poison ants.
They realized our purpose and planned to trap us even by tearing down the exit.
These terrible Poison Ants have quickly grasped the situation.
Nam Jinhyuk gave us instructions.
“We have to stop the exit from falling down.”
“Gyuri, please!”
“Okay, Popi!”
Gyuri, who flew fast, sprayed tickling powder on the Poison Ants near the exit.
Thanks to her, the worst situation in which the exit collapsed was prevented.
Nam Jinhyuk shouted once again.
“Escape comes first. I’ll block the back. Secure the exit.”
“Taeho, Sehee, go out first.”
“Okay”
“Okay”
Taeho and Sehe headed to the exit first, while Nam Jinhyuk and I stayed and checked the Poison Ants in the back.
Kiiiiiiiiiiiii
The ice blade created by Nam Jinhyuk penetrated the Poison Ants.
However, General Poison Ant came toward us little by little, enduring the magic head on.
Nam Jinhyuk’s expression, which has already consumed a lot of physical strength, has been distorted.
Pow wo wooo woooooooooooooo
“Good! Let’s show it to them this time!”
Pow wo wooooo
I held the Summoner’s stone tightly and strengthened the horn of Akum.
An intense light shone brightly from the horn of Akum.
General Poison Ant must have felt something unusual, so he was on alert.
The baby Yakum bravely rushed at the General Poison Ant, who was several times bigger than him
The giant body of the General Poison Ant collapsed with a tremendous crash.
“Great work Akum!”
Nam Jinhyuk looked stunned by the tremendous power emanating from the small body.
Having done with his work, the baby Yakum came back and wagged his tail.
Thanks to the General’s fall, the other Poison Ants also slowed down and stopped approaching.
“Good job, Akum. Supervisor, this is the time. When the General is down, we have to go to the exit.”
“Oh… Yes!”
I helped Nam Jinhyuk, who was still dazed and ran towards the exit together.
“Oh, my! I’ve run out of tickling powder, popi. The ants are getting back up again, popi!”
The exit was about to collapse.
“Mister, supervisor brother! Come on!”
An urgent voice came from the front.
But the road to the exit was steeper and rougher than I thought.
I hurt my leg and couldn’t move fast with Nam Jinhyuk in my arms.
The fallen General rose up.
The Poison Ants, who regained their momentum, began to surround us.
It seemed impossible to resist the pursuit of Poison Ants before reaching the exit.
‘What should I do?’
At a time when I was in a dilemma.
“Sihyeon, I think this is it for me.”
“What?”
“ Leave me here. You should escape first before the exit is blocked.”