The Prince of Ant Bee seemed to retreat, clutching his cracked chest shell. At the same time, Alvaric ran swiftly. He held his Vappers Dagger tightly.
The Prince of Ant Bee tried to attack again, but his attack was deflected. Alvaric appeared to aim for the Prince of Ant Bee's eye. That made the ant monster panic. Instinctively, he blocked the attack by covering his eye with his right hand. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"Got you!" said Alvaric.
But that wasn't what Alvaric was aiming for. He stabbed precisely at the cracked chest shell from earlier. One thrust of the Vappers Dagger pierced through the hard shell and hit the flesh inside.
The Prince of Ant Bee roared in pain. A massive energy explosion shattered the surrounding area. Alvaric's body was flung and slammed into the wall across from where the Prince of Ant Bee stood.
[Shield Regeneration ended]
Alvaric smiled. He was relieved to have managed to injure the Prince of Ant Bee. However, the Prince of Ant Bee was still standing. He walked toward Alvaric with tremendous rage. This time, a murderous intent radiated clearly from his eyes.
"I will kill the human!" screamed the Prince of Ant Bee.
"You've been saying that since earlier. Just do it! Even if I die, it's no regret—because I've already managed to wound you," said Alvaric.
From those words, it sounded like mockery. The Prince of Ant Bee, hearing that, grew furious. He raised his hand to deliver the final strike on Alvaric. This would end Alvaric's life.
The slash came. Alvaric closed his eyes; he had given up. But a full minute passed. Nothing happened. He felt no pain at all.
"Is death really not that painful?"
When he opened his eyes, Alvaric was shocked to see the Prince of Ant Bee's state—convulsing with foam at the mouth. He was poisoned. His entire body was covered in familiar purple spots.
The Prince of Ant Bee stood up, trying to attack Alvaric. He didn't want to die alone. But just as he tried to lift his hand, suddenly his body collapsed.
[Prince of Ant Bee has been defeated.]
With the Prince of Ant Bee's death, Alvaric gained 20 levels. His condition returned to normal. He could stand again, even fight again—if there were enemies. But Alvaric didn't want that to happen.
"No reward?" Alvaric complained.
He received no notifications. That meant defeating the Prince of Ant Bee was merely a means of survival, not a quest to be completed.
Alvaric checked all the menus on his system screen. He couldn't find the skill that had appeared earlier. That skill had been crucial. Without it, he would have died at the hands of the Prince of Ant Bee.
Alvaric stood. "Looks like that skill only appears when I'm desperate."
He looked toward the body of the Prince of Ant Bee lying on the ground. He touched the Prince of Ant Bee's shell and tilted his head.
He smiled. "Looks interesting."
Alvaric examined the cracked shell on the Prince of Ant Bee's chest. There were purple blotches there, but he didn't think it was a problem. Even though it was dead, the shell still radiated a strong residual energy. Alvaric touched the shell for quite a while and nodded.
"A shell this tough... if made into armor, it should be able to withstand strong attacks," he muttered.
He took out his Vappers Dagger and began cutting carefully. The Prince of Ant Bee's shell was extremely hard, but in some areas there were soft joints connecting one part to another. The process wasn't easy. However, with persistence, precision, and several adjustments, Alvaric successfully separated several parts perfectly.
He completed a simple chestplate, black in color with golden sheen in some parts. The gold was slightly faded, maybe because the Prince of Ant Bee was already dead. Gradually, the gold color began to disappear, but in some areas remained as random golden patterns.
Even so, the result looked cool according to Alvaric. He could feel that the Prince of Ant Bee's shell would become a useful item for him.
[Ant Monarch's Armor]
[Effect: Poison Resistant (Reduces poison effect by 70%)]
Alvaric shook his head in awe. "This is stronger than I thought," he said, satisfied. "With this, I might be able to fight the Giant Sandworm. Maybe."
Alvaric didn't waste time and immediately wore the armor he had just crafted. As he did so, he could feel his body becoming more secure. He tapped the new armor, and the clinking sound made him proud of himself.
He wanted to see a reflection of himself now. Previously, he only wore a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. Now, he wore full armor protecting his chest, legs, arms, and even his head. On his head were ant-like antennae, which looked interesting.
Alvaric glanced at the tunnel leading into the Ant Bee hive. He didn't feel anything coming from inside, but he was interested in entering.
"Water. My goal in coming here was to find a water source," said Alvaric.
However, he didn't leave right away. He lay down on the ground and began closing his eyes. The long battle had exhausted him. He decided to sleep first.
[Name: Alvaric Zorvok]
[Race: Human (Outcast)]
[Class: Human Regeneration]
[HP: 4,000/4,000] +450
[Skill: Enhanced Regeneration (passive)]
[Description: restores HP and stamina by 1% every second.]
Now, he had grown stronger. That was something extraordinary. Alvaric was even proud of the achievement he had made. He never thought he could survive this long and obtain such a useful item.
However, Alvaric didn't know how strong he was compared to other awakened individuals. He hadn't met any of them here—whether they existed in this world or not, or whether he really was "Outcast" as his system stated.
"Whatever it is, I must keep moving forward." He nodded, stood up, and stared at the four tunnels ahead of him. "Which one should I choose?"
Alvaric stood still for quite a while. He didn't feel any difference between the four tunnels. He stroked his chin, hoping he wouldn't choose the wrong path. He knew he was much stronger now. But still, he didn't want to encounter another strong monster.
He was sure that no matter how strong he was, there were still many monsters stronger than him. Alvaric took a deep breath and nodded afterward.
"Alright, the far-left tunnel," he said enthusiastically.
Without further delay, Alvaric walked into the tunnel he had chosen.