"R-Really, it worked!"

"I can move normally now! Wow, how on earth did you manage this?"

Modern people are said to be mentally fragile, but looking at these reporters who tried to start an interview as soon as they were detoxified, that didn’t seem to be entirely true. When I stared at them silently, one reporter, who had been ready to shove a microphone in my face, flinched and backed away.

Just then, someone spoke up.

"Um, by the way, Kim Seok-min can’t move at all. Is he going to be okay?"

I looked to see who Kim Seok-min was, and it turned out to be the reporter who had volunteered earlier to test the antidote. Although I had improved the healing magic circle to detoxify him, the interaction between the antidote and the toxin had caused a more complicated state of poisoning. Unlike the others, he still hadn’t regained consciousness.

"Why don’t you just carry him yourselves? Why are you asking her?"

Before I could respond, the boss snapped. It seemed she didn’t appreciate adults relying on a student like me. The reporter, already subdued after having the antidote snatched away from him earlier, responded in a meeker tone.

"Well, but Hunter Jung Da-on is the only Awakened among us… Physically, isn’t she the most capable?"

"Look at her arms! How is someone so frail supposed to carry a big guy like that?"

That was fortunate for me. I had no interest in supporting some random guy.

"Exactly, I don’t have much strength."

I jumped on the boss’s outburst, raising my thin wrist to show them. It was a wrist that hadn’t lifted anything heavier than a pencil for 19 years. Naturally, there wasn’t a hint of muscle.

"My stats are heavily focused on mana. My strength and stamina are below average for a normal person."

Of course, I could temporarily enhance my physical strength by circulating mana, but I decided not to mention that.

Thankfully, everyone here was an ordinary civilian, so they seemed to accept my explanation. They might learn the truth if they asked another hunter later, but what did it matter by then?

"Th-that’s true, I guess. After all, you just Awakened today, but you can already use magic…"

"Also, Hunter Jung Da-on should keep her hands free. Let’s support him ourselves."

"Do we really have to carry him? Can’t we just leave him here? He brought this on himself."

"Well, what do we do now? Should we leave this place? Wouldn’t it be safer to stay here and wait for rescue?"

"But we don’t know when the ant monsters might swarm again. If they come in a group, we’ll be like rats trapped in a jar."

"Staying here isn’t an option. This is the heart of their nest. What if the boss monster comes here? We need to find a safer place."

"Um, Hunter Jung Da-on, what do you think?"

I crossed my arms and listened before casually nodding.

"Do whatever you want."

It was nice not to have to make a decision myself since they reached a conclusion on their own.

Frankly, I didn’t care either way. I had already ensured the boss’s safety, so my plan was to pass the time while waiting for rescue. With my current stats, dealing with this dungeon break alone was impossible anyway.

‘Well, I could clear it if I really pushed myself… but why bother?’

Whoever set this dungeon up was clearly targeting me. If their goal was my death or serious injury, I had no intention of playing into their hands. Conserving my strength was the priority.

The group cautiously moved forward. While I had been dragged deep into the nest, the others had been left closer to the outer chambers, presumably for easier access to food. The exit wasn’t far, though no one seemed particularly grateful for that.

Oddly enough, or perhaps luckily, we encountered no more ants on our way to the exit.

"Look, the exit! What luck!"

"Seeing sunlight again… I feel alive. No wonder it wasn’t pitch dark in there."

"Imagine if we’d woken up in the deeper chambers. It would’ve been a nightmare."

But their relief was short-lived.

As soon as we emerged from the ant nest, a deafening sound swept over us like a gale. Everyone clung to one another to avoid being blown away.

"What the…!"

"Is this a typhoon?!"

They scanned their surroundings, but with the sky darkened by thick clouds, visibility was poor. Then someone screamed.

"No, it’s not a cloud!"

"It’s ants! A swarm of flying ants!"

"They’re flying! Holy crap, it’s not wind; it’s their wingbeats!"

…Of course.

I clicked my tongue. I had expected something like this.

The absence of new life forms inside the nest, the lack of soldier ants guarding the food stores, and the sluggish old worker ants—all of it made sense now. This nest didn’t have a queen ant yet. The swarm was in the middle of a mating flight, preparing to crown a new queen.

Once the mating flight was complete and the new queen returned to the nest, she would lay eggs, and the worker ants would diligently raise the next generation. Judging by the dead male ants strewn across the ground, the flight was nearing its end. It seemed a particularly strong queen ant had been born.

‘Ant monsters aren’t bad, really.’

Ant monsters could be incredibly useful if you raised them in a controlled environment. They expanded their territory quickly and efficiently and even improved soil quality.

-The system warns user ‘Jung Da-on.’

Ah, right, I’m human now.

That realization brought me back to the absurdity of this whole situation. I was a human, with family ties to protect and a promise to have dinner with my brother tonight.

Click!

With a sound like jaws snapping shut, the queen ant flying overhead turned its antennaed head toward us.

It had found its prey.

At that moment, the system displayed a new notification.

-Boss monster has appeared.
-Boss Monster: Queen Ant (C-Rank)
-System Guide: This monster is assessed as too challenging for the user to handle alone.

"How considerate of you to point that out."

Indeed, my body’s current stats were far from adequate. Even though my earlier actions had raised them slightly due to "socially appropriate" behavior, I was still far from being able to take on a C-Rank monster.

-Potential Rating: S-Rank
-Stamina: LV. 4 (No Limit)
-Strength: LV. 7 (No Limit)
-Mana: LV. 15 (No Limit)
-Overall Level: LV. 8
-Recommended Dungeon Difficulty: E~F-Rank

These stats made me perfectly suited for E-Rank monsters, just as the system suggested. In the nest, I had managed to use the terrain and my small size to my advantage, but such luck wouldn’t apply against a boss monster, especially one that could fly.

With no place to hide in the sky, retreating back into the nest wasn’t an option either. If the ants abandoned the nest and collapsed it, I’d be buried alive.

‘Long-range attacks… but my mana reserves are too low.’

I could optimize a healing magic circle to use minimal mana, but combat magic was a different story. Magic inherently required time to cast, and without someone to buy me that time, it would be useless.

Physical combat wasn’t an option either; my stamina and strength levels were abysmal.

After calculating my options, I arrived at a conclusion.

‘Maybe I should just run away.’

Pride as a former Demon King? None. That’s a hero’s problem.

‘As long as I get the boss out safely…’

Actually, the boss’s safety wasn’t my top priority. I was mostly concerned about my brother. If I died here, he’d be devastated. His tears alone made this entire situation more than I could bear.

-The system reminds you of the quest: "You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿."

What now? The system seemed intent on guilting me into compliance.

‘If you want me to respond properly, how about lifting the stat restrictions?’

If the system synchronized my stats with my "Destroyer of Worlds" potential, taking down this queen ant would be effortless. After all, to a demon, these monsters were nothing more than subordinates, not equals.

-The system warns user ‘Jung Da-on.’ The "Destroyer of Worlds" conditions have not been met.

…So the system wasn’t planning to loosen its grip.

Fine. I’d have to play it by ear and run.

As I was about to make my move, a clammy warmth touched my hand. Startled, I looked down.

"Da-on, run away."

It was the boss I had been supporting. Her voice, hoarse and trembling with fear, was barely audible. I asked again.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"You have to live! I’ve lived long enough. If I die now, it’s no tragedy. But you… you’re just starting college. Your future is bright. Don’t let yourself get trapped here because of me. Understand?"

"But boss…"

"Think about your brother. If you die here, he’ll die too. You know that, right?"

She was right. Too right.

For a moment, I stared at her. Her wrinkled hands were slick with cold sweat. Her words might not even be sincere—she probably wanted to run away as much as anyone else. But her body betrayed her age; she couldn’t move fast enough. Despair and regret filled her eyes.

"Go already!"

Her trembling hands pushed feebly at my back.

"Ha…"

I let out a long sigh.

"Boss, if you say that…"

I wasn’t human, not really. I’d never truly thought of myself as one. I shouldn’t have been moved by such sentiment.

But she saw me as human. Just a helpless, fragile girl.

"I can’t just run away, can I?"

Any excuse to flee evaporated.

Leaving her behind would make me the subject of ridicule and scorn—a genius mage who abandoned an old woman to save herself.

Well, there was no other choice.

"Stay behind me, boss."

I gently pushed her backward.

-The quest "You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿" is in progress.

Fine, I get it.

I raised my hand, a magic circle forming at my palm. The queen ant charged, and just as it reached me, the circle burst into a radiant shield.

CRASH!

The shield shattered on impact with a deafening roar, a shockwave sweeping the area.

"AAAAHHHH!"

"Help us!"

"It’s over! We’re doomed!"

Despairing cries filled the air, but I paid them no mind. The shield was meant to break from the start.

-Fwoosh!

The real trick was something else.

Embedded in the shield’s spell was a water-creation spell. When the queen ant’s charge triggered it, a spray of water erupted into the air and froze, thanks to the creature’s frantic wingbeats and the cold environment.

The sudden change in temperature slowed the queen ant’s movements, its wings stiffening at the joints.

‘A brief window is all I need.’

The queen ant had made its fatal mistake: giving a mage time to prepare.

RUMBLE!

A low, ominous noise echoed, and I couldn’t help but smile.

This was the second part of my plan.

No matter how much a mage might feign mastery over the truths of the world, it was always satisfying when things worked as intended.

-Click, click, click!

The queen ant clicked its mandibles, trying to assess the situation, but it was too late.

A tempest of mana surged around me.

If I couldn’t rely on my current mana reserves, I’d use everything else available—the terrain, the weather, the climate.

‘I don’t like wasting magic, but…’

Living as a fragile human had its frustrations. Once you show pity, it’s impossible to stay indifferent.

Suppressing my irritation, I raised my hand. Tapping into forbidden reserves, I began to chant words seared into my soul.

"What I wear is a crown of blood-stained arrogance."

The ancient language wove threads of forbidden magic, defying the natural order.

Every word a mage utters bears the weight of truth, demanding a price for subverting reality. The soul must endure that weight to wield such power.

"Though no glory remains in these hands that have paid the price…"

The feeble fragments of mana struggled against the laws of the world, like sparks bouncing in the air. In the past, my internal mana flow would have amplified their efforts.

But not now. Not as Jung Da-on.

Even without mana reserves, I had all the material I needed—in the storm clouds above.

"Still, I will dutifully fulfill my remaining obligations."

A bolt of lightning shot from the clouds, landing in my palm.

The excruciating pain of drawing on forbidden magic threatened to break me, but I gritted my teeth and hurled the spear of electricity at the queen ant.

The bolt pierced its massive body, ending its reign.