TEOCH 23

The silence was stifling. Beyond the straight, endless passage, not even the faintest sound of buzzing wings could be heard, and the soft ground absorbed our footsteps completely. The only sound was the faint breathing of our group.

As we walked through the seemingly eternal passage, a strange unease crept up from deep within my stomach, pricking at my mind. It was certainly fortunate that no ground wasps were here, but something felt ominous.

‘Why isn’t there a single fork in the path? We’ve walked this far; there should’ve been at least a couple of intersections by now…’

Of course, I didn’t want to get lost wandering through countless branching paths, but the complete absence of any forks felt suspicious. Where did this passage lead? I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly, trying to suppress unnecessary tension. Despite the walls enclosing us, I couldn’t shake the feeling that a demon beast might leap out from somewhere.

“This place is unsettling. There’s clearly nothing here, but I can’t relax.”

“I feel the same, Your Majesty.”

It seemed everyone shared my sentiment. Rikiel, like me, gripped his sword hilt with a tense expression, while Tristan obsessively scanned our surroundings. I kept wondering if we should turn back, glancing behind us multiple times.

You’re supposed to turn back when nothing’s chasing you. Otherwise, you might never get the chance. That ominous premonition kept stabbing at my heart, urging me to act.

‘But we’ve already come this far. Turning back without any gain doesn’t seem like a great decision either. There’s no guarantee another passage would be safer…’

This was a ground wasp nest, the heart of enemy territory. There was no such thing as a truly safe place here. We might even consider ourselves lucky for not encountering any wasps yet.

Yes, let’s think positively. Walking slowly with unease and tension was better than being frantically chased by hordes of ground wasps.

“If we hear anything strange, we turn back immediately. This feels ominous.”

“Let’s do that. It seems fine for now, but something about this path doesn’t feel right…”

At least we could rely on sound to detect approaching enemies, which was a small blessing. The buzzing of wasp wings was loud and distinct, audible from a distance. If ground wasps were approaching, we’d know before they came into view.

In that sense, this silence was something to welcome. It meant we weren’t in immediate danger of an attack.

“If this passage ends in a dead end, we’ll set up a temporary shelter there.”

“Good idea. A passage this long would be advantageous for a defensive stand.”

“We wouldn’t even need to fight. If we set up the shelter and collapse part of the passage, we could block the wasps’ access entirely. Since we’ll leave in three days with the Return spell, there’s no loss in doing so.”

We tried to lift our spirits by discussing hopeful plans. The thought that the passage might not end in a dead end kept nagging at me, but dwelling on it now wouldn’t help. We wouldn’t know what lay ahead until we saw it for ourselves.

How long had we walked? Finally, the end of the passage came into view. Like the other plazas, it opened into a wide space. I felt a twinge of disappointment that it wasn’t a dead end, but also a slight relief, as no sounds could be heard yet.

“No buzzing. It seems we’ve reached another plaza.”

“Another plaza… Well, that’s not bad. Shall we go?”

“Is it similar to the last one?”

“Probably, but it looks larger than the previous plaza. Maybe it’s some kind of grand plaza?”

The two nodded in understanding, and we relaxed slightly as we approached the passage’s end. Entering a new plaza wasn’t a bad thing. Since there were no wasps here, we could rest in a corner and scout again later.

But as we emerged from the passage, we froze, mouths agape at the unexpected sight.

“What… is this?”

It was then I realized.

Judging danger by sound alone was a foolish and complacent mistake.

“It’s not a plaza…!”

Rikiel and Tristan, pale-faced, stumbled backward. Swaying with dizziness, I stared blankly at the scene before us.

I’d never seen anything like this. Despite countless playthroughs, I’d been in ground wasp nests before and encountered all sorts of bizarre situations while exploring passages, but I’d never set foot in a place like this.

‘What in the world is this? Was there always something like this in a ground wasp nest?’

A massive pit lay before us, so vast and deep it was dizzying just to look at. It was too large to take in fully.

But the pit itself wasn’t the problem. I frowned, staring at the writhing white waves at the bottom. Tristan, unable to bear the sight, covered his mouth, suppressing the urge to retch.

“No wonder we didn’t hear wings. They’re all larvae…!”

Rikiel muttered through gritted teeth. …That’s right. The pit was filled with countless ground wasp larvae. What we’d thought was a grand plaza was actually a massive nursery.

Rikiel and Tristan looked at me with anxious expressions. Their eyes screamed that we needed to leave now, but something about the scene felt off to me.

‘This doesn’t make sense. This isn’t a normal nursery!’

Every hive has a nursery where larvae are raised to adulthood, but this was completely different from any nursery I’d seen. Typically, nurseries are divided into multiple chambers, with countless worker wasps tending to the larvae, moving in and out.

Packing all the larvae into one massive nursery like this was inefficient and detrimental to their growth. And to leave them unattended? Even with hornets invading? Normally, a few worker wasps would stay in the nursery, wouldn’t they?

‘Why would a ground wasp nest need a place like this? What’s it for?’

As I pondered this, an ominous buzzing echoed from the distance. It didn’t take long to realize it was the sound of worker wasps’ wings.

Instinctively, I turned to my companions, who met my gaze with pale faces. The wasps were coming.

“What do we do? We can’t go back now!”

“Calm down, Your Majesty. Let’s find a place to hide nearby!”

I grabbed Tristan’s hand and quickly scanned the nursery. Fortunately, there were places to hide. The walls were rough and uneven, with recessed areas where we could conceal ourselves without being easily spotted.

It wasn’t a perfect hiding spot, but the nursery was so vast it couldn’t be seen in its entirety at once. Unless the wasps deliberately searched the area, we wouldn’t be in immediate danger.

We pressed ourselves against the wall, carefully moving along the pit’s edge. The narrow ground meant a moment’s carelessness could send us tumbling into the pit, but we managed to reach a recessed section of the wall and hide.

The space was practically a small cave in the wall. It was roomy enough, and we could sit without fear of falling, observing the outside.

The buzzing grew louder, tickling our ears, and soon dozens of wasps flew in from the passage we’d come through. I whispered to my companions.

“When those wasps leave, we get out immediately. They can’t have driven off the hornets already, so they won’t stay long.”

“What if they come back halfway? We could really get caught then.”

“That’s a valid concern, but we can’t stay here forever. This isn’t a perfect hiding spot. If we’re found, it’s over.”

Tristan nodded heavily. Both drew their swords, preparing for any sudden threats, while I cautiously peeked out to assess the situation.

The worker wasps descended into the pit, checking on the larvae. Some busily shuttled between the passage and the pit, delivering food. I watched, suspicion growing.

‘This is definitely strange. There’s no shortage of space in this hive, so why care for the larvae in such an inefficient way? What’s this place for?’

Could this be a special event introduced after the second cycle? As I observed the wasps, they suddenly began acting strangely. They started biting the larvae’s backs, inflicting wounds. The larvae writhed in pain, letting out sharp cries, but the workers continued relentlessly.

…It was so unexpected I couldn’t comprehend it. Why? I wasn’t the only one confused—Tristan whispered cautiously in my ear.

“What are they doing? Are they trying to kill the larvae?”

“No, that’s unlikely. If they wanted to kill them, they’d use their stingers. They wouldn’t bother biting.”

“Then why are they doing that?”

“I don’t know, Your Majesty. This place itself is abnormal. Normal ground wasp nurseries aren’t like this…”

“Wait, Rohan! Look at that!”

Rikiel’s whisper snapped me back to attention. He pointed at the passage with a horrified expression. I followed his gaze, puzzled.

Moments later, I mirrored his expression. Though I managed not to scream, if I saw my face in a mirror, it would likely be the most horrified expression I’d ever made.

‘Those are… parasites?’

More worker wasps flew in from the passage. The wasps themselves weren’t terrifying, but the parasites they carried in their mouths were.

The workers, carrying dozens of parasites, flew into the pit and dropped them onto the larvae, which were screaming in pain from their wounds. I realized their intent.

‘This is insane!’

The parasites were quickly absorbed into the wounds on the larvae’s backs. The larvae shrieked in agony as the parasites burrowed in, but soon the wounds healed completely. The larvae’s backs, now fused with the parasites, glowed with a blue aura. The wasps had deliberately wounded the larvae to enhance them.

‘Where did they get so many parasites? Even in a tutorial stage, this is absurd!’

The workers diligently brought more parasites from outside, and I watched, speechless. It seemed they planned to enhance every larva in this nursery. But this was beyond absurd—it was reckless. Even scouring the entire map wouldn’t yield this many parasites.

Moreover, what the ground wasps were doing was not just nonsensical but dangerously foolish. Even the demon beasts of the second stage, which sometimes used parasites, didn’t enhance larvae so recklessly. Such unchecked enhancement could lead to insatiable hunger, potentially wiping out the entire species.

Of course, my concern wasn’t the wasps’ extinction but how we’d escape these enhanced larvae.

‘Wait, that’s…!’

No, ‘enhanced larvae’ wasn’t quite right—‘enhanced wasps’ was more accurate. These larvae seemed to be on the verge of becoming adults. The enhanced larvae writhed in pain, then rapidly matured into adults.

They flapped their blue-glowing wings and shot into the air at speeds several times faster than normal ground wasps. Glancing at my companions’ pale faces, I spoke in a trembling voice.

“It seems they’re resorting to desperate measures after being pushed back by the hornets. They’re enhancing all the larvae here to fight the hornets, which isn’t exactly good news for us…”

As I tried to explain the situation to my companions, I noticed Tristan and Rikiel staring in horror behind me, sending a chill down my spine. Snapping to attention, I turned around.

The newly matured wasps flew toward the passage, but some had noticed the unidentified intruders whispering in a wall crevice and didn’t seem pleased.

“…Damn it!”

I raised my sword immediately, and the enhanced wasps surged toward us as if they’d been waiting.