God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!
Chapter 40: The Ant Queen Appears?

Chapter 40: The Ant Queen Appears?

Alice picked it up and sparkled when she saw what it was.

"Guys, look what I found!" she called out with excitement in her voice.

Everyone turned.

She held up what looked like a bronze ring etched with runes, and faint light shimmered on its surface.

[Minor Binding Ring]

[Rank: Silver]

[Description: Allows the wearer to mark a location. Once per day, the wearer can teleport back to the marked location within 1 kilometer. Cooldown – 24 hours.]

When the others saw the ring’s description, their eyes turned green with envy.

Gabriel’s eyes flashed as well, but there wasn’t much of a reaction.

’With this ring, it’s almost as if she has a second life,’ he mused. ’She could easily escape if her opponent seems too strong.’

"I want something like this too!" Liam exclaimed.

"Well, this is a ruin after all. Unlike dungeons, one thing we can be certain of is that treasures are lying everywhere," Scarlet said indifferently. "If you miss out, it’s on you."

As she said those words, she walked toward a corner and picked up something as well. It was yet another treasure.

Her words seemed to boost everyone’s morale, and they scrambled to search the large room, disregarding the pungent smell that stubbornly clung to the air.

Not long after, shouts started to come from different directions.

"Found one!"

"Me too!"

"Hahahaha, this will fetch a lot of cash!"

Of course, Gabriel didn’t just stand around either.

If he could get free treasures without wasting precious Extraction Points, then he would gladly embrace it!

It didn’t take long before luck struck him.

He pulled out a skill scroll from the rubble.

[Stonebind Trap LV.1]

[Rarity: Elite!]

[Description: Places a rune circle on a surface. When a target steps on it, it activates, emitting binding magic that roots enemies in place for 5 seconds.]

"Dibs." Gabriel’s eyes sparkled like a kid who had just gotten a new toy.

This skill was too good to be sold off to Damian.

It would be more useful in his arsenal.

He quickly proceeded to learn the skill, the scroll turning into fragments and flying into his body.

After making sure there was no treasure left behind, the group started to look for the exit.

While they searched, Gabriel felt a gaze on him. He briefly glanced to the side and noticed it was the veiled beauty, Sophie.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" he asked.

"N-nothing, I was just wondering how you’ve grown so strong in just... how many days?" she spoke softly, voice trailing off.

"Oh, I trained and hunted monsters non-stop for several hours," he replied nonchalantly.

Sophie narrowed her eyes slightly. "By several hours... what do you mean by that?"

"Apparently, 144 hours."

"That’s like six days!" Alice mumbled, her mouth droping in disableif. She couldn’t believe a human could go that long hunting monsters.

Everyone had varied reactions—some stared at him as if he were an alien; others wondered how frightening his stamina and endurance level must be to pull off such a feat.

Of course, they all knew he wasn’t lying.

From their short time together, they realized he wasn’t the type to boast—he’d rather prove it on the battlefield.

"I see a door," Scarlet suddenly spoke after a while, then a frown appeared on her face.

The others saw her expression and looked ahead as well, quickly understanding the reason for her reaction. Before them was a large pathway with two diverging routes.

"We’ll split from here," she suggested. "That way we can cover more areas."

"I’ll take the right path," Gabriel said, stepping slowly toward the entrance of the right pathway.

"I’ll go with him!" Sophie added, attracting a couple of raised eyebrows.

"Even me," Casie grunted as she stepped forward begrudgingly.

Since Sophie was going, she naturally had no choice but to tag along.

"Kid, hope you cover for this old man!" Old Man Khrome smirked.

"I’ll join your cart, big brother!" one of the mages, a young, lanky seventeen-year-old, smiled brightly.

Gabriel’s eyes flickered with surprise when he saw this. It took some time, but he eventually realized why they chose to follow him—he had proven himself to be a powerful leader.

And naturally, humans follow those they feel safer with.

"Who do I choose?" Alice bit her lower lip as she stood between Gabriel’s group and Scarlet’s, which consisted of Liam, Lilly, and the remaining mage.

She was the final person. A part of her wanted to follow Gabriel to be closer to him. Another part wanted to stay with her sister.

In the end, she sighed and chose the left path while looking at him apologetically.

As for Gabriel, he didn’t really mind. In fact, he wouldn’t have minded if no one had decided to follow him at all.

Some time later, both groups turned their backs to each other and went their separate ways.

He noted that the ground was much smoother here, and the air was noticeably cleaner.

They encountered another group of ants, but these ones were much larger than those in the large room. They were at least two meters tall.

Although there were only three, they proved to be more difficult—even for him.

’These species are much stronger,’ he thought as he jumped out of range of the monster’s venomous spit.

The three [Sentinel Purpleback Ants] fanned out, surrounding the group in a semi-circle formation, forcing everyone to group up back-to-back.

One of the ants darted forward with terrifying speed, mandibles wide open.

Clang!

Gabriel blocked it mid-charge, skidding back slightly from the force. Stomping the ground, he disengaged and exploded forward once more.

Old Man Khrome and the other mage targeted one of the ants, bombarding it with all kinds of magic attacks, while Cassie—buffed Sophie from behind as she engaged the second sentinel.

The ants were powerful and seemed to overwhelm them for some time.

But after a couple of back-and-forth clashes, they managed to defeat all the Purpleback Sentinels.

Some time later, they exited the pathway and stepped through a single stone door into a vast chamber with a massive hollow pit that was thousands of meters deep.

"Oof, scary," Old Man Khrome remarked as soon as his gaze fell on the bottomless pit.

Gabriel’s blue eyes scanned the surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the stone door on the other side of the room, across the hollow pit.

’Where does that lead to?’ he narrowed his eyes.

There was no way to get to the other side unless one possessed a flight-type skill, which was extremely rare.

’Should I jump?’ he pondered.

Suddenly, just as he was planning to jump to the other side, the sound of hundreds of wings buzzing and mandibles clicking echoed in the air as a swarm of Purpleback Flying Ants rose from the pit, slowly circling the group.

"Everyone be careful. These types of ants are even more dangerous than the Sentinels we faced. Their poison is lethal!" Gabriel warned in a serious voice.

Everyone nodded silently, activating their skills.

However, they weren’t the only enemies. Below the pit, he could feel a presence even stronger than any ant he had encountered in this ruin.

"Could it be... that’s where the queen of the colony is?" he whispered.

* * *