Level Up The Colony
Chapter 72 - 3 Ways

Chapter 72: 3 Ways

Timothy realized something odd, he never actually knew their official ranks.

He had always seen Helen as a tomboy and Prisca as a composed woman.

But standing here now, watching them in action, he realized that might’ve been an act.

Especially Helen.

That fire magic she wielded wasn’t ordinary, not that fire users were rare.

Actually, he’d seen plenty of them.

Still, she stood out.

They had raided two C-rank Gates together, so it made sense to assume the entire team was C-rank.

But now, comparing them to the mages who had escorted him to the World Shard where the Bride resided, which was a B-rank gate, it was clear that this group was on a different level.

A familiar salamander materialized on Helen’s shoulder again, yet her hair hadn’t turned red like before.

However, Prisca was definitely a Child, a pompous one at that. frёeweɓηovel_coɱ

However, her barrier held strong, though the swarm of insects was slowly chewing through.

"Timothy, watch our rear. Helen, get ready with your fire. P, how long’s that wall holding?" Miebaka said, already Preparing them for a wave of attacks.

He called Prisca ’P’ like it was second nature or a nickname of sorts

"Ten seconds," she responded sharply.

Helen exhaled, preparing for her next breath attack.

"I’ll need breaks. Hope you’ve got enough air." The tomboy replied A little laboured

Timothy had already shifted to guard their back, his senses sharpened.

He noticed Miebaka didn’t address the assassin, but perhaps that was intentional.

Maybe they were just that in sync.

Suddenly, Gray, perched on his shoulder, tensed up.

A vibration pulsed through the ground.

Timothy felt it too, something coming from the wall to his left. It was odd; the wall looked normal.

But in this cavernous underground dungeon, appearances were deceptive.

There was plenty of space, even if it didn’t look like it.

He moved to intercept whatever was tunneling through only to be beaten to the punch.

The assassin flashed forward and slashed at the wall. Everyone turned just as green blood spilled out.

Nothing had been visible, but they all knew the assassin hadn’t acted on impulse.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of their problems.

The barrier was gone, chewed through completely.

From behind it, enormous insects, each the size of Gray and the salamander came swarming forward.

They were fast, their shells glistening, their eyes mindless.

Helen inhaled deeply and unleashed another stream of fire.

It roared through the corridor, consuming the swarm and even scorching the remains of Prisca’s wall.

This time, though, not all of them burned to ash.

A handful emerged, smoldering but still alive, still crawling forward.

"Timothy!" Miebaka shouted.

Without needing further instruction, they both surged forward, cutting off the swarm before it could reach the girls.

Miebaka’s katana blurred in motion, Timothy’s machete a flash of steel.

The two carved through the remaining bugs with fluid precision.

If he had to describe them, Timothy thought they looked like locusts, only larger, harder, and far more terrifying.

Meanwhile, Prisca summoned a strange flower that bloomed around her and Helen.

Its petals shimmered softly, giving off a soothing aura.

A healer.

Timothy noted the detail, keeping it tucked in the back of his mind.

They were almost done when Nonso reappeared like a shadow.

"We need to move," he said quickly and despatched the rest of the insects

"The dungeon’s structure isn’t stable."

"What do you mean?" Prisca asked.

She looked fresh as if her healing technique hadn’t drained her much.

"Insects control this place. They’ve likely tunneled all around us. Their design isn’t meant to help us, it’s meant to trap. The next attack could be an ambush." Timothy replied immediately, as he knew beforehand.

"Then let’s go," Miebaka said.

They didn’t hesitate.

The tunnel, thankfully, didn’t branch.

It stretched straight ahead.

As they ran, Gray hopped over some insect carcasses and scurried after Timothy, dragging trophies with it.

Timothy didn’t mind.

He could recall his familiars anytime.

As long as they stayed alert, they were doing their job.

But they didn’t get far before another sight stopped them cold.

Insects, centipede-like, millipede-like littered the path.

Each was resting near a translucent flower growing along the walls.

They weren’t moving Yet.

Then, without warning, one of the insects jumped into the mouth of a flower.

The petals snapped shut.

The plant swelled as if inhaling, then exhaled a thick cloud of gas.

All around them, more flowers reacted the same way devouring insects and releasing colorful mists.

"That’s definitely poison," Timothy muttered grimly.

He didn’t even have the time for the system to give him a name for the insects, or maybe there was no need before they all turned suicidal.

"We could just burn our way through," Helen said impulsively.

"That’s not how gas works, Redhead," Miebaka replied, resting a hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword.

"Setting it on fire will just burn up the oxygen, fill the place with carbon dioxide, and spread the poison faster."

"Then P can just heal us?" Helen shrugged, turning to Prisca.

Before anyone could respond, Nonso silently appeared and broke down a section of the wall to the left, revealing a dark chamber.

It looked like an incubation room filled with clusters of eggs.

Everyone stared in surprise except Timothy.

Gray, perched on his shoulder, had been feeding on insects and relaying sensory information through echolocation. Timothy already knew the wall on the left was thinner than the one on the right.

Of course, there was another wall on the right as well, but they did not need to know that information at the moment, let the scout do his work.

They could have gone straight through the poisonous gas zone. Timothy’s poison resistance made him practically immune, but he didn’t want to test the limits just yet.

So, they chose the new route.

As they advanced through the left passage, they didn’t leave anything behind.

Any eggs, larvae, or idle insects were immediately destroyed.

The corridors twisted in unpredictable directions, and they found themselves clearing path after path, almost like they were playing a game of chance, hoping they were headed somewhere meaningful.

No one said it aloud, but inwardly, they all knew; they were completely lost and calm.

After twenty minutes of endless turns, detours, and dead ends, they reached another wall that brought them to a halt.

Everyone paused, catching their breath, finally accepting the obvious.

This dungeon wasn’t just a labyrinth, it was a living colony.

While the group took the moment to recover stamina and mana, Nonso quietly approached Timothy.

He walked past Gray and the other termites that were still feeding on insect remains.

Strangely, the termites didn’t react to him, almost as if they accepted his presence, they weren’t also reacting to any danger.

Even more surprising was Nonso himself.

Usually introverted and quiet, he suddenly spoke with a kind of nervous resolve.

"Do you know where the boss chamber is?"

Timothy didn’t think much of it at first and replied casually,

"I might have an idea. You lost your way?"

Nonso simply nodded.

Timothy uncorked a flask of blessed water and took a sip to restore some stamina.

"Then get ready we’re moving again."

"We’re ready," Miebaka said, almost on cue, as the others stood, equally refreshed.

"Any idea what kind of creature we’re going to face?" Timothy asked.

"No," Miebaka replied.

"Why?"

"Because I think we’ve been getting misdirected... on purpose."

As Timothy spoke, he picked up Gray, who was still chewing on a chunk of insect flesh, and unsummoned the rest of his termites.

"Are you saying it’s mental manipulation?" Helen asked.

Timothy shook his head. Now that he was focusing, he could see how Nonso had moved so effortlessly, with or without their notice.

A circular shadow lingered next to him when the assassin was invisible.

’So shadows huh? Or Darkness?’

"Not exactly. But in case I didn’t make this clear earlier, I think I’m the target."

That got everyone’s attention.

"You were wrong before," Timothy said, looking at Miebaka.

"Animals and insects are social within their species. Outside that, they’re hostile. A monster colony like this wouldn’t function without a leader. My termites have one. And Mie? Two rulers can’t share a Territory."

Miebaka’s face contorted as he understood the underlying meaning; slowly, a realization of where he had miscalculated hit him.

Then he turned and began running, Gray already on the move, following the faintest trail of pheromones.

But instead of heading toward the heavier concentration, they followed the path where the scent was weakest.

Not all insects are social.

And those that don’t use pheromones for only one thing: territorial marking.

From what Gray and Timothy could sense, the territories they’d passed through didn’t belong to a boss-level creature.

So that left them with three possibilities:

"This entire dungeon is like a massive anthill divided by species," Timothy called back to the others.

"Which means we either: one: find an exit; two: run into the boss eventually; or three: we’ll have to kill everything in this dungeon that breathes... if there isn’t a boss."

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