Chapter 9: Blood Ants
Just when he was wondering what had happened to the ravine, his eyes landed on a small glass-like object.
’What’s that... wait... that’s—!’ In his vision, hundreds of deep crimson crystals could be seen.
"Blood stones!"
Hearing the name, Elsa froze. Bloodstones were said to be one of the most popular materials in this world.
One-of-a-kind materials that had remained valuable despite decades of changing trends.
Naturally, both George and Elsa were aware of this. Earlier, the pair was deeply saddened and angered because of the sudden disappearance of the blood.
To them, this wasn’t just an opportunity—it was a chance at changing their lives. But now, they had found a way to save not only themselves but also their ’heroic’ lives.
"Aren’t blood stones natural types?" Elsa asked excitedly.
"Yes, they are. And in this ravine alone, there are hundreds... No, maybe even thousands of them!"
Natural-type materials were a kind that grew on their own whenever certain conditions were fulfilled. Normally, the rank of this type of material was often decided by its size.
"Let’s go," George called out, jolting Elsa awake from her thoughts. "We have to grab a sample and report back at the association."
For the briefest moment, Elsa’s eyes twitched as her gaze lingered on the countless Blood Stones below. Then, she nodded.
Although the ravine was hundreds of meters deep, they were a pair of "hunters" themselves.
With careful steps and a few small leaps, they both reached the ravine floor in no time. With a bright smile that stretched ear-to-ear, their eyes desired the countless blood stones around them.
It didn’t take them a long time to notice the giant bloodstones near the edges of the ravine. Seeing them, the greed within their hearts became restless.
Should we take all these stones for ourselves?
Why should we offer these stones to the association?
WE FOUND THEM! IT’S OURS!
All sorts of thoughts flooded their minds. The pair barely succeeded at suppressing their greed.
They looked at each other for a second and smiled awkwardly. George rubbed his hand against the back of his neck before carefully stepping forward.
In a few breaths, the wall of the ravine was at a hand’s distance of him. Slowly, he bent down and landed a swift strike at the wall near a giant blood stone.
The impact made the wall weaken and let the bloodstone fall out of its place naturally. Before it could hit the ground, George carefully caught it with both hands.
Staring at the bloodstone—the size of an adult’s hand—George could see his own reflection in its smooth surface.
"Th-This size...! It’s at least an ’A-rank!’" Unable to control his happiness, he blurted out unconsciously.
His words echoed in the ravine, reaching Elsa’s ears before finally dissipating.
Happily, George got up and carefully carried the blood stone next to his chest like a newborn baby.
*Kiiirkk!!!*
At this moment, a loud sound appeared above George, causing his senses to go wild. A few large pieces of rock crumbled from the wall, revealing a small opening.
Elsa, who was standing far from the wall, could see everything clearly. From inside the opening, a large ant, the size of a young child, slowly crawled out. Each of its movements created a faint clanking noise.
Peeking its head out of the opening, its deep crimson color was revealed. Its dark eyes stared at George with anger.
Opening its mandibles—covered in an almost crystal-like coating of crimson—it shrieked loudly.
The sharp sound was further amplified by the ravine, as it nearly deafened George and Elsa. Sensing the danger, George quickly moved his legs.
Reaching near Elsa, he turned around and saw the ants crawling out of the opening one by one.
Tens. No, hundreds of them angrily charged out and covered the entire wall in a blink. Their eyes? Faced with the two intruders that had dared to harm their home.
Elsa stared at their numbers in complete horror. George, the skilled and experienced man, was in a similar state.
Scared to her wits, Elsa’s breath grew ragged as cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
Unable to speak, she was only able to recognize the ants in her mind.
’F-rank monsters, blood ants!’
George took a step back and prepared himself to flee. ’Even if we’re both E-rank Hunters, we cannot fight against them. Never! We must flee!’
He quickly elbowed Elsa and signaled her to flee. Elsa gulped down a big lump of saliva and nodded instantly.
Although the bloodstones were important, they would hold no meaning to them if they died.
"Now!" Seeing an opportunity, George shouted.
The pair turned around, expecting to run out with all their strength and survive. However, to their surprise, an even larger number of blood ants had already closed the distance from behind them.
No matter where they looked—the walls, the ground—everything was covered with their big, crimson exoskeletons.
At the sight of this, the hopes in their heart had begun to dwindle. Their expressions grew worse, horrified.
"I-I..." Elsa was not in a condition to speak, while George, on the other hand, was not ready to give up!
In a desperate attempt, he pulled out the vial of poison and threw it towards the approaching ants.
Upon hitting one of the ants’ heads, the vial burst open, and a small cloud of bright red color enveloped its body.
Immediately, the ant cried out loud in pain. The ants halted their movements out of concern, only to find out that one of their brethren had melted in an instant.
This only enraged the blood ants further as their exoskeletons began to glow in a bright red hue. Shouting in unison, they launched an all-out attack on the two humans.
"I don’t want to die!"
"No—!"
They bit, tore, and ripped through flesh and bone alike, staining their crimson bodies with fresh blood.
Within moments, the ants gave them the most painful death possible—erasing both humans without leaving even a speck of their bodies.
Looking down from a distance, Ethan let out a long, deep breath in relief.