In the vast cavern, the golden-gleaming Gilga had already engaged in battle with the dragon ant queen. This dragon ant queen was enormous, its physical strength several times greater than that of other dragon ants. Its fiery red skin, adorned with golden patterns, was so tough that even Gilga’s sword struggled to penetrate it. When the golden sword struck the queen’s body, it sparked bursts of light, producing a sharp “clang” sound.
The dragon ant queen ceaselessly crawled along the cavern’s ceiling, its massive abdomen swinging back and forth like an oversized, thickened whip, appearing extremely dangerous.
Such an opponent was one Gilga had not encountered in a long time.
However, Ye Chui and Debbie were not worried about the outcome, as Gilga was a heroic spirit. Heroic spirits did not suffer from physical exhaustion, and Gilga’s magic consumption was minimal, requiring only gold coins and dragon bloodstones, which Ye Chui had in abundance.
It felt almost like a pay-to-win game for a wealthy player.
“Ye Chui, look!” Debbie suddenly noticed something, pointing at the densely packed dragon ant eggs lining the cavern walls. Some white eggs were gently wriggling, either because their time had come or due to the battle’s influence. Pale yellow, translucent dragon ant larvae slowly emerged. Though newly born, these tiny creatures already exuded a ferocious aura, immediately charging towards Gilga.
Their combat strength was negligible, unable to harm Gilga, but their sheer numbers, swarming around her, caused some trouble. As Gilga swung her sword to deal with them, she was even accidentally struck once by the dragon ant queen’s tail.
“We need to burn them all quickly!” Ye Chui saw more larvae about to hatch and leapt into the cavern. He opened his iPad grimoire, activating the [Flame] spell. Balls of fire instantly shot out from the grimoire.
Debbie followed close behind, pointing out targets. “Over there, those are about to hatch…”
A slightly scorched smell, mixed with a faint aroma of roasted meat, filled the cavern. The dragon ant eggs were not as tough as the adults, and the newborn larvae were so fragile that Debbie could crush them with a single stomp. This allowed them to indirectly join the battle.
For Ye Chui, the scene felt oddly familiar, his mind inexplicably recalling a movie from another world, *Aliens*, where the protagonist entered the alien queen’s egg-laying chamber and used a flamethrower to burn the eggs.
Compared to the aliens, evolved purely for combat, the dragon ants’ fighting ability was far inferior. The queen, scurrying across the ceiling, made loud “crack” sounds with her massive jaws, but she was nearing her limit. Her incredibly tough body was now riddled with wounds, and one slender leg had been severed.
Gilga fought relentlessly, though the golden glow on her body had dimmed slightly. Seeing this, Ye Chui, after burning a patch of dragon ant eggs, quickly retrieved a dragon bloodstone from his grimoire and handed it to Debbie. It was time to “pay to win.”
As Debbie tossed the dragon bloodstone to Gilga, Gilga let out an ecstatic moan, a sound so alluring it was almost enchanting. She had once explained that the sensation of power surging through her body was overwhelmingly pleasurable, wave after wave, impossible to resist.
Boom!
After a dazzling burst of golden sword light, the dragon ant queen, previously clinging to the cavern ceiling, was nearly torn apart, crashing to the ground with a thud. The battle was nearing its end. Ye Chui hurriedly rushed forward. “Let me land the final blow!”
Gilga shook her head in mild exasperation. After confirming the dragon ant queen was no longer a threat, she sheathed her sword. These dragon ants were physically formidable, but in this ruin, living creatures were scarce, and they likely rarely encountered enemies. Despite their strong bodies, they lacked combat expertise. Standing cautiously to the side, Gilga watched as Ye Chui approached the queen, preparing to cast a spell to finish her off.
Gilga found Ye Chui’s insistence on landing the final blow somewhat distasteful. Having defeated such a powerful foe, she felt it was her right to deliver the final strike. Stealing the kill seemed disrespectful, but, for the sake of the dragon bloodstones, she let it slide.
At that moment, however, Gilga, Ye Chui, and Debbie noticed something peculiar.
Facing Ye Chui’s impending final attack, the dragon ant queen, though on the brink of death, showed no significant resistance, no desperate last stand. Her menacing jaws and slender legs twitched, as if struggling to do something. As Ye Chui hesitated, a red egg emerged from the queen’s mouth, rolling to his feet.
“Crack, crack,” the queen’s jaws made crisp clicking sounds. Her massive eyes, covered in red fur, seemed to stare fixedly at Ye Chui. When he glanced at the red egg and looked back, the dragon ant queen had completely stilled.
“What’s going on?” Ye Chui, Gilga, and Debbie stood frozen in shock.
Gilga cautiously inspected the queen, confirming her death. The three gathered around the egg in silence. After a moment, Gilga spoke up, as if struck by a realisation.
“Magical beasts are becoming rarer in the world. Dragon ants must be one of them, right? I’ve heard that some magical beasts, before extinction, entrust their sole heir to their enemies, passing on their bloodline in this way. So, the dragon ant queen gave us this red egg?”
It seemed the most plausible explanation.
“This red egg is completely different from the white ones. So, if it hatches, it will become a dragon ant queen?” Ye Chui immediately recognised its value. He carefully picked up the still-warm red egg, his earlier regret over not landing the final blow vanishing. The egg’s worth far surpassed any points from a kill.
Moreover, Ye Chui glanced at his iPad grimoire. Burning the white ant eggs had earned him 41 points, bringing his total to 309.
Handing the red egg to Debbie, Ye Chui eagerly opened the [Map Navigation] function to unlock the map pack.
Before unlocking, the map only displayed a ten-metre radius around Ye Chui, with everything beyond shrouded in darkness. Once unlocked, the map interface became clear. The entire Gods’ Ruin, including the castle and gardens, was now visible in map form. Even the intricate network of tunnels inside Dragon Head Mountain was distinguishable.
The entire ruin was now under Ye Chui’s control.
Examining other areas of the map, Ye Chui soon spotted two small dots. Without guessing, they likely represented Green and that terrifying creature. Green was still alive. In the castle map, Ye Chui also saw several neatly arranged groups of dots, likely the magical guards.
In other parts of the castle, he noticed a cluster of scattered dots, mostly white, but some red.
“Those must be the exploration team from Stan Town. They’ve entered the ruin. The red dots represent people hostile to me? Heh, quite a few of them.”
