Ye Chui suspected these ants were surnamed Cao, arriving uninvited. When he saw the scissor-like mandibles emerge from the ground, he reacted quickly, grabbing Debbie’s hand to flee.
The ants crawling from the earth weren’t just one. The dark brown soil around them churned, and in moments, seven or eight ants, each as large as a wolf, emerged, with more still pouring from the burrows, endless.
Debbie had been here before but hadn’t been attacked then. Now, perhaps because Ye Chui and Debbie triggered something, the ants swarmed out in full force.
Their bodies were black with golden stripes, reminding Ye Chui of the Black Gold Flame Dragon from the time shadow, its scales a mix of black and gold. As Debbie said, these ants grew massive from feeding on the dragon’s head.
Let’s call them Dragon Ants.
Crunch, crunch.
The Dragon Ants surged forward like a swarm.
Ye Chui quickly summoned his iPad magic book. After exhausting his magic earlier, it had recharged slightly, but even with its “five-minute charge, two-hour summon” ability, only 3% of his magic had recovered in such a short time. He cast [Wind Walk], pulling Debbie to escape as far as possible.
But the spell drained magic too quickly. With a whoosh, their speed surged, then stopped abruptly. They stumbled forward, covering barely ten metres before the magic book vanished, its power depleted.
They had to escape on foot.
But the ferocious Dragon Ants gave them no chance. Moving swiftly, like starving wolves, they lunged at Ye Chui and Debbie, offering no time to resist. Amid screams, they were knocked down, and the ants swarmed around them, quickly forming a massive black ball, dragging the struggling pair towards a hidden cave under a protrusion.
Ye Chui had awakened his magic book only ten days ago. By common standards, he was a novice magic tutor, a mere beginner. Against these brutal Dragon Ants, he had no strength to resist, especially with his magic fully depleted. Fortunately, for some reason, though the ants captured them, they didn’t harm them.
Was it to keep their prey fresh?
Ye Chui felt his body sinking, the surroundings growing pitch black, as if descending underground. He sensed Debbie beside him, also struggling, but their cries were drowned by the terrifying “crunch, crunch” of the ants’ mandibles.
Then, a golden light filled Ye Chui’s vision.
His near-despairing heart steadied: Debbie had summoned Gilga!
When the ants emerged, Debbie had grabbed her summoning key, but her summoning was more complex than Ye Chui’s spells. In such a moment, they had to use their trump card. Only now had she managed to summon Gilga.
“Slash!” A sharp hacking sound rang out as Gilga’s sword struck the ants. Golden sword aura enveloped Ye Chui, and the mandibles gripping his legs and arms finally loosened. In the chaos, he grabbed Debbie’s arm, and they scrambled to the side.
They were underground, originally dark, but Gilga’s radiant figure provided enough light. The female swordsman, in golden armour, shone brilliantly, wielding her golden longsword to attack the swarming Dragon Ants.
Ye Chui and Debbie crawled to a cave wall, sitting close, panting heavily. In Gilga’s bright, 200-watt human-bulb glow, Ye Chui saw they were in an irregular cave, clearly dug by the ants. The space was vast, aged, with strange brown moss and fungi on the walls.
Countless tunnels, large and small, branched out in all directions, above and below, leading who-knows-where. Ye Chui couldn’t even tell which tunnel they had entered through.
The air was hot and stuffy, but breathing was manageable.
With Gilga’s arrival, the ants ignored Ye Chui and Debbie, focusing on her. Under her powerful golden sword aura, their seemingly steel-like bodies appeared fragile. Soon, the ground was littered with severed ant limbs, heads, and bodies. Things looked promising…
“It’s not looking good,” Debbie whispered, her face pale in the golden glow. As Ye Chui looked at her, she continued, “We have no gold coins to pay Gilga. She’s summoned in a debt state, which is unstable, with a debt limit. If we hit that, she’ll be too weak to fight and will return to the spirit world. Our contract might even break.”
That morning, Debbie summoned Gilga, clearing a thirty-three-coin debt. Defeating Ryan’s trio cost only two coins. These ants might not be as strong, but their numbers were endless, with more crawling from countless tunnels.
Ye Chui’s expression turned grim. Worse, Gilga’s once-brilliant body began to dim, flickering like a faulty lamp.
“Miss Debbie, I need gold coins!” Gilga said urgently.
“We’re broke…” Debbie said, her face bitter. She bit her lip, gripping the summoning key, “Looks like we have to summon him.”
“The Angry Jester?” Ye Chui asked.
“The Angry Jester isn’t suited for this. I meant the Crazy Jester…” Debbie said hesitantly. Gilga’s light was fading fast, leaving little time to decide.
But then, Ye Chui’s hand touched a small stone. Picking it up, he saw it was dark gold. Not just this stone, parts of the walls gleamed with the same hue. A thought struck him.
They were inside the Black Gold Flame Dragon’s head, fossilised over countless years. The stone Ye Chui held was the dragon’s petrified flesh. Gilga’s power came from gold, the product of a Golden Dragon’s breath. Could the Black Gold Flame Dragon’s fossilised flesh have the same effect?
“Try using this to pay Gilga!” Ye Chui tossed the stone to Debbie. He knew not just any gold could fuel Gilga; it needed Debbie’s magic to activate its payment effect.
Debbie paused, then understood, her face lighting up with excitement. She hurled the dark gold stone at Gilga, “Gilga, catch!”
As Gilga, mid-battle, turned, the stone reached her. Her glowing body had darkened, weakened to the brink. Ye Chui and Debbie were plunged into darkness, their hearts sinking. But then, a dazzling, sun-like light erupted before them.
Gilga was fully restored!
And with it, Gilga let out an ecstatic moan.
“This feeling… it’s so good…”
