HM: Chapter 18 – Insect Wars. (Patreon)

‘That one looks to be a bit smaller than the other ones, it should do. Luckily, these guys don’t go around in such large groups like the other ones, and judging by its level, it shouldn’t be that tough.’

Lesser Giant Centipede L1 F-

Rusty identified his new opponent and judged its power according to his old stats. When he was a level one F- type monster, he was much more sluggish and uncoordinated. His hunting target this time around was not a Myrm Ant but a centipede-looking monstrosity. It had a long body and numerous legs, making it swift and agile. Rusty figured that it could possess a venomous bite but with his metallic body, this was a non-issue.

After stalking this weaker one to this more secluded location he decided to initiate his new plan. To get rid of the ants and their queen he needed some help. For this purpose, this centipede was required, or to be more specific, its innards. With a plan formed in his metallic mind, Rusty waited for the best moment to go for it.

His living armor frame seemed to give him an advantage over these monsters. If he remained perfectly still and had no other insect scents on his metal, he would be considered an inanimate object. He just needed to place himself inside of a corridor and wait for his victim to appear. Then, just as the insect was crawling through he activated his power thrust.

His sword started glowing and plunged itself into the monster’s head. With a swift and well-executed strike, the monster’s weak point had been hit, something that Rusty had also eventually discovered. The adventurers and even these insects all had a similar weak point, which was their heads. Cutting off this monster’s many legs or even body parts would not be the smartest move as he had seen it fight with some ants. Going for the head was always the best solution in battle.

You have defeated the Lesser Giant Centipede.

You have gained +25 experience points.

The lifeless creature now lay in the corridor, its legs twitching sporadically. Rusty immediately got to work by grabbing the long monster and placing it over his shoulder. The fresher the remains were the better so he needed to make his way towards the ant lair. There were a few things that he had noticed about his current adversary and how they could seemingly track him everywhere.

After making sure that the coast was clear he made his way into the ant colony. Their numbers had dwindled since he had begun hunting them but with that queen there, it was a temporary situation. To make sure that they continued to go down, he wanted to start a fight between two of the species living here. Then when the moment was right, he would strike and get to that large copper deposit that he needed.

‘A smaller pack should be somewhere there…’
Rusty knew that patience was key and he had taken many days to get used to these underground tunnels. He kept avoiding the insects and just gathering information about their movement patterns. Only after having enough data about his current opponent did he decide to act and this group of three ants would be the start of his ploy.

After placing the body of the Lesser Giant Centipede to the side, he engaged with the trio of Miniscule Myrm Drones. The ants were a bit confused by the body of the other insect that was tossed to the side but quickly identified the metallic suit of armor as their main adversary. Rusty, who had managed to level up, didn't have a problem handling three drones at once, and soon they all fell to his blade.

Afterward, a blue crystal appeared in his hand which he crushed immediately after. Quickly, all of his MP was restored which would allow him to perform more powerful skills if the need arose. He was still in enemy territory and keeping himself prepared was crucial. Being attacked down here was a constant possibility and he intended to get out of here without sustaining any further damage.

‘Now, to make it look believable…’

Rusty began his plan of getting the two insect types to fight by placing the dead centipede in the middle of this battle scene. Around its body, he placed the recently defeated ants and to make it move believable, he even placed one of their legs into the other insect's mouth.

‘These things seem to be territorial, so this should work… I think…’

The monsters that he was facing seemed to use scents of other creatures to keep track of everything. He figured this out after being constantly chased by them within the tunnels. Each time he got some of their bodily fluids on his armor, they would somehow manage to track him. However, after washing up in the waters down here, they would be unable to track him any further.

Inspired, Rusty contemplated the prospect of spreading the scent of another insect to see how the ants would react. Could it potentially confuse them or divert their attention towards one of the other monsters in the underground domain? It was clear that they all had their separate territories that met up at the main watering hole. While they seemingly adhered to a peculiar pact of non-aggression there, Rusty wondered whether introducing the scent of a centipede inside the ant territory would be enough to break it.

After carefully setting the scene, Rusty retreated to a safe distance and observed. The scent of the Lesser Giant Centipede mingled with the ant lair and eventually, a drone appeared on the scene. Their antennae started twitching and it seemed like they were on high alert. The drone approached cautiously, investigating the scene of the staged battle. Rusty couldn’t see that well from his viewing angle but considering that the monster didn’t instantly identify his position, something had changed.

‘I better get out of here, I think the centipede scent might be masking me for now.’

His armor had caught some insect fluids and his sword was also covered in them. This was also part of his plan as he wanted a trail of both the insects leading out. Once the ant pointed its head in his direction it was time to move. From time to time he would rub the blood-covered sword on the sides of the walls to keep the scent fresh.

As he moved, he could hear the faint sounds of the ant drones following the scent trail that he placed. It reached the watering hole and towards the direction of the centipede territories. Quickly after he ran towards his lair where more water resided and where he could wash up. Then when the time was right, he peeked out to see if his plan had been successful.

‘Oh… they seem to be mad at each other…’

After returning he saw both sides squaring off against each other. On one side he saw multiple ant drones and on the other two giant centipedes. Both insect times were locked in a fierce territorial dispute, mandibles clashing and legs moving. However, after a few minutes of posturing, both sides started retreating to their sides and no actual war had started, it seemed that it would not be that easy to trigger both sides to engage each other.

‘Hm… Maybe I’ll need to create more conflict to escalate things faster.’

Rusty pondered his next move as he watched the tense standoff between the ant drones and the giant centipedes. The initial plan had worked to some extent but it seemed that the territorial dispute might need a little push to turn into a full-blown battle. Seeing that his previous plan had partially worked, there was no need to think about it but continue with it.

Thus, for the next few days, he began placing carcasses of centipedes into the ants colony. To make things look even better, he began to do the same with the other side. He wanted to make it look like both sides were encroaching on each other's territories. At some point, one side would probably give in to their urges and finally attack. However, even after a week they still continued to act in a somewhat passive way by just gnashing their mandibles at each other.

‘Hm… It’s not really working but, maybe if I do this?’

Rusty had begun to worry that his perfectly created plan would not work. Even after going back and forth between two insect territories and suffering some further damage, nothing had changed. The ants weren’t showing signs of launching a full-scale attack on the centipedes, and vice versa. It seemed like he needed to escalate the conflict further.

‘I wish I still had a bow with me, I guess this rock will have to do.’

While he lacked a projectile weapon his Basic Power Shot skill seemed to work with some thrown objects. If he got a large enough rock he could add some momentum to it. Thus he took aim at one of the stalactites hanging above the insect monsters. He aimed to rouse some of their protective instincts, if even one of them attacked the other group then his job would be done.

With a swift motion, Rusty hurled the rock toward the stalactite, causing it to detach and crash loudly onto the ground between the ant drones and the giant centipedes. The sudden disturbance startled both groups and their antennae twitched in agitation. The drones who interpreted the falling stalactite as an attack from the centipedes, quickly charged forward and the insect battle had finally begun.

Rusty was elated by what was happening and remained hidden as the chaos unfolded. The centipedes, after noticing that the ants were charging, quickly retaliated. Their long bodies twisted and turned as the skirmish between the two groups erupted. The ants outnumbered the other group but they were smaller and weaker creatures. It required at least three or four of them to take care of one of the giant centipedes.

The underground battleground echoed with the sounds of clashing mandibles and skittering legs. The battle was fierce and even some of the other insects from other groups started taking part in the extended melee. It was actual pandemonium and Rusty was a bit surprised at the scope of it all.

‘Did I overdo it?’

He asked himself while retreating to his lair and waiting. While the monsters were fighting, it was impossible to go to the copper mine that he desired. Rusty remained patient and continued to wait while stocking up on the mana stones. He hoped that this insect war would allow him to gain a valuable resource but he could not leave it all up to the centipedes. That queen ant was still there and he had no way of telling if they would be able to contend with it alone.

The constant aggression between the insect species that he sparked, started to dwindle. Eventually, he was able to appear at the old watering hole that had been transformed through the daylong battles between the monsters here. Just like he had calculated, these beings were different from the ones from his dungeon. Their corpses were everywhere and he needed to capitalize on these dwindling numbers.

The once-large groups were now reduced to scattered survivors, each side nursing wounds from the prolonged conflict. It was at this point that Rusty decided to make his move. This time he did not need to be that stealthy as both sides had retreated into their lairs. After confirming that the coast was clear, he made his way into the ant tunnels that had become filled with the remains of insect combatants.

‘The way looks clear but I should hurry, if that queen is still alive, it will produce more drones if I wait for too long.’

With urgency, he navigated through the tunnels. The remnants of the battle were evident, with the scattered carcasses of ants and centipedes creating a gruesome path. The once-lively tunnels were now eerily silent, only interrupted by the occasional clicking sounds of injured ants or the faint echoes of distant skirmishes. The battle still raged on but both sides had diminished in numbers.

While he was not here for leveling purposes, he couldn’t help himself to defeat a few ants and injured centipedes. This allowed him to notice a discrepancy in the experience gained again. It seemed that injured monsters gave fewer amounts of points compared to uninjured ones.

You have gained +13 experience points.

As he moved in deeper, the monster's remains started to dwindle until none of them appeared again. He could see some markings on the ground and insect parts here and there, it was as if something dragged the remains further in.

‘These lead into the queen’s chamber, I wonder what they are doing…’

Rusty continued pushing on until he arrived at the place with the copper vein. Before entering he made sure that everything was in order. This was the place of the final battle and he knew that he would need to probably face a large group of either the ant monsters or the centipedes.

To no surprise, the chamber where he spotted the copper vein and many eggs was being guarded. Many drones were there but also remains of the other insects had been dragged before the queen. She was in the process of devouring the centipedes that were also smaller in size.

‘Are they trying to restore the numbers? Think she is producing more of those eggs than before…’

Rusty knew that there wasn’t much time, the number of drones that had survived had dwindled but it would eventually be restored. This species seemed to be weaker than the other but they also probably could replenish their number faster. Their main tactic was swarming their opponents with numbers and after these eggs all hatched, he would be unable to conquer the copper mine anymore.

‘Still, their numbers are quite great here… I probably won’t stand a chance if I just go in like this.’

He knew that going in with a tactical mind was the key to victory. While he strived to be the strongest, the time for pushing forth was not yet there. However, he had a plan on how to further weaken his opponents and for that occasion, he had brought over one of the large light crystals from his lair.

‘The real fight starts now!’

First, the light crystal that had been wobbling inside of his body was brought out to the forefront. While normally it could not produce any light without being inside of his lair, there was a trick to making it work outside. Even now, it was producing a faint amount of light thanks to the mana crystals he had also brought over. His body was used as a storage unit for the blue stones and soon he would use them to take all the copper along with the life of the ant queen…