The tunnel swallowed him whole.
Damp air pressed against Kenji's lungs, thick with earth and decay. The faint scrape of chitin echoed in the darkness ahead, claws tapping against stone.
A notification flickered in his vision:
[You have discovered a Dungeon.][Dungeon Type: Solo][Name: Ant Nest (Tier 0)]
Kenji's lips tightened. Solo. No groups. No help.
"Figures," he muttered.
He gripped his short swords tighter and moved forward.
The first swarm came quickly. Worker ants—smaller, quicker, snapping mandibles clicking in unison.
Kenji dodged, blades flashing. [Twin Slash] carved through the first, ichor splattering the walls. Another lunged; he sidestepped, slashed, pivoted.
His stamina drained fast, every swing costing him. By the time the last dissolved into ash, his HP bar hovered dangerously low.
He sat against the wall, chest heaving. No potions. No food buffs. Just slow recovery.
Minutes crawled. His HP ticked upward like dripping water.
Deeper inside, the ants grew stronger.
Fighter Ants emerged—larger, armored, mandibles like axes. Kenji struck, but his blades skidded off their carapaces. He had to bait them into lunges, sidestep, then slash exposed joints.
One nearly gutted him, mandibles snapping inches from his chest. His HP plummeted to red before he managed a finishing strike.
[Victory: Fighter Ant slain.][+20 EXP][Loot: Broken Ant Carapace (Common, Tier 0)]
The item was useless scrap, but at least it proved these mobs dropped something.
Hours passed. Poison filled his lungs from Venom Ants, their bites leaving a green haze around his bar. He collapsed against walls more than once, waiting for his HP to crawl back.
And yet—loot shimmered among the corpses.
[Loot Acquired: Reinforced Leather Vest (Common, Tier 0)]
+2 VIT
[Loot Acquired: Sturdy Leather Boots (Rare, Tier 0)]
+2 DEX, +1 VIT
Kenji equipped them, feeling his stance solidify, his movements sharpen.
A soft chime.
[Level Up — Lv 4 Reached][+10 Attribute Points Gained]
Kenji grinned faintly, sweat dripping down his temple.
GrayWolf — Lv 4 (Commoner)Reputation: +30 (Regional)
Attributes (Base):
STR: 10
VIT: 10
DEX: 40
INT: 10
Items:
Cracked Iron Bracers (Common, +1 STR)
Tattered Leather Belt (Common, +1 VIT)
Reinforced Leather Vest (Common, +2 VIT)
Sturdy Leather Boots (Rare, +2 DEX, +1 VIT)
Cards (Unregistered):
10♠ (Tier 0) → +15 Crit, +10 Spell Pen.
5♣ (Tier 0) → +5 Armor, +5 Block.
Total Effective Stats:
STR: 11
VIT: 14
DEX: 42
INT: 10
Progress was real. Painfully slow, but real.
During one of his rests, Kenji pulled up the forums.
CardTheory101: "Confirmed—registering pairs seems to do something. Got a small buff after two 3♥."
BlackLotus: "Flush might be aura-based. Still testing."
PokerKing: "Royal Flush = God-tier. Only theory, but best hands in poker = best decks. Makes sense, right?"
ShadowCrow: "Most of you screwed yourselves already. Register trash cards, regret forever."
Kenji's eyes lingered on the last line. He thought of his 10♠. Then the 5♣.
He closed the forum with a quiet exhale. Patience. No rush.
The tunnels narrowed, sloping downward. Ant corpses littered the ground. His bar edged toward Lv 5.
Then he heard it.
A low rumble. A chittering chorus.
The chamber widened.
And she was there.
The Ant Queen.
Massive. Carapace black as obsidian, mandibles like scythes, abdomen swollen and pulsing. Smaller ants crawled over her, hissing, the air thick with venom and rot.
Kenji's grip tightened.
His HP bar was full, his stamina high, his gear battered but intact. His body trembled—not from fear, but from exhaustion.
This was it.
Even a Tier 0 dungeon boss felt like a raid fight.
Kenji raised his blades.
"Alright," he whispered. "Let's see what you've got."
And the Ant Queen roared.