Chapter 110: Contention

Chapter 110: The Struggle

A massive piece of mithril ore emerged within the swarm of ants.

The retreating figures froze in their tracks.

Some saw an unmissable opportunity, risking everything as they plunged into the ant swarm, desperate to seize the mithril.

Others deemed it too dangerous, hesitating only a moment before retreating from the perilous zone.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Wall of Fire!"

No sooner had the mithril appeared than the mages could no longer hold back.

A second-rank mage cast his spell, and across the battlefield surged a moving wall of flame.

It swept forward like a scythe, incinerating countless zero-rank iron-eating ants.

Wall of Fire—a second-tier fire spell, an area-of-effect attack—cleaved through the ants effortlessly.

Iron-eating ants possessed no magical resistance.

Their bodies appeared intact upon death, yet their insides were boiled and charred beyond recognition.

Fragile organs proved no match for the searing heat, while their iron-hard shells offered little protection against a second-tier fire spell.

Once the second-rank mage acted, others could no longer resist. One by one, they unleashed their powers.

In an instant, the dim cavern blazed with magical radiance.

Fireballs, wind blades, lightning bolts, wooden spikes, stone pillars, waves of water—every element erupted in chaos.

With mages now fully engaged, the tide of battle shifted dramatically.

The once endless tide of hundreds, even thousands, of iron-eating ants—dense as floodwaters—was shattered in moments, scattered by relentless magical bombardment.

Several paths now opened toward the heart of the swarm.

"Charge!"

"The ore is mine!"

"Don't fight yet—get it out first, then divide!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

They fought both the ants and each other simultaneously.

One suggested cooperation—retrieve the ore first, then split the spoils.

But no one listened.

No one wanted to share such priceless mithril.

All sought to claim it entirely for themselves.

Chaos reigned supreme.

Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!

More iron-eating ants crawled out from the lake of liquid silver.

Their numbers swelled rapidly—surpassing three thousand in moments.

First-rank iron-eating ants now appeared everywhere.

Huff! Thud! Thud! Thud!

A second-rank iron-eating ant heaved itself out of the silver lake.

Liquid silver dripped from its body, splattering onto the ground with metallic clinks.

Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!

The second-rank ant was monstrous—over a meter tall, three to four meters long.

Though smaller than an anteater beast, it might well surpass it in combat strength.

Its defense exceeded that of a gold-devouring anteater; its strength dwarfed that of ordinary magical beasts of the same rank, multiplied several times over.

Even at the lowest stage of the second rank, its power rivaled that of a high-stage second-rank warrior.

Terrifyingly immense.

The smaller the iron-eating ant, the greater its relative strength.

Zero-rank specimens could tear through steel with ease—stronger than many first-rank magical beasts.

First-rank ants could bite through armor and weapons effortlessly, matching the strength of second-rank beasts.

Yet even so, iron-eating ants still far surpassed their peers in raw power.

The appearance of the second-rank ant instinctively slowed everyone’s advance.

Then, some moved faster.

They aimed to snatch the mithril before the giant ant could reach it.

Li Wei stood at the edge of the battlefield.

He watched as those who had fled earlier now returned, forcing their way back into the swarm, struggling toward the mithril.

He frowned. Why had the ants suddenly pushed such a large chunk of mithril out of the lake?

Iron-eating ants did not consume mithril—it was indigestible.

They fed only on common metal ores and silverflow stones.

"Wait. No need to rush."

Li Wei chose not to charge into the swarm for the mithril.

The first to seize the ore wasn’t necessarily the victor.

Only he who laughed last would truly win.

He noticed that those who had left earlier hadn’t gone far.

They were hiding within the mine tunnels.

Even a fool could guess their intent—to ambush and rob the rest.

Boom!

A second-rank warrior was hurled into the air by the second-rank ant, crashing back into the swarm.

"Aaah! Aaah!"

Screams echoed without end.

After a violent burst of battle aura, the bloodied warrior barely escaped the sea of ants.

Nearly died. Brad charged toward the mithril ore, but second-stage iron-eating ants blocked his path, attacking fiercely.

"Sky-splitting Slash!"

Brad swung his greatsword.

Clang! Clang!

The blade clashed against the ant's forelimbs, sparks exploding in all directions.

His battle aura severed half of the creature’s limb.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Brad’s palms split open from the shock, blood dripping; his arms throbbed with pain.

He hastily leapt backward.

The strength of the second-stage iron-eating ant was terrifying—he couldn’t match it.

If he kept clashing head-on, his arms would be ruined.

Seeing this, he shouted loudly, “Everyone, join forces! Get the ore out first!”

“If we leave the ore among the swarm, none of us will have it!”

With Brad speaking up, the crowd hesitated briefly, then raised their hands in agreement.

As leader of the Radiant Mercenary Corps, he carried some reputation—enough for them to listen.

Earlier, an unknown nobody had shouted the same thing, but no one had cared.

Together they cleared the iron-eating ants, striving to roll the massive ore out of the nest.

Yet strangely, the ants acted as if mad, refusing to let anyone near the ore.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fireballs, ice spikes, wind blades, water surges, stone spears—

a barrage of magic rained down, and soon even the second-stage ants fell.

At last, they reached the colossal mithril ore.

As Brad approached, he felt something odd about it.

It didn’t look like ore at all—more like a lump of mixed soil.

He glanced at the mithril gleaming atop the mass.

Regardless, there was definitely real mithril inside.

Get it out first. Worry later.

“Cover me! Warriors, knights—follow me and push the ore out!”

Rumble! Rumble!

They rolled the boulder through the swarm, escaping the nest.

The ants pursued wildly, desperate to stop them from taking it.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Two more second-stage mid-rank iron-eating ants emerged, charging forward with thunderous steps.

“Watch out! These are mid-tier second-stage ants!”

At those words, no one dared approach.

Unimpeded, the two beasts advanced rapidly, closing in on the ore.

Brad’s eyes widened. He screamed, “Support! Support me!”

“Stop them!”

Li Wei stood far away, watching it all unfold. He shook his head.

“So foolish. Just smash the ore and take the mithril—why insist on hauling the entire thing away?”

An observer sees clearly; one involved is blind.

The optimal strategy? Take only the visible mithril.

The strategy for maximum gain? Carry off the whole ore.

Without question, all had chosen maximal profit.

No one suggested abandoning the ore, breaking it apart.

Li Wei raised his hand, tempted to help.

Then he looked around, lowered his arm.

There were people nearby. Better not reveal himself.

To protect the ore and escape the nest, the group fought with everything they had.

One of the mid-tier second-stage ants was held back by magical barrages; the other was obliterated.

Brad and several others rolled the ore out of the swarm, toward the exit.

Sssshhh! Sssshhh!

The iron-eating ants gave relentless chase.

First-stage ants kept appearing ahead, trying to block the way—

only to be swarmed and dragged off in moments.

Crack!

Brad froze. What was that sound?

Boom!

The rolling ore suddenly exploded, shattering into fragments that flew in all directions.

Everyone looked up, seeing several broken stones with exposed mithril scattering through the air.

Some landed within the ant swarm; others dropped onto open ground.

One lucky man caught a piece midair—

the next instant, an arrow pierced straight through his heart.

“Ahh!”

A scream rang out.

Brad’s body was flung backward over ten meters, crashing deep into the ant nest.

Third update today!

(End of chapter)