Chapter 112: The Destroyed Camp

Chapter 112 The Destroyed Camp

Lewin and Shadow Servant walked through the dim underground mine tunnels.

Suddenly, he stopped, staring down at the ground beneath his feet.

He asked uncertainly, “Have we been here before?”

The golden anteater glanced at him, puzzled, unable to answer.

Lewin carved a mark into the wall and pressed forward.

Half an hour later, he found himself back at the same mark.

“Damn it, we’re lost.”

He scratched his head, unsure what to do.

Turning to the golden anteater, he asked, “Do you know the way out?”

Shadow Servant shook his head—no.

He controlled the beast’s body, but had not inherited its memories.

If left to wander on its own, perhaps the creature might find a path upward.

But only perhaps.

And there was no guarantee the beast would obey.

Helpless, Lewin continued exploring, marking paths as he went, searching for an exit.

“Does this direction feel wrong? Why does it seem like we’re going deeper?”

In theory, moving upward should lead outside.

Yet every time Lewin climbed higher, he eventually reached a dead end.

He looked up, then at the golden anteater.

“Can you dig us a path?”

Shadow Servant commanded the beast to claw through the earth.

After watching for a moment, Lewin waved his hand.

“Never mind. Too slow.”

“By the time you dig us out, we’ll be long dead.”

The golden anteater turned, gazing at him with innocent eyes.

“Let’s go,” Lewin said. “Maybe we’ll run into someone else.”

The underground labyrinth was riddled with tunnels carved by iron-eating ants—some wide, some narrow.

The broadest passages could fit a horse-drawn carriage.

The narrowest forced one to crawl through.

“Hurry! The iron-eating ants are chasing us!”

Lewin heard voices ahead and quickened his pace.

After running a while, the noise faded behind.

He glanced at the tunnel wall beside him, sensing another passage nearby.

“Shadow Servant, break through this wall.”

The golden anteater swung its claws, tearing through soil and stone.

Hard rock shattered under sharp talons like brittle clay.

Swish, swish, swish!

Ten minutes later, it breached the barrier between two tunnels.

Lewin stepped through immediately.

Clack, clack, clack!

The golden anteater began slaughtering iron-eating ants around them.

Lewin scanned the area—dozens of the creatures scuttled in the shadows.

“Stop eating! We need to follow those people!”

He dashed in the direction they had gone.

The golden anteater led the way, whipping its tongue aside obstacles, clearing their path effortlessly.

Without it, advancing through the swarm would have taken immense effort.

Lewin silently thanked his earlier decision.

Soon, he spotted two first-rank iron-eating ants ahead.

“Ice Arrow!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three icy shafts struck one of the ants.

Frost crept over its body; its movements slowed.

Lewin blinked in surprise—he hadn’t expected to meet Guze here.

“Bone-chilling Frost!”

Guze raised his staff, amplifying the spell’s power.

Crack, crack, crack!

The ant’s internal temperature plummeted. Its blood froze solid, shattering into icy fragments.

The creature stiffened, exhaling cold mist, then collapsed, motionless.

“Stone Spike!”

Rota cast his spell. A jagged spike erupted from the ground, pinning the second ant against the wall.

Snap!

The ant thrashed, its monstrous strength snapping the spike, freeing itself.

But Rota was already chanting again.

“Mud Bog!”

The earth beneath the ant softened instantly, turning into a slick, wet marsh.

With no footing, the heavy, iron-laden creature sank rapidly.

It struggled, desperate to escape—but its immense power was useless here.

Against a third-rank ant king, Mud Bog would fail.

But against a first-rank ant, it worked perfectly.

A perfect example of overcoming force with yielding.

Its terrifying strength rendered meaningless.

The iron-eating ants were trapped in the mire, unable to escape.

Gu Ze shouted, “Hurry, there are more iron-eating ants behind us.”

Compared to first-rank iron-eating ants, it was actually the greater number of zero-rank ones that proved harder to deal with.

Unless one possessed wide-area attacks, fending off a swarm of these ants was nearly impossible.

Whoosh!

A golden anteater emerged, its tongue piercing through the skull of an ant stuck in the mud.

Gu Ze froze at the sight, eyes widening in horror.

“What in the world is that?”

Seeing the golden beast, his heart clenched tight.

He recognized it—instinctively clutched the magic scroll in his pocket, ready to fight to the death and flee.

“Hello,”

Li Wei stepped out from behind the golden anteater, greeting them calmly.

Gu Ze stared at him, stunned.

Rota stood motionless for a moment before snapping back to awareness. “Is that… your summon?”

Li Wei nodded. “Yes.”

“I got lost. Do you know the way out?”

As he spoke, the golden anteater flicked its tongue again, killing another frozen ant.

Witnessing such terrifying power, Gu Ze and Rota exchanged a silent glance.

When they heard Li Wei say he was lost, Gu Ze hesitated briefly, then said, “I know the exit. Why don’t we team up? It’s too dangerous alone.”

Li Wei nodded. “Alright.”

Shhh-shhh-shhh!

More iron-eating ants surged from behind. The golden anteater lashed its tongue, sweeping aside a wave of attackers.

But the swarm was too vast—even the beast couldn’t hold them all back.

“We need to go. Now,” Li Wei urged.

Gu Ze didn’t hesitate.

“Follow me.”

The golden anteater brought up the rear as the trio raced toward the exit.

During their flight, Gu Ze and Rota glanced at Li Wei—walking alone, separated from his summon.

They locked eyes, suspicion flashing between them.

He’s a summoner—how dare he move without his creature, tagging along with two strangers like this?

Could he have some hidden ability?

Each read the other’s thoughts. Cautious, they kept their distance from the mysterious summoner.

“My name is Timo,” Li Wei said. “I’m traveling the world.”

Gu Ze and Rota introduced themselves.

“I’m Gu Ze. This is Rota. We’re both mages from Maple City.”

“Welcome to Maple City. You should visit the Mage Tower sometime.”

Now that they’d escaped the ants, their mood lightened.

They laughed, exchanged words.

“Alright, here we are—the exit’s just ahead.”

A sliver of light appeared at the tunnel’s mouth.

Li Wei frowned, surprised.

Already?

He’d wandered underground for so long—had he been circling near the entrance the entire time?

Whoosh!

They stepped out of the mine—and Li Wei halted, shocked by what lay before him.

Gu Ze and Rota also stared, eyes wide with disbelief.

The camp had been destroyed. Tents burned with flickering flames. Corpses of soldiers littered the ground.

“What happened here?”

Li Wei asked, bewildered.

“Stop! Hands up!”

Soldiers burst from behind barricades. In the distance, others aimed massive crossbows—

the Demon-Hunting Great Crossbows, capable of felling monstrous beasts.

Gu Ze and Rota exchanged a glance, lowered their staves, and raised their hands, afraid to make a wrong move.

Li Wei followed suit.

Moments later, the three were surrounded, escorted away from the ruined camp.

(End of Chapter)