Chapter 25
Baldwin.
D-Rank Adventurer.
Even his nickname as a perennial D-Rank adventurer made him a person full of inferiority complex.
Approaching his forties, Baldwin had hit his limit at a young age and gave up on everything.
He’d done enough. He believed he couldn’t get any stronger here.
Thinking that way, he let everything go, but he was someone who couldn’t be satisfied with his position and envied others.
“Damn that guy…!”
Baldwin couldn’t stand Luke.
From the very moment he first laid eyes on him in the Adventurer’s Guild, it was the same.
He thought that the noble students from the Academy, who looked down on everyone except themselves, had come to mock him.
Of course, not all nobles despised commoners, but since most had such characteristics, the adventurers, made up mostly of commoners, hated the nobles and Academy students.
Setting aside who Luke was, the very fact that he was different—an elite—made Baldwin feel inferior.
Just then, a dispute broke out, and he ended up getting scolded by the Guild Master. Now, that bastard even stole his money.
Since the moment they met at the Adventurer’s Guild today, Baldwin had vowed to crush his pride.
While he wouldn’t kill him, at least he wanted to break an arm or a leg, making him unable to adventure for a while.
But that plan went awry from the start.
They quickly reached the Giant Ant’s den, and while pretending to catch the monster, he tried to obstruct or sneak-attack, but along the way, goblins and war wolves—creatures hard to find in the morning—ambushed him.
It felt like the world was conspiring against him.
“That bastard… In the end, he didn’t help me at all…!”
He lost part of the money he’d brought, not all, but that guy just watched without lending a hand.
“I’ll show you that cradle and actual combat are different, you little punk…”
Baldwin clenched his fists and made a vow.
“We’ve arrived.”
Despite the numerous events on the way here, they finally reached their goal.
Even if he was going to take down Luke, he had to be cautious. After all, he was D-Rank, and this quest was also D-Rank.
If he went wrong, his plan could lead to his death.
So, he decided to pretend to engage in the quest and execute his plan at the right moment.
“Are you just going to watch again?”
“…No. This time, you lead the way.”
Having used his stamina on the way, it was better for that guy to take the lead for the plan’s sake.
“He might just make some silly remarks again, like before.”
He needed to preemptively prevent any unforeseen events.
*
“Wow, the entrance is enormous.”
True to its name, the Giant Ant’s entrance was so large that even an adult man could walk in upright.
It could easily be mistaken for an underground passage rather than a den.
“It should provide some satisfaction in hunting, at least.”
If it’s a den, there must be a ton of monsters inside.
When he fought the goblins and war wolves earlier, his level didn’t increase.
It seems he couldn’t level up with that anymore.
Even if it’s the same E-Rank, pushing through with numbers should yield decent experience points.
They had combat all the way here but didn’t take a break and directly entered the den.
That bald guy was weird for struggling just from taking down some goblins and war wolves.
Taking the lead, Baldwin walked into the den.
There wasn’t anything particularly special, but it was his first time entering a tunnel made entirely of dirt, so it felt refreshing.
What amazed him even more was that it was an anthill.
“Wow. Luna, this is my first time in an anthill.”
“…This is not an anthill. It’s a monster’s den.”
“If it’s an anthill monster, it’s still an ant.”
He remembered a YouTube video showing how to pour molten aluminum into an ant nest to reveal its structure.
He’d just zoned out while watching it, but if he thought of it as being that wide, wouldn’t it be hard to clear it all?
He decided to just clear it out moderately and then bring it crashing down.
“Hey, Luna. If we had even one C-Rank or B-Rank team member, couldn’t this be handled in an instant? Are they really sending a D-Rank for this?”
“That’s—”
“Hmph. As expected, just a kid, only knowing one thing and not understanding two.”
Interrupting Luna, the bald man chimed in.
“Every person has their own place, you fool. Don’t you think it would be a waste of resources if a C-Rank adventurer came for a quest that a D-Rank adventurer can handle?”
“Aha.”
It was akin to calling the fire department just because he forgot to turn off the lights after leaving home.
“But you know that, right? I didn’t ask.”
“…”
When did I ask you?
He must think glaring at me would get him somewhere.
“?”
At that moment, they heard something clashing from deep inside the cave.
“Lord Luke. I think they’ve arrived.”
What? A phalanx of dentures?
They remained quiet, but the sound grew louder, and it wasn’t just one noise but several.
They came to hunt monsters, but the only sound they were hearing was like dentures clashing. Was there a crafty old man inside being brainwashed by monsters?
Soon, the source of the sounds revealed itself.
Long antennae. Three pairs of legs. A triangular head with a sharp chin.
A monster that looked like a giant ant, just enlarged.
It was a Giant Ant.
“Hey, this crazy writer.”
No matter how much ant sounds are silent, the clashing jaws sounding like dentures is just plain wrong.
It’s called a Giant Ant!! How can anyone see that as a Giant Ant!!
It’s a Giant Denture Ant!!!
This is truly deflating.
It’s a monster that shouldn’t exist in reality.
If the author slaps it on, it becomes accepted canon; a writer’s convenience setting.
And yet, the only sounds this monster makes are those of dentures clashing.
Suddenly, his motivation plummeted.
“I have no desire to fight.”
“Lord Luke! It’s coming!”
Just as he was contemplating turning back, the ants, flicking their antennae, charged at them en masse, clicking as they came.
“Luna! Friend Shield!”
I naturally slipped behind the bald man.
Luna, knowing what to do, also fell back.
“…What!?”
Thanks to that, the bald man had to face the relentless phalanx of dentures.
He swiftly wielded his double-headed axe and slammed it down vertically.
Then rock rose up.
The makeshift barricade of stones surged up and could momentarily halt the charge of the denture army.
“Ugh…!”
Of course, that didn’t mean it was without struggle.
To maintain that wall, the bald man had to continue in that stance, it seemed.
Was he somehow connected to that wall, like in those manga where people shout while throwing energy attacks, making them stronger?
It must work on the same principle.
“Damn it, you punk! If the front lines run away, what happens to the rear guard!!”
“The rear guard will become the front lines!”
In sports, there are always reserve players.
If I step out, that bald guy, who was a reserve, could just step up.
“The front lines must protect the rear guard!!”
“Pfft! I don’t want to protect a man.”
If the one I had to protect was a cute little girl mage, my protective instincts would kick in, but a muscles bald guy wielding a massive axe? Who’d want to protect him?
“Fine, bald man! Hold that position! We’ll help you soon!”
With that, I turned and darted out of the den.
Without saying a word, Luna followed behind me and subtly questioned,
“Didn’t you say you’d help…?”
“Yep. I’m coming to help now.”
I rummaged through my inventory, pulling out a sack of something haphazardly.
“What’s this?”
The identity of this sack, filled with delightful possibilities, was none other than—
“Flour.”
“…No way.”
“When did we get time to search it all? Let’s just blow the den up.”
“If we do that, the people inside will get caught in it too…”
“They’ll figure out how to survive.”
Not to mention, that bald guy seemed ready to stab us in the back, so if he dies along with the monsters, better for us.
He’d offer up not just his experience and money, but also draw aggro. No golden goblin could compare.
“Cough… Bald man, I will not forget your sacrifice…!”
“…That’s not a sacrifice; isn’t it murder?”
“Ugh! Luna! Don’t let his spirit go to waste! He’s a man deserving of respect!”
I tore open the sack, spilling the flour into the den.
“Luna. Stir up some wind to help it spread deep inside.”
“Seems like we’re becoming accomplices…”
Even as she said that, Luna used her magic to send the flour blowing into the den.
The piles of flour nearby shrunk one by one.
By now, the ants and the bald guy inside would have sensed the white powder filling the den.
I struck a match.
A famous villain once said,
“Let your death bring me more money than I expected.”
I tossed it into the den from a safe distance.
The match, rotating slowly like something from a comic, sailed through the air.
-BOOM!!!!!!!!!
The refreshing sound of explosion echoed, sending earth flying in all directions.
The initial blast set off a chain reaction, pushing the flour upwards, creating a joyful sound reminiscent of dominos made from TNT.
It felt like watching fireworks explode underground.
[ Level Up! Check your stats! ]
[ Level Up! Check your stats! ]
[ Level Up! Check your stats! ]
[ You’ve defeated the Demon Borg! You’ve acquired the Skill: Superstrength! ]
[ Level Up! Check your stats! ]
[ Level Up! Check your stats! ]
[ Level Up! Check your stats! ]
In the midst of the unusual notifications, I exclaimed,
“Bald man coins are skyrocketing!!!! Ahaha!!!!”
I knew it was rude to laugh over a dead person, but this was just too sweet to ignore.
I was investing all my stat points acquired from leveling up into strength.
-Rustle.
“Hmm?”
As the debris from the collapsed earth fell away, the figure of a person emerged.
“Cough! Cough!”
With a shiny egg-shaped head, he had the brightness that could light up the world even in the evening.
And it just happened to be someone I knew.
“You’re alive! Hell yeah~ I believed in you~”
As I approached, the bald guy recoiled in fear.
I reached out a hand to him.
“…?”
“Hand over the loot.”
