Chapter 165: The Scorpion Swarm Runs Wild, Sweeping Through the Dungeon!
Late at night, a figure walked into the Dungeon beneath the cover of darkness.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
After entering the Dungeon, palm-sized scorpions began appearing from every direction around Ethan, spreading out like a swarm of ants.
"Yah, yah—"
Three Goblins appeared, but before they could even get close, the scorpion swarm rushed over and devoured them completely. The whole process took less than ten seconds, giving Ethan the strange feeling that he was watching army ants at work.
Scorpio's main body was quietly lying on Ethan's shoulder, while the scorpions around them were all its duplicates. Just like "Antares," Scorpio could split off a large number of duplicates, and every duplicate was like one of its soldiers, carrying out Scorpio's orders completely.
Because of the black mud and the Holy Grail, Scorpio did not lack magical energy at all, so it could keep splitting almost endlessly. These duplicates formed the current scorpion army, and everywhere they passed, all monsters were swept clean. Flesh was eaten, and magic stones were swallowed.
This was also the point that made Ethan most curious. Dungeon monsters truly existed and had bodies of flesh and blood, so they could be injured, bleed, and even feel hunger. Yet after being killed, their corpses would instantly collapse and vanish as black smoke, which was rather strange.
But in front of the scorpion army, none of that mattered. Whether it was monster flesh or magic stones, they would not let anything go, acting like a hunting legion that killed every living thing it encountered without discrimination.
The flesh and magic stones they swallowed would be digested, then turned into magical energy and sent back to Scorpio. Not only did this allow Scorpio to keep evolving, but it also allowed it to create even more duplicates.
Rustle, rustle—
After arriving in the middle floors, Ethan encountered a troublesome monster inside the cave.
Chirp—
It was the size of a dog, with a completely crimson body, crawling along the walls.
Killer Ants.
They were social insect-type monsters, and once attacked, they would call their companions. Nearby Killer Ants would quickly gather, eventually forming a horde like a "monster party."
In the upper floors, they were a disaster for ordinary adventurers. But now, things became interesting. An ant swarm had met a scorpion swarm.
The two sides collided, one being a rookie killer of the Dungeon, while the other was a special life-form duplicate raised from the fragment of an ancient monster.
Clack, clack, clack—
The ant swarm and scorpion swarm clashed, and large numbers of Killer Ants immediately began gathering. Their numbers also grew larger and larger.
However, all the scorpion duplicates rushed forward without fearing death. Although there was a large difference in size, their strength was not on the same level. After all, they were Scorpio's duplicates. Each one was not especially strong alone, but once stacked together, they became very troublesome.
When a scorpion was killed, it turned into a mass of black mud, then merged into another scorpion's body. Scorpio was a special life-form raised from the black mud, similar to a follower of the black mud, or in other words, Ethan's follower. As long as Ethan did not die and the black mud did not disappear, Scorpio and its duplicates would never truly die.
Even if they were defeated, the scorpion duplicates would only break down into black mud and merge with other duplicates. When added together like this, the other duplicates directly became stronger.
During this process, the Killer Ants were constantly killed, and their corpses were devoured. All of it turned into magical energy and returned to Scorpio's side, allowing Scorpio to split off even more duplicates.
This made Ethan think of a race from a game.
The Zerg.
A terrifying race that grew stronger through war.
In less than ten minutes, the battle ended. Scorpio had not joined the fight at all, yet the entire group of Killer Ants was wiped out by its hands.
Among the scorpions, many had absorbed other duplicates, and their bodies had grown quite a bit. Originally, they were all palm-sized, but now they were one size larger, already about as big as plates.
And this was still only the upper and middle floors. If they went to the lower floors or the deep floors and let Scorpio devour even more monsters, how strong would these scorpion duplicates become?
Ethan could not help growing curious. Because of that, he continued forward without much thought.
During the next part of the journey, every monster they encountered became prey for the scorpion army.
Goblins.
Orcs.
War Shadows.
Silverbacks.
Hellhounds.
Throughout this process, both the number and quality of the scorpion army kept rising. Their numbers grew larger and larger, and each individual also became stronger.
Most importantly, Scorpio's main body, which had been staying on Ethan's shoulder the whole time, was also growing at a visible speed.
Tap—
"Looks like Goliath hasn't respawned yet."
On the 17th floor, Ethan looked at the huge crystal wall that gave birth to Goliath. Since he did not find his target, he felt a little disappointed.
To be honest, Goliath was a "good monster." It was practically the model worker among floor bosses.
Swish—
After passing through the 17th floor, all the scorpion duplicates split apart and disappeared into the 18th floor. Nothing unexpected happened along the way, and Ethan directly crossed the 18th floor, continuing toward the lower floors.
After all, the next area was the "Large Tree Labyrinth." It was filled with all kinds of insect monsters, making it a paradise most suited for insects and poisonous creatures.
At the same time, it was also the hunting ground most suited for Scorpio's army.
The moment they entered the Large Tree Labyrinth, dense waves of scorpion duplicates directly surged inside. Ethan walked through it as if taking a relaxed stroll through a garden, while everything around him was swept clean.
He did not need to do anything. He only had to step through this area.
This also made Ethan sigh a little. In the past, exploring the Dungeon had felt like clearing a game dungeon, where a monster might jump out from who knew where and attack him.
But now, going deep into the Dungeon felt like taking a walk. He did not need to do anything at all. He only needed to keep moving forward.
Scorpio's duplicates would handle everything. All nearby monsters would be cleared away, and even the trees blocking the path would be pushed down.
If Scorpio was the general commanding these scorpions, then Ethan was the king of everything.
This feeling of not needing to do anything because someone else would handle it all for him was truly satisfying.
However, because they had entered the lower floors, the monsters had also grown stronger. The sweeping speed of the scorpion duplicate army began to slow down.
Still, breaking through this floor was only a matter of time.
…
(Don't forget to vote and leave a comment below! :D If possible, share your review to show your support.)
...
Read more than 10 chapters in advance:
patréon.com/U22
(Note: Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.)