Heroes were a type of unit endowed with special talents and powerful bonuses against monsters.
Figures like these were meant to dramatically turn the tide of battle. Yet now, they were being summoned only to be devoured by chimera insects—an act that could only be described as a criminal waste of resources.
A single Hero could allow up to five chimera insects to evolve. The total number of Heroes summoned was unknown, but already more than a hundred insects were undergoing rapid evolution.
Each evolved chimera insect no longer resembled its original form. Most took on shapes similar to the creatures they had consumed, fused with grotesque insect traits.
In a short span of time, waves of formidable auras surged from within the swarm. With elites to lead them, the insects were no longer mere cannon fodder.
Creating ordinary chimera insects using cheap mental power, then allowing them to devour sympathizers—who could be summoned without consuming mental power—to complete their evolution was an extremely cost-effective and unexpectedly ingenious strategy.
Behind the fungal carpet, a massive living structure writhed. It resembled a gigantic, beating heart.
The fungal carpet spread outward from beneath it, and with every pulse, varying numbers of chimera insects were born. This was the heart of the base—the brood nest.
The chimera insects tore flesh from each Hero and fed it into the brood nest. As long as resources were supplied, the nest could continuously produce chimera insects fused with the physical traits of those sympathizers.
Chimera insects born this way could inherit traits from the consumed beings and be produced in large numbers. However, compared to insects that evolved directly by devouring living creatures, their strength and mutation paths were unstable.
The advantage lay in cost efficiency. Every additional chimera insect produced by the brood nest saved Ganago another chunk of mental power.
The nest itself was a monster, and summoning one required an enormous amount of mana. Ganago treasured it the way Gollum treasured the Ring.
Stationed safely in the rear, Ganago laughed nonstop. At this moment, he truly wished he could see the expression on the opposing dungeon lord's face.
"My tactics… are invincible!"
Since Aldwin—Wade—had scorched the land and left him no resources to develop, he would simply create his own.
In every dungeon battle, both sides were limited by a sympathizer summoning cap.
This cap wasn't based on sheer numbers, but on bond value. Each dungeon lord was given a fixed bond-value limit: the higher a Hero's bond value, the fewer could be summoned.
Conversely, if one summoned trash-tier sympathizers worth only one or two bond points, vast numbers could be brought forth.
But under normal circumstances, why would a dungeon lord ever summon cannon fodder?
When used properly, Heroes were decisive assets.
Only Ganago deliberately selected low-bond sympathizers whose bodies still possessed decent traits, feeding them to chimera insects to create even stronger elites.
These elites could then lead ordinary chimera insects to harvest enemy monsters and continue evolving.
Ganago could, at any time, spend mana to directly create even stronger chimera insects. But first, his mana reserves weren't exactly abundant.
Second, he looked down on the Sein Dungeon. It was just a rookie that had only recently reached Level-3 authority.
How could a newcomer possibly compare to someone like him, who had steeped in Level-3 authority for decades?
Back then, it had taken him only eighteen years to advance from Level-2 to Level-3 authority. Even among the freaks that were dungeon lords, he could proudly call himself a genius.
And now—
This genius was going to war!
The instant the invisible barrier vanished, Farron Keep and the Nest Dungeon collided. The foul swamp and slick mucus mixed together into something utterly nauseating.
The entire swarm surged forward, plunging into the swamp and advancing toward the distant fortress. Everywhere they went, muddy water splashed violently, and even the ground trembled.
"Oh—poisonous."
The moment the swarm made contact with Farron Keep's swamp, information flowed back to Ganago.
The water was not only highly toxic, but also severely hindered movement, drastically slowing their advance.
"Boring. Chimera insects aren't afraid of poison."
At his command, wings unfolded from the backs of the ordinary chimera insects. A deafening buzz filled the entire dungeon.
They could fly—but only close to the ground. While this reduced the swamp's slowing effect, nearly a third of their bodies remained submerged in the muck.
No matter. Chimera insects possessed some of the highest poison resistance in the world. Even living in Farron Keep wouldn't frighten them—if anything, it might trigger adaptive mutations.
"Little tricks. I've seen through them all. Heh."
The glow of confidence shone brightly in Ganago's eyes.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. With a wave of his hand, the nest birthed several insects shaped like gigantic trumpets. These creatures immediately began broadcasting Ganago's voice, their combined volume echoing throughout the entire dungeon.
"Feeling frustrated? Your carefully prepared trap turned out to be useless."
"Why not just surrender? Hahaha!"
His voice dripped with arrogance.
At that moment, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky, instantly reducing several trumpet insects to charred husks.
"Hm?"
Ganago turned his gaze nervously.
On a distant hill, several Heroes were continuously casting spells. Lightning and fire rained down upon the swarm, harvesting lives.
Around those Heroes gathered large numbers of goblin knights, minotaurs, and trolls—a force that looked genuinely formidable. It would take at least two silver-ranked adventurer parties to wipe them out.
Wait—goblins, minotaurs, trolls?
Why did the Sein Dungeon's monsters suddenly look so… normal?
And those Heroes—while their strength seemed passable, their faces were utterly forgettable. The kind you could toss into a crowd and never notice again. Their fame didn't even compare to that of the fisherman Ziraje.
Such people had a fixed title—
Extras.
But these weren't ordinary extras. They were carefully selected ones—individuals with slightly higher bond values than true cannon fodder.
And they all shared certain traits.
Yellow flames flickered deep within their eye sockets. Crimson ulcers riddled their bodies. Black, thorn-like growths wrapped around their arms. Thick black sludge seeped beneath their feet.
Yet all of it was carefully concealed beneath their clothing, making them appear perfectly normal.
"Hehehe… so this is your strongest force?"
Ganago's expression shifted from tension to relief.
He quickly assessed the monsters and calculated their cost.
Goblins and minotaurs required double-digit mana each. Trolls were slightly more expensive, barely reaching triple digits. Mixed among them were varying numbers of orc shamans, undead, and other minor units.
Altogether, the total mana expenditure was likely around two to three thousand.
Two to three thousand?
For the Sein Dungeon, that could be earned in a single day—no, in a single morning—with plenty to spare.
But—
"What a wasteful display," Ganago said with a pained expression.
Over two thousand! Even in his prime, it would have taken him quite some time to earn that much.
Subconsciously, he had already begun treating the Sein Dungeon—and its mana—as his own possessions. That was why it hurt so much.
Wade was spending his money.
He had originally estimated that the Sein Dungeon's reserves wouldn't exceed ten thousand. After all, once dungeon lords had enough mana, they upgraded their authority. Who would keep surplus lying around?
Spending a fifth—or even more—of it all at once to summon these monsters made Ganago curse him as a prodigal.
"Kill! Eat!"
At his command, the swarm clashed with the Sein Dungeon's "strongest army." Shouts and roars shook the battlefield, mingled with insect screeches and monster howls.
The Sein side's Heroes demonstrated excellent quality, all highly proficient in lightning and fire. For a time, they rampaged through the swarm like gods of war.
In the end, however, the swarm's elites surged forward together, finally bringing them down—though not without suffering heavy losses.
Not only were the Heroes defeated, but the monster army also began retreating steadily. The chimera insects devoured the fallen corpses, growing even stronger.
Despite losing nearly a third of their numbers, the swarm's morale soared. They pursued the retreating monsters relentlessly, pressing deep into Farron Keep.
"Hahahaha!" Ganago's manic laughter echoed through the trumpet insects. "How does it feel? How do you feel now?!"
He was certain Wade's heart must be breaking—spending a "huge sum" to assemble an army, only for it to fail at killing the enemy. What could be more humiliating?
To further insult his foe, Ganago ordered high-altitude flying insects to retrieve all of the Sein Dungeon's sympathizers and dump them—right in the most conspicuous location—into the nest.
Look! Your precious Heroes have become my nourishment!
The beating nest suddenly faltered, as if it had swallowed something strange. But before Ganago could notice anything amiss, it resumed beating—faster than before.
In Ganago's eyes, this was proof of the nest's delight.
Those Heroes wielded lightning and fire. After consuming them, the nest might produce insects with increased resistance to both elements.
Heh. The swarm had originally feared lightning. Now, Wade had practically patched up that weakness for him. Truly idiotic.
The swarm was nearing the fortress gates. Along the way, they encountered sporadic resistance, but after taking minor losses, crushed every attack.
Watching this, Ganago suddenly felt a twinge of sentiment.
"You've already done… quite well."
When he had first reached Level-3 authority, he couldn't have performed as well as Wade had so far. He even felt a faint admiration for talent.
But unfortunately, to avenge himself against the demon priests, he would have to strangle this genius in the cradle.
"All forces—charge!"
Ganago shouted, blood boiling.
And at that very moment, the swamp of Farron Keep began to bubble.
As bubbles surfaced, the black-green swamp gradually shifted into a glaring crimson hue.
By the time the swarm realized something was wrong, the entirety of Farron Keep had changed color.
As far as the eye could see, everything was crimson. Even the sky turned blood-red. A stench filled the air, evoking a single word—
Rot.
The Nest Dungeon's base expanded its fungal carpet outward. Purple fungus had already covered most of the area, but the instant Farron Keep turned red, the carpet dissolved immediately into the liquid.
The swarm cheered as it rushed toward the fortress—
But gradually, that crimson color crept up their bodies as well.
In an instant, the insects at the very front collapsed.
Like falling dominoes, their collapse triggered a chain reaction. Vast numbers of insects toppled at once. Those that fell were instantly swallowed by the red liquid, as if they had never existed.
The tide of battle reversed in a horrifying instant.
"W-what is this?!"
Ganago was horrified.
His swarm—his invincible swarm—was dying.
Dying at an unbelievable speed.
What was happening? What was this red liquid? Poison?
But how could poison affect chimera insects?!
They were supposed to be immune to all toxins!
Even unknown poisons should have allowed time for adaptation!
Confusion filled Ganago's mind, but it was quickly swallowed by a single emotion—
Panic.
Perhaps no one understood chimera insects better than Ganago.
But no one understood Scarlet Rot better than Wade.
At this moment, Farron Keep could be renamed—
The Lake of Rot.
Wade hadn't lied. He truly hadn't drastically altered the Sein Dungeon's terrain.
He had merely made a tiny "improvement" to the water quality of Farron Keep.
No matter how fast chimera insects could adapt—
Could they adapt faster than Scarlet Rot?
"No! Stop!!"
Ganago's desperate scream echoed through the trumpet insects.
The swarm was finished. Any insect tainted by Scarlet Rot died without exception.
There was no way to avoid it—there was no land anywhere nearby.
Only now did Ganago realize the truth. Wade had lured him deep inside, then annihilated the swarm in a single stroke through corruption.
Watching his chimera insects be wiped out, Ganago's heart bled. He had planned to recycle them back into mana after the battle—but instead, they were wasted here.
"Fine. Fine. Fine," he snarled through clenched teeth. "Spending several thousand mana as bait just to screw me over once… Aldwin, you've got guts!"
He was so furious that his speech no longer stuttered.
In his eyes, using thousands of mana as bait to drag him into the Lake of Rot was both daring—and extravagantly wasteful.
Yet when the last insect died, Ganago instead grew calm.
"I underestimated you. But do you think a trap that's already exposed will still work on me?"
Fury surged within him. He turned toward the nest. Since contact with Scarlet Rot meant death, he would simply spend mana to produce flying chimera insects.
That way, the Sein Dungeon's "final trump card" would be useless, and victory would still be his.
The nest could produce endless insects.
His swarm was infinite.
Meanwhile, Wade's mana was constantly draining.
"Hurry and give me—"
Ganago's voice cut off abruptly.
Because the nest looked… wrong.
The massive, heart-like structure had swollen—larger, more grotesque than before.
It beat faster and faster, like a deadly rhythm. Ganago's own heart raced in sync.
And then—
Boom!
Before Ganago's stunned eyes—
The nest exploded.
Yellow frenzied flames.
Red corruption.
Black curses of death.
Dark abyssal shadows.
Four colors played a hymn of life, blooming across the land in their own hues.
Life surged forth.
All things flourished.