Chapter 400
Darius smiled with amusement as he felt the presence of Caesar leave. The length and energy the AI had spent explaining things this time around was not as long as the other time, probably because there was less fun in it for him.
Darius then sat down with Xela and Gunner, discussing their options. With his brood, it was easy enough to eradicate Amateur to Master bugs.
Even Grandmasters might be manageable once the trio finished this Event and benefited from the huge stat gain. However, above that lay a serious problem.
According to the knowledge Darius had gained, the real reason why it had been impossible for the Insect race to be exterminated were the fully matured Insect Queens that had the power of Gods and Insect Ancestors that were likely as strong as True Lords.
Even 5 years later, Darius felt like he would ironically get squashed like a bug if he would have to fight Thanatos. His stats might look impressive, but that was when compared to mortal beings.
How exactly was he supposed to deal with someone equivalent to the Titan God of Death, especially when more than a few of them had to exist?
Well, it was not like he was giving up without even trying. With all the knowledge he had gained, he had certain ideas about how he might be able to deal with them.
However, Darius prioritized the fact that he needed to gather those AP from the Event, use it to increase his Intellect, and clear out the restricted section. He would never say no to more means of solving the problem.
For now though, Darius looked to work on Ceasar's first hint, as that was contrary to his initial plan, which had been to help the warriors from the shadows until they came face to face with the true enemies.
If they defeated them, it would help Darius to complete his Quest, yet should they die it would at least allow him to gather more information on them.
They might even call for their leaders, who might make use of this chance to deal a finishing blow.
Darius teleported his group away, heading towards the place he knew the various armies from afar would come to once they entered this continent. He then released all his bugs except the Queen, and gave them a single command.
"Kill every non-Insect and non-Mole that appears here or anywhere else you can see."
They acknowledged his order, and the Master bugs among them began herding those below. Darius was certain that his bugs would become an impenetrable wall for the warriors from afar, as they usually fought the Insects below the ground and used tactics refined over millennia to deal with them.
Yet even then, they still suffered great losses each year. He was interested in seeing how they would fare against Insects on the surface, and not just that, but an ambush right as they arrived.
Darius then checked their Character menus to see how many AP and SP they had acquired. After their consecutive level-ups and the reward for clearing the first part of the Event, they had a large amount of them.
As such, their character sheets looked like this after allocation.
[Name: Darius Stone
Race: Ancestor Dragon (Fledgling)
Stage: Journeyman
Class: Itemancer
Subclass: Magus
HP: 2,500/2,500
MP: 8,000/8,000 (4,500)
STA: 2,000/2,000 (1,500)
Level: 40(+4)
Experience: 2,654/4,000
Strength: 50
Agility: 62 (50)
Endurance: 50
Intellect: 200 (150)
Charisma: 50
Luck: 100
Physical Status: Healthy
Mental Status: Frustrated.
AP: 0.4
SP: 0.4
Active: Elemental Breath - Lv.1, Combine - Lv.40, Lightning Bolt - Lv.40, Group Teleportation - Lv.40, Spawn - Lv.20, Analyze Lv.40 (10), etc
Passive: Magical Mastery - Lv.3 (1), Elemental Control - Lv.1, Draconic Regeneration - Lv.4 (1), Spell Enhancement - Lv.50, Spell Mastery - Lv.20 (15), Mageward Barrier - Lv.5, Spirit Barrier - Lv.5, Channeling - Lv.1, Basic Lancer Arts - Lv. 4, Weapons Mastery - Lv.1, Unarmed Mastery - Lv.1, etc
Abilities: Transmutation (Intermediate), Dragon Transformation (Intermediate), Explosive Strength (Basic), Afterimage (Basic), Fast Regeneration (Basic), Elementary Psychomancy (Intermediate), Morph (Basic), Deflection (Basic).]
[Name: Gunner
Race: Half-Human, Half-Giant (Royal Blood)
Class: Vanguard
Stage: Journeyman
Subclass: Anti-mage
HP: 13,440/13,440 (9,000)
MP: 2,000/2,000 (1,500)
STA: 4,800/4,800 (2,700)
Level: 40(+4)
Exp: 2,652/4,000
Strength: 112 (100)
Agility: 50
Endurance: 120 (90)
Intellect: 50
Charisma: 50
Luck: 50
Physical Status: Healthy
Mental Status: Overwhelmed.
Affection: Friendly lvl max
AP: 0.4
SP: 0.4
Active: Engage - Lv.15 (10), Earthen Stomp - Lv. 10 (1), Earthen Punch - Lv.10 (4), Earthen Lariat - Lv.1, Omega Blow - Lv.1, Eraser Cannon - Lv.1, Solid Defense - Lv.1, Unbreakable Ward - Lv.1 etc
Passive: Energy Ward - Lv.30, Mageward Barrier - Lv.100, Weapons Mastery - Lv.1, Unarmed Mastery - Lv.1, Earth's Guardian - Lv.50, Extreme Speed - Lv.1, Spirit Barrier - Lv.5 etc
Abilities: Limit Release (Intermediate), Afterimage (Basic), Man of Steel (Intermediate), Mind Power (Basic), Morph (Basic), Deflection (Basic).]
[Name: Xieliartorsobotar Staonroefuso
Race: Elf (Royal Blood)
Class: Cleric
Stage: Journeyman
Subclass: Divine Maiden
HP: 2,500/2,500
MP: 6,000/6,000 (4,160)
STA: 2,000/2,000 (1,600)
Level: 40(+5)
Exp: 1,952/4,000
Strength: 50
Agility: 65 (50)
Endurance: 50
Intellect: 150 (130)
Charisma: 50
Luck: 100
Physical Status: Healthy
Mental Status: Anxious.
Affection: Friendly lvl max
AP: 0.5
SP: 0.5
Active: Divine Blessing - Lv.40, Holy Ward - Lv.21 (19), Divine Summoning - Lv.2, Purify - Lv.12, Cleanse - Lv.10, Divine Restoration - Lv.40, Ward Evil - Lv.10 (2), High Cure - Lv.21, Heal - Lv. 21 (20)
Passive: Divine Sight - Lv.10 (3), Light's Chosen - Lv.10, Pure Body - Lv.20, Pure Soul - Lv.20, Pure Spirit - Lv.20, Aura of Life - Lv.2, Spell Mastery - Lv.10, Spell Enhancement - Lv.10
Abilities: Explosive Strength (Basic), Afterimage (Basic), Fast Regeneration (Basic), Elementary Psychomancy (Intermediate), Morph (Basic), Divine Favor (Intermediate).]
Darius decided to check the changed skills themselves on their way. Right now, he took the shoulders of his two Branded Servants in either hand before using Group Teleportation to send them onward to Vault 06, which was not the nearest Vault to where they were compared to Vault 03 previously.
Eventually, they came across a strange tree that was withered, but still had the size of skyscraper. The group could see many Insects crawling through it, and these were the nature-type bugs that were normally harmless.
They were like a sort of farmer group among bugs, able to produce nutritious sap for the rest after extracting foods from leaves and trees over time.