NOVPUBHowever, the latter might be difficult.
But abandoning such a large portion of the city would be too regrettable, so for now, the best plan was to find an ant in this colony that could communicate.
The group continued moving forward.
Indeed, after passing through the tunnel, the ants they encountered became much more alert.
The worker ants before had been so focused on constructing the buildings that they paid no attention to any creatures passing by, as long as they weren't disturbed.
These worker ants would do nothing unless interrupted.
But now, the soldier ants blocking their path were different.
"Mr. Kim, should we fight?" Chung Hwangeun clenched his fists.
Kim Haru shook his head. "Wait a moment."
Now that they were all inside the ant nest, if a fight broke out, they would be at a disadvantage.
Besides, he had come here for cooperation, so what would fighting accomplish?
This time, Kim Haru received a single tap from the Ginseng Spirit.
Immediately, his eyes lit up.
In other words, these soldier ants are capable of communication!
That makes things much easier.
After some tapping back and forth with the Ginseng Spirit in his pocket, Kim Haru finally confirmed that not all of the soldier ants could communicate.
Only the squad leader among them could.
But as long as communication was possible, things became much simpler.
Kim Haru decided to let the Ginseng Spirit try.
He pulled the Ginseng Spirit out of his pocket and tossed it directly into the pile of ants.
Kim Haru believed that even without consulting the Ginseng Spirit, it would understand his intentions, wouldn't mind his actions, and would successfully complete the task.
Ginseng spirit: …Human, you wait for me!
Meanwhile, Chung Hwangeun, Shin Woncheon, and Yoon Jongju were all very curious about Kim Haru suddenly throwing a white radish into the ants.
They couldn't figure out what he meant.
Was he trying to offer the ants a gift to show goodwill?
But how did Kim Haru know that the ants liked white radishes?
Seeing that Kim Haru wasn't offering an explanation, the three of them instinctively stayed quiet, even though they were itching to ask.
The soldier ants in front of the group watched them intently.
As long as the humans dared to step into their territory, the soldier ants would drive them out without hesitation.
The humans were aware of this and remained safely outside the boundary, waiting quietly.
Except for Kim Haru, no one knew what they were waiting for.
Until, suddenly, there was movement in the direction where the white radish had been thrown.
"Mr. Kim, be careful."
Chung Hwangeun and Shin Woncheon immediately moved to shield Kim Haru, looking alertly ahead.
Then, they saw a massive group of ants swarming toward them.
At the center of this swarm was an ant the size of a soccer ball, its body evenly marked with red and white patches, making it stand out.
The moment they saw its bulging abdomen, they knew this must be the queen ant.
The queen ant herself had come out!
This was rare indeed.
Moreover, they noticed that the white radish Kim Haru had thrown earlier was being lifted by the ants around the queen, creating an oddly ceremonial feeling, as if the white radish was a guest of honor.
But how could that be?
It was just a radish.
Only Kim Haru knew that this white radish was no ordinary radish.
Seeing the scene unfold before him, he realized that the Ginseng Spirit had successfully completed its mission. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
The queen ant, surrounded by the swarm, slowly approached the four humans.
Her long antennae passed in front of her, finally stopping in front of Kim Haru.
The queen's antennae happily flicked forward twice, then extended in front of Kim Haru, coming to a halt.
Kim Haru watched the queen's actions, quickly understanding what was happening.
He extended his hand, ready to take it.
"Mr. Kim."
Shin Woncheon cautiously stopped Kim Haru.
No one knew if the suddenly appeared queen ant was friend or foe, and Shin Woncheon saw that Kim Haru was about to approach it, fearing that something might go wrong.
Kim Haru reassured him, "It's fine."
Even though Kim Haru couldn't understand the queen ant's words, he chose to trust the Ginseng Spirit.
Kim Haru extended his hand and grasped the queen's antenna, shaking it politely, just like a handshake with a human.
Through the antenna, he could clearly feel the joy conveyed: "Human, follow me."
A voice echoed in Kim Haru's mind.
He looked at the expressions of Chung Hwangeun and the others.
The three of them were tense, watching Kim Haru, as if they hadn't heard the voice at all.
Kim Haru understood—this must be a special ability of the queen's antenna.
So, Kim Haru didn't release the queen's antenna.
He turned to the others and said, "The queen is willing to talk to us. Let's follow her."
The group walked down the path the queen had taken.
After walking for a few minutes and passing through a beautifully crafted tunnel, a magnificent hall appeared before them.
To be honest, Kim Haru was stunned.
Although he knew that these Antharion Giant Ants were skilled architects, he had always limited his understanding of them to their identity as ants.
He never realized just how remarkable they were.
Now he saw for himself that these masters had built this grand structure underground.
It was so impressive it could easily serve as a temple in any game!
The queen sat on a throne at the highest point and gestured for Kim Haru to sit beside her.
The seat, though not as grand as the throne, was equally exquisite, clearly showing that Kim Haru held significant importance in the queen's domain.
Kim Haru sat down without hesitation.
The hand that had been holding the queen's antenna had already released it when they entered the hall.
The other three wanted to find places to sit, but no matter where they attempted to sit, one of the soldier ants would always be watching them closely.
