Ant queen's POV //

  “SHRIIIIIEEEEEK”

  My Face!! It hurtssssss!!

  The agonized cries of the ant queen echoed throughout the chamber, yet her minions remained expressionless. Their only purpose was to await her command, ready to obey without hesitation—even if ordered to leap into roaring fmes that would seal their fate.

  As the unbearable pain gradually subsided to a level she could endure, the queen fixed her gaze upon a small dragon perched atop a rocky hill. It stood motionless, exuding an air of majesty as it peered down at them. Its form was fwless, like a masterpiece brought to life, and a striking transformation was evident—a fiery glow pulsed within its chest, linking to its throat, while tendrils of smoke curled from its mouth, as though an inferno raged within. But in the queen's eyes, there was no awe—only seething hatred, resentment, and an unrelenting thirst for vengeance, overriding even the instinct to preserve her own life.

  “SHRIIIIIEEEEEK!”

  I will kill you!!!

  Her shrill cry resonated like the roar of a vengeful beast, filled with murderous intent toward the one who had inflicted such unbearable torment upon her.

  THUD! THUD! THUD!

  With every movement, the ground quaked beneath her, trembling before her wrath as the very earth threatened to colpse.

  A torrent of fire erupted from the small dragon’s mouth, surging forward like a relentless fmethrower. The ant queen was instantly engulfed in the scorching inferno, the searing heat consuming her from head to toe. Fmes coursed through her body, merciless and unrelenting.

  One by one, her eyes succumbed to the unbearable heat, bursting like balloons pricked by a needle. One after another, they ruptured until her world was swallowed by darkness. Yet, she could still feel the fmes, steadily devouring her, reducing her to nothing but ashes.

  Around her, the agonized cries of her minions filled the air, their bodies unable to withstand the intense heat. One by one, they burst apart, detonating like tiny explosions under the overwhelming firestorm.

  Until the queen’s consciousness faded into the void.

  ?

  ?

  ?

  ?

  I watched the scene unfold with my own two dragon eyes, taking in every vivid detail of the ant queen’s demise. Driven solely by vengeance, she charged at me recklessly, ignoring everything else in her path—only to be engulfed by my amplified breath of fmes. In an instant, she and her loyal minions were reduced to nothing but ashes. It was such a climactic moment that I found myself at a loss for words.

  “She was burned to a crisp… So if I go all out, this is the kind of destruction I can unleash, huh?” I muttered in astonishment.

  I hadn’t expected that amplifying my fmes with more magic would result in such devastating power. My focus had been on thinning their numbers, and if I had let my guard down even for a moment, I could have ended up poisoned and paralyzed to death.

  I also had to give credit to my nature as a fire dragon. With fire being the ants' greatest weakness, it was the key to my survival. If not for that, I might not have made it out and survived. For that, I was truly grateful to have been born a fire dragon.

  I surveyed the queen ant's chamber, now reshaped by the destruction I had wrought. Though some ants had survived, their queen’s death had reduced them to mindless husks, devoid of purpose. The remains of the swarm were scattered all around—charred, severed, crushed beneath the rubble. At the center y the queen’s corpse—her head reduced to ashes, and her once-white carapace bckened and brittle like shattered gss.

  “Hmph…” I scoffed, knowing that victory was mine.

  Exhausted, I curled into a resting position. My body was numb from the lingering poison inflicted by the ant queen, and both my physical and magical energy were drained. I allowed myself a brief moment to recover.

  ?

  I awoke to the sensation of movement nearby. As I opened my eyes, I saw surviving ants feasting on the corpses of their own kind. Without their queen’s command, they had devolved into mindless beasts, driven solely by hunger. Their instincts now dictated their actions—devouring anything in sight, unable to recognize their own species, their once-unified connection severed completely.

  I had only slept for an hour—this pce was far from secure for my survival, making true rest impossible. Unlike the comfort of my own dwelling, where I could sleep peacefully, this was still a dangerous territory. Lingering ants remained, and though they had become mindless beasts, they were no less deadly. I needed to stay vigint.

  “Kuhh…” I groaned in pain.

  The numbness still lingered in my body—a short rest hadn’t completely purged the poison, but it had become tolerable. Though my physical and magical energy had only recovered slightly, it was enough to move and use my abilities again.

  As I prepared to leave this pce, my eyes caught sight of a particur cave. Something about it drew me in the moment I id eyes on it. The scent coming from within was different from that of the ants. Intrigued, I cautiously dragged my weary body toward the area.

  “This…” I gasped in shock.

  I had stumbled upon a chamber filled with ant eggs—clearly a nursery. But what caught my attention even more was the presence of numerous creatures that I recognized as food.

  “So, this is where they store both their eggs and their prey… Maybe it's meant to feed the hatchlings once they emerge?” I murmured, confirming my suspicion.

  Most of the creatures were now rotting, their bodies covered in bite marks. When I examined the eggs, I noticed their transparent shells, revealing the wriggling forms of ant-like creatures inside.

  "Disgusting!" I scoffed.

  The sight filled me with revulsion, and I instinctively considered incinerating the entire area with my fme breath. However, I hesitated when I detected the sound of breathing. At first, I assumed it came from the ants, but I quickly dismissed the thought—ants don’t breathe like that. The sound was hoarse and bored, prompting me to take a closer look at the surrounding creatures.

  "This...!" I gasped in shock.

  Two individuals were still alive. One had a raspy, uneven breath, while the other’s was so faint I almost mistook them for dead.

  The first was a gaunt figure with tanned skin and pointed ears, their frail body suggesting they hadn’t eaten for days. They appeared paralyzed, barely moving.

  The second was—was it a woman? Their defining feature was a head of leafy, vine-like hair, and their body had begun transforming into tree bark. Clearly, they were in even worse condition, their breath so weak it seemed ready to cease at any moment.