CHAPTER 80: PENETRATING THE QUEEN...’S NEST — PART 3.

Johnquis spotted the movement instantly. He shouted. "Tanker! Protect him!"

The massive creature reacted instantly, lurching between Savier and the Queen with earthshaking speed.

CLANG—SHHNNK!

The Queen’s barbed strand shot out like a viper, only to bounce off the Tanker’s armored shoulder with a screech of metal against alloy. Sparks flew.

Johnquis moved instantly. His chain snapped forward as he shifted, body fluid in motion. With one clean, seamless strike, he whipped it hard. The chain dug deep, slicing through the shell, the humanoid figure, the limbs, and the tangle of web-veins holding her together.

CHRRRK—CRASH—SLUUURCH!

The Queen convulsed. A shriek like static tearing through a thousand radios filled the chamber. Threads snapped. Eggs burst. The air collapsed inward with a wet implosion and then...

Silence.

Just the drip of slime.

And Savier, blinking slowly. He blinked again.

His vision cleared...slow, hazy focus shifting from dream to reality.

Gone was the glowing silk bed. Gone was the tall, sultry Queen whispering sweet nothings.

In her place...

A giant slab of stone.

Cracked. Mud-caked. Pulsing slightly with tension.

The Tanker’s rocky ass.

Right in his face.

Savier stared. "...This... isn’t the dream."

The Tanker grunted and adjusted his stance.

The boulders jiggled.

Savier gagged. "OH GOD—NO!"

He scrambled back, slipping on web goo, feet skidding as he flailed away.

Johnquis glanced over his shoulder, deadpan. "You’re back."

"That thing nearly kissed me with its buttcheeks!"

"It saved your life."

"I don’t want to die, but I really didn’t want to be reborn under that."

The Tanker slowly turned his head, glaring down at him like he’d just taken it personally.

Savier held up both hands. "No offense, sir. Your glutes are majestic. Truly. But I don’t swing that geologic."

The Tanker took a step forward.

Savier yelped. "JOHNQUIS HE’S GONNA SMASH ME—LITERALLY!"

Johnquis didn’t even stop walking. "Just say thank you."

"To the wall of ass?!"

"Yes."

Savier sighed, defeated. "Thank you, mighty stone cheeks. May your tectonic thighs never crumble."

The Tanker grunted once and walked off.

Johnquis chuckled. "You just gave a blessing to an Eater’s ass. You really do love my slaves’ asses, don’t you?"

"Just your Dancer, you shit! Not that Tanker! Ughhh, I need to lie down."

"In web juice?"

"...I deserve it."

Johnquis wiped a splatter of slime from his face. "You just had your first mental attack. If I wasn’t here, you’d be dead and next time you opened your eyes, you’d be one of her spawn."

"I didn’t choose the hallucination, it chose me!" Savier protested. "And it was... vivid, okay?! Like, the soft lighting, the way her chitin glistened—"

"You moaned, Savier."

"You would too!"

Johnquis sighed. "Not me. And let’s stop right here before you do something else to complete your fantasy..."

Savier nodded, still staring at the Queen’s corpse. "...Just one more look—OW! Okay, okay!"

He yelped as Johnquis cuffed him on the head.

The Queen’s webs twitched one last time... then went still.

A soft chime rang in Johnquis’ mind as the feed system activated:

[Feed Count: +2,000]

[Feed Count: 66,000 / 70,000] – Johnquis

"Finally," Johnquis muttered. "Seven-year quest officially closed. Felt like raiding a dungeon straight outta hell."

A holographic screen flashed before both of them:

[Quest Complete]

[Difficulty: D Tier]

[Status: Duo]

Savier blinked at the message. "Wait, that’s it? It’s actually over? Damn, I was hoping for one last big fight..."

Johnquis shot him a look. "What, with her? Don’t tell me you really wanted a boss fight just to flirt with a corpse wrapped in webs."

Savier grinned sheepishly. "Hey, don’t kink-shame greatness."

Johnquis rolled his eyes.

The quest log continued scrolling:

[Quest Time]

[4 hours and 03 minutes]

[Feed Count Gain]

Johnquis:

[+15,000]

[Previous: 51,000 → Current: 66,000 (+15,000)]

Savier:

[+8,400]

[Previous: 7,200 → Current: 15,600 (+8,400)]

[Damage Taken]

[Injury: Major wounds]

"Damn..." Savier rasped, staring at the numbers. "That’s... more than double my total feed. In one quest."

He elbowed Johnquis, trying to smile through exhaustion. "You think we triggered it? The bonus condition? Kill all the high-ranks?"

Johnquis kept his eyes on the screen, his breath slow and shallow. "We better have. After all that bleeding... after all that dying..."

"C’mon..." Savier muttered, hands pressed together like a prayer. "C’mon, please... if we hit it—if we really hit it, we rank up! You and me. The goddamn dream."

Johnquis exhaled slowly. "If I rank up... I move on to the Middlelands. Finally."

There was silence.

"...And I’ll say goodbye to you."

Savier’s grin faltered. "Hey... we just found each other again. Don’t jinx us yet. We’re the best damn duo this apocalypse’s got."

"Shut up," Johnquis muttered. "I’m nervous."

The screen pulsed.

[BONUS FEED COUNT CONDITION]

- Eliminate all higher-class Eaters.

Status: [CHECKING...]

They both leaned in.

[CHECKING...]

[CHECKING...]

[CHECKING...]

Johnquis clenched his fist. Savier held his breath.

Then—

[SUCCESS!]

- Bonus feed count obtained!

Savier exploded. "YES! HOLY—HELL YES!"

He threw both fists to the sky, nearly toppling over from the sudden energy.

"Feed lottery, baby! We did it! We fucking did it!"

He jabbed a shaking finger at the screen. "I knew I smelled victory! Victory... and mold... but mostly VICTORY!"

"Told you. All the high-ranks were already dead."

Savier laughed breathlessly. "Getting impaled by that Digger was worth it!"

Johnquis winced as he shifted his weight. "So was almost getting flattened by the last boss."

They both turned to the hulking Tanker looming silently nearby, unmoving but still radiating raw menace.

Savier let out a low whistle. "Yeah... that thing’s not a monster. That’s a dungeon with legs."

The bonus feed count rolled out and was instantly added to their accumulated feed totals:

[Feed Count: +6,000]

[Feed Count: 72,000 / 70,000] – Johnquis

[Feed Count: +6,000]

[Feed Count: 21,800 / 20,000] – Savier

Savier hollered. "WOAH! 6,000 baby!!! That’s equivalent to three hot D-tier queens!"

Johnquis snorted. "You better thank me, idiot. Without me, you’d be the next Abnormal Eater skulking down here."

"Nope," Savier shot back, thumping his chest. "It’s ’cause Paula sacrificed herself for me... This is for you, my precious. All for you."

A sharp ping sliced through their laughter.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Threshold Reached