When the last glistening carapace lay shattered on the sand, Noah sank to his knees, his chest heaving. Fighting the Wolf Ants was difficult than predicted but he would prevail. It would not be fun otherwise.

    "Only 93 more to go," he muttered through gritted teeth, determination burning brightly in his eyes.

    {+Experience 28%}

    Noah was suddenly alerted with a notification, revealing the amount of experience he had gained from eliminating seven Wolf Ants. With a quick calculation, he realized that under normal circumstances, he would have earned a mere 2% Experience points for each kill. However, thanks to the Exp Booster, that amount had doubled. If he managed to slay 25 Wolf Ants, he would level up.

    And if he were to fulfill the mission''s requirement of killing 100 Wolf Ants, he would level up four times. Taking into account the additional four levels on top of his current level, Noah would reach LV 30. This achievement brought him closer to the next rank, although it would be quite challenging to attain it before the Survival Test ended.

    Nevertheless, Noah was determined to give it his all and strive towards reaching that coveted rank.

    Suddenly, four more Wolf Ants appeared. Noah was about to kill them.

    That''s when it happened.

    Kieeek!

    Suddenly, one of the Wolf Ants emitted a bizarre high-frequency sound.

    It seemed as if it was screaming in terror, just as fearful as Noah.

    "Noisy!"

    Noah launched the a dagger at the head of the Wolf Ant emitting the high-frequency sound.

    The dagger whistled through the air like a bullet and arrived before the Wolf Ant.

    Boom!

    The Wolf Ant''s head shattered into pieces.

    Now, only three Wolf Ants remained.

    Noah thought he had to finish this quickly and find the Ants hill.

    That''s when the unexpected occurred.

    Tsss!

    Suddenly, Noah sensed numerous creatures approaching.

    "What...?"

    Startled, before he could react, the Wolf Ants thrust their heads out through the sand.

    Their numbers exceeded a fifteen.

    "Insane!"

    Noah was astonished by the unimaginable numbers.

    Only now did Noah realize that the high-frequency sound the Wolf Ants released earlier was a call out to its comrades.

    The Wolf Ants closed in on him, completely surrounding him.

    Expending the majority of his remaining mana, he summoned the Night of Death, cloaking his adversaries in an abyssal darkness. Utilizing his Wind Boots and lightning-fast speed, he inflicted wounds upon the Wolf Ants, leaving them stunned and disoriented. The sequence of events unfolded in a whirlwind of chaos.

    Noah swiftly dispelled the Night of Death, allowing the desert to regain its luminosity. Before the Wolf Ants could retaliate, Noah unleashed a skill he had meticulously prepared in advance.

    "Behold, the power of Blood Flowers!"

    With a resounding boom, the heads of the Wolf Ants erupted in a macabre display, one after another.

    {+ 96 Experience}

    Noah felt despair, he was still missing one more kill to level up. However, life didn''t always go as one hope. Noah could only sigh profoundly fatigued, yearning for respite. Yet, he questioned the plausibility of things being so effortlessly attainable.

    That''s when it happened.

    Shhh!

    The sound of sand sliding down echoed through the air.

    Noah raised his head, his eyes filled with despair.

    "Oh, no!"

    As he dug through the sand, a colossal Wolf Ant emerged.

    But this one was different from the others, much larger in size.

    Its metallic shell had a faint reddish glow, making it even more extraordinary.

    In that moment, its true identity became clear.

    "Is... that the Queen?"

    Swallowing hard, Noah watched as the Queen finally revealed herself, after all her subordinates had perished.

    More Wolf Ants surrounded her.

    They were the Soldier Wolf Ants.

    Twice the size of the regular Wolf Ants, with jaws that had three times the strength. Once caught in their grip, there was no escape.

    For every Queen Wolf Ant, there were twenty soldier ants.

    Though they were fewer in number compared to the Wolf Ants Noah had defeated, their threat level was much higher.

    The Queen Wolf Ant approached him, flanked by her soldiers.

    Her eyes, like minerals, burned with a fierce rage, aimed directly at Noah.

    Her rage must have been immense for the Queen to break taboo and venture this far.

    Although the Queen Wolf Ant was only ranked as a C, her danger level was at least a B, considering her ability to crush countless Wolf Ants beneath her feet.

    Kieeek!

    The Queen screeched, and the Soldier Wolf Ants closed in on Noah.