The three bug-creatures lunged out of the shadows.

Clicking mandibles.

Hairy legs.

Shiny carapaces.

The skittering of nightmare fuel.

Alicia froze.

"…b…bugs?"

Then—

She SCREAMED.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Fire exploded out of her staff in a massive wave.

BOOOOOM!!!

The entire tunnel lit up like she had detonated a small sun.

Chitin and legs flew in every direction.

The walls scorched black.

Even dust particles evaporated.

And Alicia—

in full breakdown mode—

was flailing her staff wildly like a chainsaw made of magic.

"DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!"

Explosions. Flames. Thunder mana sizzling. Wind pressure surging.

I ducked behind a rock as molten bug-goo rained around me.

"HEY—! CONTROL YOUR OUTPUT!!"

"I CAN'T!!! I DON'T WANNA SEE THEM!!! I DON'T WANNA TOUCH THEM!!! I DON'T WANNA BE NEAR THEM!!! BURN!!!"

A massive plume of fire engulfed another section of the cave.

CRAAAAASH!

The dungeon ceiling cracked.

I stared at her.

This girl was who was claiming not to be scared of demons or monsters was afraid of bugs—

—the moment she saw something with six legs and antennae?

She turned into an apocalyptic disaster-bringer.

I cautiously peeked out.

She was still shrieking.

"DON'T CRAWL ON ME!! DON'T CRAWL ON ME!!!"

She blasted a lone bug the size of a pebble.

With a nuclear-level fireball.

It disintegrated with the kind of overkill usually reserved for godslaying.

"Alicia!! Those small ones don't even attack!!"

"I DON'T CARE!! THEY LOOK LIKE THEY WANT TO!!!"

Her fire magic didn't just reach Level 5—

It was on the verge of leveling the entire subterranean structure.

I held up my hands, trying to calm her.

"ELIMINATE! INCINERATE! VAPORIZE! PURGE!!"

"…Okay, let it all out."

I take everything back.

Combat training was unnecessary.

Alicia didn't need to learn to fight.

She just needed to be shown a bug

and she automatically turned into a weapon of mass destruction.

Finally—

After enough explosions to make the dungeon's ecology extinct—

Alicia collapsed to her knees, trembling.

I approached cautiously.

Her eyes were glossy, voice weak:

"I… hate bugs…"

I sighed and patted her head.

"I know."

She looked up, still shaking.

"Master… do… do we have to go deeper…?"

I glanced at the tunnel ahead.

More skittering sounds echoed.

"…Yes."

She stared at me.

Dead-eyed.

And whispered like a martyr:

"I don't get paid enough for this."

****

The echoes from Alicia's magical meltdown had barely faded when—

THUD.

The entire dungeon floor vibrated.

Alicia froze mid-whimper.

"…Master?"

I straightened, grip tightening on my rapier.

That was no tiny bug.

That was—

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Something massive was coming.

The skittering of a thousand legs.

The grinding of a huge carapace scraping against stone.

I slowly exhaled.

"…A mini-boss."

Alicia blanched.

"No… no… please don't be a giant bug… please don't be a giant bug—"

The darkness ahead split open—

and out crawled a monster larger than a carriage.

A titanic centipede-like beast with a segmented body, glowing green eyes, dripping mandibles, and dozens upon dozens of slicing legs.

[Dungeon Mini-Boss: Corrupted Broodmother]

Rank: E+

Type: Arthropod / Poison

Threat: Moderate (except to people with bug phobia — then EXTREME)

Alicia took one look—

—and FLIPPED.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

She scrambled behind me, clutching my cloak.

"MASTER KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT KILL IT—!!!"

"I thought you were supposed to be training—!!"

"I WOULD RATHER FIGHT A DRAGON!!! JUST NOT THAT!!!"

The Broodmother emitted a screech—

—vibrating the cave walls.

SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!!!

Alicia shrieked back—

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!"

Meanwhile, I inhaled.

I couldn't use my rifle here. Not while Alicia was near meltdown.

So instead—

"[Haste]."

Mana surged through my legs.

My body blurred and accelerated — reactions boosted.

My movement doubled.

The Broodmother lunged forward—

I vanished from its sight.

SHING!

I struck, rapier piercing its lower thorax.

It screeched.

Flipped.

Thrashed.

"Alicia!! Fire magic at the middle segment! Avoid the head!" I shouted.

She peeked from behind me.

Saw 300 legs.

And fainted.

Just collapsed like a dead fish.

"......"

I stood there.

The Broodmother reared.

I stared at Alicia's unconscious body.

"…I guess it's just me then."

*****

The beast charged.

I used [Haste] again—

darted under it—

slashed tendon-like legs—

dodged poison spray—

and drove the rapier into its core.

The Broodmother let out a final, earth-shaking scream—

CRRRRRAAAAKKKKK—!!!

—and collapsed.

Dead.

I lowered my blade, panting.

"Well. That was fun."

Alicia stirred, bleary-eyed.

"…Is it over…?"

"Yes."

"…Is it dead…?"

"Yes."

"…Did I help…?"

"No."

She fell silent.

Then shoved her face into my chest and let out a muffled wail:

"I HATE DUNGEONS WITH BUGS!!!"

I patted her head gently.

"And that is why we train."

She sniffled.

"I'm never going anywhere near dungeons with bugs."

I nodded.

"Agreed."

She blinked.

"Huh?"

"We're going to a worse one next time."

She screamed.

[Outside the Dungeon – Exit Gate]

Alicia stumbled out of the dungeon like a dying soldier crawling away from the battlefield.

Her cloak was scorched.

Her hair had blasts of static.

Her eyes were hollow.

She dropped to her knees dramatically.

"Earth… beautiful earth… solid, blessed, bug-free ground…"

She kissed the dirt.

I eyed her.

"…Are you done?"

She kept kissing the earth.

"No."

I sighed and dragged her upright by the collar.

Some hunters nearby had seen her "grand exit."

One of them blinked.

"W-Wait… isn't that Cadet Alicia Flameweaver? The fire genius?"

Another whispered,

"She looks… traumatized."

Alicia's head snapped up.

"I AM NOT TRAUMATIZED!!!"

She screeched at them.

They recoiled.

"W-We're sorry—!!"

Alicia then pointed at the dungeon and yelled:

"THAT PLACE IS CURSED BY THE GOD OF CRAWLING HORRORS!! I SWEAR I FOUGHT A MONSTER WITH A THOUSAND LEGS AND TEETH AND—AND—"

I cut in smoothly.

"She got scared by harmless beetles."

Alicia turned to me with betrayal in her eyes.

"MASTER!! DO NOT EMBARRASS ME!!!"

"Do not traumatize yourself," I corrected.

She puffed up.

"I am not traumatized!!"

Alicia tugged on my sleeve.

"Next time I am not going to accompany you anywhere unless you give all the information about it."

"Don't worry."

"If I knew you were afraid of bugs this much, I would have not considered you bringing here myself."

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