Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Chapter 1117  Encountering a Champion

Max didnʼt plan to engage them. There was no reason to waste energy fighting when the nectar wasnʼt here. He tightened his control over his invisibility skill, cloaking himself completely. The faint shimmer around his body vanished until not even a trace of mana could be felt from his position.

ʼMy invisibility skill is the best thing I have here,ʼ he thought as he quietly moved across the edge of the chamber, his footsteps making no sound. He slipped past the patrolling ants, staying close to the walls, and found another tunnel at the opposite end.

This one was different. The moment he stepped into it, he felt a faint change in the air. The tunnel was narrower, but what stood out the most was the structure itself. The walls were lined with holes, small circular burrows that extended in every direction. It was like a maze of pathways woven together underground. Each of the holes pulsed faintly, carrying the faint scent of the ants. It was their nest.

”Looks like Iʼve entered the inner tunnels,” Max whispered under his breath, his voice barely audible. He glanced at the dark burrows surrounding him.

He hesitated only for a moment before choosing one of the tunnels that branched off toward the left. He continued forward, careful not to disturb anything. The further he went, the stronger the vibrations beneath his feet became. It was as though the ground itself was alive with movement.

A few minutes passed. The only sound was the faint hum of his own breathing and the occasional drip of moisture from the ceiling. But then, from deep ahead, another noise reached his ears—a rapid clicking, sharper and more frantic than before.

Max froze. He focused his perception immediately, activating his Three Dimensional Body to scan the area ahead. Within moments, he detected several moving shapes coming toward him through the tunnel. Their speed was fast, and their movement chaotic.

The clicking grew louder.

He frowned. ”Thatʼs a lot of them,” he muttered quietly to himself. He counted quickly. More than ten, maybe even fifteen Devouring Ants were moving in his direction, the sound of their claws scraping against the stone growing closer with each second.

But something didnʼt feel right. Their pattern of movement wasnʼt focused or coordinated like before. It was frantic, almost like they were chasing something.

”Huh?” Maxʼs expression shifted slightly. ”Theyʼre not coming after me… theyʼre chasing someone.”

He sharpened his senses further and peered through his Three Dimensional Bodyʼs perception field. The faint outline of a figure appeared within his mindʼs vision. It was humanoid, small compared to the towering ants, and it was running at full speed through the tunnel—straight toward him.

A human.

Maxʼs eyes narrowed. ”Another genius,” he murmured. He hadnʼt expected to see another participant from a different village so soon. The figureʼs mana signature flickered weakly, suggesting they were either exhausted or injured.

The swarm of Devouring Ants followed close behind, their collective presence like a dark wave rushing forward. The sound of their mandibles clattering together filled the tunnel like a storm of knives.

Max stood still, his invisible figure blending seamlessly with the shadows. His calm eyes watched the scene unfold from the distance, waiting for the right moment to decide what to do. The genius was closing in fast, desperation clear in their movements.

”Looks like things are about to get interesting,” he whispered quietly, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.

Max remained perfectly still as the faint image of the running genius drew closer through his Three Dimensional Bodyʼs perception field. The humanʼs breathing was ragged and uneven, the sound of it carrying faintly through the narrow stone corridor.

The swarm of Devouring Ants behind them moved like a flood of darkness. Their black bodies glistened in the dim light, and the clicking of their mandibles was deafening now. Each sound echoed violently off the tunnel walls, filling the air with the rhythm of imminent death.

Max didnʼt move. He watched quietly from his concealed position, the faint shimmer of his invisibility flickering almost imperceptibly. His calm expression didnʼt waver, even as the other human stumbled closer. He could see the panic in the personʼs eyes as they turned their head slightly, searching for any way out. There was none.

ʼYou really shouldnʼt have come this deep,ʼ Max thought silently. His mind was cold and calculating, not cruel, but focused entirely on the task ahead. He knew what he needed—the Holy Nectar. Everything else was secondary.

The human passed by him, completely unaware of his presence. They were only a few steps away when the first of the ants lunged forward. The swarm erupted into movement. The sound of chitin grinding against stone filled the tunnel. Screams followed, short and sharp, echoing once before being cut off by the sickening crunch of mandibles closing in.

Max didnʼt flinch. His eyes stayed locked on the scene through his perception. The ants tore into the unfortunate genius with feral hunger. Their bodies piled up over one another, completely hiding the human from view within seconds.

Dust and fragments of stone fell from the ceiling as the tunnel shook under the chaos. The swarm hissed and screeched in triumph, devouring everything before heading towards the direction Max had came from.

Max waited a few moments longer until the sounds began to fade. Only then did he move. His figure shimmered faintly before reappearing in the darkness, his expression composed, his mind already analyzing what he had seen.

”That worked out perfectly,” he murmured quietly. The swarm was gone, completely distracted by their new prey. It was ruthless, but it was effective. He knew that fighting fifteen Devouring Ants head-on would be a waste of energy, and helping someone who was already as good as dead would have only put him at risk.

He glanced once more in the direction the human had been taken, then turned his gaze to where the swarm had come from. His instincts told him that the ants had been protecting something—possibly another source of the Holy Nectar. They wouldnʼt have gathered in such large numbers otherwise.

Without hesitation, Max cloaked himself again, his form fading into invisibility.