(Arin's POV)
If hell possessed a signature scent, I was certain it would not be sulfur or the fire roasting sinners' flesh. Hell would surely smell like whatever we were currently brewing on this rusty operating table.
"Add the sulfur, Arin! Quickly! Before the gland dries out and loses its magical potential!" exclaimed Ghislain with eyes gleaming crazily, hopping lightly in place.
My right hand, wrapped in a thick leather glove, poured yellow sulfur powder into a mortar bowl made of black granite. Inside the bowl lay the Acid Ant Queen's gland that had been preserved for a decade. The lump of flesh was deep purple, slimy, and pulsed slowly as if it were still alive.
The moment the sulfur touched the gland's mucus, a magical chemical reaction occurred. Thin yellowish smoke billowed up, carrying with it a smell that was... indescribable in human words.
It felt like smelling rotten eggs soaked in ammonia, mixed with stale vinegar, added with wet socks, and left to rot under the scorching sun for a full month. The smell was so sharp, dense, and offensive that it felt like my nose hairs were falling out one by one.
"Blaargh!"
The sound of vomiting rang out loudly from the corner of the room.
Instructor Karim, a former Royal Knight who had sliced open Orc bellies without blinking, was now kneeling helplessly on the floor clutching his stomach. His face was green, greener than the Goblins he hated. He had just vomited his dinner for the second time in ten minutes.
"By my ancestors..." moaned Karim, wiping his mouth with a trembling hand. "What kind of weapon is this? This is a violation of the War Convention!"
On the other side of the room, Doctor Edna stood pressed against the farthest wall, trying to merge with the paint. She was not just wearing a surgical mask. She wore two layers of thick cloth masks soaked in peppermint oil, then wrapped a scarf around her face until only her eyes were visible. Even then, her eyes were watering severely.
"You two are mentally ill," Edna's voice sounded muffled and nasal. "I am a surgeon and used to the smell of ruptured intestines. But this? This is an insult to the olfactory sense! Arin, you said this is perfume? This looks more like a biological weapon!"
"Technically, this is high-concentration pheromone, Doc," I answered casually, though I myself was holding my breath as much as possible until my lungs hurt. "To us, it smells rotten. But to the Acid Ants in the forest out there? This is an irresistible signal of war."
Ghislain laughed shrilly, "Kee hee hee! Correct! This is the scent of 'Invasion'! A scent that screams: 'A foreign Queen is in your territory and she wants to seize the throne!' Nothing triggers ant colony aggression faster than this!"
The old mage snatched the pestle from my hand. With surprising strength for a person his age, he ground the mixture with vigor.
Grind... grind...
Thick purple liquid began to seep out, mixing with the sulfur powder into a disgusting paste like poisonous porridge.
"Now, the bottle!" ordered Ghislain. "Quick, before the fumes run out!"
I handed him a prepared thick glass jar. Ghislain poured the paste into it carefully. Not a single drop was allowed to spill on our clothes, or we would be the ones attacked by ants later and eaten alive.
"And the final touch..." Ghislain took a small bottle containing clear liquid from his stain-covered robe pocket. "Screaming Mandragora Root extract. This will strengthen the aroma's volatility so it spreads quickly in the air."
He dripped the liquid in.
Hiss!
The mixture inside the jar hissed angrily and churned, changing color from purple to glowing blood red. The steam coming out now looked heavier, creeping over the lip of the jar as if alive and seeking an exit.
Ghislain immediately closed the jar with a cork stopper coated in sealing wax, then layered it again with thick cloth tied with iron wire.
"Done!" exclaimed Ghislain proudly, lifting the jar high like a victory trophy. "The Queen's Rage Diversion Perfume. This is a masterpiece!"
Karim stood up with difficulty, holding onto the table. His face was still deathly pale. He stared at the jar with pure horror.
"And... you want me to carry that cursed object?" asked Karim weakly.
"You are the fastest runner among us, Instructor," I said while patting his broad shoulder, giving him false encouragement. "You have to take it to the east side, upwind, then throw it with all your might so it breaks on a rock. After that, run as fast as you can before the wind carries the smell back to you. Just consider it cardio training."
Karim looked at me, then looked at Ghislain, then stared at the jar with a hateful gaze. He sighed deeply, resigned to his fate which was drifting further and further from knightly glory.
"Damn it. Okay, fine," he grumbled while picking up the jar with two fingers, keeping it as far away from his body as possible. "But after this is over, Arin, you have to increase my share in this company. I do not want to do this for pennies."
"Deal. Your shares go up one percent. Let's move. The sun will rise soon, and the plants will close their pouches if the day becomes bright. We have to do it while it is still dark."
(Academy Northern Sector Forest - One Hour Later)
We returned to that green hell.
This time, we did not walk side by side. We divided the tasks.
Ghislain, Edna, and I hid behind lush bushes about fifty meters west of the Titan Pitcher Plant cluster. Our position was downwind, ensuring our body scent was not detected by the guard ants.
Through the gaps in the leaves, I could see them.
The giant plants were still there, towering three meters high, swaying gently in silence. Beneath them, the ground looked jet black because it was covered by thousands of patrolling Acid Ants. They were on full alert after our previous disturbance. Their antennae moved wildly, their jaws clashing click-click in a threatening rhythm.
"They became so alert," whispered Edna, her eyes narrowing behind protective goggles. She was still wearing double masks. "Look at their numbers. More than before, maybe thousands. They brought out reserve troops from underground."
"That means the inner nest defense is empty," commented Ghislain, his eyes on his face and back blinking alternately observing the ant movement pattern. "The nest becomes vulnerable. That is the perfect condition."
"Where is Karim?" I asked, scanning the opposite side of the forest.
Silence for a moment. Only the sound of wind and insects.
Then, in the distance, on the eastern side of the valley about a hundred meters from the plant position, I saw a shadow moving fast among the trees.
It was Karim. He moved agilely despite wearing heavy armor, which he had fortunately cleaned of acid residue earlier. He climbed a large protruding rock, providing a strategic vantage point.
In his hand, he held the "perfume" jar.
I held my breath. "Now, Karim. Do it! Do not miss!"
As if hearing my mental command, Karim took a stance. His arm muscles, trained as a spear thrower, tensed. He spun, using all his body momentum, and threw the jar.
The object flew through the air, forming a beautiful parabolic trajectory under the dim moonlight.
The jar landed right on a flat rock at the edge of the ant patrol territory, on the far east side.
CRASH!
The sound of breaking glass cut sharply through the silence of the night forest.
Instantly, the red liquid inside exploded out, evaporating into a thick pink mist. The night wind blowing from the east snatched the mist, carrying it directly toward the swarm of ants.
The reaction was instant and terrifying.
Thousands of ants that had been patrolling in regular patterns suddenly stopped in unison. Their antennae vibrated violently.
CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK!
Detecting danger signals, the sound of their jaws turned into a deafening cacophony of noise.
Foreign Queen Pheromone had been detected. To ants, this was not just a bad smell, but a declaration of total war. This was a signal that an enemy colony was invading their territory to kill their Queen and steal her eggs.
"Look!" whispered Ghislain enthusiastically, his hand squeezing my shoulder. "Instinct takes over the entire colony! Their hive communication logic really works! They are furious!"
The ants went crazy. They ran around crashing into each other, then like a flood pulled by gravity, thousands of ants turned around. They abandoned their master plants. The ant army ran in unison toward the source of the smell in the east, jaws open, acid dripping ready to be sprayed.
They stormed the rock where the jar broke, looking for an enemy that did not exist.
"It worked..." hissed Edna in amazement. "They really left."
In less than two minutes, the area around the Titan Pitcher plants became silent. The ground that had been black with ants now looked muddy again. Only a few confused small worker ants remained, but the main force had gone to war against ghosts.
"Now!" I ordered. "Before they realize it is just a trick! We have five minutes!"
The three of us jumped out of hiding, then ran across the wet mud toward the cluster of giant plants. The fifty-meter distance felt very far with mud sucking at our feet.
When we approached within a ten-meter radius, the plants realized our presence. Without guard ants, they had to defend themselves.
SWISH!
Roots protruding from the ground moved like pythons, trying to snare our legs. Leaf tentacles from above slashed down like whips.
"Look out!" I shouted.
I slid on the ground, dodging a root slash aiming for my neck. I rolled my body to the side, then got back up.
"Do not hurt it!" shouted Ghislain hysterically as I drew my dagger. "Do not cut the roots! That is its nervous system! If damaged, it dies!"
"Then what should I do?! Hug it?!" I shouted back while jumping to avoid a leaf tentacle trying to swallow me whole. "It wants to eat me!"
"Distract it! I need time to cast!"
The situation became chaotic. These plants were far more aggressive than we expected. They were not passive flora, but active hungry predators.
One of the largest and fattest plants swung its pouch toward Edna. Its mouth opened wide, ready to spray stomach acid.
"KYAAA!" Edna screamed, freezing in place.
"Damn it!"
I lunged in front of Edna, tackling her until we both fell into the mud.
HISS!
Acid fluid splattered where Edna had stood earlier, hissing as it ate the soil.
"Arin! Behind you!"
A leaf tentacle wrapped around my leg tightly. The plant pulled me, dragging me closer to its gaping pouch mouth. I could smell the sweet intoxicating nectar and the rotting smell of digestion leftovers inside.
"Let me go, Rotten Salad!"
I restrained myself from cutting the tentacle.
"Professor! Do it now or I will become fertilizer!" I shouted while gripping another tree root to resist the pull.
Ghislain stood in the middle of the chaos calmly, as if he were in the eye of a storm that could not touch him. His eyes were closed, his magic staff raised high. His lips chanted a spell in an ancient language that sounded like snake hisses.
Emerald green mana gathered at the tip of his staff. Not destructive fire magic, not cutting wind magic.
This was nature magic.
Fifth Circle Magic: Nature's Bind Dormancy!
Ghislain slammed his staff into the muddy ground.
DOOM.
A green shockwave spread from the impact point, traveling fast through the ground, spreading to the roots of the wild plants.
The plant pulling my leg suddenly stiffened. Its aggressive vibration stopped. The tentacle wrapping my leg slowly loosened, losing its power.
The hungrily gaping pouch mouths slowly drooped limply, as if they had just been totally sedated. Their lid leaves lowered halfway, in a relaxed position.
The entire plant cluster "fell asleep."
I released my leg from the leaf coil which was now limp, panting heavily.
"Amazing..." I mumbled, rising to stand while cleaning mud from my clothes. "Biological binding magic. You shut down its motor system without damaging its cells."
"Of course," answered Ghislain arrogantly, though sweat poured down his forehead. "I cut the bio-electric signals from the roots. They are now totally paralyzed for an hour. But hurry! This magic needs high concentration. I cannot hold it forever!"
I nodded. "Edna, prepare the injection!"
Edna, who was still trembling from nearly being eaten, immediately opened her medical case. She took out a giant syringe containing yellowish clear liquid. A liquid made from a mixture of plant anesthetic I concocted and immune suppressant serum made by Edna.
We approached the largest plant in the center of the cluster.
Now, up close, this plant looked... magnificent. Its pouch was transparent, chest-high on an adult, its cell walls thick and sturdy. Inside, natural acid fluid swayed gently.
"This is it," I whispered, placing a hand on the cold and slippery pouch surface. "Our fermentation tank."
"Arin," called Edna, handing the syringe to me. "Inject it into the base of the main stem, right above the roots. That is its main xylem path. This fluid will spread to all tissues, permanently killing the acid glands and neutralizing the cell walls."
I took the syringe. The needle was long and thick, designed to penetrate bark.
"Ghislain, hold your spell. If it wakes up while I inject, it will explode from shock," I warned.
"Just do it, Kid!" growled Ghislain, his hands trembling holding the staff.
I knelt in front of the plant's stem base. The skin was hard and green-scaled. Searching for a soft spot between the stem grooves.
Here.
I stabbed the needle in.
Crunch.
The needle penetrated the outer skin. The plant twitched slightly, a subconscious reflex, but Ghislain's magic held it still.
I pressed the syringe piston. The anesthetic fluid entered slowly into the plant's circulatory system.
Seconds passed.
The liquid inside the plant pouch began to change. Small bubbles appeared. The murky green color of stomach acid slowly faded, its aggressive particles neutralized by Edna's serum. The pouch walls that were previously tense now became more elastic yet sturdy.
The plant hissed as if sighing a long breath, then went completely silent. It was no longer a predator but an empty vessel. An organic container waiting to be filled with a new purpose.
"It worked," hissed Edna, checking the fluid color change with her magic tool. "The pH is up and the acid is neutral. Now, it is ready to be a mushroom incubator."
I stood up, staring at the giant pouch that was now wide open and passive. Moonlight shone on it, making it look like beautiful organic crystal glass.
I took out a cooler box from my bag. Inside, the Penicillium mushroom starter I had prepared was stored. The mushroom that would change the world.
"Karim!" I shouted toward the eastern forest, though I knew he couldn't hear me yet. "Come back! We need a bodyguard!"
I turned to Ghislain who started lowering his staff, and Edna who had prepared surgical tools to install the Slime filter.
"Prepare the patient," I said, holding a scalpel in one hand and the mushroom starter in the other. I couldn't hold back a wide smile. "The future transplant operation... starts now."