Ch.26Chapter 26 – The Mine (3)

“… to think he’d self-destruct.”

Haven spoke with disbelief.

Everyone approached the spot where the man had self-destructed as if in a trance. The ground around it was scorched, and the gem from earlier was shattered.

“Ah… the research material…”

I heard Seraphina lamenting the loss.

And at the spot where the man had been, there was a shining metallic object.

“This is…”

A half-broken symbol had fallen to the ground.

As I picked it up without thinking, Haven spoke.

“So he was an Emiris follower.”

When I heard Haven’s words, my grip unconsciously tightened.

‘Taking me away, he said.’

Could it be that they discovered I was here?

My mind was in turmoil.

I unconsciously squeezed the symbol until it broke.

“Mr. Kay?”

Seraphina approached me.

“Are you hurt somewhere? You don’t look well…”

She spoke with concern in her voice.

‘I should calm down first.’

As I felt myself becoming more composed, I was about to say I was fine when—

-Rumble rumble rumble

The ground was shaking.

‘Ah, damn it.’

A curse escaped me before I realized it.

‘Of all times…’

Thinking it might be another Rock Turtle, the group calmly prepared.

But the shaking was quite intense.

I immediately thought this was no ordinary creature.

“This couldn’t be a big one, could it?”

Ravi spoke nervously.

Everyone tensed up and lowered their bodies.

Soon, a giant centipede emerged, breaking through the ground.

“Damn, it’s a Centipede!”

The giant centipede coiled itself.

Looking at its face, it resembled a snake with three eyes and massive fangs.

Most of its body was like a centipede, but with that face, it was incredibly unsettling.

‘Well, I guess it needs a face like that to dig through the earth and move around’

While thinking this, I quickly moved in front of Seraphina to face the creature.

“Damn, a big one here of all places!”

“Ah, I had a bad feeling about today…”

Ravi and the others couldn’t hide their agitation and kept talking.

It was making me lose focus as well.

“Stay calm.”

Haven said to his party members.

“If we fight with proper formation and composure, we can win.”

At his calm words, everyone settled down.

They all calmly drew their weapons, ready to fight the centipede monster.

“Alright, let’s go—”

Just as Haven was about to give the command and everyone was forming up to fight, the ground shook again.

“What, again?!”

With Ravi’s voice, the ground around them began to writhe.

Immediately, Rock Turtles and other monsters appeared.

‘Was it because of the explosion earlier?’

The scale itself wasn’t large, but perhaps it was enough noise and impact to attract monsters.

The monsters seemed agitated, showing signs of abnormal behavior.

But the real problem lay elsewhere.

‘They had to appear right between our formations!’

The issue was that our group had been split into three.

We were trying to form up to fight when monsters suddenly appeared between us—how could we have anticipated that? But the broken formation was quite troublesome.

It became difficult to fight in coordination.

First, I stood in front of Seraphina, who was right beside me, facing off against the monsters.

“Damn it, Mr. Kay, Miss Seraphina! Be careful!”

An urgent shout.

Soon, the sounds of weapons clashing began as they engaged the monsters.

‘Today is really not going well.’

I struck down several monsters, and Seraphina began supporting me by firing Magic Missiles.

A chaotic battle ensued.

-Kak kak!

Amidst the confusion, I turned my head at the ominous sound.

“Oh shit.”

Whether it was targeting me or not, the giant centipede was staring at me, clacking its fangs together.

I wanted to complain—why me, of all people?

“KWEEEEEK!”

The centipede charged with its massive scythe-like fangs spread wide.

However, due to its size, it was slower than I expected.

‘Maybe I could grab it…’

Just as I was tensing my body to grab the fangs—

“Its fangs are poisonous!”

“Tell me that sooner!”

At Haven’s urgent shout from a distance, I quickly rolled backward.

I nearly lost my life doing something foolish.

I felt the creature pass just above my head as I got up and raised my mace.

Meanwhile, the beast smashed through a wall, scattering rocks everywhere.

“Hah…”

As expected of its size, it had monstrous strength.

I carefully examined the creature as it emerged through the wall, extending its head toward me in a threatening manner.

‘A knife won’t just cut through that carapace.’

It might penetrate between the segments, but the enemy wouldn’t stay still.

Unless someone created an opening, there wouldn’t be a chance to stab my sword in.

‘And those fangs are poisonous too.’

Even without poison, they’re plenty sharp.

They also look incredibly heavy, so being struck by them would be quite threatening.

I quickly check to the side.

“Damn, these things are going berserk!”

I’m not sure whose voice it was, but they sounded overwhelmed.

The monsters seem to have either been frightened by the centipede’s charge or lost their minds, as they’re rampaging more than usual.

“KIEEEEEK!!”

And the Centipede prepared to charge again.

I tensed my legs to dodge once more.

“Magic Missile!”

A glowing orb flew and exploded on the Centipede’s face.

“I-I thought Magic Missile might work on its eyes or inside its mouth?”

Seraphina took her stance.

Her voice trembled slightly, but she didn’t seem to be thinking of running away.

The centipede raised its head again from the explosion, its carapace slightly charred.

“…Hang in there.”

“You too, Mr. Kay.”

Seraphina took a step back, and I stepped forward.

The battle with the giant centipede began.

+

“KIEEEEEK!”

The giant centipede charged with its massive body.

I narrowly avoided it and dodged the scythe-like fangs as it turned its body.

Suppressing the fear from the sound of air being sliced, I clung to it and struck with my mace.

Continuing this exchange of attacks and defenses, I once blocked its fangs with my mace.

-THUD!

“Ugh!”

The impact and sound that traveled through my arm were tremendous.

My arm felt numb.

Barely managing not to drop my weapon, I stepped back slightly and regained my stance.

‘This is definitely no joke…!’

Whatever those fangs were made of, they didn’t even show signs of cracking when they collided with my iron-like mace.

‘I shouldn’t try to block those head-on.’

Due to the weight difference, deflecting the Centipede’s attacks with just my strength wasn’t easy.

I had no choice but to dodge as much as possible.

I avoided the next swing of its fangs and struck its body hard with my mace, delivering a solid impact.

And occasionally, glowing orbs flew in to attack the Centipede.

-BOOM!

“KIEEEK!”

When Seraphina’s Magic Missile hit, the Centipede seemed to retreat slightly.

Seraphina’s Magic Missiles didn’t have decisive power.

But her attacks hit the Centipede’s body precisely, distracting its attention.

Then the creature, which had been targeting me, would look at Seraphina with annoyance, exposing a vulnerability.

-WHACK!

And I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to strike it with my mace.

I took the lead in dodging and blocking attacks, while Seraphina’s attacks confused the creature.

When it showed an opening, I struck to deal damage.

It seemed not particularly intelligent, as it continued to target me despite my narrow escapes.

Thanks to that, Seraphina remained untouched by its attacks, and her support consistently disrupted the Centipede’s focus.

‘We can win.’

Although I occasionally faced dangerous attacks, the creature couldn’t properly respond to our basic coordination, and the advantage was gradually shifting to our side.

‘We can win.’

Haven’s group also seemed to be fighting well, as the sounds of clashing weapons continued, and monsters could be seen falling.

The Centipede was manageable even with just Seraphina and me.

If the others joined us, we would definitely win.

Just as I thought that, I paid the price for my complacency.

The Centipede turned its eyes away from me and began looking at Seraphina.

Then it suddenly burrowed into the ground.

The sound was moving toward Seraphina.

“Where did it go?”

I heard Seraphina’s confused voice.

I quickly ran toward her.

The sound continued toward the wall next to Seraphina.

-CRASH!

“KIEEEEEK!!!”

The creature burst through the wall.

I quickly lunged forward, pushing Seraphina aside as I fell to the ground.

The creature’s massive body passed right above my head.

“Th-thank you.”

I had no time to acknowledge Seraphina’s thanks as I immediately looked toward the Centipede.

‘…Damn it.’

When I got up, I saw the creature burrowing into the wall again.

Rocks scattered everywhere, and dust rose slightly.

“Huff, *cough*!”

I coughed from the dust.

With visibility reduced, I relied on sound to locate the creature.

The sound began circling around us.

“That Centipede seems more ferocious than usual!”

Having finally defeated the other monsters, Haven came running with his shield.

Breathing heavily from exhaustion, he stood beside me.

Soon, the other party members arrived as well.

Everyone stood back-to-back, preparing for the Centipede’s attack.

“Stay calm.”

Haven said, as if speaking to himself.

“Strike as soon as it shows its head.”

Everyone tensed up and focused on the sound.

But the creature that had gone underground wasn’t coming back out.

“……”

Tension filled the air.

“Leader, what are the chances it ran away?”

“I don’t know.”

Exhaling slightly from fatigue, Haven and his party member exchanged words.

“I’ve never heard of them fighting by burrowing into the ground like this.”

Everyone could be seen gripping their weapons tensely.

In this situation, the Centipede held the initiative.

One wrong move could be fatal.

I tensed my body and focused on my surroundings.

Was it waiting for the right moment to strike?

The sound of movement underground grew louder.

Then it faded again.

After this pattern repeated several times and everyone was starting to tire—

The sound stopped.

‘…Did it leave?’

It was a thought tinged with a small hope.

And then the sound suddenly grew louder.

“Jump!”

As soon as I shouted, everyone quickly scattered and ran.

Soon, the Centipede burst through the floor where we had been standing.

“Kyaah?!”

“KIEEEEEK!!”

Dust rose again, obscuring our vision.

I tried to observe the creature through the haze.

And I saw someone lying prone in front of it.

“Ow ow ow…”

Had she fallen when it emerged?

Seraphina was lying down, unable to move.

‘Why is she lying there?’

I stood dumbfounded for a moment, staring at Seraphina.

“What is that?”

The words escaped me in disbelief.

For some reason, a small Rock Turtle, like a baby, was flipped over at her feet.

It seemed to have gotten caught on Seraphina’s foot as it emerged.

‘Why now of all times…’

Such ridiculous bad luck was one thing, but there was a bigger problem.

The Centipede had turned its attention to her.

“Grrrrrr”

Its blade-like fangs spread open.

The creature’s head turned toward Seraphina.

At this rate, it would lunge right over Seraphina’s head.

She couldn’t dodge this time.

She would die if left alone.

Should I just let her die?

“YOU DAMN BEAST!!!!”

I raised my mace high and hurled it at the Centipede.

The mace flew toward the Centipede with a terrifying sound.

-CRACK!

“KWEEEEEEEK?!!!”

The creature screamed as the mace struck its head just as it was about to lunge at Seraphina.

While it thrashed in pain, Seraphina got up.

“…Eek!”

Soon, light gathered in Seraphina’s staff.

A ball of light flew toward the face of the writhing creature.

-BOOM!

“KWEEEEEK!!!!”

Seraphina’s Magic Missile hit its eye precisely.

It seemed to have burned the creature’s eyeball, as smoke rose slightly.

And blood began to spurt from the monster’s eye.

“KIAAAAAAAAAAK!!!”

With its facial carapace cracked and an eye lost, the Centipede began to twist its body wildly.

“Kyaah!”

Seraphina, who was nearby, screamed and lowered her body before starting to run, and I saw Ravi, who had somehow arrived, grab her and take her to a safer place.

“Damn! It’s thrashing its whole body!”

Ravi shouted as he barely avoided the tail that was swung while trying to get Seraphina out.

Afterward, the two managed to dodge somehow, but they faced several close calls.

I drew my sword as I watched Haven approaching them with his shield.

‘This is the only chance.’

I needed to end it now.

I had to finish it while it couldn’t think straight.

Dodging the creature’s thrashing, I jumped onto its body and leaped up.

I put all my strength and weight into my sword.

Normally, the sword wouldn’t penetrate that thick carapace.

Unless precisely stabbed between segments, the sword couldn’t pierce this creature.

But the sword sank into the carapace.

Whether it was a spot weakened by the mace hit, or if my strength was just that overwhelming, I couldn’t tell.

After striking the embedded sword a couple of times with my fist, it sank deeper, and the Centipede thrashed in agony.

“Mr. Kay?! Kyaaah?”

Seraphina screamed.

But I couldn’t focus on her scream.

If I missed this opportunity now, I might not be able to finish this creature off.

With that thought, I pressed down harder to drive the sword deeper.

Naturally, the Centipede thrashed in pain.

“Damn it, stay still!”

I almost fell off because the Centipede was thrashing so violently.

I gripped the sword with my hands and lowered my stance to hold on.

“KWEAAAK!!!!”

And as if in a final struggle, the Centipede made a large turn and broke through the ground.

‘Oh shit’

I could see the ground approaching.

I saw the Centipede’s fangs sink into the earth.

“Mr. Kay?!!”

As I heard Seraphina’s voice growing distant, I clung to my sword.

Rocks and debris kept hitting my helmet.

The creature had started burrowing into the ground with me hanging on.

Whether it was because I was small compared to its size, or because I was clinging tightly to it, fortunately I avoided being crushed between the rocks and the creature.

As it broke through the ground and descended, I was thrown into the air.

I fell to the ground.

“*Cough*!”

Landing on my back, the air was knocked out of my lungs.

I almost lost consciousness from the pain that engulfed my entire body.

But lying down now meant death.

I forced myself up and pointed my sword.

Only then did I realize how light the sword felt.

“Damn it.”

The sword was broken.

As I roughly tossed it aside, the Centipede twisted its body like a snake and looked down at me.

I looked around.

It seemed I had fallen with the creature into a tunnel just below the level where I had been.

According to Haven, this was an area they avoided because Centipedes appeared here, and now this creature had dragged me down here.

“Grrrrrr….”

With carapace cracked in places and blood flowing from its eye, the Centipede raised its menacing fangs as it looked down at me.

‘Someone who could help.’

None.

‘A weapon that could be useful.’

None.

Perhaps from tension, sweat dripped down.

No matter how I thought about it, I had no weapon.

No, I had only one.

‘This is all I have left.’

I quietly stood up and clenched my fist.

I took a stance facing the Centipede, which was clacking its fangs as if mocking me.

“…Am I going to die here?”

I can’t die in a place like this.

I haven’t even found a clue to get back yet.

To return, I need to survive.

To survive, I need to defeat this creature.

I can feel each drop of sweat distinctly.

My body began to heat up.