Amid the nightmarish landscape, the sight of Samuel at the vanguard, encased within his colossal stone armor, was a beacon of hope. His hulking form blotted out the glow of the Aclaitrium ore adorning the cavern's walls, casting a moving shadow before him.
The older man moved with defying urgency, his every step crushing Acidspitter Arthropods beneath his weight. The crunch of the Thaids' vibrant exoskeletons beneath his steps echoed through the caverns, a grim chorus to their frantic retreat.
Samuel carved a path with each thunderous stride, his stone fists swinging like wrecking balls, sending Acidspitter Arthropods flying into the air, their broken bodies raining down.
Green and yellow bodily fluids splattered across the stony ground, a grotesque reminder of the impending massacre. Samuel didn't flinch or hesitate; his attention was solely on the path ahead. The ground beneath them was littered with the skeletons of countless Acidspitter Arthropods, their compound eyes reflecting their final moments on the planet.
The smell of crushed bodies and acid was nauseating, but they all forced it down, their survival instincts taking precedence over their discomfort.
The villagers raced behind him, their faces pale and their eyes wide. The metallic odor of blood and the acidic stench of the slain Arthropods created an eerie fragrance that lingered in the damp cavern. They avoided looking at the mangled bodies, focusing solely on Samuel's path.
Erik had to rely on his physical strength and the sporadic bursts of speed he could use with Nathaniel's brain crystal power to survive, with his mana reserves almost to 0. He tried to be as conservative as possible and only used the power whenever he really needed it.
The young man twisted and turned, weaving his lean body through the acidic spitballs that whizzed past him like deadly projectiles. Each near-miss reminded him of the potentially fatal consequences of a direct hit.
Four Acidspitter Arthropods were directly ahead of him, their insectoid bodies moving quickly toward him. Their serrated claws clicked menacingly against him, and their multifaceted eyes were fixed on his figure. Each of them, a vibrant mix of greens and yellows, raised their elongated mandibles, ready to launch another acid volley.
Erik responded by brandishing his Flyssa. The metallic ring of the blade echoed around him, briefly drowning out the harrowing sounds of battle. His grip on the hilt tightened, his knuckles whitening from the pressure.
He pushed off the ground, his body cutting through the cavern's stale, damp air as he closed the distance between himself and the approaching Arthropods.
Erik's blade flashed in the dim light, his movements a blur of lethal precision. He killed the Arthropods in his path one by one.
Each successful strike fueled him, even as his lungs burned and his muscles screamed in protest. He would live.
[MULTIPLE ACIDSPITTER ARTHROPODS KILLED IN THE SURROUNDINGS: MANA ABSORBING PROCESS STARTING.]
[0%...1%....5%...30%...70%...100%]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY ABSORBED, STARTING CONVERTING PROCEDURE.]
[3...2...1...0]
[MANA SUCCESSFULLY CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE. 400 EXPERIENCE POINTS AWARDED TO THE HOST.]
Despite the fear and despair in the air, Ethan proved to be a formidable opponent throughout the ordeal. He would have been considered a genius if he had been born in New Alexandria.
However, it was clear that he and the villagers lacked fighting techniques; they were strong, that was for sure, but that was probably due to the secret technique the village developed, which allowed a young man only a year older than Erik to reach the ν (NI) level.
Though much smaller than Samuel's, his silhouette cut through the chaos with its own deadly grace.
Ethan moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior. Strong and toned by years of hard farming, his arms swung a spear with lethality. His agility and strength, products of life under the harsh conditions of their village, were evident in each powerful blow he landed.
Ethan charged at an incoming Acidspitter Arthropod, sidestepping an acidic spitball and swinging his makeshift weapon with a loud yell.
The force of the impact flung the creature into the air, crushing its vibrant exoskeleton. Ethan spun around and slashed another Arthropod creeping up behind him, its body crumpling under his ferocious strike.
His actions were not as flashy or acrobatic as Samuel's or Erik's, but they were just as effective.
Erik's gaze settled on their destination—the cave exit—amid the chaos and acid. As he registered the sight, his heart pounded in his chest, a glimmer of hope amidst the violent whirlwind of bodies and acid.
It was the only way out, but a sea of vibrant green and yellow monstrosities besieged it.
Samuel's voice rang out through the loud cacophony of shrieks, roars, and clashes of bodies, a steady beacon in the midst of the chaos.
"COME ON!" he yelled, his raw energy and determination fueling their exhausted bodies and propelling them toward the cave exit.
Samuel, in his colossal stone form, charged forward, a ruthless destroyer.
The ground trembled with each step, and the sea of Acidspitter Arthropods parted, their bodies crushed beneath his stone-clad feet.
Erik's ears throbbed, his gaze fixed on the cave exit as he sprinted, avoiding the acid spitballs and slashing at the monsters who dared to stand in his way. The stench of death and acid burned his nostrils, causing a wave of nausea to assault him.
As they dashed towards the cave entrance, a horrifying, gut-wrenching scream clawed its way up from the back of the group. Erik's heart stopped beating as he swiveled his head toward the noise source. Time seemed to stretch, the world shrinking to the spectacle unfolding beside him.
A villager with whom he'd shared laughter and stories during these months was falling to the ground; his face contorted in agony.
As one of the Acidspitter Arthropod's lethal spits seared through his back, eating away at his flesh, a sickening hiss pierced the air, providing the soundtrack to the man's misery.
His knees collapsed, his hands clawing at the ground as if he could somehow pull away from the searing pain in his back. As his body began to convulse, a terrible gurgling noise echoed from his throat, the corrosive poison quickly working its horrific magic.
Ethan's voice pierced the din of the battle, a raw, guttural sound carrying a mix of disbelief and heart-wrenching despair. "GEORGE!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the cave walls, providing a chilling soundtrack to the unfolding horror.
The scene was a grotesque depiction of carnage and suffering. George was on the ground, writhing in pain as the Acidspitter Arthropods swooped down on him, their vibrant colors contrasting eerily against the dull gray of the cavern floor.
The sharp and nauseating odor of singed flesh filled the air as the acid ate away at his flesh, opening gruesome wounds that oozed blood.
The beasts didn't waste any time. They lunged at him, their sharp, serrated claws ripping and tearing at his flesh, adding to George's agony. Their multifaceted eyes gleamed with predatory satisfaction as they ravaged him, feasting on his dying body.
Every claw, tear, and bite from their elongated mandibles elicited a new scream from George, the sound hauntingly human amid the monstrous spectacle. Under the relentless assault, his body convulsed violently, a macabre dance of death.
George's agony was seared into their minds, his screams echoing in their ears, spurring them on, and the desperation to flee growing with each passing second.
During the monstrous frenzy, Samuel began to stop mana from flowing through his neural links, and his mana-stone armor began to fall off his body. The structure crumbled into a jumble of stone fragments that fell to the ground, the remaining mana that held it together dissipating into nothingness.
Samuel appeared smaller and more vulnerable without the protection of his armor, but there was nothing he could do because he couldn't fit through the exit door with that massive thing on.
The group rushed forward, eventually passing through the exit door. Into the tunnel ahead, their footsteps echoing off the narrow passageway as they made their way toward what they hoped would be their salvation.
The tunnel was dark, with a shroud of pitch-black obscurity enveloping them. The only light was a faint, distant glow at the end of the tunnel.
The screeching of the Acidspitter Arthropods and the sickening sounds of destruction faded behind them, replaced by the survivors' heavy breathing and the echoing silence of the tunnel.
Erik's scream echoed off the narrow tunnel walls, creating a haunting melody of desperation.
"RUN! FASTER!" he yelled, his voice rough and jagged. Each word pierced the air, breaking the oppressive silence within the tunnel.
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