Chapter 68: The World Below

’Damn, is it possible?’ His heart pounded like a drum, and he swallowed hard, then turned his head backward very slowly.

His eyes swept through the corners of the cave at a frantic speed, and when he confirmed he was the only living creature in it, he felt great relief.

’Phew... it seems my luck is not that bad. Had I fallen directly into the lair of the monster that triggered my bloodline’s reaction, it would have been catastrophic.’

He did not lower his guard, and re-examined his surroundings carefully, and this time focused on every detail he had overlooked before because of the haste.

He was inside a fairly spacious cave, through which water flowed, and on its walls there were several thick plant roots, glowing with a faint blue light that was pleasant to the eye.

Ahead, the cave stretched into the distance in a single passage, while behind him there were several branching passages leading in different directions, some ascending and others descending.

’Whatever the thing that caused my bloodline and the mushroom to react is, it’s close... far too close. I need to get out of here before it discovers my presence.’

Even though he had no idea where he was, he was certain of one thing, no matter what happened, he must not take the branches behind him, for they would most likely lead him to the powerful monster living in this place.

Without any hesitation he walked forward, but the moment he took one step, he suddenly heard a strange sound coming from the hole he had fallen through, and in the next moment, a small ant fell on its back directly beside him.

Splash!

Water droplets sprayed on his face, his eyes widened, and without any hesitation, he extended his sharp claws to their maximum reach, then swung them at lightning speed, severing the ant’s head with great precision.

Its head drifted away with the water, and yet, it did not die immediately, for its mandibles and legs continued to move, and strangest of all, after a few seconds, the mushroom growing on its body began to pulse powerfully.

It swelled in size, and in contrast, its body dried up and shriveled, it was as though every particle of its life force had been squeezed out. Within a short time, it had turned into a dry shrunken husk.

Upon seeing this scene, Arthur’s body shuddered, and he felt intense disgust. ’This is strange, did the mushroom realize it was dying, and consumed it quickly in order to survive? This is not impossible, it is a parasite after all, and it is clear it needs a reserve of vital energy until it finds its next victim.’

His theory seemed very logical, to the point that he quickly moved away from the ant’s carcass, fearing that the mushroom would suddenly jump onto him and make him the next host, and unfortunately, that was exactly what happened.

Suddenly, the mushroom detached from the ant, then began popping in every direction like popcorn in a hot pan.

’This damned mushroom.’ Arthur fled quickly, and without looking behind him at all, continued jogging at a steady pace, for he did not wish to waste his strength.

Despite the shallowness of the stream, it still slowed him down a little and caused him to make some noise.

Along the way, he examined his surroundings carefully, searching for any sign or clue that would lead him outside, but he found nothing, only some branching tunnels here and there, which extended deeper inside the ground.

Arthur did not understand, or rather could not grasp, how this vast world of tunnels existed beneath the forest.

As time passed and after covering a long distance through the endless tunnels, the effects of the full moon frenzy intensified, he felt a great tightness in his chest, as though he were a prisoner, and his rational mind began to fade.

"The exit? Where is the exit? I must get out of here, why does this damned cave extend endlessly? I am certain I have run tens of miles by now, this is unreasonable..."

Suddenly, he realized an important truth he had overlooked, his pupils contracted, and he stopped immediately in his place. Shocked, he quickly examined himself, and when he confirmed his suspicions, he opened his mouth wide, and murmured in disbelief:

"The spider woman’s silk threads have disappeared? No, they are present, I just can’t feel them anymore. Is it possible they have lost their effectiveness? Thinking about it, it is clear I have exceeded the boundaries of the area she allowed me to move in, but... nothing happened."

He took a deep breath, and did everything in his power to ease the effects of the full moon frenzy. The moment he regained his clarity, and his sound judgment, he questioned with doubt: "Have I been freed from her? Just like that? I truly do not understand."

No matter how hard he tried, he could not accept what was happening, the spider woman was very powerful, and it was neither logical nor reasonable that he would be freed from her grasp this simply, so he suspected the existence of some trick.

Splash!

While lost in the midst of his confusion, he heard a faint sound indicating something had fallen into the water. Automatically, he turned around, and examined his surroundings cautiously, and then he saw something long and black colored beneath the water, resembling a tree trunk drifting slowly toward him.

’Is this a monster?’ Naturally, he immediately realized that what he was seeing was not a trunk or anything similar, for there were no trees underground. Before he could take a closer look at its shape, the black creature suddenly leaped and pounced on him.

"Shit!" He was surprised, and at his maximum speed jumped sideways avoiding the attack, but unfortunately, he was not fast enough.

The black creature swept past him, and in that moment, he felt a sharp and cold blade stabbing him in his side, ripping a deep gash all the way to his waist.

Despite the pain, he maintained his composure, and fled, moving away from the enemy, while at the same time he healed himself using the Regeneration skill. When he had put a sufficient safe distance between them, he was able to see the black monster clearly.

It was a large black centipede, with a long body and dozens of legs. In its face there were two long and sharp mandibles, resembling sickles, from one of which blood dripped.

Arthur paid no attention to its appearance or nature whatsoever, and the first thing he did was examine its body, searching for any mushrooms growing on it. Fortunately, the centipede was a natural monster.

’I nearly died of fright for a moment.’ He let out a sigh of relief. He bared his fangs and claws, and the savage side returned to assert its control over him.

"You disgusting insect! how dare you wound me? I’ll kill you." He said ferociously.

The centipede was of the same rank as him, so he did not hesitate even for a moment, he ran through the watercourse, water flying with every step he took, then pounced on it, targeting its head with his claws.

The centipede did not flee, or dodge the attack, it reared up on its many rear legs and thrust its head forward, blocking the attack with its sturdy mandibles.

Splash!

Sparks flew, and the sound of metal clashing was heard, and because of the slight difference in power between them, the centipede was pushed backward, and several shallow scratches appeared on its mandibles.

Without stopping, he swung his claws a second time, and severed many of the centipede’s upper legs, and slashed a deep wound across its chest.

Screech!

The centipede screamed in pain, and quickly retreated backward. Despite being damaged, it showed no sign of backing down, not out of bravery, but more centipede monsters appeared.

They surrounded Arthur from all directions, without leaving him any gap to escape from. He examined them hastily, and even though they were not infected with the mushroom plague, he did not feel relieved.

’What am I going to do now? Their number is too large.’ He gritted his fangs, and when he wanted to take the initiative and strike first, something appeared before him that he had not seen in a very long time.

[ Restarting... ]

"Is it possible... after all this time..." He opened his mouth in amazement.

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