Worm Horrors

~WHOOSH!~

Almost as soon as he landed and spotted the Horrors that were waiting for him, Des darted forward—charging straight for the enemies that stood before him.

'Worms…' His thoughts trailed as he marched forward.

'... Unlike the Colossus, they operate during nighttime, and their senses are incredibly dull. They are perfect predators for slow-moving or still targets.'

That wasn't all, though.

'They also have a big aversion to bright lights—a weakness shared by the Bats, though they don't have a particular weakness to sound. Sudden bursts of light paralyze them, which means they can only operate in the darkness and wait for nighttime to operate.'

According to the studies Eve did on them, they usually dug burrows in the ground, spending their time in the dirt until darkness fell in the expanse. Once daytime elapsed, they crawled back to the surface—seeking nothing but prey.

To properly observe them, she made a small cave the size of an adult person on the ground floor, layering it with Worm Repellant—a formula she concocted from the blood of a stronger predator and grinded Luminescent Crystals.

Whether it was the smell, or the overall ambiance, it became clear that the Worms did not like the formula, so they stayed away from the cave she made.

—The same cave that Des found refuge in for days.

It was no wonder he never encountered a single Worm despite them crawling all over the floor.

They practically littered the ground in their hundreds—if not thousands. They weren't particularly large. However, their frighteningly large mouths which were well-adorned with sharp teeth, their incredibly sharp claws, and the venom they spewed that messed with a person's nerves, made them quite dangerous.

It caused paralysis and lucidness, making the victims wide awake to witness their helpless bodies being mercilessly devoured.

But why?

Why were these Horrors engaged in such cruel means of slaughter?

Mobs in a Dungeon respawned over time, which meant they didn't particularly require any form of sustenance. If Horrors were dependent on nutrients to survive, the creatures that dwelled in lower Floors would have long perished since there was nothing to devour.

The only Horror that never respawned was the Prime, but even those wouldn't be contingent on sustenance in order to function.

Prime Premises occupied only Primes, so there was no viable source of nutrients.

A popular theory was that Horrors got their energy from the Cores that served as their hearts, and this Core trapped energy from the surrounding Magia that dwelled within a Dungeon.

This also explained how Mobs often respawned in Dungeons—since Magia would solidify over time and create Cores, which in turn would birth Horrors.

Of course, these were all theories.

No one could really understand Dungeons, thus these theories were the best efforts of Natives to understand the world they consistently explored.

So, to answer the question of why the Worms killed their victims in such a slow, excruciating way, the answer didn't dwell in the selfish drive for sustenance or a primal instinct to live.

No… it was something a lot more sinister.

They did this to ensure their victims suffered as much as possible before their demise.

After all, wasn't that the purpose of all Horrors? To eliminate all who ventured into the Dungeon—without exception.

To Horrors, the Explorers were nothing more than threats that had to be exterminated, and the same applied vice versa. Of course, the only thing that constantly changed about this arrangement was the position of the two sides during a confrontation.

In essence… who was the predator, and who was the prey?

~WHOOOOM!~

Des easily caused the sea of Horrors to part before him as he raced towards his prize. He used his swift legs to kick the Worms that inevitably got too close to him, also crushing several of them who were unfortunate enough to find themselves beneath his powerful heels.

This caused crunching sounds and squishing melodies to dance in the air as the succulent flesh of the Horrors were squashed while their blood spurted out in small fountains.

None of these concerned Des, though.

'Horrors that aren't Primes will always respawn, and there's no advantage in fighting them since that will only wear me out and risk the amount of time I spend here.' In essence, due to the absence of any kind of benefit in challenging the myriad of Horrors around him, Des chose not to bother with them in the slightest.

That wasn't the only thing on his mind as he marched forward, evading the several that now resorted to jumping at him in droves.

'Their numbers also make them a problematic chore to dispose of, so it's much better not to do more than necessary. I suppose the fact that they're quite easy to deal with makes the process much easier than it normally would be.'

When handling Worms, there were two major things one could do.

The first was to resort to light—enough to stun them and leave them paralyzed for long enough to escape their clutches. This was the easiest way to handle the Worms, due to their natural weakness, but there were problems associated with this method.

No, rather, just one.

—The Colossus.

The Colossus was sensitive to light, so it often woke from its slumber once sufficient light washed upon it. In essence, if Des used the light method, he would be waking up a much more dangerous opponent.

Needless to say, that would be a foolish course of action.

The only reason Eve resorted to the Flash Bang method when rescuing Des was because she had already calculated how long it would take for the Colossus to wake up from the light, and she timed the bang so it only lasted for roughly a few seconds—not enough to wake it entirely.

Plus, she calculated the angle of the light so minimal radiation washed upon the Colossus. 

The advantage of her method was that it allowed her to rescue Des while the Worms were stunned, but the duration was not nearly enough to keep them stunned for very long, since they chased her almost as soon as she caught him.

'My goal is the luggage. I have to reach it, carry it, and return to Eve—all while surviving their onslaught. A few seconds of light won't cut it.'

At least, not unless he timed it perfectly.

Des arrived right where he dropped the heavy bag, and just as he expected… the thing still lay there—completely untouched by the Horrors of the Floor.

'Figures they wouldn't go after it. They're only interested in us Explorers, after all…' He grinned, reaching out for it just as he noticed the horde of Horrors closing in on his position.

Of course, he expected this outcome… which was why he had saved his Flash Bang for this perfect moment.

~KABOOM!~

High up in the air, a bright burst of radiation erupted, causing light to pour down on those who stood beneath it.

As expected, the Worms froze in place, their entire nerves unable to take in the sudden surge of light. Des, on the other hand, was perfectly fine.

'Now then…' He smiled, swiftly carrying the bag behind him as he crouched—ready to leap high into the air just as the light wore off.

But—

'H-huh…?!' 

The flash bang did not cease, even after the few seconds that was supposed to be its duration. Instead, it shone brighter than ever, causing the worst-case scenario that forced Des to remain stationary despite long exceeding his queue to leave.

~RUMBLE!~

Right behind him… was a massive monstrosity that had begun to move.

—The Colossus!

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I also apologize for my inconsistent uploads. I'll try to do better!