Chapter 22: The Cave Game

The constant rustling sound continued without end, making everyone in the dark mine feel on edge.

Everyone instinctively quieted down, afraid that something might attack from the darkness, making the sounds in the cave even clearer, mixed with the pounding of their hearts.

Suddenly, a huge shadow flashed across the corner of the cave, passing over a certain spot in the crowd.

A miner didn't even have time to shout before losing his voice.

"Ah——"

"Gulp..."

What followed was the sound of something swallowing, crunching food.

In the tense atmosphere where you could hear a pin drop, everyone heard this swallowing sound, echoing clearly.

Instantly, people's fear almost became uncontrollable.

The chaotic crowd instinctively surged towards the mine's exit.

Hart squeezed to the center of the crowd, trying to keep his voice steady, "Everyone stay calm, if you see anything unusual, throw your spears there."

"It's nothing more than a frightened Beast in the dark, we just need to..."

"Gulp."

As if to slap him in the face, before Hart finished speaking, another clear swallowing sound echoed.

Another unlucky soul had lost their life.

Instantly, the crowd erupted, fear exploded, survival instincts overwhelmed everything.

"Don't, don't eat me!"

"There's a Monster! There really is a Monster!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Damn it, get out of the way! Don't block me."

The screams and chaos were incessant, the entire mine turned into a chaotic mess. Even the overseers' whips could no longer control the disorderly crowd. In fact, even the overseers themselves were thinking of sneaking away.

"I want to live."

"We're almost out, once we get out of here..."

And in this chaotic situation, amid the clamor, countless people were silently swallowed in the darkness.

However, just as the first batch of people desperately climbed upwards, trying to escape, the huge shadow struck from the darkness.

"Ah——"

The leaders of the group were instantly seized by the shadow, disappearing without a trace.

Under the brief illumination of torches, people only saw a massive green Monster flash by.

Immediately after, the place where several people had been standing was empty, the torchlight extinguished, swallowed by darkness.

The people behind, unaware of the situation, continued to push forward.

The people in front, having seen the fate of those ahead, dared not advance, but were shoved from behind and had to venture forward.

The swallowing sounds were drowned out by the crowd's noise.

Hart watched the situation in the cave, sweat dripping from his forehead and chin, sinking into near despair.

How to move, how to escape?

That Monster could swallow a person in an instant.

It only needed to wait at the cave's entrance, and people would be delivered to it one by one, fed into its endlessly hungry, bottomless belly.

"Throw your spears forward!"

"Kill that Monster!"

In their state of despair, the miners had no other choice but to follow the command, blindly throwing their spears into the darkness.

All that could be heard was the sharp sound of spearheads striking rock.

People screamed and cried, the deep darkness in their eyes was already a symbol of death.

Suddenly, a hoarse laughter came from the darkness.

"Humans, your little tricks are really amusing."

"I've already eaten three giant bats today, two Goblins, eight Humans, but I think my belly can still hold—you all."

Then, the Monster slowly slithered out from the darkness, the weak light of the torch barely revealing its true form.

Only its ferocious head was exposed, its vertical pupils glowing in the dim cave, the massive, curving horns on either side of its head particularly conspicuous.

Its gaping maw alone could probably swallow several people at once.

Its elongated body, covered in striped scales, resembled a cross between a crocodile and a centipede, with numerous legs, stretching into the darkness.

In the flickering firelight, the Monster's grotesque face showed a chilling smile.

"I don't want to miss this opportunity, this delivered food will fill my belly."

"No, don't eat me!"

"It's over! It's over!"

"We're all going to die!"

"Help!"

"It's coming!"

People stumbled backward in panic, huddled together, trying to escape this Hell.

Trampling, shoving, screaming.

But the Monster merely followed the crowd unhurriedly, slithering on the ground, like a shepherd driving a flock, occasionally swallowing one or two people.

"I don't mind playing a game with you."

"Run, run as much as you want..."

"I'm still very interested."

To the people, the Monster's hoarse voice sounded like the call of death, dragging them into the depths of fear.

"Bang!"

Kelu's arrow struck the Monster.

Weak spears, tiny arrows, inferior long swords, the Humans' counterattacks hit its striped scales, all seemed so powerless.

Even if they were lucky and broke its Armor, the little wound was insignificant compared to its massive body.

Barbarian Scar finally couldn't take this cat-and-mouse game, stopping in his tracks, turning to face the Monster directly.

But his proud, strong body seemed as small as a rat in the face of the Monster.

Scar took a deep breath, lifting his Warhammer and cursing loudly, "All these years, only I've ever played others, never has anyone taken me for a damn toy!"

"Ahhhhh——"

Scar roared, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot—this was the sign of a Barbarian going into a Frenzy.

The irrational Barbarian lifted his Warhammer, charging at the Monster's massive body like a Knight charging at a windmill.

But faced with the frenzied Barbarian, the Monster didn't move, watching him with interest, as if it were looking at an amusing plaything.

"Frenzied Strike!"

With a cry, Scar's muscles tensed, hurling the Warhammer fiercely into the Monster's chest.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Hammer blow after hammer blow landed on the Monster.

It actually shattered a few scales on its chest, causing blue blood to seep out.

"Interesting Human, I'll give you a good death."

The Monster cackled, completely unconcerned about the damage from the Barbarian, while its body subtly writhed on the ground.

"Ah! Ahhh——"

Furious after hearing this mocked Scar even more, he hammered away desperately, over and over.

But soon he noticed, the Monster's massive body had unknowingly coiled up, trapping him.

Or rather, it was more accurate to say the Monster's massive body had enclosed him, like a green-blue prison.

Scar felt the space around him growing narrower, his muscles constantly being squeezed, his breathing grew more rapid.

"I never thought... I'd suffocate to death."

This was his last thought as it flashed through his mind.