CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: FRUSTRATION: 74%

"The Boss is here!"

That was all the veteran creeps needed to hear.

They had seen Adam get swallowed whole—and that was enough reason to turn and run without looking back.

Some shoved others out of the way, but no one complained. That was just life now.

Instead, those who stumbled forced themselves up from the murky swamp water, clutching at the thick roots or crawling through the muck if they had to. Nothing mattered. No pride. Just survival.

The Heroes, Vincent, Eugene, and Dennis, stood still as the panicked creeps sprinted past them. Their eyes locked on the behemoth slithering through the swamp, its massive body sliding across the humid terrain, the thick trees snapping aside like cardboard.

"It’s here!?" Eugene’s eyes flared with light, energy building for a blast, but Vincent raised a hand to stop him.

"No," he said, voice low as he watched the creature retreat. "It’s not interested in us—we can’t risk drawing it toward the entrance of the Leak."

"But that creep," Eugene glanced at him. "We talked about recruiting him for the guild."

"He’s probably already dead," Dennis joined in, placing a hand on Eugene’s shoulder. "We just paid for the rights to this Leak. Let’s not waste the investment."

Eugene’s brows furrowed, but after a moment, he sighed and gave a nod. "Let’s go."

The Heroes and remaining creeps made their way to the exit, leaving the swamp behind.

Meanwhile, Adam...well, he was being crushed.

He could barely move—kneeling, hunched, his body pinned by the monster’s constrictor muscles. He pushed against the fleshy walls pressing in on him, but it was like trying to lift a collapsed building.

Well, he’d never actually been buried under a building yet, but he imagined it would feel something like this. If the building were smooth and smelled like leather, that is.

His breathing grew shallow by the second. His limbs started to shake, legs trembling beneath the pressure that threatened to snuff him out completely.

Desperate, Adam looked around—not that there was much to see. Just pale, pulsing flesh. But then... a glimmer of black.

His gun.

Well, second Grace’s gun.

And now here you are again, Adam. Once again, an illusion of choice. If you choose to go for the gun, the snake would crush you in an instant. And if you continue to hold the beast’s throat, nothing would really change.

Adam’s thoughts weighed heavily in his mind—but not for long as the decision took less than a heartbeat.

"Rah!" Adam roared as he lunged back for the weapon. He held the constricting space with his right arm, and he reached for the weapon with the other. His shoulder instantly popped against the pressure...

...but his fingers also managed to brush against the cold metal.

"Gkh!" His right arm collapsed as the fleshy walls crushed down on him completely now, squeezing the last air from his lungs.

His ribs cracked under the pressure, and the trigger of the gun felt so, so heavy.

But finally, he gained the strength to pull his finger.

But before he could pull the trigger, the muscles around him contracted violently—but the pressure became lighter.

"Heeee...." Adam wheezed and immediately gasped for breath, the burnt leather scent of the inside of the snake burning his lungs, but he didn’t care.

He started to slide through the tunnel of flesh, and Adam finally regained the strength in his arm.

But he still couldn’t pull the trigger. Not because he was squeezed again, but because he wasn’t actually being swallowed deeper as he’d feared.

And instead—

"What—!?" Adam’s words were cut short as bile, acid, and all sorts of digestive fluids rushed past him. He couldn’t shout, as doing so would make him accidentally swallow whatever was drowning him.

He felt like he was inside a wave, and then, with a violent heave, he once again saw the dim sunlight of the swamp.

The verdrakill puked him out.

He shot out from the beast’s mouth, spraying along its viscous fluid, tumbling through the air before crashing back into the swamp with a heavy splash...several times.

All sorts of sounds escaped his mouth, but when he was finally able to grab onto something, he immediately gasped. He sucked in the humid air, and air never tasted so good.

All sorts of smells covered him right now. But he was alive, and that was all that mattered—no.

Not exactly, the fact that he had maintained his grip on the gun also mattered.

He quickly turned his attention to the verdrakill that completely towered over him...only to find it wasn’t towering over him at all.

Because it left. It crawled away, its scales blurring as it slithered deeper into the wet woods.

Adam was confused, frozen. He still pointed the gun at the fading verdrakill, but his mind was completely in chaos.

He lowered his weapon, his mind struggling to process why the massive serpent would abandon him.

Adam blinked, and when he was sure the verdrakill wasn’t turning around back to him, he looked at himself.

His clothes now clung to his skin, soaked with swamp water and digestive fluids that reeked of rotting meat and acid.

"Wasn’t it...going to eat me?" he muttered, watching as the creature disappeared into the swamp.

Adam was still very much confused, but he shook his head off it—focusing on finding a way out instead.

The other explorers were long gone—smart enough to flee when the boss appeared.

Adam had no idea where the exit to the Leak was located, or how far he was away from it now.

And since he had no idea where it was—north, south—it didn’t matter which direction he walked. He just needed to get moving.

Well, he didn’t get far, however.

Because his eyes immediately caught sight of something that looked completely out of place in the swamp, but also looked like it belonged.

No, they belonged.

Nestled among the twisted roots and moss...were eggs. Dozens of eggs. Each half Adam’s size. Their surfaces are somewhat greenish-brown, blending with the swamp but standing out at the same time.

"Okay..." Adam sighed, finally understanding what happened. The verdrakill didn’t puke him out because of his perseverance, no.

Not at all.

He wasn’t food for the giant serpent at all.

Adam began backing away ever so slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. He also glanced back, making sure he won’t trip on something. But his attempt at stealth didn’t matter at all.

Because that was when he heard it—a distinct crack coming from in front of him.

He quickly looked forward, and there was now an egg that was right in front of him that wasn’t there before—he would have hit it if it was.

"How...?" Adam became even more confused. But this time, his answer unfortunately came almost instantly.

He heard something crack again. Above him, this time.

His eyes darted upward, and his throat immediately locked up.

Eggs. More eggs. They hung from the branches above, nestled in the canopy.

And were all beginning to crack at the same time.

Suffice it to say, the usually meek Adam was... starting to get frustrated.