Something is on his back.
Chase stopped in his tracks, feeling the skin-crawling sensation of someone staring intently. The already cold and dark surroundings rendered a feeling of dread, making the existence of the uncertain more prominent, leaving the two helpless figures to remain still.
Evreux had long noticed the abnormality and went silent, drilling a couple of glances towards the motionless white-haired prince, who was also looking at him with an inquiring gaze.
He seems to be asking, "What the heck is lurking in the dark?"
To which Evreux answered with an equally terrifying expression, "I have a guess."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Yes, very much."
Chase whined under his breath, feeling the damp coldness seeping through his clothes. There's a tingling feeling that makes you want to turn around and see what it is, but the unsettling fear of actually seeing something flattens out that feeling.
However, being in this deadlock will cause them more harm than good. They have to act immediately.
A shuffling noise could be heard. The two figures sprang into action, their eyes wide open and their bodies tense as they surveyed their surroundings.
The sound moved around them, and shadows that looked like thick snakes piled on top of each other to make mountains of figures that could reach the sky. A portion of these figures came into contact with the light, which revealed an image of a sludgy tentacle slug.
Chase swore in contempt as he ceased to remain still and rushed alongside the assassin while brandishing the little knife in the air. Evreux swiftly disentangled himself from the last vine wrapped around his ankle and tossed it to the side.
Their actions must have triggered the creature hidden in the shadows because it quickly surrounded them with its tentacles as it drove in.
It's trying to trap them.
A slimy, vine-like tentacle rushed out from the overlapping shadows to which he immediately intercepted. He hacked the tentacle in half using the knife, unleashing acidic slimy excrement with a foul, rotting smell.
He backed away to dodge the detached tentacle, smacking the ground violently akin to a thrashing fish plucked out of the water. Chase had seen many disgusting things in his life, but none with the severity that made his stomach turn.
While shielding his nose, Chase whisked the knife to clean off the slimy mucus from the metal. He kept an eye on the severed tentacle until it ceased moving.
With a muffled voice, he asked, "What the heck is this thing?"
A second tentacle popped up, this one coming from the opposite direction. Evreux was the one who resisted the charge this time. Even though he didn't appear to have any weapons on him, he was nevertheless able to cut through the tentacle vine by chopping it with his palm.
The severed tentacle writhed violently while oozing horrible secretions. Chase's brows pinched, and his lips pressed together as he tried to hold his vomit in.
The assassin glanced at him and said, "It's the snail king."
"The what?"
"There's no time to explain. We have to run away from here!"
Evreux grabbed Chase and yanked him away from where they were standing, just in time for the massive tentacles to crash into the open area. The impact shook the ground, causing Chase to instinctively look back.
It was dark, so he could not see that much, but the whole place should be in a wreck based on the sound.
Yet, before he had a chance to figure out what was going on, Evreux hauled him down, both of them crashing to the ground. A tremendous surge of wind blew over their heads, slamming into the surrounding trees and ripping them in half. If he had been one second later, it's possible that half of his body would have been torn from him.
Chase stopped there, jaw gaping, watching the flailing tentacles madly destroy everything it touched. The assassin next to him grumbled in frustration as he backed the prince up to his feet once again so that they could continue fleeing.
Evreux stole a glance at the pallid prince, who appeared frightened by the vicious attack. He scoffed, ridiculing the prince's ability to evade death.
However, the ability to generate that type of good luck can be regarded as a skill in and of itself.
Of course, the prince with the silvery-white hair wasn't truly in a trance. Chase was actually listening to the alarms going off in his head. The system did not fail in its job of notifying him, displaying the translucent panel that only Chase could see. The bar that shows how close he is to dropping dead is frighteningly close to the end.
「The danger level has risen by seven points. A total of 97%. Please exercise caution.」
Chase steadied his breathing and did not let the assassin drag him around. He was able to keep up with Evreux's pace and bypassed the tentacles by ducking and skipping around them.
Evreux was initially taken aback by Chase's lightning-fast responses, but this impression didn't last around for very long. It would actually be to their advantage, improving their chances of survival.
They maneuvered their way through the mound of debris until they came to a muddy wall that was rather steep. Chase was unable to cross this boundary previously for the reason that it's slippery, and there are no gaps to hold on to when climbing. He thought they were cornered, but he was surprised to see that the assassin's eyes shone with hope.
Evreux started talking about it right away, "Here ends the snail king's central hunting region. As soon as we get through this, we will be safe for a while."
"Only for a while?" Chase mumbled something. He peered up the tall, slick, and impossibly slippery wall before him. "What exactly are we going to do to get across this?"
The assassin did not respond, but merely moved up to touch the wall. To Chase's puzzlement, the assassin then began pressing the wall as if he was searching for something.
The blasts and rumbling sounds of the appendages shifting around seem to be getting closer and closer. Chase was unable to maintain his composure and assisted the assassin in patting the wall, even though he was oblivious to the purpose of the move.
The assassin spoke as if reading his thoughts, saying, "This mud wall is equipped with a strange device. The wall may appear strong and tall, but upon closer inspection, the major walls are the only ones that are sturdy, while the walls in between are riddled with spaces. That area would be softer than the base walls. Once you've located one, all it takes is a firm push to open a path."
Chase indicated he understood by nodding. He didn't give it a second thought, lending the assassin his help to locate the passage in question. He is aware that the assassin will not deceive in exchange for the affected lives. Following up, Chase frantically slapped the mud wall with a force so that he could get a greater sense of the vibrations. It should sound empty.
It's simply that the dirt was so thick that it made it really impossible to feel anything at all. Even if it were hollow inside, a mound of dirt that has been exposed to moisture is dense and hefty. It didn't take long for the two to become covered in mud. But not one of them complained about it.
Who cares about beauty when one is about to die?
Beautiful people won't be spared by death.
A tremendous rumble could be heard approaching from the direction of the two people's back as they desperately hurried to leave the area. Because the tentacles do not have eyes, it took them some time to notice that Chase and Evreux had long withdrawn themselves from the center.
In a fit of wrath, the tentacles radiated outward from the center like a flower opening its petals and surged furiously in the direction of the edges. Chase didn't even have to look back to see what was going on.
After a heck of a lot of groping around, Evreux finally successfully located a weak spot on the wall. Instantly, he struck the wall with his feet and immediately beckoned the white-haired prince, who was slowly veering away, looking for the hollow wall. He needs some help breaking through the thick layer of clay.
However, when Chase moved forward to help the assassin, a giant tentacle slammed between them, blocking their path. Both of the individuals were flung away. Having failed to capture any of the prey, the tentacle withdrew. But that wasn't the only tentacle that figured out where they were. Other tentacles were already moving in to seize them.
Evreux was about to be stabbed by a tentacle when Chase sprang forward and sliced it with a knife.
Because of this move, the tentacle was able to ascertain their location. More tentacles swarmed at them, almost completely covering their surroundings with their disgusting, slippery figures. Chase cussed as he opted to be the front-line defender and brandished his dagger before the approaching tentacles.
"There's no end to these pesky things!" Chase wanted to shed some tears.
"This is their breeding ground. What do you expect?" Evreux grimaced.
"None of us are capable of preventing them. What should we do?"
"What else?" Evreux clicked his tongue.
They located the hollow portion in the wall, but knocking it down will still take some time. The moisture of the mud made the entire wall slick, making it impossible to simply climb over it. In addition, the walls were constructed ages ago; therefore, the interior should have become harder over time.
They'll be caught no matter what they do.
「The danger level has risen by one point. A total of 98%. Please exercise caution.」
The warning heightened Chase's distress, but did not cause him to panic. These were not new experiences for him; he'd had them before. In fact, this world is safer than the one he came from, where even a tiny pebble could destroy a city. But people from that place possess special abilities that make it easier to survive.
"We can't climb the wall," Chase said, reiterating the problems more loudly and hoping that answers would also come the same way.
"It's not easy to break through the wall," Evreux spoke further on the matter.
They watched as the horde of revolting flesh crept closer and closer, the ground tremor under their weight. Then, out of nowhere, an idea came to them. If they were unable to bring down the wall due to the lack of power, then this bunch of slimy tentacles ought to be able to, right?
"It's feasible," Chase remarked, already agreeing to the idea. "But what will happen when the wall falls down? Will these tentacles follow us?"
"There is a reason they are inside the walls. If they crossed the line, something would undoubtedly happen."
"You sound like you don't have any idea what will happen." Chase narrowed his eyes, unsuspectingly looking at the assassin. Evreux simply shrugged his shoulders as if it didn't matter.
"Nobody would try crossing the boundary marked by any giant beasts in the abyss. It's normal not to know anything."
Chase fixated on the mob, thinking that the assassin was right. Evreux warmed up for his upcoming run with a few quick stretches before getting into a squatting position. Chase didn't follow through on his actions, but he acted as if he would run anyhow. With a tacit signal, both of them rushed towards the tentacles.
Yes, towards the direction of the tentacles, not away from them.
It took them a considerable amount of courage to step up and go against the tide. Their little steps pale in comparison to the enormous tentacles that ran rampant, leaving behind a trail of dust and dirt. And when there were only a few meters left before they were about to crash, both made a sharp turn and sprinted towards the wall.
It immediately became a race against the clock.
Two humans were slowly buried by a plume of smoke made by the following monsters as they rushed through madly, gritting their teeth and using more and more of their strength. The sound of thundering steps has wholly demolished the surroundings around them. As if on cue, the tentacles slammed through the wall with devastating force.
All the area was blanketed in thick dust. As expected, the wall broke beneath the force. Everything is a mess, and the whole place is in terrible shape. Yet, the only two people involved in the chase are nowhere to be found.