Ackster hadn't even noticed when, but the absolute, impenetrable darkness had faded. He could see that the color of the rocky ground around him was an earthier brown than the yellowly grey stone at the depths of the ant nest. And he could do it without a nearby source of light, such as the torch from the Alchemaze or the stones in the ant queen's ceiling.
Ackster's gaze flashed to the front or upward since it was in the same direction.
It was faint, almost too faint for him to see it. But far, far ahead, a tiny dot of light, thinner than a needlepoint, let in enough light in the antevator for Ackster to see his surroundings. Ackster's face lit up with a smile.
He was finally escaping the lonely and abyssal darkness of the ant nest. There was no need to sulk about, stumble on ant legs and stones, or walk headfirst right into the rock-solid walls. He could use his eyes to see things other than darkness. He would finally know whether his lids were open or closed. And, most importantly, he could finally do something productive that wasn't walking around aimlessly trying to find the necessary resolve to continue living and trying to stop The Hero.
Ackster couldn't be bothered to waste time. He wanted to escape the tendrils of darkness, reaching for his legs, hoping to pull him back down as quickly as possible. He had to get out. Now. His mind couldn't handle another moment in the darkness.
Ackster's legs burst out with an unprecedented speed as he activated Limit Breaker and stomped against the walls so hard his feet left behind deep prints.
In his desperation to get out, Ackster forgot about two things.
There was no immediate need for Limit Breaker, and if there happened to be a monster or something beyond the exit, he would have just blown his final resort.
And, his eyes, although mostly useless, had adapted to the weeks of darkness. They had gotten used to no light and to trying to see through the pitch-black wall of darkness that veiled Ackster's sight at every waking moment in the ant nest.
Even at the faintest light, Ackster had been able to clearly discern the details of the earthen walls of the elevator shaft. That had been several long minutes before he even got close to the exit.
The closer to the exit Ackster got, the brighter the light was.
'Shit.'
Ackster haphazardly realized it when it was already too late.
He had already used Limit Breaker to build his speed and momentum. Turning it off would kill his speed, and the backlash would hit him, which would send him plummeting back down the hole.
Ackster's only option was to continue charging full steam ahead and hope his eyes would recover from the torrent of light that would pour straight into his brain. He squinted at first, but that wasn't enough, and he was forced to close them completely. Fortunately, he had been running and moving in darkness thicker than ink, so it didn't come as a challenge.
However, the light piercing through his squeezed-shut eyelids was a little disorienting, and he had to put his hand over his eyes. But one hand wasn't enough, and the light found its way through his fingers and the creases of his palm to somehow sting his eyes with the fervor of a vengeful lover upset at not having seen their beloved, who disappeared for several weeks without warning.
Ackster wanted to stop and stick his head in the ground to escape the light. But he also never wanted to return to the darkness, so he stuck it out and gritted his teeth. At worst, he would go blind. It could be worse.
He kept running up the tunnel without knowing how much he had left or what awaited him at the surface. It was the only thing he could do.
But he could feel that the ground was growing softer, drier, and warmer. So, Ackster knew he was getting close.
And then, without warning, his foot didn't have anything to claw into and propel him further.
Ackster shot out of the tunnel with enough force to send him flying several meters into the air. He instantly realized what happened and forced his eyes open despite the sharp light bathing his surroundings in impenetrable whiteness.
After all, if he went straight up, he would go straight back down, which meant into the ant nest again. Ackster had to see what lay below him if he wanted to avoid that fate.
His eyes tried to adjust, but they weren't quick enough.
Ackster fell back down to the ground, close to despair. He didn't know what it looked like from an outside perspective, but it felt like he had spent an eternity falling, which could only mean that he had reentered the tunnel.
"Ouch."
Thankfully, the painful reality of crashing face-first into the ground dispelled Ackster's worries, at least partly.
His upper body had landed on solid ground while his legs dangled over the abyss.
"Huff."
Ackster dug his fingers into the ground and heaved himself up, completely escaping the ant nest. He crawled away a couple of steps before turning over onto his back. He laid his arm over his eyes to shield them from the sunlight while he recovered from the sprint. His breathing was labored both from the physical exertion and from the mental distress he had endured and escaped.
Relief washed over Ackster and helped cool his burning legs.
Ackster rarely felt the desire for sleep stronger than his hunger ever since he got Monster Muncher. But right now, all he wanted was a nice, long sleep that could help him forget reality and everything he had suffered in the ant nest.
Just passing out would be such a comfort. Acmkster wouldn't have to worry about anything if he was asleep, and he could deal with what he needed to deal with tomorrow or whenever he woke up.
However, it seemed like fate had other plans in store for Ackster as a shadow fell over him and helped shield his eyes.
"You're a real mess, huh?"