In the midst of confusion, Murky found himself inexplicably hanging upside down, his vision obscured by a thick fog that covered his surroundings.
Throughout his entire body, an intense soreness spread, reaching deep into his bones and intertwining with his flesh.
The pain was so strong that it made him feel as if it was connected to his very being, making him weak and vulnerable.
"Arrrgg…"
As he struggled with his torment, a single question echoed in his mind: What evil force had put him in this unimaginable place?
The agony he felt was most intense in his feet, sending waves of searing pain through his entire nervous system.
Suddenly, the entity that had been lifting him came to a sudden stop.
Fighting against the confusion and the blurred vision, Murky used all his remaining strength to clear his eyes and see what was causing the disturbance.
Gradually, as the fog dissipated, he saw the object of his fear, causing a visceral reaction that sent shivers down his spine.
"Wha-"
He said, barely audible.
In front of him stood an imposing figure—a tall man with a strange paleness, his skin tinged with a sickly yellow-green color. His long ears resembled those of an elf, while his sharp and penetrating eyes seemed to pierce through Murky's soul.
A pointed nose protruded from his face, accentuating his otherworldly appearance.
What drew Murky's attention the most was a peculiar horizontal scar just below the man's mouth, resembling human teeth, and his eyes, with their irises shimmering in a piercing yellow color, framed by red hair and eyelids, the pupils themselves a striking shade of red.
"Is this?"
Murky began to ask something as his entire being felt a jolt of disbelief, leaving him shocked at the presence of this mysterious being—an elder Blood Progenitor, to be precise.
Desperately trying to dismiss the surreal sight in front of him, Murky closed his eyes tightly, hoping the illusion would disappear.
However, as he cautiously opened his eyes again, the undeniable truth was right in front of him—the towering creature was indeed an Elder Progenitor, a being of unmatched power.
"Darn it, what should I do?"
Murky whispered, the words escaping his lips quietly. His body bore the brunt of the encounter, battered and bruised, leaving him completely defenseless.
Even under the best circumstances, he wondered, what chance would he have against such an overwhelmingly powerful presence?
In an instant, a ghostly panel materialized above the creature's head, emitting a gentle glow as it displayed a variety of mysterious information.
Ding!
[ Name: Elder Progenitor.
[ Level: Unknown.
[ Blood class: Unknown.
[ Status: Unknown. ]
The words inscribed on the panel, witnessed by Murky, left no room for doubt. This immense being was unquestionably the Elder Progenitor, its true nature concealed in secrecy.
Trapped in the clutches of this dire situation, Murky realized that he was completely at the mercy of the creature, without any means to launch a counterattack.
The burden of acceptance weighed heavily on his shoulders, and he reluctantly began to embrace the grim possibility that his life would be extinguished at this very moment.
Yet, even in the face of such dire circumstances, a glimmer of hope remained within him, as he still possessed a second life within the realm of his first nightmare—a world where he embarked on the dangerous quest of 'Taming Hundreds of Thousands of Dragons!'
However, as he helplessly dangled in the grip of the colossal being, a surge of hostility swelled within Murky's heart, threatening to consume him.
Swoosh!
It was a familiar sensation—one he knew all too well. It was the seething fire of hatred, burning fiercely within him.
Hatred for the indignity of being treated as a mere toy, simply because of the creature's immense size.
"How dare you subject me to this wretched humiliation!"
He seethed internally, his voice filled with venom, as the intensity of his loathing escalated to an inferno.
"Son of a birch!"
Murky's heart cried out fiercely, a boiling torrent of anger coursing through his veins, as his eyes transformed into blazing orbs ablaze with raw emotion.
The intensity of his hatred was tangible, for after investing every ounce of his being into carefully crafting and executing his grand plan, he simply couldn't comprehend a conclusion like this.
How could it all unravel so rapidly, leaving him teetering on the brink of death and failure?
It was an unbearable reality that he vehemently refused to accept, a bitter pill that lodged itself deep within his soul, causing him to recoil in defiance.
"I refuse to fail!"
"I refuse to die!"
Meanwhile, the Elder Progenitor, with a sense of urgency etched upon his face, tried to convey something important to Murky.
Yet, the whirlwind of emotions swirling within Murky's core made him deaf to the older's words.
Engulfed by a tumultuous sea of overwhelming emotion, he fought tirelessly to open his mouth and release the flood of curses that welled up within him.
"Damn you!" "Damn your ass!" "Damn your race!"
He clung to the belief that if only he could unleash a fierce torrent of insults upon this wretched creature, a small amount of satisfaction would fill his being, protecting him from the nagging feeling of sadness that threatened to consume him completely.
"You, wicked offspring of a detestable race! You disgusting son of a bitch!!"
Murky's voice, though trapped within the confines of his own mind, resonated with a passion that could break mountains. But alas, it remained trapped, held back by the harsh reality of his inverted position—suspended like a mere piece of meat, ready to be sliced and eaten.
The sheer unfairness of it all fueled the fire of his anger, provoking a rage that burned with unmatched intensity.
Swick!
In an instant, the Elder Progenitor produced a strange object from the depths of his advanced technological pocket, a device that seemed to defy the laws of conventional science.
With a skillful click, he set in motion a series of events that echoed through Murky's consciousness.
The spectacle unfolded before Murky's widened eyes, as the Elder Progenitor retrieved yet another mysterious tool, skillfully attaching it to Murky's torn, red Spartan cloak, which hung precariously from a random branch. And then, with a solemn purpose, the Elder Progenitor turned his attention to the seemingly lifeless bodies of the three Nematoceran hounds, as if drawn to their motionless presence.
A deep feeling of unease gripped Murky's heart as he saw the older Ancestor, bending low and picking up the very stones that he himself had thrown at the trio of Nematoceran hounds.
Time seemed to freeze, an eternity compressed into a brief moment, as Murky's gaze fixed on the older Ancestor cradling the lifeless forms of the fallen Nematoceran hounds in his hands.
It was a disturbing sight, a strange scene that sent chills running through Murky's very being, leaving him flooded with an indescribable fear.
The steady rhythm of Murky's heart intensified, each beat echoing with a newfound strength as the weight of impending disaster bore down on his soul.
Tudub! Tudub! Tudub!
His intuition, that silent inner voice, whispered of an imminent catastrophe, a sign of horror that threatened to destroy his world. And alas, his intuition was proven correct.
From the confines of his futuristic pocket, the older Ancestor produced yet another mysterious object, raising it high with an air of ominous intent.
Murky's eyes widened in sheer terror as he saw the gleaming needle, a vessel of both healing and malevolence.
In that fateful moment, his once-steady heartbeat faltered, its rhythm slowing to a painful crawl.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each resounding thump reverberated through the chambers of his heart, an orchestral symphony of fear and despair.
Helpless, he watched as the older Ancestor methodically administered three injections, each one piercing the lifeless bodies of the Nematoceran hounds he had bravely fought to defeat.
"No!!!!"
The anguished cry erupted from the depths of Murky's being, a primal roar that tore through the empty space.
His painstaking efforts to eliminate these three formidable enemies, his hopes and dreams of a decisive victory, all crumbled into nothing but a smoldering pile of shattered ambitions.