[A/N: Warning! Sensitive content. Contains scenes of suffocation. May skip to next chapter.]
Neo didn't get the chance to make a choice before another absurd event unfolded.
In fact, it was so absurd that he froze.
Once again, just as before, all the colour drained from his face as a dreadful sound echoed through the cave.
Crack!
Neo's heart leapt. A wave of despair washed over him, making him feel as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
Crack!
Oh no!
Thick, black lines began forming along the cave walls and ceiling, leaking dust and debris.
Neo couldn't believe it. The cave was collapsing? Now, of all times?
His heart pounded loudly in his chest, and his mind raced.
He grabbed the spirit vacuum with one hand and his spear with the other, sprinting towards the exit.
Although he had ventured deep into the cave—the lizard had been at the farthest end—the entrance was only a couple of dozen metres away.
He should make it in ti—
Crack!
The cracking suddenly intensified, speeding up so rapidly that the cave entrance collapsed in mere seconds!
Neo's jaw dropped. Every time he thought his luck couldn't possibly be this awful, life would come around and prove him wrong!
He was trapped!
Trapped in a collapsing cave!
"F*ck! f*ck! f*ck! f*ck! f*ck!"
Neo raced to the now-blocked entrance and brandished his spear.
He hurriedly coated it with spear intent, the concept of sharpness, the concept of weightlessness, and enhancing his body with his mind.
He even blessed it with the spirits of all the gods and Buddhas he could think of.
This was life or death!
He had to dig his way out before the entire cave came crashing down, or even Neo wasn't sure if his common-grade physique would survive.
It probably wouldn't! Common-grade physiques weren't invincible!
So, gripping his spear tightly, he thrust forward.
Puchi!
Crack!
Neo's smile had barely begun to form when the cracks intensified once more.
Thick black lines appeared on his forehead as he entered a state of seriousness that was terrifyingly calm.
His spear blurred with speed as he dug frantically, thinning the blockage at an alarming pace.
In the background, massive rocks were already falling, raising clouds of dust and thundering to the ground.
Sweat drenched his forehead as he dug like a madman.
Time was slipping away; life or death hung in the balance...
As he dug, a feeling of déjà vu crept over him.
This wasn't the first time he had to dig to save his life.
First, it had been to escape the uncommon-grade gorilla in the gorilla settlement. Now, it was to hopefully escape a cave collapse.
But this time was different, tragically so.
Crack! Boom!
The ground suddenly trembled, and an ear-splitting crack reverberated through the cave, like thunder sent from the heavens.
Then, for one brief moment, the sound of falling rain filled his ears before the world came crashing down.
Brooooom!!!
_____
Pain.
So much pain.
Unbearable pain.
Neo awoke to an intense heat that nearly gave him heatstroke on the spot—something shocking, considering his common-grade physique.
It felt as though his body was being parboiled. Or slowly stir-fried.
It was torturous!
The next thing he noticed, after somewhat adjusting to the suffocating heat, was the actual suffocation.
He was severely out of breath, and any attempt to inhale would fill his nostrils with sand and dust.
Scratch that—his nostrils were already clogged with sand and dust. An attempt to breathe would only send it all into his brain, or worse, his lungs.
The crushing weight pressing down on his body flattened him against the jagged cave floor, tearing his back in multiple places while strangling him all over!
He didn't dare to open his eyes, couldn't even turn his head or move his limbs.
For a moment, Neo was so dazed by the overwhelming discomfort that he could only think...
'Wow.'
He had never felt so much misery in his life.
Every second lying there was driving him insane, and he just wanted it to end.
He really wanted to die.
His life was so wretched!
This wasn't about never giving up or anything like that. This was just accepting reality.
He was going to die!
No one was coming to save him. And there was no way he had the strength to free himself.
He had only a few agonising minutes left before he would give up and perish.
'Death by being buried alive...'
No matter how Neo tried to frame it in his mind, it didn't sound good. So, he decided to make one last effort before he completely ran out of energy.
He concentrated as much as he could, given his breathless state, and tried to apply the concept of weightlessness to the pile of rubble above him.
It worked on the first try, and he could tell immediately from the slight relief he felt, but as he attempted to push upwards...
It was still too heavy. Not only was his form terrible, but even with the lessened weight, it wasn't something he could ever hope to lift.
Neo sighed.
He began to reflect on his cursed life.
In just a few short Spirit months, he had been whipped, stabbed, slapped, nearly swallowed, drowned, bitten, clawed, buried alive, and countless other things he couldn't even remember at the moment.
He couldn't help but wonder...
'Was the life of the one with the prophecy meant to be this hard?'
Why was his life so difficult?
Every time he tried to move forward, he encountered yet another insurmountable obstacle. Would he never catch a break?!
No wonder his parents had abandoned him.
Who would want a child like this?!
Who would want a cursed child?!
Tears mixed with rock dust as Neo's body shuddered.
Then he applied the concept of weightlessness once more and continued to struggle.
He was desperately in need of air, but he fought to suppress the urge to gasp.
He would keep fighting.
This hopeless struggle...
He would keep at it!
Thud!
Neo abruptly froze.
Through the seismic vibrations, he could feel it in his body.
There was something on the cave rubble!