The resounding crash of the stone striking the metal cart reverberated through the cavern, sending shockwaves across its vast expanse.
The beast reacted instantly, dashing toward the cart with terrifying speed, only to halt abruptly just before reaching it.
It began circling the cart, sniffing the air with a cautious intensity, its primal instincts sharp and alert.
Watching the beast's behavior, Kelvin confirmed a vague detail he had recalled about the 'Earthen Moles.'
'They're blind.' He thought. 'But their sense of smell isn't as acute as their hearing. That speed, though... I can't outrun it.'
Kelvin conducted several more tests, each more daring than the last, to solidify his understanding of the creature's capabilities.
He had to be certain of his assumptions before making his next move.
After a few rounds of these perilous experiments, he pieced together a clearer picture of the beast's strengths and limitations.
It wasn't merely that the creature had extraordinary hearing; rather, it seemed to possess an innate ability to detect concentrated vibrations in specific materials.
Kelvin had struck stones against metal and the ground at varying distances, carefully observing the beast's reactions.
From these trials, he inferred that the creature's perception range was likely between six and seven meters.
However, this hypothesis wasn't something he could afford to test further.
'I have to find a way to slow it down or cripple it.' He thought grimly, knowing that any further delay could prove fatal.
One idea flashed through his mind: using the chain that held the metal platform he stood on to traverse to the other side of the cavern and wait the beast out.
But he quickly dismissed the notion.
'There might be more than one of these creatures.' He reasoned. 'I need to get out of here before things escalate beyond my control.'
Kelvin took out a makeshift knife, a crude piece of metal he had retrofitted from his suit.
Taking a deep breath, he yelled loudly, drawing the beast's attention to his location.
The creature immediately dashed toward him, its ferocity undiminished, but because Kelvin was suspended a few meters above the ground, the beast merely circled beneath him, growling in frustration and swiping at the air.
He waited for the perfect moment.
As the beast prowled directly below the platform, Kelvin slashed at the ropes holding the structure to the chain.
The platform plummeted down with a violent crash, threatening to pull him along with it.
Kelvin leaned his body away, allowing gravity to carry him safely to the ground.
As soon as he hit the ground, he rolled away, his instincts guiding his every move.
The deafening screech that followed confirmed his success—the platform had struck the beast, just as he had planned.
Kelvin had hoped to severely injure, if not kill, the creature by dropping the platform on it, and for a moment, it seemed as though his plan had worked.
Even as he rolled, Kelvin grabbed at whatever objects his hands could find, instinctively arming himself for whatever came next.
Having put some distance between himself and the site of impact, he waited, nerves on edge, for the dust to settle.
His brain screamed at him to flee toward the exit tunnel, but he knew the danger of abandoning a plan halfway, especially when so little was certain.
As the dust finally began to clear, Kelvin's breath caught in his throat.
The beast was still standing, though severely injured.
The right half of its head was slightly caved in, blood matting the coarse fur around the wound.
The creature whimpered and growled in pain, a terrifying sound that echoed through the cavern like a death knell.
Kelvin watched as the beast futilely attempted to alleviate its pain by rubbing its injured head against its fur with a desperation that bordered on madness.
Seeing the creature in such a frenzied state, Kelvin considered making a break for the exit.
But he knew he needed to be certain the beast was incapacitated enough to allow his escape.
He threw an ore he had picked up during his fall, aiming it far away from his position.
The creature's growls and snarls ceased as it dashed toward the sound, ramming into the metal container with reckless abandon.
The beast continued to slam into anything obstructing its path, clearly disoriented and frenzied.
Kelvin seized the opportunity, moving cautiously away each time the beast collided with an object, increasing the distance between them.
However, his hopes were dashed when the creature, though injured and frenzied, began following the trail of his movements, inch by inch.
He sighed in frustration, watching death inch closer for the second time.
The new memories he had inherited screamed at him to abandon any notion of fighting the creature.
But he couldn't give up now—not after being granted a second chance at life.
The exit was just a few meters away; survival was within his grasp.
'I just need to immobilize it.' Kelvin chanted the phrase in his mind like a mantra.
His initial plan had been to use the beast's sensitivity to vibrations to slip out undetected, creating distractions with scattered metal objects.
But he had failed to account for the creature's irrational behavior after a metal platform weighing tons was dropped on its head.
Desperation clawed at him as he scanned the cavern for anything that could help.
His knife was too small to be of any use against such a beast.
Then, he spotted a pickaxe and a spade lying a few meters from the cave wall.
Throwing caution to the wind, Kelvin sprinted for the spade, his heart pounding in his chest.
As soon as he began his dash, the ground trembled beneath the beast's powerful strides.
The creature let out a ferocious roar, and with terrifying speed, it charged toward him.
Kelvin could feel the vibrations of its approach, each thudding step driving him closer to the edge of panic.
But he forced himself to stay focused, his mind racing as he calculated his next move.
The spade was within reach now, but so was the beast.
With a final burst of speed, Kelvin lunged for the tool, his fingers closing around its handle just as the creature's snarls grew deafeningly close.
He had only one chance, and he knew it.
The fight for survival had truly begun.