Ethan pressed himself as far back into the burrow as he could, curling up tightly, his entire body trembling from exhaustion and pain. His breathing was shallow, his chest tight, but he was alive—for now.
The wolf's growls echoed above him, a constant reminder of how close death still was. But here, in this cramped, dark hole, he had a moment to take a breath. A moment to think clearly. What now?
Pain ravaged his body and he had several injuries from which he was actively bleeding. At this rate, even if the wolf did not catch up to him, he would die.
Talking about the damn devil, the thing had already started clawing at the roots. He did not have much time. He looked around to see the dead end of the burrow staring at his face. He couldn't even move further in. He couldn't crawl out of the other end or something like that. Every single thing was working against him.
Panic and dread filled him as his vision started to darken. He couldn't
focus. The edges of his sight blurred, and a wave of dizziness crashed over him, pulling him dangerously close to unconsciousness. His breathing grew ragged, the pain in his body more intense with each passing second. Blood seeped into the dirt beneath him, his injuries bleeding freely now that the adrenaline had begun to fade.
The sound of the wolf clawing at the roots above grew louder, more frantic. The beast was relentless, its growls a constant reminder of how little time he had left. Each scrape of its claws sent a shiver down his spine, but the real terror was the creeping realization that he was running out of options.
He had no strength left to fight, no energy for another desperate escape. And even if he somehow survived the wolf, his wounds would kill him before long.
I can't die like this. Not yet.
His mind swirled with panic, and then as if in response to his desperation, the glowing interface flickered into view again.
That's right. He still had that. Summoning. Magic. Maybe it could help him.
And then he saw the notification.
[Ding! You have killed a small spider]
[Ding! You have gained experience points]
[Ding! The entity small spider has been added to your summoning list]
Ethan stared at the glowing notifications in disbelief. A spider? A spider? He gritted his teeth, frustration and fear battling within him. "A spider? Seriously? What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"
He did not understand how this thing even got added to his list. He winced in pain and looked down when he saw it. He was sitting on a small spider colony with dust and webs collected in the wall of the borrow tangled around a root.
Ethan grimaced. He realized he must have crushed one of them when he crawled into the burrow. That's how the spider got added to his summoning list—just like the worm before it. What in the name of hell? So what, anything he killed becomes his summons?
In a fit of frustration, he reached his hand out and grabbed the web, squishing out a few more spiders in the process.
"Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you and fuck you!" Pain racked his mind and he could barely remain conscious. Yet, these stupid notifications were mocking him. Was all of this some sort of damn hallucination?
It did not matter anymore. This was it. He was done. He couldn't bear it any longer and his mind started gradually drifting into the darkness.
But all of a sudden, this darkness was replaced with a blinding light.
[Ding! You have killed a small spider]
[Ding! You have gained experience points]
[Ding! The entity small spider has been added to your summoning list]
[Ding! You have killed a small spider]
[Ding! You have gained experience points]
[Ding! The entity small spider has been added to your summoning list]
[Ding! You have killed a small spider]
[Ding! You have gained experience points]
[Ding! The entity small spider has been added to your summoning list]
[Ding! You have reached the limit of your summoning capacity. The other beast souls have been released]
[Ding! Level up!]
[Lvl 1> Lvl 2]
The blinding light in his vision intensified. His body trembled violently, caught between the cusp of giving up and clinging to the last thread of life.
But there was no more pain. A warm wave of energy surged through him, flooding his veins with a newfound energy that chased away the cold grip of death.
It felt like he had been submerged in sunlight.
Ethan let out a gasp and opened his eyes, only to see his torn flesh knitting back together right before his eyes.
His wounds, which had been bleeding profusely, were now healing at an impossible rate. The gashes on his arms and chest closed up, leaving behind faint scars as the warmth continued to surge through him. The pain, once unbearable, faded into a distant memory.
Ethan's breath was ragged but steady. He blinked, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Soon, the blinding light dimmed, and he was left behind whole and healthy.