CH371 - CH372

CH371

In his spatial ring, the first and second tablets lay side by side.

Both tablets were identical in size, but their contents differed entirely.

Helag grew more curious about the tablets’ origins and creators.

The murals offered no clues about the so-called divine messenger.

Helag wondered if more tablets existed; it was all unknown.

Before he could ponder further, the plaza changed.

As Helag stored the second tablet, the surrounding fires extinguished instantly.

The temperature dropped sharply, and Helag felt a chill.

He realized the plaza had been warmer than the tunnel, though he hadn’t noticed while focused on the tablet.

The sudden cold alerted him to the change.

Scanning the area, Helag sensed something had shifted.

He rushed back to the mural-lined tunnel.

The murals had vanished from the walls.

Helag was sure he hadn’t imagined them; they’d been there moments ago.

Their disappearance was sudden, but Helag wasn’t surprised.

He’d experienced similar events at Creek Valley Town, where the cave vanished after he left, along with other strange occurrences.

Back then, he couldn’t understand what happened and left City cautiously.

Now, he suspected the tablets caused these anomalies.

It was a guess; the true reason might only be revealed once he understood the tablets fully.

Aside from the murals’ disappearance, the tunnel remained unchanged.

Returning to the plaza, Helag found it colder but otherwise the same.

“How do I get out?”

Helag pondered his exit strategy.

He searched every corner of the plaza, finding no hidden paths.

It seemed the only way out was the way he came.

He considered retracing his steps, though he’d need a plan to avoid the giant spider outside.

Glancing at the tunnel walls, Helag thought about digging a new exit, avoiding the spider.

The spider was too powerful for him to handle.

Digging would take time but offered safety.

Prepared to dig, Helag began his return journey.

The trip wasn’t in vain; the tablet’s use was unknown, but it held promise.

The tunnel took over two days to traverse; returning might take longer.

Descending was easier than climbing back up.

Helag retraced his steps, having Deep Blue map the return route.

He planned to compare the paths upon reaching the start.

The monotonous journey resumed, and Helag sighed as he pressed on.

***

One day later.

After a day in the tunnel, Helag sensed something amiss.

On his return, he noticed water seeping from the walls.

It wasn’t unusual for deep tunnels to have water seepage.

But Helag hadn’t seen water on his way in.

The tunnel had been dry.

Moreover, he sensed small creatures moving in the soil.

Worms, beetles, and occasionally snakes were present.

None of these had been there before.

Helag had assumed the polluted soil lacked such life, but he was mistaken.

With his Creek Valley experience, Helag wasn’t shocked, having anticipated changes.

These weren’t major issues; Helag worried about the tunnel’s stability.

Previously, the tunnel was intact, showing no signs of collapse.

Now, it seemed unstable.

The tunnel lacked support structures, risking collapse.

Deep underground, being buried would be fatal.

Helag’s strength wasn’t enough to escape from such depths.

The thought of the weight above made him uneasy.

He quickened his pace, eager to leave the underground space.

Four hours later, he heard sounds from behind.

Listening closely, he realized the tunnel was collapsing.

Looking up, he saw signs of imminent collapse.

Helag realized the tunnel had been protected by some force, maintaining its integrity.

With that force gone, the tunnel was just like any other, vulnerable to pressure.

Deep underground, the tunnel couldn’t withstand the weight above.

“It won’t hold.”

Helag knew the collapse was faster than expected.

He wouldn’t reach the surface in time.

Thinking quickly, Helag retrieved the second tablet from his ring, placing it in the tunnel.

He’d only taken the tablet, likely the source of the tunnel’s stability.

Helag hoped returning the tablet would restore the tunnel’s condition.


CH372


The tall tablet propped up the narrow tunnel, lifting the ceiling significantly.

Helag noticed that placing the tablet hadn’t changed the tunnel’s condition.

He suspected the situation was complex, and merely placing the tablet wasn’t enough.

Helag even doubted that returning the tablet to its original position would alter the situation.

Though the tunnel remained unchanged, the tablet temporarily supported it, maintaining stability.

Helag knew this was temporary; soon, the pressure from above would collapse the tunnel.

The tablet could only support vertically, not horizontally.

Once the collapse was complete, Helag would be crushed by the surrounding earth and rock.

He might become the first wizard in history to be crushed underground.

Running upward was futile; Deep Blue’s detection showed both ends of the tunnel collapsing.

Helag glanced at his plane coordinates, hesitating to activate them.

The problem was that teleportation would return him to the same spot, still trapped in the collapsing tunnel.

If he teleported, Helag would need to quickly enhance his power to survive upon return.

Creak…

Helag heard faint sounds from the surrounding earth, the pressure causing the rocks to shift.

Looking up, he saw dirt falling from the ceiling.

Without the tablet’s support, the tunnel would have collapsed instantly.

Helag’s mind raced, seeking an escape.

Time was short; the tunnel would collapse in seconds.

The pressure would come from all sides; even in Titan form, Helag couldn’t withstand it.

He held his left hand, ready to activate the coordinates.

He’d use it only as a last resort.

Teleporting to the Abyssal Plane would only delay death, not solve the problem.

Dirt and rocks fell, adding to Helag’s anxiety.

Watching the impending collapse, Helag almost retrieved the tablet to activate the coordinates.

Suddenly, Deep Blue detected a creature.

A giant worm, like the one that attacked him before.

Helag had an idea, drawing his sword and deactivating Titan form, cutting his palm.

He scattered his blood, shouting toward the worm’s location.

The sound traveled through the earth, reaching the worm, which was highly sensitive to vibrations.

Sensing the sound, the worm turned toward Helag, moving swiftly.

Its hard shell and unique structure allowed it to navigate the underground layers easily.

The worm smelled the blood, becoming excited, speeding toward Helag.

Its underground speed was far greater than on the surface.

In an instant, the worm reached Helag’s position.

Opening its mouth, it aimed to swallow Helag and the surrounding earth.

Helag focused, timing the worm’s approach and mouth opening.

At the right moment, Helag retrieved the tablet, causing the ceiling to collapse.

The falling earth didn’t hit Helag but the worm.

The worm’s structure absorbed the impact effortlessly.

The worm swallowed Helag and the earth, contentedly roaming underground.

Inside the worm, Helag used a dagger to anchor himself, avoiding the digestive organs.

The dagger was insignificant to the worm, the wound unnoticed.

The worm’s throat contained blade-like organs to shred food for digestion.

As Helag neared the throat, he used Flash to bypass it.

He hung in the esophagus, a dark abyss below.

Beyond lay the stomach, emitting a foul stench.

Helag knew falling in meant digestion.

The worm’s ability to swallow rocks indicated powerful digestion.

Helag gripped the dagger, resisting the pull.

The digestive organs seemed to draw in objects.

The pull was strong; without the dagger, Helag would be sucked in.

The surrounding muscles contracted, trying to push him down.

But the dagger held firm, anchoring him.

Helag stabilized, swinging wildly as the worm moved.

The worm traveled at high speed, changing direction frequently.

Helag held tight, avoiding being flung off.

He didn’t know the worm’s destination or when it would stop.

Helag needed to act; otherwise, he’d be lost forever.

After a while, the worm sensed something amiss.

It thought it had swallowed its prey, but it was stuck.

Realizing this, the worm thrashed, trying to dislodge Helag into its stomach.