Chapter 486: Dammit! Dammit!
Crack! Crack!
Thoren had lost count of how many bones he had seen as he ventured deeper into the tunnel. With every step he took, another skeleton was crushed beneath his boots.
They numbered in the thousands, and yet their end was not in sight. He was literally walking on bones.
Though he did not want to think about the endless bones, his thoughts drifted back to them again and again. The deeper he walked, the stronger his curiosity became.
Since this passage was meant for both clans to communicate, why were there only the bones of the Horn Lizard Clan?
If this tunnel truly served as a secret route between the two kings, such a scene should never have existed.
’Is it possible they were killed by the Scorpion Clan?’ he thought, narrowing his eyes as he continued walking.
He shook his head.
’If they were killed by them, there would be traces of battle and shattered weapons.’ A battle involving so many people could not possibly leave behind only bones.
’No. I can’t rule that out. They might have used poison.’
His pace remained steady as he silently analyzed every possibility.
’But if they used poison, the bones should not have begun at a particular section. They should be all over the place.’
That alone contradicted his theory.
He felt the tunnel was not as simple as it seemed.
It was as if he had crossed into another segment of the tunnel when he started walking on the bones.
Before that point, the passage had been completely clean, yet everything changed the moment he entered this area.
To be sure he was not walking into a trap, he pushed his perception to the limit, scanning both ahead and behind him.
Yet, he found nothing.
The tunnel was quiet like a graveyard except for the sound of his boots crushing the bones beneath his feet.
"I should be almost there by now," he muttered, taking a deep breath while keeping his vigilance at its highest.
Crunch!
Suddenly, his boots stepped on a different bone from the previous ones. The sound was noticeably different, causing him to stop immediately.
Looking down, he saw it was a carapace belonging to the Scorpion Clan.
"So, it’s not only the Horn Lizard Clan skeletons that are inside this tunnel..."
A look of realization appeared on his face as another piece of the puzzle slowly fell into place.
He crouched down and carefully examined the broken carapace before standing once more. Now, he was certain these bones were not the work of battle but something more.
Something deadly.
Terrifying, to say the least.
If both Horn Lizard Beastmen and Scorpion Beastmen had died here in such overwhelming numbers, then whatever had happened inside this tunnel had affected both clans equally.
Without hesitation, he increased his pace.
Although he wished to find out what had happened inside the tunnel, his instincts had begun to scream louder with every passing second.
Danger.
He looked around, pushing his perception to the limit. Every inch of the tunnel was carefully examined.
He even urged the undead Echo Scarabs to search carefully for any traces of movement.
Yet, they found none.
Or at least, that was what every one of his senses told him.
Without hesitation, he summoned his second talent.
Now that things had developed to this level, he couldn’t afford to become complacent.’
[Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt]
Instantly, an illusory lantern appeared before him, floating gently in the air.
The Soul flame flickered quietly within it, illuminating the surroundings with an eerie yet strangely comforting glow.
The moment the Soul Lantern appeared, the darkness inside the tunnel vanished as if it had encountered its natural nemesis.
’T-This...’
Thoren’s pupils contracted slightly.
"How could this be?"
His voice was shaky, and all the hairs on his body stood on end as an unprecedented sense of danger surged through every fiber of his being.
On the smooth, plain walls were dense clusters of small scorpions and Horn Lizards.
They clung motionlessly to the stone like decorations carved into the tunnel itself.
He looked around him.
Everywhere his eyes passed, thousands of tiny scorpions and Horn Lizards were everywhere.
They covered the walls, the ceiling, and even portions of the tunnel floor, their sheer numbers enough to make anyone’s scalp go numb.
Their small eyes were locked onto him, filled with hostility.
They did not blink.
"How is it possible I did not detect them?"
"Is it possible they can bypass perception?"
Various questions appeared in his mind, but his steps never slowed down.
On the contrary, they had turned into a sprint as every instinct inside him screamed.
Who would have thought the feared Grim Reaper would be running for his dear life when faced with tens of thousands of tiny scorpions and horn lizards?
Shriek! Shriek!
Suddenly, a soul rending shriek erupted throughout the tunnel. The piercing sound echoed endlessly through the tunnel, making even the tunnel walls vibrate slightly.
The still scorpions and Horn Lizards moved in unison.
Like a living tide, they detached themselves from the walls and ceiling simultaneously.
The entire tunnel instantly came alive.
"Dammit! Dammit!"
Thoren cursed as he fled with all his might, abandoning any thought of investigating the tunnel further.
In such a narrow tunnel, he could not deploy his undead servants effectively.
Worse, his enemies were tiny creatures that could overwhelm his undead servants.
Huh! Huh!
His breathing became erratic, and sweat gathered on his forehead as he pushed his speed to the absolute limit.
The Soul Lantern floated closely behind him, illuminating the tunnel as he sprinted through the endless darkness.
But no matter how he tried to outrun them, they surrounded him from all sides.
The walls.
The ceiling.
Even the floor ahead.
Every direction was flooded with countless tiny creatures.
Watching hundreds of thousands of scorpions and Horn Lizards crazily charging toward him as if he were a sumptuous meal made his skin crawl.
Without hesitation, he took out a Peak Bronze Shield from his inventory.
Whoosh!
Hundreds of tiny scorpions and Horn Lizards dropped toward him from the tunnel ceiling like a black rain.
Bang!
They crashed into the shield, but instead of being thrown away, they stuck onto it. Their tiny legs clung tightly to the bronze surface as though glued in place.
"What the hell!"
Crunch! Crunch!
Before he could react, they began to devour the Peak Bronze Shield at a visible speed.
Their tiny mouths continuously bit into the metal, producing horrifying crunching sounds that echoed through the tunnel.
"This is crazy. Crazy!"
Without hesitation, he threw away the shield and fled while his mind raced frantically for a solution.
The moment the shield left his hand, the swarm instantly abandoned him and completely engulfed the Peak Bronze Shield.
Within only a few breaths, the entire shield disappeared.
Not even fragments remained.
Seeing that scene, Thoren’s pupils contracted violently.
Since they could devour a Peak Bronze Shield, he did not even know what to use against them anymore.
Shriek! Shriek!
Looking ahead, more and more tiny scorpions and Horn Lizards were rushing toward him. The swarm stretched endlessly into the distance, completely blocking his path forward.
He stopped in his charge, and his heart pounded heavily against his chest.
His escape route...
Had been completely sealed.
"What should I do?"
He racked his brain for a solution, but nothing came to mind. He watched as the small distance between them vanished, and fear gripped his heart like a vice.
For the first time in a long while, he truly felt the shadow of death approaching.
The shrieks grew louder.
The endless swarm surged toward him like a black tsunami, blotting out everything within the tunnel.
Just as the scorpions and the Horn Lizards were about to cover him...
A small bell appeared in his hand.
Ting!