Chapter 170 - 169: Demon Accident
After checking on this section, Dick was about to turn and check on the other side.
Suddenly, he felt fine grains of sand and rock trickling down from above, landing on his sweaty neck...
Dick irritably wiped the back of his neck and frowned, looking up.
The huge oak beams supporting the ceiling overhead were trembling slightly.
’What the hell?!’
Dick immediately threw his head back and bellowed.
"Hey! Reinforcement crew! Which one of you bastards is asleep on the job?! Get a couple of guys over here and reinforce the supports on the ceiling!"
"If this place collapses, we’ll all be buried alive!"
"Coming, coming..." a voice immediately called back.
But in just that short time, the vibrations grew stronger.
It was coming from the deepest part of the tunnel. The tremors intensified until even the ground beneath their feet began to sway.
"What’s going on...?"
Dick finally realized something was wrong.
The workers beside him had stopped what they were doing, their faces etched with fear and unease.
The mine suddenly fell quiet, and the RUSTLE of trickling sand and pebbles became unnervingly clear.
"Boss... what’s happening?"
"Evacuate! Everyone, evacuate now!"
Dick had no time to think. Any mishap in the mines was a matter of life and death.
He gave the order without hesitation. "We’re shutting down for the day! I’ll go report this to the Alberti Family!"
But the words had barely left his mouth when the newly excavated tunnel began to shake violently without warning.
CREAK—!
The massive oak beams supporting the ceiling groaned as if they were about to snap.
A spiderweb of black fissures spread across the hard rock walls and floor.
Dust filled the air. Even the sturdiest rock formations in the ceiling showed signs of collapse, beginning to break apart!
"What’s happening?! An earthquake?!" the miners cried out in panic, struggling to stay on their feet.
THUD... "AHHH!!!"
A scream so shrill it was distorted rang out, making everyone’s blood run cold.
A boulder the size of a millstone came crashing down from above, landing squarely on a young miner.
He didn’t even have time to think about dodging before he was pinned completely beneath it.
Bright red blood gushed from beneath the boulder like a stream. His lower body was a mangled pulp of flesh and bone.
"Run!!!" Dick roared, his eye twitching violently.
’There’s no time for a rescue. We have to get out of here first!’
The miners immediately dropped their tools and sprinted for the exit for their lives.
Just then...
THOOM!!!
A tremendous sound erupted from the rock wall to the left.
Immediately after, a huge, fractured circle several meters in diameter appeared on the wall’s surface.
Before everyone’s horrified eyes, the circle exploded outward, sending a shower of shrapnel-like rock fragments everywhere.
A massive, hideous worm-like Demon burst out from the opening!
Its body resembled a white maggot magnified hundreds of times, covered in thick, fleshy folds.
But unlike a maggot, its exterior wasn’t soft flesh. It was covered in a thick carapace formed from hardened rock and minerals.
The worm Demon landed and raised its head—a featureless mass with no eyes, only a giant mouth—and let out a furious roar at the miners.
"ROAR!!!"
The sight within its gaping, circular maw was even more terrifying.
The inside of the worm Demon’s mouth was filled with countless, densely packed fangs.
These teeth even covered the roof of its mouth, layered one on top of the other.
In essence, its mouth was a meat grinder composed of innumerable, circular rows of sharp teeth.
The sight made everyone’s face drain of color. Some of the men’s legs gave out, and they collapsed on the spot, the foul stench of urine filling the air.
They scrambled backward on all fours, desperate to get away from the terrifying Demon.
Dick was horrified.
He’d spent his whole life in the mines and had never seen a Demon like this.
At worst, they’d encountered Kobolds or some troublesome rock worms, but nothing like this!
Worse still, the monster had appeared in the one place that perfectly blocked the mine’s only exit.
It had sealed off any hope of escape.
With the appearance of the worm Demon, the mine began to collapse even faster.
Boulders rained down from the ceiling like hailstones.
THUD THUD THUD THUD...
The air filled with endless screams.
"Arghhh... my leg!"
"Help me, I’m trapped!"
"I... SQUISH...!"
Every few moments, another man was either crushed into paste by a falling boulder or had his limbs shattered, left disabled and wailing on the ground.
The worm Demon launched its attack. Its body seemed to undulate clumsily.
But when it wanted to move quickly, dozens of short, thick, segmented legs would shoot out from beneath its corpulent body.
The worm Demon scuttled forward with a speed that defied its massive size, completely ignoring the rocks falling from above.
It opened its maw and, in one gulp, swallowed a miner who wasn’t fast enough to escape.
As its rings of fangs ground shut, a series of sickening CRUNCHES echoed through the tunnel.
It was undoubtedly the sound of the miner’s bones being pulverized.
The worm Demon opened its mouth again. This time, it was filled with crimson residue, and chunks of shredded meat hung between its teeth.
Despair descended upon the entire tunnel.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
Witnessing the horrific sight of a living person being instantly ground into mince, the already terrified miners completely broke down.
They screamed and cried, running around like headless chickens in the collapsing tunnel.
Amidst the chaos, a flash of grim determination appeared in Dick’s bloodshot eyes.
’We can’t keep panicking like this, or none of us will make it out alive!’
The worm Demon was huge, but not big enough to block the entire passage. There was still space on either side of it.
The mine was collapsing, and the worm Demon was closing in. Delaying any longer meant certain death.
’We have to charge!’
’It’s the only way. Rushing past it is our only sliver of hope!’
’It’s not just about saving my own skin. I have to get word out. The Alberti Clan needs to know, so they can send real Adventurers to deal with this thing!’
’Otherwise, once the collapse stabilizes, they’ll think this was just an ordinary mining accident.’
’If they send more ordinary workers in to make repairs, they’ll just be sending them to their deaths!’
"Stop running around!" Dick roared. "Everyone charge for the exit! It can’t kill all of us!"
But despite his words, few dared to charge head-on at such a terrifying worm Demon.
Dick gritted his teeth, the faces of his wife and children flashing through his mind.
"Get the hell up!" he screamed, his voice raw. "You want to die here?! Charge with me!!!"
Letting out the most soul-shattering roar of his life, he led the charge, sprinting for the gap beside the worm Demon.
The worm Demon showed no mercy, rearing up with surprising agility.
It lunged, and with a single bite, swallowed Dick whole.