The rustling sounds were continuous, and in the gloomy mine shaft, everyone was in danger.
Everyone quieted down involuntarily, fearing that something would attack from the darkness, which made the sounds in the cave even clearer, mixed with the pounding of people's heartbeats.
Suddenly, a huge dark shadow flashed from the corner of the cave, sweeping across a part of the crowd.
A miner lost his voice before he could even cry out.
"Ah—"
"Gulp."
Following that was the sound of something being swallowed and food being crushed.
In the tense atmosphere of the cave, where even a pin drop could be heard, everyone heard the swallowing sound, clear and distinct.
Immediately, people's fear was almost uncontrollable.
The chaotic crowd involuntarily surged towards the mine shaft exit.
Hart squeezed into the middle of the crowd, trying to steady his voice and said, "Don't panic, everyone. If you see anything unusual, throw your spears there."
"It's nothing more than a beast lurking in the darkness. We just need to..."
"Gulp."
As if to intentionally make a fool of him, another clear swallowing sound came before Hart had finished speaking.
Another unlucky soul had lost his life.
Immediately, the crowd erupted in an uproar, fear suddenly exploded, and the desire to survive overwhelmed everything.
"No, don't eat me!"
"There's a monster! There really is a monster!"
"Run!"
"Damn it, get out of the way! Don't block me."
Screams and shouts were incessant, and the entire mine shaft became a complete mess. Even the overseers' whips could no longer drive the chaotic crowd, and even the overseers themselves were thinking of sneaking away.
"I want to live."
"Almost there, as long as we get out, we can..."
And in this chaotic situation, amidst the noisy and disorderly sounds, who knew how many people were silently devoured in the darkness.
However, just as the first group of people desperately climbed upwards, attempting to escape, the huge figure had already attacked from the darkness.
"Ah—"
The leading few people were immediately enveloped by that figure, and then their whereabouts were unknown.
Under the brief illumination of the torch, people only saw a massive bluish creature sweep past.
Immediately after, the place where several people had stood was empty, and the light of the torch also extinguished with them, falling into darkness.
Those behind didn't know the situation and continued to push forward.
But those in front, having seen what happened before, dared not advance, yet were pushed from behind, forced to brace themselves and scout ahead.
The swallowing sounds were drowned out by the clamor of the crowd.
Hart watched the situation in the cave, sweat beads dripping down his chin, and he was almost completely in despair.
How to leave, how to escape?
That monster could swallow a person in an instant.
It only needed to guard the entrance, and people would be delivered one by one, filling its insatiable, bottomless stomach.
"Throw spears forward!"
"Kill that monster!"
The miners, in their despair, had no other choice but to obey orders and throw their spears aimlessly into the darkness.
However, all they heard was the crisp sound of spearheads hitting rocks.
People were roaring and crying, and the deep darkness, in their eyes, was already a symbol of death.
Suddenly, a hoarse laugh came from the darkness.
"Humans, your little tricks are truly amusing."
"I've eaten three giant bats, two goblins, and eight humans today, but I think my belly can still hold—all of you."
The monster slowly slithered out from the darkness like this, the faint light of the torch barely revealing its true form.
The monster only revealed its ferocious head, its vertical pupils glowing eerily in the dim mine shaft, and the large, curved horns on both sides of its head, curving back towards its head, were particularly conspicuous.
Its slightly opened enormous mouth alone could probably swallow several people at once.
And its slender body, covered in strip-like scales, was like a combination of a crocodile and a centipede, with many pairs of legs extending into the darkness.
Under the flickering torchlight, a chilling smile appeared on the monster's ferocious face.
"I don't want to miss this opportunity. Food delivered to my doorstep is enough to fill my belly."
"No, don't eat me!"
"It's over! It's over!"
"We're all going to die!"
"Help!"
"It, it's coming!"
People panicked, desperately retreating and crowding together, wanting to escape this hell.
Trampling, shoving, screaming.
However, the monster merely followed the crowd unhurriedly, slithering and coiling, like a shepherd driving his flock, occasionally eating one or two people.
"I don't mind playing a game with you."
"Run, run to your heart's content..."
"I'm still very much entertained."
To the people, the monster's hoarse voice sounded like the call of death, plunging them into the abyss of fear.
"Thwack!"
Kelu's arrow struck the monster.
The weak spears, tiny arrows, and inferior longswords—human counterattacks striking its strip-like scales seemed so powerless.
Even if they were lucky enough to break its armor, the small wound was so insignificant compared to its massive body.
The Barbarian, Scar, finally couldn't stand this cat-and-mouse game, stopped, and turned to face the monster.
However, his strong body, which he was so proud of, was as tiny as a mouse before that monster.
Scar took a deep breath, grabbed his iron hammer, and cursed, "After all these years, I've only ever played others, and I've never been played like a damn toy by anyone!"
"Ah ah ah—"
Scar roared, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot—this was the sign of a Barbarian entering a berserk state.
The Barbarian, having lost his sanity, raised his warhammer and charged towards the monster's massive body, like a knight charging at a windmill.
And facing the charging Barbarian, the monster remained motionless, merely watching him with interest, as if observing an amusing toy.
"Frenzy Strike!"
Scar let out a fierce cry, his arm muscles tensing as he pounded heavily on the monster's chest.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
Hammer after hammer, striking the monster's body.
He actually managed to shatter a few scales on its chest, causing traces of blue blood to seep out.
"Interesting human, I will give you a very good death."
The monster cackled, completely disregarding the damage the Barbarian inflicted upon it, while its body slowly writhed on the ground.
"Ah! Ah ah ah—"
Upon hearing this, the Barbarian's rage intensified, and he hammered frantically, again and again, disregarding everything.
But soon he realized that the monster's massive body had unconsciously coiled around him, entangling him.
Or perhaps the word "entangle" is not quite appropriate; more accurately, the monster used its massive body to trap him, like a blue-green prison.
Scar felt the surrounding space becoming increasingly narrow, his whole body's muscles constantly squeezed, and his breathing became more rapid.
"I never thought I... would actually suffocate to death."
This was the last thought that flashed through his mind.
