The labyrinth trembled as the Indus Death Worm’s gaping mouth slammed against the ground, sending rocks and dirt flying in every direction.
Cadmus looked in despair as he knew that Lux was the only one that could help them maneuver inside the dungeon. Without the Half-Elf they would all be stuck inside the dungeon and would be unable to leave.
‘Why did this happen?!’ Cadmus screamed internally as he gazed helplessly at the Giant Worm that had eaten up the Half-Elf who was supposed to be their key to unlock the mysteries of the Dungeon.
Just as the Draconic Kobold was about to attack the Giant Worm in despair, he saw something move from the dust cloud that had obscured his vision.
A fat demon was running away from the point of impact, carrying a Half-Elf in his arms.
Seeing the Half-Elf alive, Cadmus was overjoyed and was about to shout at the red-headed teenager when the latter beat him to it.
“This monster is blind!” Lux shouted. “As long as you don’t make any noises, it will take some time for it to find you guys! No matter what happens, don’t speak, and don’t move! I have a plan!”
The Giant Worm raised its head and once again shifted its attention to the place where the voice was coming from. Pazuzu had used his Madlad Rush after Lux had summoned him in order to escape the Boss Monster’s attack.
Lux waved his hands and Ishtar appeared in the distance. Pazuzu then threw Lux towards the Skeleton Hunter, before turning in the direction of the Giant Worm.
“Pazuzu is here!” Pazuzu shouted. “Come, you little worm!”
After shouting with all of his might, Pazuzu ran away while his Madlad Rush was still active, luring the Giant Worm away from his Master.
Ishtar easily caught Lux and held him in place as the Giant Worm wiggled past them. Eiko, who was still perched on her Papa’s head, sighed in relief. They were safe now, at least for the time being.
Ishtar then stealthily ran towards Cadmus and the other Kobolds, creating as little sound as possible. When they were only a few meters away from the Draconic Kobold, Ishtar supported Lux to stand on his own before bowing her head and running in the direction of the Giant Worm.
Lux looked at his Skeleton Hunter with a grim expression on his face before shifting his head towards the Kobolds, who were still visibly shaken by the appearance of the Indus Death Worm.
“Okay, listen to me,” Lux said in a hushed voice. “We need to find a gate or any type of entrance that will lead us to the Inner Grotto. I have the key to open it, so our priority would be escaping through that door while evading that monster’s pursuit.”
“If we don’t make any noise, will that monster be unable to find us?” Cadmus asked.
Although he was curious about how Lux obtained the key to the so-called Inner Grotto of the Dungeon, he knew that staying here even for just a minute longer was dangerous. After what had happened during the Dungeon Outbreak, he was now more inclined to believe the Half-Elf’s words and didn’t bother questioning him further.
“It still can find us through the sound of our breath and heartbeats,” Lux answered. “However, if we make a louder noise, the monster will focus its attention to the direction of that noise.” ᴡ ᴏᴠʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀʀ ᴘᴜʙʟsʜᴅ ᴏ Novlꜰre.nt
“It can even hear our heartbeats? That’s impossible!” one of the Kobold Mages replied in hushed tones. “Wouldn’t that leave us no way out of this situation?”
“Are you deaf?” Lux asked back in irritation. “I said that if there is a noise that is louder than our breath and heartbeats, that thing wouldn’t be able to find us. Also, stop doubting everything that I say. If you want to die, I can leave you here!”
Lux knew that the Kobolds still held a grudge against him, so they would always second guess whatever plan he had in mind. Since that was the case, he would not tolerate them any further and move at his own discretion if they kept on making things difficult for him.
The Kobold Mage was about to argue, but after it saw Cadmus’ glare, it held back the words it wanted to say and just averted its gaze in frustration.
“Okay, here is the plan,” Lux said. “We need to separate and look for the entrance individually. Now, before any of you whine, or voice a complaint, just let me finish firs–”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Lux wasn’t able to finish his words because Pazuzu’s loud scream echoed within the entire labyrinth. He also felt that his connection with his Demonic Protector had been cut, which meant that the latter was already dead.
The Half-Elf had instructed Pazuzu to shout if it was about to die, to allow him some time to prepare for his next move.
‘Eiko, contact Blackie and Whitey,’ Lux talked to the baby slime via telepathy. ‘Tell them to go as far away as they can from our location and start making noises.’
‘Pa!’ Eiko nodded as she gave out a suicide order to her two Named Creatures.
The Kobolds who heard the Pazuzu’s blood curdling scream all quieted down as they gave Lux their undivided attention.
“All of us will separate from each other, but there is no need to worry,” Lux said. “My summons will keep on making sounds in order to draw the Giant Worm in their location. Once any of you has found the gate, or any kind of entrance that requires a key, come back and look for me here. I will focus on drawing the monster’s attention.
“Also, there’s no need to worry about any other monsters in this labyrinth. The Giant Worm has eaten them all, and it would take some time before they respawn again. During this crucial period, we just need to find the entrance as soon as possible. If we don’t, all of us will become worm food, so keep that in mind.”
All the Kobolds nodded their heads at the same time and dispersed in different directions. Cadmus chose to stay by Lux’s side, so the earlier incident wouldn’t happen again. Even if they found the entrance, everything would be in vain if the Indus Death Worm ate the Half-Elf who held the key to their survival.
Lux glanced at the Draconic Kobold but didn’t say anything else. Having Cadmus as a bodyguard was better than staying alone.
The sounds of rattling bones could be heard from time to time within the Labyrinth. Lux had ordered his skeletons to lure the Giant Worm away from him.
The Indus Death Worm had the title “All-Hearing.”
This title allowed it to hear even the smallest sound within its Domain, making it a very accomplished hunter. Its giant body could maneuver over and under the ground, allowing instant access to its designated targets before it ate them whole without any mercy.
Every time a Skeleton died, Lux would summon it right away and command it to head in a direction far from them.
Blackie and Whitey, the Devil and Angel Slime, also used their skills to create noises to get the attention of the Boss Monster.
Explosions rang inside the dungeon, as the two slimes attacked the floor and walls of the labyrinth.
Since the Indus Death Worm had a strong sense of hearing, Lux decided to make all of his minions make noise, in order to prevent the Monster from sensing their breaths and beating hearts.
Two hours passed, and Lux could feel his sweaty clothes sticking to his skin. Just as he was thinking of fanning himself with his hand, the Head of the Giant Worm appeared out of the ground, only a few meters away from him.
The Half-Elf as well as the Draconic Kobold stopped everything they were doing and became completely still. Both of them even held their breath in order to make as little noise as possible.
The Giant Monster’s head turned to its left and right side as if trying to choose who among the noisy trespassers it was about to target next.
Just as it was about to leave, it heard a long and diabolic fart that made it turn its giant head around to where the sound came from.
It was at this moment when Lux knew that he f*cked up.
“You f*cking bastard!” Cadmus growled in anger.
“Sorry,” Lux replied out of embarrassment. It just happened out of the blue, and there was no way he could have stopped it.
Cadmus glared at the Half-Elf who just farted with an irritated expression on his face, while the latter looked back at him with an apologetic one.
The Indus Death Worm turned its head towards Lux and Cadmus and let out a deafening roar. However, before it could even charge at the two individuals.
Several spells flew towards its head, creating elemental explosions that made it shift its attention to the creature that attacked it. The baby Slime might not be a match against the Boss Monster, but she wouldn’t allow the latter to eat her Papa without a fight.
Eiko had teleported more than a hundred meter away from Lux and bombarded the Giant Worm with everything she had, completely gaining the latter’s anger.
After seeing that the monster had shifted its attention to her, Eiko immediately dug into the ground and hurriedly escaped the scene. She had the skill Dig [EX], which allowed her to burrow through the dungeon’s floor, which was normally impossible to do.
Naturally, the Indus Death Worm wouldn’t allow the disrespectful baby Slime to get away that easily and followed her underground.
Both monsters were expert diggers. One was the hunter, the other was the hunted. Soon, the entire Labyrinth trembled as the Giant Worm tunneled underground.
Lux could only stand rooted on the spot as he looked at the giant hole in front of him with a grim expression on his face.