“What the hell is this place?”
I can’t help but mutter in disbelief.
After we reached the only exit from the dome, the scene before us became something that was hard to describe. Looking around, it seems like the walls were made of pulsing flesh, had rugged surfaces, and were seemingly tunnel-like as they led deeper into darkness.
From the looks of it, the path was like the intestines of a large monster or something. It was more than five meters wide, enough for us to walk without bumping into anything around us. But the ground was covered in slimy juice, making us hesitate to take even a single step forward.
I tried peeking out from the edge of the entrance and up, but the top of the dome was seemingly blocking the entire passage of flesh. There was no space to exit from there, nor was there a way to return all the way up.
“How about teleportation…?”
I focused on the ring from Goddess Zeta and tried to activate it, but as if something was blocking the function, the teleportation failed. I could still feel that it was connected to the outside, towards the myriads of client rings, but only the teleportation function refused to activate.
“OOF!”
Fang suddenly cried in pain, making me turn around in panic. However, she was simply rubbing her nose as she stared at the black spot she created on the wall for [Shadow Movement].
“… This must really be inside the body of some living being.”
If it wasn’t that, then there’s no way Fang’s [Shadow Movement] would fail. I tried [Shadow Skip] too, but it didn’t even activate. This further solidifies the fact that we were inside some living “thing”, as its natural energy was resisting our manipulation of the ambient energy inside it.
“Leader…”
Fang stared at me, her eyes showing slight hints of doubt and fear.
She must be worried since we can’t escape from this place easily. I just patted her head with a smile, reassuring her, albeit just with a placebo.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can get out of here.”
Well, technically. As a last resort, we can just dig our way out through the flesh wall, but the end result of doing that would be terrifying. Especially since we don’t know what sort of monster we are inside of.
Another option would be to follow the path, since if we really are inside the intestines, then there should be an entrance and an exit connected to it. I just pray that it wasn’t the exit…
As I was troubled about whether to stay and wait for Queen Thalia to wake up first, prepare for Noir’s attack, or go to the exit, a voice suddenly echoed within my ears.
“(M—ster… C-n -ou hea- me?)”
“This… Ember?!”
Although a bit choppy, I could definitely hear Ember’s words. I looked around and didn’t find any of her clones. Even after scanning my body, I found nothing. How did she do it?
“(G-eat! Th- con–tio- is wea- -ut we have grasped Mas–r’s loca—n. W- can te–port you o-t at any t-me.)”
Did she just say they could teleport us out?
I looked at Fang, and her face visibly brightened. Apparently, she can hear Ember’s voice too. With a secured escape, we can breathe a sigh of relief now, after all.
“Wait, we actually have another person with us. Can you teleport her together?”
I don’t really mind leaving her behind, but there’s a high chance she’ll end up dead in this godforsaken place. And with Noir as a witness, he’d definitely pin her death on us. That’ll give us more losses for this outing than gains. Having her alive is still the best choice, at least for now.
Ember stayed silent for a while. We waited for a few seconds before her voice echoed loudly once more.
“(Sorry Mas—, unle– -ou go to a pa– th-t has a thinner su–ace, we can’t t-ke that per–n —-ther with y–.)”
Thinner surface…?
“You mean, as long as we can come to a part that’s closer to this thing’s skin, we can be teleported out together?” 𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝒎
“(Ye….)”
All of a sudden, Ember’s voice faded into pure silence. I waited for some time, but she didn’t talk again after that.
“Did the connection fail…?”
I’m not sure how they were communicating with us, but it should still have been through the use of energy of some sort. I guess the interference got stronger, making it difficult to maintain contact.
“Well, at least we managed to get some information.”
Based on what Ember was saying, we should head somewhere that’s closer to the surface. And to do that, we must first brave the sticky-looking intestinal fluid that floods the “ground”.
“Fang, stay on my back and watch out for attacks coming from behind. Protect us in case something happens.”
“Roger! Leader!”
Fang’s mood was already lifted compared to before. I guess having a secure way to leave this place was enough to boost her confidence. Now it’s time to face reality.
“Ugh…”
Even though I was trying not to pay attention, being inside a moving and pulsing slab of meat is extremely icky. Combined with the white sticky liquid covering the floor, it was enough to make me feel like hurling.
I took a deep breath, hardening my resolve, and took a step out of the corridors of the dome and into the intestinal area. As soon as my foot dipped, the liquid sloshed around my boot and felt like stepping on gel. I turned to Fang, and she was having a very funny expression, as if about to puke, as she watched me wade my way onward.
*Sizzle!*
“Oh, sh*t!”
One problem suddenly reared its ugly head as soon as we decided to move on. The fluid around the intestine was acidic! My boots were pretty sturdy, but in just a few moments, they started turning scorched and black. It was almost like they’d be melted in just a short while.
Without waiting for a second more, I quickly jumped out of the intestinal fluid and into the narrow passage of the dome once again. In a panic, I threw Queen Thalia on my back to Fang before quickly removing the boots and a part of my pants that got stained with the digestive fluid.
As soon as they left my body, the corrosion seemed to accelerate. In just moments, my boots and the hem of my pants turned into a pile of goopy, stinky mess.
That was the effect of the fluid on leather boots and cotton pants. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if that got on my skin directly.
“But now, this is a big problem…”
With the digestive fluid literally covering the entire path, we can’t move forward anymore. And if we cannot move forward, we can’t go to a place that’s closer to the surface of this giant monster!
“Is drilling our way out the only answer?”
“Leader, Leader! It seems like covering our body with energy prevents corrosion!”
Fang suddenly called as the tip of her boots dipped into the slimy “Great job, Fang!”
digestive fluid. However, unlike when I entered, her boots remained largely unaffected. The dark energy she was using to clad her footwear was able to block the digestive fluids!
“Great job, Fang!”
With this, we can continue forward!
I quickly took a pair of boots and a change of pants from my [Spatial Storage] and changed. It was a little embarrassing to change in front of someone, especially when that someone was staring at my lower half intently.
After changing, I moved to take back Queen Thalia from Fang and carried her on my back. Then, using the same element, the Dark element, I covered my foot up to my waist with energy. It was a little over the top, but better safe than sorry.
Carefully, I dipped my foot slightly, waiting for a reaction to occur. However, even after a few seconds passed, the new boots remained unaffected. Fang’s method was really effective!
“Then, let’s go!”
For now, our target would be to reach a part that’s closer to the surface!
—
In a large church located in the eastern parts of the kingdom, Ember and the others were gathered around a large table, looking at a clone transceiver that seemingly lost its signal.
“Master? Master!”
Ember tinkered with the device, trying to restore the connection, but to no avail. The interference in the area where Will was increased to a higher degree.
“Did we lose connections with My Lord?”
Igni, sitting beside Ember, asked worriedly.
“And we haven’t even told him that he’s inside a Dragon King…”
It was baffling even for them, actually. Since they were tracking Will’s state and position all the time, they knew that he was engaged in a battle with Noir. It was nearing the point where Goddess Blanc was about to move and help Will. However, when they fell off the ground, Will and the others suddenly changed locations into a completely isolated pocket dimension… The stomach of the Dragon King.
“They should be fine if they stay in place…”
Goddess Blanc, sitting together with them, added with a worried expression. Ever since Ember passed Will’s note to her, her attitude toward Will has completely changed, to the point that it feels like she’s looking at him like her own son.
“… But knowing Master, he’ll surely move forward regardless of whether he knew the danger or not…”
Ember sighed, wishing that the two or three would be able to pass through this trial safely.