"Gahhh!!"
I augmented my fist with fury and punched at the skin once again, almost losing my balance like the first time, but luckily I held it together. As one would expect, the Sun-Cursed Worm have started moving around rapidly outside, fearful of what's going on inside.
It couldn't defend against an insect attacking from the inside, after all. If this Sun-Cursed Worm hadn't been enhanced by the crimson moon, I would of escaped already. The skin had gained even more durability towards blunt attacks, since I couldn't use [The Cleave] I had to fully rely on punching my way out.
Which wasn't much of an issue.
"One more…."
I murmured to myself. Even after constant punches, my innate spirit has barely run dry. It was a unique feeling. It was easy to have the misconception that my innate spirit pool had somehow grown in size, but that's not the case. Rather, my efficiency with controlling my innate spirit grew in skill, helping me use the least amount possible with each ability or skill I use.
This act itself have become subconscious for me. Just slightly, it's not on a mastery level of efficiency, but worked well for me. Atleast for this mission it did.
I couldn't help but be proud of how much I have grown since the start of The Mulligan. With this rate of growth, I began thinking that i really stood a chance of winning The Mulligan.
'But first I gotta get out of this darn stomach.'
I thought inwardly, as I powered my fist up with fury, taking a deep breath. I felt the innate spirit circulating within me. What Isabella said wasn't wrong. Mediation—having a clear mind is truly the way of controlling the flow of the innate spirit. Even though my understanding of it was incomplete, I still got the basics of it.
The mistakes I used to make was using an unnecessary amount of innate spirit just to use a skill or blessing ability. This did strengthen the effect which the skill or ability had, but sometimes that's just not necessary. The first step of mastering the flow of innate spirit was controlling the amount you distribute with each use of an ability.
I have started getting close to grasping the essence of it.
"Combat is the greatest teacher."
Atleast for me it was. After everything I have experienced, I have learnt so much. Somewhere deep down, I have even started feeling grateful towards Nico for causing such a ruckus. This doesn't mean I won't kill him the moment I see him, though.
That guy deserves an ass-whooping.
Clenching my fist, I shook these thoughts out of my hand. Then, opening my eyes wide.
"Hah!"
My fist connected with the flesh of the stomach of the Sun-Cursed Worm, releasing a powerful shockwave throughput it's innards. It was weaker compared to the first one, since I was running out of Fury to use, despite keeping [The Zone] always active. Luckily though, I had weakened the skin just enough.
By the time the air cleared, I saw it.
"Freedom!"
A grin formed on my lips as I saw the hole I managed to tear through the Sun-Cursed Worm, right through the stomach. It was bleeding heavily—the size was just enough for him to squeeze through.
The worst part?
"Ahh!"
Sand! From the hole, sand began pouring inside the stomach, almost making me lose my gripping on the sword. But luckily I didn't. Squinting my eyes tightly, I dove right into the sand, exiting the stomach without any hesitation. I didn't open my eyes or my mouth, knowing what would happen if I did.
'So the Sun-Cursed Worm was hiding inside the sand….'
I briefly thought that perhaps hiding inside the sand would be a great idea. After all, how can they track me?
But I quickly realized how stupid and irrational this idea was. I would end up suffocating from the lack of air if I did that—not to mention, the Sun-Cursed Worms seem to be able to easily travel through the sand, even able to sense each other. So it's natural to assume they would be able to sense me as well.
Entertaining such thoughts isn't like me.
I must be getting desperate and more than a little frustrated.
No matter how I try to act, this is the truth I can't hide from. Even with my emotions being alleviated temporarily, jumping right into the Key Rush after the Dreadful Tunnels was probably the worst thing that has happened to me. The mental toll and exhuastion was starting to influence my actions, thoughts and decisions.
I must stay calm.
I thought so, as I started 'swimming' my way back to the surface. I had a feeling that the special way which the Sun-Cursed Worms seem to be able to sense me was through my heart. It wasn't a coincidence that the Sun-Cursed Worms didn't show up when I first arrived, since I was fairly calm.
Perhaps this is their weakness? I wasn't sure, but it was worth giving a try. I was willing to do anything to make sure the Sun-Cursed Worms that are hiding within the sand to not notice me. Once they do, it's game over.
So, trying my hardest to calm my racing heart, I continued making my way to the surface, praying that no Sun-Cursed Worm would come up from behind me and devour me whole, or would intercept my path to the surface.
Luckily, none of them did.
My right hand poked out from beneath the sand, grasping on to the surface, pulling myself up using my strength. I took in a huge intake of the air, coughing slightly as sand escaped my lips. The crimson moon hung over me, casting a crimson veil over the empty desert—with the out of place blood river stretching through it.
Wiping some sand off my eyes, I looked up towards the massive crimson moon.
"Now that I take a good look at it, it's quite beautiful."
I mused. After all, this isn't a sight one gets to see everyday. A blood red moon that was more than three times the size of the lunar moon we had on earth. It was a spectacle. I couldn't help but wonder if it was real, or just an illusion crafted the mission itself to make it look more appealing for players.
Perhaps getting distracted by this thought wasn't a good idea, as the moment I was, I felt the ground beneath me swirling, indicating that something was moving beneath the sand.
Not just something, but alot of them. The Sun-Cursed Worms were coming.
"Shit! To the river!"
I didn't hesitate, jumping up to my feet. I took one quick breath, then dashed towards the blood river. Unlike the Bloodroot Stranglers, these Sun-Cursed Worms doesn't seem to like the blood river much. Rather, they seem to be repulsed by it. Perhaps these worms are weak to water? Or the toxins that make up the crimson water?
Whatever it was I ran towards the blood river. It was the correct decision to make, or so I made myself believe it. I had to be careful not to drink the crimson water, though. Unless I want myself to be on the brink of death again….
The river wasn't that far away, I was confident I could make it there. That was, until, I felt shadows looming over me, sand dropping down to me from the sky.
I didn't look back. I already knew what it was.
"Dammit!"
Even when trying to run, it was impossible trying to evade these Sun-Cursed Worms. One of them quickly slammed down towards me, then I saw another one joining in, this time attempting to swallow me up by rising from beneath me.
I saw all this beforehand with [Probability Pryer], of course.
So, in quick succession, I dodged all of them. But in turn, this just caused more and more of them arrive. It was like an endless amount of Sun-Cursed Worms was suddenly attracted to my presence. All of them more dangerous than the last.
"Shit!"
I was surrounded now.
My route towards the blood river was blocked, my right side was packed, the left side and behind too. There was nothing I could do now. My eyes were being filled with overwhelming probabilities of me dying.
"I guess I have to fight now."
Gripping [The Cleave] tightly, i took a deep breath. Just before they all lunged towards me, I felt like time slowed down—the familier sensation [The Zone] hands me—as I started focusing on my innate spirit. I have been subconsciously circulating them in the most efficienct way possible, to not end up wasting a single drop of this vital energy.
But right now, in this situation, I was aware that holding myself back will only get myself killed. So, I wasn't gonna allow myself to subconsciously restrict myself any longer.
All those invisible barriers I put on myself shattered. The innate spirit started flowing in my veins widely, spreading all across my body, being distributed like red blood cells. I felt an overwhelming amount of power flowing through my veins, that it almost made me gasp.
'I have gotten this strong?'
From my understanding of the innate spirit, it was impossible to expand you're innate spirit pool. The amount you have is given to you from birth—or from the start of The Mulligan. This is the assumption I made when I first learnt of this special energy. And i wasn't wrong. The innate spirit pool inside me hasn't expanded in size, rather it was my innate spirit itself that grew stronger.
'Was it the Abyssal Fragments?'
I suddenly thought to myself.
Whenever I recieved an infux of Abyssal Fragments, something inside me grows stronger. It wasn't my blessing or physical attributes. Rather it was my innate spirit that grew stronger….
Can I call it innate spirit now?
I heard Nico and the others calling it corrupted essence…
It seems the more Abyssal Fragments I have, the stronger my innate spirit itself becomes. Once my innate spirit rises in strength, so does the blessing ability or skill it powers. Of course, this isn't comfirmed through actual evidence, its just an assumption I just came up with.
But what if it's true?
At this new understanding, the innate spirit inside me started reacting. It reacted by flowing and distributing itself throughout my body evenly, without restrictions of efficiency being placed on them. My entire being was overflowing with power, but as a result, the innate spirit was being drained rapidly. Much faster than I thought it would.
I didn't care about that, though.
Activating both [The Zone] and [Probability Pryer] to it's fullest potential. By the time the Sun-Cursed Worms reached towards me with their disgusting body, I had vanished.
In a blur, I sliced right through one Worm, cleaving through it's skin perfectly. Of course, this wasn't enough to kill it. I didn't bother wasting time on it. But the injury was fatal enough to knock it out of action.
Without wasting time, i once again used my newly superior speed to get close to the Sun-Cursed Worm that was the closest to that one. slicing right through it as well.
Then, I was in another one.
Then, another one after it.
I didn't kill a single one because I knew that was impossible. However that doesn't mean that I was unable of injuring and intimidating them so bad that they would think twice about messing with me again. It was working. Pretty well, actually.
Some of them started retreating and the ones that was still here was hesitating. I didn't waste time cutting them down as well, my sword slicing through their skin, leaving behind gaping wounds that would be irreversible no matter how they try to heal it.
But I already knew they could somehow reverse it by eating their own kin. Thankfully, I didn't bother killing any of them. So they should have nobody to eat….
"Phew…"
I murmured, my sword plunged into the skin of a thrashing massive Sun-Cursed Worm. Attacking them all in quick succession at once was quite taxing on my physical body, but very much worth it. I managed to drive some way….
"Maybe I'll be able to hide in the blood river now…..I should take this chance!"
But things are never that convenient for me.
I felt the ground begin to rumble, shaking violently as if an earthquake had come. Then, a whiff of sand was blown towards my face—no, it was blown everywhere was something revealed themselves from the ground beneath the sand.
A massive shadow loomed over me, as I heard the familier voice announce inside my head;
[Boss fight Intitated!]
Boss Fight:—
Boss Name: [Velsharath, Sovereign of the Sun-Cursed]
Boss Class: AA-Class.
Boss Tier: Low-Tier.
Goal: Kill Velsharath.
Rewards: [470 Abyssal Fragments]
Punishment: None.