I have already accomplished my goal but it was kinda boring. Can I even call this an adventure? Heck, no! It was barely a creepy outing!

Then, one day when I shrivel up like a sun-dried date, what am I supposed to reminisce? My masterful slip-ups? The flocks of bats and their droppings? Or, perhaps, how I got seduced by sexy mushrooms and nearly became a victim in some tentacle sex games?...

Question after question boiled inside his head and Midnight's expression became a little awkward. He felt antsy from his own imagination and unconsciously glanced toward the Gnolls. A particularly plump and gooey one caught his eyes. It 'stared' back and spun its teeth, ridiculing his worries. He felt like the worm was laughing at his cowardice and caution.

Indeed, I can't miss this opportunity. Even it agrees. Besides, I can't always play it safe. I don't want my game experience to resemble real life. I joined Euclex to follow my desires, not to calculate and shrink back every single time. Man up Midnight! Don't act childish, swayed by your appearance! Just close your eyes and do it!

While he was busy brooding and pumping up his self-esteem, the chubby worm wiggled casually, passed him by, and 'looked' toward a wall. A second of deeper contemplation later it reared up and gnawed the rock.

Crunch Crunch Crack

Small fragments of granite fell all over, but the majority were caught between its jaws. As it dug, the worm became more spirited. It seemed to have found its purpose for existence. The indention soon became a hole, before expanding into a full-fledged tunnel.

Watching from the side, Midnight scrunched his brows. The more he looked the more he found this worm familiar. Be it the copious amount of goo or its healthy glisten, the excessive weight, the charming lively bottom half, and even the look of blind stupidity it had. It was definitely Klein. The fellow who dreamed to fly sky high, but gravity was unforgiving.

It's already been hours since it led me here. It seems it had its fill. No, no, no, what do I mean by 'seems'? Of course, it did! Look at it. If it eats some more, I'd be worried that it might explode! Heh...

He inaudibly teased the slimy creature and his mood improved. This was the perfect opportunity. It was precisely what he needed for his plan to work.

It was unknown what level of intelligence these creatures had, but monsters in Euclex were generally smart. Even mobs had the brains of toddlers. And Gnolls were known for being docile. Perhaps, communication was a possibility.

Thus, he contemplated for a moment, drew his lips apart, and spoke half-serious, half-joking, "What are you doing buddy? Did you snack a lot? Eating rocks seems nice, and all, but you need to rest as well.

"How about you lead me to your bedroom? I know your guidance skills, so I will be glad if you take me on the task...

"Hey, let's do this. If you do a good job you will get rewards. What I have here is a - "

The worm didn't care for his bullshit. It continued digging through the wall, wriggled in the tunnel, and embarked. This left the half-ling speechless before he shouted at its back.

"W..wait, damn it, can't you spare me a glance? We even lay together!... Fuck, no!... Well, we technically did, but it was all one-sided and platonic... No, don't get me wrong! That's not what I tried to say. Hey, listen here-"

As a goodbye, right before its lower half hid from Midnight's vision, Klein shat a reeking pile of digested rocks and put an end to the awkward conversation. Then it disappeared deep inside the pitch-black tunnel.

"Eww, Klein! Was our half-an-hour friendship cheap and shallow? I didn't know you were such a heartless worm!" He shouted out with no reply and a random thought distracted his attention.

I have to say that it needs some talent to turn a bunch of minerals into a stinky masterpiece. Don't tell me it's a legendary racial skill. I am glad I'm not a Gnoll...

Somehow lost on what to do, he evaded the bombardment, waved a hand to disperse the heavy odor, circled it, and reached the hole.

The opening was too narrow for comfort and rough stone edges bordered it in all directions. The Gnoll's teeth were proficient at ripping and crushing but not so much when it came to polishing and details. Thick green ooze coated everything. The viscous liquid acted as a lubricant and made the passage rather slick.

It looks like a waterslide, but a lot more disgusting. Am I seriously considering crawling behind a meat-grinding machine, in a barely large enough underground passage, surrounded by tons and tons of granite, without knowing if I won't get stuck, or when or where the journey ends? I don't know about the tentacled mushrooms, but I guess, I am rather hardcore myself...

He rubbed his chin and winced. The idea to burrow in this hole was idiotic. No, to call it idiotic was too rude for all people branded with the diagnosis. For a few seconds, his imagination ran wild. Even tho the air in the cave was hot and stagnant, he couldn't help but involuntarily shiver.

Yet, the chance was now. His potions and rations were dwindling, the sustainment of the air membrane exhausted his mental facilities, and his stalker lurked somewhere out of the Hole of Darkness. If he missed this opportunity there may never be a next time.

If I don't seek death I won't die. But here goes nothing...

The sounds from the tunnel gradually muffled. He pursed his lips, braced his muscles, and shoved his head inside. Using every bit of dexterity he had, he dragged his body in and began to crawl forward.

"Damn it..."

The first thing that hit him was the smell. The already rancid odor was now trapped and extremely concentrated. It made him sneeze and tear up.

Oh my Klein. You have never seen a toothbrush, have you?... Please don't shit in my face. Please don't turn around, because I suddenly look tasty. And please don't move so fast! I don't wanna be stuck alone, trapped inside this rock!

He wriggled faster while praying, but he held no expectations. There were no gods or devils, back on Earth, and the same was true for Euclex.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

Moving deeper, newer problems came to his attention.

First and foremost, the goo was slippery. So much that perhaps some kinky fellows would gladly use it as a certain product. Unfortunately, this still-unknown invention, made his task extremely difficult yet easy. While his feet slid across the rock, unable to muster any force to push forward, he saved on energy consumption. The lube worked wonders to reduce the friction.

The second matter was the rocks themselves. Their sharp and pointy edges poked his skin, causing bloody lacerations. They tore his gunk-soaked rags until his clothes became truly irredeemable. Forget a washing machine, even a sci-fi time-traveling couldn't bring their cheap past glory.

Crunch Crunch

Bam Bam Bam

Crunch Crunch

Crawling monotonously in the darkness, he lost his sense of space-time. He was pressed by all sides, suffocated by the mountain weight. With the sole guidance of the noise of broken rocks and the Gnoll occasionally slamming at the walls, he crept and crept and crept to who knows where.

In this delirious environment, the seconds stretched into minutes, then, hours, maybe even centuries. It was unknown how long had passed when he felt true fear for the first time. Terror was an ancient and powerful emotion. It had many different shapes. The dread of pain, the apprehension of a loss, and the most ancient of all - the all-pervading fear of what was still unknown.

Is the clock still ticking? Am I even moving? And even if I do, what if I am going nowhere, proceeding in a circle?

Countless questions rattled up his head and made him nervous. Some of them had clear answers. The map function and the system clock revealed enough. Yet, many other questions were a true enigma.

Where am I now and where will I go? Will I ever reach the nameless destination? Will I find my death, stuck inside this tunnel, all alone?

Then what death awaits me? Will I perish slowly, ravaged by thirst and hunger? Will the Gnoll turn violent, rip my face away, and then proceed to grind my body?

How much longer? Should I reconsider and return? Was my choice correct? Is this painful journey worth it?

In the excruciating stench, his insecurities reared their heads. He felt his rationality decline, overpowered by a hidden madness.

To fight against this feeling, he searched for something, anything. And, finally, he found salvation in the rhythm. The cadence of his gasping breaths. The count of his exhales and inhales. The loud thumping of his heart. The monotonous movements while wriggling forward.

After half an hour, he even found the Gnoll's noises, stench, and shit bearable. At least they meant he hadn't lost his guide.

The tunnel made another turn, branching to the side. For a moment, he strained his ears to estimate the right direction. It was to the left this time. With a common spell, he made the earth protrude to leave a mark, then twisted his creaking back and limbs and quickly crawled forward.

A hundred breaths and he finally heard a different sound. It was still the crunch of the monster burrowing somewhere but with a variation. A few fragments seemed to fall beyond, making tiny thuds. A second later, a larger thud resounded and he saw a dim but blinding light.

Klein reached a new cavern? Finally!

The thought snapped him wide awake and brought a sense of excitement and relief. He even forgot his spasms and aches and accelerated fast forward.

If I knew what I was getting into...Sigh, I hope it will be worth it. If not, I may consider suicide. At least, it will spare me from crawling back...

Wait... Fuck! I forgot that players respawn at their deathbeds! Then I have no choice...

Damn it... Argh, crying over spilled milk is useless...

He took a deep breath and then exhaled it slowly. Like he had to do on Earth, he suppressed all emotional fluctuations, calming down. Now, it wasn't time to lament errors and mistakes.

The light at the end drew closer. Five more meters, four, three...one... He stretched his hands, grabbed the exit's edge, and pulled his body out.

"Whoah!"

He gulped a mouthful of saliva and just as quickly cuddled back into the passage. His pupils shook.

Beyond the exit stood a wide and spacious cavern. Its shape was unnaturally cubic. The demarcation of the edges was precise and clear. As if carved by a mystic master craftsman.

The single glance he took, revealed the lack of corridors, leading to and fro. The cavern was bizarre. It was artificially engineered space, created by a potent spell.

In the middle perched another cubic form. A high pitch-black obsidian 'throne' with a golden chest on top. The chest was embed with resplendent gemstones. Under the light of the mysteriously shining ceiling, the rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, cast playful colorful reflections.

But not this scene had caused him to shiver, hiss, and cuss. It was the cavern's floor. The ground, excluding the protrusion, was overflowing with innumerable Gnolls.

The thick worms were huddled and meshed with one another, forming a grotesque pulsating system. It resembled the roots of an ancient tree but visibly alive.

These 'roots' constantly wriggled, stretched, burrowed, or surfaced in an incomprehensible and eerie dance.

I pity everyone with scoleciphobia. If such a person saw this, without a doubt, they'd lose control. Damn it, I am too disturbed to scan it closely. It gives me goosebumps...

The problem now is, how am I supposed to grab the chest? The walls are too smooth for me to climb. Heh, even if they weren't, with my physical abilities, this hurdle is impossible. Besides, there is no way to bypass the ceiling either...

As for the floor, to step in there is a suicide! It is absolutely out of the question! If I am to slip up, I will get buried in a sea of smelly worms. Before I can regret it, I will be squeezed into a meatpaste!

Thankfully, this is a fantasy realm of sword and magic. Thankfully, I am barely a mage. I don't know what is hidden in that chest, but it isn't meant for non-magicians. That is unless the player isn't powerful enough to crush the Gnolls. Who had the brains to shove a chest in here? For fucks sake, this is a mountain in the newbie region. As if there will be anyone who can face a swarm. That's not some sci-fi fanfic!

Suppressing the disgust, he narrowed his eyelids and constructed a structure. It was the simplest gust of wind, but, he added labels for space, power, and direction. This way the wind would blow from the opposite direction, and hopefully propel the chest to him.

He snapped his fingers as silently as possible and expelled the invisible design. The symbols traversed through space and lit up. They brought a breath of freshness to the stale cave.

Ding

|The Gnoll's Treasure can't be moved from its location. Please, store it directly in your bag.|

But of course. Why would the AI be lenient and give a shortcut?

He bit down and gnawed his lower lip. Dispelling the previous construction, he re-created it and grudgingly deployed it to his back. If the Mountain wouldn't go to Mohammed, then Mohammed must come to the Mountain. Right?

Without a better solution, he snapped his fingers. A gush of wind materialized behind his feet, and he shot out like a cork from a bottle of champagne.

Bang

He shot forward and body-slammed the chest, desperately clinging like a koala to an eucalyptus tree.

Instantly, the cave turned silent.

The constant grunts and noises underneath vanished, and even the ceiling seemed to dim.

I expected that the Gnolls wouldn't love the idea of getting their precious worship stolen, but still...

Without the time to think or evaluate the situation, he relied on his screaming warnings guts. He grabbed the lid, creaked it open, then reached and pulled whatever lay inside. The item disappeared in his bag and the backlog spell activated, propelling him again.

Bang

And here came the first mishap, for rashness often spelled mistakes.

He flew lower than expected and slammed at the opening's bottom edge. The good thing was that he didn't stray too much. This was the correct worm passage.

As he crawled up, right before he stuck his head inside, he turned and sucked a breath. His blood chilled, his heart palpitated, and his forehead was instantly drenched in copious amounts of sweat.

Every Gnoll out there had reared up, silently 'staring' at him. They looked bewildered and enraged.

Oh come on, weren't you supposed to be docile? Can't we have a casual discussion over tea?

The next moment, this spell-bound state dispersed. They came to life and viciously circled their countless rows of teeth. The hollow was inundated with the sound of doom.

That's why I tend to be a law-abiding citizen. Theft never leads to happy outcomes.

He pretended not to see the creeping closer worms and quickly climbed inside the hole.