Chapter 275 At the End of the Great Adventure
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I came out here to collect materials, but I ended up being swallowed whole by a massive magical beast¹—most likely a giant snake. Now, I’m encased in slimy, pink mucosal walls, barely clinging to life thanks to a defense spell triggered by my magic circuit. I racked my brain for a way out while my remaining mana slowly drained away.
”What a mess…” I muttered.
My first thought was to use the “Magic Gun” to blast a hole right through its gut. It was the most obvious solution, but the problem was the lack of space. There was almost no gap between the pink walls and my magical barrier.
If the shell exploded while I was still inside the barrier, I’d be dead instantly. The spell’s formula was designed to block things coming in, but it wouldn’t stop anything going out. I could press the muzzle of the gun directly against the membrane, but I was worried about the mucus. If that stuff was highly concentrated digestive acid, opening a hole might just let the “solvent” in faster.
I rummaged through my pack, using the “Sparkling Neon-Buddy”² to light the gloom. Inside were basic rations, water, and a “Hot-Shot-kunX-Type” igniter. I also had the knife I used for clearing brush and harvesting materials.
Aside from that, I had some basic supplies: healing potions, some antitoxin, and a leather pouch filled with Red Slime fluid. I also had a few spare magic stones for the gun and my barrier.
”Is this it?” I sighed.
Using the knife would be the simplest way to test the walls, but if the acid dissolved the blade, I’d be in trouble for the rest of the trip back. Plus, there was a risk that if I started stabbing, the snake might start thrashing.
After some hesitation, I took my cheapest magic stone and pressed it firmly against the mucosal wall outside my barrier. To my relief, it didn’t immediately turn into a puddle of goo.
I pulled the stone back and touched the residue with the tip of my pinky. A sharp, stinging prickle ran through my skin. If my plan failed, I was going to be slowly dissolved alive.
Swearing to go down swinging, I looked around one more time.
”Well then…”
There was another option: I could try to find an exit. If I was going to move, the rear was probably my best bet. It would be less noticeable than trying to go back out the mouth, and I’d have a tactical advantage if I could tear my way through its lower vitals.
The problem was orientation. If this thing were bipedal or climbing a cliff, I’d know which way was down, but it was just slithering along the ground.
”I’ll just have to pick a direction and walk. If I can even call it walking in here,” I said to myself.
I shouldered my pack and started struggling through the pink walls. It was slow going, but possible.
As I moved, the mucosal walls writhed and pulsed, trying to constrict and crush me like a piece of stubborn prey. My barrier held, but the mental strain was starting to take its toll.
The “Sparkling Neon-Buddy” was my only comfort, and the “Magic Gun” was my only hope. My sanity and my mana were both bleeding out.
Eventually, after losing all track of time and distance, I hit a solid wall. No matter how much I pushed, I couldn’t move forward.
”What is this?” I asked.
I realized I’d probably reached the sphincter between the stomach and the intestines. I’d successfully headed toward the rear, but I was stuck. I had two choices: blast through this “gate” or turn around and head back for the mouth.
Going back wasn’t an option. I didn’t know how much further it was, and I didn’t think I had the strength to move against the snake’s natural peristalsis again. That meant I had to break through. It was time to use the gun.
I felt a pang of hesitation about using my trump card so early, but I loaded an explosive round into the “Magic Gun.” It was a custom job, built for pure destruction rather than a simple shockwave.
”Please, just let this work!” I prayed.
I jammed the muzzle into the thick, fleshy membrane. It felt rubbery and dense. I squeezed the trigger.
THOOM!
Intense heat and light flooded my vision, followed by a violent concussive blast. I felt the resistance give way. I’d punched through. But then…
SCREEEEEEEEE!
A deafening, high-pitched screech tore through the air. The world flipped upside down as the snake began to thrash in agony, the mucosal walls contracting with enough force to crush a man to pulp.
The explosive fire was quickly snuffed out by the pink flesh. My equilibrium vanished, and a wave of nausea hit me like a physical blow.
”Gack!” I retched.
Damn it! If I stayed inside while this thing died, I’d be finished. In the chaos of my fading consciousness, I managed to shove the gun back through the barrier and pull the trigger again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
I didn’t care about aiming. I just kept firing, letting the explosions rip the creature apart from the inside. I wanted to turn its innards into a shredded mess.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
I fumbled with the reloads, terrified of dropping the shells as I was tossed around. I kept firing, ignoring the heat of the recoil that threatened to sear my hands.
I don’t know how long I kept at it. I was in a frenzy, gouging out the snake’s interior, but the beast just wouldn’t stop moving. Then…
SHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!
A final, massive hiss vibrated through my bones, followed by a crushing surge of muscle. Suddenly, a massive impact rocked my entire body. My ruined inner ear told me I’d finally hit the ground.
”Gah… huff…”
I finally lost the battle with my stomach and vomited bitter bile. The creature that had swallowed me went still. Everything was still pink, but I could see a sliver of light from the outside world.
I didn’t need a blue sky; I just wanted to see something green to know I was safe. I tried to crawl toward the light, but my limbs felt like lead. Then, the hole I had blasted in the snake’s side was suddenly ripped wide open from the outside.
CRACK-RIP!
The sound of tearing meat and snapping scales filled the air. I figured some even bigger predator had seen the snake thrashing and decided to finish it off. Now it was coming for the scraps.
I watched in terror as a limb reached into the opening. It wasn’t a claw or a talon—it was a human arm. It tore through the last of the pink membrane and reached for me.
My vision cleared, and I didn’t see green or blue. I saw a vibrant, vivid pink that was entirely different from the walls of the stomach.
”Big bro-san?! I knew it was you!” a voice cried out.
The hand grabbed me and hauled me out of the carcass. Without even glancing at the gore coating the ground, she pulled me into a tight embrace right through my fading defense barrier.
The barrier let out a sharp creak under her strength. It was a sound I hadn’t even heard when the thugs from the A-rank Merchant Guild Haru³ were beating on me.
”Flearis-san…? How did you…?” I managed to wheeze.
”Honestly! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!” Flearis-san scolded.
It was Flearis-san, the younger sister-in-law of my favorite “experimental subject,” Lily. She was fuming, which was a rare sight for her.
For a split second, I thought she was Lily. If you looked closely, they weren’t that similar aside from their hair, but the way she worries was exactly like her sister.
I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I waited for the creaking to stop and then deactivated the barrier. She immediately started checking me over.
She went straight for my nose, ears, and fingers. I realized she was checking for signs of acid damage; as a member of the “Pink Clan” hunters, she knew that’s where the melting starts.
I just lay there like a doll while she checked for broken bones and washed the vomit off my face with some water. Once she settled down, I asked her again.
”Really, though… why are you here?”
”It was a request from Big Sis Lily, obviously. She had a ‘feeling’ that you were definitely getting yourself into something dangerous, so she told me to come find you,” Flearis-san replied.
”I was worried too, you know!” she added, huffing again. How “definitely” and “feeling” worked together in the same sentence, I’ll never know. At this point, it wasn’t a hunch; it was full-blown prophecy.
She explained that Lily knew I’d be annoyed if she came herself, so she had gone to the trouble of convincing Flearis-san’s master—the wife of the Crown Prince of Ierse—to let her go. I had managed to inconvenience half the kingdom.
”Ah… well… I’m sorry,” I muttered.
”Nope! I’m not forgiving you that easily. And I don’t think Big Sis will either, so you better be prepared!” Flearis-san said.
And so, my “great adventure” ended with me facing the terrifying, loving wrath of the two sisters. Note to self: stop trying to do things I’m not built for.
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Summary:
The protagonist is swallowed by a giant snake while gathering materials. After a desperate struggle using his Magic Gun to blast the beast from the inside, he is rescued by Flearis-san. It turns out Lily’s premonition saved his life.
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Trivia:
- The protagonist’s barrier prevents things from coming in but allows him to fire weapons out.
- The ‘Pink Clan’ is a hunter-tribe that knows exactly how monsters dissolve prey.
- Lily used political connections (the Crown Prince’s wife) to send Flearis-san on the rescue mission.
- The Magic Gun rounds used were custom-made explosive shells, not standard shockwaves
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Character Insight:
Lily demonstrates a near-supernatural level of intuition regarding the protagonist’s safety, though she avoids smothering him directly by sending her sister-in-law.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the ‘Pink Clan’ characteristics to justify Flearis-san’s medical check methods.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Flearis – A member of the diplomatic envoy and guard. Has pink hair.
• Lily – the sl*ve and primary experiment subject for the magic shop, ‘Harvest.’ She has striking pink hair, Blue eyes, medium breasts, which the Protagonist associates with being ‘wanton’. She has a working knowledge of magic, which she kept hidden from the slave trader.
• Ierse – The Crown Princess and wife of Gilliam, originally from a foreign land. She is described as lively and healthy with a unique charm. She wants to cheer up her husband. Has long haired hair.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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