Chapter 42 The Mud Ogre
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
A trembling breath escaped my lips as I stepped into the lake. The water rose slowly up my chest, cool and heavy, until it lapped at my throat. Then—without hesitation—I plunged beneath the surface.
The lakebed sloped gently at first, then dropped away into a sheer cliff. The deeper I went, the darker it grew, until the sun’s reach faded. Yet the clusters of crystals I’d seen shimmering above still glowed faintly here, storing the light like captured stars.
Terror bloomed in my chest.
Was water always this frightening?
Every direction stretched into dim, endless blue. There was no up or down, no ground to rest against. The weight of the lake crushed against my ribs, my movements sluggish, my body small before its immensity. Each brush of waterweed, each flicker of a fish nearby made my heart lurch painfully.
The muffled swish of my strokes, the pounding rush of blood in my ears, the low, animal sounds from somewhere deep below—it all clawed at my reason.
I wanted to go home.
But my body didn’t stop. It kept swimming downward, deeper, though my lungs screamed and my sight narrowed to a tunnel. There was no sense of direction, yet I knew the way to life lay where the light shone—and still, my limbs carried me into darkness.
*’There, that’s the place—over there.’*
Air burst from my mouth; cold water filled my stomach. Still I moved until at last my hand brushed rough stone. A mountain of rock rose beneath the lake, and halfway up its side yawned a vast hollow. I entered it.
The light vanished. The world turned black again, and when I finally broke the surface, gasping—
”—Uuugh!!”
I stumbled onto the shore, retching. Water and bile spilled from my mouth until nothing was left. My diaphragm spasmed, my chest caved inward.
”Haah—hah—cough, cough!”
Eyes stinging, I looked around. The cavern was cold and utterly dark; no crystals gleamed here.
*’Yes, this is the den of the Class-One Calamity known as the Mud Ogre.’*
My ragged breath echoed.
*’Darkness Sorcery works well in places like this, you know.’*
A sharp pain split my skull. Even with my eyes blind to the dark, I could suddenly *see* the cave—its tunnels, its dripping walls—mapped in my mind.
*’Early on, though, you’ll run out of mana pretty fast.’*
Guided by the voice, I walked deeper. The air thickened with the reek of beasts and rot.
*’Look, such a lively baby~!’*
Before me writhed something the size of a human child—a slick, glistening worm with a ring of fangs circling a gaping mouth.
They quivered together, terrified of me, yet radiating a foul, wet fear that made my skin crawl.
*’Newborns, by that size. Not dangerous yet—feel free to take them.’*
[Peegyi! Peegyi!]
[Kyu-kyu-kyu!]
The moment I touched one, it screamed. A wave of thick pheromones filled the air, stinging my senses until blood ran from my ears and nose.
*’Their cries cut membranes and release pheromones to summon the parent.’*
Gritting my teeth, I tied each one into a loop for carrying and slung them over my shoulders.
*’Adult Mud Ogres have exceptional hearing and smell.’*
I’d barely turned toward the lake exit when my body jerked backward on instinct.
*’See? Instant parent alert.’*
[PIIIIIGYAAAAA!!]
The ground where I’d stood exploded upward, a monstrous bulk slamming into the ceiling with impossible speed. There had been no warning, no tremor, no sound.
*’Run, Homo-chan! Before it swallows you whole!’*
I didn’t need telling twice. No sane being would stay here.
*’Mud Ogres melt the ground as they move, then harden it behind them like stone.’*
I dove into the water and swam for my life.
*’That’s why you felt no tremor—they swim through earth itself.’*
As the crystals’ glow returned, I invoked my art—the secret technique of the Water God Style: *Ryū*, the Flow.
*’Problem is, they’re also great swimmers. So! It’s now an underwater death tag until you reach land.’*
The giant creature lunged and missed, smashing into a wall. Mud clouded the water, blinding me.
”—!”
Pain flared in my hand; my fingers dissolved into crimson haze.
*’Evade with everything you have! Anything that touches it liquefies like mud. You can’t use that arm until it regenerates.’*
The agony was unbearable, as if acid raced through my veins. I screamed soundlessly.
*’Swim, swim, SWIM!!’*
I kicked toward the faint light above, my heart hammering.
—A ripple brushed my leg.
*’Dodge, Homo-chan!’*
I pushed off a boulder. A monstrous shadow tore past, scraping the stone to dust.
*’Hurry! Surface while you can! It’s coming again!’*
I kicked harder, rising through the murky water.
*’No time! Even half-healed—deflect it!’*
”…Ah—!”
With half an arm, I unleashed *Ryū* once more. The next impact shattered my forearm completely, bursting it like a water balloon.
*’Almost there! Land ahead!’*
Pain, fear, the will to live—all blurred together.
I didn’t want to die here. Not like this.
*’Hah! Hard to dodge, huh? Hilarious!’*
”Not funny,” I snarled in my mind. “You got me into this—get me out alive.”
*’Fine, then. Use your legs.’*
For the first time, I channeled the Flow through my feet. Against all odds, it worked. The next rush of the beast glanced aside—though my calves dissolved into nothing.
*’Yes! Land!!’*
I broke the surface, gasping—
”—Pwah!?”
—and a massive force slammed into my gut, hurling me into the air.
Notes:
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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