The Centipede's fall

Walter placed a coin in the vending machine, buying "Koko-kola" as he always liked. He went out for a drink that day, and by gut feeling told him to go out, in this exact location.

He always trusted his gut feeling. Ever since he got the information about who killed his parents he's been sniffing around their traces.

He finally got a major clue, the Zurtin Brites, an infamous terrorist group. One in which he follows, he tracks and hunts. Once he got his revenge he would find peace.

Just as he finished his drink and went to the recycler to throw the can his eyes suddenly got fixed in the distance, beautiful silver-grey hair and green eyes reminiscent of a forest.

Walter looked at that beauty. The cold air that lingers around her and her dignified gait is well known in the academy. Walter smirked, he felt that he would be acquainted with her.

And sooner or later she'll be…

Walter suddenly punched himself, he didn't move in place, he just suddenly punched himself.

"W-what was I thinking?!"

He angrily muttered to himself. He didn't know which track his thought was following but it felt like it wasn't his! It felt like his mind was being led by an unknown force!

"Ugh…"

Flashes of images of grown adults flashed in his mind, it was vague, ambiguous. The grown adults are only identified because of the shape they're presented as.

Walter recognized that the figures were women, one with a sword, magic, divine power and so on. The flashes of images were sudden and quick to leave as they went.

Walter then looked at Lenneza as she walked towards the salon. One that houses the rich kids. Walter now felt that she was familiar.

He shook off the thought. His main reason to be in this country is that he needed to find those pests. Zurtin Brites. They needed to be culled.

No matter what force is making him make different decisions.

***

Jai got flung away from the force of the strike from that centipede, it was humongous and by its size imposes its actual danger as a dungeon monster.

"Leo!"

Jai screamed, not caring about their predicament. The stones flew everywhere like shrapnel, Jai stimulated her dormant mana inside her body and all the shrapnel either bounced or shattered into tiny pieces as it crashed towards her.

The centipede kept its momentum and started wiggling around, walking over its own body, Jai narrowed her eyes and saw a moving figure.

Leonard used his shadow just in time to avoid a massive blow from the centipede; he crawled around the shadow beneath it, avoiding its sharp legs.

Of course, the Centipede noticed this and continued its chase. With Leonard weaving around making sure he doesn't get caught. Mana gets used when he uses [Shadow Arts], and he is not completely immune to damage.

"Jai! Use the Irritants—"

–Boom!

Leonard preplanned with Jai, they cannot kill a monster at the centipede level, so they devised a plan. The centipede has a high metabolism so it would eat a lot. The first plan is to starve it.

Of course, how would they do this? A variety of ways to guerilla warfare. Attack, kite and repeat. It would shake and tire the centipede. Of course, this would be nasty, Leonard and Jai had to alternate when getting chased and one of them would kill and place poison on the prey if the centipede would find something to eat.

The second plan was, of course, to gradually poison the centipede. This would work, the records said so. The centipede has a high physical defence but inside it would be the same as any dungeon monster. Though the organs would be less useful because it was poisoned.

Jai heard Leonard loud and clear. The irritants are the items brought by Leonard to attract the Centipede at the first plan.

She carefully took them out of her bag as soon as she found herself balanced. A pouch filled with red powder.

"Leonard, come here!"

Jai yelled, she readied her form to perform a throw. Leonard heard her call and moved, running towards Jai and hiding below his shadow once he felt danger creeping up his back.

He weaved through its legs and ran on top of its back, he saw the cliff and jumped with all his heart. The centipede of course followed with its animosity directed at Leonard.

'The natural instinct for dungeon monsters to attack surface dwellers!'

Leonard of course found out why this is the case. It was unfortunate to be discovered as they were about to leave and go for another day.

Jai watched as the Centipede followed Leonard off the cliff, she threw the pouch full of irritants. The monster saw this attempt and moved its front feels to slice the pouch.

Though it was the biggest mistake it could ever make. The pouch was sliced open but the force that Jai placed on the pouch wasn't so simple, the powder splashed on the monster's face, and its eyes were the most affected.

—Skreeee!!

The centipede noticed this way too late. The irritants Leonard brought were enough to blind Jakari people, let alone monsters. If it could recover it would take a while, but Jai used a full pouch against the Centipede so she doesn't know when it'll subside.

—crash!

Meanwhile, Leonard felt the brunt of the force, falling off a kilometre-high plateau. He wasn't that damaged but it awakened the memories of falling harder so he didn't complain, just grunted.

"ngh… Jai! Get down from there!"

Jai was already going down with Leonard's instructions, she jumped down readily with legs coated with mana. Her land made some dust rise but other than that there were no problems.

Leonard grabbed her hand and started running through the forest. Letting go once they saw changes in terrain.

"We're going to plan a."

"We're going to tire it out?"

"Yeah! If we can, we could just use the vines if our lives are threatened."

Jai nodded, and they ran with ease, not breaking a sweat. Just as they reached the entrance to the Forest they heard a loud noise.

—Crash!!

The centipede fell off the Plateau and is squirming around. It has no damage at all, its carapace still shiny even rolling around in the dust.

Then its head pointed in the duo's way. It's 8 eyes all damaged except for one. The uttermost left eye. Its teal lustre still shows while the others are dark red.

"uh-oh it saw us."

"Obviously!" Jai yelled.

The two ran as fast as they could, Jai was agile within the trees and Leonard was running down, where the roots are a hindrance, but not for him his shadow art is a nice thing to have.

–Skreee!

The centipede charged, its long body followed suit, and its legs moved like a ripple in the water, thanks to its shiny lustre it was mesmerising.

If it only wasn't that dangerous.

—Crash!

The entire body of the centipede ran towards the duo, it moved with explosive swiftness and used its body like a siege weapon. It rammed with tons of its weight, destroying the trees that made Leonard sweat for days.

'I can salvage those for later!'

Leonard looked with greed but didn't get blind as he weaved his body along the dungeon floor. The Centipede is aiming for him as it seems that the crashing behind him didn't even stammer.

'Dammit! The status of a surface dweller is such an unlucky disadvantage here!'

Leonard went ahead and tried his best, using mana in his body he circulated them all to manage his stamina. It's a good thing that he was fast and the terrain gave him some advantage, he couldn't hear the centipede coming in closer nor it getting farther.

The core of the forest is wide, and he used this ideal biome to his advantage, leading the Centipede, meanwhile, Jai didn't stand still. She kept the monsters away from Leonard's path or even better have them kill each other.

They aren't that smart nor that stupid, but creating a situation where they die is better than letting them become food for the centipede.

Plan A, starve and fatigue the centipede. Simple, but simple isn't synonymous with easy. Jai had to work herself off, and in a sudden, abrupt situation as well, nonetheless, she didn't complain.

–Hiss! Roar!

She was gathering a horde, in the opposite direction of Leonard, but the two are going at the same point. A crossroad sooner or later as they have to circle the plateau.

Leonard looked behind him, sweat non-existent from his body, the centipede is still aiming for him, his luggage got torn apart but surely there would be some left if he went back, after all, only the main bag was destroyed, the other ones surely survived.

The centipede was still going after Leonard, it already attracted a few monsters in the dungeon, he even witnessed a Warhog ram itself to the centipede just for its effort to be thwarted as it was sliced in two. The dungeon will reclaim that thing in an hour or two if it's left untouched or claimed.

–Skreee!

Leonard continued moving once again, checking his position he is sure he will run into Jai if she continued running around the plateau.

"Phew… I need to keep that centipede for a few hours continually to make it fatigued."

Leonard kept running, circling around the Plateau whilst the centipede was running towards it, sometimes, it would lose interest. But Leonard made sure to keep its eyes on him as he closed in just to throw an irritant in its mouth, then ran away again.

The centipede rattled, wriggling off the dungeon floor as the irritant was thrown in its mouth, it wasn't spicy, it was itchy. And it's the worst feeling of all, as the irritant feels exactly as someone who has been in an allergic reaction would feel.

A guttural screeching resounded in Leonard's ears, letting him know that swallowing a full pouch worth of that irritant would warrant that effect.

'Woah—'

Leonard dodged a hit from a monkey, it seems that he had gone through a territorial monster's space. Anyways, he dodged and weaved through them 'having Shadow Arts was the best decision in life' he thought.

Leonard dodged a wide hit from a monkey as he hid under his shadow, the monkey with three eyes and four arms, he was sure it was a spider monkey but that was not his focus.

He kept dodging the monsters, their attacks and their directions was avoided. With his Arsenal used properly, he moved away at a safe distance. He watched as the monkey's attention was placed on the centipede next as one of their brethren was trampled.

He witnessed a monkey throw an entire log towards the centipede, it was sliced in half, but the attack was followed up with a fruit throw, and the centipede didn't see it coming.

The fruit splashed at the centipede's right side of its eyes. It started steaming and it was eating the Centipede's eyes right away. It wriggled in place out of agony.

Its body contorted and walked at each other as it twirled within itself.

The monkeys who tried to get into close combat were crushed or sliced. There's no in-between, just as the centipede was tussling with itself, Leonard felt that the ground was rumbling.

"H-huh?! But it isn't a year yet!"

Leonard studied the dungeon carefully, he very much surmised that the dungeon has reached the core of the planet at this point, but obviously that the dungeon has been getting deeper.

There are only two explanations, either the dungeon entrance was bending space, or the entrance would transport them to another world.

But since he was teleported under the dungeon from the surface it would mean it's still inside the planet, so the first choice has the highest probability.

However, Leonard was quickly proven wrong in his assumption that the dungeon is moving. Because Jai screamed at the top of her lungs.

"LEO!!!"

Leonard looked in the direction of the call, Jai was running from treetops to treetops, and behind her is a massive stampede of monsters.

"What the!"

Leonard started running away from the horde of death, his legs moving to the side while he still could, Jai of course went ahead and ran to the location of the centipede.

"Eat this!"

Jai circled away from the Centipede and went to a better place to meet up with Leo.

The stampede of monsters crashed to the centipede like a wave, the centipede who was affected by the irritants Leonard and Jai had thrown was caught off guard.

It trampled, sliced and crushed monsters like they're bugs, but the amount was overwhelming.

The Centipede could be seen to be the superior within the monster group, however, it is not invincible to the numbers of the monsters that live on the dungeon's lowest floor.

Leonard and Jai stayed put and hid, watching the fight from afar where no danger lurked. Jai instructed Jai to get the bags that might have survived their encounter with the centipede while Leonard prepared magic circles to be used.

His preparation would take time, he planned the circles to be complicated so their effects would be high. First would be a fire circle, next is a tornado circle, and third would be a frost breath circle.

He would activate them in succession so the flesh of the monsters would deteriorate and even better would turn to ashes after the fight with the centipede. He didn't wish for the centipede to eat and recover.

He wanted to subjugate the monster and gather its core. Then he will finish deciphering the teleport circle.

Leonard heard a guttural screech, he looked at the centipede curled to itself, some legs were bent in the wrong direction, and some legs missing but the carapace was still strong.

Tons of monster corpses were laid around in front of the centipede in various forms, shapes, and sizes. They all could be a buffet to the centipede but its eyes are damaged and its mouth is riddled with the itch is can't think normally as it would've.

Leonard took out a pouch, it was the last irritant he saved inside his shadow. He threw the pouch in the direction of the centipede, it wasn't on its eyes or everywhere at all. He just arbitrarily threw it.

"I hope this does a lot of damage."

Then he activated the tornado circle. The monsters were confused at first, Leonard didn't have to worry, he was far enough. The pouch was caught up to the circle and spread around.

The centipede started twitching, it became more restless, and the monsters around it started twitching as well, they all became restless.

Leonard then activates the second circle. Setting the centipede on fire along with the corpses and the remaining monsters.

The dead monster's blood boiled and disappeared, and the corpses themselves became soot and ashes, making them unappetizing even for a centipede to eat.

Leonard then threw the third spell. Frost's breath had its strength adjusted. The corpses froze and the monsters that were attacking left, they didn't know where the attack came from, so their frenzy to attack wasn't activated.

The centipede, however, was suffering more than anyone. Its joints froze up as well and every time it moved it cracked, making it bleed, especially since Leonard heated it first, and the sudden temperature change made it weak.

'Yeah, I didn't need to brute force this.'

Leonard didn't use a speck of his mana when using the circle, he used the ambient mana which is rich, if he ever used his own he would be a dry piece of towel.

The evidence of that happening is right before his eyes, the damage done to the Centipede is real.

The centipede screeched, but as its airways were filled with liquid it sounded like a scream filled with phlegm. Leonard felt disgusted. But no matter, the end is probably near.

The centipede hadn't eaten for hours, but Leonard stayed cautious. The weak of the surface is different from the weak of the dungeon.

Leonard waited, he wished he could just go in there and take care of the centipede itself, but Shadow Arts can't compare to one of his Mana techniques. Such as the [Soul Mask Husk] that completely erases his presence, Shadow arts could erase presence but at the cost of him to stop existence.

So as much as he could help it, he won't use Shadow Arts to that extent.

The Centipede stopped moving, and all of its motion ceased. Leonard took caution and waited for a few minutes before approaching. Leonard had another pouch, it was poison. It's a mix of all the poison he managed to get his hands on.

He kept this poison inside thick storage to make sure that nothing gets affected by the poison. But today, he would throw it beside the centipede.

Leonard could see that the centipede was still showing signs of life, once it got near its face, he threw the poison pouch inside its mouth, the force with which it was thrown made it explode in contact.

Leonard immediately ditched and it was the right decision. The Centipede wriggled aggressively, irritated by whatever object entered its mouth.

A minute in the Centipede was weak, it was moving slightly, slowly. It moved an inch per hour at this point.

The second minute, Jai came back, and on her back were salvaged items from Leonard, she recovered magic tools, items and important food.

"Nice one Jai!"

And in the same minute, the Centipede started twitching in place.

"We need to butcher that thing up… or should we just call in the quest dealer?"

"We can just call the Quest dealer. It's faster that way. The monsters of this place will not leave the corpse of that centipede alone."

In the third minute the Centipede ceased all visible movements, Leonard and Jai waited before approaching. Leonard already took out a mana reading device, it's primitive, not having any digital boards in it, just a simple mechanism, like the Geiger counter. A needle tethered to a string tightly attached to a mana stone and a circle, when pointed to a mana-rich object the string vibrated, making the needle go erratic.

Leonard and Jai waited till the 5th minute to make sure the Centipede ceased all movements. Leonard began wearing thick clothes, ones that belong to Jai's extra clothing.

He prepared protection for the eyes as well as he entered the Centipede's mouth. Leonard began moving fast, luckily the core was near the head. He swiftly sliced the insides of the Centipede, in contrast to its unbreakable outer shell, the Innards were swiftly dealt with and Leonard made his way to the core.

It was heavy as it looked, even with Leonard's enhanced muscles he still had a hard time pushing it out of the centipede.

"J-Jai!"

Leonard and Jai carried something called an "Item Fragmenter". It's like storage, but for one single item. The item this tool is ever pointed at will be compressed to a bead, making it easy to carry.

Leonard has his luggage destroyed with only a few items remaining, so of course, Jai is the only one remaining with the fragmenter, though losing one is expensive, Leonard didn't think much of it since the centipede is already subjugated.

Jai pulled out the defragmenter and pointed at the core, the visuals weren't that amazing, the core became crystalized and the second it became because.

Though, the weight didn't change. Leonard had to rely on Jai for a moment so the Bead wouldn't be loose.

Leonard then started to place wards and papers with already drawn circles in the centipede's whole body. It's a transport circle, similar to a teleportation circle but a transport circle, as the name suggests, is only used for transport because it only teleports an item in a fixed location.

Meaning a transport circle could only go to a singular place.

Once Leonard finished up, he looked at Jai, She nodded and took out a piece of paper. Ripping it up and disappearing, Leonard followed suit and used some ambient mana to activate the papers that were scattered around the centipede.

It vanished out of thin air with a wisp of blue light. Leonard took out a paper and ripped it off as well, vanishing out of the forest once and for all.