5. Slayer of Karnakith

Inside the Karnakith's stomach, some fluids began to merge, some powders solidified, and the mush seemed to return to its original form.

Inside the Karnakith's stomach, Tirnath's body quickly reassembled. As his head formed, Tirnath immediately regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

His head was throbbing and in immense pain. He felt a burning liquid searing his skin and even entering his ears. He could vividly feel his body regenerating—a strange and horrifying sensation.

After his heart beat once, he gasped for air. His heart was pounding rapidly and irregularly.

He could clearly hear the sounds of the Karnakith's organs, the sizzling of stomach acid continuously eroding his skin, the beating of the Karnakith's heart, and the creature's movements. He smelled the foul stench of the Karnakith's stomach, the sharp odor of blood, and the acidic reek of its digestive fluids. He saw absolute darkness—no light, nothing at all.

"No... I can't do this anymore... I—" Tirnath suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe, no matter how much he tried to breath. He endured the pain of breathing in acid just to get air, but it was futile. His body grew weak.

"Congratulations." Along with that voice, Tirnath regained his ability to see.

"You think this is funny?!" Tirnath couldn't hold back his frustration any longer. He vented his anger at Vyras. But he soon lost his ability to speak again.

"Listen, even for me, this is a bit too brutal. So stop gasping for air—you can survive for 10 minutes without oxygen."

Tirnath hesitated and began considering impossible scenarios. But Vyras quickly continued, "Trust is a luxury, but stupidity is fatal. Trust me, and I'll get you out of here."

Tirnath nodded. Vyras's serious advice gave him an unfamiliar feeling—a sense of hope, unlike when he had only wanted to return to his village.

"Your right arm is outside, but it's moving closer. Its bones will be sharp enough to pierce the stomach wall. When the moment comes, you need to guide your hand into Karnakith's weaker stomach."

"Remember, you only have 10 minutes. Before that, you need to move and damage its stomach. Keep creating wounds so that when your hand returns, you can escape its stomach and destroy its heart. In the meantime, use the sword in your left hand."

Tirnath stopped thinking. He focused all his strength on following Vyras's instructions. He felt that Vyras's words this time were honest, and he knew Vyras was his only hope for survival.

Tirnath swung and stabbed his sword as directed by Vyras. Though his strength was severely weakened, even with the enhancements, Tirnath managed to keep inflicting wounds. The wounds worsened with the help of the Karnakith's own stomach acid.

"Now!"

Tirnath immediately plunged into the stomach acid and guided his right arm downward. To speed things up, he also damaged the Karnakith's stomach from within with his sword.

After a few stabs, a hole formed. Tirnath grabbed the bone, now coated in blood, and brought it closer to his right arm. Quickly, flesh and muscles regenerated there, and Tirnath endured the pain of conscious regeneration.

Once his hand was fully restored, Tirnath immediately attacked the wounded area of Karnakith's stomach again. It only took five stabs to puncture the stomach. Tirnath used all his strength to widen the hole and quickly searched for the heart.

"That's the heart. Destroy it, and you'll survive."

Tirnath crawled out of the stomach and through the cavities to reach Karnakith's heart. He relied on his hearing to locate it. It didn't take long for Tirnath to find the heart, and he immediately stabbed it without hesitation.

The heart was incredibly tough, and the longer it took, the dizzier Tirnath felt. He began to relive the horror of watching the heart slowly being destroyed. It felt as though he was watching his own heart being torn apart bit by bit.

Tirnath vomited and collapsed weakly. His adrenaline rush had worn off, and he regained his cognitive abilities. But this was a bad thing, as his doubts about Vyras resurfaced.

"I don't care how many times you die. The more you die, the greater my benefit."

"Lies! You're lying!" Tirnath refused to believe what had been a fact from the very beginning. His mental state was in chaos, and he was starting to give up.

"If I die a few more times, I'll be strong enough to get out of here. Yes, that must be how it works! You deliberately created this insane trial!"

"And here I thought you'd succeed." Tirnath trembled upon hearing that. Afterward, Vyras fell silent.

Tirnath zoned out for a while before screaming and stabbing his own leg with his sword. The pain reminded him why he wanted Vyras's power. He wanted to show this unfair world that he could achieve his dreams. He refused to die not just for revenge but to prove himself to this damned world.

"Ah, this damned world! I won't give up!" Tirnath screamed in pain but, at the same time, regained his purpose.

Suddenly, a light appeared. One of the gems on the sword glowed, creating a red aura that spread across the sword and his body. Tirnath felt a surge of strength and courage.

"Bravery and recklessness are different. Congratulations, kid, I mean it."

Tirnath ignored Vyras's congratulations. He didn't have much time left before he would run out of breath. He crawled back toward the heart and continued attacking it with all his might. He stabbed relentlessly, like a madman. Even as the Karnakith writhed in pain, Tirnath kept stabbing.

He refused to give up. He still had his goals to achieve.

"Exactly! Giving up is not an option. If failure means losing everything, you must fight or die trying."

The red aura from the gem intensified, and Tirnath pulled out his sword, stabbing the heart with all his might. The sword pierced the heart, and it finally stopped beating.

A massive tremor shook the area as the Karnakith collapsed to the ground. Moments later, a sword emerged, followed by two hands and a head. Tirnath had succeeded in killing the creature.

His body was half-destroyed. Karnakith's fallen body crushed Tirnath. Tirnath crawled with his hands. His legs no longer functioned, but he felt no pain. He knew his body's limits—he had no time for pain. He had to get out.

He felt his consciousness slipping away, but he kept holding on. He crawled and crawled, even as he nearly lost consciousness. His body moved on its own. He had to succeed—his soul and body were in agreement, and they fought hard.

Tirnath finally emerged from the cave, the scent of grass and fresh air hitting his nose. Vyras immediately spoke, "Congratulations."

Tirnath didn't respond. It was because he had lost consciousness moments ago. He had already died.

"I wonder does this count or not?" Vyras asked himself. "It sure does entertain."

Vyras paused, as if waiting for someone to speak. He then sighed, "Alright, fine, he succeeded. He'll learn the terms of this contract."

Tirnath's body slowly began to recover, and Vyras continued, "Now hurry back. Your contract with Death is about to expire."