Chapter 3: The Fragility of Life!

Nick's eyes widened in horror as he observed the terrifying scene before him. If he wasn't mistaken, the thing outside was a so-called dungeon creature.

It was even more bizarre than Nick had imagined.

Its entire body was pale white, with withered and elongated limbs on the ground, moving in an unsettling crawling posture. It was much faster than the people fleeing at full speed.

Its sharp claws could even leave deep marks on the hard ground. If they landed on a person, the outcome was unimaginable.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Nick gripped the shovel in his hand tightly. Even though he tried to remain calm, his heart still uncontrollably raced.

His current situation was not good. He was only separated from the dungeon creature outside by a wall. If this dungeon creature discovered Nick's presence, he had no confidence.

He was not sure that he could defeat this dungeon creature with just the shovel in his hand.

Outside the dungeon, the scene was like hell.

A middle-aged man lost his stamina and slowed down. The monster chasing him took this opportunity to pounce.

Its sharp claws directly severed the middle-aged man's arm, and crimson blood gushed out like a waterfall. For a moment, even the air was filled with the smell of blood.

Under this tremendous force, the middle-aged man's body flew backward and slammed heavily onto the ground. The intense pain caused him to immediately lose consciousness.

The monster in the distance eagerly approached, its maw biting into the middle-aged man's body, sucking out the blood with large gulps.

Nick saw this bloody scene, and the food he had eaten earlier churned in his stomach.

Not to mention the others who witnessed this tragedy firsthand. Some with weaker mental fortitude simply collapsed on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

They didn't even dare to think of resisting.

The few who still retained their rationality were taking advantage of this opportunity to desperately dig tunnels, hoping to escape from this dungeon.

However, in the face of this monster, any struggle was futile. After the monster had drained all the blood from the middle-aged man's body, it turned its attention to the others.

Those who had collapsed on the ground obviously became the monster's first choice.

When it pounced on them, its sharp claws slashed across their abdomens, instantly disemboweling them and causing them to lose all signs of life.

As for what happened next, without any weapons or defensive means, they could only face the dungeon monster's one-sided slaughter.

Nick didn't make too much noise and returned to the campfire in the temporary camp. A hint of bewilderment flashed in his eyes.

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the bloody scene of the monster's massacre kept lingering in Nick's mind, refusing to go away.

"So life... is this fragile in this dungeon?!"

Nick murmured softly.

Humans, who prided themselves on being at the top of the food chain, were utterly helpless when facing dungeon creatures empty-handed. They didn't even have the courage to resist, let alone fight back.

Only a one-sided slaughter awaited them.

Moreover, there could be countless monsters like the one he encountered today in the dungeon. Surviving tenaciously was a luxury.

If he couldn't see the hints, what fate would await him?

Thinking of this, a chill ran through Nick's heart, and the screams from outside the dungeon added a layer of gloom.

Nick lay in the tent, adjusting his state. After his mind calmed down a bit, he opened the [Regional Channel] within the [Chat] function.

Because of the monster attack, the Regional Channel had already exploded.

"What kind of monster is this? When I first saw it, it pounced on me. If I hadn't dug through to the next dungeon, I probably would have died at its hands."

"Don't even talk about it. Are all dungeon creatures this terrifying..."

"I remember there were more than a dozen people. I'm afraid they all died at the hands of that monster. Why is the monster so strong!!"

"It's already so hard to gather survival supplies, and we also have to deal with terrifying dungeon creatures. Can I really make it home alive..."

"I don't know if you guys noticed, but the number next to the Regional Channel changed from 1000 to 917. Does this mean that 83 people in our area have already died..."

Most of the messages in the Regional Channel were pessimistic, but he also gained some useful information.

Nick looked at the inconspicuous number next to the Regional Channel. Sure enough, it had indeed dropped from the initial 1000 to 917.

It was likely that this dropped number, as they said, represented the number of people in this area who had died at the hands of dungeon creatures.

"This survival game is too cruel..."

Nick's face was serious. The cruelty of this dungeon far exceeded his imagination. At most twenty people died at the hands of that monster, as for the rest...

The vast majority were buried in the mouths of other dungeon monsters.

And the previous strategy from the Regional Channel, using the mechanism that prevented returning to previous dungeons to avoid or escape from dungeon creatures, was clearly unrealistic.

He didn't think his digging speed could be faster than the monster he had just encountered.

As for the person who escaped earlier, it was purely due to luck.

"Even if the hints can avoid the vast majority of dangers, it's not guaranteed that I can escape unscathed in a situation like that."

Nick took a deep breath, his mind considering his next move.

Constantly avoiding dungeon creatures might ensure his safety for a short time, but he would inevitably encounter situations where he was surrounded by enemies.

Moreover, he might be implicated by others. If others led monsters to the dungeon where Nick was.

How would he choose then? He couldn't just wait for death!

Nick fell into deep thought. His current advantage was the digging hint, something that others didn't have.

Using it wisely was his way to survive in this dungeon.

As time passed, Nick was destined to fight dungeon creatures. What he could do now was to use this ability to improve his own strength.

Gathering enough weapons, and even hunting dungeon creatures with them, might not be impossible!

After gathering his thoughts, Nick made up his mind.

"In the next few days... I must find weapons powerful enough to fight against dungeon creatures. Only then can I ensure my own safety."