Chapter 40: Transforms into a Human

Zerra was awoken by the commotion; her paw was about to reach for Cassias to let her out. Then she saw the scary sight before her. Three corpses died, like a mummy, and out of eleven people, only four weren't bound.

Two soldiers and two ability users.

Out of instinct, Zerra let out a yip and bite on the tendril heading toward her. As she turned around, she was puzzled when she saw Cassias just standing stupidly there.

Laziel was panicking, trying to unwrap himself from the green tendril. Nyra was busy burning that thing.

With the feeling of hating iron for not being a steel, she anxiously tapped on his arm. Receiving no response, she went to bite him, hard.

"Calm down." Cassias muttered, pulling the fox up and holding her by the scruff. She was trying to bite him again wildly in annoyance. 

Useless human, she huffed in her mind. He would be sucked dry if he just stood there like a statue!

Cassias grabbed the tendril. In a blink of an eye, it appeared scorched, with wisps of smoke coming out of its blackened strand. The tendril released him.

Those things were coming out of a path somewhere in this deep hole. It differed from the path they had just come out of. The people who had led them here earlier were hiding behind another path.

They were observing the situation and making calculations in their head. Her fox senses still managed to catch small bits of their conversation.

"Is it enough people? How many of those tendrils are left?"

"What do you see, Oliver? Do we need more people or…?"

They noticed something strange. Each tendril headed toward one person, wrapping them like a cocoon. After the tendril finished, then it would drag the cocoon toward the path it had come from.

It was as if… they were saving their food for later.

As for the tendrils that had managed to suck the dead people dry, they obediently returned like they were full. 

The presence of those strange things only meant one thing: there is a mutated plant here. A terrifying one. It was unknown whether the shaking ground, like the earthquake, was happening because of it or not.

Judging from the way those people could not resist its tight grip, each strand possibly has the power of level three.

"That Nyra you said has her group fighting three. Should we take a risk?" Zerra had expended some spiritual energy to extend her senses further to reach them.

"They don't seem like–" she couldn't hear any more of their conversation.

Nyra had just done burning a tendril and helping Laziel. Yet, they found that the tendril seemed to have a regenerative ability. 

Its length increased the same as before, and it tried to wrap itself around Nyra again. It was more vigilant than before. The way it acted was so strange, like it had its own consciousness.

"Let's go." Cassias gestured toward them.

"Where?" Laziel asked in alarm. They followed Cassias, heading somewhere while the tendrils were still trying to regenerate themselves again. 

Originally, Laziel thought that Cassias was heading toward the path where those culprits had run to. He was wrong. 

"Wait, man. You mean going to the source where those things had come from?" he asked in disbelief. Nyra also stared at him but said nothing.

Upon seeing Cassias entering the path with no hesitation despite the squirming tendrils, Laziel and Nyra exchanged glances. Zerra was also alarmed. She clutched Cassias' hand tightly and tapped him with her paw.

The Sylvaris siblings ended up following Cassias inside. After they entered, the sight made them let out a gasp of shock. 

"Open those things." Cassias pursed his lips. "There must be people inside those cocoons."

They widened their eyes when they heard that. Without wasting any more time, they began to act before those tendrils went for them again.

Cassias acted alone with Zerra in his embrace while the Sylvaris siblings worked together.

"This one has so much soil." Laziel frowned in wonder. Even knives couldn't cut those tendrils; only superpower worked.

Zerra instantly attributed this strangeness to the main leads' plot armor, not even bothering to think too much. After all, their luck had always been heaven-defying.

Nyra used her fire and slowly burned the cocoon made of the tendril. The tendril squirmed, trying to attack her. She evaded in time, dragging her body to the side.

The figure inside the tendril was unraveled.

It was Darren who came out while coughing. 

"You all…" he breathed heavily and started another round of coughing. His face was extremely flushed red. 

Just as the tendril was about to wrap itself around him again, Darren stood up. His hand raised and something magnificent happened; a shield made of earth was blocking the tendril's advance.

He had awakened an earth ability.

But it wasn't that which made Zerra widen her eyes in surprise. What kind of melodramatic plot was it? The male lead actually went to save his love rival!

She let out a cute yip, clicking her tongue. A hand reached for the top of her head, caressing it. She swatted Cassias' hand away, baring her teeth at him.

Suddenly, she sensed her body being lifted. Cassias was clutching a tendril in his hand that was about to reach her, scorching it black again.

Oh? She just realized that her teeth could bite those tendrils. Does that mean her teeth were sharper than Laziel's knife or had that foolish buffoon picked up a dull one? 

There had been three people that they had helped to come out of the cocoons, and mostly they were Darren's people.

Not long after, they felt the ground shake again. The disoriented people instantly sobered up. 

"Should we get out?" Darren asked. 

"There's an opening there." Laziel said, and he shouted, "The way out is already blocked."

The rock and soil from the ceiling began to shake in the place which looked like a small cave.

"But how about others?" Someone asked in a trembling voice.

"Let's go quick or we will be buried!" Nyra yelled at them, snatching Laziel's hand and followed after Cassias.

"Mr. Valez?"

"Let's go." Darren let out a pained sigh. 

"Your people are mostly already dead. What are you waiting for?" Cassias turned and stared at them. He took fast strides toward the direction of the tendrils.

They looked at each other, and no longer hesitated to follow. Grief weighed in their hearts. 

However, Cassias wasn't lying. The moment they started opening the cocoons, those tendrils had began to suck all the people inside, fearing their food would be gone. It also enchanced their ability to regenerate.

Countless tendrils tried to block their way out, but Cassias took out a pitchfork and stabbed them. "Go quick!"

They ran through the small opening, which was about to be blocked by the wriggling tendrils. After most of them went in, Cassias shoved Zerra to the passing Laziel. 

Then, after stabbing the tendrils again repeatedly, he also went in. It was really unknown where the real source of the tendrils was.

As the last person who went in, Cassias took a look behind him. His pupils dilated. "Block the opening, quick! With your earth ability!"

Darren didn't question him. He used all the power he could muster, and the ceiling collapsed at the opening, blocking it.

Zerra was curious. What did Cassias see that made him so shocked and alarmed?

The next thing they knew, they moved in a hurry, like they were chased by a ghost. 

"Is this path heading up? The exit?" Someone muttered. 

Now, they knew the reason those two soldiers and ability users were trying to distract the tendrils' attention by feeding them humans. They must have found a way out and knew that it was near those tendrils.

The more they walked, the clearer the path was. Until they really found blinding light, then a way out.

They took hurried large steps, eager for the world outside. The moment they reached the end, they found that they really had reached the surface.

At last, they managed to get out of that terrifying place.

"Where are we?" They asked in an emotional tone. There was happiness, but also sadness for the others that had fallen in the process.

Zerra, in Laziel's arms, squirmed. She had a hard time breathing and quickly sensed something was wrong. In order for Laziel to let go of her, she couldn't help but use her teeth to graze his skin.

In fright, Laziel loosened his grip. With that, Zerra dashed away, not minding Laziel's shout. "Foxy, you come back!"

She was trying to get away from them. Because in a few minutes, she would transform into a human!

She cursed when she sensed that people were following behind her. Without looking where she was going, she ran as far as she could.

The moment she stopped, she panted. Then, she had transformed into a human again!