Chapter 71 - 70: Earthworm

Chapter 71: Chapter 70: Earthworm

After two days of travel, the caravan finally arrived at the town Gru had mentioned. The town was quite small, boasting only a single inn. The caravan would settle here for the night. They would feed the horses a good meal, restock their food and water, rest for the evening, and then push straight through to Bremen in one go.

The inn provided simple fare: a rustic stew of root vegetables paired with smoked pork and salted fish. Nevertheless, everyone ate with great relish.

The rooms were also very cheap, costing only one silver coin a night for a single. Naturally, they were extremely crude. Aside from a bed and a table, there was no extra space to speak of, and even the washrooms were shared.

Gaode, however, didn’t mind in the slightest. For the price of a single silver coin and free water refills, what more could he ask for? Besides, after roughing it out in the wilderness for two consecutive nights, he was thoroughly exhausted. Seeing a bed like this left no room for complaints, only genuine bliss.

Well-fed and fully hydrated, Gaode returned to his room, dove straight onto the somewhat firm bed, rolled over, and let out a groan of absolute comfort.

The next morning, after a night of rest, the caravan set out on time.

Having finally gotten a good night’s sleep, Gaode sat in the carriage brimming with Spirit, looking just as energized as when they first began their journey. Furthermore, he seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to the bumpy ride, even attempting to enter Meditation while in the carriage to practice his Meditation Technique.

It was said that High-Ring Mages could enter a state of Meditation anywhere, at any time. By that logic, a Mage Apprentice might be able to do the same. Surprisingly enough—whether due to genuine talent or something else—after multiple attempts, Gaode actually managed to haltingly slip into Meditation.

His daily training had been forced to a halt by their travels, leaving him feeling out of sorts and unaccustomed to the disruption. Now that he had grasped the ability to train during a bumpy journey, it could be considered a rather significant gain. Although his training was often interrupted by sudden jolts, it was still far better than just wasting time.

The 29th day of the Flame Flower Moon.

It was dusk on their second day since leaving the town. According to Gru, they should be able to reach Bremen by tomorrow afternoon. Just as the entire caravan was immersed in the joy of nearing their destination, an anomaly struck without warning.

The carriage at the very front of the convoy suddenly gave a violent lurch. Caught off guard, the people on board were thrown straight to the ground. However, the caravan members were all burly men; they quickly scrambled to their feet and steadied themselves.

"Beast attack!" roared the caravan leader, who had reacted the fastest.

Amidst a plume of dust, a massive, multi-jointed monstrous bug burst forth from underground, directly overturning the lead carriage. The monster’s appearance was exceptionally hideous. Its slender, insectoid legs ended in razor-sharp claws, and a hard, brown chitinous shell covered its entire body. Above its visibly powerful mandibles, two black eyes gleamed as they glared outward.

"Earthworm!" Gru exclaimed, his face turning pale. Gaode didn’t recognize the creature before them, but Gru clearly did.

"What is that?" Gaode asked.

"A Carnivorous Earth Vein Creature skilled at burrowing. It’s also one of the most common Earth Vein Creatures found along the main roads. The Earthworm travels underground. The moment it detects prey on the surface, it breaches the earth to attack," the usually reticent coachman explained, speaking the longest string of words Gaode had ever heard from him.

"An Earth Vein Creature!" Gaode shuddered. His nerves tightened, and his right hand subconsciously dropped to the Hidden Mist Fang tucked at his waist.

"Take up your weapons!" the caravan leader bellowed like a clap of thunder.

At his command, the dozen or so men in the caravan grabbed the spears they kept close at hand. These were the most common self-defense weapons for caravans, offering a degree of distance advantage while remaining easy to carry. Now targeted as prey by the Earthworm, the men drew their spears amidst the chaos to mount a counterattack.

This was far from their first time encountering a wild beast attack on the road, so they responded with well-practiced coordination. Although everyone wore grim, tense expressions, their movements didn’t falter, and no one panicked or fled.

Led by the caravan boss, the men formed a tight formation around the Earthworm with their crude spears in hand. Their faces were fraught with anxiety, yet they mustered their courage. Wielding their spears, they thrust at the Earthworm’s eyes in unison—like a thicket of thorns in a forest—in a desperate bid to halt the behemoth’s assault.

This was the only spot on the Earthworm’s entire body devoid of its chitinous shell; it was its weak point. What the caravan members understood, the Earthworm naturally understood even better. It twisted its head to dodge the incoming thrusts while thrashing its body, whipping its tail toward the two coachmen at the very front.

The spears struck the Earthworm’s thick chitin, leaving behind nothing more than faint white scratches. It was impossible to inflict any real damage; the strikes barely even counted as a tickle. Conversely, the creature’s massive frame harbored tremendous power. Its rock-hard tail ruthlessly swept the two coachmen off their feet, sending them flying a good three or four meters away.

Seeing this, the caravan leader’s eyes twitched, but he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Don’t fall back! Keep holding it off, or this beast will eat us all!"

Wild beasts generally bullied the weak and feared the strong. If you showed weakness, they would walk all over you. But if you resisted fiercely and forced a standoff, most would eventually choose to retreat—provided they weren’t starving from days without food. After all, it was just a meal; there was no need to risk their lives!

The same logic applied to Earth Vein Creatures. Having worked in this trade for years, the highly experienced caravan leader understood this principle perfectly. When facing an attack from an Earth Vein Creature, one had to fight to the death to have any chance of forcing it to retreat. However, he also knew in his heart that the caravan would likely suffer several severe injuries this time. If their luck was poor, one or two men might even die. There was no avoiding an Earth Vein Creature attack once it happened; they could only blame their own rotten luck.

BOOM!

Facing the caravan’s spear formation, the Earthworm charged, attempting to rely on its immense strength and tough carapace to brute-force its way through and scatter them.

Surprisingly, however, the caravan’s teamwork was incredibly cohesive. Several men planted their spears firmly into the ground. At the exact moment the Earthworm crashed into them, they levered the shafts upward, using the principle of leverage to trip the beast.

"Beautifully done!" the caravan leader cheered. Seeing the Earthworm stumble, he hurriedly yelled, "Gru, fire!"

"Fire! Right, fire! The Earthworm is afraid of fire!" Gru suddenly snapped back to his senses.

As subterranean monsters that spent all year navigating the dark underground, Earthworms suffered from severe ocular degradation. They were exceptionally terrified of fire, which possessed both high heat and blinding brightness. The problem was that the group had only just set up camp and hadn’t yet lit their bonfires. Where were they supposed to immediately find a throwable source of fire?

It was a now-or-never opportunity. Under the barrage of the men’s spears, the Earthworm cleverly squeezed its eyes shut and thrashed about. It was on the verge of righting itself.

Just as Gru fell into an absolute panic, a scorching wave suddenly ripped past his side, catching everyone off guard. It was a blast of brilliant, searing fire that tore through the sky, heading straight for the Earthworm. Like an arrow, the fire blasted into the creature’s tightly closed right eye, erupting in a blinding flash.

The once-composed Earthworm panicked under this sudden assault, wildly thrashing its body. The intense heat caused it excruciating agony. Its violent struggles churned the gravel road, kicking up clouds of dust into a chaotic storm.

SWISH!

It wasn’t over yet. Another streak of fire shot out like a meteor, aiming for the Earthworm’s other eye. Flipped onto its back, the creature was essentially a sitting duck, entirely incapable of dodging effectively. The twin blasts of flame forcefully blew open the carapace shielding the Earthworm’s eyes.

Seeing the dawn of victory, the caravan members didn’t have time to ponder the source of the flames. Instead, they rapidly plunged their spears into the Earthworm’s exposed eyes.

A shrill, agonizing howl rang out. Dirt and gravel flew through the air as the ground shook. Everyone gritted their teeth, their movements swift and decisive, driving spear after spear deep into the creature’s eye sockets. The Earthworm gradually began to lose its strength to struggle—a clear sign that its life was fading.

"Step aside!" a low shout echoed.

In such a highly tense atmosphere, the men didn’t immediately recognize the voice, but they subconsciously obeyed the command, stepping back to clear a path. Another blast of scorching fire smashed precisely into the dying Earthworm’s right eye.

It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Earthworm’s body convulsed once, then fell completely still. It was dead.

Panting heavily, the caravan members stood in a circle around the slain beast. Their eyes held both the joy of victory and a trace of sheer shock. Now that they had calmed down, they naturally realized what those three blasts of fire had been.

Magic!

Who had cast it?

It could only be the sole outsider in their entire convoy.