Chapter 212: Big and Scary Monster

After some time had passed,

Aria, Jake, and Samu’dra were currently moving through a long, winding cave tunnel.

The passage was wide enough for Samu’dra’s massive body to move through, though she still had to move slowly.

Their footsteps echoed through the darkness, mixing with the faint sound of water dripping from the ceiling.

Jake glanced at the naga.

Samu’dra had remained unusually quiet ever since they left the cavern.

Her single eye constantly scanned their surroundings, as if she was expecting something to emerge from the darkness at any moment.

Jake frowned.

He still had no idea what exactly Samu’dra had said was coming.

When he asked her about it, Samu’dra only shook her head.

"I... don’t know..."

Samu’dra was silent for a moment before continuing.

"I only know... there is something big... and scary... deep inside this place."

Jake raised an eyebrow at that two words again.

"Something big and scary?"

Samu’dra nodded slowly.

"Yes."

She continued moving as she spoke, her single eye still watching the darkness ahead.

"I heard about it... from two-leg creature... humans I fought before."

Jake’s expression changed slightly.

"Humans? There are some in here?"

Samu’dra shook her head..

"Not... in here... but... They came... here before."

At this, Jake was somewhat surprised to hear that humans had actually visited this place before.

If that was true, then this ruin probably wasn’t some completely forgotten place hidden away from the outside world.

Which meant it shouldn’t be as desolate as he had secretly feared.

At the very least, people knew about it, so their chance of escaping was higher than he had initially thought.

If humans had managed to find their way inside before, then there should also be some kind of route connecting this place to the outside world.

Jake felt slightly relieved at the thought.

Although he remained calm on the outside, deep down, he had actually been quite worried that they might have somehow ended up in the Underworld or some other strange place completely cut off from the outside world.

If that were the case, finding a way back would be far more difficult.

But now, knowing that humans had entered this place before at least gave him some hope that there was still a way out.

Then Jake look at Samu’dra and ask curiously.

"Then where are they now?"

Samu’dra remained silent for a moment as she continued moving through the tunnel.

"They... died."

"They died?"

"Yes... after fighting me."

Jake raised an eyebrow, but his reaction wasn’t because Samu’dra had killed his fellow humans.

Instead, he was more curious about why those humans had come to this place in the first place.

"Did they say anything about this place?"

Samu’dra nodded slowly.

"Yes... They said... something was sleeping... deep inside."

Hearing that, Jake rubbed his chin slightly.

Something was sleeping deep inside this ruin?

Before this, he had expected this place to be some abandoned ruin that no one knew about, yet there had apparently been humans who had come here before.

And judging by Samu’dra’s words, those humans seemed to know this place fairly well.

They even knew about the hidden monster sleeping deep inside it.

But the more Jake thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

’Hmm... I don’t know enough yet. There’s still too much information I’m missing.’

Jake shook his head.

’Whatever. I can think about it later. We should get out of this place first.’

He then looked at Samu’dra.

"Then, do you know a way out of this place?"

Samu’dra answered without hesitation.

"Yes..."

Jake’s eyes lit up slightly.

"Really?"

Samu’dra pointed toward the tunnel ahead.

"There... should be another way out."

Jake looked in the direction she was pointing.

"Should be? What do you mean?"

Samu’dra’s single eye remained fixed on the tunnel.

"I saw... a human coming... from there before."

Jake looked toward the tunnel Samu’dra was pointing at.

If a human had actually come from that direction, then there was a good chance it led somewhere outside.

"How long ago was that?"

Samu’dra thought for a moment before answering.

"Long... ago."

At the simple answer, Jake sighed inwardly.

For someone who had lived in this place for so long, Samu’dra probably really wasn’t very good with time.

Still, knowing that there was another possible way out was better than nothing.

"Alright, then let’s go that way."

Samu’dra nodded and continued leading them through the tunnel.

Jake followed behind her with Aria, occasionally glancing around as they moved deeper into the darkness.

The tunnel had become noticeably quieter, and even the sound of water dripping from the ceiling had gradually faded away.

After walking for a while, Jake suddenly noticed that the air around them had changed.

...It was becoming warmer.

He wiped the slight sweat from his forehead and frowned.

"Is it just me, or is it getting hotter?"

Aria looked around before giving a small nod.

"...It is."

Jake turned toward Samu’dra.

"Does this happen normally?"

Samu’dra remained silent for a moment before slowly shaking her head.

"No... It wasn’t... like this before."

Jake’s expression became slightly more serious.

That wasn’t a good sign.

If even Samu’dra never recognized this change, then something inside these ruins had definitely changed.

Before Jake could ask anything else, a faint rumbling sound suddenly came from somewhere deep beneath them.

Crack....

The ground trembled slightly beneath their feet.

Jake stopped walking and looked around.

"...Did you feel that?"

Aria nodded.

Samu’dra’s massive body had also come to a stop, and her single eye was now fixed on the earth below.

Crack....

A second rumble echoed through the tunnel, this time much louder than before.

Jake’s expression slowly changed.

Whatever was sleeping deep inside this place seemed to be getting closer to waking up.

Samu’dra suddenly moved forward as she looked at Jake.

"Let’s... hurry."

Jake didn’t need to be told twice.

He quickly followed her with Aria close beside him.

_

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The three of them picked up their pace as the faint cracking sounds continued to echo through the tunnel.

The ground trembled again, this time strongly enough for small pieces of stone to fall from the ceiling.

Jake looked up nervously.

"Please don’t tell me this whole place is about to collapse."

Samu’dra shook her head while continuing forward.

"No... It is...probably... waking... stretching..."

Hearing that, Jake’s expression tightened and he laughed weakly.

"Haha... That’s not reassuring at all."

They continued rushing through the tunnel, following the path Samu’dra had taken them toward.

After several minutes, Jake finally noticed something ahead.

A faint light was coming from the end of the tunnel.

Jake’s eyes widened.

"Is that the way out?"

Samu’dra nodded.

"Yes... Almost... there."

Jake immediately increased his pace.

"Then let’s move!"

The three of them hurried toward the light as another deep rumble shook the entire ruin behind them.

Just as they were about to reach the end of the tunnel, Samu’dra suddenly stopped.

Jake, who was following closely behind her, also came to a halt and frowned.

Aria looked at the two of them with a slightly confused expression.

"What’s wrong?"

But neither Jake nor Samu’dra answered immediately.

Samu’dra’s single eye narrowed as she stared at the faint light ahead, while Jake could also sense something strange coming from outside the tunnel.

For a moment, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

Then his eyes suddenly lit up as a familiar sound reached his ears.

It was a human voice.

"Wait..."

Jake listened carefully.

He was certain now.

"That’s a human voice."

Aria’s expression changed slightly as she also turned her attention toward the tunnel’s exit.

Samu’dra remained still, her single eye fixed on the light ahead.

Jake couldn’t help but feel a little surprised.

After everything Samu’dra had told him about the humans who had come here before, he hadn’t expected to encounter another one so soon.

Jake immediately raised a hand, signaling both of them to stay quiet.

"Let’s keep our heads down for now. We don’t know who those people are."

Aria nodded silently, while Samu’dra slowly lowered her massive body closer to the ground.

The three of them began moving toward the exit again, but this time much more carefully.

Jake stayed near the edge of the tunnel, keeping himself partially hidden behind the rocks as he slowly approached the faint light.

Aria followed closely behind him, while Samu’dra moved as quietly as her enormous body allowed.

Fortunately, the people outside didn’t seem to notice them yet.

Jake stopped just before reaching the end of the tunnel and carefully peeked outside.

There were several figures standing in the distance.

’Hmm... Who are these guys?’

He narrowed his eyes as he tried to get a better look.

"Stay here for a moment," Jake whispered.

Then he leaned forward slightly, just enough to see what was happening outside without exposing himself.

Jake slowly peeked out from behind the rocks.

Then his eyes widened slightly when he saw the people gathered outside.

There were several figures, all wearing dark cloaks that covered most of their bodies.

They stood in a loose circle, speaking in low and hurried voices.

"...Shit! The Leviathan is waking up too soon!"