[ADAM] Chapter 28: Angry Boy

"The Boss is here!"

That was all the veteran creeps needed to hear.

They had seen Adam get swallowed whole—and that was enough reason to turn and run without looking back.

Some shoved others out of the way, but no one complained. That was just life now.

Instead, those who stumbled forced themselves up from the murky swamp water, clutching at the thick roots or crawling through the muck if they had to. Nothing mattered. No pride. Just survival.

The Heroes—Vincent, Eugene, and Dennis—stood still as the panicked creeps sprinted past them. Their eyes locked on the behemoth slithering through the swamp, its massive body sliding across the humid terrain, the thick trees snapping aside like cardboard.

"It's here!?" Eugene’s eyes flared with light, energy building for a blast.

Vincent raised a hand to stop him. 

"No," he said, voice low as he watched the creature retreat. "It’s not interested in us—we can’t risk drawing it toward the entrance of the Leak."

"But that creep," Eugene glanced at him. "We talked about recruiting him for the guild."

"He’s probably already dead," Dennis joined in, placing a hand on Eugene’s shoulder. "We just paid for the rights to this Leak. Let’s not waste the investment."

Eugene’s brows furrowed, but after a moment, he sighed and gave a nod. "Let’s go."

The Heroes and remaining creeps made their way to the exit, leaving the swamp behind.

Meanwhile, Adam…well, he was being crushed.

He could barely move—kneeling, hunched, his body pinned by the monster’s constrictor muscles. He pushed against the fleshy walls pressing in on him, but it was like trying to lift a collapsed building.

He’d never actually been buried under a building yet, but he imagined it would feel something like this. If the building were smooth and smelled like leather, that is.

His breathing grew shallow by the second. His limbs started to shake, legs trembling beneath the pressure that threatened to snuff him out completely.

Desperate, Adam looked around—not that there was much to see. Just pale, pulsing flesh. But then… a glimmer of black.

His gun.

Well, second Grace’s gun.

And now here you are again, Adam. Once again, an illusion of choice. If you choose to go for the gun, the snake would crush you in an instant. And if you continue to hold the beast's throat, nothing would really change.

Adam's thoughts weighed heavily in his mind—but not for long as the decision took less than a heartbeat.

"Rah!" Adam roared as he lunged back for the weapon. He held the constricting space with his right arm, and he reached for the weapon with the other. His shoulder instantly popped against the pressure…

…but his fingers also brushed against the cold metal.

"Gkh!" His right arm collapsed as the fleshy walls crushed down on him completely now, squeezing the last air from his lungs.

His ribs cracked under the pressure, and the trigger of the gun felt so, so heavy.

But finally, he gained the strength to pull his finger.

But before he could pull the trigger, the muscles around him contracted violently—but the pressure became lighter.

"Heeee…." Adam wheezed and immediately gasped for breath, the burnt leather scent of the inside of the snake burning his lungs, but he didn't care.

He started to slide through the tunnel of flesh, and Adam finally regained the strength in his arm.

But he still couldn't pull the trigger. Not because he was squeezed again, but because he wasn't actually being swallowed deeper as he'd feared.

And instead—

"What—!?" Adam's words were cut short as bile, acid, and all sorts of digestive fluids rushed past him. He couldn't shout, as doing so would make him accidentally swallow whatever was drowning him.

He felt like he was inside a wave, and then, with a violent heave, he once again saw the dim sunlight of the swamp.

The verdrakill puked him out.

He shot out from the beast's mouth, spraying along its viscous fluid, tumbling through the air before crashing back into the swamp with a heavy splash…several times.

All sorts of sounds escaped his mouth, but when he was finally able to grab onto something, he immediately gasped. He sucked in the humid air, and air never tasted so good.

All sorts of smells covered him right now. But he was alive, and that was all that mattered—no.

Not exactly, the fact that he had maintained his grip on the gun also mattered.

He quickly turned his attention to the verdrakill that completely towered over him…only to find it wasn't towering over him at all.

Because it left. It crawled away, its scales blurring as it slithered deeper into the wet woods.

Adam was confused, frozen. He still pointed the gun at the fading verdrakill, but his mind was completely in chaos.

He lowered his weapon, his mind struggling to process why the massive serpent would abandon him.

Adam blinked, and when he was sure the verdrakill wasn't turning around back to him, he looked at himself.

His clothes now clung to his skin, soaked with swamp water and digestive fluids that reeked of rotting meat and acid.

"Wasn't it…going to eat me?" he muttered, watching as the creature disappeared into the swamp.

Adam was still very much confused, but he shook his head off it—focusing on finding a way out instead.

The other explorers were long gone—smart enough to flee when the boss appeared.

Adam had no idea where the exit to the Leak was located, or how far he was away from it now.

And since he had no idea where it was—north, south—it didn't matter which direction he walked. He just needed to get moving.

Well, he didn't get far, however.

Because his eyes immediately caught sight of something that looked completely out of place in the swamp, but also looked like it belonged.

No, they belonged.

Nestled among the twisted roots and moss…were eggs. Dozens of eggs. Each half Adam's size. Their surfaces are somewhat greenish-brown, blending with the swamp but standing out at the same time.

"Okay…" Adam sighed, finally understanding what happened. The verdrakill didn't puke him out because of his perseverance, no.

Not at all.

He wasn't food for the giant serpent at all.

Adam began backing away ever so slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. He also glanced back, making sure he won't trip on something. But his attempt at stealth didn't matter at all.

Because that was when he heard it—a distinct crack coming from in front of him.

He quickly looked forward, and there was now an egg that was right in front of him that wasn't there before—he would have hit it if it was.

"How…?" Adam became even more confused. But this time, his answer unfortunately came almost instantly.

He heard something crack again. Above him, this time.

His eyes darted upward, and his throat immediately locked up.

Eggs. More eggs. They hung from the branches above, nestled in the canopy.

And were all beginning to crack at the same time.

"Aah!" Adam snarled in frustration and ran. It didn't matter where; he just needed to get away from the nightmare hatching everywhere around him. But he'd only made it a few steps before he felt something warm and large drop onto his shoulder.

They were supposed to be mindless babies, and yet the first thing that landed on his shoulder was a pair of fangs the size of knives.

The pain was instant. Like a flame injected directly into his veins.

This pain was impatient, however, as another baby verdlecks fell onto him—this time the fangs dragging the flesh on his back.

Before he could even shake the two serpents, another slithered through the murky water and bit him in the thigh.

Adam could see his veins turning blue beneath his skin, their venom spreading rapidly through his bloodstream. His blood began to clot, becoming thicker by the second.

But Adam pushed through the pain. He had already felt this before several times back in the Hospital.

Venoms, poisons, toxins, diseases, viruses, infections.

The Hospital had injected all sorts of things into his body because he was the perfect host. His body doesn't adapt to it as it heals everything, and so the damage—the pain would always remain the same. Every. Single. Time.

Do you remember, Adam? How she told us to think through the pain? How she apologized, and how she said that what we do—our pain, it would help billions of lives?

"Hmm," Adam's face twitched from the pain crawling throughout his entire body. It was hard to move, but he still could.

He grabbed the verdleck from his shoulder and slammed it against a tree, while shooting the one biting through his leg.

With these verdlecks having just hatched from their eggs, their shells were still completely soft, and the bullet went straight from the serpent's head and into the murky water beneath.

And finally, Adam planted the barrel of his gun on his waist—no. He planted it on the verdleck hanging on his back that was already starting to coil around his waist.

And without even any hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

"Kh…" He slightly winced as the bullet went through the soft flesh of the serpent and right through his belly. But he didn't care at all.

The verdlecks began to thrash around, and Adam did not waste time at all to grab it by its tail, swinging and slamming it on the hard roots several times.

He stepped forward again, his movements fighting against the venom coursing through his veins. It felt as if he were wading through the crushing pressure of the ocean depths—and this one he knew exactly how it felt…the Hospital took him to the deepest parts of the ocean and left him there, after all.

His veins pulsated, cycling between the blue of the venom and his body's abnormal regenerative ability. Blue, then red, then blue again.

If it didn't hurt so much, Adam would have probably found it funny—how a metaphor of the Game was happening inside him right now.

But once again, however, Adam wasn't afraid of the pain—no.

He was mad.

Furious at these creatures, at this place, at the whole damned Game that forced him to experience all of this again. And for the first time, he couldn't even feel the pain—the rage inside him was burning hotter than the venom.

And so, instead of running, he chose to turn around.

"Haa…" His jaw opened, and an almost feral hiss escaped his mouth. He imitated the sound of the dozens of fat baby serpents coiling everywhere around him.

He tapped the gun against his head as he gritted his teeth and snarled.

Smile, Adam. It's the only promise you can keep right now.

And with a deep breath…he smiled and pointed his gun forward.

***

A day had passed, and Vincent led the Nightraptor back into the Blue Leak, accompanied by even more veteran creeps this time since they already knew what sort of terrain they were dealing with.

They have been slogging through the murky swamp for hours now, and have already passed through their earlier run. They pushed aside hanging vines and dispatched verdlecks whenever they appeared.

The veteran creeps' clothing were also more appropriate to traverse the swamp now, allowing them to traverse the treacherous terrain even faster.

"Is it just me expecting there to be more verdlecks?" one of the creeps complained, wiping sweat from his brow. "I... I still don't have enough scales and hide for the armor."

"Don't be too greedy," another responded, checking his rifle nervously. "Just make a chestplate or a helmet and quit while you're ahead. You're lucky to even be alive today."

"He's right. Four people died yesterday, and now five more," a third creep added, eyes constantly scanning the surrounding trees. "What's the point of having armor if you're already dead before the Game summons you again?"

The veteran creeps continued their nervous chatter, but their eyes remained vigilant, scanning every shadow and ripple in the water.

The Heroes were the same, their eyes careful not to miss any sign of the verdrakill, as it was relatively stealthy for its size.

Vincent was at the front with Eugene and Dennis flanking him, mapping the swamp as they waded through knee-deep water.

"Hmm? Wait!" Vincent raised his hand suddenly, halting the group. "I… sense something ahead."

They pushed forward even more cautiously as he said that, until something stopped them in their tracks—a crack.

Vincent slowly turned his head down, and there he saw it.

Eggshells. And not only beneath the water beneath them. It was everywhere. Broken and scattered across the swampy ground.

"Stop!" Eugene was the first to raise his fist. Vincent quickly scanned their surroundings, and they all readied their weapons.

They slowly and slightly lowered them, however, when they also noticed the countless dead baby verdlecks strewn about.

"Stay... vigilant," Vincent whispered, his hand hovering over his blades and his silhouette .

"Shouldn't we go back!?" some the veteran creeps complained, their voices pitched with fear.

The Heroes ignored them and continued to press forward.

After all, this was their Leak.

"Did…someone sneak past last night?" Vincent gripped his dagger even tighter, "I thought the others were guarding it."

"No report came," Dennis shook his head, "Could it be…another monster?"

"In a Blue Leak?" Eugene shook his head, "I don't think so."

"Well, whatever it is…" Vincent's lips twitched, "…someone else is here. Keep your eyes up."

They made their way deeper into the swamp, and the carnage only grew worse. Dead verdlecks hung from branches, their bodies split open by the jaws. Some were pinned to trees with sharp sticks made from the branches. A few floated in the murky water, riddled with what looked like bullet holes.

"Wait…"

And then, they reached a clearing with even more corpses—some of them were adults now. Their eyes followed the trail of destruction to the center of the clearing.

"Is that…?"

There, a human sat on a mound of corpses.

He was holding a stick that was pierced through the eyes of the verdleck he was sitting on. His clothes were torn and soaked with blood and swamp water. But surprisingly, aside from his eyes that were completely blank, the rest of him was completely unscathed.

"Is... that a person!?" one of the newer creeps gasped.

"Look! He... he has a halo! He's a creep!" another pointed at the faint blue glow above the man's head.

Vincent was about to confront the person, but he stopped in his tracks as he recognized the person's face.

"Wait... holy fuck..." The veteran creeps who had been part of yesterday's exploration began to clamor. "Isn't that the one that was dragged away and eaten by the boss!? What was his name... Chris!?"

It was Adam, sitting on a mountain of dead verdlecks, his green vacant eyes almost glowing within the swamp.

***

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Lol. Adam's getting tired of all the bullshit being thrown at him.