Chapter 237: Worm God!

In the vast cavern, a rhythmic sound resounded. Ting! Ting! Ting! With every new repetition, death would be closer. Time was of the essence! 

Josh tirelessly kept working as he felt the enormous mass of killing intent heading his way. Anyone else in his position would have been completely paralyzed by fear, but he still looked calm and confident. 

Would his plan even work? His only certainty was that he'd make this worm regret ever targeting him! Perhaps it was petty, but he found satisfaction in this. That is when came the rumbling. 

The hard rock walls and even the ceiling began trembling. Perhaps the most surprising was that this place didn't show any sign of caving in. Josh remained on the ground waiting.

The creature knew his exact location, and it showed intelligence as it made a detour. Instead of attacking from above or the sides, it would attack from below. It would be instantly over for Josh when it would finally emerge, and he would never see it coming. 

Suddenly everything became still as if the creature had given up. But, the killing intent was about to reach him. It even had a sneak ability! It was time to do this! Josh grabbed the rat and waited for his opponent. 

That's when it emerged from the rock. BOOM! Rock fragments were catapulted everywhere! The creature's maw was akin to an infinite abyss that wanted nothing more than to consume him. 

<Biggest Worm God Lv73☠️>

Josh dashed toward one of the giant teeth of the creature and angled himself perfectly. It had been going so fast that as soon as he blocked with the rat, he felt his entire body launched in the air akin to a cannonball. 

He instantly lost his breath, his bones creaking under stress, his skin rupturing, and his muscles aching. It wasn't even over! He was about to collide heavily with the ceiling and splatter on it. 

But, right as he was about to make contact, he activated his cloak. For a split second, his body stopped being entirely physical, and he felt his shoulder sink into the rock before coming out just fine. 

Josh stuck to the ceiling using the spider ability. Below there was the nightmarish creature that was pursuing. It would be on him in a few seconds! He couldn't help but grin as he grabbed his True Pickaxe. 

He had prepared a lovely surprise for this worm. "You seem super hungry. Eat this, you goddamn oversized worm! You'll love it!" That's when he swung the pickaxe with all the strength he could muster. 

The incredibly tough rock exploded thanks to the item's power. It just so happened that the part Josh crushed was the tiny remaining anchor to an enormous rock spear. Josh had carved it from the ceiling itself and was even larger than the Boss. 

The incredible weight became a tremendous force thanks to gravity. All of this insane power was all concentrated unto the tip. Josh cackled like a madman as the colossal worm got skewered then crushed. 

He slowly came down, inspecting the aftermath. The enemy was dead! Could he absorb its mana and level up? But that's when something crazy happened. The lake suddenly became tumultuous as an insane suction force was felt. 

Josh had to dig his feet in the ground to prevent being sent flying in. As for the worm, it began to decompose in light particles that were dragged in the water. It was the same for the gem that was shattering. 

He could only observe it all baffled until it all calmed down. Behind there only remained the mess he had done with the rock spear as if the enemy had been nothing more than an illusion. 

Josh slowly and cautiously approached the lake. He could feel it: there was a crazy amount of mana in the water! Without waiting, he dashed into it, feeling the cool refreshing sensation envelop him completely. 

He began circulating his mana, barely realizing what he was doing. He was akin to a gamer doing some hardcore grinding. He was smiling on autopilot! He had no clue what he was doing. He was just enjoying feeling his body so full of life! 

At this rate, his mana would rise so much! It was as if every cell in his body was awakening. As if…but something rudely interrupted the experience. 

|~???????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ????????????????????????????????~|

~Disgustin, so disgusting! So ugly. How can it be so ugly? Two legs, two arms, and a head. Such a shame. 

The wriggling one? Was it a worm or something? Why did these bullshit gods love to insult people so much? Then again, there were bound to be a few good ones like that old man Iron. 

~These humanoids are too violent. It killed a newborn so savagely. It did such atrocity with a smile. It needs to die. Revenge. Yes, revenge for the newborn. But, how? 

Bullshit! How the hell was this supposed to be a newborn?! This worm had been 50 meters long. This was skyscraper level! Plus, he had only acted in self-defense! This goddamn worm was the one that was a bully! 

~We cannot interfere with the Towers. Wait…this one is defective. It barely ever hosted a few individuals. No one will care if we play a little. 

That sounded as insulting as ominous. Who was this bitch calling defective?! AT was doing its best to improve. What did it mean by play? 

~How do we punish the newborn killer? Regrettable, but we cannot do it directly. This one is weak. It will probably die soon anyway. 

"That's an amazing idea! There really is no need to exert any effort. I'm just a weak human." 

~No, revenge for the newborn! Ah, we know. Curses are possible. Ah, but normal curses are no fun. 

There went a peaceful resolution. Josh prepared himself mentally for what was to come. 

~This one will do. Curse of maggots. Settle in his stomach, little ones. Devour him from the inside. This will be fun! So much fun chwichwichwi!— …

Wait, what?! Maggots?! That's when Josh felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He fell forward, his gut constricting. How was he supposed to deal with this?!…

Creator's Thought

I'm still proud of that rock spear. Sure, it was very primitive and basic but it had a certain charm. Well, not that that bullshit wriggling god appreciated it. It always baffled me how happily gods would rush to avenge any simulated NPC that just so happened to fit with their essence. Then again, it represented both an opportunity and danger to them, not that any would have admitted that weakness.