Chapter 339: 339
Chapter 339: The Burrow XIII
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A suffocating pungent stench of something rotten filled the chamber of the Wolfspider Burrow .
The decomposing dead leaves that made up the soft ground released some heat . Coupled with the abundant thick cobwebs that acted as a heat trap, the temperature within the chamber was surprisingly higher than the outside’s near freezing point .
There was no sign of any Wolfspiders . During the last battle with the Demon-Hunters, all of them apparently rushed out of the burrow to defend their territory out of basic instinct .
Messy strands of spider webs intertwined with the decomposing leaves . The Demon-Hunters followed the trail and searched every chamber .
“Huh?! ”
As they arrived at a certain chamber, everyone’s footsteps stopped abruptly . Their eyes were fixed on an unfortunate Demon-Hunters who lay completely immobilized on a cobweb . They were none other than the ten-man Demon-Hunter party who appeared along with Alxa before Grimm’s party ventured into the Burrow World . They had now entered the presence of the final resting place of these valiant vanguards .
Grimm recognized them all . They were the exact ten members from the original team… their meeting still fresh in his memory… their leader, a Rank-2 Demon-Hunter…
Was…
The others paid their final respects to the deceased Demon-Hunters and moved onward to continue exploring the Wolfspider Burrow, leaving behind only Alxa and Grimm .
The two of them stood before their former Demon-Hunter comrades in silence .
Or one should say, what was left of them . Only their skin remained—their muscles, skeleton, and organs had all vanished .
“We’re too late . We couldn’t save them…”
Grimm could almost imagine their last moment’s struggle as the Thought Echo overpowered them . The feeling of one’s very own internal organs melting under their skin, only to be sucked dry by the ravenous Wolfspiders .
In other words, they were eaten alive! The feeling of helplessness… They must have hoped for someone to put them out of their misery . It was nothing but pure torture!
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“Let it go… The life of a Demon-Hunter is always filled with danger . Consider this the course of natural selection . Only the strongest can survive and those who remain must bravely continue with the mission so their sacrifice will not be in vain . ”
That very moment, everything was so still as if time itself has stopped . The old sorceress, Alxa opened her palm . The green sapling appeared once again .
“Hmm… It appears that the sorcerer who specializes in studying the force of life is still very much alive . Let’s see if we can find anything useful . ”
Grimm nodded and scavenged the corpses of his fallen comrades . Nothing of much value here .
“Over here! I found something!”
Someone shouted from a nearby chamber .
Grimm and Alxa exchanged glances and quickly made their way toward the source of discovery, where their twelve-man-team had surrounded a Demon-Hunter with swollen and abnormally decaying skin .
They carefully freed him from his cobweb prison . His breathing was slow and he had since passed out . His unsightly and festering wounds emitted an unbearable, disgusting odor .
“Will he make it?” asked Alxa who approached the crowd .
A Ranked-2 Demon-Hunter from Alxa’s team examined the newly-rescued Demon-Hunter . He shook his head and did not say a word . Then, he left him where he was .
Alxa nodded . She, too, did not spit a word .
However, Grimm would not give up rescuing another life . He was one to do anything in his power to rescue another fellow Demon-Hunter . He approached the dying Demon-Hunter and attempted to wake him up using his crystal orb, but to no avail .
After a moment of thinking, Grimm lit up a tiny Soul Fire at the tip of his finger and proceeded to draw some symbols on the Demon-Hunter’s decaying wound .
Grimm learned this simple soul manipulation during the time of his apprenticeship with a foreign world Devil Lord . He outwitted him and got his hands on a copy of the Devil’s Contract . Through self-study, he managed to learn some simple soul manipulation tricks .
Grimm’s sudden utilization of the soul manipulation spell surprised everybody at the scene .
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Usually, no Demon-Hunter would be interested in studying a soul manipulation spell . While it appeared powerful, those who would advance to Hearkening Sorcerer would naturally master soul manipulation spells anyway . Therefore, spending time learning these spells were largely considered a waste of time .
Even Grimm agreed to this consensus during his time as an apprentice .
The Demon-Hunter who was suffering from decaying wounds slowly gained his consciousness as Grimm cast the simple soul manipulation spell .
Slowly but surely, he came to, struggling to keep his eyes open . He tried to say something but violent coughing came out instead of words .
Most Demon-Hunters who were observing them, bar some Level-2 veterans were immediately disturbed by what they saw .
His eyes…
One of his eyes was filled with veins . Though looking unhealthy, it still looked normal for a human’s eye .
However, his other eyeball became the host of a three-centimeter translucent spiderling . It moved about slowly within the confines of his eyeball, as if ready to hatch anytime .
“Cough, cough, cough… ”
After a series of violent coughing, some peculiar thick fluid oozed out from the edge of the Demon-Hunter’s mouth . He tried to say something but could not summon the strength to speak .
Grimm’s tried to communicate with him using his own Soul Fire but his communication partner’s Soul Fire was almost extinguished . He was done for .
The previous Rank-2 Demon Hunter shook his head as he witnessed what had just unfolded .
“What are you trying to say?”
Grimm leaned his head closer toward the dying Demon-Hunter .
Obviously, the Wolfspiders had done something to him . Otherwise, why did he not suffer the same fate as the other Demon-Hunters whereby their internal organs were dissolved?
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“Cough… . Plea… kil… me…”
The extremely debilitated Demon-Hunter took about a full minute to make his last wish known . Even so, Grimm had to employ the best of his judgment to understand what he was trying to say .
Should Grimm oblige?
Grimm mulled about it but dared not make the hardest decision .
As long as no one violated the Holy Tower’s rule, any fight between Demon-Hunters outside the protection zone was all fair game .
However, to take the life of another Demon-Hunter during any expedition constituted a crime if there was no reasonable justification for it . It would be equivalent to jeopardizing the interest of the Sorcerer World… a felony . One that could lead to capital punishment .
“Aa…”
The Demon-Hunter closed his eyes . It seemed like he did not even have the strength to react from the severe pain he was enduring .
“Eww! His skin…”
Parrot Leafie cried suddenly but held it back . It covered its beak with its wings . There was nothing but horror in its eyes .
Grimm also noticed something peculiar . His breath became slightly heavier under the Mask of Truth . Soon, everyone realized what was happening which gave them goosebumps .
A three-centimeter long light black spiderling crawled out from under the decaying Demon-Hunter’s skin, literally!
The reproduction method of Wolfspiders was to use the body of their victim as a living nursery .
It so happened that this poor Demon-Hunter who practiced a Force of Life spell was unfortunate enough to be chosen by the Wolfspiders as their unwilling host; a source of nourishment . Once hatched, their very first lunch would be him!
At this very moment, hundreds of Wolfspider spiderlings were feeding on his flesh and blood from within .
What a cruel and horrifying way to die! Even watching this was enough for anyone to be hit by a swarm of angry butterflies in their gut .
This was an evolutionary method unique to the Wolfspiders, one of the survival principles of Infinity World .
Alxa took out her crystal orb and said to Grimm without much emotion, “Let’s end his suffering . This is the least that we can do for him… I’ve gathered the necessary logs . ”
“Ok,” Grimm nodded .
To have oneself used as a vessel against their own will… The Wolfspiders robbed him of his control over his physical body . This was worse than outright killing him . How inhumane! Grimm did not know what to do . He was left with an only option .
With that, a fireball ignited atop his Sabbatic Goat Staff .
“Rest in peace, brother . May you be cleansed and freed from torment…”
Under everyone’s watch, the fire consumed the infested Demon-Hunter . With a heavy heart, they split the sorcerer equipment of the Demon-Hunter . He would not be needing it anymore . Grimm received an ordinary ring, which he threw into the pocket world without a second thought .
They did not forget to collect some live specimens of the three-centimeter spiderlings for further study . The crowd cast destructive spells as they retreated to purge the inhabitants of Wolfspider Burrow .
In the sea of fire, Alxa and Grimm led their teams to continue on their journey, now more determined than ever .
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