Gauss’s voice was almost drowned out by the intensified tremors.
The stone path beneath their feet undulated violently like a living creature, shattering.
Something was awakening beneath the earth.
With sharp eyes and quick reflexes, Gauss grabbed Aaliyah as he spoke.
A powerful force surged beneath their feet, propelling Aaliyah several meters away.
In the distance, Serdur reacted swiftly as well, almost instantly evading.
However, since his position was not at the center of the tremor, it was relatively easier to dodge.
"Boom——"
Just where Aaliyah had stood, the ground suddenly arched and exploded!
Dirt, rubble, and intertwined grass roots scattered in all directions, as a massive, dark cylindrical body burst forth, accompanied by a nauseating stench of decaying soil!
It was an indescribably huge worm.
The part of its body exposed aboveground was a full five to six meters long, with a diameter comparable to a large water tank.
Its surface was covered with a tough, oily dark-purple chitinous shell, from the gaps of which oozed a thick, dark brown liquid that dripped to the ground with a faint sizzling sound of corrosion.
Its head lacked any obvious eyes, only a horrific mouth filled with concentric rings of sharp teeth, expanding and contracting. When open, it could easily swallow a grown adult.
A stifling stench, mixed with acidic and rotten odors, emanated from it, leaving one breathless.
"Colossal Worm!"
Aaliyah gasped, her voice carrying a barely noticeable tremor.
This was an underground demon creature that dug through the earth.
According to books, their challenge level is at least level 3, with most adult ones being level 4-5. Some records mention discovering ones nearly level ten, with unverified rumors of terrifying individuals capable of causing earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
Even setting aside those vague rumors, as a demonic creature, it had almost no weaknesses.
Aside from its mouth, its entire body was encased in an incredibly hard shell that provided protection far superior to steel.
Gauss led the two of them further away.
The colossal worm, having failed its initial attack, quickly retreated.
Only leaving behind a deep hole in the ground.
"It seems we accidentally awakened it."
Gauss noted that there was only this one pit around, meaning that at least before the three of them arrived, it hadn’t emerged from there recently.
They were likely the first to awaken it since the labyrinth’s opening.
Was it because Aaliyah’s release of nature’s power caught its attention? Gauss speculated in his mind.
The three of them cautiously observed the edge of the abandoned herb garden for a while.
The colossal worm didn’t reappear.
Even when Gauss directed a Clay Spider to jump and provoke near the spot where it had burst forth, it didn’t surface again.
"It seems, as described in the books, that essentially, colossal worms are rather docile creatures, with not much aggression." Gauss’s voice regained its composure.
Of course, if disturbed, they would launch deadly attacks on other creatures just the same.
They preferred to remain in the pitch darkness underground, traversing freely through rock and soil.
To ordinary people, impenetrable rocks yielded as easily as "cream" during their burrowing.
They fed on special soils and minerals, spending almost their entire lives underground: digging, searching for food, entering long periods of hibernation, reproducing, and hatching...
Though Gauss felt somewhat relieved upon clarifying its characteristics, the incidence had given him quite a scare.
"I’ll go take a look, you wait here for me."
Gauss’s eyes fixed on a certain spot.
He turned and spoke to Aaliyah and Serdur.
He cautiously walked towards the spot where the colossal worm had broken through.
Information is one thing, but one must remain vigilant when facing these demonic creatures in person.
You can’t criticize the books for inaccuracies after getting injured or killed, right?
The burrowing colossal worm earlier seemed to exceed level 3 in his perception.
Even if he entered ghost form, he might still struggle to defeat it.
And it was too agile.
Even if he used all his might to break through its shell-like defenses, then what?
It could burrow underground and escape whenever it wished.
Simply put, it wasn’t out of fear, but there was no need to fight such an opponent.
He moved a few steps.
Rocks and loose dirt were pushed up from underground.
If one sniffed carefully, a faint stench lingered in the air.
Entering the Mage’s Hand’s casting range, he cast a Trick.
Simultaneously maintained vigilance, ready to leap away with his monster-like legs if anything went awry.
When the colossal worm emerged, dark brown viscous liquid seeped from the gaps in its shell.
When it contacted soil, it emitted white smoke and a sizzling corrosive sound.
However, now several minutes had passed, and the reaction had settled.
Appearing where it had broken through was coagulated brown earth balls, stained with bodily fluids.
Each cluster was about the size of a fist.
There were about a dozen such clusters.
He used the Mage’s Hand to cautiously bring a brown earth ball before him.
Then he gently tapped it with his White Magic Wand, glowing with Identification Technique light.
[Earth-Eroding Mud Ball]
Level: Common Magic Item (White)