Chapter 293: Temple [4]

Chapter 293: Temple [4]



My head, my shoulders, my arms, my legs... Hands gripped all over me, slowly pulling me back. I tried to struggle, but my body refused to listen to me.

I was tired.

On my last breath.

....I could barely muster up the strength to fight back. I had expanded everything and had been running on adrenaline.

But even that had its limits.

"Ah, no...!"

I extended my hand, reaching for the entrance which seemed closer than it had ever been before, and yet also seemed so distant.

I was close, so close...

And yet...!

"Uekh!"

My face stretched as a hand reached out to grasp it, pulling it back.

I could offer no resistance, and gradually, I sank into the depths of the sea of hands that reached for me.

Darkness started to cloud my vision, suffocating me while my body felt as though it were being ripped apart. Every muscle screamed in agony as my body starting to get pulled from all sides.

Despite everything, I continued to think of ways and means to get out of the situation.

...I didn't want to give up.

Not like this.

But the more I tried to struggle, the more I realized how helpless the situation was. In those moments, I closed my eyes and silently cursed,

"When are you two going to do a thing?"

I was reffering to none other than Owl-Mighty and Pebble.

They were the reason I had yet to panic.

Because I knew that they wouldn't let me die like this.

At least, not yet.

".... You look like you're struggling."

"He is struggling."

A pair of deep eyes appeared through the narrow gap before me.

Squench. Squench.

A familiar traumatising sound echoed within my ears, and shortly after vines started to sprout from the ground. That wasn't all. Moments following the vines, the hands that were grasping me became heavier.

Pebble appeared right on top of me.

Gently raising its paws, it tapped into the heads of the Wraiths around me, sending them crashing against the ground.

Thud, thud-!

Several hands detached from me, and I immediately felt lighter.

Thud!

I felt a burst of energy in that moment as I twisted my shoulder and pried myself free from another hand, and I for once was able to take control of my body again.

"Go."

Pebble said in a low tone, its paw gently pressing against the heads of the Wraiths.

"....Our powers are limited."

"I know."

They didn't need to remind me.

Their powers were limited to my mana reserve, and while they did have their own mana reserve, it was rather small.

I knew that I was still not out of the woods yet and through gritted teeth, I forced myself to move forward.

"Kh...!"

I was struggling.

Several hands were attached to my ankles, desperately holding me back. I shook it several times in order to free myself from their grasp, but as if they were attached to my legs, they refused to leave.

I continued to shake them.

"Let. Go. Damn. It!"

But no matter how fiercely I fought, they refused to let go, their grip tightening with every passing second. Just when I thought I might have to take drastic measures, something occurred.

Sqench. Sqench.

Dark, thorny vines began to sprout from the ground, twisting and tightening around the hands clutching my legs.

That's when the hands started to change color, and the grip over my leg loosened slightly.

I didn't need to look in Owl-Mighty's direction to know what I needed to do next.

Without hesitation, I used all the strength that I had and pulled away from the hands.

"Uekh...!"

A strained sound escaped my lips as I finally freed myself from the grasp and stumbled forward, falling on one knee.

Thump!

"Наа... Наа..."

I looked up and stared at the dark entrance that greeted me.

My leg twitched as I tried to get up, and for a brief moment I almost failed to get up, but I still managed to force myself up and push myself forward.

'So close...!'

My heart was beating at my throat.

I could hardly breathe.

"Ten, good."

I grabbed three, one blue and two red for good measure before putting the box away and

grabbing a small vial. After that, I grabbed several bandages and a few other things that I had placed in the bag.

Owl-Mighty looked at me and then the items in my hands before saying,

"Hurry up human."

"I know."

I didn't need to be told twice about the current state of my body. Once I was sure that I had

grabbed everything, I slipped my consciousness out of the ring and opened my eyes again.

".....

It was silent and dark.

The only sound I could hear was the sound of my own breath.

It was weak.

"Kh...!"

Silently enduring the pain that was invading every part of my body, I swallowed the pills that

appeared in my hand, a cool sensation washing over my body within moments of the pills

entering my body.

I felt an immediate sense of relief the moment I popped the blue pill in my mouth as my mind

cleared up.

Some of the injuries that I sustained started to heal, and the pain disappeared shortly after.

"Uekh."

Sitting myself up, I leaned against the wall behind me.

My injuries were far from healed. The pill I had used was something akin to a painkiller. It

only helped to heal the most superficial wounds that I had. But it was still extremely helpful.

Shortly after that, I popped two red pills.

"|"

Unlike the blue pill, I didn't feel relief upon popping those pills.

In fact, it felt as though I had swallowed magma as I held onto my throat and clenched my

teeth tightly. My eyes started to water briefly and my legs flayed.

Cra Crack-!

Faint cracking sounds echoed shortly as my hand, shoulder, and back started to readjust.

The pain that followed was hard to describe, but I suffered in silence.

Despite the blue pill effect, I was still able to feel the pain from the red pill which acted as a

bone agent, healing most bone-related issues.

The effects were rather quick and I was soon able to freely move my body again.

Riiip!

For the last step, I ripped my shirt open and applied some ointment over certain areas.

Though I couldn't see clearly in the dark, I knew the sight that greeted me would make me

want to puke. The sensation was revolting, especially when my hand traced the exposed bone in several areas where I had applied the ointment.

"Haa...!"

Once I was done applying everything, I leaned my head back and let out a long breath.

I was exhausted and didn't want to get up, but unfortunately, the poison was still in effect. I

had no choice but to get up.

"Ukh."

And so I did.

Leaning against the wall beside me, I headed deeper into the temple.

Tak, tak-

In the silence, the only sound I could hear was the sound of my steps.

It was dark, and I could hardly hear a thing.

Nonetheless, I carried forward.

I knew where I needed to go.

Soon, a faint light appeared. I stopped for a brief moment before carrying forward.

I knew that I was close to reaching my destination.

The distance was short.

In a few minutes, I was able to reach the end of it, and just when I was about to move past the

tunnel, I noticed a faint purple glow coming from the left side.

|| ||

The moment I looked my heart skipped a bit.

Especially when I noticed that the words were written in a language I was very familiar with.

English.

I began to read the engravings.

"Here lies the grave of Oracleus." "--The seer."