CH 304

“Chapter 304: On the Look”

Roughly two days have passed.

Thanks to the settlement I was able to sleep, but that doesn’t mean I got to rest.

Always half-awake expecting the worst at any moment.

Deko and Mira said I would get used to it, but the idea of being stuck inside of a monster for the rest of my life didn’t exactly appease me.

No signs of help yet.

No help will come.

– Are you awake? We’re leaving soon.

– Got it.

It was time for us to explore the second stomach.

The objective, of course, is to try to find a way to get out of here.

All I have is Nebula, two potions, the discharge organ of a dark jerk, and a piece of plastic.

Creating more potions myself with no ingredients would exhaust me more than it would help.

So we’ll be scavenging for materials and, if possible, a way out.

– Be careful not to get your feet caught in the digestive liquids. It’s like quicksand. The more you move, the more you sink.

The second stomach is a scaffold of undigested food. Nothing of much interest, but it’s not difficult to keep going deeper.

– You seem to be under the assumption that getting here was easy. Don’t worry. You’ll see soon enough.

– …Alright?

With the occasional breaks, we managed to reach the entrance to the third stomach.

It’s much smaller than the previous one but big enough for the three of us to go in.

– So this is what you meant.

Instead of walking forward, we need to descend downwards to make it to the third stomach.

The only footholds are weird protrusions growing out of the walls and a sort of ivy-like net hanging down from the ceiling. A hole at the bottom marks the beginning of the stomach.

– …What is that black pool at the bottom?

– Well, that’s a den of dark jerks swimming in digestive juices.

There were some explosive stones floating on the liquid.

This place is fascinating, to say the least.

– …Wait.

I just realized something.

– Deko-san, did something happen inside this place before I was swallowed in?

– Hm? Yeah… Sometimes the whale regurgitates the contents of the third stomach into the previous levels. It happened before we found you.

– I see.

During our battle outside, the whale must’ve spewed some of these dark jerks.

When it sensed a threat, it used the snakes as a defensive system.

– So what if that defensive system were to malfunction…?

– Are you thinking about something doing something stupidly dangerous?

– You can’t be an adventurer without taking risks.

I decided to retreat for now.

Our next goal is clear.