Chapter 81 Mobbed

Duncan slowly walked the passageway without any aim or particular direction in mind. He had already lost his way, so it was useless to try and find a route back to the entrance.

However, it had already been more than three days by his count. He had been given a week to survive and return. He was halfway there. It was time he went back towards the entrance and rode this entire ordeal out.

Currently, Duncan was in the interior regions. So, Duncan was heading toward the direction he thought the outer regions were in. Duncan knew that he would obviously run into cannibals on his way out. In fact, he was looking forward to it. Killing them could increase his slaughter qi and that way allow him to progress to the next level.

But, it was easier said than done. He had no clue as to where he was at. Hence Duncan had decided to walk in a random direction in the hopes that his luck held true and he came across someplace he could identify.

Having passed through numerous pathways in the outer region, Duncan was confident to recognize them at least vaguely if he came across them. That way, he could at least get a little bit of bearing and proceed from there.

Before walking away from his camp, Duncan had filled his stomach with water. He had been using that water in there to sustain his hunger for days now. And he knew it would be days before he saw light again as well.

While he didn't feel weak or lethargic from hunger, the pangs were still present there. However, one of the advantages of breaking through was that he was able to function for a lot longer without food in general.

Cultivators usually had stronger bodies. That meant they could function normally for a long time without needing to take sustenance. With every realm they moved up, their need for food and even air dwindled drastically.

While Duncan was nowhere near that level, his body had been strong for a mortal before he even started cultivating. Now having tasted the fruits of cultivation, it wasn't a problem for him to function normally for days without food.

But, that didn't mean he was exempt from hunger pangs.

Those were realities of his body. He could no more control them or avoid them. It was basic mortal yearning. That was the reason for the existence of fasting pills. Unfortunately, Duncan had consumed the ones given to him in a foolish manner before this ordeal began.

Duncan was someone who learned from his mistakes. He was never going to run out of fasting pills after this episode. He was going to stock up on them and use them only when it was really necessary hereafter.

Likewise, this ordeal had taught him another lesson as well. To be prepared for anything at any time. He will not forget that lesson anytime soon after this debacle. The thing that irked him most was that he didn't even have a water skin to gather water from his camp.

As Duncan meandered through the pathways, he looked around for any signs that he might recognize. With his eyesight improved, it was easy for him to see in the dark at the moment.

But, it was not an easy task as most pathways inside this cave looked similar.

*****

Duncan cursed inwardly as he ducked under the swipe of a cannibal. He kicked the cannibal away and pivoted bringing his sword down on another one that was going for his legs.

His sword cleaved through the cannibal, splitting him into two. The cannibal died with his eyes wide open. Duncan didn't even pay attention to the corpse as he was forced to backpedal fast and guard himself against another cannibal that was launching himself at him.

The rotten stench wafting from the cannibal made Duncan swear profusely. He unceremoniously headbutted it and sent it staggering back. Before Duncan could deliver the killing blow, he had to once more pivot and block the incoming attack from another one.

If Duncan had to blame someone for his current situation, he could blame no one but himself. After wandering the pathways for a few hours, Duncan had inevitably gotten bored.

An idle mind is a devil's workshop.

And for a demonic cultivator like Duncan, it was even worse.

Bored out of his mind, Duncan started whistling an old tune he had heard in his younger days to take his mind off of the dreary situation he was in. He was also hoping that some cannibal would hear it and come searching for him.

Only, the plan worked too well.

Instead of one, Duncan was mobbed by more than a dozen of them at the same time. That was the reason he was currently in such a melee. And these cannibals were of similar strength to the one he failed to kill a few days ago. If they had been weak like the ones he had come across initially, he would have moved through them by now.

But, alas! Duncan can only wish for such good luck.

The absolute worst part of this, the commotion they were creating was sure to attract more cannibals. It was not as if these cannibals were fighting him silently. They were grunting, moaning, wailing, and roaring, creating a cacophony of noises all around and irritating Duncan mightily.

Duncan's sword cut through the neck of another cannibal, but he was forced to duck and roll with his sword amidst the spilling green blood by the attack of another one.

Duncan came up grimacing. He didn't like the fact that he had to roll through that rotten blood to escape the attack. His anger peaked and he roared back at the cannibals in challenge.

Hefting his sword, he started to lay waste on the nearby ones. Giving into his rage, Duncan swung his sword fiercely cutting down one cannibal after another. Soon, a blackish aura started emanating from his body, propelling him to go on a slaughter.

But, the damage was already done. The disturbance here had already attracted the attention of a lot of cannibals. They were pouring in droves trying to get to him. Duncan had no other means other than to go on the full-on offensive. He abandoned defense to cut down as many as possible in a short time.

For a short while, it worked.

Duncan's sudden ferocity took the cannibals by surprise. This allowed Duncan to mow through them with abandon. The invisible black aura emanating from his body was increasing more and more, but it didn't extend to his sword and create the visible reddish aura like it did while Duncan was fighting against the beasts.

As the aura emanating from him was invisible unless one was at a certain cultivation stage, Duncan had no idea that he was emanating it. Hence he didn't notice this change at all.

But, all things were meant to end.

And Duncan's rampage amongst the cannibal horde came to an end when he ran into a bulkier cannibal. The cannibal's strength was vastly superior to any other cannibals Duncan faced until then.

While Duncan wasn't at a disadvantage, clashing with it halted his momentum abruptly causing him to come to stand still. This created the opportunity for the rest to mob him.

Soon, Duncan began to sustain injuries from their nails, and some even bit and tried to tear his flesh. Every time that happened, Duncan would immediately retaliate and kill the perpetrator.

But, soon Duncan began to realize that if he stayed in this place he would get bogged down by sheer numbers alone. Gritting his teeth, he went on a short rampage, clearing the area around him.

Once some adequate space appeared, Duncan executed <Wind Chasing Steps> and fled from the scene. However, how could it be possible to escape from the horde of cannibals that easily?

Especially, the bulky one that had been a headache to Duncan for the past few minutes was deceptively fast on its feet. It was able to chase after Duncan with relative ease.

Thus, a chase began in the pathways, with Duncan running away using all his might and the cannibals chasing after him. Duncan was glad that he chose to run away. Because, while he was escaping, he came across several more cannibals heading toward the location of their fight.

Some he dispatched without prejudice, some he evaded, and some he shoved in the path of other cannibals that were chasing after him. In this way, Duncan somehow managed to escape from the horde after some difficulty.

One of the main reasons for his escape was that the cannibals hated each other as much as they wanted to eat Duncan. So, whenever he pushed a cannibal onto the path of the others, it created a conflict between the two, which soon escalated into an all-out bloodbath.

Only the bulky one had been persistent for some time. But, Duncan's <Wind Chasing Steps> became more useful the longer distance he used it to travel. Soon, Duncan outpaced the bulky one and disappeared amidst the multiple pathways present in the cave, causing the bulky one to roar angrily in frustration.

Duncan breathed a sigh of relief and took a look at himself. His clothes were torn in several places, there were bite marks all over his body. Several gashes ran over his torso as blood dripped from them profusely.

Duncan did a double take seeing the amount of damage he had taken. He hadn't been in a place to analyze his injuries earlier, but apparently, he was nearly overwhelmed by the horde at this point.

Letting out a deep sigh, Duncan set out to find a hidden place and recover his wounds. This time, he didn't dare to be cocky. He walked cautiously taking every precaution to remain as silent as possible.

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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