NOVGO.NET Chapter 433: Subterean World?!
Chapter 433: Subterean World?!
A mystical cave…
Actually, a gaping hole next to the lava river.
It was akin to an entrance to the underworld, Jack feeling LOTS of Mana oozing out of it. In fact, even he couldn’t help but gulp as he too stared with expectation.
EVOLVE, was it? The Instructor was already gesturing for them to go forward! For once the Newborns, Jack included, didn’t show any hesitation as they rushed forward.
This cave was beckoning them over! Hell, even the system seemed eager…
[Ding! Awakening Grounds Detected!]
[Ding! Awakening Grounds Detected!]
[Ding! Awakening Grounds Detected!]
This was the good stuff!
Yet they all stopped near the entrance, a pathway opening for Jack. At this moment, he was akin to a king with devoted subjects, none daring to slight him in the least.
And as he took the first step inside the cave, he felt it…
Mana, lots of Mana, but not only that. There was also the same aura he had felt on the Scaly Statue, one that felt primordial and clearly was related to Lizardmen.
Taking a huge breath, Jack took it all in, his brethren awaiting while fearfully glancing at him. Chuckling, he couldn’t help but remark. “Are you all ready to become dragons!”
His voice boomed, seemingly trying to escape the cave. But right before it could, the Instructor suddenly made his move!
— WAVE! WAVE! WAVE! —
The lizard summoned a mighty spell!
A second later, an invincible-looking glowing barrier sealed the cave entrance! Jack came close to examine it, and couldn’t help but freeze. This guy knew magic so advanced?!
[Magical Boundary Detected!
[Newborn Status Detected… Blocked!]
[*PS: Please Try Again In Another Life!]
The Instructor chuckled as he addressed them.
“This one’s pretty easy. Dive into the cave and evolve. Don’t worry, I won’t blame you if you fail but….” His tone couldn’t have been more ominous!
Yet, it wasn’t just that either…
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[23:44:58]
[23:44:57]
On the wall, there was now a glowing counter. Something bad would happen once it reached zero, right? But instead of panicking, Jack calmly turned toward the cave.
It looked so damn warm, literally AND metaphorically, the lava river outside seeping into the place and peeking through countless fissures, more the deeper it went.
With this, Jack took control of the party.
“C’mon, let’s head deeper!”
And deeper he freaking went. The cave glowed more and more, and the temperature rose from hot as balls to frankly unbearable, all until they finally found a tunnel leading deeper.
They all made a beeline, progressing VERY fast…. Or so they should have?! The more they walked, the more they couldn’t help but feel that this tunnel was endless.
Were they heading for the very core of this world?! Judging by the heat… maybe?! But after what felt like an eternity the scenery finally changed, revealing… a jaw-dropping world!
A world underneath the rock, one that seemed especially alive?!
— Torrents of lava
— Red glowing vegetation
— Creatures of fire peacefully grazing
— Then there were snake statues all over the damn place
….
“What’s this?! An ancient world?!” Even Jack exclaimed, baffled. He had the feeling of having stumbled upon a secret fiery oasis, one that no human had ever seen!
His brethren too had almost forgotten their fear of him as they gawked in surprise. Their gazes especially couldn’t leave the snake statues that looked so damn inviting.
They HAD to reach those for sure to evolve, they could feel it!
But then they suddenly started shivering, even though they instinctively realized the issue. The snake statues? There were only a few that seemed to be available.
All the others were guarded by the powerful-looking creatures, ones that could easily have been misunderstood as dragons for sure.
Tyrannical maws
Sturdy-looking exoskeletons
VERY territorial as they glared at the newcomers.
Oh, and a bunch of them were also straight-up giant fireworms.
The only thing they all shared was that they were all scary-looking and that no one sane would have voluntarily fought them! Seeing them all, Jack couldn’t help but sigh.
“Survival of the fittest again, is it?” Wasn’t this theme a little too recurrent in lizardman society?! Good thing he was already at the top of the Newborn food chain!
He’d just grab the nearest Statue and would let them deal with the rest! With no remorse whatsoever, he quickly reached it and raised his hand ready to activate it, only to freeze.
“Hmmm… let me check this real quick.”
He hopped from Statue A to Statue B which was slightly closer to the enemies. Normally this should have been a worse spot than the previous one, right? OR NOT!
As Jack stepped closer, he suddenly realized it. Struggle of the fittest to grab the Statues? Yes, but not amidst themselves! The latter statue had WAY more energy!
That’s when he turned toward the Newborns.
“You all, great news! We’re all gonna go hunting! Are you excited?” Jack enthusiastically uttered, their legs growing weak. Hunt was it? Would he actually hunt them?!
Many considered their options in a flash.
1. Run? Useless!
2. Fight back? Useless!
3. Beg for mercy? Equally Useless!
What had they done to deserve such a madman in their batch?! Had they known the meaning of karma they would have seriously berated their previous selves!
But a second later, Jack actually made it clearer.
“Hey, don’t give me that look. Why would I hunt you? Do I look like a bad guy? Naw, the prey will be THOSE guys right there. See them?” As Jack pointed they lost their shit.
He wanted to fight those behemoths?! Just the aura they emitted was enough to make them cower in submission! But then they compared the two groups.
Jack VS Nightmarish Creatures
A Single Newborn VS Horrible Fiery Creatures
One Eager Lizard VS PTSD Inducing Terrifying Creatures
Seeing this, the poor lizards did the only thing they could. They gave their brightest smiles and hurriedly answered his call.
“F-Follow, we follow for sure!”
“Hunt, it’s time to hunt!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
As their tiny voices called out for blood, Jack couldn’t help but nod approvingly. This ancient realm that seemed to have existed since times immemorial? It was time to ransack it!
Good thing he had an army…