As he charged forward, Colin began to chant a Spell.

A [Flaming Arrow] was the first to strike the opponent’s flank.

His blade followed close behind, using the momentum from his charge to stab straight into the Earthworm’s massive rear.

A few CRUNCHES echoed as fallen leaves were crushed underfoot.

The massive insect head swiveled back into view.

Colin was about to leap back, but he suddenly noticed the Earthworm seemed to want to keep turning, as if something was behind it.

Seeing his chance,

he chanted the Spell without hesitation.

There was no way he could mess up the Spell he had been practicing all this time. [Emerald Flame Sword] erupted in a brilliant blaze on his Orc Short Sword.

The flaming blade plunged straight through.

Shattered mouthparts fell to the ground, the emerald acid consumed by the flames.

Colin watched the acid bubble and hiss around his blade, the weight on the weapon in his hand growing heavier and heavier.

He relaxed his grip, and the behemoth before him crashed to the ground.

’That’s it?’

Staring at the corpse on the ground, Colin couldn’t resist giving it a few kicks.

’Looks like this bug was a lot weaker than the Winter Wolves, even if it looked scarier.’

Besides, compared to the Winter Wolves’ biting, ramming, and pouncing attacks, this Earthworm only knew how to bite with its mandibles or kick with its legs. You didn’t even need to look closely to know how it was going to attack. Once you got used to it, it was hard to get hit.

"All done?" Kase poked his head out from the other side.

Colin walked over to take a look.

The other side of the Earthworm was riddled with holes where the Half-Orc had stabbed it with his Javelin. Strange fluids oozed from several of the wounds. Kase had certainly played a vital role in this battle.

"Speaking of which, why were you over there? I saw this bug kept trying to look behind it, no idea why—"

THUD!

Before Kase could finish, a muffled sound came from behind the Earthworm.

The two exchanged a look and cautiously circled around to the back, weapons in hand.

Kase, reaching the back first, peeked around and muttered, "What the hell is going on...?"

Curious, Colin also looked up.

The source of the noise was none other than that stubborn ram!

The ram was completely unharmed. The pole tied to its back had fallen to the ground, the carrot on it already eaten. Now, the creature was repeatedly headbutting the Earthworm’s rear.

The thought that he had just fought alongside a stubborn goat—and that the opening he’d seized might have been created by this very animal—left Colin feeling a bit conflicted.

"This thing might’ve been blessed by the Deity of Destruction. Let’s stew it. Eating it might make us stronger."

Colin stared. "Are you even human?"

"Huh? Didn’t I tell you from the start that I’m a Half-Orc?" Kase frowned, finding Colin’s question odd.

It was unclear whether it understood their conversation or not,

but the ram that had been relentlessly headbutting the Earthworm’s corpse turned and bolted, disappearing in a flash.

Kase shouted to the approaching Mark, "Should we go after it?"

"Sirs, no need. Just consider him dead," the Shepherd called back from a distance.

Colin took out the booklet Donkexes had given him. "Let’s start harvesting the materials. The Dwarves want the Insect Egg Sac, but the Insect Shells can also be sold for money."

Just then, Mark walked up.

The Shepherd looked excitedly at the Earthworm’s corpse, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Sirs, I’ve skinned sheep before. I can lend a hand."

"Then thank you."

Colin turned back, pulled his weapon from the Earthworm’s mouth, and sheathed it.

The group then began to work together, dismembering the Earthworm’s corpse on the ground.

The creature wasn’t as difficult to process as they’d imagined. They stripped off the hard shell with little effort and then found the Insect Egg Sac the Dwarves wanted in the creature’s rear half.

The Insect Egg Sac looked like the Earthworm’s intestine.

It was filled with slime-soaked dirt and various bits of debris, and it reeked of a nauseating, earthy smell.

Colin wrapped the thing tightly in the two Medicine Collection Bags he’d used before, then reluctantly placed it in his new backpack.

It weighed around ten pounds, which was still bearable.

"I think this could be made into a Shield or something," Kase said, fiddling with the shell from the Earthworm’s back.

"If you think it’ll work, then give it a shot," Colin said.

’That thing is much heavier than it looks. It’s tough, but it’s definitely not a good material... though for a sturdy Half-Orc like him, that might not be a drawback.’

"Also, we might find something in the Earthworm’s nest. Let’s go down and take a look," Colin said to Kase.

"Should I wait up here to assist you, Sirs?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"You can head back first. It’s not exactly safe here, after all."

"Thank you for killing this damn beast! Thank you, Sirs." After repeating his thanks several more times, the Shepherd finally walked away with a smile.

Colin and Kase packed up their things, hoisted them onto their backs, and tentatively felt their way into the tunnel.

The tunnel was about five feet high and wide.

The space was neither too large nor too small; they could just about enter by stooping over.

Earthworms are ferocious creatures, so they didn’t have to worry about being attacked by other animals in its nest. Their only problem was that walking was a bit strenuous.

The two followed the downward-sloping tunnel deeper and deeper.

At first, the tunnel only contained some packed dirt. But the deeper they went, the more strange things they found: shed Insect Shells, undigested deer antlers, clumps of dirt stuck together with slime...

The scene inevitably reminded Colin of those sci-fi movies about bugs. It was disgusting just to look at.

After walking for more than ten meters, the two finally reached the end.

The Earthworm had expanded this area into a small cavern, which was likely where it rested.

This place was filled with the most undigested remains—bone fragments were everywhere, along with a few insect eggs the size of ostrich eggs.

There was no rotting flesh on the ground, yet the air was thick with the stench of decay.

"Out here in the boonies, this bug is even poorer than we are," Kase complained, casually smashing a few of the eggs.

Unwilling to give up, the two began rummaging through the piles of bones.

As he was digging, Colin suddenly found a strange stone.

It was half-buried in the ground and looked no different from the rest of the trash.

But strangely, this thing had a Panel.

[Silent/???]

[???]

Prying the stone out, Colin carefully wiped off the mud clinging to it and discovered it was actually a ring.

The ring looked like it was made of iron. It had no markings and appeared as if two iron wires had been twisted together into a loop, giving it a cheap feel at first glance.

Just as Colin was studying the ring in his hand, Kase’s voice came from beside him.

"What is that thing?"