School Transmigration: I, Chosen as the Saint by Dragons at the Start-Chapter 134 --Escape from the Belly

The situation was growing increasingly dire, with everyone’s souls inexplicably sucked into a phantasmal realm.

If one were to die within this illusion, it would spell death for all.

The calm previously maintained by the team members, under the belief that this was merely a trial, had now dissipated into panic.

Voices overlapped in anxious inquiry, "What should we do?"

Faces turned towards one another, the oppressive sensation of Damocles’ sword hanging overhead making the atmosphere unbearably tense.

Brawny stepped forward towards the creature, asking, "Do you reckon this thing understands human speech?"

Willow responded, "According to historical records, some do."

Jonathan, with a twisted smile and a hint of irritation, retorted, "What do you mean ’some’? Shouldn’t we have clarified this before conducting our investigation?"

Willow’s expression darkened, clearly in a foul mood.

Jonathan was known for his congeniality during peaceful times, but his demeanor could quickly turn explosive in the face of adversity, often resorting to blame-shifting.

Ignoring him, Willow believed that now was not the time to exacerbate team conflicts.

Brawny, standing in front of a River Crossing Demon spawn, snapped his fingers twice, "Hey, if you can lead us out, you’ll live. Otherwise..."

He cracked his knuckles, the sound crisp in the silence, his threat unmistakably clear.

The River Crossing Demon spawn quieted down.

Could this be a breakthrough?

The team watched intently, not daring to blink.

But in the next moment, the demon spawn spat out saliva directly at Brawny with a disdainful "Ptooey."

Brawny, prepared, dodged slightly, allowing the spit to hit the rock wall instead.

Furious, he slapped the face of the River Crossing Demon spawn with a hand covered in arcanergy, "You little brat, who do you think you’re disgusting?"

The River Crossing Demon spawn screamed and thrashed, but Brawny was in no mood for leniency.

Already harboring a simmering anger, he now unleashed his fury upon the creature.

Before long, the demon spawn was left battered and bruised.

Owen, observing from the side, remarked, "I had severed one of its legs just a short while ago, and now it’s completely healed."

Not even a scar remained.

Brawny grunted, shaking his hand off, "This dungeon benefits it somehow. Better to kill it off; keeping it around is asking for trouble."

"Hmm?" Owen perked up, "Didn’t you notice the stomach’s movements have quickened? The louder this thing cries, the more agitated the cave... no, the ’mother’ becomes."

"You’re suggesting this dungeon has emotions?" Brawny widened his eyes in disbelief.

Willow pondered aloud, "We don’t fully understand the operational logic of the flesh fortress, but according to historical records, it seems to be alive."

Licking his lips, Owen stated gravely, "There are two ways out of this. First, kill the Devourer. With the originator dead, the dungeon should naturally dissipate. Or second, have this stomach ’vomit’ us out."

Neither option was simple.

Pointing at Bryce, Willow added, "Vomited out? Then we’re likely to end up like him."

If the flesh fortress mimicked a human body, then consider human vomiting, which involves stomach acid and bile; the fortress would likely do the same.

Owen spread his hands, "These appear to be the only two paths available."

The group fell silent, both options seeming less appealing than simply waiting in this recess.

Sensing the atmosphere growing tense, Brawny coughed and said, "I wonder how the other three teams are faring."

"At least they haven’t killed the Devourer yet," Owen analyzed seriously.

"If the Devourer were dead, this dungeon should have vanished by now."

With that, Owen swung his blade, slicing the monster into three large pieces from head to tail.

The creature was severed before the chill of the blade even arrived, startling the trainee in charge of the little demons.

He hadn’t expected Owen, a magus, to wield such fierce swordsmanship.

Aware of the unpredictable nature of these monsters, Owen wasted no time in delivering several more strikes, turning even a single head into five or six pieces, utterly extinguishing any spark of life.

Now that they were facing the final boss, there was no use keeping these cumbersome creatures around.

Before the green blood could even spill from its wounds, Owen kicked it over.

The others hastily stepped back, only to see the fallen flesh wither rapidly, turning into bones as if they were flowers in autumn, and soon, even the bones vanished without leaving a trace.

The group began to doubt if all that had happened was but a dream.

Monkey grimaced, his features contorted in discomfort, "It got absorbed."

Willow nodded, "The flesh fortress’s biggest trait is its recycling ability. The Devourer won’t let a single nutrient escape from the fortress."

"How strong will the final boss be?" a team member asked, his eyelids twitching with foreboding.

"Sitting ducks we are not," Owen stepped forward, his eyes shimmering with determination.

"Time is of the essence; our success or failure hinges on this very moment."

At this point, hoping for intervention from the teachers outside seemed less reliable than carving out a sliver of hope from this dire situation themselves.

Owen lifted his long sword, took a deep breath, and commanded, "Begin."

Upon his word, the group, clutching their arcanergy, launched an assault on the cave walls.

Owen, however, refrained from using arcanergy, choosing instead to hack at the walls with his sword—once, twice, thrice...

The entire cave began to tremble violently, in both agony and rage, as if a parasitic worm had invaded its stomach, wreaking havoc and leaving it no recourse but to furiously pound its own belly in an attempt to quell the turmoil.

Unfortunately for the flesh fortress, no physician was on hand to prescribe it antiparasitic medication.

Vines and stone walls were smashed to pieces, blood spurted out like fountains from all directions, cascading towards the underground pools with a thunderous roar.

The two fluids mixed, hissing continuously, as plumes of white vapor arose, carrying with them a pungent, acrid smell.

Undeterred, Owen persisted in his efforts to carve a gastric perforation into the cave’s walls.

The bloodline connection between the flesh fortress and the River Crossing Demon spawn significantly weakened the latter, causing its strength to drain away ceaselessly.

If these creatures were to be relentless in their ferocity, their unruly behavior within the stomach could not be tolerated.

As the acid fog thickened, everyone had their noses shielded with arcanergy, yet the vapor seemed to penetrate these defenses, allowing the irritating smell to assault their senses still.

Some of the trainees, having neglected to protect their eyes, felt them sting from the acidic miasma.

After numerous assaults on the cave walls, Owen’s sword was coated with debris.

The dungeon bled profusely, writhing in excruciating pain, its stomach walls violently contracting.

Observing such decay, Owen was reminded of mouth ulcers, albeit without the profusion of blood.

Brawny suddenly announced, "I think I’ve broken through the stomach wall."

The group perked up immediately, "Can we get through?"

They had no desire to linger in this place.

"There’s light coming through," Brawny said with a lift of his lips, "I’ll try again."

Owen pondered, "Light? How could there be light?"

Willow seemed unconcerned, speaking out loud, "Could it be another team?"

Brawny’s axe fell once more upon the cave wall, "I’m widening the opening."

With that, he exerted more force, chopping and slicing until he indeed enlarged the hole, creating a sizable passage.

Once the blood inside had drained away, they could pass through.

Beyond the opening was another corridor.

This time, Willow didn’t take the lead but asked in a low voice, "Who’ll go first?"

"I will," declared Monkey loudly.

Approaching the hole, he didn’t foolishly pass through directly.

Instead, he pulled a hazelnut from his patrol pack.

The nut rolled on the ground and suddenly transformed into his likeness.

Owen’s eyelids twitched, "Doppelganger Technique?"

Willow couldn’t help but laugh, "Hardly the Doppelganger Technique, just a simple illusion. Monkey’s always been good at this."

Indeed, the decoy had no offensive capabilities, only serving to deceive the eye, as passive as a robot.

But it was enough.

If enemies were lying in ambush at the hole, they would be fooled by the sudden appearance of prey.

Seeing Monkey’s illusion move away, Brawny squeezed through the hole and then called out, "All clear, come on over."

Monkey immediately leaped through, followed by Willow, Jonathan, Bryce, and the other members, with Owen intentionally bringing up the rear.

The last few hastened their pace.

When Brawny passed through the hole, the cave wall began to heal rapidly, nearly trapping Owen’s foot as he crossed, a testament to the flesh fortress’s ability to self-repair—a truly bizarre aspect of the Devourer’s stronghold.

They found a glow worm on the ground.

The light Brawny had seen came from it.

It was evident that the other three teams had been here before and, encountering some mishap, had left the glow worm behind.

At this point, Owen and his group had no concern for the other teams; they had just escaped from a perilous situation themselves.

Just as Willow picked up the glow worm, several figures rushed towards them.

The entire cave suddenly lit up with the colorful arcanergy, turning the eerie cave into a dazzling array of colors.

Brawny breathed a sigh of relief, "So it’s you guys."

The newcomers were another academy team, led by Feldin.

Owen scanned Feldin’s team, noting the sadness and pain etched on every face, some still smeared with blood.

They had entered with ten members, but now only four remained.