The Smiling Death-Chapter 330: What Was That Just Now?
Amon stepped inside. He felt like the temperature dropped immediately.
The sound of rain faded behind him, replaced by the slow, hollow echo of dripping water.
He descended.
The slope was steady, not too steep. The cave was large enough for him to stand straight without bending. The walls were rough stone, dark and damp. Water traced thin lines down the surface like veins.
Stomp
Stomp
Stomp
His steps made a wet stomping sound.
The light made by lightning from outside gradually disappeared.
Darkness swallowed everything. But for Amon, darkness was not an obstacle.
He could clearly see in darkness without any problem. He could see since awakening inside the bottom of that tree. Shapes formed easily in his vision—stone, cracks, loose gravel. The cave felt almost... comfortable.
"Good," he murmured under his breath.
He continued walking deeper. The tunnel stretched longer than he expected. The air grew colder, thicker.
After several minutes, the narrow descent ended.
’It’s cold here...’ he thought while walking deeper.
Amon stepped out of the tunnel and into a wide, open underground chamber. He stopped after a while.
Inside, there was a huge space.
The ceiling rose high above him. The chamber was wide enough to fit dozens of houses. The air was still. There was no sound of rain. Not any wind. Everything was still with a cold temperature.
He looked around. First to his left. Then to his right. Even after looking at all sides, he found nothing.
It was an empty place.
’Did I come here for nothing? My intuition never lies to me. Every time I feel curiosity, there’s always something.’ Amon thought something stupid again. It’s not that his intuition was amazing. Just his luck was too bad.
Here deep inside was just stone. Not any markings or ancient scriptures.
Treasure? Nah, that was the last thing he would find. He was not that lucky.
He narrowed his eyes.
"This... can’t be it."
He took a cautious step forward. Still nothing.
He scanned the walls carefully. The floor. The corners. He focused his senses, trying to detect mana fluctuations.
Then he felt something odd. A faint current of air brushed against his face.
’Wind? Air?’ He frowned. The place was deep underground. No way there would be wind here.
But he felt it coming from above.
Amon froze.
’What might be that?’ he thought with a nervous face.
He gulped down his saliva.
Very slowly, he tilted his head upward and his breath stopped. His heart nearly did the same.
The ceiling it wasn’t empty. There was something attached to it.
There were dozens in number. No, they must be in hundreds. Humanoid figures hung upside down from the ceiling. They were pitch black. Larger than normal humans.
Their clawed feet were dug deep into the stone above, anchoring them like monstrous bats. Massive black wings wrapped around the front of their bodies, covering half their torsos. Their skin looked charred. Burned. Cracked.
They had no hair on their bodies or heads. They possessed long limbs. Claws on both hands and feet.
Their faces were twisted and monstrous. Calling them ugly wouldn’t be wrong. Sharp teeth slightly exposed even in sleep.
And they were all hanging there. Motionless, sleeping. The entire ceiling was covered in them.
’What the fuck!’ he cursed inside.
Amon’s blood turned cold. A wave of absolute, primal fear surged through his body.
One of them would be dangerous. Two would be deadly. But this was a massacre waiting to happen.
His breathing instinctively grew heavier. He immediately covered his mouth with his hand so he wouldn’t make any unnecessary sound and wake them up.
His heartbeat pounded violently in his ears. It felt loud enough to wake them.
They were not small creatures. Each one was easily twice his size.
If they woke, there would be no escape. He slowly lowered his gaze from the ceiling, forcing himself not to stare too long.
’Calm– Calm down Amon.’
His fingers trembled slightly, but he forced them still.
’They’re sleeping. That’s good. They’re sleeping.’
Suddenly, his talk with Roland resurfaced in his mind. He remembered Roland telling him all monsters here were asleep, not waking up.
’Right... but this many... what if there are more caves like this? What if they wake up someday?’
He began to step backward while thinking about those dangerous outcomes.
One careful step at a time. His boots barely touched the ground.
The chamber felt suffocating now. He kept his eyes lowered but aware.
The tunnel entrance was just behind him. One of the creatures shifted slightly. Amon froze instantly.
His heart stopped. The massive winged body adjusted faintly, claws scraping softly against stone.
Sweat formed along his temple despite the cold air.
’Move.’ Very slowly, he continued retreating.
He reached the mouth of the tunnel. He did not turn around immediately. Turning too fast could cause noise.
Another slow step backward into the descending passage. Only when the ceiling was no longer visible did he finally allow himself to exhale silently.
His hand remained over his mouth. He began walking back up the tunnel, still slow and careful.
Every small sound felt amplified. His mind was racing.
’What are those things...?’
They were not normal forest monsters. This was a nest. A colony.
And he had just walked into the center of it. The faint sound of thunder from above reached him again as he climbed. It felt distant compared to what he had just seen.
Amon did not relax. Not even slightly.
Because one terrifying thought lingered in his mind. Once outside, he breathed heavily. Rainwater hit him again.
Amon felt relieved after getting outside. He started to walk away and turned into the same direction he was going.
’I will bring Vetaal next time. He might guess what might be the true reason behind those monsters being in deep slumber.’
Amon thought, then he looked forward.
Just when he blinked his eyes and opened them.
A huge lightning bolt flashed from the sky. In distance place in same direction he was walking. For a second, he saw a huge black-colored spiral tower, which disappeared in an instant.
Amon was baffled by this sight. ’What was that just now?’
