WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 61: Posession

Ben’s gaze sharpened, scanning the area. Just as he expected, the slimes started emerging one by one. This wasn’t some plant that produced water—if anything, it was a slime nest. Now it all made sense. The eerie silence, the strange atmosphere… it wasn’t normal.

"Retreat!" Ben ordered without hesitation. There was no point in fighting here. There were too many of them. Sure, he had enough resources to spawn a hundred Krell soldiers, but against this swarm of slimes, how many would survive? It wasn’t worth it.

After putting some distance between them and the nest, Ben finally stopped and turned back, making sure nothing was following. Thankfully, only mushrooms were in sight. The other Krell were safe—except the one being consumed. "What the hell are these slimes? It’s like some kind of nest… but why are they all clustered together?" Ben muttered. ’Was this some kind of breeding period? Or something else?’

Then he realized—his Krell scout, the one swallowed by the slime, wasn’t dead. There was no notification. He immediately reached out through the hive mind, trying to communicate. But all that came back was piercing pain, no useful information. That annoyed him—not just because he got nothing, but because he didn’t like seeing his creation being tortured.

Ben clenched his jaw and tried again, pushing through the pain, forcing himself to focus on what the scout was sensing. ’The slimes… they’ve all returned to their spots. Based on their movement, I should be safe as long as I keep my distance.’

Ben’s eyes narrowed. "Tch… fine then." Without hesitation, he turned back toward the slime-infested area, bringing the Krells with him. "Shoot it," he ordered.

Swosh!!!

The Krell loosed their arrows. But these weren’t normal arrows. The heads had been replaced with explosive talismans.

And their target?

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The plant holding the Krell scout inside.

Ben’s goal was simple—destroy the plant. If the Krell Scout survived, it would regenerate. If not, then at least he’d be putting it out of its misery.

But this time, things didn’t go as planned. The moment the arrows neared the bulbous sac BAM!!!

The entire sac erupted, not from the explosion—but on its own. Like a cannon firing a payload, it shot its contents straight toward the incoming arrows.

BOOOOM!!!

The talismans detonated mid-air. Fire and smoke consumed the battlefield as the remains of the sac splattered across the ground, chunks of it burning away in the aftermath.

When the dust settled—

[Your Krell Scout has perished!]

The notification flashed across his vision.

Ben exhaled. "At least it was quick." But then—his eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. The Krell’s body was still there. That shouldn’t be possible. When a Krell died, its body was supposed to disintegrate—reabsorbed by the system.

Then, the ’corpse’ twitched. It stood up. The Krell Scout slowly lifted its head, its carapace still scarred and damaged, but now partially covered in thick, oozing slime. And then—it moved.

Its movements were unnatural, fluid but erratic. Its body dashed forward with startling speed, claws twitching, eyes devoid of recognition. Ben blinked. "…Did that thing just get buffed?!"

The possessed Krell leap forward pointing it’s sharp claw toward Ben. Before it could reach Ben, a Krell Soldier intercepted.

CLANG!!!

The impact sent out a shockwave as the Krell Soldier blocked with its shield, skidding back from the sheer force.

Ben’s eyes widened. ’It actually pushed back a Krell Soldier?!’

The possessed Krell didn’t hesitate. The slime coating its limbs flexed, twisting unnaturally, before it swung its claws in a frenzied barrage. The Krell Soldier reacted instantly, blocking, countering—each movement calculated, precise.

One claw strike—deflected.

A sudden feint—parried.

Then—a deadly counter.

The Krell Soldier slammed its shield forward, sending the possessed Krell stumbling back. Before it could recover—Swoosh! The soldier twisted, bringing its halberd down in a sweeping arc, aiming to sever the corrupted limb.

SPLAT!

Instead of cutting through cleanly, the slime stretched, absorbing the impact. The moment the blade pulled back, the severed part simply reformed. Ben’s expression darkened. ’Just how did it do this? Is it b ecome parasite posseiing the krell body?’

This wasn’t a Krell anymore. "Alright," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "New rule—stay the hell away from the slime."

The possessed Krell didn’t stop. If anything, the failed attack only seemed to fuel it. It The slime pulsed, its surface rippling like a living thing. The possessed Krell tilted its head unnaturally, then charged again—this time with twice the speed.

The soldier braced itself. Too late.

WHOOSH!

The slime-empowered creature blurred, sidestepping at the last second before raking its claws across the Krell Soldier’s exposed flank.

SCRACTH!!!

Deep gouges tore through the armor, black liquid spraying from the wound. The soldier staggered but didn’t fall.

Ben cursed under his breath. ’learning mid-fight.’

The possessed Krell moved erratically, twitching in sharp, unpredictable bursts—its body no longer bound by normal movements. Every attack was unpredictable, unnatural. And it was getting stronger.

"Enough." Ben dashed forward. The air cracked as he launched off the ground, body coated in chitin armor. His pickaxe materialized mid-air, already swinging downward as he closed the distance.

The possessed Krell reacted instantly. It twisted its body unnaturally, dodging at the last moment— But Ben had already predicted it. "Gotcha." He let go of his pickaxe mid-swing— And grabbed the thing’s face with his bare hand.

The slime pulsed, twisting to react—

BOOM!

Ben slammed it into the ground with full force, the impact shaking the earth. The ground cratered beneath them, cracks spiderwebbing outward. The possessed Krell twitched violently, the slime writhing as if trying to reassemble— Ben didn’t give it the chance. A talisman appeared on his hand. "Burn."

WHOOSH!!!

Fire erupted from his palm, engulfing the slime-infested creature in an instant. The slime screeched. The possessed Krell convulsed, clawing at itself, but the flames consumed everything.

The last remnants of slime crumbled into ash. Ben exhaled, stepping back as the air finally settled. Ben just rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… it’s the right decision to stay away from this place."