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    With my mouth open, I stare at the bright red pillar a few steps away from me.


    The thing is even twice taller than me, and since we all at least partially know how things work here, I know that whatever the monster is there, it is tilted ninety degrees—lying on its side, possibly underground.


    I tilt my head to the side to read the letters.


    The health bar is shining bright red with the word “level 83” on top.


    My god! That''s above myself yet even slightly above the statue that killed me. A confusing mixed thought flashes. If I manage to do this, then I can finally try to bonk the Old Traveler.


    “What the heck?!”


    I look at Harald and then look at Mike. The old man is shaking his head in disbelief, with his mouth open, Mike seems sharp and ready despite the overwhelming size and level.


    I take a glimpse at Astrid, our eyes meet, and my sight goes back at the old man.


    He peeks at Astrid and checks whether it is safe to pick her up and relocate.


    With my level, I’m not confident enough for whatever the thing we accidentally awaken. Well, I.


    I imagine what kind of underground slug this could be, if this is simply the overgrown variant of the snail we fought or something entirely different.


    “Eighty-three?” Mike spits angrily.


    He gets more anxious while pulling out the sabre from the mucus that spurts out of the mini volcano.


    “Come on!”


    He moves it around chaotically, panting, trying to pull it out of the gluey substance.


    A quick thought out of curiosity flashes through my mind. What would happen if I poured the acid into it? I wonder, but then think of how dependent we are on it and Harald is the only one with a jug left.


    Better to save it up for ourselves than use it on foes.


    The health bar is standing there still, not moving at all.


    Harald walks in circles, stays close to Astrid, and examines the area. I decide to help Mike with his sword, despite the fact that he would rather make it on his own. He is still wobbling and struggling to pull it out.


    It’s time to use my Focus again, of course on automatic.


    I look him in the eye and touch the handle of his sabre.


    Kinda feel bad for him. My shiny hammer with a bio handle fused together and enchanted, yet his sabre is almost completely broken, chipped, and weathered, one even in a bit worse condition than the other.


    As exponentially my strength grows, I see how my fingers and forearm expand.


    *Flick*


    I pull the sabre out with ease, and a wave of mucus starts to flow out of the tiny volcano, producing a squelching sound.


    “Boys!” We both immediately turn to Astrid.


    She is glaring at the health bar, so I quickly take a look.


    A really tiny bit of it got drained. We both look at each other and frown while thinking.


    “Seek the lumps, break the hardshells open, and you do the stab?” I propose my idea.


    This could be an easy task and a great XP grab, well at least for one of us.


    From the expression, I can tell he is more than in. Maybe that he stumbled upon it will indeed be his reward after all.


    “Harald, help us search for a possible opening like this one.” I ask the old man for help while he carries the girl away.


    *Ominous hissing sound*


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    Looking right back at the tiny volcano of mucus and blood, a lot of steam is coming out of it.


    Strange.


    *Thud-Thud*


    Followed by another hard stream of steam, forming a cloud above it.


    *Thud-Thud Thud-Thud-Thud Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud*


    The heartbeats could be heard from all the directions around us.


    We all stop right away and group, confused, with our backs facing together. Harald holds Astrid in his arms, his sharp eyes scanning the area, and so do Astrid’s.


    Mike, on the other hand, seems to be exhausted.


    He barely stands, holding his rusty weapon covered in gluey mucus, which took out what is left of its sharpness.


    It can be clearly told who are the acid users among us—humans at their peak performance, focused and relieved of any possible pain. I''m on the other hand rejuvenated and possibly at peak health after being reborn.


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    Turning around, locating the sources of heartbeats we look for any lumps.


    “What could it be after all?” The old man proposes loudly.


    “A lot of small buried snails? Or a large one?” He continues to scream out.


    “Collective health indicator?” I hint, but probably nobody hears me due to the annoying beating.


    The forest is dense and damp, and a lot of trees are close to each other. This must be definitely a group of underground snails somehow connected. There is no way one could be this large, as the beating resonates in a radius too big.


    I confidently guess what is awaiting.


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    We start to spread our positions, moving outwards from the snail Mike stumbled upon and then stabbed. Mike is at the end where the health bar is poking out of the ground.


    I’m confused where the other snails might be and I''m starting to rage, my body reacts to this automatically by enlarging my fists.


    That thudding is so fucking annoying! I clench my teeth.


    Since all the hearts of multiple snails start to beat completely unrelated to each other, it makes a messy loud sound, like a terrible drummer using a triple kick drum.


    I grasp onto my hammer handle and decide to join the beating with one even louder.


    *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*


    Raising my hammer above my head, I start to scream and smash the ground under my feet with all the power that is automatically transitioned from my core.


    Now I finally know how my grandpa felt when that bunch of teenagers started a house party above his apartment.


    This uncontrollable noise makes me burst!


    My hammer head smashes the ground with a huge chunk of power that buries it a few inches into the hard surface under the soil and grass.


    The heartbeats didn’t stop for a second, but there is an answer to my call!


    The whole area starts to shake and rumble.


    Yes! While grinning, I grasp onto my hammer tightly even more.


    Pumping from the reservoir, I prepare for another hard smash.


    But this one is unfortunate.


    I feel like I’m losing my balance. Harald starts to run first, opposite the location of the health bar, struggling hard not to drop the girl and harm her.


    Mike grabs onto one of the trees, and I decide to stay where I am and load up my jump, preparing to spring out if needed.


    The ground starts to shatter on the opposite side of where the pillar-like health bar is poking out.


    Trenches start to appear on the possible fringe of a creature. As the soil and dirt are blown off, the true nature of our enemy appears.


    It is indeed a single being with multiple hearts. Ginormous snail shell with multiple apexes, probably each containing a beating heart.


    A muscular leg starts to crawl out from the trench, grasping tightly and starting to lift the behemoth.


    The whole area we are standing on starts to tilt.


    The size of a parking lot starts to rise by the muscular leg that is tightly sucked onto the ground.


    Lucky Harald took the right path, and he jumped over the forming trench while holding the girl. They are backing up into the woods for safety.


    Mike has his arm around the twigs, holding tightly.


    It’s too late to run now for both of us.


    I don’t even hold and decide to jump when I can’t stand still anymore so I grab the tuft of grass and look around for where to land.


    Unfortunately, I’m at the upper part of the creature with Mike.


    Now, slowly rising up, we are at the height almost close to the tree canopies. Falling from this height will be fatal.


    The hearts of the beast are beating fast, producing so much noise it is impossible to communicate.


    Focusing on the distance, while being pumped with adrenaline, I decide to jump into the treetops.


    As much as I want to look around at what the hell the creature we are grabbing onto is, I don’t dare.


    The tuft is starting to loosen, and it is already late. I will be lucky to repel myself away from this tilted surface. A little bit of muscle mass to pump charge and...


    *Jump*


    I’m looking for possible grab-on points while mid-air, flying toward the canopy of the nearby beech tree.


    “Fuck! Aargh!”


    I groan and struggle to grab onto anything as I hit the branches. They are slapping and scratching my face. I’m genuinely afraid of losing my eye in the process.


    My head is spinning while I find myself hanging by my left arm a few meters lower than my expected landing point.


    Finally, I settle and look at the surroundings. My arm is pumped, holding all my not-so-slim figure. I grasp confidently and strong, trying to pull myself up.


    Turning my face toward the enemy, I see the remaining letters:


    Nautilus, Level 83


    “So it is the boss.” I’m not sure if I’m more excited or afraid, but the noise is making me so angry I want it to die as fast as possible.


    Looking down at Mike, I see him holding confidently and trying to climb up from the side of the shell to the top. His skinny body is easy to maneuver around, grabbing only tufts.


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    Sudden movement catches my sight.


    A snake-like neck extends from underneath the massive shell, the size of a three-story building.


    Mike’s mouth is wide open, screaming from the top of his lungs as it slurps him whole.