Raising up my hammer quickly, while at least some light is visible, it disappears right into my inventory at my will.


    Don''t worry, fucker, since I know Mike is dead, I don''t need to play it carefully anymore.


    After the slurp I''ve entered the mouth of the hybrid beast as easily as I expected to, sliding in with the mucus.


    Darkness and claustrophobia are all I can experience inside and of course horrendous smell.


    Obviously, I did not think this through enough. How can I operate my delicate inventory when I can’t see? I shake my head as the crazy plan that sparked while I was hanging on the branch, crumbles because of visibility conditions.


    My eyes must be closed because of possible acid or mucus damage and I''ve seen enough damage and what it did to Mike—secretly hoping I won''t encounter Mike''s melting corpse somewhere there.


    <hr>


    My position feels still, but I can tell I’m slipping in as the creature starts to gulp again or it is simply moving around its whole head.


    Quickly switching to a T-pose here, I bury my fingers into the flesh of the creature, believing this could save me from sliding through the neck into its shell.


    It could be a fun ride, though, but I don’t want to see what else it has in its belly, besides a lot of aggressive saliva or whatever it that makes Mike vomit blood and flesh.


    With my mouth tightly shut, barely breathing in, I feel like I’m inside a moving train as I think that the neck retracts back into the shell.


    Through my closed eyes, I catch a glimpse of light.


    A quick peek reveals to me that the hole Mike made is letting out enough light to illuminate the chamber I am in.


    “Motherfucker!”


    Now I know why Mike was pulled in two times with a single gulp.


    Massive teeth, layered all around, line the inside of the neck a few inches from my feet.


    What a tough fucker he was...


    Well, is.


    Now probably even sprinting back here.


    Gazing at the abomination, I bet his legs must''ve been heavily damaged if not completely chewed off, and he still managed to rip it open and climb out.


    At least I can finally inhale as the hole he cut flaps around, letting in some light and air.


    But now I need to focus on my situation, and I need to use my hand in a delicate way, to avoid losing some items in this thing.


    To free my hand up, I react quickly.


    While my head spins from the chaotic movement, I activate my Focus.


    *Whoosh*


    I grunt as my fingers bury inside the fleshy walls and I whip myself up with a kick. Maneuver to lock my right foot into the hole from which the light shines in.


    It flickers as the creature moves around and I feel a bit more safer, at least away from the munching teeth spiral.


    <hr>


    Hanging by the leg, I open my inventory.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The bronze plate stays still and follows me rather steadily as I wobble there hanging, my leg folded tight.


    Creature tries to gulp and shake me off, springing its head up and down, and that opportunity to time it correctly.


    Squinting, my eyes barely opened, I look at the plate, barely able to distinguish which items are which.


    Pinching my fingers together, I hover over the items and chuckle a bit as I hang there,


    “If this works, I can indeed say I did the job using the hammer—well, Hummer.”


    I awkwardly chuckle at my own edgy pun while precisely planning my pull.


    “Ah, fuck!”


    A semi transparent plastic jug materializes in my palm, falls instantly, and bumps against the inside walls of the mucus-covered neck.


    It clinks a few times over the teeth and continues being swallowed into the depths of the monster.


    Did I just lose my water! Aargh!


    I steady myself again and pull out Harald’s car.


    <hr>


    From the size of a toy car, it materializes in front of me, pushing me away from it, toward the mouth opening.


    All I can see is the shiny yellow metal plate pressing against my face, it seems that I unintentionally clean the dusty, muddy car door with my clothes, face, and hair.


    But this is the last thing that should concern me.


    A lot of stuff flashes lightning-fast through my mind now. What if I get pierced or mauled by it afterwards? Or simply fall from the height.


    But it’s too late to even consider.


    Luckily for me, the car is positioned upright by its length in the width of the monster''s neck. If there is a perfect spot for it to tear the creature''s head open, this is it.


    I comfort myself. I did the best I could.


    <hr>


    *Blast*


    A lot of chaos surrounds me, and I find myself spinning and falling down.


    Another quick thought of breaking my neck if I land unluckily flashes through my mind, so I try to position myself properly and protect my head with my arms.


    With a loud thud, I smash into the ground, landing right in the trenches from which the beast originally emerged.


    After my fat body thuds into the mud, I hear another strong bang that''s louder than the creature’s heartbeats all combined together.


    *Bang*


    *Glass shattering*


    The car falls down and rolls on its side, and I clearly hear the glass breaking.


    Okay.


    Calm down.


    Harald won’t kill you. You did what you had to do.


    Adrenaline numbing all the pain from the fall, I quickly roll around and away from the boss, deciding to assess the damage.


    Not surprisingly, I am interrupted by the massive snake suddenly twitching, I see it in my peripheral vision.


    *Loud rumbling* follows a massive shell falling on its side, almost back into OG position.


    Quickly launching myself back on my feet, I assign a random amount of power to my calves and jump away just before the impact.


    *Fwoosh*


    Flying a few meters away, I don’t plan any elegant landing at all.


    *Thud*


    Smashing into the mud and bushes again, I notice a wild berry bush with a lot of thorns around me, many of them are buried in my skin.


    The pain has no time to take over as the adrenaline muffles it all.


    A lot of bad stuff could’ve happened trying this maneuver with the Hummer, but it seems to have worked out after all.


    My body is almost undamaged, aside from the wild berry vines attached to me with thorns.


    The Lady luck was again standing by my side, and I made it without any serious fractures or injuries, at least I think.


    This is definitely the dumbest and cleverest idea I’ve ever come up with.


    <hr>


    The thrashing blown up head and neck smacks the ground in front of me, but luckily I was yanked too far away from its reach.


    My sight quickly focuses on the shell to check the HP.


    "The hell?"


    The Nautilus with half of its name and health bar underground again, depleted about a half.


    Nothing better comes to mind than smashing the shell’s apexes and destroying the remaining hearts.


    Looking around, I am worried about the party.


    Nobody is in sight. Mike is probably running back there, but did Harald and Astrid make it? I can’t hear them due to the noisy heartbeats.


    Maybe it’s time to finally quiet this place down.


    <hr>


    With zero hesitation, I open my inventory.


    My hammer sitting comfortably in my bloody arms, and I run for the small peaks, starting with the one closest to me.


    With a quick count, I see an extra five of them clearly, as they were uncovered when the Nautilus stood up.


    My most important goal is to finish off the boss itself, then look for the group.


    *Bang*


    My hammer bounces back up from the first peak, cracking it like an egg afterward.


    I use a lot of power for the first hit, as it should be the hardest part. Gripping the flexible sledgehammer with both hands, I smash the rest of the cracked shell to pieces.


    A small mucus avalanche starts to flow out, collecting forest debris with it.


    Remembering Mike’s mistake while wielding his sabre, I decide to pre-crack all the shells before striking.


    *Bang* *Crack* *Smash* *Bang* *Crack*


    My hammer bounces as I dance in between the peaks, cracking them.


    The snail lives, but without its head, the neck simply twitches occasionally, raising up, retracting in, and slightly out.


    The dying beast has not much health left and I believe I can finish it off by emptying my magazine into its hearts.


    Before opening my inventory to reach for the glock, I''m interrupted.


    <hr>


    “Oh, fuck off!”


    I yell at the massive blown up head of a snake, while its neck raises up again.


    With an irritated face, I notice how different this is now.


    “Wait, what the...”