Arthur hadn't been expecting that to happen. He was caught completely off guard—and unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to defend himself.
He was dragged downward through the creature's stomach. The only thought echoing in his mind was death.
There was no way out of that situation, and if he truly ended up in the creature's belly… well, he would be digested by its stomach acids.
Yet, surprisingly, that wasn't what happened.
The inside of the serpent's body was nothing like he had imagined.
After falling nonstop for about five minutes, he finally came to a stop. As he neared the ground, his body suddenly felt light—almost weightless—like a feather drifting through the air. Because of that, he landed gently, without a single injury.
"Ground…?" Arthur murmured.
As he looked around, realization washed over him.
He was standing in a vast plain, filled with trees and lush green grass.
The scent of wildflowers drifted into his nostrils, bringing him a sense of peace—even if only for a moment.
"Where am I?" he asked, frowning.
How was this possible? One moment, he had been swallowed by a serpent—and the next, he was standing in a place this beautiful. It made no sense.
It was as if an entirely new world existed within the serpent's body.
Arthur had no idea whether such a thing was even possible, or if it was merely some wild theory his mind had come up with.
He looked around, searching for something—anything—to head toward. The serpent had said this was a test, so he needed to figure out what he had to do to pass it.
All he could see was vegetation: flowers, grass, and a few scattered trees in the distance.
Above his head was the sky.
There was a sky inside the serpent.
Arthur could only think that this felt like something straight out of a fairy tale.
He began to walk. There was no clear direction to follow.
Nothing on the horizon stood out. In other words, he had no idea which way to go.
"Any direction will do…" Arthur thought.
He walked for about ten minutes. During that time, he noticed nothing that seemed useful for the test. He didn't even know what the test was, but he assumed it involved escaping this place somehow.
It was only after those ten minutes—when a powerful wind suddenly slammed into his body, sending his clothes and hair whipping wildly—that he realized something unsettling.
There had been no wind before.
The gusts now crashing against him were incredibly strong.
Something told him this wasn't a good sign. Arthur scanned his surroundings, searching for somewhere to take cover.
There was nowhere.
A plain was the worst possible terrain for a situation like this. The scattered trees around him were his only possible form of shelter.
Without thinking twice, Arthur broke into a run toward one of the trees.
His speed was relatively high. Even though his attributes weren't particularly impressive, the wind—under those circumstances—was actually helping him run faster.
"Come on, come on," Arthur thought as he sprinted toward the tree.
He could feel the wind growing stronger and stronger—so strong that it knocked him to the ground mid-run. Arthur quickly got back on his feet and kept going.
A sigh of relief escaped him the moment he reached the tree and took cover behind it, using it as a shield.
"Thank goodness…"
The wind didn't change direction, which meant Arthur was safe as long as he stayed behind the tree. The only thing that could ruin his plan was if the wind became strong enough to knock the tree down.
That didn't happen.
In fact, the opposite did.
The wind weakened, turning into a gentle summer breeze—nothing like the violent gusts from before.
"What…?" Arthur murmured.
He stepped out from behind the tree, letting the breeze brush against his body. Confusion once again filled his mind.
Arthur moved farther away from the tree.
The moment he did, raindrops began to fall. As soon as the first drop touched his skin, a sharp pain shot through him—as if his flesh were burning.
"What the hell is this?" Arthur said, instinctively stepping back, retreating toward the tree once more.
While he stayed close to the tree, he was protected by its canopy. The leaves shielded him from the acidic rain.
However, that protection was only temporary. Just as the rain burned his skin, it also burned through the tree's leaves.
Arthur looked up as another drop struck his cheek, searing it with pain. He quickly stepped aside to avoid it.
"Damn it—I don't have much time!"
At that moment, Arthur knew that if the rain didn't stop, he would be hit no matter what. The tree wouldn't last much longer.
He decided to do something unexpected.
Arthur began digging a hole with his bare hands.
A normal person wouldn't be able to do that quickly. He, however—with his awakened mana and strength beyond that of an ordinary human—could.
Arthur still possessed the goblins' passive ability. In other words, his nails were almost like sharp claws, which helped immensely as he dug into the ground.
As he worked, raindrops began striking his back, burning into his skin. It only lasted a few seconds—he managed to finish digging the hole just in time.
Inside the pit, Arthur sat down, watching the rain fall just outside.
One thing was already clear to him: this environment was not safe.
Unstable winds, acidic rain—and who knew what else. Those were just some of the dangers he would have to face in this place.
"At least I'm safe for now," Arthur said.
Arthur thought he was safe inside the hole.
He wasn't.
The ground around him began to tremble, as if something massive were approaching.
Trapped in a dilemma, Arthur didn't know whether he should stay inside the pit—or climb back out.
The noise and the trembling seemed to draw closer. Arthur looked outside and noticed that the rain had stopped. With that, he decided to climb out, leaving the hole behind.
The moment he did, Arthur glanced back and saw the ground shifting—moving as if some kind of massive worm were crawling beneath the earth.
He stared at the hole where he had been hiding and saw the creature's head emerge.
It was a giant worm—utterly bizarre. Its mouth was lined with enormous teeth, like those of a shark, and its eyes were completely black.
The creature lingered for only a few seconds before disappearing back into the ground.
"If I had stayed in that hole, I would've been eaten… again…" Arthur murmured.