The centipede continued staring at my shell for a few breaths before a faint smirk appeared across its face.
"Heh... Never thought I'd see a stone that smells like a beast, can send me flying twice, and is this tough."
So it had already figured it out.
Thinking about it, that wasn't surprising. After colliding with my shell twice, it had already realized I wasn't an ordinary stone.
A faint scent of blood drifted into my nose.
So it hadn't escaped unscathed after all.
Even after suffering those injuries, it was still standing as though nothing major had happened. Whatever realm it belonged to, this centipede was far from ordinary.
Fortunately, it didn't attack again. The previous collisions had already shown it how sturdy my shell was, and simply charging again wouldn't accomplish much. As long as I remained inside my shell, I was safe...
At least for the moment.
Another Qi fluctuation suddenly entered my Earth Sense.
...Seriously? My bad luck really has perfect timing.
The Qi fluctuation that had remained still beside the Earth Vein Spring was now moving straight toward us.
"Oh? It finally woke up," the centipede chuckled. "Good. Once it gets here, let's see if you can keep hiding in there."
I quickly thought through every possible option, but none of them could get me out of this situation.
Running was impossible. The moment I left my shell, they would catch me before I got far. Staying here wasn't any better. I still didn't know what realm this centipede belonged to, but after taking two direct rebounds from Black Carapace Guard, it was obvious that it wasn't weaker than me. The one approaching was already an Early Spirit Beast.
If they attacked together, I had no idea whether my shell could withstand both of them.
My gaze slowly swept across the centipede's body. A faint scent of blood still lingered in the tunnel.
Its massive body continued thrashing around my shell. Then, as it twisted once more, the cracked section near the end of its tail swung into my line of sight. Dark blood slowly seeped from the damaged armor.
That was my chance—the only one I was going to get. I didn't have any other choice. If I wanted to survive, I had to fight.
I guided Beast Qi into my jaws and snapped my neck forward with all the strength I could muster.
Crunch!
My fangs clamped onto the cracked section of its tail. Beast Qi surged through my jaws as Mountain Crushing Bite strengthened my bite, driving my fangs through the weakened armor.
Crack!
The damaged armor finally split apart.
"SKREEE!"
The centipede let out a piercing scream. Its massive body thrashed violently through the tunnel, smashing against the rocky walls in an attempt to throw me off.
"So you really are a beast!"
"You little b*stard! Get off me!"
I poured Beast Qi into my claws and dug them deeper into the broken armor, refusing to let go.
Just then, another massive centipede rushed into the tunnel before coming to an abrupt stop.
"What happened?"
"This beast!" the injured centipede roared. "It disguised itself as a stone and attacked me! Kill him!"
Dense Earth Qi immediately began gathering around the newcomer as it prepared to strike.
There wasn't even time to see how much damage I had dealt to the first centipede. Every instinct in my body screamed that danger was coming.
I immediately let go, pulled myself back into my shell, and twisted just enough to face the incoming attack.
Boom!
A tremendous force crashed into my shell.
The impact was followed almost instantly by the rebounding force of Black Carapace Guard. I heard a muffled scream behind me as the centipede was struck by the rebound, while my own body was hurled through the tunnel at an even greater speed.
Everything around me became a blur as my shell spun uncontrollably.
The impact felt as though an entire mountain had slammed into me. A violent shock traveled through my shell, rattling every part of my body. My vision blurred as the tunnel rushed past in a streak.
Thankfully, my shell had taken the attack. Even so, the force alone left my entire body numb. Had that blow landed on my exposed body instead...
I wouldn't have survived.
The tunnel walls became nothing more than blurred streaks as I shot uncontrollably through the passage.
Then—
Crash!
A deafening impact shook my shell. Rock cracked apart around me as the wall gave way beneath the force of the collision.
Stone fragments exploded in every direction as a massive hole burst open through the mountainside.
Before I could even process what had happened, my spinning shell shot straight through the opening and out into the open air.
A violent gust of mountain wind crashed into my shell almost immediately, carrying me farther away from the broken mountainside.
The tremendous force from Black Carapace Guard's rebound hadn't completely faded either, causing my shell to spin even faster as I was swept through the sky. The mountain beneath me quickly shrank into the distance.
Towering cliffs flashed past while the endless sea of green below blurred together beneath my spinning shell.
There was no way to stop or even control my direction. All I could do was remain inside my shell while the mountain winds carried me wherever they pleased.
...Seriously?
I finally got away from those two centipedes, and now this happens?
The roaring wind continued dragging me across the mountains for what felt like forever. Sometimes it grew stronger, throwing my shell even farther through the air, while at other times it weakened before another gust caught me again. My entire body felt dizzy from the constant spinning, and even trying to think became difficult.
The mountain where those two centipedes lived had long since disappeared from sight.
Just how far had I been carried? I had no idea.
Gradually, the wind began to lose its strength.
The powerful force carrying me forward weakened bit by bit until only the remaining momentum kept me moving.
I blinked several times inside my shell, trying to clear my spinning thoughts.
"...Huh?"
Everything suddenly felt... quieter.
For the briefest moment, it almost felt as though I was floating.
Then my body started dropping.
"...Wait."
"The wind's gone!"
Before I could react, gravity seized my shell.
"SH*T!"
The forest below rushed toward me at an alarming speed, its towering trees growing larger with every passing heartbeat.
Bang!
My shell tore through the upper branches, snapping them apart one after another. Leaves and splintered wood exploded around me as my spinning body ripped through the dense canopy.
Then—
Boom!
My plastron slammed against the thick trunk of an ancient tree.
The impact rattled my entire body. Even though my shell absorbed most of the force, the shock still traveled through me, leaving my vision blurred and my ears ringing.
The collision knocked the breath out of me and hurled me away, but there was no rebounding force this time. Black Carapace Guard only reflected direct attacks—not collisions with trees.
Whatever momentum remained carried me through a few more branches until gravity finally took over
Thud!
I struck the forest floor, rolled across the damp earth, and finally came to a stop against the thick roots of an ancient tree.
Everything became still.
I remained inside my shell, unable to move. The endless spinning had left my head in a daze, making even the simplest thought difficult to grasp. For the first time since being launched into the sky, everything had finally stopped.
...I think I'll stay like this for a while.
For now, even moving a single claw felt impossible.
My eyelids grew heavier with every passing breath.
Before I realized it, exhaustion pulled me into darkness.