NOVEL WEB Chapter 25: The Abyss of Despair
“Ugh… This won’t work anymore…”
Yverantheia shook the storage bag several times, but nothing fell out.
She examined the bag carefully and found that the magical runes etched onto it had been corroded by the giant centipede's stomach acid. While the bag still functioned as a carrier, all the various tools inside had vanished.
Though the magical items she had were not particularly powerful compared to those enchanted with arcane engineering from the human realm, they were useful in critical moments—potions for mana restoration or stitching sprays, for example. But now, no matter how useful they might have been, they were rendered useless.
The only silver lining was that the small tentacle had remained in the bag’s ordinary storage space rather than the subspace. Thus, with the subspace gone, the tentacle was still safe and sound, resting peacefully next to Yverantheia.
Another bit of good fortune was that after killing the giant centipede, Yverantheia had absorbed a portion of its power, successfully breaking through to the fifth level. Her natural mana regeneration had increased to a level that could temporarily replace the need for food.
However, this was merely a temporary measure. Relying solely on mana for sustenance would deplete her combat reserves.
“Let’s take it one step at a time… Hmm?”
As Yverantheia stood up, she noticed an unusual small point in the distance, which she hadn’t seen immediately due to the recent battle.
Clinging to the hope that this could be a breakthrough, she put the small tentacle back into the now ordinary storage bag and walked toward the strange dot.
To conserve mana, Yverantheia had to move slowly, one step at a time. Fortunately, the area was quiet due to the recent battle with the centipede, and no insects rushed out. Otherwise, with her current condition, she would have been able to handle no more than a few dozen bees.
As she closed the distance, the small dot grew larger and clearer. Yet, an ominous feeling began to spread in Yverantheia’s heart. She quickened her pace, moving in hurried steps.
When Yverantheia finally saw the scene clearly, she froze in place.
The ground was littered with corpses, their red blood having turned a deep crimson with time. The pungent scent of iron filled Yverantheia’s nostrils.
If this were all there was to it, Yverantheia might have remained still. The problem was that she could recognize the shape of the corpses and their previous state.
They were bees—the same bees she had encountered before, and it was the same batch.
Yverantheia was certain she had been traveling in the opposite direction. Even accounting for the distance traveled during the battle with the giant centipede, she shouldn’t have ended up here.
No, she wasn’t sure anymore. She could sense that the coordinates she had set by the seaside were now ahead of her!
“What on earth is happening… When did this start… No, did I really set coordinates…?”
Looking back, she felt a strange sensation since entering the desert.
Suddenly, Yverantheia’s vision flickered again, and she felt a liquid flowing down her body.
She looked down to see a lance-like stinger piercing through her heart. Behind her was a bee, resembling those corpses but with some differences.
“Ugh…!”
Yverantheia channeled her remaining mana to strengthen her body, pulling herself off the stinger and jumping away.
“Zzz.”
The newly appeared bee was significantly larger than the previous ones. Its front legs had transformed into lance-like spikes, emitting a far stronger aura than before, probably equivalent to a hundred of the previous bees.
Yverantheia covered the wound on her chest, but blood continued to gush out. She could only use her remaining mana to heal herself.
But this meant her mana would drop further. The amount she had left was barely sufficient to handle a few dozen bees, let alone this one. With dwindling mana, escaping from this bee might soon become impossible.
Before Yverantheia could decide, the bee lifted its blood-stained stinger and charged at her with incredible speed.
Yverantheia dodged immediately but was still grazed on the face. Thankfully, she hadn’t dispelled her body enhancement, or it might have struck her head, shattering it completely.
“What do I do now… Regeneration… No, there’s no time.”
As Yverantheia pondered while dodging, her current weakness made it impossible to avoid all attacks, and her wounds continued to accumulate.
“Should I… No, there’s no choice!”
Yverantheia made up her mind. She poured all her strength into enhancing her body and charged straight at the bee, disregarding its attacks.
“Zzz!!”
The bee’s lance-like front legs and the poison stinger on its tail pierced into Yverantheia. In an instant, the poison spread throughout her body.
“Zzz.”
As the bee thought Yverantheia was powerless, she clung to its body.
“Let’s see who dies first!”
Yverantheia compressed her mana within her body. The bee, sensing the danger, began to flail wildly, trying to escape her grip.
Boom!!
The compressed mana exploded violently, sending the nearby bee corpses flying and causing even more devastation.
“Ha… Pff!”
As the dust settled, Yverantheia stood on the sand, covered in blood, even spitting blood from her mouth.
The bee, after enduring Yverantheia’s self-destruction, had been torn into three parts, but there was no doubt it was dead.
“Pff!… No… The damage is too severe…”
Yverantheia knelt on the ground, supporting herself with her hands. Despite the reduction in pain, the massive blood loss combined with the bee’s poison left her unable to stand.
Her blood continued to drain, and in this state, it wouldn’t be long before she died from blood loss. Worse still, she didn’t have enough mana left for regeneration.
“… Zzz…”
A faint sound came from the distance. Yverantheia struggled to turn her head and saw a swarm of insects approaching.
Bees, centipedes, worms, ants… various insects slowly closed in from all directions.
“… So in the end… I’m just prey…”
Facing this vast swarm, even a single goblin could now be deadly to her.
In this desert, it felt as though every step she took had been calculated. Although this illusion could mask the reality of her heart being pierced, the insects seemed to be enjoying the torment of their prey, never killing her outright.
At this moment, a familiar emotion surged within her—one she hadn't felt since she fell into the abyss.
It was called—despair.
