I Have Become a Death Worm

Swooooosh-
Raising my upper body to the surface, I tilted my head as much as possible.
Sand showered down from my head.
“……”
A deep blue sky that could pierce through my chest.
A golden sea spread out wide in my expansive field of vision.
Heat waves shimmered from the murderous ground heat.
Obviously, this was a sight never seen in Korea.
I tried to ask who I am and where this is.
“Shlorororo…”
What came out of my circular mouth was just a strange sound of sand falling.
No, actually, a vast stream of sand was flowing out like a waterfall.
Is it the same principle as fish in the sea swimming their whole lives while consuming countless seawater?
“Kyuuuuu…!”
This is ruined. It’s fucked. What the hell is going on?
That was my immediate thought.
But all that came out of my mouth was just strange sounds.
Human speech no longer came out.
I looked down at myself.
My body was no longer in human form.
A snow-white, cylindrical, worm-like body.
My once-familiar hands and feet had completely disappeared.
The rocks stuck to various parts of my body like barnacles were striking.
It was like looking at an ancient tree with a long lifespan.
My view from ground level was truly elevated.
An enormous, ferocious annelid monster.
I had become the legendary Death Worm.
Kusssss…
Led by some sensation, I buried my body in the sand again.
Specifically, it was an instinct strongly pulling me.
I dove under the blazing desert.
Kwakwakwakwa-
I moved forward, cutting through the sea of sand with great familiarity.
Coarse dust rose around me as I charged.
It was like a train buried in the desert moving forward.
My current state of mind was deeply confused.
First, I needed to ask several questions.
What is a Death Worm?
A legendary cryptid said to live in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.
In Mongolian, Olgoi-Khorkhoi, meaning intestine worm.
A desert predator that spits venom, discharges electricity, and hunts camels.
A symbol of terror that brings death to witnesses.
Essentially the strongest creature in the annelid category.
Then why have I become a Death Worm?
I really don’t know the answer to that question.
I really enjoyed watching movies and reading novels.
Especially North American science fiction novels.
As usual, after work, I was reading the Dune series in my apartment.
While reading, a strange creature called Shai-Hulud suddenly appeared.
But the setting for these sandworms was rather ridiculous.
They’re said to be the true masters of their planet, worshipped as gods by the natives.
They even produce oxygen, replacing the role of forests.
So overwhelmingly large and powerful that they’re treated as invincible creatures.
Even the strongest legions in the world-setting are forced to retreat.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud while reading.
After all, isn’t it just a derivative based on the Mongolian Death Worm?
A title of planetary guardian for just a giant worm?
A mere worm worshipped as a god of the planet…?
Really, ha, these guys are quite peculiar, aren’t they?
That’s all I thought at the time.
I just strongly questioned the author’s taste, wondering if they might be a worm fetishist.
Then I suddenly fell asleep, overcome by drowsiness.
And when I woke up again, this is what I’ve become.
I have no idea why I’ve turned into a Death Worm.
It’s not like I poured out a 5,500-character criticism.
Nor did I pray to be possessed by it.
If it had to happen, there could have been dragons or demons.
No matter how much I questioned internally, there was no one to answer me.
Racing through the sea of sand, I extended my body to the surface again.
Fwoosh, swooooosh-
Once again, sand flowed down around my head.
The desert sun blazed down on my crown.
For a moment I felt hot, but that was an illusion.
In fact, it didn’t bother me at all.
Rather, it felt soft and cozy like silk.
The daytime desert temperature must easily exceed 40 degrees, yet I’m enduring it perfectly fine.
If exposed bare and defenseless, human skin would likely peel off from burns.
Especially the rocks attached to various parts of my surface were like natural, organic armor.
My body was specialized for the harsh desert environment.
I don’t know by what principle I can see.
Despite having no visual organs, the rest of my body’s senses compose colors.
Like the compensatory senses of a blind person who has lost sight, I was receiving clear vision.
Perhaps the rocks embedded around my head covered eyes for camouflage and protection.
Or since this is fantasy, maybe I’m actually using some kind of divine vision.
Also, my sense of smell and hearing are incredibly sensitive.
I can hear sounds from far distances very clearly.
All kinds of smells carried by the sand winds confused my nose.
There were countless other unknown ecological aspects.
I was so dumbfounded that I just sighed.
“Shuuuuu…”
What flowed from my mouth was just an endless wind sound.
The sand that had filled my body was also spewed out.
I constantly eat sand but surprisingly it’s fine.
Have I really become a sand creature?
A harsh desert environment where only the strong survive.
I blankly admired the scenery of this desert.
Looking closely, I could see various creatures.
I listened with my whole body.
Peeeeeeeek!
Kyao, kyao!
Suddenly my senses awakened.
My hearing bloomed, my sense of smell activated.
In an instant, the great desert was detected by me.
Tak, tak, tak.
On the distant sand horizon, groups racing across the desert.
Yellow creatures with distinctive crests on their heads, resembling the velociraptor dinosaurs from Jurassic Park.
They were chasing herds of four-legged furry beasts that looked like deer.
A typical predator-prey chase.
Sssssss-
Near me, numerous brownish fins cut through the sand.
Copper-colored desert sharks with red eyes were swimming and leaping.
In my direction, I could see a creature that looked like a mix between a camel and a mammoth.
The animal was leisurely chewing on a cactus near some rocks.
Suddenly, the ground beneath the beast heaved violently.
Pssssssh-!
“Kyashashasha-!”
“Kishashash-!”
“Muu, uut-!”
Dark brown piranhas with black-red stripes surged from beneath the animal.
A swarm of hundreds jumped up and bit into it.
In an instant, the camel-mammoth was reduced to almost just bones.
The beast collapsed with just hanging chunks of flesh.
“Shaaaaa-!”
“Kishashashasha-!”
The desert sharks rushed in, suddenly robbed of their prey.
The desert piranhas, having just finished feeding, stood their ground.
The ferocious desert fish tore at each other, scattering blood and flesh.
A fierce yellow wind arose between the two groups.
Suddenly a magnetic field arose around them.
Pazik, patstsstststs-!
A faded golden-colored creature with dark purple eyes swam leisurely through the sand sea.
A massive desert ray over 10 meters long generated electricity around it.
The fighting piranhas and sharks collapsed, paralyzed by the electric shock.
The desert ray approached its prepared buffet.
Suddenly, a huge shadow rushed down from the sky.
An enormous sand storm was created in the area.
Huuuung-!
“Kwi, oooooo-!”
A gigantic monstrous bird with magnificent mixed black and gray feathers and a spear-like beak.
Sharp talons, working on the principle of insulators, descended.
Wudddduk-
With a gruesome bone-breaking sound, the desert ray was snatched up.
Its spine was broken instantly, becoming the giant bird’s meal.
The monster bird soared into the sky, covering the heavens with its huge wings.
Having witnessed this magnificent spectacle, I breathed out in amazement.
“Shuuuuu…”
There were all kinds of other monsters as well.
Scorpions with dazzling metallic jet-black shells, turtles as high and massive as hills, giant antlions coiled in vast ant pits, super-giant cobras crossing the desert with long, winding bodies…
I instinctively sensed that this was not a desert on Earth.
I had been thrown into some strange desert in another world.
If the Amazon is Green Hell, this is Yellow Hell.
An endless yellow desert and monster-filled hell.
A place where everyone fights for survival.
This is the desert version of a demonic realm.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Kusit, kusit, kusit…”
I was so dumbfounded that I felt like cursing my ancestors up to three generations.
To think that from now on I have to live among those things.
So does that mean I’m also labeled as a monster just like them?
What will happen to me, thrown into this place with a monster’s body…?
Suddenly noticing gazes looking up at me, I lowered my head slightly.
“Kyung.”
“Krrrr…!”
“Wol! Wolwol!”
Imposing figures with zebra-sized bodies, golden manes, and yellowish fur.
Canines very similar to wolves I had seen on Earth.
They seemed as small as claws to my current self.
A quite impressive wolf pack of dozens.
They would have been a serious threat if I were human.
But now even such creatures…
“Shuuuuu…”
As I just made the sound of air escaping from a balloon.
“Kying! Kkikying!”
“Kkeoheong-!”
“Kkaeang-!”
They immediately tucked their tails and ran away.
So why were they staring at me in the first place?
Indeed, size is everything.
Kusssss-
After admiring the otherworld desert for a while, I buried my body again.
It’s a strangely addictive feeling.
I resumed swimming in the sand sea.
Desperately trying to hold back my mouth, which would swallow endless sand and randomly mixed rocks if I didn’t concentrate, I thought desperately.
I had occasionally heard stories of being possessed in games or novels.
Of course, I had dismissed them as absurd fantasies.
But to think such a thing would actually happen to me?
Average office worker A, who enjoyed the conveniences of modern South Korea, is nowhere to be found.
There is only a giant sandworm crossing the endlessly vast desert of an unknown other world.
I felt devastated and hopeless beyond words to describe my current feelings.
Even while swimming, I clung desperately to consciousness.
Like a candle flame flickering in the wind, my reason was wavering, about to be extinguished.
It feels like the moment I let go of my sanity, my existence will be forgotten.
I desperately held onto my memories and reason of who I was.
Because at any moment, I might no longer be myself.
I continued thinking while swimming through the desert.
Buuuung! Chiiik-
It was then that something was caught by my hearing as I glided through the desert.
“@#$. @#$.”
“@#$%&…”
“@$#?”
Walkie-talkie sounds and human voices.
And the sound of car wheels.
There was no doubt.
Kusss-
Without hesitation, I raised my body to the surface.
Then I looked in the direction of the sounds.
A jeep was racing towards me.
In the hazy dust, four figures could be seen.
Armed with modern heavy weapons.
“Kurreuk.”
An exclamation of joy flowed out with the soil and sand streaming from my mouth.
The dimming light of hope brightened again.
Those figures were clearly humans.
I roared with joy.
“Kyuaaaak-!”
Not too far away.
Current distance between us about 500 meters.
I’m not sure if it’s my imagination, but it seemed like they increased their speed the moment they spotted me.
Buaaang-!
The jeep races toward me, raising pale dust under the deep blue sky.
They began to drastically increase their speed the moment they saw me.
It was certain they had business with me.
What’s this, is this mutually beneficial?
I moved immediately.
Kukukukuku-
I no longer hid my body in the sand.
I floated along the surface as if drifting.
An exclamation of joy burst from my mouth.
“Kyurrrruk! Shuaaaak-!”
Of course this place wasn’t some other world but Earth!
What I just saw was nothing but a hallucination!
Such things couldn’t possibly exist in any desert in the world!?
“@#$%! @#$%&!”
The man in the passenger seat of the jeep shouted something.
The distinctive tonal quality was clearly Chinese.
Looking closely, all four men were Asians.
An overwhelming sense of relief washed over me.
I regretted not having hands to wave.
Kwadddddd-!
I charged toward the humans, noisily plowing through the surface.
Could anything be more welcome! How could I be this happy!
There are plenty of humans like me right there!
Even with similar Asian appearances!
The distance between us rapidly narrowed.
Kuuuuu─────!
I approached the welcome humans, creating a massive sand storm around me.
The combined effect of tremendous ground tremors and yellowish dust was overwhelming.
It felt like all the ground around me was shattering and turning over.
It was natural, given the imposing sight of a 50-meter-tall building charging.
At my charge, the humans in the jeep talked urgently.
“@#$%! @#$!?”
“@#$%&!”
“@#$…!”
Even in this form, do I still want to believe I’m human?
To be honest, until now I did.
Maybe I could ask for help.
Buaaang-! Kkigik!
In an instant, the jeep made a sharp curve, raising hazy dust.
The man sitting with folded arms in the passenger seat immediately rose up.
Pat!
A jumping power comparable to my eye level.
A blue shimmer gently wrapped around the man’s entire body.
The man who jumped nearly 50 meters from the jeep flew toward me.
I could only watch the scene with my mouth wide open.
In that moment when I was entranced by that fantastical scene.
Taaaang-!
A thunderous gunshot broke the desert silence.
Suddenly a tickling sensation overtook my face.
Ting!
The fired bullet hit my right cheek precisely.
One of the men seated in the back had fired at me.
Taaaang… Taaang… Tang…
Echoes spreading widely across the desert of death.
The moment that deadly bullet grazed me.
“Shurrrrrr…”
Suddenly the reason I had been barely holding onto flew away.
My vision turned blood-red and my consciousness eroded.
Tremendous hostility and killing intent rose from within me.
The instinct I had been desperately suppressing until now.
How could fellow humans do this?
I just wanted to ask for help?
But they responded by firing bullets at me?
Is this really what people should do?
Kill them. Kill them. Kill them.
Those who invade my territory must be killed.
If I don’t kill them first, I’ll eventually die.
Only such thoughts completely filled my mind.
Kurrrrr-
My body began to accelerate regardless of my will.
Huuuung-!
In an instant, tremendous speed was generated in me.
A velocity that would make sports cars capable of hundreds of kilometers per hour seem ridiculous.
I knew I could achieve even greater speeds if I wanted.
Moving in earnest now, I approached my first target.
“@$%! @#$%&*…?”
The man who jumped from the jeep landed about 50 meters in front of me.
A young Asian man with a black bodysuit, windswept hair, and handsome features.
Far from being intimidated by my imposing appearance, he stood proudly with folded arms.
He said something in Chinese that I naturally couldn’t understand.
Tatatatatatang-!
The gun barrels of the men remaining in the vehicle gleamed.
Suppressing fire continued from the jeep.
Ting! Tiking! Tiiiing!
The bullets bounced off my outer skin without penetrating.
They just caused sparks to fly noisily.
No more mild wind sounds came from me.
“Kyishaaaak─────!”
A thunderous boom erupted, making the 170dB sound of a launching rocket seem ridiculous.
The shock wave from the explosion created a sand storm in all directions.
Then something immediately clicked in my mind.
[Haha! I’ll finally tame the White Ruler of the Shahar Great Desert! Hey, you mindless, irrational monster! Immediately submit to me, Wang Junlin, the best S-class tamer in Beijing!]
It wasn’t the verbal transmission of conversation, but a form that directly interfered with consciousness.
Probably the well-known telepathy.
It had no effect whatsoever.
Kudddddd─────!
I continued my charge.
The expression of the Chinese man named Wang Junlin instantly turned puzzled.
“@#$! @#$!?”
“@#$ %&@#! @#$!”
“@#$%& @#$%&!”
The three men remaining in the driver’s seat and back seats of the jeep shouted urgently.
But it seemed their voices no longer reached Wang Junlin.
It was clear this shocking situation was a first for the entranced man.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and swooped down like lightning.
“Kuaaaaa─────!”
The overwhelming pressure of an apartment or building crashing down.
I descended upon Wang Junlin with my mouth.
Chwaaaaak-!
Wang Junlin’s entire body was chewed up by my bite.
Suddenly something appeared in my vision.
[The power of the separated half-soul awakens. You have awakened Hostile Predation.]
[S-class Hostility: Beast Tamer has been acquired.]