Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

Chapter 79 - An Ugly Creature

The ground collapsed right where he was standing seconds ago before he fell down because of the shakings.

GOO SHHH

He could still hear that disgusting noise. He could hear something moving underground. Kairen didn't know what it was, but he was sure of something.

'It's dangerous.'

Kairen tried to move, but he couldn't lift his body. The eerie feeling had gotten so intense that he felt his body froze because of it. 

"What's happening?"

"Kairen?"

BOOOMMM

Something rose to the air from below through the hole created on the ground. Dust and soil scattered on Kairen's face, blocking his view. 

He couldn't see it, but he sensed something huge move right in front of him. He could feel something massive get out of the ground. The overwhelming aura that was being emanated from that thing was making him feel suffocating. The disgusting feeling he was feeling, this thing was the source of it. Kairen was sure about that.

And it wasn't only that, he could sense something else that he failed to notice before because he was overwhelmed by that disgusting feeling. A pressure. The pressure one could feel around strong monsters. It was strong. The pressure was so strong that made chills run down his back. Kairen had never felt it before.

KIEE KIEEE KIEE

Kairen looked up, still frozen in place. Now that the dust was settled, he could see what was in front of him. The monster, a tall and huge centipede. 

"Ah!"

Moving its numerous feet, the centipede looked down. Its head was high in the air while some part of its body was still underground. The monster twisted its feet and tilted its head slightly. It looked at the small human being, sitting on the ground and looking at it with a pale face. 

"What the-"

"Hey! Kairen!"

"Boy, move back!"

Kairen could hear his colleagues calling him and telling him to run, but he didn't move.

Kairen knew that he had to run away from this monster. If not run away, he had to defend himself. He had to cast a spell. He had to create a shield or cast an attack magic spell. He knew them all. 

His mind was working fast, screaming and telling him to do something. But his body didn't move. That unknown feeling and the monster's pressure were pressing on his body, making his body stiff. It felt like his body was numb. 

The pressure was too much for him. Kairen starting to find it difficult to breathe and feel dizzy. 

He had heard that the pressure being emitted from level 1 monsters is sometimes so intense that some hunters feel dizzy and have difficulty breathing while being near them. He had read about that in a book he was studying to pass the academy's exams, but he had never felt it before. Kairen had seen quite a few strong monsters, but he had never felt like this. 

KIEEEEEEE

The monster made a deafening voice, before moving its head. The monster took his eyes off of Kairen and moved its head up, then lowered it at a high speed.

'It's gonna smash me!'

Kairen looked up at the monster's head moving down towards him in fear. His back was wet with cold sweat and his head was spinning. He tried to move aside, but couldn't even move an inch.

'Ah man, really...'

He just sat there, helplessly watching the monster's ugly face. Just when he was about to close his eyes, he felt the back of his collar being pulled. He then felt his whole body being pulled back.

"ACK!"

A sound left his mouth as he was momentarily unable to breathe because of his collar being pulled from behind. He gasped and looked down, he was being dragged backward.

Kairen could see the monster's head getting closer and closer while he was being dragged away from it. The force pulled his body back just before the monster's head smashed the ground. The monster's head passed right before his feet and smashed where he was sitting just now.

The ground shook because of the collide and broken debris fell on Kairen, but he was still being pulled back.

Just when Kairen felt like he couldn't breathe anymore, his collar was released and his body fell down to the ground again.

"Gasp! Cough cough. Gasp. Ah!"

"Kairen!"

Kairen sensed a hand on his shoulder. He raised his head. He could see Reyan standing beside him while holding his sword with one hand and pulling Kairen's shoulder with the other. Reyan was looking at the monster in front of them, covered in a layer of dust from head to toe.

'Oh... He saved me.'

It wasn't hard to understand that Reyan had just saved him. Kairen looked at the monster again. The ground was bent and the surface was cracked and destroyed. He would have turned into a dead piece of meat if the monster's head had hit him. He would have been dead if Reyan had pulled him back just one second later.

'I almost died, man. I almost died!'

He felt very, extremely, grateful to Reyan, but there was no time to thank him now. 

BOOMM

KIEEE

BOOM BOMM 

Because the monster wasn't sitting still. It moved its head up and looked at the empty ground. Seeing its prey escape from its grasp, the monster made noises and moved again. It proceeded to move his whole body out of the ground. 

"Oh, boy! What the fuck is that?"

"Holy- What's this pressure?"

"Boy, are you okay?"

"Is this a level 1? No, the pressure is too much for a level 1 monster!"

"Why is such a thing here?"

Everyone was confused. They all looked at the monster with shock and surprise, but unlike Kairen who was unable to move at all, others had taken out their weapons and were preparing themselves to fight.

"Get up."

Reyan grabbed Kairen's arm and pulled him up. Kairen had moved away from the monster a little bit, but a few meters of distance didn't make the pressure he was feeling lesser. He was still unable to move properly and felt dizzy.

"T-t...Ah! Thanks- HAA!"

He would have been still sitting on the ground if Reyan hadn't helped him. He stuttered to thank him, but he couldn't breathe properly so he gave up. He could thank him after they got rid of this monster.

'Damn it. Why am I the only one who can sense this disgusting feeling?'

He couldn't tolerate the feeling that was continuously getting stronger and stronger anymore. The others only seemed to have sensed the monster's pressure. No one looked as devastated as Kairen. 

KIEEE KIEEE KIIII 

The monster, which had finished moving out of the underground, screeched and shook its feet. The ugly creature turned its head and stared at Kairen with its red eyes again, like a hunter looking at its prey. Its body stretched out wide and its ugly face moved a little bit closer to the two people nearest to it. 

"You two, move back."

Reyan pulled Kairen again and moved away from the monster as soon as he heard team leader Dains' words. 

The monster also moved forward as they moved back, getting closer and closer to the two of them.

"Damn it, what the hell?"

Before the monster could get any closer, Darren shot up from the ground like a dart. One second later, he was standing right before the monster's face.

"It's really ugly! Damn it."

BAANNGG

And then, he kicked the monster's head hard.

KIEE? KIIKK 

The monster's head was pushed back. It screamed and stopped moving towards Kairen for a moment.

Reyan used that chance to drag Kairen even further away. He moved back till they reached the edge of the ruin.

While being dragged away, Kairen looked at the ruin for a moment.

'It's destroyed...'

The ruin had completely collapsed. The barely-standing walls and the damaged platform, everything had turned to dust due to the shakings of the ground.

Reyan stopped moving, grabbed Kairen's shoulders, and shook his body.

"You! Come back to your senses! Hey!"

"Ah!"

'Stop it. I'm feeling dizzy...'

Kairen closed his eyes and shook his head. Seeing him react to his words, Reyan released Kairen's shoulders. He turned towards the monster and stood in front of Kairen while grabbing his sword with both hands.

"Are you hurt?"

Asa ran towards them at that moment. She stood near Kairen and examined his face. Kairen shook his head at her answer. 

"That thing is... too strong. Ah! I'm shaking. Damn it."

Asa's face was pale and her body was shaking, but she still seemed much better than Kairen, who looked like his soul had left his body three times in a row.

KIEEKK KIII

The monster that had momentarily stopped moving because of Darren screeched and moved its body again. Its long body twisted and stretched, breaking the stones and destroying anything that it hit.

"Get into the formation.. We have to kill that thing."