Read Novel Full Vol 17 Chapter 8
Vol 17 Chapter 8
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Chapter 8 – Great Worm
After entering the Desert Danger Zone, we were attacked by the Ruler, one of the top-ranked creatures in the Desert Danger Zone. It looked like a giant parrot, but as its danger level indicated, we had a hard time defeating it. When we finally managed to defeat it, we were swallowed by the great worm. The dangerous area in the desert is scary.
We had to hurry to find Carla-san, but we were hit by a vibration that could not be compared to an earthquake, and I was stuck just trying to hold on to the steering wheel.
In our haste to find a way out, our body suddenly lifts, and the Pal slips and falls… The Pal hits a transparent wall, and the body stops falling.
The translucent wall looks familiar. It seems that Felicia has prevented the Pal from falling with her barriers. As expected from Felicia, she is reliable.
I can’t praise her now because of the shaking, but I will praise her a lot and give her a special bonus when we get out of this predicament.
Hmm? No way, if the body suddenly appears! I quickly checked the position of Pal No. 2 and found that the distance between us was rapidly shrinking.
It seems that the great worm is not satisfied with just eating us and wants to prey on Alessia-san and the others.
Huh? But that means there is a chance for us to get to the surface, right? If we can defeat the great worm when its body is on the surface, we can escape the state of being in the sand.
Huh? It seems that Pal No. 2’s position is already at the bottom, and while I was thinking desperately and enduring the shaking, they jumped out of the sand and onto the ground.
It must mean that Pal No. 2 was able to avoid being swallowed by the sand. This is bad; the body of the car is parallel to the ground, and instead of staying with it, it turns downward and falls forward.
Again, with the help of Felicia’s barrier, I managed to regain my position while the shaking stopped.
The position of Pal No. 2 has already moved above my head. It seems that it jumped and then dove back into the sand.
“When I give the next signal, everyone please attack with a single point of attack. The target is the inner wall of the great worm on the right side of the Pal. The vehicle will be shaking violently at that time, but please do your best. Also, Felicia, please use your barrier to secure the Pal.”
I missed my chance once, but if that’s the case, just go for the next one.
If it were true, I would have praised Felicia all over the place and discussed the attack in detail, but I couldn’t talk to them once we started moving, so I just gave them rough instructions.
Except for Rimu and me, the other members of the team were all beautiful women with exceptional abilities, and I wanted to believe that even with rough instructions, we could do it.
Let’s quickly defeat the great worm and save Carla-san.
…Huh? Why isn’t the great worm moving?
＊＊＊
Alessia’s POV
We have failed.
To think that the Great Worm could swallow the entire Pal… No, we were completely careless.
I had already learned from my research that the great worm was so large that it could swallow not only the Pal but even the Ranger in one gulp.
I was just too spoiled by Wataru’s Ship Summoning barriers to be aware of the danger. I had already been shown that this could happen with Paris, so there was no excuse for it.
“Alessia, what should we do?”
Dorothea and Ilma both looked unusually worried. Claretta, on the other hand, looked determined. She’s usually so relaxed but has a strong core, so I’m sure she’ll be fine.
“Wataru’s barriers cannot be broken by the great worm. We will quickly defeat the great worm and get them out.”
I’ve seen the power of Wataru’s barriers many times. It’s not possible to die just by being swallowed.
“That’s right, the earth dragon and the countless worms in the Demon Forest couldn’t do anything, not even in the dungeon. A single great worm couldn’t have done anything about it.”
Dorothea finally calmed down.
“Well then, let’s get her out of there right away. The great worm is sensitive to vibrations. Let’s make some noise to lure it out.”
Ilma had changed her mind and began to think clearly.
“Claretta, we’re going to concentrate on the attack, so please drive. I want you to drive in circles around here. If the great worm approaches, I will call out to you, and I want you to speed up to avoid it.”
“Eh, but wouldn’t it be better if Alessia, who is used to driving, did it? I’m not as good an attacker as the others, but I won’t miss that big body, will I?”
“Claretta’s opinion isn’t wrong, but I’ll give priority to aggression in this case. It would be easier to help them if we were outside, but if the worst happens, it doesn’t matter if we get swallowed up. We’ll just join them inside the great worm’s body.”
It will be difficult to escape from under the sand, but with Wataru, we can handle it. If it comes to it, we can live in the belly of the great worm for a while.
…I wonder if it would be too much even for Wataru’s ship to live inside the great worm’s body.
“I understand.”
As Claretta and I switched places and prepared for the attack, Pal No. 2 began to run.
After a while, a dull sound and vibration came from the ground, different from the Pal No. 2. It was the approach of the great worm, which we could recognize even while running if we were properly aware of it.
I guess we were dull, after all.
…We must think about it, but first, we must defeat the great worm.
“It’s going to jump out at us soon, girls. Concentrate on the head when you see it.”
“Understood.”
“Where do you think the great worm’s head is?”
Ilma, if you don’t know, I don’t know. You’ve got to understand the nuances.
“Claretta, full speed!”
When the presence is about ten meters away, I give the command to Claretta. The Pal accelerates quickly as Claretta reacts immediately.
The great worm jumps out from behind the Pal.
“Attack!”
While giving the command, I also send out a sword strike with my skill. After that, Dorothea and Ilma’s attacks also hit.
“That’s not enough. Let’s aim for it when it falls.”
All of our attacks were powerful, and where we hit, I could see the flesh cut and splattered. But the enemy has a much larger body than the sea serpent.
Even though our attacks were powerful, they were not lethal. If we took our time, we could make a more powerful attack, but it was difficult to make a big move while swinging violently.
Aiming at the huge body of the great worm that jumped up and fell down, we hit the attack once more, but we did not feel like we had defeated it.
If that’s the case, we’ll just have to repeat the attack over and over again.
…Huh? Why doesn’t it come out?
“Claretta, can you drive around a little harder?”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
Claretta drives the Pal No. 2, making intense meandering movements, but there is no sign of the great worm approaching. I wonder what’s going on?
“Could it have escaped?”
Dorothea muttered in confusion, but that could not be true.
“The enemy is a monster and so big. It’s hard to imagine it running away.”
Basically, monsters attack us on instinct. Weak monsters might run away, but I don’t think the great worm, which is one of the strongest in the danger zone, would run away from an attack of this magnitude.
“With such a huge body, it must have been the king of this area, right? So maybe it was surprised when it got hurt…”
Ilma, as expected, that’s impossible, isn’t it? She guessed with a worried look on her face. Normally, I would have laughed it off, but I had a terribly bad feeling about this.
“W-what if the great worm has really escaped?”
Dorothea and the others fell silent with worried faces at my question. What would we do if it really had escaped?
“A-anyway, it could be taking a break or trying to catch us off guard, so let’s just make some noise and lure it out. I’m sure it will attack us because it’s a monster.”
Please, great worm, please attack us.
＊＊＊
After the great worm went on its rampage, it stopped moving for some reason. It must have jumped to the ground once and aimed at Alessia-san and the others, so did it get a painful counterattack at that time?
If so, it would have been easier if it had died at that time, but unfortunately, the great worm was not dead because it was pulsating inside its body.
Is it waiting for the right moment to attack Alessia-san and the others by holding its breath?
Since I have no idea what’s going on, I’m not sure what to do, but I’m worried about Carla-san, so we can’t just wait and see. If it doesn’t work, let’s go look for Carla-san.
“…If we go to look for Carla-san, which side should we go to, the head side or the butt side?”
I thought about splitting up, but it would be dangerous to split up because when the great worm starts to move, it will be very rough inside the body. We’re in a hurry, but let’s move in one mass.
“The butt.”
Marina-san assured me without hesitation. There must be a reason. Besides, I get a little nervous when the word “butt” comes out of a beautiful woman’s mouth.
Huh? Am I in puberty now?
“Um, may I ask why?”
“Well, the great worm spent more time moving up. During that time, Carla never fell from the top, so unless she’s stuck somewhere, I’m guessing she’s on the butt side.”
Oh, I feel like that sounds awfully convincing. I wasn’t worried about the “stuck somewhere” part, but I should follow Marina-san’s instructions and go to the butt side.
“I understand. Then we will head towards the butt. If the great worm starts moving again, please maintain the barrier and attack.”
We had a brief meeting and moved the Pal.
…Am I traveling in a giant worm now? It’s awfully strange when I think about it calmly.
I mean, the whole thing is gooey, and I really hate it. Maybe it’s because it also swallows a lot of sand, or maybe the bottom is like a bed of sand, but the illuminated sides and the wriggling sluggishness on top are…
Yeah, let’s not think about it too much.
Carla-san, please wait for me; I’ll help you soon. Huh? A hero who suddenly appears in a time of crisis… Will my popularity skyrocket?
I know it’s inappropriate, but I feel a bit energetic.