40 Digging a hole 2 (1/2)
As I started using my mutated fingernails to shovel the soil aside, I felt that I was really not used to doing such a motion. Calling my attempt at digging clumsy was putting it nicely, realistically speaking it looked more like the movement of a mole with brain damage. As I continued my pitiful attempt at digging a hole, I was slowly counting in my head to see how long it would take for the soil to return to its previous state.
I did not have to worry about my head or body being crushed, because the hole I dug was not deep enough for that. This also serves as a test to the feasibility of whether my plan to enter a village by digging comes into fruition or not. Although it was quite a mundane work, it was quite fun. Especially if you loop the sound of digging the hole in your head.
As my inner countdown passes the 300 I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my hands and legs. It only took an instant and my otherwise tough body parts were pulverized. I did not expect the pressure to be that strong. So, for the time being, I am just going to wait and see what happens if my body parts keep being pressured like that. The level of pain was not regressing but not increasing either, that means that my nerves are still sending signals.
But if I learned something from observing the experiment with the hair, the slime is able to change into a substance that is able to ward off data of different properties. That means that theoretically, my hand should be able to reform. Followed by being crushed in the next instance, that process will continue on forever. Did I miss something? I can already see the little ants starting to tear everything else down to gather more potential energy for me.
Until my body is ready to withstand that kind of pressure, it needs to be crushed quite often. There are several ways to approach this. I am going for the most efficient one. I will wait till my hand are durable enough and then proceed to dig deeper. I will repeat that process until my whole arm has reached such a level. I will do this to each of my limbs and then start doing it to my upper body. Though I have to be careful not to crush my heart and inner organs in the process otherwise everything is going to be for nought.
The only downside is that this plan will leave me stuck here for quite some time and the general destruction of the environment might bring unwanted attention.
Due to my inability to dodge attacks, I am currently vulnerable if the magic is strong enough. That is why I have to take some risks and do this as fast as possible. Though I still do not have any idea how to prevent my head or body from being crushed under this heavy pressure. But I will surely find something, after all, I do not have that much planned for today anyway.
The cycle of crushing limbs resumed without a hitch. Many ideas came and were thrown out of the window. One plan was to open a hole in my body and then grab onto the heart and the organ responsible for the production of that wonder slime. That idea would only particularly strengthen my body, but I have no clue in what way my body would react. So my next option was to pressure in a passive manner.I would put my part of my head into the soil at first and cover it with my hands. That way it would not be crushed but would still be hurt through the pressure. That is at least how the plan works in theory.
Those were the ideas that were at the least sound on paper. Now a quick list, what was rejected the instance it came up as a possibility.
-Putting my head directly in.
-Burying my whole body inside of it, except the head
-Digging a hole with my exact shape so that I could put my organs outside of my body to prevent them from being crushed.
-Creating an armour made out of stone
-Covering my head in slime
-Crushing my head, the moment before the Earth reforms.
-Crushing my head partially without any cover
-Putting other materials around me
All those options would theoretically work but were rejected due to several reasons. They were either not helpful or the risks involved were too big or just plain stupid.
I settled on covering my head with the hands, It might sound risky but I can guarantee that at least it will not end up with me dying on the spot.
It took a lot of time until my hands were not crushed on the spot, only deformed to such an extent that it had no resemblance to its normal shape. I started to put my arm dig the hole deeper until my arm was swallowed. Even though the process was gruelling and painful at least there was a feeling of accomplishing something as I saw the progression.
As I looked ahead I noticed it, these eyes were staring at me. I shuddered upon seeing whom those eyes belonged to. It was the queen ant that looked quite livid. It hit me like a truck, I forgot to consider her. I am glad not having crushed her due to my attempt at becoming a mole. Her eyes were passing all over my body and there was not the same feeling of perplexion. There was a certain feeling of numbness to her. Yeah, it was the same glaze my parents had when looking at me. They had given up on me. You could see the deep feeling for regret in their eyes, always caught in the past on what could have been.
Great now even ants have given up on me. I will put it on my list of glorious accomplishments.
If I could speak to her I would apologize for my oversight, but sadly or luckily for me It is not possible for me to talk to her right now. I am not yet ready to be verbally murdered for all the shit I did. in her eyes I must be a suicidal madman, that acts irrationally and is much more dangerous to himself than others. Even though she is right, that does not mean that I need someone to remind me of that fact. Ignorance is bliss after all.