513 Jacks Newfound Speed (1/2)

Jack mumbled to himself as he burrowed through the ground, a strategy that had doubled his speed. Currently, Jack was between floors fifty-nine and sixty. He was eagerly looking forward to finding the mini-boss on the sixtieth floor. Its poison was too valuable to pass up.

After collecting many poisons thus far, Jack was most proud of his sample of the Skulker Tarantula but that wouldn't be for long given his next extraction subject.

Finally, Jack breached floor sixty. The hero poked his head out to examine and assess the situation.

The sixtieth floor seemed to be a jungle of sorts. It was swampy but filled with trees and a variety of dull colors. Occasionally, Jack would see hints of vibrant red or bright yellow. Those were the perfect warnings for Jack to steer clear of that area.

Like most floors, Jack tried to keep to the ceiling whenever possible to avoid any direct contact with the floor's usual inhabitants. This helped make things go more smoothly when he wanted to seek out his target.

Though he was high up, Jack could find moving plants every now and then. On the sixtieth floor, it was the plant life that ruled, not the typical wildlife.

Lucky for Jack, his target was easy to find. Unlucky for Jack, the target was massive and extremely lively. He kept a close on it while making sure that there weren't too many wild plants around to aid the mini-boss.

The Living Nightshade was constantly moving, albeit slowly. Apart from the bright yellow petals of its flowers, the shiny black berries those petals housed were tempting to the eye. Hidden within the large flat leaves of the hulking plant were more green bulbs that acted as mouths to swallow prey whole.

Jack watched the Living Nightshade tempt and coax a Giant Boar. The beast was chomping down on a different, less-significant plant when it found the behemoth plant showing off its berries.

A few moments passed as the boar took its time to decide whether it was worth trying. In the end, the Giant Boar couldn't help itself.

The beast sauntered up to the nearest bulb of yellow petals and tore the large, black berry from its nook. A moment of satisfaction and bliss washed over the boar as it savored the berry's robust flavor. It guzzled down the berry and rushed to the next one. But that feeling of bliss faded before the boar could reach the next berry. The boar dropped to the jungle floor, spasming for a moment before growing still.

As soon as the boar became motionless, the nearest pair of green, bulbous mouths crept toward the beast. Both mouths opened wide, latching onto one of the boars many limbs. Then, they twisted and tore the boar in half, guzzling the beast down its green gullet.

The sight wasn't pretty and it wasn't satisfying to watch. Jack took some deep breaths in order to keep his mind clear and his heart calm.