Chapter 361 (2/2)

Dinesh took a step back. “I-”

“Best make it quick, don’t let him get away,” Kayle audibly muttered, patting the side of Neveah’s mouth. She needed no further encouragement, and sprung forward, not really uncoiling her body, but seeming to be propelled by the very ground. The two already inside her mouth hurriedly layed down.

“I-” But then Dinesh was gulped down, smashed into the mouth, which clicked shut. He could feel his armor pressing against another person’s, but there was only dampness, darkness, and the feeling of several teeth piercing through his armor and stabbing his leg. Panic rose in his chest, and he immediately wanted to vomit. All of the sore muscles and small injuries rose to the fore of his mind, demanding his attention, before they were swiftly drowned out by the panic, swamping all of him.

Of course, Paolo was roaring with laughter, and Kayle was chuckling.

“Move around a little!” Paolo yelled.

Neveah obliged. No, the hell monster obliged. In that moment, Dinesh felt g-forces that reminded him of riding a rollercoaster. His eyes rolled around, sightless in the darkness, as he began to flail, his panic needing an outlet. The wounds in his leg grew worse, as the teeth tore larger and larger holes.

Kayle, who had an arm pressed against Dinesh, punched him the face. “Stop lashing out. You aren’t alone in here, you know.”

“Wow, this is amazing! What a rush!” Paolo roared. “I haven’t felt like this in ages, say, Neveah, can you go faster?”

“You idiot-” Dinesh screamed, but it was too late. It was like a sudden explosion of momentum, that they could even feel in here. They pressed against each other, struggling to stay in the center of Neveah’s mouth, and began to slowly slide towards the back of her throat. Or at least that’s what Dinesh assumed. They would fucking die here, fucking die, all fucking devoured and… and…

And his senses spread out in a way he never felt before, and suddenly Dinesh could feel the strange sensation of the bone rasping on the ground, rubbing smooth, the impossible hardness that could resist this friction over and over again. The Mana that she used, constantly creating a path beneath her, throwing her body forward.

But the sheer volume of Mana…. The speed… If she were to lose control-

Even their System empowered bodies would-

The flow of Mana, the damp mouth, Paolo’s laughter, the panic, his lightheadedness… everything began to swirl and mix, drawing Dinesh, and what was left-

As could be expected from an enthusiastic but childlike Bone Wurm, Neveah lost control. Or at least that’s what Dinesh assumed, because he just lost consciousness for several seconds, then found himself awoken by a slap to the face.

Blinking, he sat up, looking up at Paolo, who was grinning down at him.

“Ha! What a rush! We should do this everyday. What do you think of that, eh, Dinesh? Chills you out a little, doesn’t it?”

Dinesh looked behind Paolo to Kayle, who was walking slowly along the spine of Neveah, chatting with her. She didn’t really speak in complete sentences, but she spoke enough words to get her point across, and seemed to delight in communicating with these individuals.

They appeared to have crashed when Neveah ran into a small hill that was a bit too steep. Luckily for the three of them inside her mouth, she had twisted her body, so her back and middle regions had taken most of the impact, while her head was relatively well protected. But based on the fact that even Dinesh’s System strengthened body was knocked out by the impact, they were moving at quite the clip when they crashed.

The panic that had almost drowned Dinesh during the ride rose up again, catching fire and turning to a vicious fury, and it took several long breaths to restrain the urge to stand up and punch Paolo in the face. And based on his expression… that was exactly what he wanted! The Brawling piece of shi-

Then Dinesh paused, because he had a notification.

Congratulations! For being exposed to an extremely dangerous situation, you have obtained the Skill Curse of Fear Lvl 1.

Congratulations! For examining the flows of a great monster’s Mana, you have obtained the Blue Mage Mastery I Path.

Dinesh paused. Truthfully, considering these gains… there truly would be changes in store for his 23rd Squad. “....Well it wasn’t the worst thing ever.”

With a loud laugh, Paolo helped him to his feet and slapped his back.