Chapter 86: Don’t Breathe
Owen walked carefully through the swamp bushes.
He slowly pushed the branches aside and examined the ground before taking each step. The fear on his face was obvious, and he kept glancing toward the trees as if he expected a swarm of mosquitoes to appear at any moment.
Behind him walked Liam, Lydia, Chuck, and Emily.
Chuck eyed Owen suspiciously.
"Are you sure you’re taking us along the right path?"
Owen quickly nodded.
"Yes. I’m sure."
"You’re not trying to avoid our objective, are you?"
"No."
Owen swallowed.
"I wouldn’t lie to you."
Liam looked at Chuck.
"Even though he’s scared, he knows what he needs to do for us to complete the dungeon."
Chuck looked at Owen again.
The man immediately raised both hands.
"I’m scared! That doesn’t mean I’m lying!"
Emily burst out laughing.
"There’s no need to be afraid of a man who sleeps with his childhood blanket."
Lydia raised an eyebrow.
"Is that true?"
Chuck’s expression became completely serious.
"You could say I have a sensitive side."
"A blanket?"
"Yes."
"And you still sleep with it?"
Chuck sighed.
"Don’t make fun of me for that."
Lydia smiled.
"That’s cute."
"Thanks."
Chuck continued walking while Emily laughed behind him.
Then...
Bzzzzzz...
The buzzing of mosquitoes could be heard in the distance.
But this time, it sounded much closer.
Owen froze.
"Are they here?"
Liam raised his hand.
"Everyone, stay still."
The group remained silent as the buzzing slowly spread through the trees.
None of them moved until the sound began to fade into the distance.
Chuck let out the breath he had been holding.
"This is starting to get ridiculous."
Then he looked at his mud-covered clothes.
"What if we cover ourselves in mud? Maybe we can hide our scent that way."
Liam thought for a few seconds.
"There’s no need."
Chuck looked at him.
"No?"
"I can think of a better way."
Liam looked at Lydia.
"Can you use your Split Slime ability?"
Lydia immediately understood.
"You want me to cover them?"
"Yes."
Lydia smiled.
"Sure."
Her body began to deform.
Small green masses began to detach from her.
Four in total.
The small slimy creatures fell into the mud and began moving toward the others.
Owen took a step back.
"What... what are they doing?"
Liam raised his hands.
"Relax. It’s safe."
One of the small slimy creatures began climbing up Owen’s leg.
"Trust us."
Owen looked down.
"My day couldn’t get any stranger."
Chuck burst out laughing.
"Trust me, it can."
Emily watched as the small slimy creature approached her.
Her expression showed some discomfort.
"Oh..."
Lydia looked at her.
"What’s wrong?"
"Sorry."
Emily grimaced.
"But I can’t help feeling a little grossed out."
Lydia smiled.
"Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it."
The four small slimes began covering them. First their legs, then their torsos. Finally, their arms and parts of their necks.
All four of them were covered in a thin layer of green slime, forming something resembling a suit.
Lydia had left small openings around their noses and mouths so they could breathe.
Emily moved her arms.
"It has a slimy texture."
Chuck started laughing.
"It tickles."
Liam looked at his own slime-covered body.
"Well..."
He crouched down.
"Now we can continue."
He looked at the others.
"But stay low. We don’t want them to see us."
Everyone nodded.
The group continued following Owen.
◇◆◇
The deeper they went, the stranger the plants became.
At first, there were small white flowers. Then they began to grow. Some reached the size of a head. Others were even larger.
Their petals looked like open jaws.
Owen glanced at one of them and quickened his pace.
"We’re close."
Liam looked around.
"How much farther?"
"A few minutes."
Bzzzzzz...
The buzzing could be heard again, this time much closer.
Chuck covered his nose.
"And it smells worse and worse."
Liam realized that the smell was different from the rest of the swamp.
Stronger.
And then he noticed something strange in the air.
A barely visible mist floated between the trees.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
"Wait."
Everyone stopped.
"What is it?"
Liam pointed ahead.
"There’s something in the air."
Emily looked carefully.
"A mist?"
"Not exactly."
Liam felt a little dizzy and put a hand to his head.
"It’s affecting me."
Lydia immediately approached him.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Try to absorb it."
Lydia nodded, and her body began to expand.
A message appeared before Liam’s eyes.
[Your slime has consumed spores.]
[Your slime has learned Spore.]
Liam looked at the mist again.
"Listen."
Everyone looked at him.
"Don’t breathe this in."
Emily frowned.
"Do you think it’s poisonous?"
"I don’t know."
Liam pointed toward the plants.
"But it could be some kind of attack from that giant plant."
Chuck nodded.
"Then let’s stop breathing."
"Exactly."
Liam turned around.
"Owen, how much farther?"
There was no response.
"Owen?"
Liam looked behind him.
The man was lying unconscious on the ground.
"Owen."
Liam took a step toward him, and then he heard a sound.
Crack.
The roots began to move.
Emily was trapped. Several roots had emerged from the swamp floor and coiled around her legs.
"Emily!"
She tried to break free.
"I can’t move!"
Liam quickly turned and saw Chuck standing completely still with his eyes closed. He looked like he was asleep.
"Chuck?"
There was no response.
A chill ran down Liam’s spine.
"Lydia..."
She was standing beside him. Her expression had become completely serious.
"Liam."
"What?"
"They’re attacking us."
The roots began spreading across the ground.
One of them passed beside Liam’s boot.
Another appeared behind him.
The entire swamp began to move.
The white flowers slowly opened, as if they were waking up.
And then...
Bzzzzzzzzzz...
The buzzing of hundreds of mosquitoes began filling the air around them.
"So they finally found us."
Lydia looked toward the depths of the swamp.
There, among the trees, a gigantic silhouette began to rise.
It was a plant with a gigantic flower.
Its white petals slowly opened, revealing a dark interior filled with movement.
Thousands of tiny black dots began pouring out of it.
Mosquitoes.
Liam raised his gun.
"Now we really have a problem."
The roots lunged at him.
Liam jumped to the side.
"Lydia!"
"I’m here!"
The slimy substance covering her body partially detached and spread toward the roots.
Liam watched as the enormous plant began to open completely.
’Without a doubt, we’ve found the culprit.’