Ex-Human Morphus [A Mutant Evolution Apocalypse LitRPG]
Chapter 164

Chapter 164

The abomination ripped the two faces, still bearing some meat, out of its own body and held them out in front of itself. The flesh clinging to the faces quickly reshaped, transforming into heads with numerous long legs that disturbingly resembled giant human fingers. This entire process took only two seconds: one for the monster to tear the faces protruding from its body and another for them to morph into bizarre, spider-like creatures that looked like human heads with eight finger-like legs. Each of the two creatures held in the monster’s hands let out a piercing cry, their mouths wide open to reveal rows of jagged teeth.

The giant then hurled the spider-like creatures toward Jake. One of them fell to the waterlogged floor and immediately began to scurry in his direction, sending small splashes of murky water in various directions. The other struck the right-hand wall and clung to it like an oversized insect. Turning toward him, the second head-spider skittered along the wall, quickly closing in. Jake held his ground. While agile and unsettling, the creatures didn’t appear particularly dangerous, and he doubted he’d have any trouble dealing with them.

A series of sickeningly wet and ripping sounds prompted Jake to shift his gaze back to the abomination, which remained rooted in the same spot. He saw that the two gouges in its body, where the faces had been ripped from, had already filled back in with flesh and even regrown the faces. The monster was currently tearing away two more faces. As soon as it was done, the beast hurled them forward, and they quickly transformed into head-spiders while still in the air.

Once they hit the ground, they immediately scuttled toward him through the filthy water that covered the tunnel floor. The ragged holes in the abomination’s body were beginning to regenerate while the beast proceeded to rip away two more faces. However, Jake was pleased to see that the wounds he had inflicted on the monster were mending at a much slower rate than the ragged holes left in its body where it had ripped away pieces of its own flesh.

The first two head-spiders had already reached him. The one scampering along the wall suddenly leaped with the speed of a released spring. Jake reacted quickly, slashing at it with his left hand and striking the obnoxious creature midair. His talons easily sliced through some of its finger-legs. When the spider-like monster splashed into the murky water beside Jake, he immediately stomped on it, crushing its cranium and killing the creature instantly.

The second head-spider leaped from the floor, soaring surprisingly high as it aimed for Jake’s head. The creature was fast, but unfortunately for it, Jake’s reflexes were much sharper. He snatched the monster from the air with his right hand and immediately clenched it in his smashfist, easily turning the monster’s head into a pulp. He then opened his hand, allowing the remnants of the creature to drop into the water below.

More head-spiders surged toward him, splashing through the murky water and scuttling along the tunnel walls. The abomination appeared to have an endless supply of those obnoxious creatures. As soon as the beast tore a face from its body, the resulting ragged hole rapidly filled back in with flesh, regenerating the face once more. It was turning into a nuisance. While the head-spiders didn’t seem to pose any real danger, dealing with them prevented him from focusing on his main opponent.

Jake continued to fight head-spiders, killing one after another while wondering if there was an end in sight. Just then, Feral Instincts alerted him to imminent danger, warning of a projectile racing toward his head. Reacting instantly, he ducked just as something zipped past him at remarkable speed. Seizing the opportunity created by his momentary distraction, one of the small creatures lunged, biting down hard on his left ankle. However, while its teeth were incredibly sharp, they couldn’t pierce his hardened skin. Nevertheless, the creature continued its relentless assault.

Feral Instincts flared up in his mind again, alerting him to another projectile racing toward him. As he darted aside, he noticed yet another one hurtling through the air. He ducked just in time, successfully evading it as well. The head-spider continued to gnaw at his ankle, but Jake ignored it. A quick glance at the abomination revealed it tearing two chunks of flesh from its enormous body. So this was the monster’s second special ability. The beast then hurled the pieces at him with tremendous force. Jake dodged one, but the second grazed his side. While the pulpy pieces of flesh couldn’t cause serious damage, the sheer power behind them was enough to stagger him. The impact threw him off balance for a moment, but he managed to regain his footing—at least for a little while. However, another head-spider clamped down on his other leg and pulled. This time, Jake succumbed to the force and fell.

He collapsed onto his back, splashing dirty water everywhere. The rest of the spider-creatures were immediately on him, burying their sharp teeth into various parts of his body. Even though they couldn’t penetrate his hardened carapace, the creatures continued their futile gnawing. It was quickly becoming infuriating. He grabbed one of the spider-creatures with his right hand and crushed it in his smashfist. He then took hold of another one, which was chewing on his side, and ripped it free from his body. He threw the creature across the tunnel with such force its cranium shattered upon striking the brick wall.

One by one, he killed the spider-creatures that were chewing on him. As soon as all of them were dealt with, he suddenly heard a tremendous roar. He quickly sat up, staring ahead. The abomination burst into a sprint toward him, splashing water everywhere and causing the tunnel walls to tremble with each powerful step. The monster was surprisingly quick for its size. Just as Jake jumped to his feet, the beast reached him and swung one of its arms, but he managed to duck just in time.

The monster swung its other arm at him, and this time, Jake wasn’t fortunate enough to avoid being hit. The powerful blow sent him flying across the tunnel, crashing into the brick wall on his left. The impact left him stunned. For a moment, he couldn’t think straight, and the world swirled before his eyes. Just as he scrambled to his feet, standing on shaky legs and feeling unsteady, the abomination approached him. Before Jake could react, the monster seized him in one massive hand and lifted him off the ground.

Jake felt immense pressure as the monster tightened its grip around him. While his right arm was pinned against his body within the creature’s colossal fist, his left arm was free to move. Raising him close to its face, the abomination opened its mouth as if in preparation to take a bite. In response, Jake raised his left hand, transformed into claws, and swung them at the creature’s face. However, just as his talons were about to make contact, the monster intercepted his arm with its other hand. For a moment, it simply held his arm tightly. Jake struggled to free himself, but the beast was far too strong. Then, with a swift motion, the abomination yanked, effortlessly ripping his left arm from his body at the shoulder.

All the eyes scattered across the monster’s face locked onto him as it let out a triumphant roar. Then, the creature hurled him forward, sending him flying a few meters down the tunnel. He collapsed face-first onto the waterlogged floor, splashing water everywhere. Before he could even process what had just happened, he sensed something happening behind him. He quickly rolled onto his back to look at the monster. The abomination had dropped to all fours and opened its mouth wide, bringing its chin down so low it almost touched the floor. The monster then inhaled deeply, sucking the air in with tremendous force, utilizing its third ability.

Jake felt himself being dragged along the slick floor toward the abomination’s open maw. He managed to roll back onto his stomach, desperately reaching out with his now-only hand for any purchase but finding nothing. As he was pulled closer and closer to the monster’s gaping mouth, he continued desperately searching the waterlogged floor for handholds, but there were none. Every attempt to anchor himself yielded no results. A second later, his lower body was sucked into the abomination’s throat. The beast immediately stood up, tilting its head back. In the next instant, it swallowed Jake whole.

Darkness enveloped him as he found himself in the abomination’s belly. The beast’s acidic stomach fluid quickly started to digest him, dealing some serious damage to his body. Thinking fast, Jake reverted his smashfist to a regular hand and extended a sword from his wrist. He drove the blade into the monster’s flesh in front of him. It met some resistance, but he soon felt it slice cleanly through. Summoning all his strength, he pulled the sword downward, carving a deep vertical slit into the monster’s torso.

He took a step forward, forcing himself through the opening he had just carved in the giant’s body. He landed back onto the damp, waterlogged tunnel floor and quickly rose to his feet. After sprinting a few yards ahead, he turned around, prepared to defend against any further assaults from his opponent. However, the beast didn’t come at him anymore. The abomination had a huge, deep vertical gash in its midsection. The monster looked at him with surprise in its numerous eyes, as if not quite comprehending how he had managed to escape from its belly. The giant took a step forward, then another, before abruptly sinking to its knees. Jake raised his sword, ready to plunge it into the center of the monster’s hideous face to deliver the final blow.

However, there was no need for that. The abomination began to sag, and moments later, its colossal body crashed face-first onto the tunnel floor with a deafening thud, sending torrents of murky water cascading in all directions. Immediately afterward, several system messages flashed through his mind.

Enemy killed. +2,500 XP

Hunt complete. You have gained 25,000 XP and 50,000 MP.

You have gained enough XP to level up. Your level has gone up from 74 to 77. You have gained 15 SP.

So, he had leveled up three times, earning a total of 15 skill points, which wasn’t bad. However, his left arm, which had been torn off, had him worried. Would it grow back?