The Forsaken Heir's Ascension
Chapter 78: Trapped on a Living Beast

Chapter 78: Trapped on a Living Beast

Alex leaned back against the trunk of the tree, waiting for the group to calm down. After a while, Kaelan’s laughter faded, and the girls’ accusatory glances finally eased.

Raising his head, Alex looked at each of them one by one and asked, "So... what’s the plan?"

Everyone’s attention snapped back to him—girls still glaring, Kaelan’s smile creeping back onto his face.

Before anyone could answer, Meika pondered, Where can we even find the door out of here? We can’t sit around these trees forever, especially not while we’re literally on the back of a giant maggot.

"Ugh, it’s too much!" she suddenly screamed in frustration.

Realizing what she’d just blurted out, she slapped her hand over her mouth and mumbled, "Did I say that out loud?"

Kaelan burst into laughter from the other side of the tree. "Hahaha! Yes, you did."

The girls gave Meika sympathetic looks. She sighed, pulled herself together, and said in a calmer voice, "Why don’t we check its mouth first?"

Alex’s eyes widened. He pointed toward the swarm of maggots below. "Are you serious? Have you seen their mouths? They’re full of disgusting slime."

The girls turned to him, horrified.

Lyra pointed a trembling finger at him. "You’re saying that’s less disgusting than..."

Alex nodded solemnly. "Yes. There’s nothing coming out of their... um, rear ends. Look." He pointed again at the maggots beneath them.

Kaelan joined in, laughing. "He’s right, you know. Hahaha!"

Lyra looked at both boys like she was seriously considering murder.

Meika raised a hand and said calmly, "Okay, okay. Let’s all calm down."

After a short pause, she added with reluctant energy, "We... we’ll go with Alex’s idea."

"WHAT?!" both girls screamed in unison.

Kaelan, clearly enjoying himself, said, "We shouldn’t waste any more time. Let’s go for an—"

"Shut it, you creep!" Lyra snapped, veins popping on her forehead.

Rina murmured, barely audible, "Are we... really going in there?"

Meika responded with a defeated expression, "Yes. We have to."

Alex stood up, eyes determined. "Let’s go."

As they moved around the fleshy landscape of the maggot’s body, the girls walked like they were tiptoeing across lava—one wrong step, and they’d burn to a crisp. Their nervous, anxious expressions and the sweat dripping from their foreheads were impossible to miss.

From time to time, the colossal maggot would shift, raising parts of its back like mountainous ridges around them—or worse, in front of them—forcing them to navigate carefully to avoid sliding down.

As the day dragged on, night began to fall. The sunless sky darkened, and they climbed into the twisted trees that sprouted from the creature’s back to rest.

While Alex, Kaelan, and Hati quietly dined, the girls couldn’t even stomach a single bite. Lyra vomited after just a sip of water.

Clinging to the tree, her body trembling, Lyra sobbed, "When are we going to get out of here? It’s too much. The creepy, slimy feeling—it’s too much."

Tears ran down her face as she hugged the tree like it was the only comfort in a world of writhing horror.

Rina and Meika looked at her with sympathy, their own eyes shimmering with tears.

As the night deepened, the boys and Hati drifted off to sleep amidst the constant, sickening sounds of slithering and crunching.

"Are you guys awake?" Rina whispered.

"Yes," Lyra replied hoarsely. "I can’t sleep with these sounds all around us."

"I’m awake too," Meika added.

"Are you hungry?" Rina asked quietly.

Lyra grimaced. "I’m starving... but if I eat, I know I’ll throw up everything."

"Same here," Meika said in a low voice.

"My stomach won’t stop growling," Rina whispered, her voice trembling. "I’m so hungry... but the feeling of all this... it just makes me sick."

Meika nodded in the darkness. "You’re normal. Those boys, they’re not. How can anyone eat surrounded by this?"

Then the night grew even quieter—until:

Crunch.

Crunch.

It sounded like a colossal being was chewing through the world itself.

A cold shiver ran through the girls. Their tired eyelids flew open, wide and alert.

None of the boys stirred—they were too deep in their dream world to hear anything.

As the crunching echoed through this grotesque world of slime and maggots, the night slowly gave way to morning.

The girls, eyes wide and rimmed with red, now had dark circles under them. Morning light revealed their exhausted expressions—haunted but awake.

Alex and Kaelan stirred from their peaceful slumber, Hati beginning his usual morning routine by bounding across the maggot-flesh.

Kaelan glanced at the girls. Seeing their faces, he chuckled with his usual creepy grin. "Did you guys not sleep?"

All three girls slowly turned to look at him. Their cold, red-veined eyes stared him down with the silent promise of violence. In that moment, Kaelan felt like a cornered animal surrounded by three wild cats—one wrong move, and the claws would fly.

Sweat trickled down his spine. He gulped.

Damn... they’re really out for blood.

On another tree nearby, Alex casually washed his face and started eating breakfast. Hati returned, wagging his tail as they both ate together.

Then Alex said, without even glancing at the others, "Let’s leave after breakfast."

At that, the girls’ deadly stares shifted from Kaelan to the oblivious Alex.

Kaelan let out a shaky breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. He thought Thanks, man... I owe you one.

After finishing his breakfast, Alex stood up, came down the decayed tree, followed by Hati, and started moving. As he walked a little farther, he looked behind and saw no one had moved from their place.

Alex shouted, "Don’t you guys want to leave this place?"

Kaelan climbed down the tree with a nervous expression and ran toward Alex like he was avoiding something truly dangerous.

The girls also came down quickly and followed behind.

Alex led the way, Hati still in his playful mood.

They approached the edge—it looked like the world ended there. Beyond it, there was nothing. Just void.

Everyone’s eyes widened. They instinctively took steps back.

Alex muttered thoughtfully, "So this is where its body ends?"

Meika nodded in horror.

"Let’s move along the edge," Alex said, still in that calm tone.

Strangely enough, Kaelan also nodded quietly.

As they moved along, they noticed the pale white body of a colossal worm writhing from time to time.

Then, they came across a massive, decayed tree growing from the edge. Its roots clung to the vertical cliff like claws, desperately holding on. It reached toward the sky, branches stretching far and wide. Even without leaves, it formed a thick canopy, casting a complete shadow. Half of it extended out over the void, the other half bent back toward the land.

Alex walked closer to the edge and looked down at the base of the tree. There, near the clawing roots, was a circular dark hole.

He looked at everyone and said calmly, "There’s a cave-like opening near this tree. I think it’s the place we’re searching for."

The girls stepped back in horror.

Then, as if something snapped inside them, resolve came to their faces. Tears welled in their eyes, but they nodded.

We have to get out of here. We have to get out of here.

Alex approached the thick shaft of the tree sticking out from the edge and climbed down carefully, followed by Hati, then by silent Kaelan.

When they reached the hole, it was worse than expected.

Black, sticky slime covered the walls in concentric rings. The stench—like rotting flesh mixed with something even fouler—hit their noses hard, making their eyes tear up, their stomachs churn.

Alex quickly took out a small black cloth and covered the lower half of his face.

Kaelan covered his nose with both hands and looked at Alex with resentment.

Hati scratched his nose for a bit, then stopped. Alex looked at him and said, "Looks like you’ve adapted."

The girls climbed down slowly, landing one by one near the hole.

The nauseating stench overwhelmed them instantly. Green fluid burst from their mouths as they vomited non-stop.

Meika fumbled through her spatial ring, pulled out a small black t-shirt, and wrapped it tightly around her face.

She shouted, gasping, "Make a mask from any clothes you have!"

Lyra and Rina immediately followed, barely holding themselves together.

Alex glanced at the others. Seeing they were managing, he stepped inside the hole.

Squelch!

The sound echoed inside their heads like something crawling under their skin. Even Kaelan flinched. The girls froze, expressions twisted with disgust.

Meika shouted under her makeshift mask, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Alex pointed inside the hole, his voice deadpan, "There are stairs here."

"WHAT?!" they all shouted at once, even Kaelan.

Alex gave them a weird look.

What are these guys thinking? We’re not here for a picnic. Obviously, we’re here to get out... so why are they acting like this?

Lyra’s voice cracked, trembling with panic, "No, no, no... Please say we don’t have to go through this... please..."

Rina and Meika were at the brink of collapse.

Kaelan screamed, "Fuuuuuckkkkinggggg maggots!"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Are we going?"

Meika snapped, "YES! For God’s sake, give us a moment!"

Alex nodded and waited.

Their breathing slowed. Their expressions shifted. Fear gave way to grim determination. Like warriors walking to their death, they prepared themselves.

Alex got the cue.

He stepped forward.

Squelch.

A shudder ran through everyone following behind him.

They reached the stairs—slime-covered, spiraling downward into the abyss. The air grew heavier with each step. The foul smell clung to their skin like a curse.

And then, they saw it.

A massive black metal door.

Golden letters shimmered faintly across its surface.

"TOMB OF DEAD"

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