Spirit Pact Hundred Scenes Record

Chapter 28 Weakness

The fall lasted longer than Karen had anticipated.

The darkness wasn't absolute—a dim, crimson glow was rapidly approaching from below, like embers burning deep underground. The air grew scorching, carrying a mixture of sulfur and a cloying, putrid odor. Karen instinctively hugged Dawn tighter; the cub's body radiated a faint warmth—at least it was alive.

He struggled to adjust his posture in mid-air, trying to land face down—perhaps that his backpack could cushion any impact. His psychic vision automatically switched on and off during the fall, the chaotic flow of psychic energy making him dizzy.

Three seconds? Or five seconds?

boom!

He crashed heavily onto a sloping crystalline structure, tumbling seven or eight times along the steep slope before finally coming to a stop. His backpack cushioned the fall, but a dull ache still lingered in his shoulders and back, and his right leg, which had struck something hard during the roll, sent a sharp, piercing pain through him.

"Hiss..." Karen gritted his teeth and propped himself up. Xiguang rolled out of his arms and lay on the crystal floor beside him, breathing weakly.

This place was far more expansive than the labyrinth above. They seemed to have fallen into a vast underground cavern, its ceiling at least thirty meters above the ground, adorned with countless clusters of luminous, dark red crystals hanging upside down, like an underground starry sky. In the center of the cavern was a raised platform made of pure black crystals, from which six channels of crystalline energy extended, connecting to the four walls of the cavern—thick, dark red energy pulsated within these channels like veins.

The most eye-catching feature is the black meteorite suspended in the center of the platform.

It was about the size of a carriage wheel, its surface covered with irregular edges and cracks, from which a chilling dark red light emanated. The meteorite slowly rotated, each rotation causing ripples in the surrounding air. Karen could feel it—not with her eyes, but through her spiritual senses—a vast, thirsty will emanating from the meteorite, pulsating rhythmically like a heart.

"That's... the source of the pollution," Karen murmured. His right wrist suddenly burned, and silver spirit patterns appeared uncontrollably, emitting a faint silver light, seemingly resisting the invisible pressure emanating from the meteorite.

"Karen!" Lydia's anxious cry came from above.

Karen looked up and saw an irregular gap in the cliff face on one side of the cave—that was where they had fallen. Through the gap, Lydia was half-exposed, next to Grom, whose face was deathly pale. The dwarf's arm was hastily bandaged with torn cloth, blood already seeping through.

"We're okay!" Karen shouted. "Find the way down! Be careful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a familiar, teeth-grinding scraping sound came from deep within the cave.

A massive figure slowly emerged from the shadows behind the platform.

It's that giant insect.

But it's different now.

The wound on its chest remained, dark red energy seeping from the crack like blood, but new, more grotesque crystalline structures had grown around it, like a scar roughly repaired with black crystal. Its size seemed larger than when it was in the upper levels, and the dark red energy flowing across its carapace was more viscous and active. Most bizarrely, its head—the mouth disc, originally scorched by the flames of dawn, now had a small crystal fragment emitting a faint white light embedded in its center.

The fragment was only the size of a fist, tightly bound and enveloped by dark red energy veins, like a parasite or a forcibly embedded trophy.

Fragments of the Soul of the Mineral Vein.

Karen's spiritual vision clearly captured the state of the fragment: it was struggling in agony, and every time the pure white light tried to spread, it was brutally suppressed and devoured by the surrounding dark red energy. But the existence of the fragment also caused a discordant "noise" in the giant worm's energy flow—the white light and dark red energy clashed with each other, forming a small, continuous energy disorder within the giant worm's body.

"It's still alive..." Karen gasped. "And it's embedded the fragments...into itself?"

"It's exploiting the fragment." Shadow's voice suddenly echoed in Karen's mind—the black cat had somehow fallen down and was now perched on a tall crystal pillar behind Karen, its silver eyes fixed on the giant worm. "The fragment of the Soul of the Mineral Vein contains pure psionic energy. Even though it's been corrupted and eroded, it's still essentially a high-concentration energy source. This fool wants to devour it to strengthen itself, but the fragment's instinctive resistance prevents it from fully digesting it, instead turning it into an unstable factor within its body."

The giant worm also spotted Karen. It let out a deep, echoing roar, and its mandibles slowly rotated, the white fragment embedded in the center flickering with the rotation, creating an eerie light and shadow effect.

Instead of attacking immediately, it slowly and cautiously adjusted its posture with dozens of pairs of limbs, its massive body positioned between Karen and the platform like a mobile fortress. It was on guard—not only against Karen, but also seemingly against the meteorite on the platform.

Karen's mind raced. Her spiritual vision was fully activated, and the giant insect's energy structure became clearly visible:

Dark red pollutant energy circulates within its body like blood, mainly concentrated beneath its carapace and at the base of its limbs—its power source. However, the energy flow is not smooth—there is significant energy leakage at the wound on its chest; in the center of its head's oral disc, a white fragment acts like a "foreign object," disrupting the continuity of energy flow and forcing the pollutant energy to detour; and on its lower abdomen, near its tail, there is a particularly dense, almost solidified, dark red energy node—its "secondary core," responsible for controlling the movement of its hindquarters.

But the truly fatal weakness remains the chest.

No, more accurately, it's deep within the chest wound, where the fragment of the Soul of the Mineral Vein was originally embedded—the fragment has now been moved to the mouth plate, but that location has been left "empty." The contaminated energy attempted to fill the void, but the damage to the energy structure caused by the forced removal of the fragment cannot be repaired immediately. That place is now the most vulnerable link in the giant worm's energy cycle, like a gash torn in its heart; although temporarily plugged with energy, the structure is extremely unstable.

Moreover, because the debris was removed, the polluting energy at that location lost its "neutralizing agent" and became abnormally violent and chaotic. It's like pouring water into boiling oil—the surface is calm, but the inside is already reacting violently.

"Its weakness is still its chest," Karen whispered, speaking both to herself and to the shadows and light that might hear, "but no longer the fragment itself, but the energy void left behind after the fragment was removed. If we create a sufficiently strong impact in that location, triggering a chain reaction of energy disturbances..."

"It will explode from the inside," Shadow continued. "The theory is correct. But there are two problems: First, how do you get close to its chest? Second, what do you use to create the impact?"

Karen looked at Xiguang in her arms. The cub struggled to lift its head, its amber eyes meeting hers with unwavering determination: I can... try again...

"No," Karen shook her head, "in your current state, you'd die if it happened again."

He looked around. Scattered on the cave floor were fragments of black crystals of varying sizes, and clusters of glowing dark red crystals hung from the ceiling. Six energy pipes connecting to the platform were pulsating slowly… Wait, pipes?

Karen's gaze settled on the nearest energy conduit. Extending from the cave wall, the conduit was about half a meter in diameter, its surface covered with a rough, black crystalline shell. Inside, dark red energy flowed at varying speeds, seemingly controlled by the pulsating rhythm of the meteorite. The conduit ran parallel to the ground at a height of two meters, eventually connecting to the area beneath the central platform.

What if... we could destroy that pipe?

The pipe contains a high concentration of contaminated energy. If it ruptures, what would be the effects of the uncontrolled energy eruption? More importantly, the pipe is connected to a meteorite on the platform—if the pipe ruptures and affects the meteorite's energy output, could it indirectly weaken the giant worm?

"Shadow," Karen stared at the pipe, "can you cut that thing?"

The black cat followed his gaze and remained silent for two seconds. "The outer shell is a crystallized psionic barrier with very high physical strength. But there are gaps in the energy fluctuations at the seams… If we break it from the inside, perhaps we can. What do you want to do?"

"Create chaos," Karen said quickly. "When the pipes rupture and energy erupts, the giant worm will definitely be affected—its internal energy and the pipes share the same origin, creating a resonant disturbance. At that point, its defenses will be breached, and I'll have a chance to get close to its chest."

"And then? Smash it in the chest with your fist?" Shadow's tone was mocking. "Even with its energy disordered, its carapace can still easily shatter your bones."

"Use this." Karen pulled something from the side pocket of her backpack—a dwarven-made "Shockwave Mine" that Grom had given her before. It was only the size of an egg, with fine runes engraved on its surface. When activated, it would generate a powerful directional shockwave, mainly used for mining and breaching walls. Grom had given her two, and Karen had kept them without using them.

"A dwarf's toy," Shadow commented, "not powerful enough to blast through its shell."

"No need to blow it through," Karen gripped the explosive mine tightly. "Just send the shockwave into the energy cavity in its chest—trigger a chain reaction from the inside. Like throwing a spark into a powder keg."

The shadow fell silent. A few seconds later, it leaped down from the crystal pillar and landed beside Karen. "The plan is foolish, with less than a 30% chance of success. But it's better than waiting to die. I'll go cut the pipes; you get ready. The cub stays here; it can't fight anymore."

Xi Guang let out a low growl of dissatisfaction, but she truly didn't even have the strength to stand up.

"Lia and Grom should be coming down soon," Karen said, looking towards the gap in the cliff face where no one had yet appeared. "Hopefully they can catch up..."

"Don't count on reinforcements," Shadow said coldly. "Just do what you're supposed to do."

Before the words were even finished, the black cat had already blended into the shadows and moved silently toward the nearest energy pipe.

The giant insect seemed to sense something. Its massive body turned in the direction the shadow had moved, its mandibles spun faster, and it emitted a low, warning hiss. But it didn't leave the front of the platform—it was guarding the meteorite, its primary task.

The shadow moved with incredible speed. It leaped and flashed through the shadows, appearing each time in the pipe's blind spot. A few seconds later, it was directly beneath the pipe, its body pressed against the rough crystalline shell.

Karen held her breath.

He saw the shadow extend its forepaws—not paw pads, but translucent, gleaming claws that sprang from the paw pads, as if formed from solidified shadow. The claws pressed gently against the seams of the pipe casing and began to cut slowly and steadily.

There was no sound, but Karen's spiritual vision saw that the energy barrier at the seam was being eroded and dissolved by some deeper dark force. The claws of the shadow themselves were like an "energy vacuum," forcibly pushing away and annihilating the polluted energy wherever they went.

Ten seconds. Twenty seconds.

The giant worm's unease grew increasingly apparent. It began to slowly move towards the shadows, but maintained a safe distance from the platform.

Suddenly, a small crack appeared on the surface of the pipe.

The crack widened rapidly, emitting a crackling sound like shattering crystals. The shadow jerked back, almost simultaneously—

boom!!!!

The pipe burst open.

It wasn't an explosion, but an energy eruption. Dark red, highly concentrated polluting energy surged out of the crack like a burst dam, forming an energy column over a meter in diameter that slammed into the opposite cave wall. The black crystals on the cave wall rapidly melted and vaporized under the energy impact, the entire cave shook violently, and countless crystal fragments fell from the cave ceiling.

The giant insect emitted a sharp, painful hiss!

Its massive body convulsed violently, the dark red energy glow on its carapace flickering erratically, like a short circuit. The energy in the conduit was of the same origin as the energy within its body, and the sudden burst of energy triggered a strong resonant disorder—like a portion of the blood in a person suddenly running rampant out of control.

It's now!

Karen burst from behind the crystal shards where he was hiding, his right hand gripping the activated Shockwave Blast Thunder—the runes were heating up and emitting a low hum. He sprinted towards the giant worm at full speed, the stinging pain in his right leg suppressed by the adrenaline rush.

The giant insect spotted him. It barely managed to control its chaotic state, turning its mouth disc towards Karen, but the rotation speed noticeably slowed, and its movements became much sluggish. It attempted to spew acid, but the acid only accumulated at the edge of its mouth disc and failed to be ejected—the energy disorder affected the function of its attack organs.

Thirty meters. Twenty meters.

Karen could smell the stench emanating from the giant insect, a mixture of sulfur and decay. He could see the viscous energy flowing across its carapace and the white fragment in the center of its mouth disc flickering wildly—the fragment itself was resisting the chaos, trying to stabilize the surrounding energy.

ten meters.

The giant insect suddenly raised one of its forelimbs and slammed it down on Karen like a battering ram!

Karen tumbled to the side, her forelegs grazing his back as she slammed into the ground, creating a shallow crater. Debris and crystal shards splattered all over her. She rolled to her feet and continued charging forward.

five meters.

He could now clearly see the details of the crack on the giant worm's chest—dark red energy seeped from it like lava, and the crystalline structure at the crack's edges was rough and fragile, like a hastily repaired scar. Deep within the crack, he could vaguely see chaotic vortexes of energy flow, which was the location of the void.

The giant insect's other forelimb swept across!

Karen didn't dodge—and there was no way to dodge. He gritted his teeth, concentrated all his strength in his right hand, and hurled the explosive grenade with all his might toward the crack in his chest!

At the same time, he curled up, using his backpack and arms to protect his head and neck.

The explosive mine traced an arc and flew precisely into the depths of the crack.

The forelimb struck Karen.

He felt as if he had been hit head-on by a galloping carriage, his whole body flying backward, a suffocating pain shooting through his chest, and at least one rib broken. He tumbled through the air, crashing heavily onto the crystal ground ten meters away, sliding several meters before coming to a stop.

The world is spinning, and the tinnitus is piercing.

But he forced himself to lift his head and look at the giant insect.

Time seemed to slow down.

Deep within the crack in the giant worm's chest, a flash of white light appeared—the light of the fully activated runes of the Explosive Lightning.

Then--

There was no loud noise, but a deep, muffled sound, as if coming from the depths of the earth. The giant insect's massive body suddenly froze, all its limbs straightening and tensing simultaneously.

At the crack, dark red energy light flickered wildly, faster and brighter.

The white fragments suddenly burst forth with blinding white light—it was the final act of defiance from the soul of the mine.

next second.

The giant insect's chest exploded from the inside.

It wasn't an explosion, but a "bloom." Dark red energy erupted from the crack like blooming petals, mixing with shattered crystals, carapace fragments, and viscous black fluid. The shockwave spread in a ring, lifting and blowing away all the crystal fragments on the surrounding ground.

The giant worm let out a final, indescribably mournful screech, a sound filled with pain, rage, and a hint of... relief?

Its massive body slowly tilted backward, crashing to the ground and causing another tremor. The dark red light on its carapace quickly dimmed and went out. The white fragment in the center of its mouth plate broke off and rolled to the ground, its white light flickering a few times before finally extinguishing completely, turning into an ordinary, grayish-white crystal.

It's dead.

Only the hissing sound of the energy pipes ruptured and the rustling of debris falling from the cave ceiling remained in the cave.

Karen lay on the ground, gasping for breath, each breath accompanied by a tearing pain in her chest. But she smiled.

"It's...it's a success..."

A shadowy figure silently appeared beside him, its silver eyes glancing at him before turning to the giant insect's corpse. "It's not over yet. The meteorite is still there."

Karen followed its gaze to the center of the platform.

The black meteorite remained suspended and spinning. But the ruptured energy conduit seemed to be affecting it—the pulsating dark red light on its surface became unstable, flickering between bright and dim. The surrounding air ripples also became erratic.

Finally, a figure appeared at the gap in the cliff.

Leah and Grom descended using ropes. Leah rushed towards Karen as soon as she landed, while Grom cautiously surveyed the cave, his gaze finally settling on the giant worm's corpse and the meteorite, his expression grave.

"You're alive!" Leah knelt beside Karen, checking his injuries. "You might have broken ribs, and your leg is injured... but you're alive!"

"Dawn..." Karen said with difficulty.

"The cub is alright, it's just unconscious," Leah said quickly. "But we have to leave now. The energy eruption and the battle were too loud; they'll attract all the monsters still alive in the labyrinth—"

Before she finished speaking, a dense crawling sound came from the shadows around the cave.

More and closer than before.

Shadow's ears perked up, its silver eyes scanning the darkness. "At least twenty... small guards. And something else is approaching."

Grom gripped his warhammer tightly, despite his injured arm trembling. "There's no turning back. The breach above is blocked by a landslide too."

Karen struggled to sit up, looking at the meteorite on the platform, then at the approaching shadows deep within the cave.

"Then..." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "take care of that thing before they get here."

The silver spirit runes on his wrist lit up again, pointing in the direction of the meteorite.

This time, there were no giant insects blocking their way from the source of pollution.

But only a few minutes remained.