Chapter 245: The Hand-Shaped Sand

Walking through the dark narrow passage, Thoren could hear nothing but the sound of his own boots. The cathedral hall had many small rooms, most of which were empty, filled with cobwebs and sand.

However, Thoren was not disappointed by this lack of treasure.

“I am only a few experience points away from leveling up,” he whispered under his breath.

The last battle had pushed him closer to becoming Level 6, and he could not wait to level up. Thus, he hoped this ruin would give him the chance he needed.

More importantly, he hoped he would be lucky enough to find clues for his trial.

Although he knew the chance was close to zero, there was nothing wrong with hoping for the best.

Finally, he came out of the dark passage and appeared in a small opening that looked like a special courtyard.

The courtyard seemed to have sunk deep into the ground. Rows of broken pews were half submerged in thick, blood tinged sand.

The aisle narrowed toward the prayer altar at the center, but the ground pulsed faintly with each heartbeat.

Staring at the pulsating ground, Thoren could not help but crease his brow in suspicion.

With each step he took, the ground moved. Not only moved, but the sand formed hand-like shapes reaching upward.

Seeing this, Thoren could not help but stop in his tracks. He stared intently at the sand, but the hand-like shapes had already vanished.

’What is going on?’ He knew something was hiding beneath the sand, but he could not pinpoint what it was.

More importantly, the hand-like shapes closely resembled human palms reaching for help.

To be safe, he commanded his undead servant to move ahead while he stared intently at the ground.

Just as he predicted, the ground moved again, and the hand-like shapes appeared, reaching upward with desperate urgency.

To Thoren’s astonishment, the hands burst out of the ground, targeting the undead servant’s legs and joints.

More importantly, they were not a single creature but clusters of many small beasts.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In a single blink, they had attacked the undead servant from all angles. They tore through its robes, trying to burrow into its body.

Huh!

A sharp breath escaped from Thoren’s lips when he saw the terrible scene before him.

[Veinlurker Larvae]

[Level: 26]

[Attributes: Strength 42, Constitution 46, Agility 72, Spirit 10, Defense 38]

[Traits:]

– Hive Aggression: Gains stacking attack speed and damage the more larvae are present in battle.

– Deep Sand Phase: Can remain underground for long periods and launch coordinated ambushes from below.

– Feeding Surge: Restores small amounts of energy when dealing bleeding damage by feeding on enemies’ blood.

[Skills:]

– Coordinated Eruption: Multiple larvae burst out simultaneously from the sand, overwhelming their targets.

– Tendon Ripper: A focused attack that greatly reduces movement speed and rips tendons apart.

– Blood Scent Rush: Becomes faster and more aggressive when attacking injured or bleeding enemies.

Looking at one of the Veinlurker larvae, Thoren felt his scalp tingling with fear. Attacking the undead servant were hundreds of larvae, and each of them was a Level 26 beast.

’Terrifying,’ he thought to himself.

The Veinlurker Larvae were small, pale, worm-like creatures with semi translucent skin, revealing faint pulsing veins beneath their bodies.

Their circular mouths were lined with rows of tiny, hooked teeth designed specifically to tear flesh.

Their movements were fluid, like liquid sand flowing across the ground.

Sha! Sha! Sha!

The sound of their sharp teeth gnawing on the undead servant’s bones echoed in the still atmosphere, sending shivers down Thoren’s spine.

He could not imagine if the undead servant had been a living human instead. The pain and the agony made his muscles stiffen with horror.

’I cannot stay much longer here,’ he thought, his expression turning grim.

’Kill,’ he gave the mental command to his undead servant.

Since the moment the Veinlurker Larvae had appeared, less than twenty seconds had passed, and the undead servant was already on the brink of falling into the sand.

This was simply because it was undead and could not feel any pain or fear.

For normal humans, they would have been long devoured by now.

Receiving his master’s command, the undead servant swung its weapon with all its might.

Bang! Bang!

To Thoren’s shock, instead of the number of Veinlurker Larvae being reduced, even more erupted from the sand.

Their tiny teeth gnawed on every part of the undead servant. Its black robe had long vanished completely.

Devoured.

Worst of all, its bones were not safe either. They were being eaten at a visibly fast speed.

“This is terrible,” Thoren muttered.

Thoren could not believe his own eyes. Without hesitating, he summoned one more Elite undead to join the desperate battle.

This time, the new undead wielded a massive hammer.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The undead servant’s hammer struck heavily on the ground, but instead of the Veinlurker Larvae retreating, they pounced on it with equal ferocity.

But unlike the first undead, the hammer proved effective against the swarming creatures.

’This cannot continue like this,’ he shook his head and thought for a moment.

[Awakening Soul]

Without any hesitation, he released the full might of his Awakening Soul upon the battlefield. For a single moment, the Veinlurker Larvae trembled and froze in place.

They were disoriented by the overwhelming pressure.

But quickly, they resumed their attack. This time, however, their attacking speed had been reduced by half.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With the might of the Awakening Soul empowering them, the undead servants began to fight back relentlessly against the horde.

Their deep, hollow eyes burned fiercely with soul fire as they struck down one larva after another.

One after another, the Veinlurker Larvae fell dead onto the bloodied sand.

[Experience Gained]

[Experience Gained]

The notifications echoed in Thoren’s mind, but Thoren was too focused to care about them. His perception had picked up new presences coming his way from deep within the passage.

****

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