At that moment, something unexpected happened.
A sudden, powerful suction pulled from deep within the worm's open maw and dragged everything toward it.
Ben's pickaxe struck something hard inside with a deafening clang.
The impact reverberated through his entire body.
It felt like he had hit solid metal.
A strange vibration ran through his arms and made his hands go numb.
Before he could react, a message flickered across his vision.
[Please upgrade the pickaxe to harvest this material.]
The shock froze him in place for a heartbeat.
For the worm, that pause had the opposite effect.
It regained control of its body and lashed out with its tail.
The thick tail became a blur as it cut through the air.
BAM!!
The impact hit Ben like a speeding truck.
It sent him flying backward through the tunnel.
His vision blurred and all the air rushed out of his lungs.
Before he could slam into the hard ground, a gust of wind caught him in mid-air.
The wind slowed his momentum and nudged him sideways so he came to a stop beside Elvira.
At the same time, his injured arm was already starting to heal.
The dull ache faded, and he felt movement return to his fingers.
He flexed his hand, testing it.
"You're too reckless!" Elvira said.
Her voice carried clear concern.
"My beloved, you can't keep fighting like this.
Without enough biomass, your regeneration is severely limited!"
Ben glanced at his system display.
[Biomass: 29]
"Don't worry, I've still got enough to get by," he said.
It was not a large amount, but for damage like this, it was more than enough to keep him moving.
He looked at Elvira. "What about you?
Do you have enough mana left?"
Elvira sighed and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. "Not much," she admitted. "I can still cast regular spells, but for something big, like the fusion magic I used to become the king ant, not a chance."
Ben frowned, but he was not surprised.
She had already pushed herself to the brink.
She had collapsed from mana exhaustion earlier, then woken up and started casting again without rest.
It only proved how much mana she had and what kind of potential she held as a mage.
A normal spellcaster would have been finished by now.
"Alright, just do what you can to support me," Ben said.
Elvira stared at him in disbelief. "What?
You just got smacked down, and now you're going back for more?"
Ben did not answer.
He floated forward again, his eyes steady.
After that last clash and the system notification, a clear idea had formed in his mind.
He might not be able to harvest whatever was inside the worm, but he was sure of one thing.
The creature could not break his pickaxe.
The worm lashed out again.
Its tail swept through the air with terrifying speed.
This time, Ben was ready.
He braced himself and raised the pickaxe to meet the blow.
BAM!
The force rattled his arms, but he held his ground.
"Gust!" Elvira shouted.
A burst of wind surged from behind him and pushed him forward.
The wind kept him from being thrown back by the impact.
Ben used the opening and kicked at the cracked spot on the worm's skin with all his strength.
BAM!
His foot landed solidly.
The worm hardly reacted, but Ben felt a small tremor run through its massive body.
It's working, he thought, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
After that, the fight turned into a simple brawl.
The worm kept to a few predictable patterns.
It either tried to bite with its jaws or sweep him away with its tail.
Ben watched its movements and learned to read the signs.
He used the pickaxe to deflect each attack, then stayed on the offensive.
Every time he blocked, he followed up with a kick to the same damaged spot.
After a few solid hits, he reinforced his legs with his carapace armor.
He shaped the armor at the tip of his foot into a sharp, blade-like edge to increase the impact.
Elvira kept supporting him from behind.
She switched between summoning gusts of wind to adjust his position and launching fireballs or arcs of lightning at the worm's body.
The space around them was shrinking fast.
The worm's digestive fluids were rising, creeping closer to their feet.
The bubbling liquid stayed only about a foot below them now and looked ready to swallow them at any moment.
A piercing screech erupted from the worm.
It recoiled and writhed in pain.
It tried to retreat and create distance inside the narrowing tunnel.
The spot Ben had targeted again and again was now split open.
From the wound, a thick, gooey black substance oozed out and dripped down.
Seeing the liquid, Ben called out, "Elvira!
Try igniting that stuff!"
Elvira reacted at once.
She raised her hand and spread her fingers.
A fiery magic circle formed in front of her palm and glowed with heat.
Her mana poured into the circle and condensed into a sharp spike of fire.
Compared to the lance spell she had used against the Ant King, this was a weaker version.
"Ember Spike!"
Swoosh!!!
The flaming spike shot forward like a bullet.
It sliced through the thick air and left a bright trail behind it.
The instant it hit the worm, Ben swore. "FUCK!"
What happened was exactly what he had expected, just on a far greater scale than he had hoped for.
BOOM!!!
The moment Elvira's fiery spike struck the black liquid, the substance ignited with tremendous force.
A blinding flash of light filled the tunnel.
Ben threw an arm up to shield his eyes.
A deafening roar pounded his ears as the explosion ripped through the confined space.
Shockwaves slammed into the walls and rolled through the tunnel.
After a few seconds, the thunder of the blast faded and silence slowly returned.
Ben opened his eyes a little at a time and blinked until he could see again.
Their surroundings had changed completely.
The disgusting, fleshy walls were now scorched black.
The thick, oppressive air had turned into the heavy stench of burnt flesh.
Before he could process it all, Elvira's voice reached him.
"Thanks, my beloved.
I will always believe in you," she said softly.
She looked up at him with a bright smile.
Ben let out a slow, heavy breath.
He knew she was not talking about defeating the worm.
During the explosion, he had moved without thinking.
He had thrown himself in front of her and used his body to shield her from the blast.
"I told you, don't overthink it.
I just can't have you dying on me," he said.
Elvira tilted her head.
Amusement and warmth shone in her eyes. "You say that, but your actions tell a different story."
Ben groaned. "Forget it, there's no—"
Before he could finish, she stepped closer and pressed her body against his.
She placed a hand over his chest.
"No excuses, my beloved.
Just accept it," she whispered.
Her tone held both gratitude and warmth.