The tunnel was faintly illuminated by the dim, greyish glow of premature earth crystals. These crystals formed from weak bonds between residual mana and earth, and were typically found close to the lithosphere, where mana concentration was low.
As a result, they were considered nearly useless for beast cultivation due to the low amount of mana they contained.
The rancid smell of underground sewage, combined with the heat, made breathing unbearable and worse, there was a particular foul stench oozing all around the tunnel,
For moments now, it had just been the rhythm of Jayden's steps on the shallow water, his racing heartbeat, caution flowing through his veins, and the darkness that swallowed the endless tunnel whole.
'I was so damn stupid to come here unarmed, not even with a torchlight' his fingers pinched his nose from the stink as he walked carefully, avoiding generating even the slightest of noise.
'This stink is unmistakably—' Jayden stepped on something slippery and fell, sending a loud echo through the tunnel.
'Damn', Jayden clenched his teeth, the humiliation egg cradled tightly in his armpit.
A loud squeak cut the thick air from behind him. Jayden's heart immediately tensed, as he rushed to his feet, looking behind him with caution.
"M-Mana Rat," he stammered. As if answering its name, a pair of white eyes appeared from the darkness, it was completely hidden in the darkness
'And if there's one...' he turned and immediately took to his heels.
Another pair of eyes appeared behind him, and another, and another.., forming a parade of chaos that ran after him with loud squeaking sounds.
"Curses, Curses, curses," Jayden rasped, running blindly, without caring where he stepped his foot.
He was aware of their presence the moment he entered the tunnel, judging from the nauseating stench Mana rats gave off, which caused dizziness, and sooner or later, would take effect on him.
"How pathetic!, a 16-year-old man be chased by rats? Rats!" Jayden spat, "Nothing could be worse"
As if the universe were planning on making a spicy delicacy out of his torments, a fat, moist, almost electric worm fell on Jayden's arm.
"Haaa.... fuck—Mana worm", Jayden screamed as a jolt of current flowed through his body. Without second thoughts, he snatched the worm from his arm and hurled it anywhere into the darkness.
The blue rain had formed Mana beasts—yes. But it also created plagues. No sane person would want to contract a rat or a worm that provided nothing but a mere 10% increase in strength at maturity and other insignificant attributes.
"Any mistakes and my Mana spikes out of my control, I might end up bonding with either a rat or a worm." He bit his lips, his steps began to slow, now he was lightheaded—unable to see above a blur.
"I should have just stayed with my eggman status" he clenched his fist, surrendering to the unbearable stench of the mana rats.
"So this is how it ends", Jayden whispered. He could feel the swarm of rats draw closer and, worms falling down on him. "The genius ends in the hands of mere plagues"
What followed was hungry sounds of squeaking mana rats but...
"Is it just me, or am I taking a longer time to reach the ground?"
Splash!!!
Jayden gasped as he fell into a river. Maybe the universe that had so tormented him, starting from the ceremony, had decided to show even a second of mercy.
The hunger of the Mana rats transformed into cries of torment as they struggled against drowning in the river. In contrast, the worms didn't have a chance to fight. This was a freshwater river, and the saltiness caused the worms great distress before they retreated from Jayden's body and ultimately died.
Jayden kicked the shoreline of the river with newly found hope and swam to the shore where he placed the egg and lay breathless on the ground.
"J-Jeez. I-I I'm alive. I just fell more than two hundred meters, but I'm grateful—at least I got away from the plagues," he muttered, looking at the earth that hung above. His sight was a bit clearer now, thanks to the water he had subconsciously drunk in the river.
Jayden's environment was much more lit up with the occasional grey glow of mature earth crystals and the faint blue glow of premature water crystals that flanked both sides of the shore.
Just like earth crystals, water crystals were made from the bond between water and mana, making them appear as soft, jelly-like marbles.
Jayden glanced at the egg glowing in the twilight of gold and blue, "Wow! Guess it's reacting to the... fuck!" he stood up immediately, heart pounding to a new kind of dread.
"I gotta find my way out of here before mana poisoning gets the best of me."
He scanned around with teeth clenched. A second-generation mythic tamer would have about two hours in such depth before getting infected by mana poisoning, while first and third generation tamers were completely immune, but Jayden...
What category was he?
Yet in such a situation he clenched his fist and said; "I can't leave without a beast"
As if the God of humanity smiled at the sight and said, "Let's test that fragile resolve of yours," a loud growl echoed from behind Jayden.
Jayden turned, his eyes widening at the sight, yet he felt challenge rather than fear.
There it was, a crocodilian creature, walking out of the river.
"It has been decided, my luck is negative one hundred per cent", Jayden muttered. Still, there was no fear left to stir up in him; all that remained was an inevitable resolve.
It was either he tamed the beast or complete the rest of his life in shame and disgrace, and that wasn't an option.
"It's recorded that a Murk Gator had the potential to rank up to A ranking tier 1 with proper cultivation. Just enough to outmatch my father's falcon with proper training."
Jayden took the Mana control serum from his cross bag. A purple liquid was contained in a syringe. He prepared the bottle for injecting as he watched the Gator draw closer.
Such a beast wasn't supposed to be on the loose, but the Government Beast Welfare Organisation must have missed this one while collecting others.
The Gator glanced at the egg just some meters before Jayden, which shone brighter and brighter with each passing second but that didn't seem to attract it.
Just a few steps after the egg the Gator paused. The reptile was smart, seeing Jayden, his supposed prey wasn't running, meaning he was ready for a fight.
Patience is virtue, yes, but Jayden didn't have that—not now, when each passing second drew him closer to mana poisoning.
"That's it!" Jayden cursed, sweat dripping from his chin. He threatened a step forward, and just as he had predicted, the Gator lunged forward too with its maw wide open.
Jayden easily sidestepped harm by the instinctive knowledge of the gator's reaction.
He backstepped too quickly, regaining distance from the gator.
"Guess I found my beast", he grinned, holding the serum like a dagger in preparation for the real strike.
"No mistake, no casualties", Jayden calmed himself, watching the Gator coil its limbs in preparation for whatever Jayden might throw at it.
Jayden threatened a step again, and just like before, the gator lunged.
"There it is", he smiled, seeing his clear path to the gator's head.
The gator's eyes gleamed with menace, its tail flew forward, curving its body into a circle around Jayden.
Then that faint line that Jayden hadn't seen, the most important thing he had forgotten now surfaced.
"It's evolved aspect."