Covered in dirt and water, Rowan fell further and further down a slope.
Sinking deeper. Unable to fight back. Even as he flailed his limbs, he was left helpless to prevent his fall. And ultimately, he didn't want to.
Further. Beyond the point of no return.
And then, a submersion in liquid.
"AGH—AAAAGHHHH!!!"
Covered totally, Rowan was seized by an abhorrent agony.
As he stood, surrounded by dirt and shattered trees, his skin began to fall. His gaze forced downwards, the sensation of burning quite literally whittling away at the legs. With his hands clenched as his sole relief, the green hue of acid reflected on his light skin.
Soon enough, his legs gave way to the stomach acid. The feeble bones weakened to the point of breaking, his shins lost all strength in their muscles, plunging his body into the acid.
He once more roared with pain, trapped in a burning hell which did not let him rest for even a millisecond. His lower back, the entirety of his legs, the lower parts of his arms as he propped his chest out of the acid, all submerged in hell.
Gnashing his teeth, Rowan screamed. Plainly, he screamed. Roaring, shrieking, agonizing—he screamed from the pain, desperate for any kind of relief.
He did not stop screaming.
Shudderingly reaching out his arm, what he pulled out from the acid was simply skinless, mere meat on bones as his hand outstretched towards the sky.
No, there was no sky here. It was merely the roof of a monster's stomach.
Nails, nerves, veins, all of them were burnt beyond recognition.
He lost all motor control in his fingers. They twitched uncontrollably.
—Finally, he healed his wounds.
He had vaguely given up on life. Or rather, all semblance of fighting back.
And yet, when confronted with a pain that was too slow, yet too overwhelming to bear, he did not have it in him to accept death. And so, he patched himself back together, starting the process all over again.
Regaining his skin, it was once more singed to the point of destruction, now with his muscles and flesh being burnt.
He wept bitterly.
Climbing to his feet, the acid stuck to his skin, his clothes burnt away and leaving him shamefully naked, as he stumbled across the acidic sea.
His feet sloshing and traversing through, the sound of inadvertent groaning professed from the sunken pain of his throat. Hoarse and rugged.
Around him, there was dirt, trees, dirt, acid, dirt, acid, and the fleshy walls of the monster's stomach. Even as he stood, he was suddenly thrown back down to the ground by the monster's external movements, bathing him in hell once more.
Finally, he lost the strength to scream.
Even screaming had lost the small sliver of comfort it brought, now dead and akin to a whistle.
Death was inevitable. There was nothing he could do.
Even though he forced his body back together, even though he pieced his skin back to his viscera, he still was unable to escape this green pit.
It burned. So terribly, it burned. That was the whole of his existence. Burning. Burning. Burns. It burns. It burns, it burns, it burns. It burns so badly he wants to die. It burns so badly he wants to wail. It burns so badly that he has no choice but to gnash his teeth.
A sudden movement of the shark flung his body forward, crashing into a fleshy wall of the stomach.
He raised his arms, his body eviscerated below, as he clawed at the wall. Up, down, dragging his nails through. Dragging, scratching, driving his nails across, only for them to break apart.
NO!
Clawing, clawing, smearing his bloody fingertips on the pinky wall of meat, accomplishing little more than a child's finger-painting class.
He struggled pitifully, longing for little more than to escape this painful death.
DAVID!
KIRA!
HELP ME!
"Hegh…!!!"
Plummeting, dropping, decreasing, his constant regeneration was fading. In time, he would become little more than soup.
To which, he grasped one of the several mana crystals, and emptied it. That was one down, to replenish himself fully.
Fire Magic, Healing Magic, Ice Magic, Water Magic. Nothing was of use.
Even if he added heaps and heaps of water, the enzymes in the acid that existed purely to dissolve the flesh of prey would still be upon him.
Another sharp movement jerked him forward, smashing him into the wall once more.
And, likewise, slid a valuable treasure.
A measly dagger, which had somehow managed to endure this pit of acid.
With his eyes narrowed upon his hope, Rowan seized the moment in little more than an animal's frenzy, taking the blade and clinging to it as though it were a lover.
Desperate to survive, he lunged at the wall, making way through the burning of his legs, their corrosive scent flooding his nostrils. Upon enchanting the dagger with one of the three mana crystals he had left, Rowan clawed his way to survival.
Puncturing the wall and using all the strength in his arms to drag the knife through. Again, and again, and again.
Dragging it through, driving it through, following each slash with another, Rowan rampaged upon the bleeding flesh. Carving his will upon it, he used bursts of Fire Magic to tenderize the flesh for his arrival.
After continuously gutting his way inside, Rowan climbed into the small passageway, escaping the bath of acid.
The repugnant smell of gastric fluids and literal fish-guts made Rowan's stomach churn. Of course, it had been this way for quite some time, but now with time to actually consider it,
"U-urghlk!"His stomach felt like it collapsed as it heaved their contents out, spewing them from his mouth. Soon after which, he hugged his knees to his chest and let out a heavy groan, gagging once more.
As he stuck his head out of his small crevice in an attempt to not cover himself in vomit, Rowan was nearly jolted out of it by the shark's yet continued sudden movement, narrowly avoiding diving face-first into the pool of acid.
He barely clung on, the jolting inadvertently allowing him to see the passageway from the monster's throat. He'd come in alongside mounds of dirt, and yet by now, they'd already been melted down for the most part.
It still burns, but it's more manageable… The shit that stuck to me is slowly but surely disappearing.
Having just gotten through perhaps – no, it was without question the most painful event – in his entire life, Rowan managed to think relatively clearly. Of course, he still winced in pain, but his desire to survive had been boosted by the pain.
Ordinarily, it would be the opposite—pain leads to death as an escape. However, when that "escape" truly did end up being the more painful option, his innate desire to avoid death and avoid pain worked in tandem, creating someone who would earnestly fight for a better death.
Besides, if push comes to shove, I can jam this knife through my head.
"Now then…"
Still trembling, he gazed up at the passageway of the shark's mouth which led to this hellhole.
I came in fairly fast, but even with that, I could tell it was a long way through. With a big hill of sorts. If I try to head back up, it might take me some time.
Though, when he looked back the other way…
Being shat out, only to either drown to death or be eaten again… No thanks.
So, it really did seem like his only way through was up the throat.
…
He waited quite some time. After fixing his body up continuously, the acid that was once stuck to his skin had whittled away, leaving him in a relative lack of pain. Of course, the scent of this foul dungeon was enough to make him gag, but it was better than having to deal with that as well as burning alive.
By now, it was simply a vat of acid. No dirt, no trees—nothing.
And I'd say I'm about a good… fifty feet out. Alright, I'll have to use Mana Empowerment if I want to make it. Good thing I've saved up my mana.
Admittedly, there wasn't much of a platform. All Rowan really had was his small crevice to leap from, and especially since it was at a weird angle, it likely wouldn't be easy.
Actually, if it's possible…
Reaching his arm out, Rowan felt the texture of the fleshy wall. Then, immediately,
"Mghh! Fuck!" Rowan let out, flapping his hand from the wall. It secreted something similar to that abominable stomach acid, with him having only been able to escape that by hiding inside a crevice. Though, this could be seen as good news.
Better to know it now than later, I guess. Besides, I still got to feel the texture of the wall.
Next to the soft flesh of a human's stomach, the monster had comparatively tough flesh, providing a fairly solid surface to leap on. Though, without shoes, Rowan's feet would likely burn up when he did actually try to touch it.
Let's see… Again, I've got to hurry up. I don't have time to change this wall to get out.
It was a fairly crazy plan. Well, not exactly. More like stupid.
Yes, it was a fairly stupid plan. After all,
Wall-hopping like I'm in a video game… off of a stomach… over a pool of acid.
Oh, right, can't forget I don't have shoes on either!
For a moment, the idea of using his knife and piercing his own skull in an attempt to sever the part of his brain that sent pain signals flashed through his mind. Though, of course, Rowan disregarded that idea immediately.
Don't got no choice. I mean, I'm sure there's a more logical thing to do, but I should know by now.
Having lived with himself and as himself for eighteen years, Rowan recognized a truth about his mind.
—He was as dumb as a box of rocks.
The acid burnt away any other platform, and I don't have any kind of magic that would assist me—not even Wind Magic, which could theoretically help boost me up.
"Hah… what would Kira say, if he was here?"
Probably something like:
"No balls."
And, as though it activated his sleeper agent, Rowan stood up in his tiny crevice, and used Mana Empowerment, coursing it through his legs.
With an explosive leap, he soared through the air, his feet scalding with acidic burns. Bracing his legs for impact, Rowan collided with the other side of the stomach, twisting his body to face the throat that had served as his highway to hell.
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, MAKE IT!
Using another burst of Mana Empowerment, Rowan kicked off the acidic wall, hurling himself towards his escape.
To which, it was a resounding success, Mana Empowerment having carried him through to a solid point in the shark's throat. Immediately, Rowan plunged his knife into the ground, keeping it as an anchor point as he lost strength in his legs from exhaustion.
Unlike Spells, in which the internal mana was output in a controlled manner, Mana Empowerment invariably let mana freely boost the body itself, either for strength or defense. For most, even just one usage was incredibly risky, as due to the unchanging imprecision, roughly twenty-percent of the person's mana would be used up.
Truly, it was something that even genetics couldn't save someone from. Even though mana conformed to the body, it was a hard-and-fast rule that it was imprecise and often a suboptimal usage, saved only for withstanding life-ending blows or delivering a final attack.
Though, as myself, that rule doesn't apply to me.
For Rowan Palmer, even the great equalizer that was Mana Empowerment was reduced to half of what it was for everyone else.
Ahaha… It sure does come in handy. Well, whatever. Now…
Rowan had taken some time to adjust his footing, getting used to the weird mucus in the shark's throat, accompanied by occasional seawater, which was actually beneficial due to him being able to use Water Magic to provide himself a firmer platform that wasn't mucus.
Bending down, he ripped the knife out of the large sack of meat, beginning to march forward.
It was quite a long way down, so it was likewise a long way up. This meant Rowan had plenty of time to reflect.
…Ugh, it's embarrassing.
Looking down at the fleshy-pink ground, he made way, step after step.
I talked a big game, and then… At the end, I'd become so helpless, I got mad at people for not taking my hand.
Instinctively, he scoffed at the idiocy.
I really am as dumb as I think. I mean, I've never asked anyone for help, and then I get mad at them for not helping me…
How dumb can one be?
Slowly, the nauseating smell of gastric juices faded. Or, at least became more manageable to his nostrils.
"I hope Todd's alright… and dad, too. And everyone."
Besides, if they took my hand, wouldn't I just pull them down with me? That's way worse than falling on my own. It's simple logic, really.
Better one person die than two.
"True that," he said to himself. "Besides, isn't it just embarrassing to be taken care of? It's so embarrassing, it's practically humiliation… They just inconvenience themselves for you, and then it feels like it's you who's the inconvenience, and then they just go make a big deal out of nothing… Yeah."
He truly was alone.
In the body of a great megalodon, Rowan was on his lonesome. No one there to listen except himself. There was a strange comfort in that.
"...Hmph. A-anyways, who's up for pizza after this? Me! Me me me! I am!"
Switching tones from his normal voice to an overly child-like tone, he answered his own question as his stomach growled. Who could've guessed that vomiting up what little contents of a stomach were left would end up making him hungry?
I should probably bring everyone else along too. David won't eat because he's dieting, but I bet Kira would love some pizza. Yeah, I bet he'd be really happy to get some.
Makes up for me being a whiny little bitch, hopefully.
Finally reaching a peak in the throat, Rowan the megalodon's jaw below him on a slippery slope. Its mouth was closed, preventing sea-water from flooding through, as he kept up a ball of fire to light up the dark tract.
If I come out of its mouth, I'll probably end up just getting crushed by the teeth… Ugh, I hate going up against A rank Monsters! Wait, this is my first time, isn't it?
…You never forget your first time. Tee-hee.
He had no emotion on his face whatsoever, lacking the energy to even laugh at his own joke.
Anyways… Now what? I guess I could go up to its brain… No, that requires going up. It'd be easier to go to its heart… but where?
Rowan, being someone capable of imagining a rotating apple, tried to envision the anatomy of a shark. If it followed the rules of a human, then the heart would be a relatively short distance below the brain.
However, it couldn't be directly underneath, because the jaw was likely what was directly under the brain.
So in actuality, I might've already passed it. If that's how it is, then…
Rowan went back, feeling like he was in a horror game with how much he had to backtrack to progress.
He reached an area where he guessed the heart would be, and got to work. Over and over again, using Fire Magic to burn away and soften the flesh, he rampaged through the area below his feet.
Dragging a knife through and across, he kept a firm grip on the non-acicidic meat of the shark to keep himself from flying around when the shark squirmed in pain. It was difficult, but after managing to create a small trench for him to hide in, he was able to continue.
It was a rancid smell, quite literally fish guts. Even if monsters were made of mana, they were practically true replicas of the real thing. That was true, even when it came to their repulsive scent, which made Rowan puke a clear substance from his stomach, tears literally streaming down his eyes.
Finally, he got to it. Slashing at an area which seemed to bleed even more than what he'd expected, Rowan hacked away more and more at it, eventually digging into it. It was different from the pretty-pink stomach. In truth, it reminded Rowan of the ruby gems that had saved his life in the acid pit.
Upon burying himself into the beautiful cherry, he stopped using the knife and, without exaggeration, began to flail his limbs around, making what would perhaps be considered heart-angels.
The jolting of the monster got weaker and weaker.
Until, finally,
…
"Kgh… kah, gah…"
Coughing up salty water which tasted weird, Rowan gazed upon the island in the distance, walking on the water to reach it.
It had been a totally uncouth manner of defeating the monster, but he came to with his life intact. For that, he was not regretful.
Eventually reaching the island, he wandered the land, eventually finding some armor that had narrowly avoided being eaten by the shark. He put it on, clothing his naked body before searching.
And, adding to his luck, which truly felt as though it was his reward for surviving the dungeon, or perhaps the apology for nearly killing him, Rowan picked up his phone, having dropped it off near a tree to prevent it from being damaged in a fight.
Finally, he returned to the red gate, hanging in the air.
The black sparks were removed.
He held his three mana crystals—two red, one pink, tightly to his chest before leaping up to the gate, allowed to escape the tampered dungeon.
…
Falling directly onto the dirt, Rowan was looked at by five people. They looked at him, seemingly impressed.
"Oh! Wow, that was quick," the woman lightheartedly said, going over to him and helping him up. "You did all that in, what, two minutes?"
Rowan, exhausted from the long walk and his harrowing escape from death at the hands of a burning hell, raised an eyebrow.
"W-what…? You're messing with me, right?"
"Huh? No, it was legit two minutes for us. Was it longer? Dungeon time-warping sure is random!"
He knew she was telling the truth, as this was a fairly common occurrence. It followed no strict, hard-and-fast rules, but it was undeniably present.
"Ah… Whatever. I don't wanna do anything… I just wanna…"
Letting out a faint exhale, Rowan collapsed from exhaustion, clinging to his knife and his gems—the treasures that let him survive.