## Chapter 32 – A New Breakthrough
‘This isn’t easy…’
After hearing Vivian’s information, I immediately began my investigation, heading towards the student-restricted area where the special evaluation was said to take place.
Of course, using this pseudo-earthworm I named ‘Kernel Worm,’ I was diligently digging tunnels.
While coaxing Carla, who could move at a human pace, was the easiest way to travel, there was a reason why the student-restricted area was restricted.
Moreover, Carla had recently been showing restraint, minimizing her enjoyable feeding time to focus on preparing for the final exams, making it difficult to persuade her.
‘She has to do what she needs to do, too…’
Therefore, I had no choice but to solve this problem myself. Since the spiders needed to recharge for long-distance movement, this Kernel Worm was the best for reconnaissance.
After digging for quite some time, the Kernel Worm finally poked its head out of the ground. Its circular, toothed mouthparts clicked as it twisted its body, causing the surrounding air to ripple and brighten the view.
The sight of the lush green forest made it easy to forget that this was an artificially created environment.
Indeed, being a student-restricted area, there was hardly any sign of human presence.
‘If I had been born in a place like this…
I could have worried less at the beginning…’
How did I end up being born in the academy flowerbed instead of a forest like this, living a life of sleepless nights worrying about being discovered?
‘But how am I supposed to find the dungeon in this vast forest…?’
Briefly shaking off my self-pity, I began to ponder how to solve the somewhat vague situation I found myself in.
The place I was looking for was the dungeon where the practical evaluation Vivian had mentioned took place.
This special evaluation might bring me some significant benefits.
‘If Vivian is right, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.’
A rough special evaluation that emphasized practicality.
According to Vivian’s description, it wasn’t often life-threatening, but it did involve monsters and beings called Ains.
‘Then, no matter what, it could mean something significant, right?’
Even the weakest monster is still a monster.
Just like how even I, as weak as I was, could secretly devour a defenseless girl.
And if it was a practical evaluation, they certainly wouldn’t use something like the neighbor’s dog, ‘Tochi,’ for the evaluation.
‘I might have to take some risks…
But if I do well, it might be an opportunity to secure something.’
I was already impatient about growing stronger.
And now, a situation that might be an opportunity had come my way.
‘Then, should I go a little further for now…?’
It was nice to breathe in the fresh air of the green forest, but now was the time to move forward.
Just as my Kernel Worm was about to wriggle back into the tunnel, something happened.
– Grrrr!
‘Wah!! Waaah!!’
The moment the Kernel Worm’s head completely submerged into the tunnel, something heavy crashed down on top of it.
As if trying to dig out the tunnel I had made, the unidentified entity began to excavate the ground, startling me so much that I instinctively wriggled and froze in place.
‘What is it!! What is it!!’
With my heart pounding, I pulled the Kernel Worm back and, fearing that it would dig me up, quickly turned around and began to dig forward.
Still disoriented, I frantically dug and ran, finally stopping after a long dash through the ground.
‘Is that it…?’
Finally having a moment to gather my thoughts, I began to think carefully about the entity I had just encountered.
Perhaps those entities were some of the monsters used in the special evaluation.
It was possible that they were trapped in this forest for some reason.
Encountering that entity, which made me realize I was weak, I could once again feel the danger of this endeavor, which I had only vaguely considered until now.
‘It’s not just a matter of getting something or not…
If I mess up, it’s a setback…’
Right now, I had only sent one Kernel Worm for reconnaissance, but I was planning to mobilize the other one as well.
Therefore, I could lose all of these forces, which were a valuable investment of ten eggs taken from Vivian.
Of course, I could collect eggs from Vivian and Lanie again next month when they were in heat…
‘But no one knows what will happen in the meantime…’
That was why I was trying to hurry no matter what I did.
If I didn’t have this anxiety about the uncertain future, I could have leisurely spent my time slowly growing my colony.
But because I was trying to improve the current uncertain situation more efficiently and ahead of time, I inevitably encountered a situation like this.
‘If I do well… if I somehow do well…’
I could gain a lot by using this special evaluation.
For now, I just need to do what I have to do.
As I was about to gather my thoughts again and start digging, a thought suddenly popped into my head, and I started sweating cold fluids.
‘Where… am I…?’
It was only after a long time that I realized I could just go back through the tunnel I had dug to return, as I felt a sense of impending doom washing over me.
.
.
.
.
.
.
‘That was really surprising…
Am I even human…?
No, I’m Enic right now…
Surely, becoming a monster doesn’t mean my intelligence will deteriorate, right…?’
I wasted a lot of time on a foolish act, like looking for something right under my nose.
Since I had been digging aimlessly without any sense of direction, I first began to dig towards the surface as carefully as possible to check my surroundings.
‘Be careful with my face… I hope nothing comes out from above again…’
If you consider how careful I was at this moment, I doubt I had ever been this cautious in my life.
So, in a very tense state, I carefully poked my head out and looked around. This time, I confirmed that there were no signs of danger and was able to relax a little.
‘But… it’s the same as before, I don’t know where I am…
It doesn’t seem like there’s anything in particular… so now I should slowly…’
If I’ve been searching for a way but found nothing so far, then all that’s left is to go back.
Perhaps it would be better to aim for slow, steady growth. With a slightly heavy heart, I was about to plunge my head back into the tunnel.
I felt a subtle sensation flowing into the delicate cilia on the Kernel Worm’s body, which were used to detect vibrations. I flinched and raised my head again.
‘What is it?’
The cilia are primarily for detecting vibrations in the ground, but they are also sensitive enough to react to wind and sound.
I wasn’t sure if what I had just felt should be considered ‘sound,’ but I was certain that I had sensed something.
‘It’s different from the entity that attacked me earlier.’
That’s because this sound was coming from a slightly farther distance, but it didn’t have the same ferocious feeling as before.
‘I can’t be sure, but…’
An unstable but promising path.
As if possessed, I began to walk towards that path. Despite my confident demeanor, I diligently dug through the ground, wriggling towards that place.
‘It’s there. I don’t know what it is, but it’s there…’
The faint vibrations continued to echo through the ground.
And the reverberation of those vibrations projected the surrounding scenery.
The faint and blurry vision felt frustrating, but it was telling me one thing.
Whatever I was looking for, I was about to reach it.
‘This is… right… this is the dungeon…’
I had been chased away in a hurry, but I had finally found it.
This dungeon, where something seemed to be happening, whether it was preparation for the special evaluation or something else.
‘Let’s take a look around carefully… those things from before might be wandering around here too…’
Reawakening my tension, I began to rummage through the dungeon’s underground, focusing all my senses on the subtle vibrations.
But one thing I learned was that, although it felt like a maze, this dungeon was surprisingly well-organized, as if it had been worked on by humans. There wasn’t really anything wandering around.
Rather, only the subtle vibrations that had drawn me here were tempting me, as if I could discover their identity if I searched a little more.
‘Let’s do it… there’s nothing dangerous…
I just need to be careful… stay focused…’
This time, I started digging straight towards the place where the vibrations were coming from. How long had I been swimming through the ground towards those vibrations that seemed to be amplifying, getting louder and louder?
Just as I felt like I had reached the end of the earth, the dirt wall in front of me crumbled weakly. I realized that I had finally reached my destination and trembled.
‘I’m here… I’m here…’
I couldn’t help but wonder what the identity of these vibrations that seemed to be tempting me was.
Realizing that the surroundings were safe, I poked my head out of a hole in the upper wall of a large room. The sight that unfolded before my eyes was unbelievable.
‘This is…!!’
