Chapter 126: My Specialty Is Choosing One from Many

The cleaver Saul wielded came from the morgue.

It was technically appropriated public property.

But there was no helping it—when it came to reliable blades, Saul had yet to find anything that could rival his cleaver.

Whenever he had to dissect abnormal corpses in the morgue, this was always his first choice.

So when it came time to sever the long neck of the head creature, no spell or scroll could give him more confidence than the morgue’s cleaver.

And once again, the cleaver didn’t disappoint.

With just two strikes, the long blade struck cleanly along the bone seam, slicing the neck of the head creature in two.

The connection severed, and the head dropped to the ground without a single twitch of resistance.

Ironically, it was the neck—now headless—that snapped back like a contracting rubber band, instantly retracting into the shadows.

Saul didn’t waste time thinking about it. He knew the moment the enemy realized their surveillance head had died, they would send new pursuers.

And this time, they probably wouldn’t use him as bait.

Saul quickly stowed away the Illusory Eye, ordered Little Algae to release its grip and retract from the cliff face.

Then he slung his backpack over his shoulder, gripped his cleaver tightly, and dashed deeper into the tunnel.

He even activated a Gleamlight spell.

Though it risked exposing his position to pursuers, moving in pitch-black darkness would only slow him down more.

As long as he gained enough distance and the path twisted enough, a little light wouldn’t matter.

Luckily, the tunnel Saul had picked on the fly wasn’t a dead end.

After sprinting hunched over for dozens of meters, he encountered a steep slope.

His eyes lit up—downward-sloping tunnels often led to the vast and complex underground labyrinth.

Although dangerous monsters lurked in the labyrinths, staying above ground was a guaranteed death sentence.

Little Algae shot out from behind Saul’s neck again, transforming into four chains that helped lower him swiftly down the slope to a flat area.

Saul didn’t even wait to find his footing before he bolted forward again.

After just a few steps, he came to the first fork in the tunnel. As he was about to randomly pick a path, the diary suddenly flew out.

April 20, Year 316 of the Lunar Calendar,

You ventured underground alone.

Brave indeed.

But ahead lies a pool of stagnant water teeming with omnivorous bugs.

Their mouths may be small, but their feeding speed is astonishing.

As you dashed across the water, you were surprised to find your strides shortening.

Looking down, you discovered your calves were gone~

The injury wasn’t fatal, but before you could treat it, the pursuer burst in and smashed you into a pile of pulp.

If the earlier warnings merely made Saul cautious, the last line made his eyes fly open in alarm.

So there was a pursuer—and they were fast!

Without hesitation, Saul veered into a different tunnel.

The diary had said he wouldn’t even have time to heal after crossing the water. That meant the pursuer was already dangerously close.

A moment’s delay could get him caught—and being caught meant being obliterated.

His enemy was not just fast, but immensely powerful.

Saul sprinted like mad, even having Little Algae thrust into the earth ahead to pull him forward for speed.

Soon, he encountered the second fork—two paths this time.

As he ran, he glanced toward the left passage.

The diary updated with urgent frequency:

Left path ends in a dead end.

When the pursuer catches up, you’ll be smashed into pulp and hung on the rocks.

Saul didn’t hesitate—he took the right path.

He hadn’t run far before the diary flared again.

As you flee, a shadow spider leaps onto your back and tries to bite through your neck.

While you fight it off, the pursuer arrives and crushes both you and the spider into a bloody mix.

So, getting caught really was certain death!

But this time, there were no alternate paths. Saul had no choice but to keep swinging his cleaver while commanding Little Algae to scout ahead.

After several steps, he heard a whoosh to his left—it collided with a net of tendrils Little Algae had formed.

Without pause, Saul slashed the strand blocking the spider.

Even severed, the tendril stayed in place to stall the creature.

“Sorry, Little Algae.” The situation was too sudden—Saul could only offer a quick apology to his pet.

Little Algae extended a gentle tendril and stroked Saul’s cheek, signaling it wasn’t angry.

Saul kept running. Another fork appeared—this time, five tunnels.

He rapidly scanned the first three. All had either monsters or obstacles that would slow him down—leading to certain death.

Then he looked at the fourth. The diary gave no warning.

He was just about to choose it when he glanced at the fifth—and the diary flared again, making Saul hesitate, then abruptly switch course and dive into the fifth tunnel.

This tunnel is lined with discarded shadow spider webs.

Stepping on them causes you to stick, get entangled layer by layer, and after a few minutes of struggling, the enemy captures you—webs and all.

Now that Saul knew what awaited on the ground, he immediately leapt onto the wall as he entered.

The walls also had some webbing, but with mental preparation, Saul was able to use Little Algae to swing himself across.

After what felt like forever, he made it across the 50-meter stretch of sticky terrain and finally landed on solid ground again.

This had only delayed the enemy slightly. But for someone capable of killing him so easily, it was a slim margin.

Still, Saul had to try.

There hadn’t been a single sound from his pursuer the entire time, but the diary kept warning: if Saul delayed even a bit, he’d be overtaken and crushed.

The silence only made the threat more terrifying.

It felt like the pursuer’s breath was constantly on his nape, ruffling the hairs on the back of his neck.

Saul kept running, but the tunnel was growing narrower.

He began to worry—if this turned out to be a dead end, he was doomed.

“Hmph, even if there’s no hope, I won’t just stand here and wait to die.” Saul stretched out his arms as he ran.

At this point, he’d thrown all thoughts of Soniya aside. He could only draw on his mental form to the fullest.

Translucent soul borers began to wriggle along his arms.

“Too bad these things can’t survive long outside the body,” Saul muttered. “Could’ve used them for a trap.”

He was already ducking to run when the path suddenly sloped downward again.

“Another descent?”

Saul grit his teeth. Going deeper meant more danger.

But he had no time to hesitate.

He clenched his jaw—if the diary stays silent, I’ll pretend I’m still on flat ground.

With that, Saul leapt into the depths.

Several black tendrils instantly extended from behind his neck, stabbing into the surrounding walls. They gouged deep marks into the stone while cushioning his descent to prevent injury.

But just then, Saul’s eyes flew wide.

From beneath him—a light was rising rapidly!

(End of Chapter)

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