Chapter 30: The Death Worm

The swirling sands surged forward, reaching the Tyrant in just a few breaths after he halted his steps. Dust and grit exploded upward from the ground as the monstrous creature launched itself from below, aiming to kill the Tyrant. With a powerful push of both feet, the Tyrant leapt high into the air, somersaulting backward and landing over ten meters away—narrowly evading the attack.

Only then did Lin Huang and his companion finally see the creature clearly: a gigantic, python-like beast, its body covered in vivid blood-red scales, stretching over twenty meters in length. Even as it reared up in midair, it stood taller than the Tyrant himself. Its head was nothing but a massive maw—no eyes, only a gaping orifice, which hung open menacingly in Sand Butcher's direction. Inside, rows of barbed spikes writhed ceaselessly.

Seeing the monster's full form, both men paled dramatically.

"What now? That's a Death Worm!" the chubby youth shouted to Lin Huang.

Death Worms, a type of demonized species, were the most terrifying predators in the desert. Though rare, they had no natural enemies; every creature in the sands was their prey. Like all demonized species, their hunting methods were brutal and savage, and the Death Worm was no exception. Once its enormous jaws clamped onto prey, the barbs inside would writhe madly, shredding flesh like a meat grinder in an instant. It was even rumored that within its maw was a smaller, secondary mouth, capable of darting out to pierce a creature's skull and suck out the brain in a heartbeat.

The Death Worm before them, over twenty meters long, matched the Tyrant's own Black Iron Third Tier combat strength. Yet this was the Tyrant's natural nemesis; at equal strength, the worm's chances of killing the Tyrant far exceeded the reverse.

This was precisely the kind of monster Lin Huang least wished to encounter during the trial, but now there was no choice but to face it head-on.

"No escape—we have to fight!" Lin Huang understood their predicament perfectly and shouted back to his companion, his gaze never leaving the Death Worm.

The Death Worm rose higher, but did not attack immediately. Its gaping maw resembled a monstrous, deformed face, looking down upon Lin Huang and the others with the cold arrogance of a supreme predator.

Sand Butcher, under Lin Huang's command, remained motionless. Lin Huang and the chubby youth likewise held their positions; a tense standoff settled over both sides. The Death Worm held back, prompting Lin Huang to speculate aloud. "Is it possible this thing only attacks moving targets?"

"You’re asking the wrong person," his companion replied nervously. "I never really studied the monster compendium. I recognized it from a news photo, that's all." He swallowed hard before adding, "The news was about a reserve hunter squad in the desert that ran into a Death Worm. All five were slaughtered in under ten minutes. When the monster hunters arrived, the Death Worm had already bitten the last one's body in half."

"You really didn't need to share that," Lin Huang said dryly, wondering why his companion would choose now to tell such a morale-crushing story.

Despite their brief conversation, the Death Worm made no move. "Why isn't it doing anything? Could it be a fake?" the chubby youth muttered, unable to restrain himself.

"Do you have anything useless in your storage space?" Lin Huang wanted to test his theory.

"I'll check." The chubby youth understood immediately and reached for his Emperor's Heart Ring.

But before he could act, the Death Worm lunged in his direction.

"It's coming for me!" he cried out in terror.

The Tyrant quickly lowered his body and rolled aside, evading the Death Worm’s pounce. The chubby youth, caught off guard, was flung to the ground, landing less than two meters from the monstrous creature.

Sensing movement nearby, the Death Worm twisted its maw toward the fallen youth, inching closer and closer. As the gaping mouth drew near, the chubby youth’s heart pounded in his throat. Instinct screamed at him to flee, but logic hammered home the warning: run now, and you die.

"Stay still! I’ll draw its attention!" Lin Huang shouted, noticing the Death Worm was barely three meters from his companion. If he didn't act now, the chubby youth would be doomed.

"Tyrant, run!" Lin Huang issued a new command.

Obeying instantly, the Tyrant dashed away from the Death Worm at breakneck speed, an arrow loosed from the bow. Sensing its prey escaping, the Death Worm twisted its head, locked on to the Tyrant’s route, and chased with even greater speed.

The sudden shift in the Death Worm’s focus left the chubby youth limp with relief. For a moment, he had truly believed his end had come. Collapsing into the sand, he realized his entire body was drenched in cold sweat—not from the heat, but from pure terror.

Taking a moment to collect himself, he hesitated, then stood and hurried after the Tyrant and Death Worm. As he ran, he muttered, "Lin Huang, you’d better not die! If you get eaten saving me, I’ll owe you a debt I can never repay..."

On the scarlet-gold sands, the massive Sand Butcher ran with desperate speed, a mound of shifting sand hot on its heels, growing ever closer. Just as the Death Worm erupted from the sand and pounced, the Sand Butcher vanished without a trace.

Far away, atop another dune, a faint smile played on Lin Huang’s lips as a green card appeared in his hand.

A few minutes earlier, while the Death Worm was still giving chase, Lin Huang had instructed the Tyrant to throw him onto a nearby dune. The Tyrant then lured the Death Worm away, while Lin Huang lay hidden, carefully observing the distance between the two. At the critical moment, as the Death Worm caught up and struck, Lin Huang recalled the Tyrant into card form. The Death Worm, missing its prey, lingered, believing its target was still near.

Meanwhile, Lin Huang, on the far side of the dunes, crushed the green card and summoned the Tyrant once more. "Let's go—we need to find our friend!"

~~~~~~

[Apologies for the confusion in Chapter 28 yesterday. Several readers mentioned that the chubby youth’s portrayal was a bit much. Upon reviewing, I agreed and made some revisions. However, I missed a few earlier sections, which caused inconsistencies in the plot. Sorry for the poor reading experience—everything has been corrected now.]