Awakening: I Ascend Alone

Chapter 31: No Way

[Not edited yet. Editing it currently.]

The freezing water crushed around Melvin like a heavy weight.

His chest burned as he sank deeper into the icy darkness. Every movement felt slow and useless. The cold stabbed into his body, stealing the strength from his arms and legs.

’I’m going to drown...’

Just as panic was about to completely take over his being, his hand suddenly brushed against something solid. Without thinking twice, Melvin grabbed it immediately.

The surface was rough and sharp. Hence, pain shot through his palm as his fingers pressed against the surface, on something that felt like a thorn. He gritted his teeth and adjusted his grip, ignoring the sting.

Only then did he realize something strange.

The thing he was holding onto... felt like flesh.

Melvin froze.

A terrible thought crept into his mind.

’Please don’t be what I think it is...’

Before he could process it further, his body suddenly jerked forward. He began to move, keeping the same pace as what he was holding onto.

In protest, Melvin kicked his legs furiously, trying to both understand what was happening, and clear his doubt. Just then, his feet struck against another surface that was above him.

His heart skipped.

Slowly, he looked downward.

And his eyes widened in horror.

The dark space around him wasn’t a swamp, it was a throat. And the thorn-covered surface he was holding onto was the teeth of whatever he had fallen into.

Melvin had arrived in the Silver Spire... inside the mouth of a massive creature.

"Damn it!" he cursed silently.

The creature moved through the freezing waters while swallowing everything in its path.

The creature moved through the freezing waters while swallowing everything in its path. Small sea creatures were constantly dragged inside by the powerful current flowing into its open mouth.

Unlike Melvin, the tiny creatures had no chance of resisting the pull.

They were swallowed instantly.

The rushing current pushed against Melvin again and again as he tried to climb upward along the creature’s inner flesh. Each movement felt like fighting against a raging river.

The suddenly–

Something massive slipped into the water above.

Melvin looked up and saw it.

A huge metal chain.

It descended from somewhere beyond the icy waters, sinking slowly into the creature’s mouth.

Hope flared inside his chest.

Gritting his teeth, Melvin pushed forward with everything he had. The swarm of creatures rushing past him slammed into his body, trying to drag him back down into the monster’s throat.

But he refused to give up.

Little by little, he forced his way forward.

Finally, he reached the creature’s mouth and climbed out.

The moment he escaped, the powerful suction suddenly stopped.

Melvin floated in the freezing water for a second, confused.

’Why did it stop?’

But there was no time to think.

He turned and began swimming toward the giant chain.

His survival depended on reaching it.

Just as he swam forward–

A long, jagged tail suddenly shot from the side, slicing through the water toward his neck.

’Why do they always target my head?’

Melvin twisted his body inward at the last second.

The sharp tail missed his head by a hair.

His legs swung forward instead, barely avoiding the deadly strike.

Without wasting a second, Melvin straightened himself and swam even faster.

Luck was finally on his side.

He reached the massive chain and grabbed one of the thick metal links.

The moment his fingers locked around it, the chain jerked violently upward.

Melvin couldn’t even react.

The sudden pull dragged him out of the water with terrifying speed. Before he could understand what was happening, his body was launched through the air.

A second later–

THUD!

He crashed onto solid snow-covered ground.

Melvin lay there for a moment, stunned, cold air burning his lungs.

"No way could I have become second Jonah."

Then he slowly lifted his head.

And froze.

Shock filled his face as the sight before him registered.

"You... how... No! I mean, what?" he stuttered.