Understanding he couldn't stay down any longer, Luka gritted his teeth and yanked the long dagger from the Swamp Tyrant's eye.
It resisted for a moment, embedded deep in the monster's skull, but with a final pull, it came free with a sickening pop.
The long dagger emerged slick with gore—its blade still pierced through the ruined eyeball, which clung stubbornly to the metal.
Clenching the hilt of the long dagger between his teeth, Luka began swimming upward with all the strength he had left.
Both hands cut through the water in desperate strokes, and he kicked hard, unsure of how deep he truly was.
The world around him was darkness—cold, murky, and silent.
Every passing second felt like an eternity, and the fear that the Swamp Tyrant might still be alive, might rise from the depths and crush him in its jaws, gnawed at the back of his mind.
His lungs screamed even more.
The pressure in his chest grew unbearable, his vision flickering at the edges.
