Shennong winced, staggering forward as pain flared through his ribs. Blood dripped from a cut above his brow, mixing with the grime on his face. His eyes, however, burned with relentless determination.
Before him, the mountain of mud he had dropped on the gelatinous monstrosity lay still… but something felt wrong.
Too quiet.
It was too quiet because he didn't even hear any dying sound or any whimper from the creature.
A low tremor pulsed beneath his feet. He froze.
"…No… not now."
Cracks spiderwebbed across the mud mound, and before he could react—
BOOOOOM!!
A geyser of mud erupted into the air like a volcanic explosion. Shennong instinctively shielded his face with his arm as a wave of sludge slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and coating everything in sticky filth. When the storm settled, the mountain he had created was gone.
He coughed, blinking through the grime, and slowly lifted his gaze.
"What… the hell…?"
