Chương 12: Ghostly Encounter

[RING HUNGER — 98%!!!]

[... HOST NEGLECT EFFECT: LUNG OXYGEN CAPACITY DEGRADING...]

Flynn's gaze snapped wide, his pupils constricting in alarm. A tiny gasp escaped his lips as he choked back.

He swam toward the two boys, and with how his behavior seemed, They spun around, eyes locked his desperate dash.

The tunnel's end wasn't that far, but in this, were faint glows illuminating the darkness. Strange, bioluminescent fungi clung to the walls- Green and blue tendrils that pulsed in the dim light, clearly showing Flynn's struggle.

[HOST NEGLIGENCE EFFECT - BODY WEIGHT INCREASED BY 20-FOLD. MOVEMENT IMPAIRED.]

Flynn's thoughts raced as the Ring's warning echoed in his mind. His limbs felt heavy, as if being anchored.

The two boys exchanged confused glances and rushed toward Flynn, whose body fell onto the tunnel floor. As they swarmed around him, offering aid, Flynn felt surprisingly light in their grasp. Yet, his legs remained immobile.

Without turning his head, he gazed upon the Ring, his mind racing. "A piece of metal controls my life?" he thought, incredulously.

[HOST NEGLECT EFFECT: LUNGS OXYGEN CAPACITY -30%.]

Panic set in as Flynn's lungs burned, starved of oxygen. His wide, fearful eyes spoke of his desperation. The boys instantly grasped the urgency, their faces mirroring Flynn's panic.

As the boys helped, an arm over their shoulder, Flynn's consciousness began to slip.

'.... I can't breath....' he thought, with burning lungs, and an urge for a deep breath, death stood.

Then, a heavenly reprieve echoed in his head:

[UNLOCKED HOST SURVIVAL AID.]

The words resounded deeply, especially the promise of "Survival."

[EAT 5 GHOST MUSHROOMS FROM THE DEATH GROVE - RING SATISFACTION LEVEL: +5%.]

Flynn's confusion was absolute, but one phrase got through his head: "Ghost Mushrooms." His gaze snapped to the glowing fungi on the tunnel wall.

To the horror of the two boys, Flynn summoned his last strength, lifting his heavy hands to scrape the Ghost Mushrooms from the wall. He crammed them into his mouth, oblivious to the risk. Water got his windpipe as he struggled to swallow.

"Gulp!"

The sound escaped his lips as the mushrooms slid down.

[RING SATISFACTION LEVEL +5%. HUNGER LEVEL — 93%.]

[HOST SURVIVAL REWARD - ABILITY UNLOCKED: GHOST EYES (+30 MINS).]

"Ghost Eyes? I knew it! This Ring is seriously bad news." Flynn's thoughts weighed him down, despite his surprisingly revitalized lungs, however, the water he'd inhaled earlier now irritated his airways, creating an unbearable urge to breathe.

And then the darkness closed in.

He could only see the tunnel's end, where the boys swam with desperate speed.

And then, Everything went black.

"Cough... hack... splutter"

A sudden, violent cough shook Flynn's body. His eyes snapped open, and he spat out water, the sensation worse than drowning. He struggled upright, coughing uncontrollably, expelling lungfuls of water.

Flynn's coughing echoed through the space, and then, slowly, He raised his finger to eye level, fixing the Ring with a fierce glare. "What do you want from me!" he yelled, but only silence replied.

Fury aided his strength, and he staggered up on his feet. "You useless piece of metal!."

With a swift, angry motion, his finger locked on the Ring on the other with the aim of yanking it off, and then...

'.... Scrrrrr...'

"Wait! What?."

He tried again.

'.... Scrrrr...'

In that instant, Flynn realized the unthinkable: the Ring was stuck. He tugged with all his might, but it refused to budge.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He exclaimed, frustration on his face.

But, without giving up, he placed his feet firmly and summoned every ounce of strength. He pulled again, veins bulging, muscles straining... but the Ring remained stuck to his finger.

"it can't... be removed..."

Flynn collapsed to the ground, his gaze fixed on the Ring. "I... I'm stuck with this... Death... With this Ring..—"

Just then, a concerned voice broke the silence. "Ya alrigh', Bimpky?"

Flynn lifted his head to see the two boys who had survived the tunnel ordeal with him. He sprang up, relief washing over him, "I'm fine..."

"Blimey, ya were drownin'! Somethin' awful!" one of the boys exclaimed.

Flynn offered a weak smile. "Thanks for saving my life."

The boys nodded, and Flynn's curiosity took over. "Where are we?"

As he looked around, he realized they were in another cave-like structure, vastly larger than the Mushroom Groove. It was a cavernous space, resembling an odd colossal dome. The area was roughly the size of a football field, and In the distance, was the tunnel water in the form of a puddle, but deeper than it seemed, with its waters leading back to the Mushroom Groove. The dome's sheer scale reached to an odd height, with the top covered in darkness and it seemed like the light was formed from odd blue glowing crystals again, scattered on the wall.

"Blimey, just caves 'n' caves," one of the boys said, walking towards the walls. "I wonder when we'll be out o' 'ere."

Flynn looked around, perplexed by their surroundings. When suddenly, his gaze snagged on something moving.

"Crack..."

He swiveled sharply towards the sound, confusion on his face. "What in the world...?"

It weren't the first time he'd faced strange happenings, but this place was something else. Worse than he'd ever imagined.

"Crack.."

It sounded again, this time, getting the attention of all the boys, as they looked around, while closing in.

They remained quiet, with their eyes surveiling the environment. Waiting for the next movement, and then.... Nothing.

A minute passed with all eyeing the odd cave, when one of the two boys spoke up, "... Ain' nothin'...—"

'Whoosh'

The boy was lifted up into the air, and with his horrified expression, something invisible had him in grip.

Flynn swiftly jumped towards him as he held the boy's leg and he couldn't grab tightly because of the injury he had from the spider's spike, but then, he felt a force kick on his stomach, sending him flying towards the wall.

The force caused him to spit out a large amount of blood, and the only thing he saw last was the floating boy disappearing into an invisible space, and the other, jumping back into the deep puddle.

[HOST SURVIVAL CRITICAL!—.....]

The voice sounding in his head faded, just as his consciousness.

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