Villain With The Strongest System

Once Buhara consumed all the potions he needed, the team got back on the trail once more, slowly walking towards the tunnel's exit as they stretched their sore muscles.

Nobody uttered a single word, as everyone was too tired to make idle talk and needed to conserve their energy for any fights that may pop-up ahead.

With the package in hand, Rocky led the group from the front, his pace quick as he did not dare walk too slow.

Thankfully, the team faced no major threats within the tunnel itself and were able to exit it safely after 20 minutes of walking, after which they came across the palm tree jungle.

This was undoubtedly the most weird jungle that Rocky had encountered, as the sand under their feet was loose at the surface being nothing but desert sand, while the sand underneath the top layer was red and moist, adequate to support plant life.

However, this weird mixture of sands made it nearly impossible for the group to walk without making noise as no matter how carefully they placed their foot, they ended up making some small amount of noise as their feet dug into the sand.

This unfortunately attracted the attention of underground centipedes, who constantly popped up in and around them, trying to ambush the group, however, Kronos thankfully made short work of them without facing much difficulty.

**********

( Four hours later )

Four hours later, Rocky felt extremely nervous as the team neared the end of their journey.

The Palm Desert was about to end and the local village which was their destination was now only 5 kilometers away.

The team had surprisingly faced no unexpected problems which was odd considering 'Vorithra Sylithen' should have triggered by now, however, somehow it did not.

There were no unexpected problems in their journey and with the team being so close to the destination, Rocky could not help but hope that maybe, just maybe, they could make it out of this floor without the cursed phenomenon triggering some unexpected problems for them.

Unfortunately however, the tower seemingly having heard his plea, triggered Vorithra Sylithen right that moment, as Buhara accidentally tripped over a palm tree root, snapping it accidentally.

Now, ideally, with the movement of the centipedes and the constant small-scale fighting that took place in this palm forest, roots of palm trees should have snapped repeatedly over the years and Buhara having done it should have been nothing special, but unfortunately for the group, right as Buhara got back to his feet, the ground beneath them began to tremble.

The tremors were mild at first, but quickly grew into violent shakes that nearly knocked the entire team off their feet as a low rumbling noise, like the groan of a giant waking from a long slumber, reverberated through the palm forest.

"What's happening?" Erin asked, his voice barely audible over the growing noise as he looked around nervously.

Rocky's eyes widened as he felt the ground beneath them shift, realizing with a sinking feeling that this was no ordinary tremor.

He quickly glanced around, trying to discern the source of the disturbance. But as the rumbling intensified, the truth became apparent in a way none of them could have imagined.

The entire palm forest seemed to lift and sway as if it were part of a giant beast. The towering palm trees, which moments ago seemed rooted in the ground, began to shift, tilting at unnatural angles as something huge began to rise.

Then, with a sound that echoed like a thousand drums being struck at once, a massive form shot towards the sky, displacing tons of sand and stone as it ascended, knocking the team to their bellies as they ascended alongside it.

"What the fuck? Are we on-top of an ancient golem?" Kronos asked, feeling ridiculous at how such a situation could even occur, however, unfortunately it did occur and it precisely occured only because it was a Champion's party passing along.

The ancient creature was so large that its head towered near the clouds, making it the size of a small mountain, while the palms that grew from its massive, stony body swayed like hair in the wind, its form being so huge that it did not even notice Rocky, Buhara and the thousand different other creatures living on its body.

"It's… It's a mountain golem," Kronos muttered, barely able to find his voice. "A giant golem… The entire forest is part of it" he conveyed, however, everyone else could already make sense of it.

Rocky's heart sank as the reality of their situation hit him. The forest wasn't a natural formation—it was merely an extension of this ancient being, which had been lying dormant for centuries, hidden from all who traveled through this floor and thanks to their rotten luck, the snapping of the palm root had been enough to rouse the golem from its long slumber.

*KROOOOONNNN*

The massive creature let out a low, guttural groan as it shook off the remnants of its long sleep and began taking a step in the opposite direction to where the team needed to go.

"Everyone, hold on!" Rocky shouted, digging his hands into a nearby palm tree for stability as the golem began to move.

With each step it took, the landscape shifted, and the team found themselves being carried further away from their destination.

Rocky quickly assessed their situation. They were now riding on the back of a walking mountain, and with each step, they were losing precious time on their mission. They had to get off this creature, and fast, or their quest would be doomed.

"We need to get off this thing," Rocky said, his mind racing to find a solution. "If we stay here any longer, we'll be too far from our destination to complete the mission."

Buhara, still reeling from the shock of what he had inadvertently unleashed, nodded grimly. "But how? If we jump from this height, we'll be crushed by the fall."

Kronos, always the practical one, quickly scanned the area, noting the changing terrain as the golem continued its lumbering journey. "There might be a way," he said, pointing to a cluster of palm trees that seemed to be growing near the edge of the golem's back. "If we can get to those trees and use them to climb down, we might be able to safely get off,"

However, even by the time the team had this small discussion, they were already a quarter of the way back to the tunnel. Having lost nearly 1 hour of traveling time, as with every few seconds that they wasted more, they were only getting further and further away from their destination.