[Psychokinetic] Eyeball Pulling - Chapter 79 (Patreon)

Just as she was about to head out, a sudden thought jumped into her mind. She had been so busy fighting and levelling, then with what happened with Hashim. Her mind was too focused on other things that she had forgotten about the chaotic air supply.

Astrid could imagine being startled away with no way to breathe. She waited for a while in the cave. Normally outside, the air supply would be cut off for a few seconds every fifteen minutes or so.

She sat on a rock and began counting the stalactites that hung from the ceiling. If there was one thing she hated, it was waiting. Her foot tapped against the floor, creating thumping sounds as her boot struck rock.

A few hours had passed, that was Astrid’s estimation anyway and she was happy to find that not once had the air changed within the cave.

Maybe that’s another reason the centipedes stay down here? Astrid thought.

Although it was a waste of her hard work of creating the fortress, she was forced to abandon it for now. If she couldn’t get any sleep, then she was bound to make a mistake that would end up getting her killed. WIth the decision to stay in the cavern for the night, she had to make preparations in the event that some more centipedes decided to enter her new home.

She created another illusion at one side of the valley, the side she hadn’t explored yet. Then created another at the entrance to camouflage it from invaders. Her thought was that if one illusion broke, it would either be at the entrance, or at the unexplored side of the valley.

If she found out that the illusion at the entrance was unharmed, then they were coming from the unexplored side.

Then she created an enormous pit at the entrance of the cave, then finally walked back deep into the cavern where she created a basic bed. Thankfully this time she had brought a bed-roll with her. Never again would she sleep on hardened ground. She needed her beauty sleep.

Her eyes grew heavy, and finally entered a dreamland. One that was way too realistic to be a dream, but for the Psychokinetic girl, it was becoming a daily occurrence.

***

Astrid yawned, tears forming at the corner of her eyes as she groggily wiped them with her sleeve. The cold metal of her arm-guards scraped at her face, leaving a red mark across her cheek. The stinging pain caused her eyes to shoot open. She snarled at the arm guards, forgetting that she was even wearing it in her sleepy state.

She connected to the matter within her body and lazily lifted herself up. After a moment, she shook her head and slapped her face. It was time to get into fighting mode.

There wasn’t a time limit for the dungeon, so that meant she was going to be here for as long as it took her to complete it. That meant killing the final boss, just like the other one. Judging by the creatures she was facing, it wasn’t going to be easy.

However, an evil plan was already forming within her head. It would just be a nightmare to figure out the logistics of it. Well, she had time to figure that out. After all, she still had to figure out where the damned boss even was.

But for now, it was time to explore.

***

Astrid faced another monster.

The new voidlings almost had the image of goblins. But their skin was pitch black, and their eyes were a deep purple. Little budding bone coloured horns emerged from their skulls.

Astrid dodged a dagger made of scraggly Voidbent metal by the skin of her teeth. The blade screeched past her barrier, but it wasn’t able to penetrate it.

Astrid kicked the monster, creating distance as she followed it with a blast of psychic mana. She flew into the air. It was only a short moment before more of the voidling Insects piled on each onto the goblin and limbs went flying.

The last one fell to the ground, unable to continue the fight out of exhaustion. It was the victor, yet it didn’t matter. It breathed one last time as the notification popped up within Astrid’s mind.

She made sure not to look at it in fear of other monsters appearing. Only ten minutes had passed since she was ambushed. They were incredibly stealthy, and practically undetectable. She was now past the valley, and out on the other side of the mountains.

It was an area that was two parts trees and wide expansive plains. Boulders of varying sizes littered the area, as if they had fallen randomly from the sky. Astrid was wondering if that was actually what had happened as they were snuggly fit within large craters.

The entire area was illuminated by glowing mushrooms. Little fluorescent bulbs grew from the cap. She made sure to stay away from them as they seemed bulbous, as if they were about to pop at any moment. Who knows what kind of liquid, or toxic fumes lay within.

She’d rather let the other voidling’s find that out for her.

She sipped another mana potion to revitalise her strength and continued on. She decided to test the theory of the mushroom. She created a knife and threw it forward with her mind. It accurately pierced the bulb, like a guided arrow.

As the knife hit the bulbous lump, only a glowing liquid seeped out, The light dimmed. One by one, the bulbs on the mushroom popped and seeped its viscous liquid down onto the floor.

Even the worms from the ground didn’t dare take the liquid for a food source.

Then, after all the bulbs had popped, the light from the mushroom vanished. Leaving only the shimmering from the nearby flora.

Okay, mental note. Don’t let them pop. Astrid walked into range of the mushrooms and used Identify.

Level 0 - Luminescent Voidshroom: A mushroom that gives off light.

No warning of what it does, huh. Astrid tutted.

Astrid hovered over the mushroom field, just in case and approached one of the many boulders that littered the field.

As she got closer she noticed an enormous hand print that was embedded within the rock. Moving to the other side, there was an exact copy. She frowned. That could only mean that something absolutely gargantuan had picked up the boulder, and thrown it from… somewhere.

Astrid raised her guard and looked around. She attempted to guess where they would come from based on the placements of the boulders, but there wasn’t an order to them.

She walked further into the field, then looked back. If she took the front of the field as the beginning, and where she stood was the end. Then… She spotted a boulder not far from where she stood. It was the only one there, and it was a little distance away from the nearest boulder.

That means whatever threw it, that was the furthest it could throw. Astrid thought, then looked ahead. It would be easier to defend against missile-like boulders if they only came from the front.

Inching forward, the tree’s came into view. Unlike the ones before that had snakes for branches, these ones were normal.

As normal as a tree could look like in a void world, anyway. The leaves had six tips, like a star. Black veins spread through it like thin beetle wings. The tree trunks had enormous spikes that were embedded into a thick bark.

Astrid braced her shoulders, she heard something swish through the air. Shot like a cannon from Rebirth. It caused a sonic boom. A tree twenty metres from her exploded into a mass of broken up fragments. A boulder had blasted into the ground's crust.

Sweat formed on her forehead. She had walked into a landmine, but instead of the threat being below, it was death from above. Astrid panicked, she blasted the matter in front of her and with it impacting her Mind Barrier, it sent her hurtling backwards. Just as she was about to land, a boulder exploded in the ground behind her.

The force of the impact almost tugged at her knees, as if it even affected the gravity around her. She tried to run back further, but another boulder stopped her in her tracks. After attempting to escape for a few attempts, she stopped.

Whenever she moved backwards, boulders struck the ground. Whenever she moved forward, it stopped.

Whatever it is, it wants me to move forward. Is it with the black blob? She still couldn’t get its words out of her head. What was waiting for her? The dungeon boss? Would going there answer her questions? Then so be it. She was sick and tired of walking in the dark, she would get her answers.

Putting her theory to the test, she bolted forward. Just as she thought, the boulders stopped. She meandered through the forest. There wasn’t a single monster in sight, although that probably had something to do with the fact that enormous boulders were being tossed by some unknown monster.

It took around thirty minutes before she came out on the other side of the forest unharmed. In Between two hills, a waterfall crashed down from up high. A fine mist of water separated from the main stream, and sprinkled its moist air downward.

It approached Astrid and she quickly erected a thin Mind Barrier. It used very little mana, but offered little protection. She was wary of letting an unknown substance touch her skin. Especially since the water looked like someone had mixed it with ash. It was dark and grey, and it didn’t have the usual consistency that water had.

It was more like blood.

Next to the waterfall was a dirt path that led up the mountain. The path spiralled from left to right, and wandered in a peculiar way. It was as if a drunken Wayfarer was attempting to scout.

Astrid glanced around at the surroundings. She wanted to find that monster that was flinging the boulders, but it was nowhere to be seen. Maybe over the mountain?

Astrid didn’t know if she was able to defeat it, but she knew she had to try. She couldn’t live in fear, and she didn’t plan on spending years to level up either. And that’s even if the amount of monsters could sustain that levelling process.

If she wanted to discover the secrets of the black blob, the secrets of the dungeons. She had to risk it.

Astrid walked forward. The dirt path crunched underfoot. It was like soil back at home, but there was a distinct crunch. She used her Psychokinesis to blast a section of dirt away and revealed an off-white hidden underneath.

They were bones. Some large, some small.

Astrid moved with conviction. She peered up at the mountain edge. What would be on the other side? A great enemy? Or the answers to her desperate questions?