Ch 20: The Price of Survival

Time felt slow.

Hours turned into a full day.

Grrrr~

Emrys's stomach growled with hunger, and his mouth felt dry. However, there was no food for him to eat. He can only wait.

As time passed, his hunger also intensified. Having no choice, he darted his gaze at the beetle's wound that bled a lot when the energy bullet pierced through its body. Emrys could see the beetle's soft flesh inside, which was already torn and bleeding.

Gritting his teeth, Emrys used his robotic arm and pulled off pieces of meat. Then he started eating them raw.

He had no choice. He cannot just come out of the beetle's cover and expose himself to all the insectoids just to start a fire, right?

As he ate the raw flesh, he almost vomited. The taste was strange and bitter, but at least, it could keep him alive. So, he chewed carefully and slowly. At the same time, he continuously used his Echo Sense to look for danger.

Truth be told, the situation was truly intense for Emrys, and exactly this situation gave him a boost of lots of experience that brought him closer to the Second Star Esper.

Of course, if he wants to break through to the second star, he needs to accumulate more.

Days went by, and Emrys still did not come out. He knew the insectoids were still nearby. They seemed to be searching and waiting.

For whom?

Emrys didn’t know!

However, he could feel them moving and making noise. Sometimes, their shadows passed over the beetle’s wing, making Emrys’s heart stop. He stayed still, barely breathing.

Whenever he felt hungry, he would tear off the beetle’s flesh and eat it. As for thirst, there was no water to quench it. The most he can do is endure the thirst and pass his days with the moisture he can absorb from the beetle's flesh.

Just like that, three days passed.

Only after three days did the sounds of insectoids start to fade. The insectoids moved further away, but still, Emrys did not dare to come out.

He was too tired and scared.

He waited, waited to be sure that no insectoids would come any longer. For now, he was safe under the beetle's hard wing.

During these three days, he was not without suffering. Brutal pain was coming from where his robotic arm and leg connected to his body. It was an awful, itchy pain, almost too much to bear.

He wanted to tear off the robotic arm and leg because it hurt so much, but he was scared. If he made too much noise, the insectoids might hear him and come back. So, he stayed still, trying to endure the pain and the thirst.

Finally, after three days, the area was quiet.

When he felt it was safe, Emrys pushed himself out from under the beetle's wing.

His body was weak, and he stumbled as he stood up. Aside from the pain in his arm and leg, his entire body was also aching. This made it hard for him to move.

Emrys looked around carefully, making sure there were no insectoids nearby.

The battlefield was quiet now. There were signs of battle everywhere. Fallen espers, their incomplete bodies, and broken insectoids were scattered all over the ground everywhere Emrys could see. It was a sad and scary sight, and seeing this, Emrys felt a mix of fear and sadness.

He took a deep breath, but his mouth was dry. There was no water around, and he was still hungry.

Although the flesh of the giant beetle sustained him for a few days, it was just not enough. Not to mention, all he ate was raw meat.

Emrys knew he had to find a safe place to rest and get something to eat.

He looked for any signs of other espers, hoping he wasn't the only one left. Unfortunately, there was only him standing in this infinitely long stretching Insectoid Island, or at least that's how it appeared in his eyes now that all the insectoids were gone.

With his heart pounding, Emrys started to move slowly away from the beetle.

As he walked, each step he took felt heavy. But he knew he had to push himself. After all, he needed to find water and a safe place to quench his thirst and rest.

His whole body was throbbing with pain, but he kept moving. He was left with no choice but to move.

Other than espers and insectoids' bodies that were scattered everywhere, the air on this battlefield was also thick with the smell of blood, rotten flesh, smoke, and dust.

Emrys felt sadness as he looked around. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

After coming to the Sixth Line of Defense, he participated two times in a single mission, but both times, only he survived.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he spotted a small stream nearby.

"A stream... Thank god!"

Emrys heaved a sigh of relief. He hurried his steps and arrived at a corner of the stream as soon as possible. Then he immediately dropped to his knees at the edge. Using his hands, he scooped up water and drank, letting the cool water soothe his dry throat.

"Haaa~"

The water tasted fresh, and he drank until he felt full.

Only then did he scoop water onto his face, feeling the cold touch of it against his skin. He took a few deep breaths and calmed himself.

Now that he had drank water, he suddenly felt his eyes blurring a bit. He wanted nothing more than to sleep at the moment.

However, he knew he had to first look for a safe place. Otherwise, who knows when an insectoid find him and kills him in his sleep?

Even so, Emrys still sat by the stream and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt grateful to have survived but knew he would need to rest and regain his strength before he could continue.

He didn't know when or how, but he drifted off to sleep.