[Llyne's Side]
While I was enjoying my time lounging inside the treasure chest, a large wooden board floated past me—carrying a paddle like a gift from the heavens.
My eyes sparkled. I lunged out and grabbed it, hoisting it triumphantly above my head.
"Wow! A paddle showed up! It's a miracle!" I cheered loudly, shaking the paddle with both hands like I had just pulled a legendary sword from a stone.
Without wasting another second, I stood tall atop the floating chest.
"Okay! I've got a solid chest and a paddle. Now it's time for exploration!"
I struck a ridiculous, over-the-top pose, my finger jabbing forward like a commander pointing his troops toward the battlefield.
"Mission: Pooperoni begins now!"
Gripping the paddle tightly, I began paddling furiously through the monster's stomach, sending small splashes of toxic digestive juices flying with each stroke.
As I pushed forward, the acid mist clinging to the air seemed to thin slightly—and that's when I spotted them.
Scattered among the ruins of half-digested objects were pristine, untouched lunch boxes.
I blinked.
Once. Twice.
"This rabbit monster is a food thief!" I gasped, scandalized. "How naughty! I'll be keeping it as punishment!"
Naturally, punishment meant confiscation.
But first—
I popped open one of the boxes and took a cautious bite.
"Mmm... Yummy. All good," I confirmed with a big, satisfied nod.
Grinning from ear to ear, I stacked the lunchboxes neatly inside the chest.
The treasure pile grew bigger.
But that wasn't all.
Something glinted under a half-digested backpack nearby.
I paddled over—and gasped in delight.
"Oh, a long sword~ Naisu!" I sang, scooping up the weapon like a kid picking up a toy from a fairground.
With food, weapons, and a solid chest-boat under me, my confidence skyrocketed.
Soon after, I spotted a new discovery.
A deep, ominous tunnel leading into darkness.
The entrance was narrow, veiled with thin strands of slime that fluttered slightly with each movement.
The stench here was even worse—thick, damp, and rotten.
I squinted into the gloom.
"This must be the small intestine," I muttered. "Looks like it's gonna be a looooong path ahead of me."
Without hesitation, I grabbed a portable torchlight and a coil of rope that had drifted past earlier.
Tying the rope securely to the chest, I flicked on the torch.
A dim, flickering beam pierced the darkness, revealing a winding, claustrophobic path that seemed to stretch endlessly.
My breath hitched.
The air was suffocating, as if the very tunnel walls were breathing—shuddering with some unseen life.
I paddled carefully forward, the acidic currents gently tugging the chest deeper into the unknown.
As I advanced, the intestinal walls closed in. The passage grew narrower.
And then—
Bzz. Bzz.
The torchlight began to flicker.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
"This place is really dark and eerie. Every hair on my body are standing. Brrr~" I said, my voice accidentally echoing throughout the intestine.
I jolted upright in the chest, heart hammering.
Golly, that nearly gave me a heart attack, I thought, clutching the paddle tighter.
But—
I frowned.
Just now, when my voice echoed... something else had moved.
That wasn't just my imagination, I realized, my back tensing up.
I held my breath, straining my ears.
Shhh—
There it was again.
A slight shuffle against the walls, a slithering noise hidden underneath the echoes.
I immediately donned the spare armor I'd looted earlier and belted the long sword to my waist, every nerve ending on high alert.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied my resolve.
Whatever was lurking ahead... I was ready.
I stopped paddling, letting the slow, steady pull of the digestive currents guide me forward, the chest drifting silently into the deep unknown.
In the suffocating darkness of the monster's bowels, something was waiting.
And this time, it wouldn't be a treasure chest.
[Rona and Ronald's Side]
The cat monster and dog monster inched toward Rona and Ronald, their predatory eyes locked on their prey, gleaming with vicious hunger. The rabbit monster loomed in the background like a bloated shadow, silently watching.
Each step the monsters took was heavy, deliberate—the ground quivered under their weight.
Ronald clenched his fists, heart pounding like a war drum.
He knew: one wrong move and they'd be shredded apart.
Without a word, Ronald snatched the scattered weapons from the ground, threw a heavy metal shield over his arm, and planted himself firmly in front of Rona.
"Stay back, Rona. I'll protect you," he said, voice low but shaking slightly.
But Rona shook her head with fierce determination.
"Together," she said, her voice cutting through the rising tension like a blade.
Ronald's eyes widened in panic.
"But—"
Before he could finish, Rona reached behind her back, rummaging around—and then with a grin, she flourished something into the air.
"Tadaa!"
It was a boomerang.
Ronald's face fell faster than a collapsing wall.
He stared at the weapon, disbelief dripping from his voice.
"Do you even know how to use a boomerang?"
Rona twirled the boomerang happily and laughed.
"Boom-a-rang? What a funny name."
Ronald's jaw dropped.
Hick... I want to cry… he wailed inwardly, shaking his head furiously.
No, not now! I have to firm up! I have to protect Rona until Llyne gets here!
Behind them, Mimi was casually spinning around, snickering like a delighted demon.
"Oh? You still think your 'Mr. Rabbit's food' friend is still alive?" she mocked, her voice echoing through the blood-soaked battlefield.
"Oh dear me... being in denial won't do you any good, you know! Besides—" she sneered, tapping her device, "—how could she possibly survive inside Mr. Rabbit's stomach armed with a lousy play toy shovel? Absolutely hilarious!"
Ronald's teeth ground together audibly. His grip tightened on the shield.
Mimi's words slithered like poison into his ears.
"Listen to Mimi's advice," she said sweetly, "and surrender, okay? I promise—I'll make it quick. Trust Mimi!"
Rona stood silent, fists clenched, her head bowed low. Her small figure trembled—not with fear—but with anger.
Dark thoughts gnawed at Ronald's mind.
What if she's right? What if Llyne really is dead?
And it's all… my fault?
The weight of guilt crushed his chest. His knees buckled slightly.
That's when Rona lifted her head, and spoke.
"Liar liar pants on fire. Mipoo is lying, don't trust what Mipoo said. Look at her pants, it's on fire."
Her words echoed through the battlefield—loud, proud, and defiant.
Mimi's expression twisted into pure rage.
"WHAT did you just say?!"
Her face turned crimson, her eyes wild.
"Did you just call me Mipoo?! And—furthermore! This pants isn't on fire! It's just RED in color, you maggot!"
Steam practically hissed off Mimi's head as she smashed furiously at her screen.
A chilling BEEP sounded.
Mimi's grin turned monstrous.
"Fine, then," she said. "Let's see if you can survive this."
The cat monster prowled closer, muscles rippling under its matted fur, yellow eyes glowing with murderous intent. Its low growl vibrated through the air, rattling Ronald's bones.
Ronald stood frozen, his shield limp in his hand, spirit draining away like water leaking from a cracked jar.
Towering over them, the cat monster's shadow swallowed them whole.
Without hesitation, Rona hurled the boomerang with all her might, a desperate cry ripping from her throat.
Whoosh!
The boomerang spun wildly into the sky—missing the monster entirely.
"Rona!" Ronald gasped.
The cat monster lunged, its massive paw crashing down with a deafening BOOM—!
At the last second, Rona shoved Ronald aside with all her strength.
They tumbled onto the ground, narrowly dodging being crushed into red paste.
"Rona!" Ronald scrambled toward her.
His heart twisted when he saw it.
Blood.
Scratches and bruises marked her arms and legs, a nasty gash blooming across her elbow.
"What—what happened?!" Ronald choked out, panic surging through him.
Rona looked away, stubbornly hiding her pain.
Instead, she pointed ahead and screamed:
"It's here! It's here!"
Ronald whirled around just in time to see the cat monster, more enraged than ever, raising its paw again for a killing blow.
"RUN!" Ronald roared.
Without thinking, he grabbed his shield and seized Rona's trembling hand, trying to pull her away—but he knew.
There was no way they'd outrun it in time.
In a final act of desperation, Ronald planted himself firmly in front of Rona, shield raised, body tense.
Please…
If there's a miracle... now's the time!
The paw swung down like a guillotine.
Ronald squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact—
—
—
—
SHLUNK!
Something sliced clean through the air with a whistling shriek.
SPLAT!
The cat monster's head split in half, a thick spray of blood jetting upward like a crimson geyser.
Its massive body crumpled to the ground with a sickening, wet thud.
Dead.
The entire stadium fell into stunned silence.
Even the spectators—rowdy moments ago—sat frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
Mimi, perched up above, screeched like a banshee denied its meal.
"WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT HAPPENED?!?!"
Ronald, still shielding Rona, hesitantly peeked over the rim of his shield.
The cat monster lay dead at their feet—slain by something... but what?
Tension coiled in Ronald's gut. He scanned the surroundings carefully, wary of a hidden trap.
Behind him, Rona bent down, humming cheerfully.
She picked something up off the blood-splattered ground and held it triumphantly above her head.
It was the boomerang.
"Yippie!" she cried. "Boom-a-rang may not have boom or rang, but it sure did a loud splat!"
"Job well done, boom-a-rang!" She patted the blood-stained weapon lovingly, oblivious to the carnage around her.
Ronald stared at her in pure disbelief.
Wait...
Did Rona...
Did she just defeat the cat monster... with that throw?!
He blinked several times, trying to process it.
She didn't even know how a boomerang worked. She threw it at random... And it somehow circled around midair... and hit the monster's neck at the perfect angle to decapitate it?!
Cold sweat rolled down Ronald's back.
This wasn't just luck.
This was... ridiculous.