Mercenary Black Mamba

The lake was unpleasantly sticky and buoyant. A bunch of glowing blue dots rolled around and covered the entirety of the water's surface. It was either a colony of noctiluca or luminescent bacterias. He hadn't expected a clear blue lake. The unusual sight overwhelmed his imagination. A heavy silence pressed down on the lake.

Plop—

Plop—

Even the faint sound of something leaping out from the water intensified the silence.

It was like an illusion, a deja vu. The sniper units of the Deuxieme Rep had conducted acclimatization training sessions in Africa three times a year. The Great Rift Valley in East Africa was their central training location. It was a natural sniper training ground that included the necessary obstacles for training like rough mountain terrains, steep slopes, jungles, wetlands, lagoons, huge lakes, and sandy beaches.

Black Mamba had been more intrigued by the scenery rather than the training. When night fell, a radiant light spread across Lake Malawi. The fishermen who lived around the lake floated 100s of oil lamps on the lake to catch the usipa, a species belonging to the sardine family. Countless oil lamps floated down the stream in the darkness like the Milky Way.

1,000s of biting midges, which had been lured by the light, roamed in the water. The number of Chironomidae had continued to increase. It covered the water's surface and created large towers underwater, which was 100s of meters high. He had been enthralled by the blue mist surrounding the lake, the Milky Way moving on the water's surface, the pillars of midges flocking around, the usipa jumping to eat the midges, and the heartbreaking appeal of the fishermen who lived in solitude.

The sound of splashes which indicated that something was jumping around and the field of water rings rolling around the water's surface resembled the night scenery in Lake Malawi. It was more of an unusual sight rather than a breathtaking one.

He utilized his night vision to the optimum. 500 meters ahead, he could see a land glowing in a slight blue hue. There was nothing but the horizon to his right, left, and back. At the very least, he'd arrived close to land.

"Huh, how wide is this place?"

According to the battlefield's analysis, the horizon's distance changed according to one's eye-level height. The distance between the visible horizon and a human with an eye-level height of 1.7 meters was around 4.6 kilometers. Since he was submerged in water from the chest down, his eye-level height was at 0.7 meters. According to the Pythagorean Theorem, he was three kilometers away from the horizon. It was hard to predict the lake's size.

A lake that was 1,000s of meters underground with a horizon. Did that even make sense?

A peaceful underground world, an endless lake, a bluish twilight, lights floating on the water's surface, a land that radiated light, and abundant oxygen—if he presented that to the scientific community, it would flip the world upside down. Would they treat him like a madman?

"Ugh, what's up with the temperature?"

He was surprised. The underground was ridiculously deep. The heat was predictable. The temperature of the underground cave that he got dragged into was 40 degrees Celsius. He had fallen vertically for 90 seconds. The current depth was approximately 5,230 meters. There were many variables, but the temperature should have been 150 degrees Celsius. Even the Paranthropus' ancestors could not survive a temperature of 150 degrees Celsius. However, he was fine. It was so hot that he had a hard time breathing. His body temperature was about 50 degrees Celsius. There was nothing ordinary about the place at all.

"Well, I'm not normal myself."

He stopped questioning the situation. His head would ache if he continued stressing himself. Perception was a combination of reality and theory. With the absence of theory, there was no way to perceive reality.

An ignorant Yankee arrived at the safari by helicopter. He drank a bottle of coke and threw it away. The bottle landed in the Kalahari Desert. A bushman found the coke bottle and shouted:

[How wonderful…God has given me a gift!]

It was a scene from a movie. A Greenpeace member would have made a fuss about how it polluted the environment. The bushman didn't understand the significance of the coke bottle in the middle of the desert. Despite its existence, it was unrecognized because there was no theory behind it.

Not everything he saw was real. Compared to the vast universe, a human's knowledge was worth nothing. Even if it was, how much could one possibly know!

He didn't know how much time had passed. His stomach twisted in hunger. He had no choice but to rely on his strength to survive the unfamiliar world. But, he had to eat to gain strength.

"Is there anything to eat?"

An aquatic ecosystem was denser and more stable than a terrestrial ecosystem. There was a higher possibility of finding creatures underwater than on land.

Boom—

He gathered the last of his strength and spread his dimensional sight. His range barely extended past 70 meters. A splitting headache swept over him. It was evident that he was exhausted.

There were creatures. Unexpectedly, he could sense several creatures swimming in the water. He unwound the Gorgon, which was wrapped around his waist, and held it in his right hand. This guy had a stronger bloodthirst compared to the Kukri. It felt bitterly cold because of the countless lives it had absorbed.

Ssss—

He sensed something gliding through the water toward him.

Splat—

The Gorgon dug into the water's surface like an arrow.

Keeeh—

A scream sounded. It couldn't be a fish if it screamed. No, since he was in an unusual world, perhaps the fishes were capable of screeching.

Splash—

A creature the size of an adult seal jumped out from the water, dripping with blood. Its gaping mouth made up a third of its body.

"What is this?"

Black Mamba was surprised as he'd expected it to die immediately. The Gorgon pierced through the strange creature's brain. The brain was a critical organ for every living creature. Regardless of species, one would lose their combat abilities once the brain was affected. What was this creature running toward him with its jaw agape and dripping with green blood? It was a monster.

"I'll cut your head off then."

With a flick of his wrist, the Gorgon wrapped around the monster's neck.

Ting—

He snatched the handle back.

"Hm?"

The Gorgon didn't cut through its neck. Although he was weak, he had enough strength to slice off a tiger's neck. That meant the monster's hide and muscles were extremely tough.

Splash—

Splash—

The monster squirmed hysterically.

Swish—

He flicked his Gorgon again. The Gorgon dug deep into the monster's neck. Several seconds later, the protesting monster floated on the water with its tongue hanging out. Since it had a tongue, rather than a fish, it was either an aquatic mammal or a reptile.

"What is this?"

Black Mamba frowned as he inspected the victim. Its entire body was covered in fur, and it had four legs despite being a mammal. It had webbed toes like a platypus. However, it was dripping green blood. It was an unknown creature, after all.

The monster's head was unanticipated. It had an abnormally large head, and its mouth took up half of its proportions. The teeth lined in two rows were sharp like knives and curved inwards. The teeth were a combination of shark and snake teeth. It was shaped in that manner so that its prey couldn't escape once bitten.

Black Mamba named the strange creature the "Big Headed Monster." He was very bad at naming things.

He dipped his finger in its blood and tasted it. It numbed his tongue's senses. The b*stard was poisonous like a pufferfish.

"Do I eat it or not?"

His brain suffered complications, but his liver protested. Well, death was not an exception, be it by famine or poison. He trusted his body. His body had cheat skills that could deconstruct the botulinum toxin, which was known as the most potent poison on Earth.

There was a saying that if a ghost ate before dying, it had the gall. He sliced its stomach with his Kukri and tore off its flesh. It felt like he was tearing off a metal plate. However, there was no reason for him to deny it since he had once filled his belly with scorpions and beetles.

He pulled out its liver and chewed on it. It tasted like wasabi; spicy and sharp. However, it was edible. His liver went into shock when the food arrived. Starting the meal was hard, but before he knew it, he was eating at an alarming speed.

He instantly finished off four legs and one rib, leaving behind only bones. It was as chewy as his leather combat boots, but Black Mamba's teeth were as sturdy as an alligator's. All that remained of the monster was its head, hide, and intestines. Black Mamba even drank its blood. He quenched his thirst, and his stomach began to bloat.

"Hehehe!"

Black Mamba laughed in satisfaction from being full. Both humans and animals were happy after being well-fed. Humans didn't live for happiness. Humans were content to be alive.

"Dong-bang-bull-pae, are you happy?" he asked himself aloud.

"You mad b*stard, would you be happy after consuming an unsavory monster? I'd rather chew on military combat boots! Kekeke!"

Black Mamba laughed while patting his belly. It was a reality that would make anyone cry, but he preferred to laugh it off instead.

The Paranthropus' body was exceptional. The digestive system immediately broke down the meat into proteins, fat, carbs, and minerals before transporting it to the blood and lymph vessels.

His lungs inhaled air like a snakehead's engine. The mitochondria, which received nutrients and oxygen, quickly converted it into energy. The cells that had lost its liveliness came to life. Blood rushed through his veins.

"Hehe, it seems like I'm the monster instead."

The monster laughing with green blood smeared on his mouth after eating another monster was himself.

"Ah!"

Black Mamba flinched amidst enjoying being full. Countless creatures rushed toward him. Momentarily distracted, he'd forgotten about the blood seeping out from the corpse.

"Here, go away after eating this."

He threw the monster's corpse, which he was holding, far away. Water bubbled in the place where it landed like a boiling soup. The sound of countless creatures screeching and shouting enveloped the silent lake.

Black Mamba's chest felt a chill from watching the aggressive mouths emerging on the water's surface. Creatures that rushed for blood were predators, regardless of species. Even the tilapia fled when piranhas approached in groups.

He was a terrestrial creature who could only use his energy on the ground. He wouldn't be able to fight back if he was attacked underwater. Suddenly, he felt disturbed by the monster's head and teeth, which he'd eaten just moments ago.

A large creature appeared from the splitting water as he attempted to swim toward the land. Like fire lamps, its eyes flashed two meters above the water's surface. Its scream echoed across the lake while it swung its long neck around.

"Oh my god, a Muraenosaurus! Have I watched too many Hollywood movies?" Black Mamba, who was astounded, mumbled.

Like a turtle, it had a long neck, small head, sharp teeth, and a flat body. From his knowledge, an eight-meters long body was a feature of the Muraenosaurus.

Rumble—

The Muraenosaurus gnawed on a creature that looked like a seal and raised its head.

Keeeeee—

The creature released a desperate cry. The other creatures swarming around the corpse started scattering like spiderlings. While some escaped to the far sea, most headed toward Black Mamba.

"Nimi, f***!"

The appearance of a Jurassic dinosaur scared Black Mamba out of his wits. The creatures were aiming for the pheasant instead of the chicken. No, the creatures were aiming for the chicken instead of the pheasant. To those b*stards, his fragile body was a better feast. He hastily moved his arms and legs to get to land.

Countless underwater predators chased after Black Mamba, who fervently glided through the water's surface. The great Dong-bang-bull-pae wasn't so great, after all.

"Nimi jotto, there are all kinds of things here."

Curses kept flowing. The large creature, with its back on the water's surface, sped directly toward him. It caught up with him instantly. Its speed was no joke. The smaller creatures fled when the b*stard appeared.

Kuuuuuuaaa—

A majestic howl echoed around the lake. A creature, which size could overcome the Muraenosaurus, jumped frantically out of the water.

"Uhh!"

He could only exclaim at the overpowering presence. With a body standing taller than 10 meters, a three-meters wide mouth, four flapping gills, and teeth the size of his arms—it was the epic figure of a Kronosaurus, a tyrant from the Cretaceous period.

A massive mouth with countless embedded Kukris spun toward Black Mamba like a swinging blade. However, the tyrant of the lake in the Center of the Earth had picked the wrong opponent.

"You b*stard, do you think I'm easy?"

Woosh—

The Gorgon flitted through the air. Now that Black Mamba had regained his strength, his movements were different. It even sounded different. The Gorgon soared in a cycloid motion.

Crack—

The monster's head was bashed to the side. Half of its large head shattered from the impact.

Splash—

Green blood splattered into the air.

Monsters were also made of blood and flesh. It couldn't withstand an impact that would crush iron. Its large body fell into the water.

Kuaaaaagh—

A whirlpool had formed due to the monster's resistance.

Ssss—

The strange creatures gathered instantly. The water bubbled. They were naturally aggressive creatures. The monster that looked like a Kronosaurus was instantly crushed. Even a boss turned into prey when injured.

Keee—

Kehhhh—

Grrrr—

All kinds of grumbling sounded around the lake in the Center of the Earth.

Amidst the chaos, Black Mamba took the opportunity to flee. If he didn't, he'd be torn apart by the unfamiliar creatures in the Center of the Earth. His muscles roared with reawakened energy. A powerful kick launched him forward like a dolphin out of water, and his arms' exceptional swinging bounced his body across the water's surface.

After tearing apart the Kronosaurus' body, the creatures immediately went after him. Some followed after him by almost flying above the water. Black Mamba had leaped out of the water by the time the creatures reached his ankle. He rolled once in the air before landing lightly on the ground.

"F****** hell."

He zoned out at the herd of creatures fighting one another after having lost their prey. It was a neighborhood where creatures of 10 meters long and two meters wide roamed about! They were creatures from 1,000,000,000 years ago. No, they looked similar to those creatures of the past.

"Teacher, it seems like a monster has landed in a monster neighborhood! Kekeke!"

Black Mamba laughed as he deprecated himself.