Chapter 143: Will is Supreme

Hathaway stared with wide eyes at the swamp below. The terrifying, monstrous worm loomed vaguely in the shadows, as if it were the physical manifestation of Jenny's deepest fears.

"That worm only reacts to movement. My brother and I were always grabbed by the arms, our fingers cut, just to dangle them in front of it. It has a massive maw and venom glands inside its body..."

"Stop talking!"

Hathaway rushed forward, slamming her hand over Jenny's mouth. But her strength was no match for Jenny, whose body had already begun undergoing physical metamorphosis. Jenny easily broke free and gripped Hathaway's arm in a tight, vice-like hold.

"Ugh... Look outside!"

Enduring the pain, Hathaway forced the words out. Only then did Jenny glance outward, and Malin, who had been about to stop Jenny, instinctively looked out as well.

"Hiss..."

Malin drew in a sharp breath. By now, Jenny had released Hathaway's arm, retreating in a panic to the very back of the hollow tree.

"The... the worm! It's here! It's right here!"

Overwhelmed by intense terror, Jenny's body shook violently, making her speech entirely incoherent.

"Fear magnifies our weaknesses, fear invites the malice of this place, and fear can even create the most terrifying monsters..."

Hathaway muttered in a low voice while rubbing her arm. A distinct scratch marred her skin, its grayish hue—deepened by the gloomy environment of the Upside-Down—resembling a bruise on a corpse.

Malin looked at Jenny, who was trapped in the abyss of fear, and then turned to Hathaway, giving her a slight, solemn shake of her head.

"Click-clack-clack... click-clack-clack..."

The sound of timber being crushed made all three of them freeze. Slowly, they raised their heads in unison.

"Click-clack-clack..."

Outside the hollow tree where they sought refuge, the entire thick, dead trunk was now coiled by a sickening, gigantic maggot-like worm. Its horrific, gaping maw faced downward, revealing densely packed rows of teeth and glistening mucus.

"No, don't leave me..."

Lowering her voice, Jenny pleaded with Hathaway and Malin. She clearly realized that she might be abandoned by her classmates, especially since this monster was undeniably tied to her own past.

Before Hathaway or Malin could respond, a shattering noise echoed from within the dead tree.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

This dead tree was fragile.

"Run!"

Malin roared. With one hand she grabbed Hathaway, and with the other, she snatched the terrified Jenny. Her muscular strength erupted as she stomped down, shattering the wooden floor beneath her with a loud *bang*, instantly propelling them out of the tree hollow's opening.

The three of them narrowly grazed the worm's massive body. Looking backward, Hathaway and Jenny could even see that terrifying maw roaring right behind them.

"Roar—!"

Malin had now fully unleashed her physical potential. Carrying two people, she leaped rapidly between the dead trees, sometimes clearing distances of seven or eight meters in a single bound.

"My current state won't last long, Jenny, you'd better recover your mobility soon! Hathaway, think of something!"

Malin shouted, creating obstacles in their escape route whenever possible. Even without looking back, she could sense that the worm's speed was absurdly fast, its colossal body nearly brushing against them.

Jenny merely curled into a ball, clutching her head and letting Malin drag her along, too terrified to even look at the pursuing worm.

Hathaway was equally consumed by fear. Though she was a strong-willed young woman, enduring such a disgusting and terrifying monster was nearly unbearable. Yet, this was certainly not the time for shrieking, and no chivalrous hero was going to appear to rescue her.

"Senior Jenny, snap out of it! Conquer your fear! Wake up!"

Reaching out, Hathaway pinched Jenny's leg hard.

"Ah—!"

Pricked by the pain, Jenny let out a shrill scream. It wasn't that Hathaway's pinch was exceptionally strong, but rather that Jenny mistook the pain for being touched by the worm.

"No!"

"Roar—!"

Instantly, the worm spewed a massive torrent of ink-like liquid forward. Malin, glancing back from the corner of her eye, saw her pupils dilate before rapidly contracting. She hurled Jenny to the left, then hugged Hathaway and planted a heavy kick against the trunk of the dead tree they were on.

Jenny went one way; Malin and Hathaway went the other, splitting apart in a fraction of a second just as the worm's toxic liquid drenched the tree they had just vacated.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."

The entire tree completely melted within seconds, blending seamlessly into the surrounding swamp.

"Thud, splash..."

Jenny was flung directly into the swamp, kicking up a shower of foul mud. On Hathaway's side, relying on Malin's lightning-fast reflexes, they spun and kicked off yet another dead tree, vaulting toward the safety of the side.

"Don't leave me!"

Jenny cried out to the two of them in despair. Meanwhile, Malin, holding Hathaway, was looping around the dead trees to approach Jenny, though from a distance, it looked as if she were simply abandoning her.

Hathaway understood Senior Malin's intent, but her patience with Jenny had finally run out.

"Senior, carry me on your back, it'll be easier for you to move!"

"Understood."

Though Hathaway was a freshman, her mind was sharp and calm. Malin trusted her implicitly, tossing the younger girl from her bridal-carry position onto her back before Hathaway grabbed hold tightly.

In the midst of the collision, the worm ignored Jenny for a moment, continuing its relentless pursuit of Malin and Hathaway. The younger girl's mind raced, a sudden realization dawning on her.

"I get it! The worm was born from Senior Jenny's traumatic memories, so it shares similar traits—it matches her fear memory completely! The crimson-crested worm is a creature adapted to the underground; it relies solely on hearing and a certain degree of dynamic vision!"

As Hathaway spoke, Jenny began screaming and pleading frantically. Failing to immediately capture Malin and Hathaway during the chase, the worm finally altered its trajectory, lunging toward the source of the noise.

"Damn it, it's heading for Jenny!"

One-two-three/three

"We're going back too. Senior, please distract the worm for a second, and then hurl me toward Senior Jenny!"

Malin glanced sideways at Hathaway. If she failed to lure the worm away, or if she chose to flee alone, both Hathaway and Jenny would die. In a sense, she could have shaken off her deadweight companions. Yet, watching Hathaway's gaze measure the distance between the worm and Jenny without a single thought given to the possibility of Malin abandoning her—perhaps born of a certain naive trust, but in a clever girl like Hathaway, wasn't that very naivety a profound form of reliance?

"Alright, I'll do my best. If it fails, I'm running away by myself."

"Okay. If it fails, neither Jenny nor I will survive anyway."

With that, Hathaway began taking deep, steady breaths.

In the span of two sentences, the worm—having been forced to detour—was once again closing in on the panicked Jenny, with Malin's explosive speed keeping pace just to the side.

"Get ready, right now!"

Malin roared, violently kicking off and snapping a dead branch while grabbing Hathaway by the shoulder. With the sound of tearing fabric, she hurled Hathaway forward with all her might.

The branch struck the side of the worm's head, drawing its attention back to Malin. Not stopping there, Malin clutched another broken branch in her hand.

"You disgusting thing, come after me!"

Compared to lingering ghosts and malevolent spirits, Malin preferred facing a tangible monster like a worm at least it had a physical form. As if afraid the bait wouldn't take, she leaped straight off the tree, charging head-on toward the beast.

The worm twisted its massive body, its gigantic maw lunging to swallow Malin. Her adrenaline-fueled mental focus reached its absolute peak. The moment the gaping mouth was upon her, she slammed the thick branch downward with all her might.

*Bang!*

Amidst the splintering wood, the worm's head jerked to a sudden halt. Leveraging the recoil of the blow, Malin planted a kick against the edge of the worm's jaw, successfully vaulting away to the side.

"Roar—!"

A crushing wave of negativity instantly blanketed the swamp, plunging Malin into a state of mental asphyxiation that stiffened her limbs. With a furious roar, the worm renewed its pursuit.

*Oh no!*

Malin realized her consciousness wasn't transmitting commands to her body with the necessary speed. Dazed and paralyzed, she slammed heavily against a dead tree trunk. She had no time to dodge again; the worm was already right upon her...

Hathaway was flying through the air toward Jenny. In mid-flight, she rolled up her sleeves, her eyes locked on the screaming, deeply terrified senior. As the distance closed, Hathaway clenched her teeth.

Just as Hathaway was about to collide with Jenny, she threw a punch, her teeth gritting as she shouted:

"Wake the hell up!"

The moment her fist connected with Jenny's jaw, it felt as though the murky swamp flashed with a brief brilliance.

*Bang!*

Jenny was sent skidding several meters through the mud by the force of the punch, knocking her out cold. Hathaway herself tumbled clumsily into the mire, rolling over several times.

Malin stared in despair, her dilated pupils reflecting nothing but the worm's gaping maw and razor-sharp teeth. But suddenly, the worm dissolved into wisps of smoke, leaving only a cloud of dark mist to wash over her.

"Gasp, gasp... am... am I still alive?"