[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-ember-dragon":3,"chapter-ember-dragon-ember-dragon-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Ember Dragon",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1161838,1504,"Chapter 22: The Game in the Cave","ember-dragon-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>The rustling noises continued without pause, and in the dark cave, everyone was on edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People instinctively quieted down, fearing something might attack from the darkness, making the sounds in the cave clearer, mixed with the pounding of their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a massive shadow flashed past a corner of the cave, sweeping across a part of the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A miner couldn’t even scream before falling silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gulp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next came a sound of something swallowing, of food being crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the deathly quiet of the cave, where even a pin drop could be heard, everyone clearly heard this swallowing sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, people’s fear became almost uncontrollable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd began to surge toward the exit of the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hart pushed his way to the center of the group, trying to keep his voice steady, “Everyone, don’t panic. If you see anything unusual, throw your spears at it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just some timid beast hiding in the dark. All we have to do is—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gulp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if mocking him, another swallowing sound cut him off mid-sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another unlucky soul had evidently lost their life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd erupted into chaos, and survival instincts overpowered everything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, don’t eat me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a monster! There’s really a monster!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, get out of my way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams and shouts filled the air, and the entire cave descended into a frenzied mess. Not even the overseers’ whips could restore order; some overseers themselves were even thinking of slipping away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just want to live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Almost there; once we get out, we’ll be…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But amidst this chaos and cacophony, countless people were silently swallowed in the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, as the foremost group frantically scrambled upward, hoping to escape, a massive figure was already lurking in the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of the leaders were immediately engulfed by that shadow, disappearing without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the brief glow of torchlight, people saw only a massive, bluish creature flash by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the place where several people had stood was empty, their torches extinguished, plunging them back into darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those in the back, unaware of the danger, continued pushing forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those at the front, having seen the horror, dared not advance but were shoved forward, forced to continue exploring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swallowing sounds were drowned out by the crowd’s noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hart watched the scene in the cave, sweat dripping from his forehead and chin; he was nearly consumed by despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to proceed? How to escape?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster needed only a moment to devour a person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All it had to do was wait at the cave entrance, and people would walk straight into its bottomless stomach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Throw your spears forward!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill that monster!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Desperate, the miners had no choice but to follow orders, throwing their spears into the boundless darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all they heard was the crisp sound of spears hitting rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People screamed and cried; to them, the dark abyss had become a symbol of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a raspy laugh echoed from the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Humans, your little tricks are quite amusing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today, I’ve already eaten three giant bats, two goblins, eight humans, but I think I can still fit… all of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster slowly slithered out of the shadows, and under the weak torchlight, its form was barely visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster only revealed its grotesque head, with vertical pupils glowing eerily in the dim cave, and its enormous, curved horns protruding menacingly from the sides of its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its gaping maw alone looked big enough to swallow several people at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its long, scaled body, resembling a cross between a crocodile and a centipede, extended back into the darkness, covered in numerous legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the flickering torchlight, a chilling smile appeared on the monster’s twisted face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity. Such a meal, delivered right to me, will surely fill me up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, don’t eat me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re done for! We’re done for!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re all going to die!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Help!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s charging at us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In utter panic, people began to retreat, huddling together in a desperate attempt to escape this hellish place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trampling, shoving, and screaming ensued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, the monster only leisurely followed behind them, slithering along like a shepherd herding sheep, occasionally picking off one or two people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t mind playing a game with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Run, go on, run to your heart’s content…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m still quite entertained.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster’s raspy voice sounded like a call from the Grim Reaper, plunging everyone deeper into despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Smack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Krul’s arrow struck the monster’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weak spears, small arrows, and poor-quality swords hit its scaled body in vain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when they managed to break its armor, the minor wounds were insignificant compared to its massive form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Scar, the barbarian, could no longer tolerate this cat-and-mouse game. He stopped, turned, and faced the monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his once-proud, strong physique seemed as small as a mouse before the creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scar took a deep breath, raised his war hammer, and cursed, “All these years, I’ve only toyed with others. I’ve never been someone else’s damn plaything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaargh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With an angry roar, Scar’s eyes turned blood red—signaling the onset of his barbarian rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing all reason, he lifted his war hammer and charged at the monster’s massive body, like a knight charging at a windmill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the berserk barbarian charged, the monster remained motionless, watching him with amusement as if observing an amusing toy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Frenzied Strike!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scar shouted, his arm muscles bulging as he hammered down on the monster’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One blow after another struck the monster’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even managed to shatter a few scales on its chest, causing thin streams of blue blood to seep out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Interesting human, I’ll grant you a fitting death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster laughed eerily, seemingly unfazed by the barbarian’s attacks, while it slithered slowly across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! Aaah—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scar grew even more furious, hammering wildly, again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, he noticed the monster’s massive body had gradually coiled around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps “coiled” wasn’t quite accurate; it was more like the creature had trapped him with its enormous body, forming a blue-green cage around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scar felt the space around him tighten, his muscles crushed as his breathing grew labored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who would’ve thought… I’d be suffocated to death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the last thought to flash through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>",1047,"2026-06-03T12:47:02.671Z","2026-06-03T12:47:06.781Z",1,"novelbin.me","838946ca71fa27f27a060d68307413822ed0903e6c426b6719b27b6f050854a3","ember-dragon-chapter-23","ember-dragon-chapter-21",603,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fember-dragon-cover.jpg"]