God Class Awakening: Ascension of the Demon Hunter-Chapter 46: Among Blind Men, The One Eyed Is King

Still, with their goal now in sight, things were very different—unlike before where it seemed they were wandering towards oblivion.

But the vast golden forest wasn’t the only thing in their line of sight; along the sand-covered plain were countless undulating patches of soil. Some moved with great speed, while others remained still.

It was clear to them that if they were to go through this path safely, they would have to tread with great caution.

The sand worms lacked any form of optical capabilities; this was compensated for by their heightened sense of touch. If the trio were to stir up any of them, not only would it attract the smaller ones nearby, but even the larger ones might respond to the disturbance.

In short, any mistake right now was the equivalent of a death sentence.

"We just have to be as careful as possible. That shouldn’t be so hard, right—"

"Keep your voice down," Roxy cut him off with a whisper. "They may be blind, but they definitely have ears."

Vale immediately went quiet, nodding to her. He hadn’t thought of that possibility and such a small mistake could’ve proven fatal in the long run.

Luckily for them, most of the sand worms moved together in large, undulating clusters, leaving wide gaps between them. Those gaps were wide enough for them to maneuver through.

Not wanting to waste more time, they started moving, trying their best to stay away from any approaching sand worms.

Occasionally, the soil beneath their feet would shift; with sandworms moving and squirming beneath the soil. They would then have to stay completely still for up to a minute. As this went on, the group slowly got accustomed to it.

They knew when and where to walk. They also knew when to stop moving.

Although, to say it was draining was to put it lightly; their minds were under immense strain as being on their toes for hours on end wasn’t particularly easy.

Apart from that, the trek was going well. They had crossed the halfway mark at some point, and from the looks of it, they would reach the forest in a few more hours. Vale didn’t know why, but he believed they would be safe between those golden pillars.

For some reason, looking at the place was comforting, as if one was going to their long-lost home.

"We might actually get there without any—"

Vale immediately bit his tongue the moment he realised the words he was spouting—those were the type of things that attracted disaster.

But sadly, fate had taken up the challenge, even before he stopped talking.

Along the way they had encountered several green beetles similar to the one Vale had fought. These ones, though, were buried in the sand with only a little part of their shells peeking out.

They had managed to steer clear of their path, at least until now.

A large warrior beetle was rushing towards them at full speed kicking up a trail of dust behind it.

’Shoot,’ Vale cursed in his head. He instinctively reached for his dagger, muscles tensing as he debated whether to fight or flee, then a soft palm touched his shoulder.

He looked back and noticed Roxy looking at him with a sharp gaze, she was also holding Rein who looked shaken as her legs quaked. Roxy’s eyes narrowed as she pointed toward the approaching beetle, whispering urgently.

"It’s not coming towards us."

Vale frowned; the creature was clearly rushing towards them, and even though it was still a distance away it would be best—

"It’s being chased."

Vale took a look at the incoming creature once again trying to figure out if it was actually being chased or not, but the dust it stirred made it impossible to tell.

Just as he was about to argue, he remembered that Roxy could see mana, if she said it was being chased then she was most likely sure about it, since her life was also at stake here.

Vale shook his head and decided to trust her.

The warrior beetle drew closer, and soon enough it closed the distance between them. Vale’s entire body tensed up as his heart skipped a beat. If Roxy was wrong then they were as good as dead.

Watching the beetle pass beside him without so much as a glance made Vale’s breath return to him—he hadn’t even realised he was holding it. He exhaled slowly.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet quivered, rising like a wave, before returning to normal.

When the dust finally settled, Vale was able to get a clear view of the situation. Numerous sand worms had now surrounded the beetle with some of them even poking their head out of the sand. It was clear that the beetle was dead.

They entered a short stalemate before a sandworm dove out of the ground beneath the beetle and took out one of the creature’s six legs.

Immediately, the others joined in. The sandworms surged from the ground, their massive jaws clamping onto the beetle, tearing into its shell with brutal efficiency. Faced with so many of them, the warrior beetle wasn’t able to struggle as its body was being torn to pieces. Its death was inevitable.

Other sand worms exited the soil, each trying to get a piece of the beetle.

Vale watched them eat the beetle, this brutal scene did nothing to stir up his compassion.

At most, he would be grateful to the beetle for luring most of the sand worms away. He shook his head with a bittersweet smile, but just as he was about to turn away, something caught his eye.

It was a sandworm, but this one was different from the rest, instead of the usual sickly yellow that the others had, it was multiple shades brighter, almost taking on a golden hue. Vale frowned when he saw it and even when Roxy told him they needed to keep moving, he couldn’t shake off a nagging feeling.

The golden sand worm had its back to them as it joined the others in feasting on the beetle corpse.

Soon enough, the corpse was reduced to nothing and when it turned around Vale’s heart skipped a beat as he saw its face.

It was very similar to the others, with a large mouth being its most noticeable feature, lined with numerous sharp rows of teeth. This one, though, had something the others didn’t have.

An eye, plastered at the top of what should’ve been its face.

And with that eye, it stared at Vale and the others, with a hint of intelligence, lost within its bestial instincts.