3 3. Centipede

Orion never felt fear so deeply in his life as he was feeling now. His legs frozen, his body trembling and his mind went blank as he stared into those eyes.

'Run. Orion. Run!!!'

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run, to flee from the terror. Yet, something held him in place, a morbid curiosity perhaps, or simply the paralyzing grip of terror.

Whatever the reason, Orion remained rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to think, trapped in the suffocating embrace of fear.

However, Orion wasn't alone in witnessing those menacing eyes; the other kids saw them too.

"L-look, what's that?"

"Are these eyes?"

"How can such a monster exist?"

"I don't want to die."

Their collective gasps echoed through the silence, confirming that Orion was not alone in witnessing the ominous gaze that pierced through the darkness.

Panic spread like wildfire among the kids as they realized they were all caught in the same harrowing moment, bound by the chilling realization that they were not the only ones being watched.

A shiver ran down Orion's spine as he realized the magnitude of the situation they were all facing together.

'Damn, transmigrating just to die again?'

He swore at his bad fortune.

Nevertheless, the pirates remained unusually composed as if this was a typical occurrence for them.

However, their leader had a serious look on his face. A man of middle age, with long black hair and beard, wore a classic pirate cap that framed his face.

The most noticeable thing were the detailed designs engraved on his cheeks, mirroring an elephant's teeth pattern.

"Captain, what happened?"

A worried pirate couldn't resist asking, observing the anxiety on the captain's expression.

The crew knew that the captain had more knowledge and experience in maritime affairs than all of them put together.

"We are in trouble. That's not those low rank beasts. It's a gold rank water centipede."

Upon hearing what their captain said, the pirates also started to feel afraid, understanding that they were not equipped to handle beasts with a gold rank.

The captain being ranked only as iron, two ranks below, highlighted the difficult task ahead even more.

"Captain, what should we do? If the beasts attack, our ship won't be able to hold."

"Yes captain. What should we do? Should we evacuate?"

However, in this critical moment, their captain's expression shifted from a mere frown to one of absolute terror, causing him to involuntarily take several steps back.

"Everyone, sail back as fast as you can."

Watching the captain's response, the pirates turned their heads in the same direction to see the figure in the distance. What they saw rendered them speechless, with jaws wide open in utter disbelief while fear clenched their souls tightly.

As predicted by their leader, they came across a massive sea centipede that was much larger than their boat. Its shimmering, dark blue exoskeleton, decorated with countless legs, gave off a foreboding aura as it covered its huge body.

However, the most frightening aspect was its huge jaws - its entire top half was a wide open mouth filled with teeth of different sizes, running from its head to the end of its tail.

Orion, observing everything, finally realized that the some god had been teasing him in order to allow him to reincarnate and subjecting him to such a brutal death.

'Is God toying with me?'

At that instant of enlightenment, he experienced a sudden rush of anger and the feeling of being betrayed flowing within him. He suddenly understood that he had been just a pawn in the gods' twisted game.

He felt a burning sense of unfairness as he realized the harsh irony of his situation: being given the opportunity for rebirth only to face a horrific death.

However, in the midst of his emotional turmoil, a spark of determination and hope was kindled within Orion.

'I don't want to die a second time. I don't know if it was really a god's plan to transmigrate me or not but now that I have been given a second chance I don't want to waste it.'

After much contemplation, he summoned the courage to conquer his fear and found the strength to take a step forward.

However, as he prepared to move, he observed a sudden commotion onboard—everyone, including the pirates, began leaping off the ship.

'I only turned away from the beast for a moment and something happened?'

Turning, he saw the giant centipede's mouth releasing torrents of water toward them.

'Damn!'

Before anyone could react, the waves of water hit the ship with such force that it turned upside-down.

Orion experienced a brief moment of disorientation as he turned around, only to suddenly find himself engulfed in the depths of the ocean, struggling to stay afloat.

'I can't swim.'

He paddled his hands and legs, attempting to mimic the swimming movements he had observed in his previous life, only to be reminded of a bitter truth: he inhabited the body of a fifteen-year-old child.

Instead of helping him, this made matters worse as he found himself unable to move forward despite swinging his arms and legs.

'I am going down.'

He was filled with panic when he realized he was descending into the water. The recognition that he was being pulled down into the depth of the water caused a rush of adrenaline to flow through his veins, his heart beating wildly in his chest with fear.

As time went by, the water surrounded him more and more, smothering him in its cold hug.

'Move up damn it!'

Desperation gripped his throat as he resisted the inevitable tug of the current, his muscles straining against the unforgiving pull dragging him downward.

All his attempts proved to be in vain when he acknowledged he could no longer hold his breath. Feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach, he acknowledged the harsh truth that he was helpless against the relentless hold of the water.

In a final gesture of acceptance, Orion gave in to the inevitable, his body yielding to the depths as darkness began to engulf his mind.

Yet, right before the end, he experienced the sensation of the water pushing him ahead.

Slowly but steadily, the waves rose, carrying him to the point where the ship was afloat—exposing a sight that would never be forgotten.

He watched in horror as the giant centipede approached the ship, its massive form coiling around it and breaking it apart.

This was the last thing Orion saw before he lost his consciousness.