Water was now rising rapidly inside the car—up to Daniel's waist. His breathing was heavy, fear visible in his eyes, and sweat clinging to his forehead despite the cold water. He muttered in a panicked voice,
"What the hell is going on? I'm just a side character… why am I in a life-and-death situation like this?"
His mind was racing, thoughts tumbling over one another.
"Is this what happened to Daniel in the novel? But after getting beaten by Justin, Daniel was never mentioned again… was all this happening in the background? Did the novel just never reveal it?"
As he drowned in confusion, something beneath the water caught his attention.
Heavy ripples… movement.
Daniel looked forward—and what he saw made his heart slam against his ribs.
A monstrous snake—massive and terrifying, its body covered in green and black patterns—was surging through the water like a torpedo, heading straight for the driver.
"What the...?" Daniel whispered, frozen.
The driver seemed to sense something… but it was too late.
In a split second, the snake opened its monstrous jaws and swallowed the driver whole.
No struggle. No scream.
Just silence.
Daniel's eyes widened in sheer terror. A cold shiver ran down his spine.
"Oh hell no…" he muttered, scrambling low to the car's floor, pressing himself behind the seat like a terrified child hiding under a blanket.
His trembling fingers gripped the corner as he crouched there, barely breathing.
Seconds passed.
Then he slowly peeked through the water-streaked window.
The snake was swimming away. Its long tail shimmered in the light, vanishing into the depths.
Daniel's breath returned in stuttered bursts.
"Came in like a storm… and left just as fast," he whispered.
He let out a long, shaking sigh of relief—but his heart was still pounding like a drum.
"This damn novel… it's gonna kill me one day," he muttered, soaked to the bone and shivering in fear.
Daniel had just taken a sigh of relief, his chest rising and falling in short, panicked bursts—when it hit him.
He still had to get out of the car.
"Damn it," he muttered, spinning toward the door.
He reached for the lock, trying to lift it—but it didn't budge.
He tried again. Nothing.
"Of course… of course my luck would be this bad," he muttered bitterly under his breath.
"First I die… then get thrown into this world… and now, not even half a day later, I'm about to die again?"
His voice was a mix of anger and despair.
Fury building in his chest, Daniel slammed his fist into the car window.
Nothing.
Not even a scratch.
"Seriously?"
Then something sparked inside him.
A thought. A reminder.
"Wait… I'm not just a normal guy anymore. I have mana. I have power."
He narrowed his eyes, clenched his fist tightly, and focused.
Heat stirred inside his knuckles, like embers begging to erupt.
"Let's see what you've got…"
With all his might, he hurled a mana-infused punch at the glass.
A faint crack.
Not much—but it was a start.
Growling now, Daniel kept punching—again, and again. Each strike bringing more force, more blood. His knuckles split open, blood mixing with the cold water. But he didn't stop. Couldn't.
The car was almost fully submerged now.
With a final, bone-shattering punch, the glass exploded outward in a spray of water and shards.
Daniel pulled himself through the shattered window, gasping as he emerged into the dark, freezing depths. He swam up, pulling with everything he had.
But then—he froze.
Something in the distance.
A shape. Massive. Moving.
Daniel squinted. His heart sank.
"No… no no no…"
Realization dawned—and fear wrapped itself around his spine.
Without wasting another second, he dove back into the car, squeezing into the broken shell, holding his breath and hoping the shadows wouldn't notice him.
But it was too late.
The monstrous serpent, the same one that had swallowed the driver whole, surged through the water—its massive jaws opening once again.
And in one horrifying moment…
It swallowed the entire car.
Daniel's eyes went wide as he was engulfed in darkness and slime and death.
And from deep within that nightmare, one final, helpless whisper left his lips:
"Shit…"
Deep in the ocean's abyss, the massive serpent glided silently through the water, its colossal body undulating like a dark wave. Inside its gullet, lodged within the muscular food pipe, was a car—a car that held the unconscious Daniel.
By sheer luck, the car hadn't been pushed further down into the beast's digestive tract. It had momentarily stuck—wedged against the serpent's insides. But the snake wasn't done. Its internal muscles writhed and constricted, forcing the car forward inch by inch.
Gradually… it moved.
The vehicle creaked and groaned as it was pushed lower—closer to the stomach.
Finally, it arrived at a precarious spot: a shallow ledge within the creature's gut. Just below it loomed a seething pool of acid—boiling, hissing, deadly. One drop was enough to melt flesh in seconds.
And that's exactly where the car was heading.
Inside, Daniel stirred. His eyelids fluttered. His nose wrinkled.
"Ugh… what the hell is that smell?" he muttered, instinctively clamping his nose shut with one hand.
He sat up groggily, blinking against the dim light—and then his heart nearly stopped.
"Where… where am I?!"
Without wasting another second, he scrambled toward the broken window and leapt out of the car, tumbling onto the slimy, ribbed surface of the beast's innards.
Behind him, a hissing sound.
Phoosh!
He turned just in time to see the car slip from the ledge and plunge into the acidic pit below.
Fwoosh!
The impact ignited the fuel tank—the car erupted into flames. Fire and acid collided in a horrifying spectacle, sending waves of heat rippling through the snake's belly.
Daniel's eyes widened in terror.
He was battered, bruised, and utterly drained of mana. But seeing death that close—again—sent a fresh surge of adrenaline roaring through his veins.
"Nope. Not today!"
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself up and began limping—then running—toward the only way he knew: back through the food pipe.
His legs screamed in protest. His skin burned from contact with the acidic air. But he kept going.
Behind him…
BOOM!
The car exploded. The blast tore through the stomach's lining like a thunderclap.
The shockwave hurled Daniel off his feet. He slammed into the ground, skidding across the slick flesh of the food pipe.
He groaned, coughing violently—but he was alive.
The explosion had rocked the creature's entire body. Acid sloshed. Muscles spasmed. But somehow, Daniel had made it out of range—just in time.
Panting, trembling, he pushed himself up on his elbows.
"What the hell is this world…?"
But he didn't stop. Not now.
The will to survive was back.
And he wasn't done yet.