Darkness and silence had become his only companions.
He had been hanging from the ceiling for what felt like an eternity, head wedged deep into the stone, blood dripping sluggishly from his forehead. Each time he had used [Air Kick], each desperate slam into the rock above, his HP had ticked away. But the trade-off had been worth it—his stamina was coming back.
[HP - 78/985]
[Stamina - 444/670]
The venom was disappearing.
It had seeped into the cavern floor like ink being absorbed by paper. The thick, bubbling sludge had lost its menacing presence. What remained was nothing but its lingering stench and the faint traces of toxic mist swirling through the air.
He exhaled slowly, ignoring the ache in his body. His lungs, once scorched by the venom's fumes, barely felt irritated anymore.
[Poison Resistance Lv 7]
The system message had popped up earlier, but now he truly felt the difference. The venom no longer burned his insides, no longer threatened to eat him alive from within.
This fight had given him a gift.
"Took long enough."
He carefully pulled his head free from the cracked stone, ignoring the sharp pain that flared through his skull. Dust and debris trickled down, but he barely noticed.
Then—
[Air Kick]
A sharp burst of force shot beneath his foot, sending him towards the wall, with controlled speed this time, his mastery over skill has increased quite a lot.
[Dash]
His foot landed on the cavern wall. Instead of fighting against gravity, he used it. His body leaned forward, and he surged across the uneven surface, his movements smooth and refined. Every fiber of his being felt lighter.
Faster. Stronger.
The faint light ahead became his beacon. The exit.
And standing there, waiting for him, unmoving—was the serpent.
The moment his feet touched solid ground, he found himself standing face to face with the monster.
The serpent had not left.
It had not chased him into the death trap of venom.
It had not struck him down when he was at his weakest.
Instead, it had waited.
The massive creature lowered its head. Slowly, carefully, as if measuring him. The enormous golden eyes locked onto his. A terrible, overwhelming pressure fell upon him.
He did not move.
He could hear it—his heartbeat. It wasn't the panicked, frantic hammering of fear. No.
His heart pulsed slow. Heavy. Like a diesel engine revving to life.
His body screamed to run. His instincts shrieked at him to move. To flee. To survive.
But his mind?
His mind was at peace.
He met the serpent's gaze without hesitation.
Then, he smiled.
"Yo, Mr. Snake Prodigy. Your brilliant plan to finish me off seems to have failed. What are you going to do next?"
His voice dripped with sarcasm.
The serpent did not react. It simply stared, its piercing gaze unblinking, unshaken.
Silence stretched between them.
He narrowed his eyes. Testing it.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or do snakes just not know how to kill properly?"
Still, it did not move.
"Why aren't you doing anything? Don't you want to finish me off? I killed your friends, you know!"
The moment the words left his lips, the serpent moved.
But it did not attack him.
Instead, the massive creature lunged into the writhing mass of smaller serpents.
Its enormous fangs pierced its own kind.
With terrifying efficiency, it tore through their bodies—devouring them whole.
Blood and flesh disappeared into its maw. The sea of serpents trembled as their supposed leader, their ruler—turned on them.
It did not hesitate.
It did not mourn.
It simply fed.
And he?
He did not flinch.
He simply watched.
Understood.
"Interesting… so that's how it is."
The serpent ate its own kind.
There was no grief. No anger. No attachment.
They were beneath it. Inferior.
"You're saying their lives have no value?" His voice was sharp, mocking. "That they're nothing more than food for you? That you're superior, so you don't care?"
He took a step forward.
"You—"
The serpent hissed.
The sound was low. Warning.
Then—
It sank back into the sea of snakes.
Without attacking him.
Without finishing the fight.
It had let him live.
A cold shiver ran down his spine, but instead of fear—he felt something else.
Excitement.
He laughed.
A broken, wild laugh that echoed through the cavern.
"What an interesting guy. You eat your own kind… but you let me live?"
His grin stretched wider, his eyes gleaming with something dangerous.
"What are you planning, Mr. Prodigy?"
[ALERT!]
[ Sanity - 00]