CHAPTER 33: THE FIRST TALE

[Monster Detected: Colossal Serpent.]

[Boss Lv 50.]

[Your HP: 260/260.]

Aren’t they in deep shit.

Elian hadn’t even fought a two digit beast before. Even the mimic monster he blasted into bits wasn’t a high tier. So this... this would be his first real fight ever.

Back in the dungeons, he’d never fought one. He could only carry the guild members heavy bags, and run to hide whenever there was danger.

Not that he never wished to fight one, his class hadn’t been assigned so he was often left behind to pack after the scraps.

A hurtful memory jolted in his brain. His hands flew to clutch his head, wincing and groaning but however, managed to stand still in front of the giant snake.

[Why have these insects bothered my slumber? Have I not destroyed every single one of their kind?]

Huh? That’s weird. Did the snake just... speak?

Elian turned to Aven wide eyed, expecting some sort of reaction from him. But Aven only gritted his teeth, already charging at the horned scaly serpent with his sword drawn out.

Didn’t he hear that thing talk?

More concrete exploded upward as the serpent erupted a wall of green scales, its maw a split canyon lined with glassy teeth. Its tongue lashed once, flicking debris aside and revealing a large set of huge fangs.

"Elian, leave. Now. Hide somewhere."

The poor man was frozen in shock. His eyes never left the majestic large beast.

"Elian! Get the hell out! If you think about fighting that thing, you’ll die!"

The Colossal serpent swiftly moved his golden iris. It met Elian, studying the frozen man and leaning closer.

[You. Heart of Kai. Why have you come again? Have the results not been to your taste?]

[Very well then. I will exterminate you just like the rest.]

Okay, now Elian’s even more confused. He’s sure about two things. First, that the snake can talk, second, only he could hear it.

But why did the snake call him that? The mention of the name sounded familiar. Oh, Crix had mentioned it before. And it was called nothing but a myth.

But why is—?

Aven made a war-cry, jolting Elian out of his thoughts. He vanished from sight, reappearing above the beast’s head mid-leap, sword arcing with mana. The air cracked with the force and the blade struck the beast’s head, purple light carving a gash across the serpent’s scales, but not deep enough.

The creature screeched. Its body coiled, slamming through a ruined tram line.

Elian stumbled back, coughing through the smoke. His legs could now move after adding up points to his Will stat. "I’m awake! I’m awake," his grip on the iron rod tightened.

Aven wiped the sweat off his forehead, his chest falling in rhythmic beats. If his sword couldn’t even finish off the beast after using his best skill, then... thump!

The snake was either in the same rank as him... or even a rank higher.

[Good to see you acknowledge me... Chosen Hero.]

...

What?! Aven’s Mana sword flickered, his face buried in disbelief. It can speak. It can—!

His head snapped to Elian. "GET OUT OF HERE!!! It’s a—!"

The snake lunged at Elian.

If he died here, would it count? Or just one of the scenarios where it’d be a wasted death?

Pfft. Elian’s not stupid. Neither was he that weak.

[Weak-point Analysis Skill Activated.]

[Weak-point: None.]

What? What do you mean none?!

[Exactly what it meant. You either slice his head off or dice it to pieces!]

His?

However, Elian ducked under the whipping tail, grabbed his iron rod, and jabbed it upward into the beast’s underjaw. The metal bent, but Elian had managed to create a wound deep enough under its scale.

It reeled long enough for Aven to land another strike, sliding down its spine, aura flashing bright as it carved molten grooves into its scales.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Aven shouted.

"Fighting back! What does it fucking looks like?!" Elian barked back, sprinting straight for the serpent’s snapping jaws.

The beast roared again, sonic and deep enough to rattle bones. The pressure made his ears ring, but Elian’s determination only deepened. His knuckles cracked as the system’s screen appeared above his head.

[Skill Activated: Sucker Punch Lv.2.]

He leapt high, holding the ridiculously bent metal up in the sky.

It landed square in the creature’s snout, a wet crunch echoing through the ruins. The serpent’s head snapped back, slamming into a collapsed tower. The shockwave blew dust outward in a ring.

Aven blinked, lowering his sword. "You actually—"

Elian turned, face and arms dripping black blood. He grinned widely, eyes twinkling and smiling like a fool.

"See, I told you I could do just fine with this rod—"

Suddenly, the ground erupted, and the Colossal Serpent lunged out again. The shockwave knocked Elian off his feet.

The rubble tore apart as the beast rose from the debris, green scales scraping against concrete, its tongue split the air, hissing low, venom spilling from the corners of its jaw.

The serpent swung its huge tail, ripping through the building’s lower floors. Iron rods snapped, and glass rained down. Its fangs punched into the walls, aiming to swallow up the two humans, but tore more floors apart.

Aven hissed between his teeth. He shifted his stance, aura flaring through his sword as the blade hummed purple. "Stay down, idiot!"

Elian groaned. He tried to move out of the rubble pressing down on him as he flashed a glare at the beautiful man. He really wished this man stopped calling him names.

Aven kicked off the cracked ground. The force split the air. His body vanished in a streak of violet light and reappeared above the beast. He brought the sword down straight onto the horn.

The impact cracked the air and the left horn on the colossal serpent split in two. The other half fell on the ground with a loud thud!

The serpent screeched, rearing up and rattling in rage.

[M-my precious horn. How could you—!]

Aven landed beside Elian, breathing fast, sword trembling from recoil.

The serpent’s body swayed. A strange shimmer ran through its length, from its head down to the tip of its tail. It exhaled sharply, releasing a hiss that sounded almost tired.

Then its form broke apart— body dissolving into drifting black mist. The vapor spread low across the ground, swallowing the fallen debris and their legs.

Aven steadied his blade, gritting his teeth. "That motherfucker ran away?!! Where the hell is it?!"

"Relax, Hitler," Elian tapped his shoulder. An S-ranks aren’t called S-ranks for nothing. He still envied the man. How he wished—

Wait. Elian mentally facepalmed. All he had to do is to kill the White King.

All he had to do is to get that juicy skill. And get his reven—

....

Right?

Something heavy moved beneath them, snapping him out of his daze.

Was it an earthquake? But then the vibration deepened.

The four-winged revolving doors suddenly burst open, split line tearing through the concrete, snaking between their feet.

The next second, the entire building convulsed. Elian had thought the Serpent was leveling up. Or maybe it really was an earthquake until he caught a nest of tiny lines crawling towards their direction

Or in fact a nest... more like a pit of green scaled snakes.

A chorus of wet, slithering, endless bile of them. From every shattered window, every broken pipe, from the goddamn hole below.

Disgusting.

Dozens. Then hundreds poured out. They coiled over each other, weaving a living tide that devoured the wreckage. Their hisses made Elian’s skin crawl and Aven stomach knot.

Aven grabbed Elian’s arm, pulling him upward, away from the nest. "You’ve got to be shitting me—"

He lifted Elian up, carrying him along as he flew up, exiting the snake infested building.

Never did Elian wished to thank Aven for carrying him this time.

But through the chaos, a tragic screaming voice broke the madness:

"ELIAN! AVEN!"

Both men instinctively looked down, eyes searching for the speaker through the ruins and crawling snakes.

Crix’s voice cracked. His brown hair swaying in air. This man was full on running fast through the pile of rubbles, coat flapping behind him with Sun and Moon at his heels, all running away from what seemed to be chasing them.

"This sector is infested!" Sun screamed, face pale. "Crawling with disgusting snakes!"

Great. They knew it’d be infested. So why are two grown ass men racing eachother like it’s an amusement park.

"Why the fuck are you running?! You can just blast them off or something!" Aven shouted back, still carrying Elian.

"Gross!!! I hate snakes. I hate them. These ones aren’t even cute like Pawn. They spit acid! ACID!"

Moon’s hand swung to hit Sun’s head. "Are you dumb? They don’t spit acid! That hobo guy died on the spot because he got cursed!"

Cursed? So they’re ancient snakes or something? Elian’s grasp tightened on Aven’s collar as if to tell him ’don’t you dare try to drop me’. To which Aven just smirked.

The twins hauled Crix up just minutes before the snakes caught onto them. They disappeared in a flash. And teleported right above another broken hotel building, buying time from the snakes before they crawled their way up again.

Oh. That’s right. Moon ears piqued like she remembered a specific detail.

"And I think we found the advertiser! That bastard was the one who cursed the hobo guy!"