From a fork in the passage on the left came a faint sound—the distinctive rustling of a reptile slithering across the ground. It made their scalps crawl.
Hiss—
The sound reached them in the blink of an eye.
It was a giant serpent, large enough to fill most of the cave. No, it had a pair of black horns growing from its head. It probably wasn't an ordinary serpent!
They had barely laid eyes on each other.
The moment they came face-to-face, the serpent reared back and instantly formed a mass of horrifying green slime in its mouth.
"Hm?"
"Shit!"
Shane's survival instinct kicked into overdrive. He scooped up the still-bewildered Frieren and took off running.
[Weight Reduction (Green—Excellent)]: When carrying a heavy load, reduces its weight by 30% [Dash (Blue—Fine)]: Doubles running speed
With the help of these two enchanted traits on his boots, Shane ran like the wind.
Frieren, slung over his shoulder, bounced along as he narrowly dashed beneath the giant serpent's fangs.
"So fast."
Frieren's praise was heartfelt.
Shane had no time to enjoy the elf girl's admiration. He could feel his health bar flashing.
At any moment, it might empty completely!
To make matters worse, [Magic-Sealing Stone] was scattered throughout the mine. Frieren couldn't use magic, so not only could she not help him, she had become an "ordinary girl" who needed protecting.
He was a newbie who could barely look after himself, and now he had to split his attention to protect his pitiful, helpless teammate. This was way too hard!
"You're faster than most of the warriors I've met."
"But it's strange... You're so slender, and you don't look like a warrior."
Upside down over Shane's shoulder, with the giant serpent's gaping maw right in front of her, Frieren still had the leisure to analyze him.
Shane was so angry he nearly spat up a mouthful of blood.
Slender?
What made her think that?
Not to brag, but his pecs could crush a mosquito. He'd forgive the sheltered old child for her ignorance.
Huff—
Huff—
He couldn't waste time arguing with Frieren. His stamina was draining fast. Even with his enchanted traits, he couldn't keep running while being chased forever.
What should he do?
The giant serpent behind them was closing in.
"Is that thing a monster? Why does it spit at us?" Shane gritted out.
"Mm... Yes and no."
"?"
Pfft.
A blob of horrifying green slime shot straight toward them with deadly accuracy.
Shane ducked, narrowly avoiding it.
The slime landed on the ground and sizzled, giving off smoke. It had to be poisonous.
When its first attack missed, the serpent immediately spat again and again. One glob was headed straight for them, and they looked like they wouldn't be able to dodge in time.
In the nick of time, Shane drew the longsword at his waist and held it horizontally in front of them to block the attack.
Just before the glob of poison hit, it seemed to be caught by some unseen force. It veered in an eerie new direction and ricocheted to the side.
[Deflection Field (Blue—Fine)]: Summons a chaotic field that blocks one ranged attack from an enemy
One of the traits enchanting his longsword had played a crucial role.
"Hm?"
Sensing an unusual fluctuation in the air, Frieren looked at the plain-looking longsword in Shane's hand with a hint of curiosity.
The immediate danger had passed.
Shane took the chance to hide with Frieren behind a jutting rock.
For some reason, after the two of them stopped moving, the giant serpent behind them also inexplicably came to a halt. The beast tilted its head, its movements growing sluggish.
Shane frowned.
What was it doing?
Watching the serpent's strange behavior, Frieren tapped her chin and began to think.
"Listen, Shane," she said softly, slowing her words. "This may be a hybrid subspecies of the monster Venom Extreme Dragon and a python."
Venom Extreme Dragon?
Shane had heard of it. It was a water dragon that lived in caves, had multiple eyes, and hunted prey with its own poison.
But wasn't that dragon supposed to live only in the northern highlands?
When had it come this far south?
Frieren watched the giant serpent and continued, "I noticed it earlier. When it runs, it can't keep its body from swaying from side to side, and it keeps crashing into the walls."
Taking Frieren's words to heart, Shane began observing the serpent too.
It was true. There was something strange about the way it moved.
It seemed to habitually tilt its head, and as it moved, it kept bumping into the walls. Like a drunk who couldn't keep his bearings, or...
"It can't see?"
Shane whispered to Frieren.
Frieren nodded. "I can't be certain, but it's very likely."
"Monsters and wild beasts generally don't produce hybrids. There are exceptions, but almost all subspecies have developmental defects. We might be able to use that to our advantage."
Shane thought it over. If the serpent couldn't see, then he and Frieren should be able to sneak away as long as they didn't make a sound.
But...
Shane glanced at the narrow, tangled mine passages.
In a place this quiet and poorly lit, even stepping on or kicking a small stone would send echoes ringing through the mine, growing louder and louder.
It was basically impossible to reach the exit without making a sound.
Besides, with a savage beast lurking behind them, the danger was doubled. There was too great a chance it would chase them again—or that they would run into it around a corner.
That seemed to leave only one option.
Shane recalled his silly joke that morning, before he left: "Paying rent and slaying dragons."
He hadn't expected his words to come true.
It was only a subspecies of the Venom Extreme Dragon, but it still had "dragon blood." He really was going to slay a dragon today.
It couldn't see, so as long as he could sneak around behind it and land a successful attack...
He took a deep breath.
Shane tightened the rough hemp cord wrapped around the hilt and gripped it firmly in both hands.
"Frieren, could I ask you to help me with something?"
"Hm?"
"We only just met, and we're temporary teammates, but I've heard this town has a tradition: before young warriors set out to battle, a beautiful lady gives them a [Victory Blessing Kiss]."
"..."
Seeing Frieren tighten her grip on her staff, her expression saying that if he kept talking, she'd "deal with him before the giant serpent," Shane smacked his lips.
"Fine, then. Here I go."
Holding his breath, he crouched low and pressed himself against the wall.
Shane moved slowly toward the giant serpent.
In his previous life, he'd never even killed a chicken. Although he'd ventured into a few dungeons after crossing over, he'd only followed behind others and picked up scraps. He'd never encountered a monster.
This was his first real hunt, with a proper target and a real fight.
Now he fought to overcome his fear.
As he drew closer, the patterns on the giant serpent's body became clear. Beneath the scales it had shed from crashing into the walls, pink flesh showed through—just like any ordinary reptile.
Huff—
When he reached the spot he'd planned, Shane nodded to Frieren, who was hiding in the distance.
Frieren understood. She picked up a smallish rock and tossed it toward a fork in the passage far away.
Clack.
The sound provoked the giant serpent. It followed the noise and rammed straight into the passage, exposing its entire back to Shane.
Now!
Shane's body moved on instinct, driven by fear. He pushed off with both legs, raised his longsword high, and brought it down with all his strength.
Crack!
As he swung, the previously ordinary-looking longsword suddenly erupted with silver-white lightning.
[Electro-Execution (Blue—Fine)]: Attacks carry a lightning effect, dealing additional Electric Shock damage and inflicting paralysis for 1 second on hit
For a moment, lightning roared through the cave, crackling and flashing with startling force.
Shane, wielding lightning, looked like a god descended from the heavens.
Thud.
Trailing a dazzling streak of lightning, the longsword sank into the giant serpent's vulnerable seventh joint behind its neck.
Bzzzt!
The trait's Electric Shock and paralysis took effect. The giant serpent's entire body stiffened, and it began to shake uncontrollably.
From behind the rock, Frieren watched helplessly as the previously invincible giant serpent was...
Thud.
Bzzzt!
Thud.
Bzzzt!
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