Chapter 3 Surviving
…
He did not know when that snake just appeared, but he knew that if he did not do anything right now, then his life would surely be forfeited and he would become sustenance for the beast before him.
With a quick glance, he could already tell that this thing is not a demon beast which gave him a bit of a consolation.
But the size of that thing is humongous as it towers over him.
Swoosh!!!
He has no time to think when he suddenly saw the head of that snake darting at him like an arrow.
For some unknown reason, his body could suddenly move really easily at that instant when he needed that burst of force from inside of him.
In the military class, this is called… adrenaline rush.
Pang!
Han Jin was sent flying to the side even though he was able to dodge that strike he was still hit by the powerful impact.
As he rolled on the ground, he quickly picks himself up and run through the bushes.
He has no time to be heroic and fight that huge thing, so he could only run and hope for the best in the direction he has chosen.
He could hear the rustling sound as the snake followed behind him.
In the corner of his eyes, he suddenly saw the huge snake rising up in the air and quickly strike once again.
Upon seeing this, he shifted to the side and dodges the snake strike which hits a tree.
Thud!
The loud sound signifies that the snake hit a tree. As he took a quick glance he could see the snake shaking its head trying to wake itself up from its brain being shaken by that impact.
Upon seeing this, a slight smirk appears on Han Jin's face. His mind quickly looks around and found a path that made him show a faint smile on his face.
In the military training, he was very attentive to survival lessons and the experiences given by the teachers. While his classmates would sleep due to boredom, he on the other hand would be attentive in class and would absorb any knowledge he could get.
The reason for this is because… he did not want his life to be in danger, and of course, the reason for that is because of his mother.
And so upon seeing that clump of weeds in the corner of his eyes, he knew where to go exactly.
As soon as he enters that place, he could already see those dangerous-looking plants on the side. With one misstep he would end up with many holes in his body.
These plants are called Metal Barb Berry.
Although these plants look dangerous and painful, they also produce the most delicious-tasting fleshy berry that is very expensive once sold in any town or city.
He had seen such a plant before and had experienced picking some of its berries which is only by some lucky chance. And because of that, he had learned a very painful lesson that he could not forget.
Darting from one thorny bush after another, Han Jin easily maneuvers until he arrives at a place where he had seen a good ambush spot.
He knew that with his speed, he would not be able to escape the chase of that snake. So he has to make a stand, and this is the place where he knew that he could have a fighting chance.
Soon, the snake arrives and saw the human it is hunting. The human is looking around as if he was lost and this made the snake show a hungry look in its eyes.
It slowly slithers near the side of the human and soon arrives about 5 meters away from him.
It knew that it is the optimal distance for it to strike while the human is unaware of its presence.
Hiss!!!
It suddenly darted its long head with its maw wide open. It could not wait to taste the human as it just came out after a week of digesting its last food.
Now that it is hungry and wanted this juicy human for its meal, it could not wait to sink its fangs into his juicy flesh.
Suddenly, the human turns his eyes toward the snake and it saw a mocking grin on his face.
The snake knew that something is wrong, so it did not have time to think and just wanted things to be over with.
Once it has released a strike, there is no such thing as stopping in the middle. An arrow that has been released will not stop in midair and then turn around just because the one firing the arrow felt that something is amiss.
Suddenly, the snake felt something tearing the side of its scales and the sensation travels through its body.
It did not feel the pain at first but when it was about to bite the human it suddenly saw the human jumping to the side.
It did not care what is happening, as it willed its head to follow the dodging place of the human.
And when it did, that was the time when it felt the pain.
Hiss!!!
The snake hissed out loudly as its blood began to pour out of its torn skin.
It glared at the human who is smiling on the ground.
In its anger, it swung its tail at him.
Bam!!!
Han Jin thought that everything is over as the snake's body is now trapped under the sharp bards of the metal barb berry.
But who would have known that the snake could still use its tail to smack him?
His body was thrown for a few meters before he hit a tree which almost takes the wind out of him.
Han Jin dare not pass out as he knew that if he did, he would surely be on his way to reincarnation.
He bit his lips and held to his consciousness while his eyes landed on the struggling snake.
Seeing this scene, he just smirked under the painful feeling of his body.
The more it struggles the weaker it would become and the more the barbs would rend its body apart.
Suddenly, he noticed the killing intent of the snake as it moved forward instead of back, it actually moved forward in his direction.
He could see its long body being cut open as it forces itself through the barbed plant.
At this time, he could now feel panic in his heart as he knew that the snake is actually going to choose to die with him.
It is not common thinking in the animal kingdom. Most animals would retreat to save themselves, but this snake would actually suicide just to kill him.
The bloody large head of the snake slowly approaches him.
He knew that this trap was only successful because this snake is just too hungry to think of anything else other than eating him.
Now, that he could look directly into its eyes, he could tell that instead of hunger, anger is filling its mind which seems to be numbing the pain it is feeling throughout its body.
But Han Jin is also not a pushover as his eyes turned sharp.
"Do you think I am afraid of you?" he growled.
The snake hissed in reply as its head suddenly darted towards him.
With this close proximity between them, he knew that he has no chance to dodge this time. But he did not want to dodge as that would only cause him to be inflicted with more wounds.
He could already tell that some of his ribs are cracked as he could feel a bit of pain while breathing.
As the large maw of the snake came closer, he lowered his stance and kicked his feet forward towards the lower jaw of the snake.
This action sends him tumbling up.
This startled the snake, as it was about to look up by turning sideways.
But then before it could even look up, it saw a small black metal thing on the human's hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Before it knew it, one of its visions suddenly darkens followed by some bout of pain coming from inside its head.
Hiss!!!
The giant snake suddenly began to thrash its huge body all over the place aggravating its wounds deeper.
Meanwhile, the weak and feeble body of Han Jin landed on the ground with a loud thud. That impact cost him all the air in his lungs.
While the snake is thrashing all over the place, he just lays there without moving as he could only moan in pain.
He could only pray on his luck not to be hit by that huge head of the snake.
It did not take long before the snake's movement began to be sluggish and soon only spasms could be seen on its huge body.
By this time, Han Jin became quiet and shifted his gaze at the unmoving snake as he listened to the ground. From the ground and the silence, he could actually feel the beating of the snake's heart slowly dissipating.
Soon, it all became quiet.
"Arrgghh… That… that was very close…" he muttered as he did not dare stand up and just lay on the ground.
Suddenly, he noticed his eyes pointing at the snake.
Another ball of wisp is already forming, but this time, that ball of light is actually a lot bigger than he imagined.
"That is a huge ball of energy…" he thought as he watches the wisp slowly becoming bigger and bigger in front of his eyes.
From the size of that thing which is now almost the size of the snake's head, he could only show a slightly delighted smile on his face.