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As they marched along the shadowy corridors of the gate, a larger Snakol appeared. Unlike the others they had encountered, this one wore primitive robes and carried a staff adorned with glowing runes. Nelson had slain this creature nine times before—it was the Snakol Shaman, the boss of the gate. It seemed the time they spent mining had broken the lock on its chamber, and now it was emerging.
Its eyes burned with an eerie, unnatural light, and an aura of danger filled the air. Lucas could feel it in his bones. The sight of the Snakol Shaman sent a wave of dread through Javier, his face growing pale. "Mid-D rank... and it can use fire magic. I feel terrified to my bones every time we see this thing," he whispered, his voice trembling.
Lucas clenched his fists in frustration. They were weak, far too weak. This single boss could easily kill a hundred of them. The gap in power gnawed at him, fueling his yearning for strength, but he had no way to bridge it.
The Snakol Shaman hissed, raising its staff as flames flickered to life at the tip, twisting and swirling like serpents ready to strike. Lucas' heart pounded in his chest, his instincts screaming danger despite knowing Nelson would handle it. Still, the sight of fire magic made his muscles tense involuntarily.
Nelson stepped forward, smirking as he raised his own staff. He welcomed the incoming flames with laughter, a display of arrogance. With a wave, he summoned a wind blade, its sharp edge cutting through the fire tendrils, absorbing them into the gust. Now charged with both wind and fire, the blade sped toward the shaman. In an instant, it cut the creature in half, its body engulfed in flames before collapsing into ash.
The group erupted into chatter, praising Nelson, each trying to outdo the other with compliments. But Lucas couldn't shake the growing sense of dread creeping over him. It was like a cold hand brushing the back of his neck.
"Death..." he muttered under his breath. The feeling was unmistakable, chilling him to his core. He glanced around, his eyes darting across the chamber. The exit gate had not appeared. Something was terribly wrong. When the boss was killed in some gates, an exit appeared where it fell, and this gate was one of them.
Nelson's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he realized what had just happened. He'd achieved exactly what he was aiming for, unlike the others who were still in shock. Before anyone could react, a massive figure charged through the darkness at blinding speed. In an instant, four members of the group were dead, their bodies limp on the ground, barely registering what had killed them.
All eyes turned toward the source of the attack. Two giant glowing yellow orbs hovered in the darkness, and as the group's vision adjusted, the towering figure of an enormous snake came into focus. The creature stood a terrifying 8 meters tall, its body stretching an intimidating 25 to 35 meters long, easily wide enough to swallow a man whole.
Nelson's smirk faded slightly as his gaze fixed on the small, twisted, devil-like horn atop the beast's head. "Devil snake…" he muttered under his breath, recognizing the creature.
The snake slithered forward, its black scales shimmering ominously in the dim light, reflecting the torch flames like polished steel. It moved with a deadly grace, its body coiling as it devoured one of the fallen hunters, swallowing him whole in slow motion. The sight of the creature and its smooth and elegant movements carried a strange but terrifying beauty that sent chills through everyone watching.
The tension in the air was thick, suffocating. Everyone stood frozen, paralyzed with fear as the adolescent Devil Snake loomed over them. Even Nelson, usually so cocky, had a moment of hesitation. The sight of the beast's small horns marked it as young, but the knowledge that this creature could one day grow into an S-rank monstrosity—the Devil Snake King—shook him to the core.
Nelson clenched his jaw, forcing himself to push past the fear. *Was he, Nelson Mander, going to cower before a beast?* Impossible. So what if this was a Devil Snake? This one was still young, and Nelson was confident in his power. They were evenly matched, or so he thought.
He swung his staff with force, sending razor-sharp wind blades toward the creature. Each slice cut through the air, aiming to strike the snake down. But the Devil Snake's scales were tougher than Nelson had expected. The wind blades merely grazed its thick, black hide, leaving shallow marks that barely phased the creature. The snake hissed, unbothered, its glowing amber eyes narrowing as it slithered closer.
Nelson's heart raced, but he refused to back down. "It's just a snake," he muttered to himself, trying to steel his nerves. But as the creature bore down on him, his resolve started to shake.
The Devil Snake struck again, its massive tail crashing into the ground just inches from where Nelson stood. The impact sent shockwaves through the cavern, causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling as Nelson barely managed to dodge once more, his heart pounding in his chest.
Each swing of his staff grew more desperate, the wind blades cutting through the air with less precision. The shallow wounds he inflicted on the snake did little more than irritate the beast. Its amber eyes glowed with a cruel intelligence as if it could sense Nelson's weakening resolve.
Nelson's breaths were ragged, his hands trembling as he gripped his staff tightly. The confidence he had always carried was gone, replaced by the cold realization that he was in over his head. "I can... I can handle this," he muttered, but his voice wavered, betraying the fear that gripped him.
The Devil Snake reared back, preparing for another strike, and Nelson's eyes darted around the cave, searching for any way out. This time, his fear was fully visible for everyone to see.
"Move, you idiots!" Nelson shouted as he raced past them, his voice laced with pure terror. He didn't even glance back at Lucas, Carl, or Javier. For him, they were just obstacles between him and survival. The once cocky leader had turned into a fleeing coward.
Lucas clenched his teeth as Nelson barreled past, his mind racing. There was no time to process the betrayal; the Devil Snake was still there, and its gaze had now shifted toward them. "Run!" Lucas shouted to the others, his voice raw with urgency.
Carl and Javier didn't need any convincing. They turned and bolted, following Nelson toward the exit, their hearts pounding in their chests. The cave echoed with the sound of their hurried footsteps, the massive form of the Devil Snake slithering after them, its hiss sending shivers down their spines.
"We're dead if we don't move faster!" Carl shouted, his voice filled with desperation. He pushed himself harder, his muscles screaming in protest.
Javier, normally composed, was now pale and panicked, struggling to keep up. "I can't... keep this pace," he gasped, his breaths coming in sharp, ragged bursts.
Lucas glanced back for a split second and caught sight of the Devil Snake's glowing eyes closing the distance, its coils scraping against the stone floor. "We don't have a choice, Javier!" Lucas yelled, his voice trembling. "Keep running!"
They had no idea how close they were to the exit. Lucas' mind racing for any possible way out. They needed a plan—anything—but there was no time to think.
Lucas stole a glance behind him and saw it. The Devil Snake was barreling toward them. His blood ran cold as he watched it close the distance. "We're going to die," Carl gasped, his face pale and drenched in sweat.
Panic surged through Lucas's veins, making his limbs feel heavy. His mind raced, desperate for a solution, but none came. The gap between them and the monster was closing too quickly. He could already feel the tremors of its approach, the ground vibrating beneath his feet like a death knell. Every instinct screamed at him to run faster, but his body felt sluggish under the weight of dread.
Javier, panting heavily beside him, cursed between breaths. "We're not going to make it. We can't outrun that thing."
Lucas's heart sank. Javier was right. The Devil Snake would catch them within moments. After everything—after all the training, the raids, and surviving the harshness of life as an F-rank hunter—Lucas realized he was going to die here. As a sacrifice, as a mule.
His thoughts spiraled as the cold grip of fear took hold. **Why is this happening?** he thought bitterly. **Why do I always have to suffer? Why does it always come down to this?**
The Devil Snake lunged, and Lucas could hear its jaws snapping behind him, the wet, guttural sound of the beast breathing down his neck. His vision blurred with tears of frustration and terror. **This can't be how it ends.**
...
Lucas barely felt his right arm dangling uselessly by his side, the dislocated shoulder a distant throbbing compared to the adrenaline coursing through him. He was slower than the others—always had been—and now, that weakness had nearly cost him his life. The Devil Snake's first strike had been a blur, and he only managed to leap out of its path at the last possible second.
The debris from the impact still clouded the air, dust and fragments of stone clattering around him. One rock had flown with enough force to dislocate his shoulder. Pain flared in his side, but it was a dull, faraway sensation compared to the immediate threat of the massive creature. His eyes darted toward Carl just in time to see him hurl his sword with every ounce of strength.
The blade soared through the air, striking the Devil Snake square in the eye. It wasn't deep enough to blind the creature, but the force caused it to thrash violently in pain. The snake hissed, its massive body twisting and curling, slamming its tail into the cave walls. Carl's desperate attack had saved his life.
Carl's voice broke through the chaos, hoarse but resolute: "We are brothers, we live together, die together! I will not leave any one of you behind!"
For a moment, Lucas wanted to scream at Carl, to call him an idiot for staying. He wanted to tell him to run while there was still time, to escape before the Devil Snake crushed them all. But he couldn't. Carl's reckless courage struck something deep within Lucas. He knew that if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same. He would have come back for Carl and Javier. Because living as a coward, as a deserter, wasn't living at all.
In the blink of an eye, the snake's tail swept across the ground with terrifying speed. Carl and Javier were flung against the cave walls like rag dolls, their bodies crumpling on impact. Lucas watched in horror as Carl struggled to stay conscious, blood streaming down the side of his face.
Javier, however, was in even worse shape. The Devil Snake had clamped its fangs into his arm, dragging him violently across the rocky ground. His screams of agony echoed through the cave, his body flailing as the beast rose up. He could end up in the snake's stomach at any minute.