While Lara cursed in her mind, the gate behind her suddenly closed with a loud thud. A system notification echoed in the air, startling both the giant snake and the players inside.
_________
Welcome, player Lara, to the 75th floor's 63rd boss chamber.
Requirement: Defeat Onicuss and his unnamed twin, the (S)-Rank giant snakes.
Main Reward: Progress to the next floor.
_________
Lara's eyes narrowed, not because of the many eyes staring at her, but because of the unexpected notification. She cracked her knuckles with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Soul, you bastard! How dare you give me the wrong information? Onicuss, my foot! Where the hell did his brother come from?"
Instantly, a blue screen flashed in front of her eyes.
"#The_Soul; You're attracting the snake's attention with your loud voice."
An angry vein flared up on her forehead. She unsheathed the sword on her waist and jumped back to avoid the snake's tail hovering mere inches away from her.
A loud rumble shook the ground as the snake's tail crashed at the place she was standing a while ago. Dust and debris flew everywhere.
"Just tell me where the second snake is?"
"#The_Soul; ..."
Lara ignored the useless screen, and her eyes narrowed as she observed Onicuss and the dark chamber. Amidst the darkness, a faint glint in the distance caught her attention.
She moved back as Onicuss curled its tail to attack her again. Suddenly, she jumped, and her figure zoomed toward the injured man kneeling on the other side.
In the distance, the silver-haired woman cried out as Lara raised her sword towards the man.
"Stop!!"
The man raised his head. A pair of bright ocean-blue eyes met Lara's mid-air. His face was pale, sweat dripping down his forehead.
Lara paused for a second.
"You look somewhat familiar...?"
The man opened his mouth, but before he could reply, Lara's eyes glowed with a dark light. Countless black chains shot out from behind her, restraining something behind him.
The man's eyes locked onto the chains, pulsating with a dark hue. His breath hitched as Lara's sword dangerously edged closer to him. Instinctively, he closed his eyes, but then a loud hiss echoed through the chamber.
A slithering black snake emerged from the shadows, startling the other players as it tore the chains around its body and vanished in another direction.
The man finally opened his eyes, but his breath ceased when Lara abruptly closed her face towards him with an interested hum.
"You are kinda my type."
He blinked, dazed but then she moved back and offered him her hand. However, before he could grab her hand in a daze, she moved her hand down to grab the glimmering crystal brooch on his shirt.
Lara chuckled and admired the brooch.
"It's pretty."
The man stared at her with a blank expression as she placed the brooch on her shirt and walked away.
Lara raised her sword and glanced back at the players enclosed in the golden cloud.
"Don't get involved, even if I'm dead. The snakes are my prey."
In the next second, she jumped towards Onicuss and started fighting. The ones watching her were stunned because she didn't care about the countless injuries piling up on her body and engaged the two snakes in a bloody battle.
The silver-haired woman immediately grabbed the kneeling man and handed him a healing potion. She wanted to drag him to safety, but he shook his head and watched the battle.
Meanwhile, the Authorities observing the scene were a little surprised by Lara's abrupt appearance. A few blue screens flashed in the air as they discussed who this new player was. Suddenly, a familiar name flashed in the air.
"#The_Demon_LoRd; Why does she look familiar?"
"#Evil_Goat; My lord, do you know her?"
"#The_Demon_LoRd; Let me check her name."
After a few seconds, the Demon Lord returned and gasped in shock. He immediately shared the information with others about how a few years ago this girl appeared on this floor with a low level and died countless times just to get a Low-tier skill. Of course, no one believed him, but secretly they started paying attention to the new arrival with interest.