(Sam's POV)
The magic was thick here. Denser than anything I had ever felt in the outer ring of the Duskwind Forest. Each breath was like pulling in thick air, heavy with power, and it was all coming from the pond before me.
I slithered closer, cautious but curious. The water in the pond swirled with a sickly green hue, bubbling and churning like it was alive. Toxic fumes curled up from its surface, burning the back of my throat just from proximity.
'Why am I not surprised? A toxic, bubbling pond in the middle of nowhere, emitting death. Of course, it's dangerous.'
I could practically feel the magic radiating from the pond. This had to be the source of all the dense energy I'd been picking up. But as I edged closer to investigate, something shifted. The ground trembled, and a large centipede emerged from the foliage, its segmented body undulating as it approached me with eerie precision.
'And of course, it's not just the pond. There's always a giant bug.'
I tensed, readying myself for the fight. This centipede wasn't going to make this easy.
[Status Inspection Lv 3 activated.]
[Name: Giant Centipede]
[Level: 25]
[Rank: E]
[Skills:]
– Venomous Bite Lv 6
– Burrow Lv 3
– Quick Dash Lv 3
[Traits:]
– Poison Affinity (Basic)
– Bone Armour
Poison Affinity again. Just what I needed—another creature immune to poison. This wasn't going to be a simple fight. I could see its segmented body twitching, ready to lunge, and I had to act fast.
I activated Harden, feeling my scales toughen.
[Harden Lv 2 activated.]
The centipede lunged at me, its mandibles snapping dangerously close to my tail. I used Quick Dash to dodge, feeling the burst of speed surge through my body as I narrowly avoided the strike.
[Quick Dash Lv 2 activated.]
It whipped around quickly, its many legs churning the earth beneath it. I struck back, launching a powerful Tail Whip toward its head, hoping to disorient it.
[Tail Whip Lv 3 activated.]
The blow connected, sending the centipede skidding across the ground, but it wasn't down yet. It hissed, darting toward me with surprising speed. I retaliated with Fire Breath, unleashing a torrent of flames directly into its path.
[Fire Breath Lv 1 activated.]
The flames hit the centipede, causing it to screech in pain as its chitinous armor smoked and blackened. But it wasn't enough to stop it. The centipede lunged again, faster this time, using Quick Dash to close the distance.
It clamped down on my side with its venomous bite, injecting its toxic venom into me. Pain shot through my body as the poison entered my bloodstream. I hissed in agony but quickly activated Frenzy to counter the growing threat.
[Frenzy Lv 2 activated.]
My body surged with power, and I lashed out wildly, hitting the centipede with a combination of Bite and Venom, despite knowing its Poison Affinity would reduce the effects. I coiled tightly around its body, squeezing as hard as I could while it thrashed violently.
[Bite Lv 9 activated.]
[Venom Lv 9 activated.]
But the centipede wasn't done. It used Venomous Bite again, sinking its mandibles deeper into my scales. My Poison Resistance kicked in, working to suppress the venom, but the pain was relentless. I needed to end this fight quickly.
'Okay, you bug-eyed freak, let's see how you like Wind Slash!'
I unleashed Wind Slash, sending a blade of air directly into its exposed side. The force of the wind attack tore into the centipede's body, making it screech in agony as green blood oozed from the wound.
[Wind Slash Lv 1 activated.]
The centipede staggered, its movements slowing as it struggled to recover. I took the opportunity to dart in with Charge, slamming into its side with all my weight. The impact sent it crashing into a nearby tree.
[Charge Lv 2 activated.]
Before it could recover, I used Water Jet to blast it off balance, pushing it further into the dirt.
[Water Jet Lv 1 activated.]
The centipede thrashed one last time before I launched my final attack—a full-strength Bite, sinking my fangs deep into its neck. The venom surged through its body, but this time, it had no strength left to fight.
The centipede went limp, its body twitching as it finally succumbed to my attack.
[You have defeated Giant Centipede lv 25.]
[You have gained 200XP.]
[Devour Lv 1 activated.]
[You have gained the trait: Poison Affinity (Basic).]
[Poison Resistance has been absorbed into Poison Affinity.]
I panted heavily, feeling the Poison Affinity settle into my body. My wounds ached, and I could still feel the venom from the centipede's bite coursing through me, but my Poison Resistance was working hard to suppress it.
[Status Inspection Lv 3 activated.]
[Poison Affinity (Basic)]:
Provides a natural affinity with poison-based elements, increasing control and effectiveness when using poison-related skills or abilities.
– Grants 20% resistance to poison attacks powered by Basic Poison Affinity.
– Allows basic manipulation and enhancement of poison-based abilities.
– Increases effectiveness of poison-related skills.
'Poison Affinity, huh? This is going to come in handy. But damn, that thing put up a fight.'
I glanced back at the poisonous pond, feeling the same dense magic that had drawn me here in the first place. The pond still bubbled ominously, its toxic fumes curling into the air. But as I stood there, something inside me shifted.
It was faint at first, but then it grew stronger—a pull, urging me to approach the pond. My instincts were screaming at me to move closer.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what was happening. But then, without warning, my Devour skill activated on its own.
[Devour Lv 1 activated.]
I felt a surge of energy as I neared the edge of the pond, the magic surrounding it wrapping itself around me, sinking into my body. I could feel the pond's poisonous essence stirring, and before I could make sense of it, the world around me seemed to blur.