Ray stood frozen for a second, stunned.
Then, slowly, a grin stretched across his face.
He threw his arms into the air, his voice echoing through the battlefield.
"VICTORY!!!"
Finally… it was dead.
With a deep sigh, Ray lowered his arms, his fingers still clutching the black, shiny feather. He glanced at it briefly before shaking his head. I'll think about this later. Without hesitation, he stored the feather in his system storage.
Right now, his focus was on the next opportunity.
And what was that?
Ray was so caught up in excitement that he momentarily forgot his body was completely exhausted. But despite the fatigue, he moved quickly, nearly running toward the fallen serpent. His heart was pounding, adrenaline still rushing through his veins.
His face was flushed, his hair a tangled mess, rust-colored from dried blood. Sweat dripped from his forehead, mixing with the dirt and grime clinging to his skin.
But he didn't care.
Step by step, he made his way to the fallen serpent, his breath ragged, his limbs heavy.
As he walked, he summoned his system interface and checked the serpent's status.
A small screen appeared above the massive creature's head. Unlike the usual blue information screen, this one was red a clear indication.
---
Status: DEAD
---
Ray chuckled, exhaling a shaky breath. "I see, I see. It's all safe now… haha."
His steps became more careful as he moved forward. The battlefield was littered with hundreds of sharp weapons knives, swords, spears, tridents, hammers. It would be really embarrassing if he managed to injure himself now just by walking.
Finally, after getting close enough, he looked up at the enormous serpent. His breath caught for a second.
He let out a slow whistle. "Damn… what a size."
The tick… tick… tick… of blood dripping onto the ground echoed in the eerie silence.
Turning his head, Ray spotted his black-feathered chicken, still standing its once pristine black feathers now soaked in blood.
It looked ferocious.
Monstrous.
And yet, majestic.
Ray felt a rush of excitement.
"Alright… let's do a fusion."
Rubbing his hands together, he reached out and placed his palm against the serpent's massive green scales.
With a thought, he activated his system's synthesis function.
The serpent's body vanished, absorbed into the system's fusion space.
Next, Ray called back his black-feathered chicken as well.
His heart pounded in anticipation.
FUSION!
---
Ding!
Congratulations! Host has successfully fused two Apprentice-level beasts: The White Snake!
Fusion Result: Adept-level Serpent… due to the random fusion function you chose.
---
Ray's eyes lit up. An Adept-level beast?!
Without hesitation, he summoned it.
…
But…
Nothing happened.
Ray blinked. Huh?
His eyes darted around the area. "Where is it?"
He turned left. Nothing.
He turned right. Nothing.
He even looked behind him.
Still… nothing.
Ray frowned, pulling up his system screen.
The system was showing that the new beast had already been summoned.
Then… where the hell was it?!
Did it fly away?!
"Sssssssss…"
A sudden soft hissing made Ray's entire body stiffen.
His gaze slowly dropped downward toward the ground.
And then… he saw it.
A small, white snake.
Only about the length of his arm thin and delicate its scales shimmered like polished ivory.
Its dark, obsidian-like eyes stared up at him, unblinking.
Ray's jaw nearly dropped.
"What. The. Fuck?"
He stared at it, completely baffled.
"That… that green serpent was 50 meters long!" His voice cracked slightly. "Shouldn't it have grown bigger after the upgrade? 100 meters?!"
But… it shrunk?!
What kind of downgrade was this?!
Before Ray could even process his disappointment, the small white snake suddenly began to slither toward him.
His eyes twitched.
"…Wait. What are you?"
The snake coiled around his leg.
Then crawled up his waist.
Ray froze.
It slithered up his chest.
Then, before he could react, it wrapped itself around his neck.
And settled there.
Ray didn't breathe for a second.
"…H-Hey." His voice was stiff. "What… what do you think you're doing?"
The small snake ignored him, comfortably resting around his neck like an ornamental scarf.
Ray stared into the distance.
His mind was completely blank.
"…I don't know how to feel about this."
Sssssssss…
The snake let out a soft, satisfied hiss, as if it had found the perfect spot.
Ray sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "This… this isn't what I expected."
The small white snake curled tighter, getting comfortable.
Ray groaned. "Oh, for fuck's sake."
And just like that… his Adept-level serpent became his new accessory.
suddenly
Hmmm… very interesting. My My What's going on here.
A soft yet clear female voice echoed from somewhere around him, breaking the eerie silence of the battlefield.
Ray, who had just sighed in relief after two long minutes of catching his breath, froze instantly.
Who?!
His head snapped up, scanning his surroundings.
The small white snake, which had comfortably rested its head on Ray's shoulder, immediately lifted its head high, its obsidian eyes sharp and alert.
It was searching just like Ray but all they could see were the dense trees surrounding them. There was no one in sight.
Ray's expression darkened. A human?
I hope it's not an enemy… because if I can't even sense their position, it means they're strong.
He clenched his fists slightly. So this is the end, huh?
But then, a smirk tugged at his lips. No… not really. I won't die that easily.
---
"Huh? You're a mortal?"
The mysterious female voice spoke again, this time sounding closer.
Ray's heart skipped a beat.
Behind me?!
"That's weird…" the voice continued, almost amused. "I can't sense any Qi or spiritual energy in your body. That's… unnatural."
Her voice carried a tone of curiosity.
"I've never seen anything like this before. Even the weakest animals and mortals have some energy. But your body? It's like it doesn't exist."
Ray whirled around at lightning speed, his instincts screaming at him
But there was no sound.
No shift in the air.
No movement.
Yet, somehow… she was already behind him.
Ray's eyes widened. What kind of skill is this?!
His battlefield was covered in hundreds of weapons, sharp blades and metal objects littering the ground. How did she move this close without making a single sound?
Even with his mortal body, Ray was still trained to sense basic movements in his surroundings. But this person? Nothing.
This wasn't just stealth.
This was something else entirely.
Then, he saw her.
A woman.
She stood at about 5'7, her presence chilling yet ethereal.
Her silvery, ice-colored hair cascaded like flowing snow, her piercing ice-blue eyes locked onto him as if analyzing his very soul.
She was beautiful but there was something otherworldly about her.
Her delicate fingers rubbed her chin, observing him carefully.
"Quite calm, aren't you?" she mused.
Ray didn't answer, his mind racing.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her curiosity deepening.
"By your reaction, I can tell you had no idea I was here… but still, you're not panicking."
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp.
"Interesting."
Ray took a slow step back, trying to increase the distance between them.
"Hey, you"
SWOOSH!
Before he could even complete his sentence, she was already right in front of him.
Just inches away.
Ray's breath hitched.
Her icy-blue eyes locked onto his, her expression unreadable.
"So fast…!" Ray muttered to himself, his body instinctively tensing.
monstrous speed...
The woman's lips curled slightly as her gaze drifted from Ray to the white snake wrapped around his neck.
"A magic beast?"
She raised an eyebrow, genuine intrigue flashing in her eyes.
Her gaze lingered on the small snake.
"Now that's even more interesting."
Ray swallowed.
She can tell right away?!
The woman's expression softened slightly, but there was an unmistakable sharpness in her eyes.
"An Adept-level magic beast… yet it looks so submissive to a mortal?"
Her fascination deepened.
The small white snake raised its head in warning, its black eyes meeting hers with a fierce, unwavering gaze.
A silent confrontation.
Ray could feel the tension crackling in the air.
This snake…
It wasn't just reacting out of instinct.
It was protecting him.
The woman's lips parted slightly as she whispered to herself.
"Loyalty this strong… even against someone like me?"
She chuckled softly, her gaze never leaving the snake.
"Fascinating."
She could see it.
The small white snake was ready to attack her without hesitation if she showed any hostility toward its master.
That level of devotion was unheard of especially for a magic beast of such a low cultivation level.
Magic beasts operate on instinct.
They fight for survival, not for emotions.
Yet this one… was acting purely out of loyalty.
She found it absolutely fascinating.
Ray's instincts screamed at him.
I don't know what she wants, but… I need to be careful.
His muscles tensed slightly, and he opened his mouth to speak
"Hey, woman! What do you think you're doing? Stay"
"Stay still."
Her voice was calm. But the moment she spoke
The air around Ray… vibrated.
Then, in an instant
Everything stopped.
Ray's breath hitched.
His body completely frozen.
His muscles locked in place.
He couldn't even move his fingers.
What…?!
What just happened?!
His lips refused to move.
Even his eyes he tried to shift his pupils, but they wouldn't budge.
He was completely immobilized.
"Ugh… What happened this weak body?!" Ray screamed internally.
He couldn't even ask aloud.
His mind raced.
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't just any binding technique.
Even when he tried to send a command through the system
Nothing.
His snake didn't move either.
"Even my snake is confined…?"
Realization struck him like lightning.
This… this is a high-level cultivation technique.
His thoughts spiraled as he looked at the woman in front of him, unable to move, unable to speak.
Her ice-blue eyes stared directly into his, calm, confident, and completely in control.
Ray's expression remained frozen in place.
His body was still.
But inside?
His mind was screaming.