Chapter 68

Guided by Momo, we began climbing the mountain again.

After a while, I could confirm with <Magic Detection> that something was ahead. There was only one reaction.

There were no other monsters nearby. I looked for a place that seemed easy to fight in... a gentle area without trees, and waited for the opponent there. The opponent had also noticed me and was slowly approaching.

Then, after a while, a snake-type monster appeared.

Upon appraising it, it was identified as a <Gigantic Snake>, but further appraisal was rejected. The opponent must be stronger...

The snake was over 10 meters long. Well, I wouldn't be swallowed whole... Snakes can open their mouths wide, so it's possible... No, probably not, right?

As an individual, it was weaker than the boss of the Mushroom Forest Dungeon but stronger than the common enemies. If I had to defeat it alone... I wouldn't say it's impossible... but if I let my guard down, it could be dangerous.

My intuition was slightly activated.

At least it's more dangerous than that clan. But I have to believe I can win and fight.

The giant snake... aside from flicking its tongue, the saliva it dripped onto nearby plants made a sizzling sound and withered, confirming it was venomous.

If possible, I didn't want to fight.

It would soon be dark, and without light, I couldn't see. Time was running out.

"Meow, meow, meow!"

"I know... I have to defeat it, right?"

Momo was bristling and growling.

It seemed ready to fight... but Momo wouldn't stand a chance. It would need to grow more... like that mother leopard, right?

"Well then..."

I readied my sword. The shield... it wouldn't be useful. If I moved slowly, I might be constricted. I'll leave the shield off.

The shield was small, and the snake's mouth was bigger. It wouldn't help prevent bites. If it was venomous, getting close would be dangerous, and a bite would be fatal.

Since it wasn't covered in spores, using <Resistance> to status effects would be pointless.

"Venomous... huh..."

Fighting with magic would prevent bites and constriction... but the snake might dodge... it seemed quick.

If I showed any signs of fleeing, it would attack immediately.

"Shhh..."

Most importantly, it was extremely aggressive. It was hissing and making threatening sounds with its tail. It wouldn't let me escape.

"Momo, you might get swallowed, so stay in the hood."

"Meow!"

While facing the giant snake, I called Momo, and it obediently entered the hood. It's a smart cat; it won't fight if it can't win. But my owner will make it fight...

I don't know why I need to defeat this snake... but Momo led me here. Since it led me here despite knowing the danger, it must think I can win.

There's no option to run. If I don't let my guard down, I should be fine... probably.

"Shaaaah!!"

I dodged a probing bite and began casting a spell.

"Light <Light>!"

I cast a spell to illuminate the area while holding my sword. It's better to keep the environment consistent from the start... even if it consumes MP... I need to be fully prepared to avoid dangerous situations.

Looking closely at the giant snake in the light, I saw scratches all over it.

It must have been in a battle with other monsters and was in an excited state... This is troublesome.

"Well then... Water Wall <Water Wall>. ...Freezing <Freezing>"

First, I covered the snake with a 3-meter square water wall and froze it.

Being a cold-blooded animal, I hoped the temperature difference would weaken it...

"...Crack... Shhh!"

It easily shattered the ice wall with its tail, like a whip.

I felt like the giant snake was mocking me. I wasn't using my full strength, but it saw through my probing attack. Still, I have plenty of MP left.

"...Because it's a forest, I can't use fire magic... and lightning magic is difficult with so many trees nearby."

Cooling it with water and then burning it might work on a cold-blooded animal... but I can't risk starting a forest fire. Lightning is also difficult because it tends to strike tall objects, and there are many trees.

I dodged the snake's lunge and tried to stab its belly, but the scales were too hard, and the sword broke with a snap!

"Are you kidding me!?"

It was my favorite iron sword. It wasn't the strongest, and its attack power was lower than what my brother used, so I hadn't enchanted it. I liked its length...

It worked fine in the Mushroom Forest Dungeon... but the scales were that hard?

The snake gained a few more scratches, and my sword broke, giving the snake the upper hand.

Still, I had other weapons. I took out the mithril dagger my brother gave me.

"Phew... <Attribute Sword: Ice>"

I didn't use it in main battles due to its short reach, but I practiced with it.

It was easier to channel magic through it. I needed to increase my attack power to pierce the scales, which would require continuous MP consumption. A quick battle would be best.

I dodged tail attacks and kept my distance from biting attacks while observing. The snake, thinking my attacks were ineffective, slowly approached with its tongue flicking.

"Wind Boost <Aerial Boost>!"

I used wind magic to increase my movement speed and quickly approached, slashing with the dagger.

"Shaaaah!!"

The mithril's sharpness, combined with the freezing magic, froze the snake's wounds.

Observing the thrashing snake, I noticed its movements had slowed. The sudden temperature change must have affected it.

However, it attacked with its tail, sweeping me away.

"Ouch..."

Fortunately, I landed on nothing but the ground. The snake also seemed to have regained its composure after knocking me back.

The second round began.

I continued to dodge attacks, avoiding venomous bites and constricting tail attacks, while using the magic sword to freeze and burn the snake, aiming to stress its body with temperature changes. Gradually, the snake's hard scales began to flake off, and its movements slowed.

"...Here goes... Earth Wall <Earth Wall>!"

This was the decisive moment. I cast a spell.

My MP was running low, so I needed to finish this quickly.

I created a thicker earth wall around the snake, 50 cm thick and 5 meters high, covering it. I increased the hardness with magic while the snake was surprised.

"Crack..."

The snake attacked the wall with its tail, but the hardened wall didn't break. However, it was good at climbing trees, so I quickly cast the next spell.

"Water <Water>!! ...Freezing <Freezing>!"

I flooded the earth wall with water, turning it into a giant pool, and then froze the surface with ice magic.

The snake was thrashing inside but couldn't break the wall. As expected, its movements were slower in water.

"Alright... I'll gather my magic now..."

The water in the pool was partially frozen, but the snake was still alive, just trapped.

If I kept freezing it, it would drown or freeze to death, but maintaining the spell would consume too much MP. I needed to finish it with a high-damage spell.

I stopped channeling magic into the pool and the attribute sword, gathered my magic again, and took out an explosive orb from my bag, throwing it at the earth wall. The explosion created a crack and a water leak.

"...Come on... Wind Guillotine <Wind Guillotine>!"

"...Crack..."

As the snake tried to escape through the crack, I used a wind spell to sever its head and body.

The snake's head and body separated and eventually stopped moving.

"Phew... That was tough..."

Casting a high-damage spell required gathering magic, which is difficult solo. Securing the time to do so was key. The plan to trap it and attack quickly worked perfectly.

I managed to win this time, but I don't want to fight like this again... If my MP runs out, it's over. My level increased by two. Solo kills give a lot of experience... It's rare for all the spells I used to level up. Maybe the ample magic I infused was better? Freezing water is easier, so I'll keep using it.

"Meow~"

"Wait a moment... *gulp*..."

"Meow meow!!"

I drank an MP potion to recover my MP, and Momo started making noise.

It jumped out of the hood and tried to go deeper into the mountain.

"Momo, I can't fight anymore."

"Meow meow!"

I don't know if it understood... but it was still energetic. Fighting is impossible, and I want to rest.

After a hard-fought battle that consumed over half my MP, I wanted to rest.

Momo was calling me from ahead, "Meow~"

I sighed and replied, "Alright."

I put the snake's corpse in my magic bag, shattered the earth wall, and smoothed the ground. The ice would melt eventually, so I didn't need to use MP to melt it.

"Phew... Camping tonight, huh..."

It was already dark, and I had to spend the night in the mountains. Finding a flat spot was difficult in the dark.

I needed to be cautious of monsters, but my pet was heading deeper into the mountain without a care.

Reluctantly, I followed Momo... and found a cave or a grotto.

Momo wanted to enter... was it safe? My intuition wasn't activated, so it should be fine.

However, if I wasn't mistaken, this was the snake's home.