Chapter 30: You are in deep shit

Vell grabbed onto a tree like a spider, looked at the snake that had attacked him. The snake was not interested in him, but in the slimes. It was eating them up, and if he did nothing, he would lose his chance to tame one.

“Hey, at least leave me one!”

He charged up himself and leaped at the snake with the intention of landing a punch, but this was a bad opponent for him. He got knocked away by its tail once again, and this time, the snake gave him a hiss, warning him to stay away.

“Hah! Look at this bastard, a greedy son of a bitch.” He said this as he cracked his knuckles.

He extended his hand, while his other hand was tightly holding his wrist. He began to summon a thin layer of mana around his palm. This was a test to see what this new mana could do, but the snake did not wait for that.

The snake lunged at him, and it was faster than he had expected. He ducked and rolled, and he narrowly avoided the massive fangs. As he got back to his feet, he noticed that the venom was dissolving the tree. This creeped him out, and it forced him to create a safe distance between them.

“That has to be cheating. Tch, how am I supposed to fight that?” His attention shifted to the slimes, and he could still see two of them left. He gave the snake another glance, and they both looked at each other before he snatched the remaining slimes and ran.

“I am not stupid enough to fight something like you, so… see you.”

The snake hissed in anger as it watched Vell disappear into the trees, but it still picked up his scent and went after him.

He darted through the dense forest, and the slimes were jiggling in his arms as he leaped over roots and ducked under branches. The sound of the snake crashing through the underbrush behind him was loud, and each movement shook the ground slightly. Despite his apparent panic, a sly grin crept across his face.

“Come on, big guy. Do not fall behind now.”

He kept glancing over his shoulder, making sure the snake was still on his trail. The slimes quivered, and their gooey forms vibrated as if they could sense the danger.

He whispered softly to them, “Do not worry, I am not letting a stupid lizard have you. You are both mine.”

He made sure to stay within the snake’s line of sight, but he was never close enough to be caught. Each time it lunged at him, he would increase his pace, just enough to narrowly evade its strikes. He would dart behind trees or leap onto low-hanging branches. The snake’s frustration was clear, and its hisses grew louder with every missed attack.

Finally, he reached a small clearing that was surrounded by massive trees, and their thick roots twisted into natural barriers. He carefully placed the slimes in a hollow under one of the roots and whispered, “Do not move.” As if they understood his words, they shifted back, showing that they would not leave.

’Alright, time to put this new mana to the test and see just how far I can push it.’

He focused on his arms, and his veins began to glow a faint purple, all the way to his fingertips. This was different. His eyes were locked in, and his feet adjusted themselves into a defensive stance.

’Phew, I hope I remember how to do this. It has been such a long time.’

He closed his eyes as the snake came leaping toward him from above, with its mouth wide open. His body moved almost on instinct, but it was far from graceful. His footing was a little off as he sidestepped the snake’s strike, and the ground trembled under its massive impact. The purple glow in his veins flickered as he tried to channel it into his right arm.

He spun on his heel, and his aim was to charge up his fist for a good impact. The strike landed, and for a brief moment, while it was not moving, his mana surged, but it was unfocused. Instead of blasting the snake away, the force dissipated in a random shockwave that sent him stumbling backward.

“Ugh!” he grunted, and he shook his hand, which felt numb from the uneven release of energy. “Okay, I am clearly rusty. Thanks for reminding me!”

The snake swung its tail with incredible force, but this time he was ready. Instead of dodging, he grabbed it, and he surprised the snake. It tried to pull its tail back, but Vell did not budge.

“Okay, big guy. It looks like my fighting skills are not as good as they used to be, but that does not matter, right? Like, what is the point if I can just do this.” His veins glowed more than ever as the snake got further away from the ground.

It planned to strike him while he was vulnerable, but it was not fast enough. He swung it down, crashing it into the trees. He could hear its painful cries, but he was not done. He spun it around, dragging it through all the trees, and then he smashed it against the ground like a huge hammer. Each impact shook the clearing, and it sent pieces of bark and dirt flying in all directions. The snake’s hisses turned into panicked screeches as it struggled to get free from his grip.

“Not so tough now, huh? Haha, huff.”

His voice had a cocky edge to it as he tightened his grip.

The snake coiled its body in a desperate attempt to constrict him, and its powerful muscles wrapped around his torso. The crushing pressure made him grit his teeth, and he could feel his ribs creaking under the strain. But instead of panicking, he smirked.

“Oh, you want to play that game? Fine!”

He channeled all the mana he could muster into his arms, and the glow became so intense that it looked like his veins were filled with molten light. With a loud roar, he unleashed the energy in a violent surge. It sent a shockwave through the snake’s body, and it forced it to release him. The snake was thrown back, and it skidded across the ground, carving deep grooves in the soil.

He staggered, catching his breath. His shirt was torn, and his body was bruised from the snake’s constriction. “Alright… that hurt. But you are still breathing, fuck. So I guess we are not done yet, huff.”

’Dammit, I used too much mana. This might be bad if that thing does not die soon.’

His veins were now flickering, and this showed that he was close to running out of juice. But he made sure the snake did not know this, so he kept up his cocky attitude and his smirk.

The snake writhed, and its massive body slithered back upright. It opened its mouth again, and venom was dripping from its fangs in long, hissing streams. This time, however, it did not lunge recklessly. It circled him, and its cold, predatory gaze was locked onto him.

’Look at this bastard. He is learning.’

It struck again, but this time it was not a straight lunge. It faked, and it twisted its body in mid-air, aiming its fangs at his side. He barely dodged it, and he rolled away, but the snake anticipated him. Its tail swept low to catch him in the middle of his roll. The impact sent him crashing into a tree, and his back slammed against the bark.

“Okay, this is getting a little too dangerous. How about we call it a draw?”

The snake slithered upright, as if it was dancing to its certain victory. It stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to get back up.

“I guess that is a no. Well, your breath stinks anyway.” While he was getting up, his hand stumbled upon a straight stick, and a villainous smirk crossed his face.

“Hohohohoooo, you are in deep shit now, you stupid lizard.”

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