"So… how do I kill it?" Samael thought, observing the sleeping serpent from a distance.
His eyes analyzed every detail.
"If I get too close, I could end up getting hurt…" he assessed. "It's faster. Stronger."
His gaze lingered on the torn scales and the dried blood staining the creature's body.
"These wounds…" he realized. "They were caused by another serpent."
An uncomfortable thought surfaced.
"Is this entire island filled with them…?"
A chill ran down his spine.
The sudden rustling of leaves around him made his muscles tense instantly, as if something might leap out of the forest at any second.
His heart raced.
"Breathe…" he told himself. "Fear won't help now."
He inhaled deeply.
"I will survive."
As his breathing slowly stabilized, another idea emerged.
"I've heard that… if you want real motivation…" he reflected, "…it helps to have a goal."
But what kind of goal?
"What objective would even make sense for me right now…?"
The forest remained silent, broken only by his thoughts.
Then, an image surfaced in his mind.
A smile.
Arrogant.
Provoking.
"I've got it…" his lips curled into something cold. "That bastard."
Samael's gaze hardened.
"My goal is to crush that guy's smile."
Once the objective was set, something inside him shifted.
The hesitation vanished.
He summoned the Ascended Spear.
The weight of the weapon materialized in his hand.
"Your power grows with my expectations, right?" he murmured. "Then… kill that damn snake."
Without giving doubt any time to settle, Samael hurled the spear with all his strength.
The impact was precise.
The weapon pierced straight through the serpent's body.
The creature awoke in a violent spasm.
"Hissssss!" The screech echoed through the cave.
"That hurts, doesn't it?" Samael snarled, charging forward with his sword.
The serpent writhed wildly, driven mad by pain, twisting its body to strike at him.
But it was wounded.
Slower.
Samael was faster.
He slashed near where the spear was lodged, deepening the wound.
The serpent retaliated with a violent tail strike.
Samael blocked with his sword.
The impact sent him flying.
But this time, he had anticipated it.
He twisted midair, rolled upon landing, and sprang back up instantly.
Then he ran.
He forced the wounded serpent to chase him.
Samael zigzagged between the trees, using the terrain to his advantage, restricting the creature's movements.
Mid-run, he dismissed the spear.
When he reached a more open area with fewer trees, he turned abruptly.
Summoned the spear again.
And threw it.
With all his strength.
The strike hit dead-on.
Straight into the serpent's eye.
The creature began thrashing violently, trying to shake the weapon embedded in its skull.
Samael rushed forward.
Gripped the spear tightly.
And pushed.
Ignoring exhaustion.
Ignoring the pain in his back.
He pushed until the very end.
After several seconds of desperate resistance…
The serpent's body collapsed.
Still.
Dead.
The Spell echoed in his ears.
[You have slain the Man-Eating Serpent, an Awakened Beast.]
Samael breathed heavily.
"…That's it?" he murmured.
But the question wasn't about the reward.
It was about the serpent.
It seemed… weak.
He knew he had only won because of its prior injuries.
Still…
Last night, that creature had seemed imposing.
Majestic.
The very incarnation of fatality itself.
And now?
It was dead.
In less than two minutes.
"How disappointing…" he thought.
That night, he had dreamed of an epic battle.
A desperate struggle.
A glorious victory.
But reality was cruelly simple.
The serpent wasn't special.
It wasn't legendary.
It wasn't a symbol of fate.
It was just another creature.
Only his mind had deified it.
Turning fear into grandeur.
Danger into myth.
Samael stared at the corpse in silence.
In the Dream Realm, even victories came stripped of glamour.
And he was beginning to learn that.
In the most honest way possible.
As Samael continued staring at the serpent's body, immersed in that quiet frustration, something changed.
The air in the forest… grew heavy.
Then came the sound.
A dry crack among the leaves.
Samael froze.
His body reacted before his mind could process the danger. He crouched instinctively, silencing his breath, and moved carefully to the edge of the vegetation, peering through the bushes.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Three serpents.
They were identical to the one he had just killed.
Or rather… almost identical.
They were fighting desperately.
Not against each other.
But against something far worse.
A colossal serpent, over ten meters long, emerged among shattered trees. Its body was as thick as ancient trunks, and two heads towered above the others, moving independently yet in perfect coordination.
Every lunge was brutal.
Every bite, lethal.
The three serpents were being massacred.
Torn apart.
An overwhelming aura radiated from the creature.
It wasn't on the level of Terror-chan.
But it was close enough to make Samael tremble.
His eyes narrowed.
There was intelligence there.
Not just a predator driven by instinct.
"An… Awakened Demon…" he thought, a cold sensation crawling down his spine.
If that thing noticed him…
He would die.
No chance.
No heroism.
No epic battle.
Samael began to retreat.
Slowly.
One step at a time.
Each movement carefully calculated to make no sound.
Before withdrawing completely, he cast one last glance at the serpent he had defeated.
There was a trace of regret.
But there was no time for sentimentality.
With swift silence, he approached the corpse and tore off several intact scales, along with a decent amount of meat. Shaping his essence, he created a simple yet sturdy pouch and stored the materials inside.
The Spell echoed in his ears, low and cruel like a whisper.
[Congratulations. You have acquired a Memory: Serpent Meat Pouch.][Rank: Dormant.]
Samael swallowed hard.
He dismissed the pouch.
And retreated.
Returning along the same path, silent as a shadow.
In the distance, the sounds of battle continued.
Roars.
Impacts.
The cracking of bones.
Creatures killing each other… without ever knowing he existed.
When he finally left the forest and reached the beach, Terror-chan's colossal bones rose before him like a sacred refuge.
Only then did Samael relax.
He hid among them.
Sat down.
Took a deep breath.
His heart was still pounding wildly.
"…The Dream Realm doesn't forgive illusions," he murmured.
He had won his first hunt.
But he had learned something far more important.
There, he was not special.
Just another prey…
Trying to survive.
"Terror-chan…" Samael muttered, running a hand over his face. "I definitely hate this place."
His blood still felt frozen.
"I almost died again…" he continued. "If you were alive, you could've dealt with that thing easily, right?"
He let out a short, humorless laugh.
"What a shame you're not here to avenge me if I die."
Samael fell silent for a few seconds.
Completely ignoring the obvious detail that, if Terror-chan were alive…
He would be the immediate cause of Samael's death.