Chapter 281 Snake Eyes, Shell, "I"

"Proficiency +1"

As the translucent characters flashed before his eyes, the dark red glow that had been gathering on the iron-gray blade since his hand grasped the hilt suddenly flared bright.

The Decapitating Longsword, thrust straight into the long serpent's throat, was instantly swallowed by a burst of force-field energy that exploded like a firework.

It ignored physical defense.

From the inside out—bones, muscles, and scaly skin—flesh capable of easily withstanding a full-force strike from a Class Grade powerhouse offered no resistance against the impact of this dark red force-field energy erupting from within.

Like a time bomb planted deep in its throat, the powerful impact shattered its vertebrae to dust. Purulent blood and mangled flesh exploded outward.

Boom—the desiccated corpse, frozen in place when the longsword pierced its throat, was instantly reduced back to the headless, mutilated state it had been in just dozens of seconds ago.

At the same time, Xia Nan maintained the pressure with the wooden sword in his right hand. With a twist of his wrist, he seared and sliced off the two snake heads locked onto his arm, sending them falling to the ground, twitching and writhing.

Enduring the agonizing pain in his shoulder, he drew on the lesson he had just learned. Even though all four serpents that had burst from the corpse's body were now destroyed, he did not sheathe his sword.

"!!!"

The pitch-black wooden sword, wreathed in crimson flames, swung relentlessly through the air. Amid the sickening sounds of a sharp edge tearing flesh and fire scorching meat, the corpse's scrawny body—already left even more mutilated by its transformation—was rapidly reduced to a charred, blackened pile of indistinguishable body parts.

As if still shaken by the monster's Stage 2 transformation, Xia Nan continued the onslaught for several minutes.

Only when every piece of flesh on the ground had been pierced and incinerated did the streams of fire on the blade of [Azure Pine] gradually dissipate, leaving behind only a faint residual warmth in the surrounding mist.

Panting heavily, he finally halted his movements.

'If it still has a third stage after all this—no, it shouldn't,' Xia Nan thought, taking two steps back as his gaze swept over the wooden sword in his hand, which had already returned to its normal state.

On his right shoulder, the emerald natural energy of "Spring Pulse Cleansing Heal" circulated continuously, rapidly mending his wounds amidst throbs of soreness.

His decision had been a complete success. This Fourth Circle healing spell from the [Tears of Spring Breath] necklace, which could only be used once every seven days, didn't restore health instantly; its healing was a continuous process.

As a result, while the two snake bites on his shoulder might have initially caused severe injuries that hindered his arm's movement, "Spring Pulse Cleansing Heal" kept working even after the snake heads were severed by his flaming sword and reduced to charcoal.

The lethal toxins that should have spread through his bloodstream were forced out of his body by the natural energy, rising as purulent green smoke. On both sides of the torn and pierced flesh, granulations writhed, touching and fusing together.

In just a few seconds, the bloody, hideous wound on Xia Nan's right shoulder completely vanished. In its place was smooth, unblemished skin that showed no signs of abnormality, save for the torn clothing covering it.

It couldn't even be considered a minor injury anymore. Aside from a slight mental fatigue, his body had practically returned to its peak condition.

For Xia Nan, the exchange with the snake-scaled corpse just now had easily been his most intense battle in recent times.

With the exception of the [Fate Coin], he had exhausted every single trump card he possessed.

Faced with the enemy's exaggerated physical attributes and bizarre special abilities, he had utilized almost everything currently at his disposal. By combining his Feats, combat techniques, equipment, personal experience, and intuition, and pushing them to their absolute limits, he had finally secured victory in the battle.

The price he paid—excluding the expended charges on his combat techniques and equipment, along with the Fire Oil Bomb used for probing—was the Fine-grade "Plate-Chain Composite Armor" crafted from Iris Patterned Steel at the Rockhammer Smithy, as well as...

Quietly sheathing the wooden sword [Azure Pine], Xia Nan shifted his gaze to the Decapitating Longsword in his left hand.

A highly complex expression—a mix of regret, emotion, and sorrow—appeared on his face.

Although it possessed an outstanding "50% Durability Bonus," it was ultimately still just a common weapon of white quality.

This old friend, which had accompanied him for hundreds of days and nights since his transmigration, the source of his adventurer title, and a partner more reliable than any teammate, had made its final sacrifice in an evenly matched, extremely perilous battle.

With its ordinary white-tier body, it had forcefully withstood purulent green venom potent enough to melt steel, piercing the serpent's throat to earn him a sliver of survival.

Now, the enemy was completely dead.

And the Decapitating Longsword's originally smooth, tough, iron-gray blade was left covered in corrosive pits of varying sizes.

In high-level, high-frequency, fast-paced combat, any slight defect would be infinitely magnified, especially in a primary weapon meant for prolonged engagements.

It seemed the time had come for the Decapitating Longsword to leave the party.

At this moment, Xia Nan felt even worse than he had on the night he broke up with his first love in his previous life.

Inhale, exhale—inhale, exhale—

He stood there for a long time, unable to recover his composure. His expression solemn, he gently stroked the surface of the blade, carefully feeling the smooth, cold touch against his fingertips.

He carefully and solemnly sheathed the Decapitating Longsword on his back. As his most reliable comrade-in-arms, Xia Nan would never leave it behind all alone just because it had temporarily lost its ability to fight.

He was going to bring the longsword back.

Whether it cost a hundred gold coins or a thousand gold coins, it didn't matter. As long as it could be repaired, he was willing to do it, even at the cost of emptying his bank account.

Xia Nan might be exceptionally sensitive to monetary figures at times, but compared to the contributions the Decapitating Longsword had made for him, those gold coins were truly just numbers.

And if it really couldn't be repaired, he wouldn't just leave the Decapitating Longsword alone in a scrap pile in the corner of the smithy, or on a shelf in a general store.

He wanted to give this old friend of his a dignified end.

It was a pity that the [Snake-Scale Arm Shield] wasn't with him. Otherwise, with its 300% corrosive damage resistance bonus, the situation might not have deteriorated to this point.

Xia Nan gently shook his head, putting an end to his wandering thoughts.

Gathering his emotions, he ignored the other corpses scattered on the ground and turned to walk toward the altar.

His dark eyes reflected the gray-black staff, which had an orange-red gemstone embedded at its tip, emitting a luster like glowing embers.

He only hoped that this time's harvest would make up for the price he had paid.

Taking a step forward, Xia Nan focused his attention, staying alert for any potential traps as he carefully approached the altar.

But just like his two previous experiences in the secret realm, there was no warning whatsoever.

Just as his right foot touched the ground and he slightly lifted his left foot, intending to get closer to trigger the Attribute Panel to check the staff's information, an extreme abruptness hit him. It was as if he had stepped into the void, his center of gravity shifting in a bizarre loss of balance.

As the surrounding scenery rapidly shifted like the flow of time, he fell backward. His line of sight moved up from the staff below the altar to the Goddess statue with the blurred face behind it.

It still maintained its previous posture—one hand reaching up in a plea for mercy. Yet the details that had lost their original appearance under the scouring of time were now resurfacing on its form, as if time itself were reversing.

The fine cracks and mottled marks on its body vanished at a visible rate. The originally dull stone looked as if it were being polished by an invisible force, gradually revealing a lustrous white marble sheen amid its growing smoothness.

The frozen gauze dress, carved from stone, appeared like billowing clouds. Its folds were crisp and its woven textures distinct, the edges so thin they seemed almost translucent. Most importantly, the face that had previously been worn flat by stone dust and sand finally regained its original appearance.

Elegant and tranquil. The facial features weren't exquisite, but put together, they gave a naturally harmonious and beautiful impression, as if this was exactly how they were meant to be.

Her gaze was cast down in sorrow, as if sympathizing with the suffering of the Mortal world.

Xia Nan didn't have time to observe carefully, nor could he think any further.

Because just as his gaze traveled upward with the shifting of time—from the Goddess's toes touching the pedestal, to the rounded curves beneath the fluttering gauze dress, to the slender bare waist, to the distinct and delicate collarbones, and finally to the Goddess's face—the moment he locked eyes with those sorrowful, downcast, bright yellow snake eyes with vertical slits, his thoughts completely stagnated.

"Sir, are you... sure?"

An unfamiliar male voice echoing in his cranial cavity jolted Xia Nan's consciousness awake from its stupor.

'Am "I"... speaking?'

He felt alarmed, only to bizarrely discover that he had lost the ability to control this body.

With just a moment of realization, he understood that he seemed to have entered a secret realm similar to what he had experienced in the [Dream Weaving Corridor].

From a first-person perspective, he had become some NPC in the story.

But the difference was that this time, he possessed an independent consciousness separate from the character itself. Although he couldn't control the body's movements, he retained his ability to think in real-time.

After struggling slightly and realizing he wouldn't be able to break free anytime soon, he simply adopted the perspective of the character he was "possessing" and began to observe his surroundings.

It was an indescribable familiarity.

The towering dome resembled a stone firmament, sweeping upward in an unimaginable arc to shine a beam of Holy Light—seemingly gathering the purest, cleanest energy in the world—down onto the pristine face of the Goddess statue.

The snake eyes remained, looking down upon all living things with a sacred and sorrowful gaze.

Behind it was a magnificent, massive stained-glass window that took up the entire high wall, looking as if it were burning under the radiant light.

Blue, purple, gold, red—countless colors surged forth after being refracted, converging into a streak of divine white that poured over the divine statue. It merged with the beam of light from above, causing the surface to bloom with a gentle yet blindingly magnificent radiance.

It was as if such a deity truly existed, stepping down from the clouds amidst endless light to descend upon the mortal realm.

The solemn arrangement of stone pillars, the deep and elongated corridors, the reliefs, arches, and lamp niches...

The familiar scenes before him all proved that this majestic and magnificent place was the exact same Church where Xia Nan had just slain the desiccated corpse—the massive, empty Church that had been left with nothing but ruin and deathly stillness.

Recalling the time-reversal-like phenomenon he had caught from the corner of his eye earlier, he wondered if he was currently standing in the exact same Church from countless years ago—or perhaps even from another world entirely—back when it was still intact and hadn't yet been abandoned.

As these thoughts flowed, Xia Nan's gaze shifted along with the body he was in, looking toward the emaciated figure prostrating on the ground in humble and devout prayer beneath the Goddess statue ahead.

'Hmm... that cleric's robe is exceptionally familiar.'

"You've finally arrived," an old, aged voice echoed faintly within the spacious Church.

"The fire is about to go out, and the world is on the brink of plunging into boundless cold and darkness."

"Take this!" The emaciated body trembled violently, the tone abruptly turning intense.

The cleric practically crawled, struggling to get up from the spotless floor tiles.

In his hand, he gripped that equally familiar gray-black staff topped with an orange-red crystal.

"Inside... is the final 'Seed'. Take it away!"

A luster akin to glowing embers flickered on the crystal.

The cleric's voice sharply pitched upward, as if something was about to tear its way out from inside him.

"Leave this place. Go to the Royal City; the last of the firewood is there."

"And kill me, before this shell can no longer be called 'human'."

"I" remained silent. Xia Nan could feel this body's increasingly heavy and slow breathing, and its gaze fixed on the old man's face ahead.

A heavy, sturdy metal gauntlet, its surface engraved with unknown, intricate patterns, was raised before his eyes and reached behind his back.

Amid the grating scrape of metal friction, a sharp, cold glint flickered in the air.

"I" drew the greatsword from his back.

Deep within the cleric's murky eyes, which were faintly shifting toward a serpentine form as the upper and lower ends of his pupils constricted, a glimmer of relief flashed.

He closed his eyes, praying to the Goddess behind him as he welcomed the descent of his end.

"I" moved with swift and decisive lethality, sparing the cleric from feeling even a fraction of unnecessary pain.

His left leg suddenly stepped forward, and the heavy sword whistled through the air, drawing a massive, curving arc of light.

The aged head flew high into the air, propelled by a geyser of spurting blood.

At the same time, the massive blade that had ended the cleric's suffering shifted its momentum, transitioning from a horizontal sweep into a diagonal slash that cleaved off the arm holding the staff.

His swordplay was seemingly transcendent. The blade touched not a single extraneous inch of the cleric's skin, and not a drop of the erupting blood landed on him.

"Clack."

The iron gauntlet, gleaming with cold metallic light, gently closed, catching the staff that had flown high into the air with the severed arm and was spinning back down, grasping it firmly in its palm.

Silence reigned; the only sound left in the air was the grisly noise of blood pumping and flowing.

"I" coldly stared at the ground ahead, where the cleric lay decapitated, reduced to a corpse with only one arm left.

Sheathing the sword, he turned and walked toward the Church doors.

Behind him, the cleric's emaciated, desiccated corpse lay quietly in a pool of blood, his head and left arm resting on either side of him.

The pure, holy light shone down faintly from the dome, falling upon the bloody stumps of his severed flesh.

It illuminated the massive, magnificent stained-glass window.

The divine statue stood tall.

Its bright yellow snake eyes looked down with sorrowful pity at the cleric's shell below.