battle (end)

Upon hearing the serpent's challenge, Thomas was filled with fear and doubt. He couldn't believe that he was expected to defeat the same serpent that had killed Adam and Eve. It seemed impossible to him. However, he couldn't afford to waste any time on these thoughts as the serpent immediately attacked him.

Thomas quickly realized that the serpent was blind, as its eyes were completely white. He wondered how that had happened, but had no time to ponder it further. Following its scent, the serpent lunged at Thomas, but he was able to dodge it by jumping to the side.

A deafening sound filled the arena as the serpent hit the ground. It seemed dazed, and Thomas took advantage of the opportunity to strike it. He appeared on top of the serpent and hit it with all his might, aiming for its head. Thomas had tricked the serpent by leaving his shirt and jacket on the floor, to throw off its scent-tracking abilities.

However, the serpent was not impressed by Thomas's attack. It laughed mockingly, saying that he was too weak to defeat it. Thomas's blow had no effect on the serpent's tough scales. The serpent used its tail as a weapon, attacking Thomas horizontally and sending him crashing into a wall.

Thomas was badly injured, with broken ribs and a leg, as well as several internal hemorrhages. He struggled to get up, but his injuries were too severe. He cursed his weakness, wishing he had more strength to fight back.

The serpent heard Thomas's frustration and mocked him, but it also showed a bit of respect for him. It acknowledged that Thomas was the only human to face it after its imprisonment. Despite this respect, the serpent vowed to kill Thomas quickly, as a sign of mercy.

Charles was watching the results of his plan unfold. "Everything is going according to my plan," he thought. "But I'm surprised that the boy had so much tenacity. He ran for hours without stopping and seemed to have the energy to fight the giant snake."

He sighed and wondered, "I don't understand how someone so weak can arrest me. But that's okay. When my plan is complete, his body will be mine... Wait."

Suddenly, Charles was surprised and smiled.

.

.

.

Serpens looked at Thomas's lifeless body and said, "After being locked in here for millennia waiting for someone to arrive, and that's it?"

Serpens sighed and continued speaking. "The creator put a test in this dungeon. Any human who entered and managed to kill all the monsters, except me, would be able to defeat me. But looking at his strength, he seems not to have done that kukukuku."

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and Serpens heard a voice. "You talk a lot, don't you?"

Serpens froze in place. His instincts told him that any movement would mean death. Charles looked calmly at Serpens and said, "Don't you think it's rude to ignore people?"

Serpens, who had his back to Charles, turned around with his head on the floor and said in a desperate tone, "I'm sorry, sir!"

Serpens looked at the being in front of him and reflected, "So this is the 'darkness.' Those black eyes and the tattoo of the moon on his forehead... Wait, doesn't the Creator have a tattoo of the sun on his forehead? It doesn't matter at the moment. He's someone worse than him. His presence is different, he's on a much higher level..."

Charles looked at the serpent and smiled, speaking to it in a commanding tone, "Where's Adam's manual?"

Serpens responded immediately, as if Charles were his boss, "It's in my stomach, sir!"

Charles heard Serpens' answer and asked, "Do you want me to take it out or do you?"

Quickly, the Great Serpent began to choke, and a few seconds later, a book could be seen coming out of its mouth. Thomas picked up the book, even though it was sticky. He left it brand new with a thought, looking at it with satisfaction. "I don't need you anymore then," he said.

Serpens, who heard this, despaired and started to speak. But before he could say anything, he was blown up.

Charles looked at the shattered body of the serpent and reflected, "So, whenever the boy dies, I can take control of his body... But I always unintentionally heal his body by reviving him. However, I can take advantage of that next time." Charles sighed and spoke mentally, "I can feel that he is taking control of the body..." Then he said, "Take care next time, boy. I won't take care of you forever."

Charles was losing consciousness as his black eyes and tattoos appeared, and just as he was about to fall to the ground, Thomas woke up and got up. He looked at the snake in pieces and mentally said, "He did that?" Upon realizing it, he noticed he was holding a book and was surprised to read the name of the book, "All the techniques I've invented throughout my life?"

Thomas realized it was a manual, but he still had doubts about it and asked Charles, "Hey, not wanting to bring anyone down, but... How can this be an S-class manual when Adam couldn't handle that international-class snake?"

Charles heard the question and replied, "Adam became mortal after eating the forbidden fruit, losing more than 90% of his strength. This manual represents his peak while he was immortal. Immortal Adam could face an angel on equal terms, so don't underestimate it! This is the first manual created by a human and the strongest, so use it wisely."

Thomas immediately apologized and spoke in a sad and respectful tone, "Sorry, I hope he's resting somewhere with Eva..." Then he opened the manual and started reading. After a while, he punched the ground and said in an irritated tone, "Damn, you didn't tell me this would be in another language! How am I supposed to read this?"

Charles laughed and said, "Try circulating your mana to the manual." Thomas thought Charles was teasing him again because manuals can only be learned by reading, so how could there be a manual that is learned that way?

Charles guessed his thoughts and began to speak, "You greatly underestimate the strongest human that ever lived... Know Thomas, Adam is light years ahead of his age. Just try to circulate your mana in the manual."

Thomas wisely heard Charles' words and obeyed them. Right after circulating his mana to the manual, something seemed to connect with his mana. Charles said, "It's Adam's mana. Accept it. It will give you power." Thomas accepted the mana into his body, and immediately unbearable pain was transmitted to his head. The entire contents of the manual were transmitted to Thomas. Normally, it would take years to learn an S-class manual, but in Thomas' case, he learned it instantly.

After a while, the pain seemed to stop, and Thomas, who was in shock at having seen the level of martial arts he had learned, remembered seeing a man face to face with a mountain. With a simple punch from the man, the mountain floor was able to erase his existence from the map. He wondered if he could call him human...

After recovering from the shock, he saw that an exit leading to the surface was released and said as he left, "This journey was worth it!"