10. Penalty Quest (1)
I opened my eyes at the sight of a copse that smelled like the dirt after the first monsoon shower. Feeling the after effects of teleportation in my body, I stretched and started warming up to make sure I was in shape to face whatever was waiting for me. There was nobody around me, what I feared had become reality. Jay was not in the same place as me. I can only hope he comes back in one piece and believe in him.
[Quest: Beat the Titan-snake.]
[Difficulty: A]
[Time Limit: 1 day]
[Reward: 1000c, skill selection]
[Failure: Cannot return to Suburbs.]
[Target is in weakened state due to early access and insufficient ∆∆ levels.]
The system messaged popped up and I started cutting my way through the tangled vines with my senses spreading their range to a short radius.
[New skill '6th Sense' has been developed]
The system named my skill for me as I tried to use it efficiently but I could only use it as much as my ability allowed me to in my current state. The range was not enough, the quality wasn't good either, the number of times I failed to sense a rock in my path and finally, I missed a creature as big as a dragon. This skill is basically useless in the face of a creature huge enough that it seems like a wall because the range is so small.
I slipped myself among the bushes and with shivering hands, I covered my eyes. I didn't think it would be this hard. If I'm in this state, what is Jay's quest? I would only know if I survive. I glanced at the huge snake that seemed to be coiling around the small hill that could easily be mistaken for a plateau. How am I supposed to beat this with just bio-explosives and a sword? What else do I even have on me? Right, I have food on me. I AM THE FOOD.
In a matter of seconds, I decided, it was do or die.
INVENTORY!
I aimed at the snake's huge body where the scales seemed thin, the damage I did to it was negligible. Shit, it didn't even notice it. This is not going to work out at this rate.
The snake was busy coiling and by the time I noticed that the scale I aimed at was it's shedding, the snake's mouth was right beside me which scooped me into it's mouth steadfastly. It's fang almost pierced through me by a hair's length. The gravity pulled me down into it's pit of a stomach that looked like a never-ending tunnel with nothing waiting on the other side, nothing other than acids and poisons. I stabbed the walls of flesh with my sword and hung onto it like a dangling kite on a tree.
The sickening stench of it's insides and the mucous on the walls were starting to weaken my hold on the sword while the sword too started to slide downward. It's only a matter of time before I fall.
Before the mucous pushed out the sword, I forced the bio-explosives in the tiny gap made by my sword that was slowly inching downwards. The acids from the stem started to penetrate the unprotected flesh causing the snake to jolt violently which flung me upwards before it laid straight and I found myself knees deep into mucous. Disgusting. No wonder, my sword did not hold on. While the damaged wall was starting to recover, I walked through the thick fluid and stabbed it once more to stuff another batch of bio-explosives. The more I tried, the more it lashed it's body against objects outside as if to express pain. That's right, die.
Why is it's flesh so thick and hard? But then again, I am weak.
The snake moved violently while the liquid in it's stomach was starting to level up, this would burn me to death. The more I struggled, the more slippery it got and the more mucous spread across me but like a bullet shot an idea at me, I smiled to myself and took a dip in the mucous. This is disgusting.
The approaching digestive juices flowed past me and I remained in one piece. Bathing in this shit was worth it while my body started trembling with the disgusting texture of the fluid on my skin. I proceeded to stab multiple times in the damaged area until I hit a hard substance, it's scales.
"WHOA!" I heard someone when my sword went through to the other side. From the small hole made, I pulled apart it's body to see the light of day. Compared to the size of the snake, this hole was nothing but the acids were flowing out, burning it's own scales.
I looked at the surprised figure of Liam, "Hello," I greeted him.
"What the fuck?"
I slipped out of the hole without any difficulty due to the mucous around my body as Liam backed off from me and the pond. Wait, that's not a pond, that's it's acids. I quickly jumped up and out of the puddle as the mucous started melting off of my body.
With not a moment wasted, Liam somersaulted in the air to land on the snake's body and pushed his sword in the hole I slipped out of and dragged it across the huge body of the snake, barely separating it in two.
[Quest complete]
[Main contributer: Liam Genesia]
[Support: Yohan Wan]
[Calculating appropriate rewards]
EXCUSE ME?
I frowned and scowled in Liam's direction who was reading the system messages with a satisfied expression. I risk my life, I get eaten, I barely manage to make an opening, that one in a thousand chance of damaging it and what role do I get? SUPPORT? But there was nothing I could do about it. Despite my attribute, how could— In that moment, I remembered Liam's attribute level. It was level 6, on the other hand, mine was 4. I sighed and looked at the system screen. I was belatedly a little disappointed to know that I wasn't the only one with that special attribute and that there could be more.
[Rewards: 1000c]
[Select 1 Skill out of the following: Sight, cooking, +20 stat points]
Stat points?
[Stat points can be used as exp to increase overall stat levels.]
I'll pick the cooking skill since I'll lose the sight each time I unknowingly overuse my exclusive skill 'Reader'.
Awkward silence followed after as we stared at each other, not particularly menacingly but more of blankness, not knowing what either of us are. Neither of us knew that we'd be chucked here together. Like an unspoken mutual understanding, he landed beside the snake's unconscious body.
I started to pull my guard up, holding my sword ready to swing like an amateur.
"Since we've fought together, I call dibs on you," he sheathed his sword. His expression giving little to nothing away.
I was surprised and a little dumbed out, "What do you mean?"
"Be in my party," He said.
I perked my eyebrows. I was planning on making my own with him in it. No doubt, I'm wary of him but this doesn't sound half bad, "Fine but I have conditions," I told him.
"State them," his voice holding authority as if we weren't on the same level. He pisses me off, a tiny bit.
"No killing me no matter what I do," I looked at him. This was the first time, I bared myself after coming to this world. Not sure if he'll think of this as my weakness or not. He looked at me quizzically.
"Just that?"
"No, but I'll add a few more as I see fit," I said.
He thought for a few seconds and replied, "Alright. As long as it doesn't cause me or my people any harm."
Don't get into the flow. Don't let him decide the flow but I couldn't help it. It felt so natural to be listening and going along with it. It was so much easier to let go and let someone else do the brain work but I'm not going to let that happen again when I'm finally here.
I looked at my hands but there was not a sign of teleportation. Didn't we beat the Titan-snake? I looked at the forest that spread around us and decided to explore until the system either sends us back or get stuck here for good due to system error. I wonder if it can make errors. I walked in a random direction with no destination in mind.
"Where are you going?" He followed behind me.
"Just exploring. Might as well look for things that could be useful," I cut another vine in the way that started to shed blood.
The mutations in vegetation were too quick to the point it was sickening to see them already evolving into something they're not supposed to. I checked for their progress by touching the blood that dripped from the vine. It wasn't completely red. It was a mix of brown, green and I could feel the granules of unknown material that was still flowing through these vines. These granules were extremely fine and felt like sand on touch.
The trees were starting to rustle their leaves, "It's better if we leave quickly. This area is a lot riskier than we think," I thought out loud with my intuition ringing the danger alarms throughout my head.
"You're right," Said Liam as he looked at the vine still writhing around, it's fluid all over itself and the roots of the tree it was hanging by as if it were alive and had consciousness. It'd be too far-fetched if it had consciousness for real but this too was creepy, enough to shun it away. The fear of the unknown was not to be taken lightly because even I wouldn't know how I'd react.
"Who was the other person with you in that place, on the staircase?" I asked him while minding my footsteps.
His voice sounded a little hesitant before saying, "An acquaintance," he bent to go under the huge leaf.
Is he awkward? I am too.
The birds in the forests started to chirp wildly and flew away all together at once. We both knew what that meant, the disturbance a few metres in front of us was stronger than the Titan-snake. A huge wave of presence, a being strong enough to kill with a look. A being this powerful right in the beginning meant that there's more to having skills but at the same time, there was no one strong enough to go against that kind of power.
"Go Away!"