The Serpent's Demise

The next day arrived, and Jarvis knocked at the door of Akira's bedroom. "Master Akira... Master Akira," he called as he kept knocking.

Akira woke up and replied, "I'm up, Jarvis."

Jarvis then said, "Breakfast is ready."

Akira got up, washed himself, and came downstairs to eat. As he ate, Jarvis went outside with the goblins' food. Akira then got ready to leave for the lake serpent, which was a day's journey away, and he wanted to get there before nightfall. He instructed the goblins that Jarvis was in command until he got back. Akira then handed Jarvis ten gold coins and instructed him to buy necessary things for the house. He also explained where he was going and his purpose for leaving.

Jarvis accompanied Akira to the main gate to bid farewell to his new young master. Akira then started running towards the direction of the village. He ran fast, his speed remarkable, ensuring he would arrive sooner than expected. This run also served as his daily workout. On the way, Akira passed a military caravan, a group of adventurers, and a few merchants, all astonished by his speed and stamina. He also encountered a few monsters, which reminded him of the golem in the mines. He planned to visit the golem after this quest.

After running for three hours, Akira saw the town on the horizon and decided to walk the rest of the way. When he arrived, he noticed the townspeople's desperation regarding the serpent. Their livelihood depended on fishing, and the serpent's presence prevented them from even gathering water for drinking properly. Akira roamed the town to further assess the situation and confirm the truth. The town was small, so it didn't take him long.

He entered the tavern and sought information about the serpent, its capabilities, and its dangers. The tavern owner explained that the serpent had appeared out of nowhere or perhaps had awoken from a long slumber beneath the lake bed. No one knew for sure, but its sudden appearance had caused havoc. Akira asked about the serpent's skills or any other anomalies, but the owner didn't know much. Akira realized he would have to rely on his limited knowledge from books, as information on such a rare monster was scarce.

Akira then went to the lake and saw several boat wrecks on the shore. To gauge the monster's capabilities, he formed a huge ice ball and threw it into the lake. The ball made a huge splash and floated on the surface. After a few minutes, the serpent attacked the ice from below, mistaking it for a boat. It tossed the ice into the air with its tail and then sprayed acid from its mouth. The ice began to melt but remained a large piece. The serpent then spewed fire, casting an incineration ray spell that shattered the ice into several pieces before it disappeared back into the lake.

Akira realized the biggest issue would be the serpent's ability to navigate the water effortlessly, unlike him. He needed a plan to draw it towards the shore. He went to the blacksmith and bought some iron ore. He spent the night at the tavern crafting an iron chain and a spear, reinforcing the chain with strength magic and breakage resistance. He made the spear so it wouldn't come out once embedded in the serpent's flesh. After his preparations, he slept.

The next day, Akira was ready to face the monster. He reinforced the iron chain with strength magic and breakage resistance. He buried a strong rock deep underground and fused the chain with it, attaching the spear to the other end. Confident in his setup, he formed another large ice ball and threw it into the lake. As the serpent emerged, Akira hurled the spear with all his might. It pierced the serpent's body, causing it to roar in pain. The serpent tried to retreat into the depths, but Akira grabbed the chain and started pulling it.

The struggle lasted an hour. Akira could feel the serpent gradually being pulled toward the shore. The serpent tried its best to swim back into the lake but couldn't. Akira wrapped the chain around several trees to prevent the serpent from retreating into the water, forcing it to fight on land. The serpent used acid on the chain, but the melting process was slow. Akira quickly used an earth spell to create a wall between the serpent and the lake, blocking its escape route.

With no other option, the serpent attacked Akira with its tail. Akira dodged and cast a large fireball at the serpent's face, but it countered with an incineration ray that pierced through Akira's fireball. Akira closed the distance, but the serpent used its tail to keep him at bay. Akira then created an ice ball above the serpent.Even though it could easily dodge it, in its arrogance, the serpent used an incineration ray to destroy the ice ball, causing a massive amount of steam to obscure its vision.

The serpent cleared the steam with its tail, but Akira had already moved. Using the wall as a platform, Akira leaped toward the serpent's face with full force, breaking the wall behind him. Akira knew that if he lost his chance then the serpent could escape back in the water because the wall is now broken. The serpent quickly spat acid at Akira, but he cast a wind blade, creating an opening in the acid layer. Akira slashed the serpent's head with his sharp sword. The head fell to the ground, and the momentum sent Akira flying away from the body. The serpent's body thrashed about like a lizard's tail after being severed, but eventually, everything stopped moving.

The townspeople who witnessed the battle were amazed by Akira's power and ingenuity. Most importantly, they were relieved to be rid of the serpent and could resume their normal lives. They lifted Akira in celebration, chanting his name. The town chief approached, personally thanking Akira and asking him to introduce himself. Akira introduced himself as an adventurer called Fate and explained that he had come to kill the serpent because he had accepted the quest.

Akira then went to the serpent and began dissecting it. He found the serpent's core and a rare item inside—aqua stone, which had the ability to fill any container with clean water, regardless of its size. If the container had a hole, water would continuously flow from it. Delighted with his find, Akira also took a large amount of meat from the serpent and offered the rest of the carcass to the town chief, who announced a feast in celebration. Akira also took the serpent's fangs and went to the town tailor to have his acid-damaged robe repaired. The tailor happily accepted the job and began working on it immediately.

After healing his acid burns and fixing his hand, sore from pulling the chain for so long, Akira reflected that he should have used gloves. But the monster was slain, and that was what mattered. Akira rested in his rented room, thinking about whether everything was fine back at his place. After a while, there was a knock on the door. Children had been sent to bring the adventurer who killed the serpent to the feast. They grabbed Akira's hand and took him to the center of the village, where he was seated in a chair of honor.

Night fell, and everyone danced and sang around a big fire. The serpent meat was delicious. The tailor approached Akira, saying, "Mr. Fate, your robe is ready. Please try it on."

Akira stood up and tried it on. The tailor had done an excellent job. Akira asked for the price, but the tailor refused, explaining that it was on the house for killing the serpent. The serpent had killed and eaten his daughter a few weeks earlier when she had gone to fetch water, so he was grateful that his daughter was avenged.

The tailor joined in the dancing and drinking. Akira then retired to his room. The party continued until dawn. When Akira woke up, he got ready to leave the town. Everyone else was still asleep, so he quietly departed, running with the same speed he had used to arrive, eager to return home.