Chapter 21: Awakened Power

(Sam's POV)

The scent of smoke hit me before I even saw the creature. A flicker of orange darted between the trees, too fast for my eyes to follow. I narrowed my gaze, feeling a slight heat radiating from the direction it had gone.

'What the hell is that?'

Slithering closer, I finally spotted it—a Fire Fox, its fur burning like embers, trailing wisps of smoke. It was sleek, fast, and probably dangerous. Flames danced along its tail, and its eyes glowed with an intense, fiery gleam.

'I have to be careful with this one,' I thought. My black scales might give me stealth, but if that thing got one good hit with its flames, I'd be a crispy snake in no time.

I circled around, staying low in the brush, testing the creature's movements. It was sniffing the air, probably searching for its next meal.

'Well, guess what? You're on the menu now.'

I prepared myself, Harden Lv 2 ready to toughen my scales if it attacked. My venom had been my go-to weapon, but I had to get close, and with this fox's speed, that wouldn't be easy.

I lunged.

The fox dodged effortlessly, its body blurring with speed. Fire flared around it as it moved, the heat singeing the air around me. I pulled back just in time, feeling the scorch on my scales.

'Not good.'

The Fire Fox whirled around, launching a small fireball toward me. Instinctively, I activated Harden, my scales toughening just as the flames hit me. Even though the flames grazed my body, I felt my Heat Resistance kicking in, reducing the damage to a manageable level.

[Heat Resistance (Basic)]: Minimizes fire and heat-based damage by 20%.

The force knocked me back, but the combination of Harden and Heat Resistance absorbed most of the damage.

'Okay, that stung... but I'm not done yet.'

The fox charged again, flames trailing behind it, but this time I was ready. I slithered forward, moving faster than before, and as it leaped to dodge me, I used Slither Lv 4 to twist mid-air and clamp my fangs down on its hind leg.

[Bite Lv 5 activated.]

The Fire Fox let out a shrill yelp as my venom coursed through its body. It tried to shake me off, but I wasn't letting go this time.

Within seconds, the fire dimmed. The Fire Fox collapsed, its body twitching as my venom took effect. I coiled around it, feeling the last of its life slip away.

[You have defeated Fire Fox (Lv 17).]

[You have gained 90 XP.]

[Hunger decreased by 30%.]

I uncoiled from the body, already feeling the familiar sensation of Devour kicking in. As I sank my fangs into the fox's corpse, something different happened.

[Devour Lv 1 activated.]

[You have gained the skill: Fire Breath Lv 1.]

[Dormant magic power has been awakened.]

A wave of heat surged through me. For a moment, I felt like I was burning from the inside out. Then, suddenly, it settled—a warmth, pulsing deep within my core.

'What… the hell was that?'

I checked my status window quickly.

[Name: Unnamed]

[Species: Predator Snake]

[Level: 16]

[Rank: F]

[Skills:]

– [Bite Lv 5]

– [Venom Lv 5]

– [Slither Lv 4]

– [Stealth Lv 2]

– [Status Inspection Lv 2]

– [Devour Lv 1]

– [Harden Lv 2]

– [Burrow Lv 1]

– [Frenzy Lv 1]

– [Fire Breath Lv 1]

[Traits:]

– [Cold-Blooded]

– [Predator's Intuition]

– [Enhanced Sensory (Advanced)]

– [Enhanced Physical Strength (Basic)]

– [Heat Resistance (Basic)]

[Status: Awakened Magic Power]

[Hunger: 30%]

Fire Breath Lv 1. My first magic skill. And something called Awakened Magic Power? I flicked my tongue, feeling the lingering warmth in my body.

[Fire Breath Lv 1]: Releases a burst of fire through the mouth, consuming magic power with each use.

'So… I can use magic now?'

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Every other skill I'd had so far was physical—Bite, Harden, Slither—they all relied on stamina. But Fire Breath… that felt different.

I focused on the heat inside me, trying to summon the flames. A burst of fire shot out, small but powerful. But in an instant, I felt the energy drain from me—my magic power fading just as quickly as it had come.

'I don't have much of this magic stuff, do I?'

The flames fizzled out, leaving me feeling exhausted.

'Great. I finally get some magic, and I can barely use it for more than a few seconds. Why couldn't I be reincarnated with an infinite magic pool like those overpowered idiots from the web novels?'

With a sigh, I slithered away from the charred remains of the Fire Fox. I needed to rest and figure out how to boost my magic power. But one thing was for sure—this Fire Breath could come in handy.

(Lina's POV)

Back at the Adventurer's Guild, It had been a day since our encounter with that snake, I couldn't get the image of that black-scaled snake out of my mind. The way it moved, the way it attacked—it wasn't like any beast I'd seen before. And it had saved us.

But why?

I sat at a table with Leon, Derrick, and Marie, trying to focus on the conversation.

"We need to hunt it down," Leon was saying, his fists clenched. "That snake's dangerous. If it can take down the Stonehide Beast, it's only a matter of time before it starts attacking adventurers."

I bit my lip, glancing around. The guild was bustling with noise, but I couldn't shake the unease settling in my stomach.

"I don't know if it's really that dangerous," I said, my voice softer than I intended. "It didn't attack us. It could've killed us easily, but it didn't."

Leon glared at me. "It's a beast, Lina. It's only a matter of time before it turns on us."

"Maybe we should train more before we go after it," Marie suggested, her voice calm. "That thing's probably stronger than anything we've faced before."

Derrick nodded, still nursing his bruises from the last fight. "I don't think we're ready for it yet."

Leon slammed his fist on the table. "We can't wait! If we let it grow stronger, we'll never be able to stop it."

I stayed quiet. Part of me agreed with Leon—if that snake kept evolving, who knew how powerful it could become? But another part of me felt… grateful. It had saved our life, after all.

"We'll take a few smaller quests," Leon finally said, his jaw tight. "But we keep an eye out for that snake. The next time we see it, we're taking it down."