Chapter 61 - The Black Serpent

With the bat's body sliced up on the ground, all I needed to do was pick up its skills. My ear was still ringing from the previous attack, and I'm sure they are bleeding right now. As I thought about this, I felt a warm sensation in my ears, and soon the pain began to go away.

It was probably my regeneration skill kicking in. I'm probably the most versatile person in this place when it comes to skills. With that thought in mind, I pointed my arm at the bat's body and activated my ability. Within seconds, a voice echoed in my head.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THE SKILL (ULTRASONIC WAVES)

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THE SKILL (AUDITORY PERCEPTION)

Listening to the voices, I couldn't help but be surprised as I ended up gaining two skills. Moreover, both seemed to be quite useful.

"Auditory perception"

As soon as I said this, I began to feel as if I could pick up every sound in the world: the drop of water falling from the ceiling, the sound of the footsteps the ants were making. With that thought in mind, an idea came to me. If I combined the use of both abilities, maybe I could get an idea of this place.

"Ultrasonic waves"

As soon as I said that, strangely, nothing had happened. From the name, I thought I would feel something in my throat or something, but nothing like that happened. While I was confused, I felt something in my hand. As soon as I looked at it, I saw something like a vacuum or something.

It looked like wind gathering in the palm of my hand, but it had no exact shape. As I pointed to the corridor in front of me, a huge spiral made of sound came out of my hand, going forward. Strangely, even though my auditory perception was on, my ears suffered no damage.

Contrary to my thoughts, a 3D projection projected itself in my mind. Somehow, I had a basic notion of what the place in front of me looked like. Not only that, but I could also "see" the enemies that were further ahead—at least the ones on this specific floor. With this in mind, I started walking down the narrow corridor again. Originally, I entered here simply out of curiosity, but now I am really curious to know what I will find down there.

I walked for about 10 minutes and was now looking at a staircase going down. On the way down, I found a few more bats and a few more Goblins. I had no problem with these monsters and eliminated them quickly using my powers. With this thought in mind, I started walking down the stairs to the second floor. I didn't know exactly what I would find down here, but I probably couldn't kill myself—at least that's what I believed.

As soon as I finished going down the stairs, I came to another hallway exactly like the previous one. This probably meant that all the other floors would be the same. With this thought in mind, I looked ahead as I activated my power.

"Ultrasonic waves, Auditory perception"

Using these two powers, a 3D image was formed in my mind of what would be ahead in the corridor. Although I didn't know what it looked like, there was something moving a little further ahead. I started to walk with cautious steps, trying as much as possible to observe what was in the darkness ahead.

Although using this power is useful, it doesn't give me a detailed image of the situation. It's more like I see a 3D model of the field of view from above. Although I know there is something ahead, I can't tell what it is.

As I walked, the monster soon revealed itself. Black scales completely covered the path ahead. A red gaze stared at me intensely as the monster in front of me stood up—a giant black snake was in front of me.

(What the heck is this?)

This was the only thought I could think of at the time. This was the first time I had ever seen a monster like this. Considering the size of the snake, it could easily swallow me whole. Before I could think of anything, in one extremely quick movement, the snake enveloped me with its body. Although I had learned before that size doesn't necessarily mean the monster will be slow, this snake monster seemed to be even faster.

(Ughh, this thing is trying to crush me)

I thought as I felt my body being squeezed by the snake. This is probably how a lemon should feel.

"A-armor... B-body armor"

I said amidst the pain of being crushed. This thing was much stronger than it looked. To tell you the truth, I was even more surprised that I didn't turn pale at that moment. But even with my body armor on, it still hurt a lot. My power didn't lessen the pain I was feeling; it only made it more bearable. To tell you the truth, this was the first time this had ever happened. Doing as much strength as I could exert at that moment, I managed to loosen one of my hands.

"Ugh, shadowy manipulation... flame"

Saying those words with difficulty, several thorns appeared from various places and pierced the snake from everywhere. After that, all the thorns exploded into flames, causing the snake to release me.

(Didn't that thing really die from this?)

I thought as I looked at the struggling snake. Its entire body was pierced and burned. That sure was a sight I wouldn't forget for a while.

"Steel wire"

I said as I pointed my arm at the snake. With those simple words, several wires came out of my hand and started to go around the snake, trapping it. I really didn't understand how this worked; there was probably magic involved as the wires moved according to my thoughts. Closing my hand, the snake was cut into several pieces. At that moment, I was looking at the corpse of the snake while my body was being regenerated by my ability.