Chapter 6: Life and Death

"Bring it on! "

In the face of the temptations of a Two-Colored Treasure Chest, with even its guardian being seriously injured, Shawn chooses to take a risk and fight the mutant snake. 

Now, all he needs to do is face this snake and kill it, and then the treasures will be all his.

Wiping out all his distracting thoughts, Shawn focuses all his attention to the Level 25 Mutant Snake in front of him. 

This battle will definitely be tough and challenging. With a gap of fifteen levels, all his bodily attributes will definitely be inferior to this mutant snake.

Fortunately, his strength is much stronger compared to those of the same level. Thus, making the difference not despairing. It's just… quite large.

Luckily, the opponent is already seriously injured, hence making up for that difference.

In order to be victorious in this battle, he decided to target its injuries first. It will be much easier that way.

With a shout, Shawn decides to charge at the snake, taking the initiative to start the battle.

"Haa! "

The mutant snake, sensing Shawn's approach, hissed menacingly and coiled its massive body, preparing to strike. Its eyes narrowed as it focused on its target, the wounded hedgehog lying nearby a grim reminder of its lethal capabilities.

Undeterred, Shawn lunged forward with Antler Sword raised high, his muscles tense with anticipation. With a powerful shout, he continued his charge at the snake, determination etched on his face.

Raising his sword up, Shawn attempted to deal a killing blow to the mutant snake by aiming it right into its head. But at the last second, the mutant snake used incredible agility to lean its head back and just evade Shawn's blow.

The snake responded with a quick, smooth movement, slamming its tail in a deadly arc.

"Whoosh"

Already anticipating the mutant snake's counterattack, Shawn instinctively leaned backward, narrowly avoiding the deadly swipe of the snake's tail.

His muscles tensed, ready to react with lightning speed as he prepared for the next exchange.

Shawn knows the futility of a head-on assault against such a formidable opponent, therefore he opted not to use Precision Strike for his initial attack.

Instead, he focused on estimating the snake's retaliation in order to dodge its attack while also taking the chance to retaliate on his own.

Closing the distance between them with calculated precision, Shawn shifted his stance and directed his next strike at a strategic point just below the mutant snake's head. 

With a swift and decisive motion, he unleashed Precision Strike, channeling his origin energy to boost the power of his attack.

"Chop"

The force of Shawn's blow landed with pinpoint accuracy, inflicting a deep and grievous wound upon the mutant snake. The injured area, already weakened from previous encounters, proved to be the perfect target for Shawn's assault, amplifying the damage inflicted upon the creature.

"Hiss!"

As a Level 25 Mutant Snake, it teetered on the brink of its first evolution, poised on the edge of transformation with only a single critical factor eluding its grasp.

Despite this missing factor, its formidable strength allowed it to reign as a tyrant in the confines of this small forest. 

Now, with Shawn's unexpected assault worsening its already grievous injury, the snake seethed with fury. The snake stiffened up all throughout, sensing a challenge to its authority.

Visibly furious, the mutant snake struck with a violent attack, whirling its tail through the air with terrifying power and speed. The force behind the strike was immense, a testament to the creature's formidable power.

Despite Shawn's greatest attempts to avoid it, he found himself caught in the path of the serpent's lethal tail. It was a tremendous blow that caught him straight in the abdomen. He felt a sharp, agonizing pain as the breath was violently expelled from his lungs, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His body was hurled through the air by the intensity of the strike and crashed into the ground a full one to two meters away.

He could only wince in pain as he crashed hard against the cavern's wall. He was obviously injured to some degree from that tail strike.

"That fu*king hurts! Fu*k!" he cursed, his voice echoing through the cavern.

Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, Shawn forced himself to his feet. Though every breath sent searing pain through his torso and his abdomen throbbed, he couldn't afford to exhibit weakness at this point.

He glared at the mutant snake, determination burning in his eyes.

"Is that all you've got? "

He taunted, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

With relentless anger, the snake's eyes narrowed, and it hissed menacingly. It coiled its gigantic body, ready to deal him another blow.

Shawn knew he had to change his approach. Despite its strength, the snake was wounded and in a terrible state. He needed to use its rage against it, to make it reckless and exploit its wounds.

Grasping the Antler Sword firmly, he inhaled deeply and concentrated on the origin energy coursing through him.

He took his position, bracing himself, muttering under his breath, "Come on, you freaking animal." 

He thought back on the weaknesses he had already discovered: the deep wounds, the clouded eye, the wounds that hampered its movements. 

Precision Strike would be very important now since every attack needed to count.

As the snake lunged again, Shawn dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the snapping fangs. Its fangs landed on the hard floor, destroying the rocks around it.

Grasping this chance, he slashed his blade towards the area beneath the snake's head that was already injured. 

The blade connected with a great force, deepening the injury and eliciting a furious roar from the creature.

"Yes! Take that, you idiotic beast! " Shawn shouted, exhilaration can be heard in his voice.

The snake recoiled, hissing in pain, but Shawn pressed his advantage.

He launches a barrage of attacks at the mutant snake, fully intending to take advantage of this opportunity. Some of his attacks are dodged, but most of them land on the snake. 

Further aggravating its injuries, and yet it also adds fuel to the flames, driving the snake mad with its fury. Each wound Shawn inflicted served to fuel its rage, its eyes burning with an almost maniacal light. 

The snake's strikes became more erratic, driven by its desire for vengeance. It lashed out with its tail, snapped its jaws, and lunged with reckless abandon, its movements wild and unpredictable.

Shawn danced around the snake, using its fury to his advantage. His body swerved and weaved, barely avoiding the fatal swipes of its tail and the brutal snap of its fangs. 

His attacks concentrated on the snake's injuries, targeting the same spots again and again, trying to wear it down. 

His tactic was actually paying off; the snake's movements became labored, its attacks less coordinated.

Every swing of his sword carried the weight of his will to survive and the intention to kill this foe.

As Shawn continued using Precision Strike, his mastery of the skill deepened. With each application, he gained a greater understanding and control over his origin energy. 

Over time, he became increasingly adept at using Precision Strike, eventually being able to use it once per three strikes. Sometimes, through sheer willpower and good fortune, he was even able to execute Precision Strike with every other attack. 

It was in moments of life and death like this that simulated a person's potential, driving their strength and abilities to new heights.

With the threat of death close by, you can only choose to squeeze out whatever strength you have left.

If another person were to enter the cavern, then they would be able to witness one human and one mutant snake duking it out. They exchanged their attacks, blow for blow, not minding the pain it caused them.

"This freaking animal just won't die," he swears, his sweat and blood mixing, tainting his whole body.

The two of them are fighting to their death for several minutes already, both of them are exhausted and worn out.

As if understanding his words, the mutant snake backs up slightly, also intending to finish this battle.

The atmosphere gradually shifted, and the whole area became quiet. They both held their breath in preparation for their last confrontation.

The mutant snake, at this juncture is also beginning his own preparation. The snake's eyes glowed with a bloody red light, and a low, ominous hiss escaped its mouth.

The snake continued to gather energy, a faint aura began to envelop its body. Its scales started to pulse with a deep crimson light, intensifying with each passing moment.

On the other hand, Shawn moved his body's origin energy around, allowing it to gradually seep into his Antler Sword in order to prepare his Precision Strike.

At this time, Shawn suddenly fell into a heightened state, all extraneous thoughts were cast aside, his mind completely focused on delivering his most powerful strike.