Chapter Seventeen: Battle with the Serpent of Anomaly
Chapter Seventeen: Battle with the Strange Serpent
Deep within the cave, a massive serpent covered entirely in crimson scales lay slanted against the cold, forbidding rock wall. The most terrifying thing about it was not its body, thick as a water barrel, nor its hissing, blood-red tongue, but rather—the serpent possessed two heads!
Those two enormous snake heads twisted left and right, as if conversing like two people, sending a chill straight to the bone.
Shen Ce’s right hand gradually tightened around his staff. He pondered for a few seconds, then sent his battle plan to Sylos via the message panel. In his view, an assassin’s strength lay in their ability to strike with deadly surprise, but a level 30 boss could not possibly be felled with a mere one or two attacks. Thus, Shen Ce intended to take the lead himself, while Sylos waited for an opening to deliver a killing blow and catch the Crimson-Crested Twin-Headed Serpent off guard.
Upon receiving the message, Sylos seemed rather surprised. He raised his eyebrows and mouthed silently, “Alright, I’m watching you.”
With that, Sylos crossed his arms and stood to the side, clearly adopting a spectator’s stance.
Shen Ce knew Sylos was teasing him for attempting a solo assault, but he didn't mind, nor did he see anything wrong with a priest leading the charge. He swiftly chanted the spell for Light Barrier, and a wall of pure, snow-white light, as if guided by a targeting system, crashed directly toward the two-headed serpent!
The Crimson-Crested Twin-Headed Serpent was clearly startled by the sudden appearance of the light barrier. It shook its body violently, attempting to break through the wall’s confinement, but after a futile struggle, found itself unable to cross the glowing white barricade!
The great serpent scanned its surroundings and soon spotted a tiny human in a white priest’s cloak trespassing in its domain—a puny human daring to challenge its authority?! The Crimson-Crested Twin-Headed Serpent let out several furious, guttural growls and bared its sharp, menacing fangs, wishing it could tear the intruder to shreds then and there!
Shen Ce had already cast aside his instinctive fear. He stared coldly at the serpent, as white specks of ghostly light began to glow atop his deep purple staff, tracing a dazzling arc through the air straight toward the creature!
The arc struck the serpent’s massive body, raising consecutive rings of white light. The serpent glared at Shen Ce with venomous hatred, its serpentine body twitching, and its pale green vertical pupils filled with palpable malice!
Just then, a flash of red light appeared!
A thick snake tail whipped up suddenly, surging fiercely toward Shen Ce’s position!
But Shen Ce was prepared. This was not his first time using Light Barrier; he knew its cooldown and duration precisely. As the tail swept near him, in the nick of time, Shen Ce darted to the right like a streak of pale lightning, appearing at the side of his original spot in just a second or two!
The serpent had thought it could easily crush this humble human, yet Shen Ce proved far more cunning than it imagined. Both of its heads wore vicious, sinister expressions, mouths agape and red tongues flickering, intent on swallowing Shen Ce whole!
Facing those strange, bewitching snake eyes, Shen Ce’s face remained expressionless. He calmly raised his staff and cast Thunderlight Break. With several sharp cracks, countless tiny currents surged into the serpent’s body.
The serpent cried out in unwilling agony, each scream sounding as if it were being torn apart. It kept its eyes fixed on Shen Ce, its two pairs of vertical pupils ablaze with the purest murderous intent!
Despite the blood streaks spreading across its body from Thunderlight Break, the serpent seemed guided by some mysterious force, beginning to dance with an odd rhythm.
Shen Ce noticed the serpent’s strange movements and sensed danger, but his spells did not cease. An uneasy feeling rose within him, and in that instant, everything changed—
Hiss, hiss, hiss!
The Crimson-Crested Twin-Headed Serpent lunged at Shen Ce with astonishing speed, like a hurricane unleashed. Shen Ce barely dodged, but when his gaze met the serpent’s two pairs of pale green eyes, he felt as if struck by lightning, his body suddenly weak and powerless!
The moment their eyes met, Shen Ce’s mind was thrown into turmoil, his thoughts blank.
Sensing Shen Ce’s momentary confusion, the serpent enveloped him in its massive shadow.
A suffocating sense of oppression surged within Shen Ce, but no matter how desperately he tried to break free, his body remained paralyzed.
The thick stench drew near rapidly, and as he was about to be swallowed whole, Shen Ce’s pupils contracted sharply.
No! The serpent’s eyes possessed a power that could intimidate and dominate the mind!
Just then—a phantom-like silver figure appeared, swift as lightning and radiating an awe-inspiring presence!
Shen Ce’s body trembled slightly, but relief washed over him. The sudden silver figure’s left palm erupted with violet light, several streams of purple energy piercing precisely into the serpent’s vertical pupils and, at incredible speed, spreading throughout its body!
Silent, soundless—the cave fell into a brief hush.
Time seemed suspended by some forbidden magic. As Shen Ce regained his senses, his usually calm face turned pale—what terrifying power could achieve such a decisive, instant kill?
The once ferocious Crimson-Crested Twin-Headed Serpent now lay easily on the ground.
Cold, rigid, motionless.
The air was tinged with the scent of blood. Shen Ce tore his gaze away from the serpent’s now faded green eyes, hiding the disbelief in his own. Yet his hands still trembled uncontrollably—he was accustomed to being deemed a top-tier, wildly lucky technical player, but compared to Sylos, Shen Ce felt the distance between them was immeasurable.
He had never seen Sylos wield a weapon. In Frostleaf Plains, Sylos caught blades barehanded, a feat already beyond belief, and now in the Snowcliff Cave, he had performed yet another astonishing act.
The silver-robed assassin who slew the serpent in a single blow carried himself with effortless grace.
Sylos leaned idly to one side, his face hidden behind a mask but his features flawless. He exuded no trace of killing intent, as if dispatching a level 30 boss was a trivial task.
Could such results really be bought with money? Shen Ce suddenly yearned for the answer.
His taut body relaxed. He pressed his lips together and asked, “Sylos, what skill did you use to slay the boss?”
The assassin’s gaze was deep as ink, his voice elusive and haunting, drawing one in irresistibly: “Naturally, it was an assassin’s ultimate skill.”
What ultimate skill required no weapon, and could be performed so lightly? If the game company had set such a move for a player around level twenty, wouldn’t that be a huge bug?
Shen Ce was stunned. He realized he didn’t even know Sylos’s level, but since Sylos was a player, it should be similar to his own.
Except for saving his life and being dragged into a temporary partnership, Shen Ce discovered he knew nothing about Sylos. The man was a mystery from head to toe, like the deep and tranquil sea at night—its surface reflecting moonlight, but beneath, utterly inscrutable. Unless one resolved to dive in, nothing would be revealed.
Seeing Shen Ce’s obvious skepticism, Sylos’s narrow eyes lifted slightly. With a half-smile, he said, “Zero, you don’t really think the serpent died so quickly solely because of me, do you? If you hadn’t taken the lead, I couldn’t have executed the attack so precisely. Besides, those eyes were always the serpent’s weak spot.”
Shen Ce awoke from his daze. He glanced at his experience bar and realized he’d missed the system’s level-up notification; slaying the boss had earned him two consecutive levels! Although “Heaven’s Traverse” placed great emphasis on landing the killing blow, the main contributors still received the majority of the experience. If he leveled up twice, Sylos’s words weren’t mere modesty.
As for the serpent’s eyes being its weak point, Shen Ce, as a priest, possessed basic reconnaissance skills, so Sylos’s mastery of such skills was likely far superior.
Shen Ce’s mood gradually calmed. He was about to speak when he saw Sylos produce a dark golden badge. Shen Ce’s eyes lit up; he knew exactly what it was. Sylos flipped the badge in the air, tracing a graceful arc, and Shen Ce caught it immediately.
“Ding—Congratulations, player has obtained Guild Leader Badge. The Guild Leader Badge allows you to establish a grade B guild. Once equipped, it increases your reputation by 500 and, in certain cases, boosts NPC favor. This item can be traded, discarded, but not upgraded.”
Shen Ce had acquired the most important item of his quest. It was impossible not to feel delighted, and a faint smile touched his face. “Sylos, you’ve helped me tremendously. You contributed as much as I did to this mission. Aside from the Guild Leader Badge, how about you take all the other loot from the serpent?”
Even if Sylos lacked neither gear nor potions, Shen Ce glanced at the dazzling array of equipment on the ground. With the quality guaranteed by a level 30 boss, any of it would surely be top-tier on the market.
Sylos’s silent demeanor made Shen Ce inexplicably anxious. He hesitated, about to speak again, when he was startled to see Sylos frown, as if caught in a profound dilemma.
Sylos waved a hand at Shen Ce, his voice unusually cold: “I have business, logging off now.”
In a flash, the tall figure blurred, and in another instant, Sylos had vanished completely.
Shen Ce gazed at the empty space where Sylos had stood, lost in momentary confusion. For the first time, staring at a pile of excellent gear, he felt a pang of frustration. He sighed almost inaudibly, and slowly stored everything away.
Shen Ce opened the message panel and saw Sylos’s avatar grayed out. After some thought, he sent a message, then opened Han Qishao’s profile and typed: Qishao, I have a Guild Leader Badge. Are you interested?
Han Qishao replied almost immediately.