"T-The poison snakes are deeper inside the cave," Emilia said weakly, her voice trembling as she leaned against the cold stone wall. "Please… I need to return to my own instance…"
Leon frowned slightly as he looked at her. "How did you even get here in the first place?" he asked calmly. "Races should be separated at the start of [Eternal Ascension]."
At those words, Emilia's eyes widened in visible shock. "Wait… how do you even—"
"No matter," Leon interrupted before she could finish, his tone firm. "I'll get you the antidote."
She stared at him for a moment, clearly confused, but then slowly nodded. "…Alright. Thank you."
Before turning away, Leon activated [Appraisal] on her, wanting to at least get a clearer idea of who he was trying to save.
---
[Name: Emilia Verdant]
[Level: 8]
[Talent: ???]
[Skills: ???]
[Combat Power: ???]
[Status: Poisoned.]
---
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly. He still couldn't see most of her information, but at least her name was now clear.
'Verdant…' he thought, rubbing his chin lightly. 'That family name…'
In his past life, Emilia had died too quickly for anyone to learn anything about her. She never played any role afterward, never influenced the world in any way. She had simply vanished, another forgotten casualty of the early game.
But this time was different. If he saved her, things could change.
And so, without wasting another second, Leon turned and headed deeper into the cave, his steps steady and his focus sharp.
As he descended further, the air around him slowly changed. It became damp and heavy, carrying a faint stench that irritated his nose. The walls narrowed slightly, and faint, unsettling sounds echoed from somewhere ahead.
Then a system panel appeared in front of his vision.
Ding!
[You have entered the Level 5 Zone: "Poison Cave."]
"Expected," Leon muttered.
[Eternal Ascension] was filled with zones like this, special areas layered with danger, resources, and challenges. Some held powerful monsters, others rare items or hidden quests.
But one thing was always the same: entering them meant risking your life.
Since players only had one chance, many avoided zones entirely, choosing safer paths instead.
Leon didn't have that luxury. He needed the antidote.
He continued forward, descending deeper into the cave until it finally opened into a wide chamber. The faint glow of bioluminescent moss illuminated the area just enough for him to see clearly.
And what he saw made him tense slightly.
Several long, dark shapes slithered across the stone floor.
---
[Poison Snake]
[Level: 5]
[Combat Power: 400]
[Details: Extremely fast. Their venom will slowly kill the victim after being bitten.]
---
"Damn," Leon muttered.
Each of these snakes had combat power close to his own. One mistake would be enough to poison him, and that poison would not be something he could easily deal with.
Leon quickly scanned the area.
'I don't see a boss,' he thought. 'But it has to be nearby.'
Emilia had said that the snakes carried the antidote, but Leon knew better. Normal monsters rarely held quest-critical items. If there was an antidote, it would almost certainly drop from a stronger variant, or a boss.
That was why no one had completed this quest in his past life. Even if someone found Emilia in time, risking everything to fight a boss-level poison monster was not a decision many were willing to make.
Fireball!
Leon launched a fireball toward the nearest snake. Flames exploded on impact, scorching its scales and sending it crashing against the cave wall.
But it didn't die. Instead, the snake twisted its body and lifted its head, locking its cold eyes onto Leon.
Hiss!
A low, sharp hiss echoed through the chamber. In response, the other snakes slowly turned toward him as well.
One by one, they began slithering forward. Six of them. Leon didn't move.
"Well," he said calmly, a faint grin forming, "guess I'll just kill you all and see what you drop."
Fwish!
The moment the snakes lunged, Leon rushed forward instead of retreating.
Vision Enhancement!
The world around him shifted instantly. Every movement became clearer, slower, easier to read. The snapping jaws of the snakes looked almost sluggish under his enhanced vision.
He twisted his body, narrowly dodging two strikes, then slashed downward with his machete.
Crunch!
Steel met flesh as one snake's tail was severed cleanly.
HIIISSS!
The creature thrashed violently, its body slamming against the stone floor.
Leon didn't hesitate. He knew that with similar combat power, brute force wouldn't be enough. He had to fight smart.
Snake-type monsters almost always shared the same weakness: their tails.
Another snake lunged toward his arm, its fangs inches away from his skin. Leon leaned back just in time, then swung his machete in a clean arc.
Slash!
The snake's head separated from its body, rolling across the stone floor.
Fireball!
Leon immediately followed up, launching another fireball at the snake he had injured earlier. Already weakened, it couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed lifelessly. Three down.
The remaining snakes didn't retreat. Instead, they circled him, striking again and again, trying to exploit even the smallest opening.
Leon stayed calm.
He dodged, blocked, and countered, relying on his enhanced vision and agility. Every movement was deliberate. Every strike was calculated.
By the time the thirty seconds of [Vision Enhancement] ended, the chamber was silent. All six poison snakes lay dead on the ground.
Ding!
[You have killed x6 "Poison Snake" and gained 120 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered. Items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
"Perfect," Leon said quietly.
He immediately checked the items he had obtained.
[Eternal Coins x30]
[Skill Stone x2]
[Poison Fang Dagger x3 (Common): +10 Attack. Applies "Poison."]
[Poison Snake Essence x6: Consuming will increase Agility by 3.]
Leon frowned slightly.
As expected, there was no antidote.
Even with his [100% Drop Rate] talent, nothing appeared. That meant none of these snakes carried it.
Without hesitation, Leon consumed all six essences. A familiar warmth spread through his body as his agility increased by eighteen points.
Then his attention shifted to the skill stones.
"Hm."
He summoned them into his hands and crushed them without hesitation, focusing on his existing abilities.
Ding!
[Congratulations! "Fireball (Level 1)" has been upgraded to "Fireball (Level 2)."]
Ding!
[Congratulations! "Vision Enhancement (Level 1)" has been upgraded to "Vision Enhancement (Level 2)."]
[Vision Enhancement (Level 2): Consumes Spirit to enhance dynamic vision for 45 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes.]
[Fireball (Level 2): Condense your spirit into a larger fireball with increased power.]
Leon exhaled slowly.
Both skills had improved, which meant his overall combat ability had risen again.
'Perfect,' he thought.
Next, he looked at the three [Poison Fang Daggers]. They were decent weapons, especially with the poison effect, but they were still weaker than his fully enhanced goblin machete.
'Maybe I can improve them.'
Leon selected two of the daggers and initiated enhancement.
Fwish!
[You have consumed two identical equipments… Enhancement failed.]
Crack!
The daggers shattered in his hands, dissolving into fragments of light.
Leon sighed. "Guess I'll need more."
Then—
Ding!
[Quest Warning: Only 1 Hour Remains.]
"Shit," Leon muttered. "Gotta move fast."
Time was becoming the biggest problem. Finding the antidote wasn't enough. He still had to return to Emilia before the timer ran out.
If he went too far or wasted time, the quest would fail no matter what.
Leon immediately rushed forward, pushing deeper into the cave.
Soon, he encountered another group of monsters. But this time, one of them stood out.
It was larger than the others, its scales darker, its presence far more oppressive.
---
[Poison Snake (Mutated)]
[Level: 5]
[Combat Power: 500]
[Details: A mutated poison snake. Its venom causes instant death upon biting.]
---
Leon stared at it, his expression tightening.
"Ah shit," he sighed quietly. "That thing's combat power is higher than mine."
And yet, he didn't turn back.