In fact, Arthur was half-aware of what he was doing. He saw everything, yet he couldn't control his body or restrain himself.
He was nothing more than a drowsy spectator. Still, the intense pain forced him to regain some clarity and partial control over his body.
His eyes turned red from the pressure, and he felt his insides being crushed.
He knew he didn't have much time left, so he pushed his mind to its limit and tried to think of a way out.
'This damn moon… it's messing with my thoughts. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't be in this situation.'
He felt despair and helplessness. He wanted to cry.
More than that, he felt overwhelming anger and hatred toward everything that had happened because of his unexpected frenzy.
He hated how he had lost control of his body. He hated how he had spent the entire night wandering around like an idiot until he got lost.
He hated his weakness—he hated himself—and he couldn't accept that he was about to die, crushed to death.
"Aaah!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs. All his rage exploded as he released every last bit of strength he had left.
He viciously bit into the snake's body, tearing its skin and flesh apart. With a twisted face, he cursed loudly.
"Damn you! I'll kill you! I'll tear your guts apart! I'll be the last meal you ever eat!"
Hiss!
The snake recoiled in pain, its muscles loosening for a brief moment, easing the pressure on Arthur.
But before he could take a single relaxed breath, the snake tightened its grip again—this time even stronger than before.
Crack!
His body froze completely, unable to move at all. His bones cracked loudly, his limbs were crushed, and he twisted into an awkward position.
His strength failed him, and he could barely breathe.
His consciousness drifted; his eyes slowly closed, and a miserable smile appeared on his face as he thought,
'So this is the end… Ah, even my second life was too short. Well… at least it was exciting and fun.'
Sigh!
'If only I were a little stronger.'
'Strength… huh.'
His smile vanished, and in his last moments, a vague thought crossed his mind.
Just as he was about to lose consciousness completely, his eyes regained some light.
He remembered that he hadn't distributed the Evolution Points he gained from killing the Goblins.
'Yes… this is what I need.'
Like a drowning man finding a lifeline, Arthur clung to the last remnants of his awareness and summoned the System screen.
[Evolution Points: 7]
Without a word, he focused his entire thoughts on the System and commanded it mentally:
'Add all points to Strength.'
[Distributing…]
The System executed his command immediately.
At that moment, he felt a refreshing coolness spread throughout his entire body, starting from his chest.
The crushing pressure lessened. He regained his clarity, and the sensation in his limbs returned.
[Distribution Complete]
"I won't die here."
He gritted his teeth until his gums bled and began desperately pushing the snake's body away, just enough to breathe.
Fortunately, the Evolution Points he had added to Strength made a clear difference.
He miraculously managed to reduce the physical contact with the snake and regained a bit of his freedom.
He took a deep breath, refreshing his exhausted lungs with fresh air, scanned the snake's body quickly, and looked for any injuries he had sustained that hadn't healed yet.
When he found them, he sank his fangs and claws into them, digging like a mole.
Random attacks were useless, so he focused all the damage on a single point.
The snake's expression twisted in pain. For the first time since the battle began, it took real damage.
Unfortunately for it, the way it fought left it stuck in its own position, unable to push Arthur away without letting go. There was only one solution: end this as quickly as possible.
It hissed in rage and stopped holding anything back. It expanded its body like a balloon; its muscles bulged, its skin hardened, and its regeneration accelerated.
"Damn it…"
Once again, Arthur found himself unable to resist the immense pressure surrounding him.
The small space he had painfully carved out to move freely vanished, and he was trapped once more in the crushing embrace of the snake.
'No, no, this isn't possible. I won't die here.'
He screamed loudly, his hopes shattered, realizing the hard truth: resistance was useless.
Blood began to flow from every orifice, then—
Crack!
"Ahh!"
His right front leg snapped.
Screeech!
His ribcage cracked.
He couldn't scream, he couldn't breathe, and he began losing consciousness.
This time, he didn't even get the chance to think his final words—he blacked out almost instantly.
The moment the snake felt his resistance vanish, it hissed with satisfaction and coiled the rest of its long body around him, forming a massive ball that even prevented air from passing through.
All that could be heard was the sound of cracking bones and tearing muscles.
Still, the snake didn't stop; it could sense that Arthur's breaths hadn't completely ceased.
Thump!
In the desperate darkness, Arthur's heartbeats began to slow gradually.
As they were about to stop completely, the familiar System screen appeared.
[ Warning ]
[ Life-Threatening Danger: Host is in Critical Condition ]
[ Transitioning to Emergency Mode ]
[«[Primal Predator Instinct Supreme Awakened»]
[ From now on, all your Attributes will temporarily increase by 50% for 15 seconds ]
Thump!
Arthur's heartbeat raced at an unbelievable pace, his hot blood surging through his veins like wild horses.
In an instant, he regained all his strength and more—his body grew, many of his injuries healed, and some of his cracked bones were repaired. Temporarily, he even ascended to E-Rank.
Suddenly, he opened his red eyes, now filled with murderous intent. This time, there was no trace of his rational side—his savage instincts were in full control.
Grrr!
He roared with a force that made the snake shiver in fear.
Without holding back, he sank his elongated claws into the snake's body, reaching its entrails and tearing them apart.
At the same time, he bit into it, devouring its flesh mercilessly.
Outside, the snake screamed in agony, its expressions contorting.
It tried to resist and regenerate, but its healing was far too slow compared to Arthur's tearing and devouring speed.
In just three seconds, Arthur tore through its solid body, emerging on the other side with his blood-soaked head holding a piece of its spine in his jaws.
With a sinister grin, he spat the bone aside and licked the blood from his face. Then he plunged his head back in, digging through again.
Like a parasite, he consumed the snake from the inside, leaving a massive trail of blood and flesh wherever he went.