"There," he muttered.
His gaze locked onto a faint, cool blue glow nestled deep between the twisted, moss-covered roots of a massive oak tree.
It was distinct from the cold background of the earth, by radiating a calm, structured energy.
He moved toward it, his movements fluid, the awkwardness of his old body completely gone.
As he got closer, the Spirit Sense finally flickered and died, his pupils snapping back to round circles.
The world returned to its gray, misty colors, but he didn't need the heat vision anymore.
There, growing out of the damp soil, was a small cluster of plants.
They had serrated leaves that looked like they were dusted with silver powder, and in the center, a single, star-shaped blue flower bloomed.
"A Star Leaf... no, a whole cluster," Alex whispered, a grin spreading across his face. "And look at those veins. This isn't just wild grass; it's already matured."
A blue screen popped up in his vision, analyzing the spirit plant, which is another ability of the attribute panel that he got used to in the last few days.
[ Name: Star Leaf (Mature Cluster) ]
[ Level: Black Iron (F-Rank) ]
[ Quality: High ]
[ Description: A rare variant of Spirit Grass that absorbs starlight. It contains pure, gentle spiritual energy ideal for stabilizing volatile bloodlines or crafting recovery potions. ]
[ Effect: +5 Spiritual Recovery / Slight increase in Mental Clarity. ]
"Jackpot," Alex grinned. "A single stalk is 500. This cluster? Easily 4,000 credits. That's enough to buy the ore Uncle John needs and maybe... maybe get me some proper gear."
He crouched down, the damp soil soaking into the knees of his trousers. He reached into his bag for his small iron trowel.
HISSSSSS.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling sound erupted from the shadows directly behind the oak tree.
Alex froze.
The hair on his arms stood up, not just from fear, but from a sudden, aggressive spike of adrenaline.
The bushes behind the oak tree exploded outward.
A massive serpentine head slowly rose from the brush, swaying hypnotically. It was easily the size of a beer keg, its eyes burning with a dull, yellow light.
But it was the scales that made Alex's breath hitch. They weren't organic.
They were dark grey, metallic, and glinting like polished steel in the dappled sunlight.
As the creature moved, the scales ground against each other with the screeching sound of knives sharpening on stone.
It kept rising, and rising. Ten feet. Fifteen feet. Its body was thicker than a telephone pole, a massive python capable of easily crushing a car.
A blue holographic screen flickered into existence in front of Alex's eyes, the analysis skill working overtime.
[ Name: Iron Armored Snake King ]
[ Level: Black Iron (E-Rank) - Peak ]
[ Quality: Elite (Mutated) ]
[ Physique: 129 ]
[ Spirit: 4 ]
[ Description: The apex predator of the Mist Hollow. Its scales have mutated by consuming iron-rich ore, granting it defense comparable to heavy plate armor. ]
[ Skills:
[Iron Armored Skin]: Passive. Negates most physical damage from weapons below spiritual level.
[Muscle Strengthening]: Active. Can temporarily double striking speed and constriction force.
[Physical Fitness Strengthening]: Passive. High endurance and rapid recovery.
[Strong Spiritual Power Affinity]: Passive. It can improve the affinity of the skill holder to the Spiritual Power. The consumption of Spiritual power is also reduced, which can extend the burst time.]
"Oh, shit," Alex whispered, his face draining of color.
"Why the fuck is such a powerful monster in the outer layers of the mountains? This is supposed to be F-Rank territory!"
"A Physique of 129?" His own was barely pushing 10 on a good day. One hit from that tail would turn him into paste.
The Snake King rose higher, towering over him like a mountain of death, looking down at Alex with cold, vertical yellow eyes..
It let out another hiss, that smelled of rotting meat and wet iron.
It opened its mouth, unhinging its jaw to reveal fangs the size of daggers, dripping with a thick, green caustic venom that sizzled when it hit the leaves below.
Alex stumbled back, his boots slipping in the mud. He gripped his dagger that he usually carried with him, realizing how pathetic it looked against a creature made of living metal.
"Why do you think it is?"
"It's the effect of the pheromones again" The Empress's voice echoed in his mind, sounding bored, almost insulted by the display. "A low-born worm dares to bare its fangs at us? It smells... filthy."
"It smells like it wants to eat me!" Alex hissed back internally, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. "And what do you mean by pheromones? I thought its back under control!"
"You might have suppressed the scent for humans by using deodorants," she scoffed. "But you are continuously shedding."
"To a beast like this... you smell like a condensed nutrient pill wrapped in soft, defenseless skin."
"Or perhaps... a mate. It's hard to tell with these lower life forms; their lust and hunger are often the same thing."
Alex felt the blood drain from his face. "Great. Just great… How the fucking hell did my life turn into this shit…"
The Snake King lowered its head slightly, its forked tongue flicking out to taste the air again. It seemed confused looking at Alex.
It could smell the pre… weak, delicious, and full of spiritual energy… but it could also smell something else, even more unresistable attracting it.
Alex's hand tightened on the trowel until his knuckles turned white. Every logical part of his brain screamed at him to run.
"Stupid, why are you backing off?" Just then the Empress snapped, her voice sharp as a whip. "It's just a stupid worm… what's there to fear about."
"It is an E rank mutated beast!" Alex mentally shouted back, taking another step deeper into the mud. "If it hits me, I'll turn into red paste!"
"I can't fight this thing! I have to Run!" Alex's human instinct screamed.
"Stay," the Empress commanded, her voice turning sharp and powerful echoing in his mind. "How dare a worm bare its fangs at us?"
Alex didn't have time to think. The massive head was just a feet away.
Out of pure reflex, Alex's eyes snapped wide open. The vertical pupils that had been hiding behind his dark irises slit open fully.
[Active Skill: Feral Gaze - Activated]
"KNEEL!" Alex shouted, though he didn't mean to. The word just erupted from his throat, layered with a strange, harmonic buzzing sound.
The effect was instantaneous and defied physics.
The huge Iron Scaled Snake King, mid-lunge, suddenly seemed to have been slammed into an invisible wall.
BAM!
The beast crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. But it didn't get up to attack.
It convulsed, its massive iron body shivering violently.
It looked... terrified.
The giant snake curled in on itself, hiding its head beneath its coils, pressing its body flat against the dirt in a gesture of absolute submission.
Alex stood there, panting, his hand still outstretched. He looked at the terrifying monster that was currently shaking like a leaf.
"W-what?" Alex stammered.
"Bloodline Suppression," the Empress laughed, sounding delighted. "You possess the bloodline of the Ancient Silver Serpent Empress."
"To this low-level mutant, you are not prey. You are a god."
It rippled out of him, an invisible aura of pure, ancient pressure. The "Naagin" bloodline, the Queen of Serpents.