The Iron Scaled Snake King, which had been coiling to strike, suddenly stiffened.
Its yellow eyes widened, dilating with sheer terror.
The snake's small, primitive brain couldn't comprehend exactly what had happened, only that a predator infinitely higher on the food chain had just arrived.
Its body, its blood, and its very soul were all under a crushing, invisible pressure that originated from its genes.
It was the biological imperative of a subject facing its Queen or a higher life form.
It lowered its massive, metallic head, pressing its chin deep into the mud.
The aggressive hiss died down into a pathetic, wheezing sound, like a leaking steam pipe.
Alex stood there, panting, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins.
He looked at the trembling monster and realized this was his chance.
"It's paralyzed," Alex thought, his grip tightening on the handle of his iron dagger. "If I strike the eye now... I can kill it."
He took a step forward, raising the blade, aiming for the soft yellow tissue of the creature's eye.
"Hisss... Hisss..."
Alex froze mid-swing. His vertical pupils widened slightly.
He didn't just hear hissing. The sounds twisted in his brain, translating into broken, fearful concepts that echoed clearly in his mind.
(Spare... spare me... Great One...)
Alex blinked, stepping back. "Did... did it just talk?"
"Put that knife away, you won't be able to kill it even if you want to with that good for nothing knife," the Empress's voice rang out in his head, sharp and commanding.
"What? It tried to kill me!" Alex argued mentally, though he lowered the dagger slightly.
"Its under your bloodline suppression and already subdued," she scolded him, her tone sounding like a disappointed teacher. "Look at it. It has unlocked wisdom."
"Do you know how rare it is for a beast of this low level to develop intelligence?"
"So? It's still a monster."
"So, it is useful!" The Empress hissed. "If you kill it, you get a few credits and a carcass you can't even carry. But if you spare it... you can gain a servant."
She paused, her voice turning serious. "And count your blessings, little vessel."
"If this had been a wolf, or a bear, or anything other than a serpent... you would really be red paste on the forest floor by now. Your bloodline suppression only works on our kin."
Alex swallowed hard, realizing how close to death he had really been.
He looked down at the terrifying beast that had scared him into nearly shitting himself moments ago and realized it was still shaking, waiting for his judgment.
"You..." Alex started, his voice sounding smoother, more commanding than usual due to the lingering effects of the transformation. "You… Can you understand me?"
The snake bobbed its head, keeping it low, refusing to make eye contact.
"Hisss…Hisss" (Yes... Blood... Royal Blood... Do not eat... Serve...)
"I'm not going to eat you," Alex said, feeling ridiculous talking to a giant snake. "And I'm not going to kill you."
He waved his hand, and the golden glow in his eyes faded slightly. He mentally willed the crushing pressure to recede.
The Snake King let out a long, shuddering breath, its metallic scales rattling as the tension left its body. It didn't attack.
Instead, it slithered backward slightly, giving him space, acting like a kicked puppy.
It turned its head toward the oak tree roots and nudged the cluster of blue plants with its nose, pushing them toward Alex.
(Tribute... for the lord...) the snake hissed submissively.
"Thanks," Alex muttered, holstering his dagger.
He crouched down and carefully dug up the Star Leaf cluster, shaking the dirt off the delicate roots.
"Good," the Empress purred in his mind. "Now, ask where the other spiritual herbs are. And tell it we need High-Quality Gene Cores. Let the beast do the hunting for us."
Alex looked at the massive snake, a grin slowly forming on his face.
"Hey," Alex said, looking at the Snake King. "I need more of this. And I need some Gene cores. Can you find them?"
The Snake King raised its head slightly, its tongue flicking out.
(Many... scents... I'll show...)
"Lead the way," Alex commanded.
The beast turned, its iron scales parting the thick mist like a ship breaking waves, and began to slither deeper into the forest, with Alex following close behind, no longer the prey, but the master.
For the next hour, the Mist Hollow, usually a death trap for F-rank awakeners like Alex, turned into a walk in the park.
"Over there," Alex pointed, his confidence growing.
With Iron Head, the name he had unceremoniously bestowed upon the E-rank terror, acting as a bulldozer, they tore through the undergrowth.
The snake was efficient.
It didn't just scare away smaller predators; it sniffed out spiritual energy with a precision that rivaled Alex's own Spirit Sense.
"Jackpot," Alex laughed, kneeling down to dig up a root that glowed with a faint purple hue. "Ghost Root. Market price, 800 credits."
Ten minutes later, Iron Head crushed a giant Stone Beetle with a single constriction of its tail, causing the carapace to explode.
The snake used its snout to nudge a small, dull grey crystal toward Alex.
"An F-rank Gene Core," Alex whistled, picking it up. "Not the best quality, but that's another 2,000 credits easy."
He did the math in his head. In less than two hours, he had gathered materials worth nearly 15,000 credits.
That was more than Uncle John made in six months of smithing.
"I'm rich," Alex muttered, a giddy feeling bubbling up in his chest.
"Focus," the Empress whispered, though she sounded pleased. "Do not let greed blind you. The beast is agitated."
Alex looked up. "What?"
He looked at Iron Head. The snake had stopped moving. It was no longer sniffing the ground for herbs.
Instead, its massive body was coiled tight, its head raised high, staring at the empty air above the tree line.
The metallic scales on its neck were vibrating, creating a low, buzzing hum of warning.
"What's wrong, Iron Head?" Alex asked, stepping closer to his new pet.
Suddenly, the Iron Head became irritated, thrashing its tail against a pine tree, snapping the trunk like a twig.
SCREECCCHHH!
The sound didn't come from the snake. It came from the sky.
It was a noise like tearing metal, high-pitched and painful. Alex covered his ears, wincing as the vibration rattled his teeth.
Above them, hundreds of meters high the grey mist swirled violently.
A jagged, black tear appeared in the air, roughly fifty meters away. It looked like someone had taken a knife to the fabric of reality.
"Space Crack!" Alex yelled, panic flooding his system. "Fuck!"