The Snake's Reversal
The moment he was about to mesmerically accept the Labyrinth Will, a piercing instinct rang out like a shrill alarm.
His mind snapped back to clarity.
What the hell was he about to do?
He'd sworn never to accept the Labyrinth Will again.
Was he so weak that he couldn't even keep a promise he'd made to himself?
No.
He wasn't that weak.
Then had he become someone without any backbone, flipping his own words on a whim?
No.
He wasn't like that.
So why had he tried to accept the Labyrinth Will?
Was he so cornered that he'd borrow some shady, unknown power?
No.
His body could still move.
He'd just gotten scared prematurely and assumed he couldn't win.
Without even fighting to the end.
Like a damn idiot.
Tenacity A
He could still fight.
The battle wasn't over yet.
Think.
A way to survive.
Think.
A way to beat Cha Ye-ji.
Think.
A way to rip that bitch apart.
Using only his own power, without borrowing anyone else's.
Thought Acceleration B
He recalled every possible option he could act on right now.
He'd endure the pain if necessary.
All he wanted was victory.
Right now, he wouldn't quibble over gains or losses.
Among countless possibilities, he found an opening.
A future where Cha Ye-ji's sword splits his head.
Not this.
A future where the watching hunters charge in and get shredded.
Not this either.
A future pierced through by her sword and collapsing.
No.
A future with his head severed from his body.
No.
No.
No.
No...
Found it.
The snake ended its accelerated thinking and quietly flicked its tongue.
* * *
"Hm...? Something's off?"
Cha Ye-ji suddenly furrowed her brow.
"The vibe... it's changed a bit?"
It wasn't that he'd gotten noticeably stronger or anything.
Those two eyes glaring at her were still brimming with venom, and the aura he gave off was barely C-rank at best.
No one would say anything major had changed, but even so, Cha Ye-ji sensed some indefinable shift.
A sharp, chilling change that even she herself felt in that instant.
...Nah, probably just my imagination. A mere C-rank monster. No way I'm in danger.
Cha Ye-ji decided not to dwell on that minor shift.
It wasn't dramatic enough to make a fuss, and anyway, it was still just a C-rank monster she could look down on.
Above all, she couldn't admit—even subconsciously—that she'd felt a twinge of fear from it.
The idea that she, the super rookie and elite of one of Korea's top five guilds, 'Beifu', would feel spooked by some C-rank monster runt, even for a second?
Cha Ye-ji couldn't accept it, let alone tolerate it.
So she ignored the subtle change in the snake before her eyes.
Never imagining how grave a danger it would turn into for her.
"Hm... starting to get boring now. Shall we wrap this up? You're tiring out anyway. I hate the heat, but the cold's no better. Sorry, buddy, but let's end it here."
Glancing at the setting sun, Cha Ye-ji spoke up.
Putting on a sorrowful face like she really meant it, she swung her sword—brimming with killing intent—without hesitation, in stark contrast to her expression.
Play around a bit more, then finish it in one go.
Over the not-insignificant time they'd clashed, Cha Ye-ji had gauged the snake's physical abilities to some extent.
With what she'd learned of its capabilities, there was no need to drag this out.
Its tough durability and regeneration meant it would recover quickly if not finished in one shot, but Cha Ye-ji had the power to end it outright.
High durability or regen meant nothing to her.
Pretty likable, actually. Kinda sad to kill it. If I had a taming skill, I'd take it home... Maybe ask the guild master to buy it for me later?
Cha Ye-ji gathered mana at her sword tip, forming a thick aura blade, and swung mercilessly.
The sharper-than-ever aura targeted the snake's neck without mercy.
Planning to sever it cleanly in one stroke.
Its scales are so pretty—gotta cut clean to use 'em right. Make some armor later. And obviously, it'll have a magic stone at this level, yeah?
Cha Ye-ji had zero doubt her attack would fail.
Based on the snake's abilities she'd observed, it couldn't dodge or block this.
But her expectations were spectacularly wrong.
Because the snake—which had been purely defensive until now—finally counterattacked for the first time.
Shaaak—
Its thick tail whipped out.
Not so much attacking Cha Ye-ji as intercepting her sword.
Caught off-guard, Cha Ye-ji faltered slightly but kept swinging.
Chwaaak—
Instead of the neck, the snake's tail was sliced off.
Blood spurted from the clean-cut end.
The sudden spray obscured her vision, making Cha Ye-ji grimace and step back instinctively.
And in that brief gap as she retreated, the snake—through the gushing blood—lunged with its jaws gaping wide.
"Shaaaaaaa────!!!"
"What the—?! Ngh...!"
She barely blocked with her sword face, but the snake's charge was relentless.
Like it had no intention of backing off, it pressed forward, jaws clamped to her blade.
"Ngh...! You little—!"
Cha Ye-ji's face—composed throughout the fight—twisted for the first time.
She hurriedly gathered aura into her fist and smashed down on the snake's head with all her might.
Bam—!
Despite the heavy impact, the snake didn't retreat.
It glared at her with the same venomous eyes, cornering her relentlessly.
Locking eyes with it unintentionally, Cha Ye-ji felt a flash of fear.
And that fear quickly turned to rage.
Her towering pride couldn't stomach feeling fear from a mere C-rank monster.
For now, at least, her pride outweighed the terror.
"C-Cha Ye-ji Hunter!"
"G-Guild leader, what do we do? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Ngh...."
The watching hunters grew agitated at Cha Ye-ji suddenly being pushed back.
They all turned to Park Pil-lip, her temporary handler and raid leader.
His face crumpled under the sudden scrutiny.
If I butt in and get chewed out again... Damn, why'd the guild master stick me with this rotten girl? If he's gonna hover, he should do it himself!
Cursing the guild master—who'd assigned him to assist Cha Ye-ji due to her labyrinth experience despite his modest rank—Park Pil-lip racked his brain.
Still, better to help than let her get hurt for nothing. Rather than catch hell from the master later...
As his thoughts tipped toward helping, Cha Ye-ji suddenly yelled.
"Fuck! You goddamn snake bastard!"
Bam—!
With a heavy kick, she finally broke free from the snake.
Gasping roughly, her body ached all over.
She'd overexerted to escape the snake's relentless pressure.
"Fucking snake shit... A C-rank piece of trash...!"
Half out of her mind with rage, Cha Ye-ji charged straight at the snake.
Park Pil-lip, watching from afar, subtly narrowed his eyes.
He had no idea what earful he'd get if he jumped in now.
No way I'm taking double-talk from a girl young enough to be my daughter for no reason.
His half-tilted resolve swung fully the other way.
As if anything could happen to that Cha Ye-ji?
Sure, her personality was a nightmare, but she was Beifu's guild master's precious super rookie.
As she said, no way she'd lose to a mere C-rank in the Desert Zone, and not even a floor lord at that.
Decision made, Park Pil-lip watched their fight with the same ease as before.
The clash resumed as one-sided aggression from Cha Ye-ji, just like always.
"Die! Dieee────!!!"
Her pride wounded, Cha Ye-ji swung wildly.
The aura on her blade tore the snake's body mercilessly.
Scales shattered, flesh ripped open.
Scarlet blood soaked the sand and splattered across Cha Ye-ji's body.
"A mere C-rank monster! How dare you, dare to...!"
Bathed in the snake's blood—not her own—Cha Ye-ji swung with a mad grin.
In the ceaseless barrage, the steadily mounting wounds, the snake's eyes quietly gleamed.
The injuries regenerated as they accumulated.
But its stored energy was running low, so the regen speed had slowed compared to the start.
Regrowing the severed tail earlier had burned a ton of mana.
Clearly a far worse spot than the beginning, but the snake's eyes burned undimmed.
Still filled with venom, murderous intent, and hostility, it quietly bided its time.
And how much time passed like that?
"Hah...! Haah...! Dieee—!"
Was Cha Ye-ji tiring too?
After swinging relentlessly, she panted heavily.
Exhausted as she was, her vicious swings were still terrifying.
But the frequency and speed had dropped noticeably.
The snake was in no better shape, as drained as the weary Cha Ye-ji.
With energy nearing rock bottom, it deliberately halted regen on non-lethal wounds.
Regenerating only essentials—and just enough to avert immediate danger.
Just enough to stop the bleeding, not full recovery.
Thus, the snake looked a total wreck.
Smooth scales shattered in places, exposing tender flesh that bled endlessly.
But even in that mangled state, its eyes burned brighter than ever—especially now, with Cha Ye-ji exhausted.
"Time to fiiiinish—!"
Venting her rage in exhaustion, Cha Ye-ji raised her sword high for the killing blow.
Dazzling, dense aura gathered at the tip.
The moment that fearsome aura blade began its descent, the snake quietly flicked its tongue.
And...
Ptoo—
Suddenly, something shot from the snake's mouth.
A thick, blood-mixed glob of dark crimson-purple liquid.
Spit like saliva, it hit Cha Ye-ji square in the face as she swung.
"Ngh...! What the—?!"
She froze, reflexively wiping the obscuring gunk from her face—
—when a horrific scream erupted from her.
"KyaAAAAAHHH—! My, my eyes...! My face...! It huuuurts! It HURTS—!"
Dropping even her sword, Cha Ye-ji clawed at her face with both hands.
Not enough to just wipe it off—she raked her nails across her skin relentlessly.
Her face turned red in seconds.
"C-Cha Ye-ji Hunter?!"
"Th-that!"
"H-help her, now!"
At her sudden change, Park Pil-lip and the hunters finally grasped the situation and rushed toward her.
They couldn't comprehend the reversal, but there was no time to process.
"It huuuurts—! Hurts! HURTS! HUUUURTS—!!!"
Her agonized screams echoed across the desert.
Her deep blue hair stained red.
Had Cha Ye-ji ever looked like this?
Park Pil-lip, who'd known her for a while, swore it was a first.
His mind raced with every wild thought imaginable.
What happened to Cha Ye-ji?
What if it's a serious injury?
No way she's dying, right?
What do I report to the guild master?
In that split second rushing to her, the flood of thoughts made even the veteran miss it.
The venomous snake still there, eyes blazing.
"Hurts! Hurts! Park Pil-lip! PARK PILLIP! Potion! Give me a potion NOW—!"
The snake's eyes—glaring down coldly, fully recovered.
And Cha Ye-ji's shrieking beside it.
Park Pil-lip felt his mind reel.
"Fuck... we're screwed?"
As the curse slipped out, the snake gaped its jaws wide.
Shii────