Third Eye Spirit Boa
Quite some time had passed since arriving in the Lava Zone.
I'd given up on counting the exact days.
The Lava Zone wasn't some leisurely stroll where you could afford to track dates.
By my rough estimate, it had been about half a year.
One year and six months since leaving the Forest Zone—now, I was dwelling on the 61st floor of the Lava Zone.
True to its name, the Lava Zone was a hellscape where rivers and seas of crimson lava flowed.
The labyrinth's environments were harsh by nature, but this zone stood apart from all the previous ones.
Compared to the immediately preceding Plains Zone, the number of active hunters had plummeted, and solo operators were nonexistent.
Only massive raid parties of at least a hundred hunters or more ventured into the zone's early floors, and even then, sporadically.
The resident monsters were on another level entirely.
The low-rank fodder that formed the ecosystem's base hadn't changed much.
But the high-rank apex predators were absurdly powerful.
You'd bump into B-rank monsters casually en route, A-rank ones were commonplace, and even S-rank behemoths appeared now and then.
As much as the climate itself, the Lava Zone was a realm of utter pandemonium.
From a hunter's perspective, was there any place more hellish?
Since arriving here, I'd clashed with countless foes.
Many were weaker than me, but I didn't shy away from those stronger, either.
Whatever blocked my path, I'd slaughter and devour it—sometimes hunting proactively.
Monsters, hunters—few or many.
Life-or-death struggles weren't rare.
I'd paused for rest when exhaustion hit, but never for long.
From the Forest Zone, after parting from the Queen, my life had been an endless chain of battles.
Struggles beyond mere survival.
Death matches transcending bloodbaths.
And through that innumerable carnage, at some point, I'd become an A-rank monster.
Half a year in the Lava Zone now.
I'd hit A-rank right after crossing from the Plains Zone, so precisely half a year as an A-rank.
G to C in half a year. C to A in one year. And now, half a year at A-rank.
I was still lingering at A-rank.
To say I wasn't impatient would be a lie.
Stat and skill growth had visibly slowed; even toppling peer A-rank monsters brought no dramatic shifts.
Like slamming into an insurmountable wall.
Only half a year since A-rank—logically, no need to rush.
Yet impatience gnawed relentlessly.
This wasn't my first plateau, but after seamless progress, this sudden stall was jarring.
How could I not feel urgent?
So I pressed downward.
Deeper, further below.
To grow stronger.
That single goal drove me.
Even my original revenge motive had faded to the background.
Strength for vengeance? No—the process itself was now the purpose.
I fought today solely to grow stronger.
Black ash and smoke billowed from towering volcanoes.
Smoke and ash choked the sky year-round, cloaking the Lava Zone in perpetual gloom.
The glowing crimson lava rivers provided some light, but the hellish red hue drowned any sense of brightness.
If anything, it felt straight out of hell.
"Grrrrowl—."
A colossal reptile reminiscent of ancient dinosaurs, particularly a Tyrannosaurus.
The monster commonly called a Drake loomed before me.
A-rank. One of those golden children born at B-rank.
I was a golden child too, offspring of the area's boss, the Queen.
But compared to this beast, I paled.
No denying it—this was dragonkin, infamous for ferocity.
A sub-dragon drake, sure, but dragonkin nonetheless.
Among my past foes, it ranked high in threat.
Battle loomed; my body tensed instinctively, adrenaline surging.
"Raaargh—!!!"
As the enraged drake charged like a berserk boar, I sprang into action.
Back when evolving to C-rank, I'd gained the Magic Eye skill from the lizardman shaman Wise Scale's magic stone.
Despite the name, it hadn't shone much until now.
But with rank-ups and growth, it finally lived up to its billing.
Truly performing as a Magic Eye.
Dodging the drake's bull-rush, I slyly opened my eyes.
Not the usual pair—the third eye nestled in my forehead.
"Grr...?"
Sensing anomaly, the drake halted mid-charge, whipping around to inspect itself.
One side of its body had frozen solid as stone.
Like gazing upon Medusa from Greek myth.
The newest addition after clairvoyance and charm: petrification.
As expected of dragonkin. High rank means limited effect.
I'd aimed to turn the whole beast to stone, but only a portion petrified.
Its resistances capped it there.
I closed the third eye.
Not a total wash, though.
The partial stone slowed its movements noticeably.
"Raaagh—!"
Handling the sluggish brute was straightforward.
Snake physiology favored long hauls less, sure.
But for ambushes and short bursts? Supreme.
Now, muscles compressed to limit—then explosive release.
Like a coiled spring unleashing.
My body rocketed toward it.
In prime shape, maybe it'd evade; stone-crippled, it couldn't.
Instantly coiling around, I Constricted.
Plunged fangs into its elongated neck.
It thrashed for life, but only tightened my grip.
"Gr... grrr...."
How much time passed?
Its struggles ceased; body went limp.
Thud-thud—the frantic heartbeat stuttered to silence.
Ssshh—released.
Stood over the corpse briefly.
Same A-rank, yet effortless takedown.
This thing was a local heavyweight, yet trivial for me.
No thrill in victory.
Just the victor's due, as always.
Snap—unhinged jaws, engulfed it whole.
Gulp-gulp—down the throat, esophagus, into the gut.
Gluttony slashed digestion time, but this was still my most vulnerable moment.
Flicked tongue habitually.
Acrid volcanic ash, faint low-rank presences.
No immediate threats nearby.
Waited for full digestion, then moved.
Seeking respite from the sweltering heat.
The Magic Eye currently held three abilities.
First: clairvoyance, magnifying distant objects as if near.
Usable without the third eye.
Second: what I dubbed charm.
Mental domination, really—subtle enthrallment or suggestion to control foes.
High magic resistance or mana users could resist.
But nine in ten with less mana than mine fell.
Third eye mandatory.
Third: Medusa-like petrification.
Impressive, but limited—as seen with the drake.
Resistible by high resistance or mana handlers.
Handy for bullying weaker prey—no need to exert.
Third eye only.
Just these three so far, but more surely coming.
Charm post-dated clairvoyance with rank growth.
Excited for what's next.
Said in hindsight, but I'm no ordinary A-rank monster.
Not just stronger—I'm a mutant of a standard A-rank.
Unique abilities diverging from the norm.
The variant they call me.
Soul Separation SS [Unavailable], Tenacity A, Limit Break S, Shadow Stealth S, Ambush S, Constrict A, Instinct S, Super Regeneration S, Fierce Charge A, Extreme Poison A, Overwhelm S, Counter A, Poison Resistance S, Tail Strike A, Gluttony S, Tough Scales A, Mana Manipulation S, Thought Acceleration A, Body Reinforcement A, Magic Eye B, Heat Resistance A, Cold Resistance A, Mana Resistance A, Poison Magic A, Fire Magic D, Water Magic D
My base species: Spirit Boa.
A dungeon boss in South American labyrinths, semi-spirit-like per its name.
Not a true spirit—just magically adept, hence the label.
Still a monster: top-danger A-rank labyrinth lord.
That's Spirit Boa.
And its variant: me, Third Eye Spirit Boa.
Literal "third eye-bearing" Spirit Boa—likely from my Magic Eye.
Traits mirror base, save the forehead's hidden third eye.
Abilities as described.
After cooling off, I resumed hunting.
No growth despite kills, but idling was suicide.
This savage labyrinth devoured the stagnant.
To evolve, I sought stronger prey.