The Triple-Headed Serpent Revealed
A massive bulk that blotted out the moonlight pouring down in an instant.
Scales as black as the night sky itself.
Three pairs of red eyes staring down at her.
Even Charlotte couldn't help but gasp in shock at the sight of the enormous three-headed serpent.
And for good reason—the opponent she'd been fighting toe-to-toe just moments ago had suddenly transformed into a monster.
A skill…? No, this is…
With nearly thirty years as a hunter under her belt, Charlotte could say it with certainty.
This wasn't some skill.
The savage hostility and killing intent lancing toward her was all too familiar, honed over countless battles.
What loomed before her was no hunter, no human like herself—a blatant monster.
“...How? Have you been deceiving me this whole time?”
[I've never lied to you, not once.]
The voice didn't ring in her ears but reverberated directly in her mind.
Charlotte gazed up impassively at the serpent's heads.
The three pairs of crimson eyes stared back calmly.
“...Then? Was it because you became a monster that you could return alive after three years?”
[I see no reason to explain myself to you.]
“...I suppose not. You're right—you don't owe me any explanations.”
Charlotte nodded matter-of-factly, as if conceding the point.
The initial shock had been fleeting; her usual composure had returned.
No, it went beyond composure—she was ice-cold and rational.
“Still, masquerading as a human. A monster with human intellect... impressive. The labyrinth never runs out of wonders.”
[You've got that hunter look in your eyes now.]
At the voice echoing in her skull, Charlotte smiled faintly.
It was a new expression, different from any she'd shown before.
Excited, perhaps thrilled.
“I've got more to report when I get back... Honestly, personal curiosity aside—for the future—I'd love to capture you alive. But revenge demands a death first.”
[Think you can make it out alive?]
-Khaaa───!!!
The left head unleashed a threatening roar as if it had been waiting for the cue, and Charlotte let out a soft chuckle.
“That size is intimidating... But do you know? The bigger the body, the more vital spots to target.”
[Think it's just gotten bigger?]
“I'd hope so, but... Hunters hunt monsters, not people. And before the pinnacle of hunters like me, flaunting your monster form...”
—You're awfully arrogant.
Charlotte murmured coolly before speaking again.
“So, your name? If you're one of the victims from that incident... Yu Jun-young? Something like that, right...?”
[...She told you that much?]
“I said it already—she lived every day in regret. She told me plenty about you.”
Silence stretched for a moment.
As Charlotte stared up, the voice finally returned.
[...Now I'm Nix. That name's discarded.]
“...So you've fully committed to life as a monster.”
The serpent—Nix—offered no reply.
It simply flicked its tongue, silently regarding her.
Charlotte nodded once.
“Now I've got even more reasons to kill you beyond that one revenge.”
[Talking like you ever planned to spare me.]
“...You're really arrogant.”
Charlotte raised her cherished sword.
“Charlotte Michelle, guild master of Lavie en Rose in France. This isn't just a disciple's revenge anymore—I'll fulfill my duty as a hunter.”
With those level words, she charged straight at the monster.
Undaunted by the colossal size gap, her posture was defiant.
The central head struck first.
A thin Shii─ cry echoed, and in an instant, thick mist billowed out around it.
Violet fog, ominous at a glance.
Poison…? Fitting for a snake…!
As an SS-rank hunter, Charlotte had poison resistance, but nothing exceptional.
With gear, she'd charge blindly—but bare as she was, too risky.
She swung her sword wide.
The creeping fog recoiled sharply around her.
Not fully dispersed, though—it lingered, slithering toward her.
Space secured, she dashed again.
A lightning bolt of a lunge.
The right head met her.
-Khaaa───!!!
Its roar unleashed dozens of fireballs hurtling through the air.
Sudden, massive orbs—no wind-up.
Quantity similar to before, but size and power? Worlds apart.
Gearless, even she couldn't bulldoze through unscathed.
She backstepped expertly.
Anticipating it, ice pillars erupted where she'd landed.
As she swung desperately at the spikes underfoot—
An unnatural mana surge prickled her senses.
“……!”
Whipping her gaze, she spotted the third eye centered on the right head.
“The Magic Eye of Petrification…!”
Her resistance blunted it, but enough to unsettle her briefly.
Fog from all sides, fireballs ahead, impaling spikes below.
Checkmate for most.
But Charlotte didn't flinch or panic.
Calm as ever—even a faint smile.
Kwa-gwang──!
Fireballs smashed ice spikes. Dust billowed; fog swallowed it.
Nix watched the vanished spot impassively.
Shii───
Tongue flick—and a faint scent wafted.
This…? Roses?
Thick, tongue-numbing, desert-filling rose fragrance.
Mind-numbing haze—and the fog burst with a peng-.
Red petals rained endlessly.
Dust and fog banished, surroundings awash in crimson.
Charlotte stood tall at the epicenter.
The skill dubbing her Rose Sword, forging Charlotte Michelle.
Now unleashed on Nix.
…Vicious.
Head reeling.
Vision-warping red petal waves.
Overwhelming rose assault on the tongue.
Nix's brow furrowed.
-Khaaa───
Left head exploded worst—pungent beyond perfume.
Its shriek birthed aerial ice shards.
Razor thorns rocketed at her.
She slashed preemptively; red waves followed the arc.
Thorns shattered against the tide.
Her offense launched.
Kwang─!
Heavy boom—her form rocketed forward.
Petals vortexed along the thrusting blade.
A colossal red spear in a blink.
Shaa──!!!
Right head bellowed; flames erupted.
Volcanic inferno from below—she didn't evade this time.
Accelerated fiercer into it.
Petals: blades and shields.
Flames harmless against her crimson shroud.
Red streak trailed her bolt.
Spear met Nix in a heartbeat.
Dead-on for central head—he dodged nimbly.
Agility belying the bulk.
Suaak-
Spear grazed skin-close.
Aftershock gashed thick scales long.
Healed fast—but merciless force.
Nix tongued the air.
“Big target's easy to smack, after all.”
—Where else such a perfect punching bag?
Spear gone; waves swirled her.
Nix's eyes narrowed at her casual quip.
[Enjoying yourself, I see.]
“Hunters hunt monsters—that's the job. A powerhouse like you? No contest. And one that talks to humans... Without that one issue, I'd domesticate you in a heartbeat.”
Shiii───
Nix glared, cry laced with threat.
Her victory certainty irked.
That smug face begged ruining.
Nix lunged.
Shaaa───!!!
Three heads skyward—then charge.
She watched the feral rush leisurely.
Khaaa──!!!
Left roar—temperature plunged.
Desert night rivaled Snow Mountains' freeze.
Ice storm howled.
“…! Advanced spells too?!”
Startled briefly by the gale, she slashed calmly.
Shards met petals endlessly.
Flames then surged underfoot—blacker, hotter.
Blizzard to …? Both ice and fire S-rank+?
Onion layers unending.
Dodged flames deftly, senses primed for next.
Petals and storm blurred sight—but instincts razor-sharp.
Poison magic before… poison now?
Advanced poison would—
Sudden presence—she twisted sharply.
Nix inches away, maw agape.
“... skill!”
The tracking-phase concealment.
Knew it, but his arsenal buried the memory.
Point-blank undetected.
Red waves lashed from desperate swing—too late.
Massive jaws unhinged at her.
Deopseok─ Kwajik─!!!