One-Coin Clear: The Serpent's Domain
The central forest was in complete chaos.
The once-dense trees lay shattered in every direction. In the worst cases, entire trunks had been uprooted, roots and all.
Scattered among the wreckage were the corpses of players.
All of it was the work of the colossal serpent, Arksharon.
Shhhhhhh!
“Aaaaargh!”
Another player was seized by Arksharon.
Its body was thicker than most tree trunks. With agility that defied its massive size, Arksharon coiled around its prey.
“Help me! Help me! Please! Gaaah!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The player swung desperately, but the serpent’s scales didn’t even scratch.
Crunch-crunch-crunch!
Another player was reduced to pulp.
“Can… can anyone even kill that thing?”
“That’s no ordinary monster.”
The players who had attacked Arksharon wore expressions of utter regret. Because it always targeted whoever moved first, no one dared to flee.
The insane serpent was far too sharp and fast for its size.
“We should’ve run the moment it appeared.”
When that player first dragged Arksharon into the area, that might have been their only chance to survive.
“Come to think of it, how did that guy escape from the monster?”
Shhhk!
Arksharon lunged at yet another player—this one a martial artist from the Changchen dimension.
The martial artist unleashed the techniques of the Six Harmonies Sword, channeling inner energy into a violet sword aura.
It was a desperate strike, scraping the very bottom of his dantian.
“Hraaaah!”
Sweat beaded on his temples. He would be exhausted afterward, but survival came first.
Thud!
With a dull impact, a wound opened on Arksharon’s massive body—scales broken, flesh exposed. The first injury anyone had managed during the fight.
“Yes!”
Some of the watching players lit up with hope. Even a single cut on the cursed serpent felt like a miracle.
Shhk!
The hope was short-lived. The wound sealed itself before the martial artist could even withdraw his blade.
The players’ faces turned ashen.
Boom!
Arksharon’s enormous tail slammed down.
“How the hell are we supposed to kill that?”
“Damn it…”
Despair crept through the surviving players.
Crack.
Yoon Taeyang carefully detached the tail of a green sand scorpion.
“How many is this now?”
“Ten should be enough, right?”
“Then let’s stop here.”
Collecting more would only complicate storage. Since they were deadly poisons, it was best to keep only what they needed.
“Next is north.”
Stan the Raptor. A monster that waged one-sided aerial battles with razor-sharp feathers and effortless gliding. For Yoon Taeyang, who lacked any ranged options, it was a troublesome foe.
But if he could close the distance, there was a way. More importantly, his current specs already allowed him to fight Arksharon head-on.
“Grab it and jam the green sand scorpion’s stinger in. It won’t be able to move.”
“I have to.”
Stan was weaker than Arksharon, but defeating it granted an achievement. Avoiding all damage was theoretically possible—practically a dream. He had joked at the start about not getting hit, but realistically, clearing the game without a single strike was impossible.
I’ve been mentally prepared for a while.
Yoon Taeyang’s eyes gleamed with resolve.
The northern forest was quiet, the undergrowth thinner than elsewhere. The open sightlines were a welcome change.
“Nice. You can even see the sky.”
Stan had likely claimed the north because of the sparse canopy—perfect for spotting prey while soaring.
A few other players wandered nearby, drawn here while searching for orbs. With the mission running this long, it was inevitable.
Yoon Taeyang blended in, searching for Stan’s traces to estimate the nest’s location.
“It’s an orb!”
“What? Where?!”
Commotion erupted on the far side. Yoon Taeyang moved cautiously toward the noise—not for the orb. He already had thirteen. Five more would complete the achievements, and the surrounding spots would yield them quickly.
He sharpened his focus.
If there’s this much noise…
Kraaaaaak!
Thud!
A massive creature plummeted onto the noisy players.
“What the—?!”
“Ambush! It’s an ambush!”
“Yulian, you okay?!”
“No! Gah! It’s got me! Cough. My leg…”
A vicious raptor nearly two meters tall, clad in steel-like scales—Stan.
Stan had the peculiar habit of attacking noisy targets—more precisely, it enjoyed hunting powerful magical beasts. The stronger the beast, the richer its corpse in magical energy, and Stan favored meat packed with mana.
He had considered bringing the saber-toothed tiger’s corpse from Arksharon’s lair, but retrieving it had proven too difficult.
“It came out on its own. Lucky me.”
He had already anticipated players drawing attention.
Stan’s nest lay in such a remote spot that even Arksharon struggled to reach it.
Kraaaaaak!
Stan’s wings swept through the players, shredding them with its signature razor feathers. Some feathers tore free like daggers; the rest functioned like blades.
“Damn it! How is the cutting power this strong…?”
“Ghh! My armor just got pierced! These aren’t normal feathers!”
“Fall back! Fall back!”
“What about Yulian?”
“He’s already dead! We have to survive!”
The remaining three players abandoned their comrade in an instant. They had quickly realized Stan’s power was overwhelming.
Yulian, struck by Stan’s aerial charge, was already half a corpse. Yoon Taeyang shook his head. If Stan carried the player away, retrieving him would take forever.
“You shouldn’t abandon your comrades so easily, friends.”
Yoon Taeyang launched himself forward.
Whoosh.
With nine achievements plus thirteen orbs—twenty-two total—the stat correction made his movements superhuman.
“Wh-what?!”
The players looked up in shock. To them, it seemed a giant beast had suddenly appeared.
Before they could react, Yoon Taeyang vaulted over them and reached Stan.
“Huu.”
He drew a deep breath, pulled his shoulder back, and drove his fist forward.
Boom!
It was less a punch and more a cannon blast.
Kraaaaaaaaak!
Stunned by the blow, Stan dropped the player it had clutched and beat its wings. The resulting gale hindered approach while feathers launched like projectiles.
Yoon Taeyang planted his feet firmly and shielded his vital points with his arms. A single nick to the carotid from those razor feathers meant instant death.
Thud!
Feathers grazed his skin.
Yoon Taeyang exhaled calmly.
Just stings.
Nothing more. The adrenaline from combat probably helped.
As long as he could fight without issue right now, it didn’t matter.
He pushed through the wind pressure toward Stan. The raptor tried to take off, but its two-meter bulk couldn’t launch with a few wingbeats.
Kraaaaaak!
Stan shrieked as Yoon Taeyang seized its ankle.
“Shut up, you bastard!”
Yoon Taeyang drove the prepared green sand scorpion tail into Stan’s thick thigh—the same meaty section people called the drumstick on a chicken.
Flap! Flap! Flap!
Panicked, Stan forced itself airborne, carrying Yoon Taeyang with it.
Yoon Taeyang held on without panic. The green sand scorpion’s neurotoxin was already stiffening the leg he gripped. It wouldn’t stay airborne long. He just had to endure until the poison spread fully.
Kraaaaaak!
Stan’s talons dug into Yoon Taeyang’s shoulder. He twisted to minimize damage, but as long as he held the ankle, escape was impossible.
Crunch.
Ah, this one actually hurts.
Yoon Taeyang clenched his teeth.
A player sprinted madly through the forest.
“Help me, help me, help me! Please! Help me!”
His eyes had lost focus. Drool trailed down his chin. He was half-mad with the terror of death.
Shhhk.
“Aaaaaah!”
Where was it? Behind? Left? No, right?
The player leapt forward before he could finish deciding.
And then—
Thud!
He slammed into a gray wall.
“Gah! What the—?!”
Clutching his nose, the player stared at the wall and his eyes widened.
“Huh? Gray?”
Gray wasn’t right. He whirled to run.
Or tried to.
“Please…”
The opposite side was also blocked by a gray wall.
Gray—the color of Arksharon’s scales.
The player realized the already dim forest had grown even darker.
Gulp.
He tilted his head back.
Two yellow orbs stared down at him. Vertical, slit pupils—reptilian.
His legs gave out and he collapsed.
Shhhhhhh!
Arksharon’s jaws parted. Transparent venom dripped from pristine fangs.
“Hic… hic…”
The serpent’s forked tongue, twin fangs, and repulsive gullet engulfed him.
Chomp.
The player wasn’t even allowed a final scream.
His legs, protruding from Arksharon’s mouth, twitched briefly before going still.
Having swallowed the clumsy challenger who dared provoke a predator, Arksharon lowered its body to feel the vibrations of the earth.
Shhh.
Arksharon was the ruler of the forest and never left challengers alive. It was also a persistent, relentless hunter.
Arksharon had not forgotten the player who first provoked it—Yoon Taeyang.
Shhhhhhh.
The giant serpent’s eyes gleamed with malice.