Naga's Venom
“Shhhiiit!”
A long tail coiled around Lexy’s leg.
The first charge had been fun, but the Nagas weren’t about to keep taking it lying down.
“Kaooo! Kao!”
Ten Nagas swarmed Lexy, forcing the T-Rex to stop its charge and roar in place.
“You’ve got to earn your keep with that size.”
“Kao……”
“Crying won’t make me feel sorry for you.”
Lexy’s stats were pitiful compared to its bulk. It had crushed a few Nagas and drawn aggro—that was enough.
The spell finished at the perfect moment.
Solar Explosion
Riding the swaying back made me nauseous while rearranging my mana. I hurled the blazing flames toward the Nagas’ clustered legs.
“Shhh. Large-scale destruction magic.”
“Block it.”
Hissing breaths filled the air. Characters formed in the void—Daoist arts passed down from the Deva race.
Several Nagas moved their lips, and the floating characters seized Solar Explosion. Dozens of “Seal” characters locked the orange sphere in place. It detonated repeatedly inside the bindings before slowly fading.
“Shhh. Kill that human!”
Some Nagas kicked off the ground with their tails and leapt forward.
“Uuuuung—!”
Blue particles shimmered along spear tips.
Those ones have manifested aura!
“I know.”
They must be matched at the same Silver rank as you.
“The racial difference is huge.”
Nagas were a species that awakened aura through simple growth rather than profound enlightenment.
“No need to be surprised. Their power is lacking.”
If they could draw out proper aura, they’d already be Silver rank, right? The scattering particles proved it—mana consumption far beyond efficiency.
They are still immature.
“They won’t maintain it for long.”
Then we must aim for a prolonged battle.
“No. The more they drag it out, the harder we smash them head-on.”
As always, your tastes are peculiar.
I spread my internal energy wide and swept aside the aura bundles with the Great Roc’s Wing Technique. Their thrusts were monotonous. The power was tremendous thanks to the aura, but I deflected every strike with the palm technique derived from a roc spreading its wings—a martial art specialized in the principle of “flow.” The spear blades, robbed of their targets, slid past on either side.
“I shall join the fray as well.”
Nyx deployed Polar Night. The darkness spreading in all directions transformed into walls and shoved away the Nagas that had just latched on.
“Jinho-nim! We’ll help too!”
The players who had rushed over in a panic finally reached the front lines.
Well, I wasn’t about to refuse help.
“Shhhshhh. Those insects?”
“We’ll show them the difference in level.”
Some of the Nagas turned their spear tips toward the players. Sliding across the ground, one drove its blade into the nape of the nearest player.
“Kkuk.”
With a single scream, the player turned to dust. Their tanking and aggro skills activated a beat too late.
Serpent Spear — Aura
Mana-infused spears punched small holes through armor and shields.
“Ugh, my body won’t listen.”
“It’s poison.”
The tanks collapsed. The venom was so potent that mere skin contact destroyed the nervous system.
“Cure Poison!”
“Recovery!”
“No good. Healing spells are too slow to detoxify.”
The players who had followed recoiled in horror.
I knew this would happen.
The Nagas moved through the players like fish in water, displaying overwhelming physical might.
“Shhh. We’ll annihilate them like this.”
Thunder Escape Art — Thunder Net
Crackle!
A net woven of lightning wrapped around the Naga group.
“This’ll sting a bit.”
“Shhh. We’ll just dispel it with Dao arts.”
The supporting Nagas in the rear moved their lips. Characters of “Dispel Curse” covered the Thunder Net.
“Shhh. Our Dao arts will erase this petty trick.”
“It’s not disappearing, though?”
The characters bounced off the moment they touched the net. The tongues of the Nagas chanting the spell twisted violently.
“Kekek!”
The Nagas screamed. Some even bit their own tongues until they bled.
Why are they acting that way?
“Their spell power rebounded.”
Dao arts relied on spell power. They had confidently unleashed their arts only to suffer backlash—enough to make anyone furious. In murim terms, it was like entering the early stages of qi deviation.
“Dao arts are one step below Seon magic.”
Dao arts imbued each character with meaning to manifest various spells, created by those seeking to escape mortal fate and become immortals. They clashed poorly with Seon magic, which altered the laws of nature according to the user’s will. Since my energy already followed natural principles, even my basic Seon magic could inflict internal injuries through superior compatibility.
“Then the Solar Explosion earlier……”
“I figured they’d get cocky and use more Dao arts once they blocked the magic.”
Indeed. You had a plan all along.
The calm conversation felt out of place amid the raging battlefield.
“Shhh. I’ll kill you!”
“It’s not like you’ll really die anyway.”
I replied nonchalantly and stepped forward. The Naga that had just shouted trembled with tension.
“Scared, huh.”
“Shh, shhhshhh!”
“Goddess, things are about to get busy, so I won’t be able to reply for a while.”
I lightly kicked off Lexy’s back and charged into the battlefield.
* * *
Nagas were no easy opponents. Roughly twice as strong as the orcs that had taken down Ellen—not that they could actually beat her, but their base racial value was that high.
“So far, everything’s going according to plan.”
I had Lexy charge to tie down the Naga vanguard, deliberately used Solar Explosion—the strongest spell I had—and forced them to reveal their Dao arts. As a result, the rear support Nagas were paralyzed too. A significant portion of their forces had been neutralized before the real fight even began.
“Shhhshhh!”
“Shhh!”
Even so, their numbers were still far greater.
“The reward better be worth it.”
Killing intent poured down on me. I calmly brushed back my hair while meeting their fierce gazes.
“Shhh. The other humans are worthless.”
“Shh. The only one we need to watch is the human right in front of us.”
The tension was at a breaking point.
Clang!
Aura-wrapped spears rained down, signaling the start of combat. Even my Metal Reflection Armor couldn’t fully neutralize the attacks—the aura coating their spears was the problem. Their efficiency was terrible, but the power itself was real.
“Haaaaaa!”
A massive roar scattered the noise near my legs. The Nagas’ movements slowed slightly. The essence of the Wolf King, Serin—the debuff effect of Roar took hold immediately. Their coordinated thrusts grew a fraction duller. I slipped through the tiny gaps created by the roar.
Metal Reflection Armor
Dark Shadow Aura
Blessing of Greed
I caught a Naga spear with my triple-reinforced armor. Even though I blocked from the side, the Dark Shadow Aura shuddered. It shared similar properties with aura, but spreading it wide for defense made complete nullification impossible. The Metal Reflection Armor, enhanced by Blessing of Greed, was also deeply gouged. Unable to fully dissipate the force, my body staggered.
“My partner!”
“Don’t worry about me.”
It was true. If I were alone, I could handle any situation. Right now, Nyx’s concern only made things more awkward.
I had closed the distance by allowing some attacks. The Nagas calmly retrieved their spears and prepared a second strike.
Dark Dominion
Polar Night surged from beneath my feet. Without using Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword, the power wasn’t enough to inflict fatal wounds. Still, it was sufficient to disrupt the Nagas’ breathing.
“Shhh! Sorcery!”
“Shh! Do not panic.”
They were already panicking while saying that. I stomped the ground with White Tiger Dominion Step; the entire floor trembled. The system correction prevented collapse, but it was enough to scatter their momentum.
Blazing Soul
Flames wreathed my entire body as I leapt into the middle of the Naga group. The fire, amplified by extra mana, exploded at the center and obscured their vision with rolling flames and smoke. Even after using Polar Night and Blazing Soul, I couldn’t inflict proper wounds—only superficial scratches at best. I had to reduce their numbers one by one, steadily.
I drove an internal-energy-infused finger into the nape of the nearest Naga. A wind hole opened in its throat and it slammed face-first into the ground.
Shwaaaak!
A spear blade aimed for my shoulder. Even through the acrid smoke, it found its mark. I didn’t dodge. If I retreated here, the Nagas would regain their formation. It wouldn’t lead to decisive defeat, but the fight would drag on far longer than planned. So—
“Kuk.”
The spear tip pierced my shoulder. It felt like red-hot iron against skin. The Naga venom spread, scrambling my nervous system. But then again—
I lived with poison in my veins anyway.
Acidic Blood interferes with Naga venom. Naga venom spread speed reduced by 90%.
Complete nullification was impossible. Acidic Blood was only a two-star ability, one step below the Nagas’ racial venom trait. Still, it was enough. I wrapped the wound with Blessing of Greed. The blessing that could “erode” anything synchronized with the Naga venom and immediately expelled it outward. Black liquid splattered through the cracks in my Metal Reflection Armor and landed on the Naga that had just swung its spear.
“Shshshshsh!!”
The Naga twisted in agony. It was venom whose properties had been altered by Blessing of Greed. The original venom in its body would naturally have resistance, but this was different. It wasn’t enough to bring it down, but—
“That’s plenty.”
I yanked the spear. The poisoned Naga was pulled along with it. Perfect angle for a strike.
Dragon Emperor Fist
Bang!
The Naga’s upper body literally vanished.
“Two down.”
I guess I couldn’t complain about Lexy after all. So far, my kill count matched the T-Rex’s pace.
“Kaoooo!”
Lexy, still pinned by the Naga group, roared in frustration.
Hey, the real fight starts now—don’t get impatient. I glanced back. Nyx had spread Polar Night wide to protect Lexy. Dividing their forces was helpful on my end too.
This was no easy battle. Because I had manifested the essence of the primordial species with Void Projection, my stat bonuses were reduced and my body felt sluggish.
“Well, this much penalty is acceptable.”
I kept moving my arms and legs, stealing the Nagas’ breathing. If they regained their momentum even for a moment, things would go beyond mere annoyance. Come at me all you want. In the end, I’m the one who wins!