Chapter 19: The Great Silver-Ringed Snake
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There were numerous demonic beasts in the Tixilam Mountain Range, and a large snake had appeared near the rabbit-eared village, preying on the local rabbits. This extraordinary snake was about seven or eight meters long, with white and black rings circling its body. Recently, many rabbits had been devoured by this snake.
Observations over the past two days indicated that the snake’s movements were getting closer to the village, and it was only a matter of time before it attacked the village.
However, the crops near the village were not yet ready for harvest. Abandoning the village would mean losing a significant amount of food, leading to many rabbits starving during winter.
Foreseeing this situation, the villagers decided to fortify their village, pooling all their strength to defend and counterattack, aiming to kill the snake.
The old village chief was skeptical about this plan but had no other options. He organized everyone to take a risk and try.
Lolan Hill, on the opposite hill, naturally sensed the presence of the giant snake nearby. It was a Sequence 4 demonic beast, and even though she could barely protect herself, defeating it would be difficult.
She was also curious about how these rabbits would handle the situation. Among them, the strongest was the black-eared rabbit, a Primordial Sequence 2 White Fang Warrior. Others were merely two Primordial Sequence 1 Plowmen, hardly considered warriors.
In the history of Ivar that Lolan Hill had studied, after the collapse of the Beastman’s Fang Empire at the end of the First Era, various tribes scattered everywhere. Most were eliminated by humans, with only a few driven to the northwest to the ancient Cuifia grasslands, the last refuge of the Beastmen. There were few traces of them elsewhere.
Humans and Beastmen had deep-seated enmity back then, which explained why they retaliated so harshly later.
It wasn’t until more than 500 years after the founding of the Mercury Dynasty that the encirclement and extermination of Beastmen gradually ceased. This was because they could no longer pose a threat to humans.
Outside the village, the sparse forest was home to a large black-bodied, white-ringed snake slithering through, its massive body crushing low shrubs and leaving deep grooves on the ground.
It was late afternoon, and the sound of the snake’s movement had already been noticed by several sharp-eared rabbits. They quickly ran back to the village to report the situation.
“Bad news, Chief! Brother Kanda, that snake is coming!” a youth shouted as he ran into the village. Surrounding rabbits began to get nervous, speeding up their work.
“Halen, Gide, quickly close the gate! Everyone else, grab your bows and spears and follow me to the high platform at the village head!”
Kanda loudly directed the villagers, who quickly settled down and took their positions according to his instructions.
Thirty young men climbed onto the wooden walls and high platforms at the village entrance, watching the nearby forest, ready for anything.
Soon, a snake’s head emerged from the forest, sniffing out the rabbit scent before raising its head to stare at the small rabbits.
Lolan Hill checked the snake’s information:
Race: Silver-Ringed Snake Variant
Condition: Healthy (Hunting)
Sequence: Primordial Sequence 4 Silver-Ringed King Snake (Overall Evaluation: Rare Silver Rank)
Talents:
– [Silver-Ringed Venom] (Rare): Extremely potent poison, causing paralysis and drowsiness, capable of quickly killing living beings.
– [Black Scales] (Excellent): Can withstand most weak attacks, very resilient.
– [White Rings] (Excellent): Excellent self-healing ability, can regrow lost tails.
Abilities:
– [Fangs] (Outstanding): The venom produced by the fangs can instantly paralyze upon biting, making it hard to escape.
– [Venom Mist Spray] (Rare): Sprays vaporized venom, harder to block, corrosive, extremely dangerous.
– [Snake Eyes] (Excellent): Huge snake eyes that instill soul-shaking fear in other creatures; weak souls will be paralyzed, unable to resist.
– [Wind Wings] (Incomplete): Can manipulate air currents to form wings for flight or attack, still developing.
Skills:
– [Tail Whip] (Ordinary): Strong tail sweep.
This skill set is quite impressive, Lolan Hill thought admiringly.
The black scales and white rings provided good defense and recovery capabilities. The snake eyes could control enemies, followed by using poison to exhaust them. Especially the mistified venom, which supplemented the lack of single attack methods, making it dangerous even if the target couldn’t be bitten. If the Wind Wings ability fully developed, it could spread venom more easily with air currents, increasing danger even further.
Once the opponent was poisoned and paralyzed, they would be at the mercy of the snake, and in critical situations, it could deliver another dose of venom, ensuring the enemy’s downfall.
As the snake approached, rabbits on the wooden wall began shooting arrows, but their efforts were ineffective, the arrows merely scratching the scales without piercing through.
Kanda gripped his spear, shouting as he hurled it towards the snake.
The spear, flying at high speed, whistled through the air, striking the snake and lifting many black scales before sliding off and landing on the ground.
“Damn!” The strong youth picked up another spear and threw it at the snake’s head, but the snake easily dodged. Its massive head crashed into the wooden tower, causing it to collapse. Rabbits on the tower fled in panic, one injured leg forcing him to limp away. His companions rushed back, risking danger to help him.
The snake extended its head over the wooden wall, biting a rabbit and preparing to swallow it. Other rabbits on the wall immediately attacked with weapons, but the snake, covered in scales, was unbothered. However, when a rabbit poked its eye with a spear, the snake was forced to retreat.
Kanda also grabbed a weapon and charged forward, plunging an iron spear into the snake’s mouth. The giant snake, in pain, opened its mouth, allowing the rabbit to be rescued by its companion.
After being wounded, the snake finally became serious, its dark golden eyes widening to glare at the rabbits.
These rabbits trembled in fear and helplessness. Only the black-eared rabbit continued to throw his spear.
The giant snake used its tail to knock down the village wall, crushing the wooden barrier with its massive body before opening its fangs and spraying white mist into the village.
Some mushroom houses were corroded by the mist, emitting sizzling sounds. Several rabbits in front fell unconscious.
Trouble!
Kanda aimed and threw his iron spear at the snake’s mouth, trying to stop it from poisoning the village. But the snake raised its head, blocking the attack with its scales. The iron spear caused ripples in the scales but was unable to move forward.
Kanda, now weaponless, watched the spreading poison with despair, closing his eyes to await death.
(End of Chapter)
