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Chapter 327: The Rampant Serpent
Chapter 327: The Rampant Serpent
"Snake!"
"Black snake!"
The forest echoed with the sound of scales rubbing against leaves.
Instantly, an Awakened one spotted the enemy's trail and began warning his companions.
Those capable of fighting stepped forward, forming a fan-shaped formation, protecting those unable to battle behind them.
A few moments passed.
Shadows loomed in the forest, and snakes approached from within.
But the darkness of the night made it difficult to discern their condition.
At first glance, there seemed to be dozens of them, but as they peered into the pitch-black shadows, the number appeared too small.
The only certainty was the sight of slender shadows slithering incessantly, surrounding the camp, ready to strike at any moment!
"Everyone, be alert!"
"Stay within the campfire's range, don't go out to fight!"
Explorer Lezer shouted, aware of the dangers of the dark. He decided on a defensive strategy for this battle.
Boom!
Lezer's shout seemed to infuriate the monsters in the forest.
The snakes quickened their pace, and the dangerous atmosphere descended upon the area between the campfire and the forest's shadows.
"Hiss—"
Several slender, dark shadows lunged forward.
Normally, pythons would wrap around and suffocate their prey, not relying on venom to paralyze or kill.
But these monsters defied this common knowledge.
Among the snakes, not only were there robust pythons with immense strength, but the thinner ones also possessed venomous abilities!
On their black scales, silver rings adorned their bodies.
As the snakes raised their heads, they opened their mouths and sprayed venom forward. The yellowish-green liquid, upon contact with the air, rapidly expanded and transformed into green mist, enveloping almost the entire camp in its path.
"This is...venomous fog?"
Lindsey immediately glanced behind him.
This green mist, apart from the venom, clearly contained Essence, an innate skill of the monsters.
The only good news was that the fog moved slowly, and the Awakened ones could handle it with their Constitution.
But as for the ordinary people behind...
Lindsey furrowed his brows, his mind racing with thoughts on how to protect them.
But before he could act, someone from the expedition team stepped forward.
A man in a cloak approached the front. He didn't make any aggressive moves, but instead, he spread his arms, and an unseen force expanded outward, covering the incoming venomous fog.
Whoosh—
There was no wind, rain, or gravitational anomalies around the camp.
In the next second, the venomous fog, which was heading towards the camp, suddenly reversed its course and retreated towards the snakes.
"..."
"Rest assured, this venomous fog won't get through!"
The man controlling the fog shouted.
Lindsey turned to look at him.
He had met this man the day before.
His name was Schi, a Dimensional Master.
Awakened ones with this profession were unique; after advancing, they could influence all things. Their abilities were more comprehensive than merely controlling elements.
The venomous fog retreated.
The snakes in the dark forest seemed disoriented.
This venomous fog was corrosive; even the snakes didn't want to touch it.
Amidst the chaos, they even showed signs of wanting to retreat!
"Get away!"
Just then, Lindsey suddenly moved.
He took a step forward with his left foot, and his entire body seemed to hover in the air.
With immense power, he moved as fast as lightning, and in the next second, he reached the edge illuminated by the campfire.
Right at that moment, an Awakened one was standing there.
Lindsey's dagger was held vertically as he lunged forward, stabbing the ground!
"Mr. Drake?"
Crack!
The others didn't have time to be surprised or confused.
Because in the next second, Lindsey's dagger slashed the ground.
The ground, which seemed ordinary, suddenly emitted the sound of tearing flesh!
"Hiss—"
At that moment, a shadow of an emerald green snake emerged from the ground.
It had been completely concealed in the air, moving almost silently, like a top-tier assassin ready to strike.
"Invisibility?"
"These snakes can turn invisible too!"
The Awakener, who had been perplexed moments ago, now wore a face of gratitude.
If not for Lindsey, he wouldn't have noticed the monsters crawling on the ground, and an accident could have led to trouble.
Lindsey, however, maintained his composure, merely shaking his head lightly.
He continued to scout using the map, confirming the movement patterns of other monsters.
The others, witnessing this dangerous scene, weren't entirely unmoved. The leader, Lezer, immediately spoke up:
"You there, bring the fire extinguishing powder and be cautious of their invisibility!"
The explorer gave the command.
A quick-witted ordinary person behind him grabbed two sacks.
They punctured the bags and waved them forward, scattering a layer of white powder around the campsite.
Several invisible venomous snakes that had just emerged from the forest were thus exposed.
Whoosh—
Arrows flew out, pinning two venomous snakes to the ground.
"Be careful!"
"They're coming!"
It was as if a silent bugle call had sounded.
The snakes began to swarm, launching a full-scale attack on the human camp.
But among them, the strongest were only third or fourth-stage monsters.
Although numerous, the monsters had lost the advantage of surprise, as their tracks were discovered by Lindsey ahead of time. Moreover, the Awakened ones cooperated with each other, relying on the camp's defensive advantage to hold their ground. The battle was intense but without major incidents.
The entire battle came and went swiftly.
Less than half an hour later, there were no more venomous snakes daring to attack within sight, and the ground was littered with chaotic traces of fire extinguishing powder.
"Phew—"
Lezer, the leader, heaved a sigh of relief.
He narrowed his eyes, using his skills to scan the area before turning to Lindsey:
"Mr. Drake, are there any more enemies around?"
Lindsey checked the map before replying, "Within my scouting range, there don't seem to be any more."
Only then did Lezer turn to his other companions:
"Good work, everyone."
"It's getting late. Let's take a rest, and I'll arrange the night watch for tonight!"
"..."
After the monster attack, naturally, no one was in the mood for a campfire gathering.
Lindsey approached Lezer:
"Lezer, let me handle these corpses. There are still some valuable items on them."
Lezer didn't refuse:
"Then I'll trouble you for that."
"After you're done, Mr. Drake, you can go rest. I don't think there will be a second wave of attacks soon, but the latter half of the night might not be safe. I hope you can join the night watch then."
"No problem at all," Lindsey nodded.
He activated his skill for gathering materials and began collecting the spoils from this evening's encounter beyond the campfire.
[Material: Snake Gallbladder]
[Bitter snake gallbladder with direct detoxification effects; can be used as a material to craft other items.]
[Common material, low value.]
[Material: Snake Scale]
[Durable snake scales that can be used as a material to craft other items.]
[Common material, low value.]
[Material: Venom Sack]
[Venom sack containing snake venom that can be used as a material to craft other items.]
[Common material, low value.]
Three types of materials.
Among them, [Snake Gallbladder] can be used to make antidote potions; [Snake Scale] can be used to craft venomous snake armor; and [Venom Sack] can be used to create snake venom potions.
While collecting materials, Lindsey also identified the snake corpses.
In the introduction of these snake monster corpses, there was a recurring piece of information.
—[The Forest's Wrath is influencing its inhabitants, and life is tending towards a rampage state.]
(End of Chapter)
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