Chapter 7C: Serpent of Eden

Snakes are nocturnal hunters. Most of them can go almost a year without eating. They are very efficient hunters.

But even the smartest of hunters can fall into a trap if they are clueless about it. Curiosity is a powerful driving force for all animals. The serpent was also an animal driven by curiosity.

Alex walked about the small hill hoping to find more useful things. Sadly, her scavenging resulted poorly this time. By now the water has mostly flowed downstream. With the stick, she measured the water levels. It should only reach up to her ankles now, safe enough to travel on foot.

Marking the area with a few scratches on nearby trees, she widened her search area. It may be dangerous with the chance that there might be carnivorous creatures out and about. Thankfully she remembered that most animals hunt near dusk.

With the list of things that she needs to find, Alex set off. Keeping her eyes opened, she surveyed the area. If she could find food and water, she will be delighted at her success for the day. The sun came out from behind the clouds and cast countless shadows on the water’s surface. The cool stream brushed against her toes as she stomped into the muddy waters.

Using the stick as support, Alex managed to maneuver through the muddy swamp. Time goes by as the waterfall she fell down appeared before her eyes.

“This should be a good place to look.”

Speaking to herself helped calm her nerves. The waterfall was still flowing strong even after the rain stopped. Pieces of wood and large piles of leaves floated down, making splashes as it lands. Alex gathered a few pieces for later usage. She needed to make a more permanent raft. Never know when it will rain again, she must be prepared this time.

Suddenly, she spotted movement in the corner of her eye. It didn’t look like a piece of wood or leaves. She carefully approached the object. The thing spotted her and quickly darted away.

Alex nearly tripped. It surprised her with its sudden movement. Before it fled, she got a good look at it. Its flat black tail was leathery, and its body was fat, round, and covered in fur. If she remembered, it looked similar to the animal called ‘beavers’ that lived back on earth. But it would be hard to tell. The current environment is not really the best for beaver survival. There are water and trees, but the mangrove trees are not really the best beaver food.

The little creature scampered along. Suddenly, a looming black shadow shot out from the waters. It coiled around the beaver in a split second and immediately tightened. Alex was shocked at the development. The greenish yellow scales of the serpent blended perfectly with the lush surroundings. In the water, it was very well hidden. It leaped with the full force of a coiled spring. With its powerful muscular body, it asphyxiated the poor beaver. With its final cry of death, the little furry friend died. The snake unhinged its maw as it consumed its prey in one fell swoop.

Alex couldn’t be sure if it were the same shadow she spotted in the water earlier. But due to the size difference, perhaps it wasn’t. This snake was around a good half the size of the one she saw. It still is a menacing existence though. The brutal sight of nature really sent her mind into thought. Living creatures eating other living creatures. This was nature.

Her false sense of security nearly collapsed. Alex felt fear creep up behind her. Its cold tendrils licked her spine as she shivered. She ran, hoping to get as far away from the snake as possible. But with the mud and water, she couldn’t get away fast. Thankfully the snake was still digesting its meal, so she got away without much trouble.

Alex got back to her makeshift shelter covered in sweat and mud. She was almost tearing up. The sense of fear was overwhelming. Following behind it, like a faithful dog was the feeling of loneliness. Alex suddenly realized just how alone she was in this wide-open world. For just that moment, she forgot that she was in a simulation. There wasn’t really any real harm to her. But it felt so real that Alex couldn’t help it. She climbed into her makeshift hammock and cried herself to sleep. The fatigue from all the physical labor hit her hard. Along with the emotional tension, she went out cold. Across the horizon, the sun began to set. The fire Alex had lit was now just a few smoking piece of charcoal and ashes.

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As night came, so did the hunters.

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The sound of crickets chirped in cadence with the frogs and toads croaking. Without the noise of the rain, the wildlife began to sing louder than ever. Alex woke up due to the cold. The nights were very chilly. She looked around and saw that her fire was pretty much dead, she needed to light a new one. Just one moment of weakness and nearly all her efforts went down the drain. Now that she was calm, Alex sighed at her own inability to cope. She even wasted precious water by crying. This did not help her situation at all.

As if knowing her own thoughts, a screen appeared with the time to light up the dark world. It not only brightened up her night, but it also helped her remember she was not in the real world. After much pondering, she realized that there are no consequences to death here. One does not vanish forever just because they have died in the virtual world. Looking back at how silly she was, Alex could only bite her lips and began to make a new fire. Her efforts were suddenly delayed by the sound of rustling leaves. Something out there was moving, and it was close. Suddenly, the sound of wood swinging through the air rang out. Alex realized that her trap was sprung, but by what?

She wanted to go over to check, but as defenseless as she was at the moment, she could do nothing to whatever was trapped. What she needed was fire. Fire was a potent weapon, ever since the dawn of man, it had been used as a method of warding against beasts.

Alex quickly took the flint from her pocket and started to strike the metal belt. The embers glowed in the night as they spawn into existence, then quickly faded away. Suddenly, a few sparks remained, and the dry tinder started to smoke. Gently, she blew into it to add oxygen. The fire grew and grew. Alex quickly grabbed a stick and tied some dried foliage on top. She placed the leaves in the newly roaring fire, and it was set ablaze. Using the stick as a torch, she proceeded towards her trap.

The sight before her was shocking but it also sparked the fear in her heart once again. Dangling from the flexible tree from a vine, was an eighteen-foot-long serpent. Its scales glimmered as it reflected the light from the torch, giving it an orange hue to its originally pale yellow skin. It was a constrictor. Its muscular body thrashed about as it tried to loosen its head from the tight knot. But the more it struggled, the tighter the knot became.

Alex sucked in a breath of cold air and calmed down. She could imagine the creature sneaking up on her in her sleep, strangling the life out of her, and then consuming her whole. Thankfully it was caught in the trap.

The vine was strong enough to cold the serpent to the tree, but it didn’t restrict its area of thrashing. Alex couldn’t approach the constrictor. Its beady eyes glared at Alex with the intensity of a peak predator. It was regretting its curiosity now. It checked around what the human made earlier today, and it got caught like an idiot. But hindsight was 20/20. No amount of regret can dislodge it from its current predicament.

With their gaze locked down, Alex and the snake had a moment. Alex realized that she was now the hunter and the snake had become the prey. She had to redeem herself, she must kill it.

Taking the burning branch in her hand, Alex wanted to toss it onto the constrictor. But she hesitated. She had never taken a life before, not even to eat. All she had was fruit and nutrition bars. In the past, she could be considered a vegan.

With all the thoughts rolling around in her mind, she realized that she must do this. This is a turning point. Either she succeeds and thrived, or fail and be forever stuck behind her friends in this dog eat dog world.

With renewed determination, Alex threw the flaming branch with all her might at the snake. It collided with the snake. It let off a sharp hiss as it thrashed. The burning stick seared its body as it landed underneath it. The dried leaves on the ground caught fire and started to burn wildly. With entire area quickly catching fire, Alex stepped back and allowed the snake to cook.

A faint smell tickled her nose. It smelled almost delicious. She soon realized that it was the smell of the snake being roasted.

Its trashing became more and more violent. The vine was still wet, so it didn’t catch fire. Its waxy exterior ensured the vine stayed moist even when the dead leaves on the floor were already dried. Slowly but surely, the creature’s final struggles faded away. Alex smiled at the sight. Indeed, it looked like a sight from hell, a burning serpent in a hellish fire. But the anticipation of food lured her in. Alex waited for the fire to fade out. It didn’t spread far as the mangrove trees were pretty much nonflammable and can’t be damaged by such a weak flame. After near an hour, she entered the area of the snake. She took her sharp stick and stabbed it with all her might into the head of the serpent, ensuring its death.

It was her first kill. A sense of accomplishment washed over her as a faint blue light flew out from the snake’s corpse into her body.

A single line of words woke her up from her trance.

[Gained 50 Experience.]

It would seem she killed her first mob. Although it was a cheap, kind of indirect killing, she still gained experience for it.

Not only did the serpent give her game experience, but it also provided her with a life experience. Alex is now a killer. She joined the ranks of all the killers of the world. Snuffing out life left and right for their own pleasure and enjoyment, these killers are everywhere. For us humans are natural killers. We even killed Mother Nature herself on our beloved planet Earth.