I had to wait out the 2-hour cooldown before I could leave my dimension so I figured I might as well replant some things and hope for a stat boost or two. This time around I wasn't as lucky as I was hoping and didn't get any stat boosters, but I was able to get a Rousing berry bush to grow so now I had a reliable supply of them for the foreseeable future. I had more of the worms grown so I grabbed half of those to take with me and left the other half to help fertilize the fields. I still couldn't figure out what fertilizing did for the crops since the time didn't decrease but I was hoping that in the future it would mean a bigger harvest or something like that.
After the cooldown was finished, I left with a pouch of the worms and got ready to start my training with this mysterious guy that claims he was chosen as the person to keep watch over me and train me.... To be honest I am a little hesitant to believe much of what he tells me, but I vowed to get stronger and right now this monster of a guy is offering to give me what I want so I can't exactly look a gift horse in the mouth now can I?
But as soon as I arrived, he immediately started to tell me about what kind of fish lived in this part of the river and what bait would be best as well. I was thinking that this was all a bit much when thinking that each fish had a preference, and I was thinking about how this could benefit me or my new farm but at the end of the day me and my pets still needed food.
After getting set up at the bank along the stream with pole in hand and hook baited, we cast out and started our days training...... (I don’t understand how sitting here waiting for fish to bite is training though....)
A few minutes went by until suddenly I feel a hard tug on my line and my fishing pole was ripped out of my hands! Thankfully Rob managed to catch it and gave it back to me all with one hand.
"Fishing requires you to be vigilant and focused at all times, especially on this side of the portal. The weakest guppy here, depending on what species it belongs to, can kill with a single one of its spines if it were to even slightly pierce your skin. Let this be a lesson." Rob stared at me with intensity as he said this and all I could do was just nod as I struggled to reel in whatever was on the other end of my line. I tried to reel in, but it was like trying to move a stone boulder and I was only able to make a half turn before the line was forcefully ripped and broke.
"And that right there is another lesson. Don't try and force reel when you’re having that big of a fight. In that situation you must get the fish to tire itself out and slowly reel it in whenever the line goes slack. When you go fishing where the real big guys are this is going to be your only method to get em.... Come to think of it why were you struggling so much with a fish from this area?" Rob started tapping a finger against his chin as he seemed to space out in thought.
"It could be a variant of some local? Or maybe one of the bigger ones from the lakes that this stream exits into that made its way up here? But that wouldn't be the case because usually Big Joe would just munch on it if that were the case... Maybe we can get lucky and hook it again, go ahead and try boy."
I cast out again but almost as soon as the worm dunked below the water, I felt that same hard pull. This time though I was ready and held on tight! I felt like I was going to topple over as my balance was being thrown off with every tug that was of course until Rob came over and grabbed the rod from my hands and he yanked overhead like it was nothing and from the water burst out a body that was long and serpentine, It was wriggling in the air as it sailed overhead and landed right in front of Rhonda. The impact with the ground must have stunned it because it laid still while me and Rob came over to look at it.
"It looks like a snake. But what's up with the jagged parts? It almost looks like it's made of rocks." I said as I knelt to get a better look. I knew it was still alive so I made sure to keep at least a few feet between me and it. Rob on the other hand went right up to it and grabbed the thing right under its head and brought it close to his face, and like all cliches go it's eyes snapped open and tried to lunge at Rob with it's mouth wide open.... And that was the terrifying part. Inside its mouth was not what a normal snake's mouth looked, Inside it was a basically just a cheese grater full of teeth that all pointed backwards that would prevent it's prey from being able to escape once it was in this things mouth. At the front were the characteristic fangs that popped out but besides that it was all like an Iron maiden.
"Holy fuck! What the hell is that thing!" I yelled as I jumped up and backed away. I sent the order for Shadow and Rhonda to do the same.
"Calm down James it's just a harmless Stony Viper. These things usually hang out near the lakes downstream but guessing from the length I'd say this little guy was born maybe a few months ago?"
"A few months ago! That thing is at least 4 ft. long, how the fuck can you call that thing a newborn!?"
"Didn't I say to calm down? Especially stop yelling you're starting to annoy me, also this guy is a newborn because the full-grown ones easily reach upwards of 15 to 20 ft and have the ability to not only poison but also to burrow. You see the jagged scales here? Those can be used like fins for this thing to quite literally 'Swim' through the soft lake floor soil, then it will spring out and bite down with these two front fangs. If those did the job then it would proceed with swallowing its prey whole, but if it didn't then it would use this same jagged scale to turn itself into a chainsaw to rip whatever survived apart." Rob was sounding happier and happier as he explained some of the facts about this creature but while he was happy, I on the other hand was getting scared.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"This thing lives in the lakes that I'm supposed to be fishing out of. How the hell is there anything other than those living there? And if they grow to be 20 ft long then how the hell isn't anything close to water just overrun with them?"
"That's where Big Joe comes in. That and some bounties posted at HQ, these scales once fully grown are damn durable when used as armor and deadly when turned into a weapon. It's also one of the tasks a Hunter has to do to level up through the ranks as well." Rob said as still this whole time he was still holding the Stoney Viper by the neck and was turning it this way and that as if he didn't care that he was manhandling something dangerous.
"Wait.... You said the scales are useful when grown? What about this one?" I asked as a sudden idea came to mind.
"Huh? I mean it's a little abnormal but yea the scales on this one aren't horrible.... I'd say it could be good enough to make an F rank armor? Maybe a good enough dagger or short sword? Why do you ask?"
"Well since you already know about me I might as well tell you, but I can grow basically anything that is biological in nature. Like the worms for example or even Rhonda's feathers. If I could get a couple of these things scales, then maybe I could get a head start on a survival advantage?"
Rob seemed surprised at that and looked at the creature before nodding his head. "Yea, yea that could be good. Didn't know you could do that but if that's possible then that would totally up your chances of getting stronger. Sure, I say let's do it.... But you have to kill it first."
"Great if you can just give me some........ What was that last part?" I started to speak but soon stopped as the rest of what he said finally clicked.
"You. Have. To. Kill. It. First. You do that and I have no issues with what you do afterwards. Just let me know when you’re ready. Oh, and you can't have help from your pets." Rob smiled an evil smile as he said that.
"Fine just hold on." I grimaced but agreed since this could be a huge jump for me. I needed the armor and having a weapon besides the axe I have now would be a great addition. Before I could grab my axe and get ready, Rob threw the Viper at me like a dart and within seconds I had the sight of a tunnel full of fangs blocking my eyesight. I freaked out and closed my eyes and not thinking I swung wildly with my fist and I felt my left hand connect but just as soon I felt an intense pain deep in my hand. I opened my eyes and saw as the Viper had bit into my hand and was now in the process of wrapping around my arm.
"AHHH! What the hell!" I screamed as I tried to shake the snake off, but its grasp was so strong that if I hadn't seen it actually wrapping around me, I would have thought my arm was made of stone in the first place. I could feel it getting tighter and tighter as its fangs were still attached deep in my fist, but I was panicking and couldn't think of what to do!
"USE YOUR AXE YOU MORON!" Rob yelled and was able to break me out of my panicked state and so with quickness I was able to grab my axe and swung it down onto the creatures head.
PING
What sounded like a clash of metal resounded out as vibrations ran up my arm and the axe was bounced back. My eyes widened as where my hit landed had bust through the outer layer of what looked like stony scales only to reveal something like metal? It had a metallic sheen on it that shone in the firelight, but my thoughts were quickly shaken loose as it started to move back in forth and its scales started to dig into my flesh. I screamed as blood started to flow and I could feel every nerve get bit by the now living chainsaw on my arm.
"HELP ME!" I looked at Rob and pleaded but he still just stood there with a firm look in his eyes.
"You wanted to use this creature for your own gain, it's the law of survival. It's only right that this creature would use you for its own gain. Dig deep and awaken your survival instincts." Rob said with a serious tone as I was still trying to flail my arm in the hopes that he would loosen the damn thing from me. The pain was mounting to an untold level as I felt blood flow down me and splatter all around with every swing until finally it felt like someone plucked a string inside my soul at the same time I felt the Viper strike its scales against my very bones.
"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" I yelled a primal scream and without thinking I threw away my axe and grabbed the Viper by the head and squeezed with everything I had. My brain was sending me signals that I was about to reach the limit it had placed on my muscles, but the pain was overwhelming and I was able to bypass it and with that I squeezed even harder! I felt my muscles flex so hard that every bone in my hand was breaking but my one and only thought was to destroy this creature with my own hands and to feel its death. It dared to eat me, so I was going to destroy it and use its very soul.
Everything went quiet as a final crunch was heard coming from between my fingers and the tight chainsaw grip was loosened and started to unwind as the Viper slumped from my now exposed bone of an arm. The pieces of my flesh had been ripped and flung around us like some kind of macabre painting with me and it in the center. My right hand was nothing but odd angled digits attached to a lumpy piece of flesh but I was smiling as I looked down at the Viper beneath my foot.
"Good, good, THIS is what it means to survive in this world. This right here, to devour or be devoured is the one and absolute law of this new world of ours. Here." Rob strolled up to me without care for where he stepped and with a single motion, he tilted my head and poured a vial of liquid down my throat as I stared wildly at him. I recognized his voice, but the primitive rage of survival was only now starting to pull back into the recesses of my mind.
"This will help to quell the control of what you’re feeling right now. We true veterans know this only as, The Rush, the rush of rage against the world and its attempt to take our life from us. But for the cost of attaining that power, The Rush attempts to turn you into the animal all Humans were created to be at the beginning."
As the liquid settled in my body, I was able to hear his words more clearly but also I felt a burning come from my hand and a slight tingle at my shoulder where the snakes body had ended. I looked down and gasped as my fingers that were bent and broken just moments ago were now being corrected and the burning sensation was the sensation of that recovery. I glanced at my shoulder to see tiny strands of some kind of viscous slime ooze from my mauled flesh and cover my cracked and chipped bone. I couldn't feel anything because all my nerves had been flayed and ripped apart but now this slime was starting to take shape as first it filled in the cracks and then started to slowly solidify over a few minutes into a solid mass of what looked like my arm before the snake.
I looked at Rob in amazement but was confused when he had a look that bordered on.... Pity?
"Wha.. RAAAAAAAAA!" I wanted to ask why he was looking at me like that but all at once it was like a million wasps landed on my arm and started to repeatedly stab me. I was paralyzed by the excruciating pain until darkness surrounded me and I passed out.
I woke up some time later judging by how small the fire had gotten, I started to look around for Rhonda and Shadow and found them lying next to me cuddled up.
"It's been a couple hours since you passed out, honestly I'm surprised you even woke up this soon. Other guys that have been given that medicine was out for days and even then their lost limb didn't look that good." Rob startled me when he talked but he pointed at my arm which was almost like new. Well Except for an odd feeling every time I touched it, almost like it was mine but at the same time it wasn't? It was a bit of an odd feeling, however I was just happy to have my arm back! I was super worried I was going to be a one armed Farmer for the rest of my life.
"Oh, shit the Snake! Where is it?" I looked around in a hurry but the only thing I could find was just the traces of my flesh and blood on the ground. I looked at Rob with a suspicious look since he was the only one around here that could do something with it.
"I didn't take it boy so don't look at me like that. I don't need that weak shit anyways, here I threw it into this bag that'll keep it from rotting. Now hurry up and do what you need, there is still a couple days till the lottery fish leaves this area and I want to catch at least a couple of em before it's too late."