Brandon felt something in his throat—warm, itchy, and uncomfortable. After a moment of building tension, he suddenly sneezed! A thick cloud of smoke, tinged with the scent of sulfur, erupted from his nostrils.
Startled, Brandon jumped back. What just happened? He couldn’t believe he had just sneezed out smoke. Was it a hallucination? The uncertainty of the situation filled him with dread.
Brandon's eyes widened as he tried to recreate the sensation. His throat itched again, the warmth building up, and he sneezed once more.
This time, aside from the strong smell of sulfur, nothing else came out. Maybe it was just his imagination, he reassured himself. But he couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion in the back of his mind.
The air around him still carried that unmistakable sulfuric scent, lingering stubbornly. He touched his throat, feeling the warmth there as if something was brewing inside, like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
What’s going on in my throat? Could it be the snake gall that’s causing this? Am I turning into some kind of lizard-snake hybrid?
Brandon examined himself closely. Though it was nighttime, his vision was as clear as day. His once green and yellow scales were gradually turning a more solid yellow, with the green fading away. The yellow, in turn, was becoming brighter, transforming from a camouflage into a warning color.
It seemed like there was a mysterious force in this world, one that was now recognizing Brandon's growing power. He was becoming a high-risk entity, a force to be reckoned with.
His scales had thickened, the gaps between them tightening. They now looked as if they were coated in an oily sheen, appearing slick and glossy.
The scales, about the size of coins, clung to his body like armor plates, clearly providing significant protection.
Brandon suspected that his current defensive abilities far surpassed what he could achieve with the Golden Bell Shield in his previous life.
Each scale bore intricate patterns, clear and complex, as if hiding countless secrets that could make one dizzy just by staring.
Brandon’s body had grown to over two meters in length, matching that of an adult giant lizard. His entire structure appeared more compact, with his claws looking like they had evolved, now sharp and hard, with a metallic hue.
He tested them on the limestone wall, leaving a clear scratch. He couldn’t help but wonder what damage they would do to flesh.
Swinging his massive tail, it sliced through the air with a whooshing sound. Brandon felt his strength had more than doubled. If he were to face that giant snake again, it wouldn’t be as difficult as before, he thought to himself.
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Despite his increased power, his body hadn't changed much, only slightly adjusted.
His hind legs had become sturdier, and his already larger-than-average head seemed to have grown a bit more. These subtle changes made Brandon’s entire body appear more menacing, more lethal.
But just as Brandon was beginning to revel in his newfound strength, he remembered the smoke from his mouth, a thought that doused his excitement like a bucket of cold water. He had never heard of anyone practicing the Golden Bell Shield and producing smoke.
Even the legendary patriarch who supposedly mastered the twelfth level didn’t possess such a strange ability. This question gnawed at Brandon, like a thorn lodged deep in his chest.
The sky was still dark outside, and Brandon had lost track of time since becoming a lizard. He could only tell if it was day or night.
Without feeling sleepy, Brandon pulled out a smoked bear leg from before and quickly devoured it, though it tasted like ash. After losing his fire starter, he had made a new one, this time with more ease than before.
Well, it’s come to this, so I might as well just go with it! The more Brandon thought about it, the more resigned he became. A sense of recklessness took hold.
If he couldn’t figure it out, he might as well not bother thinking about it. Next time he faced an enemy he couldn’t beat, he’d just blow smoke at them and hope it choked them. The thought made him smirk.
Setting aside his worries for the moment, Brandon dozed off lightly. When he awoke, the sun had already risen. Stretching, he walked to the pool in front of him for a bath, ready to explore this area more thoroughly.
Brandon quickly dashed down the slope, estimating his speed at around twenty meters per second. If he were to sprint a hundred meters, it would probably take just five seconds, and that was without even pushing himself to the limit. A slight sense of pride swelled in his chest.
The early morning sun cast a soft golden glow on Brandon's pale yellow scales, creating a delicate halo. Dewdrops, like tiny pearls, fell from the broad leaves, shattering into glistening beads on the ground. The jungle at dawn was often at its most enchanting.
Soon, Brandon reached the edge of the swamp. Peering through the thick reeds, he spotted a purple antelope not far away.
The animal's body was a pale lavender, adorned with a few narrow vertical white stripes. Its horns were a deep purple-black, massive and twisted, with sharp tips pointing straight toward the sky, hinting at their deadly power.
The colors on its head were rich and varied, resembling the painted masks of primitive African tribes, giving it an air of both mystery and eeriness.
The purple antelope was leisurely munching on the lush vegetation that thrived near the swamp’s edge. These water-grown plants resembled cattails from Brandon’s previous life. The antelope skillfully plucked the tender, white fruits from the reeds.
These crisp, juicy morsels were clearly one of the creature’s favorite foods, and the abundant plant life near the swamp seemed like an endless supply of nourishment. The antelope happily sought out the freshest fruits, munching away contentedly.
However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that the seemingly carefree antelope was still on high alert.
Its ears stood upright, constantly swiveling to pick up any sounds from the surroundings, and it maintained a cautious distance of several meters from the water's edge, aware of the danger posed by predators that often lurked near the shore, ready to ambush those coming to drink.
What the purple antelope failed to notice was that, just twenty meters away, hidden behind a dense cluster of reeds, a pair of malevolent eyes were quietly watching it.
Brandon lay silently in place, controlling his breath as he watched the grazing antelope through the gaps in the reeds.
He calculated silently—such a large antelope could probably last him three or four days.
Occasionally, the tips of the reeds would sway slightly, and a faint breeze seemed to blow in from the direction of the swamp.
（reprovision)