[Quest: Unveil the Secret of the Land.]

You have stumbled upon suspicious activities in the wilderness that may lead to a larger secret. Explore the secrets of the land while ensuring your safety amidst ill-intentioned entities.

Clearance Requirement: Unveil the secret of the land.

Don't die.

Reward: Insight of Concealment.

Penalty: None.]

This seems rather ominous! Hey, Grandpa! Are you sure this isn't a LITTLE suicidal? I couldn't help but hiss at the notification, although I knew the system was indifferent to my idle comments.

The reward of the quest seemed interesting, but the quest was perilous, to the point of being suicidal. The requirement of 'Don't die' was quite literal. A single conflict with these humans would cause my doom, reminding me again how powerless I was.

Having experienced death, I never wanted to feel that way again. I need to grow strong!

I slithered away cautiously from the hedge, meticulously referencing my danger detection. This wilderness harboured higher-ranked threats, and the slightest misstep could result in my demise.

I roamed the area for approximately an hour, encountering a few low-level creatures along the way. Surprisingly, most of them were bloodthirsty like the hamsters. Unfortunately, slaying them didn't even allow me to level up once.

My stomach emitted another loud growl. Again? Hadn't I eaten just a couple of hours ago? Yet, the ravenous emptiness within me seemed insatiable, as if I had been deprived of food for months.

With a hiss, I slithered away in search of a more suitable spot. My forked tongue came out of my mouth frequently, sensing anything out of the ordinary. My tongue didn't just help in smelling, it appeared, as I picked up on some magical disturbance ahead of me. Weirdly useful.

I crept around, trying to pinpoint the location of the disturbance. Slithering through the dry leaves and grass, I felt relieved to discover that it wasn't dangerous humans this time. Instead, I stumbled upon a scene of two creatures locked in a fierce battle, wreaking havoc in their surroundings.

One was an enormous black-scaled python, while the other appeared to be a metre-long, fire-breathing insect. I had never encountered a bug of this size, but then again, I never had magical power before either.

The snake was clearly stronger, whereas the flying beetle-like insect had the advantage of flight and movement. Both creatures had inflicted significant wounds upon each other, evident from the aftermath scattered around them. The halo around them weakened to a faint reddish glimmer. It seemed they had been engaged in this fierce struggle for quite some time. But for what reason?

Intrigued, my gaze wandered around until I discovered the cause of their conflict—a tree laden with peach-pink fruits. What surprised me was how those fruits had a halo of aura around them as well. However, the true prize seemed to be the fluffy mushrooms sprouting from the bark, which had a deeper colour.

Are they perhaps magic fruits and mushrooms? I wondered. Wait, can the python even digest the Spirit Mushroom?

Could I digest them?

Weirdly, I found myself filled with greed just looking at the prizes. Is this another beastly instinct?

I didn't dwell on these musings for long. I crawled purposefully toward the peach tree, my attention fixed on the snake and the fire-breathing insect, fighting for their lives.

Contemptuously, I observed the two creatures locked in a life-or-death struggle over mere fruits and mushrooms. Even if they were magical, it hardly made sense to gamble your life on it.

How foolish are they?

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This was what happened when unchecked greed and arrogance consumed one's senses.

Unperturbed by the ongoing battle, I manoeuvred my way to the peach tree, taking a longer route. I cast a disdainful glance at the two dimwitted creatures before climbing up the tree to claim the prize for myself.

The peach fruit brimmed with the essence of magic. Along with the mushrooms, they were the best sustenance I could find.

I gathered them all into my inventory nonchalantly, leaving only the underdeveloped mushrooms behind. I tried a few peach fruits to satiate my hunger as an unsavoury look spread across my face. Despite them being filled with rich essence, I felt the urge to puke the fruit out. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to swallow.

As it turned out, I could digest this magically rich fruit, albeit rather slowly. Surprisingly, not only did the fruit satiate my hunger, but it also recovered my energy as well. With such effect, I did not mind the unsavoury taste. Not at all.

As time passed, I consumed my third fruit, all the while observing the ongoing battle between the python and the fire-breathing black beetle. It felt like spectating a wrestling match, except, in this scenario, the fighters weren't humans, there were no fixed winners, nor were there any other spectators except me.

The python certainly possessed the advantage in terms of strength, but the insect could fly. With this simple fact alone, it could hold its own against the five-metre-long black-scaled python.

Whenever the python lunged forward to attack, the giant insect would flap its wings to evade. The insect also had the upper hand in ranged attacks, although its fire couldn't easily burn through the black scales of the python.

I grew bored witnessing the repetitive exchange between the two creatures. The python displayed a profound level of stupidity. It could simply claim the prize, as the insect had no means to stop it. Similarly, the insect could do the same, and perhaps even more efficiently, by collecting a few fruits and mushrooms before flying away. But no, they both felt compelled to prove their dominance over each other.

Little did they know that someone else was quietly reaping their prize while they foolishly engaged in a futile battle.

This has gone on far too long. I wasn't even studying anymore, considering I had a practical idea of their strengths and weaknesses.

Hissing in annoyance, I decided to put an end to their stalemate. I gathered my energy, condensing it into a potent [Arcane Shot]. To add a final touch, I infused a substantial amount of poison into the attack.

With my weapon prepared, I fixated my gaze on the two targets, deliberating on whom to strike first. Considering that the reptile would likely possess better poison resistance, I decided to direct my assault towards the insect.

There was no sense of kinship in my mind. I was simply irritated and eager to bring a swift end to the conflict. The opportunity presented itself sooner than I had anticipated. Seizing the moment the insect was preoccupied with evading the snake's attack, I unleashed the [Arcane Shot]. The projectile, filled with potent poison, shot forward, its speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye. It struck the insect's back wing, penetrating deeply.

The insect was oblivious to what had struck as it crashed down. No matter how it struggled to flap its wings, it was futile. The poison-infused projectile had torn through its wing, rendering its attempts at flight in vain as it crashed several metres away.

In its impending doom, the insect emitted a shrill cry, using its legs to dodge the python's attacks while desperately scanning for the source of the attack that had disabled its wings. Sadly, there was no respite from the relentless assault of the python, considering it finally got a chance at victory.

To spice up the proceedings, I readied another [Arcane Shot]. I was uncertain if I could inflict much damage to the python's scales, but the huge serpent was already baked well, exhausted from all the tussling with the fire-breathing insect.

The python's physique was sturdy, easily a few folds higher than my own, reinforced by its black scales. However, that didn't mean it was without vulnerable spots.

I channelled as much energy as I could muster, the rest of my focus completely on the python's movement.

My aim was the python's eye. The wounded reptile relentlessly pressed its assault on the insect, unaware of the true enemy lurking in the tree. My mouth burned with fiery anguish as magical energy built up, ready to blast out the [Arcane Shot]. Recoiling my head back, I swiftly thrust it forward, releasing the projectile.

My shot landed precisely on the mark—the snake's eye—eliciting a hiss of agony from the wounded serpent. It gazed in utter bewilderment at the spirit tree with its remaining eye.

The black-scaled python easily located the small white-scaled snake, a surge of unbridled fury engulfing its heart. Ignoring its original target—the fire-breathing black insect, which was half-dead from the poison coursing through its system—the python slithered towards its hidden adversary.

I was too haughty to cower from its furious hissing.

What are you looking at? I retorted inwardly, aware the stupid python couldn't hear me. Never seen a fine-lookin' snake as this beauty, have you?

The python was battered, with swollen wounds scattered across its body, but there was no stopping its momentum as it rushed at me. It hissed in madness, its breath wheezing out, seething with anger.

Discovering its prize claimed by a small hatchling, and one of its eyes blinded, it could no longer contain its rage. The python reared up, soaring into the air and violently slamming its head at me, but I lurched quickly to avoid the blow. The python struck the trunk of the tree.

Easy, easy, Dad always used to say anger is the ultimate enemy of reason, I taunted, lunging from the tree before the python could wreak havoc any further.

The massive python hissed, its movements almost uprooting the spirit tree, wasting the natural cultivation resources that could have helped many creatures. It lunged at me, fury blinding its sight.

You want a fight, huh? I mused. Fine, I'll give it to you. Just stop wasting food.

Coiling my body, I enveloped myself with the primal energy, my eyes fixed on the gargantuan python that charged towards me, its horrifying maw wide open, aiming to devour me whole. I remained steadfast, rooted in place, my gaze unwavering on my target.

Nothing could unsettle me at this moment.