n

n

n

nWhilst Noel was talking about how the large creature before the two of them was considered the weakest type of Shadow Serpent one would come across in the Shadow Plane, Valyr went ahead and activated Greater Analysis to get a better idea of what kind of opponent he was up against…

nOnly for him to feel a tinge of regret in doing so.

nDing!

n————

nJuvenile Shadow Serpent (Mythic Elite) (Level 55 | Boss)

nClass: Juvenile Shadow Serpent (Uncommon)

nHP: 25,560

/25,560

nMP: 39,096

/39,096

nStats: 215 VIT, 283 STR, 433 AGI, 590 DEX, 543 INT, 213 WIS, 213 PER, 138 LUK

nSkills: Shadow Energy Affinity, Shadow Serpent Combat Style, ??? (other skills unknown due to disparity in strength and level)

nRemarks: I’d be incredibly vigilant if I were you, especially with that little curse of yours.

n————

n‘Hiss…’ Glossing over the system’s blatant warning of fighting against the serpent, Valyr inwardly took in a deep breath of cold air as he looked at the serpent’s stats. Though most of them were significantly than his all across the board, the same could not be said for its agility, dexterity, and intelligence.

n‘I don’t even want to imagine its stats once it enters the effect radius of the mark.’ With this thought lingering in his mind, Valyr swiftly checked how far he was from the serpent at the moment, inwardly letting out a sigh of relief once he found out that over a hundred meters of flatland separated the two of them.

n‘In any case, I guess I’ll be fighting against a better version of me… in terms of stats anyway.’ Letting out a low sigh, Valyr went ahead and asked Noel not long after as to how the Juvenile Shadow Serpent he was up against was in any way the weakest.

n“Well… you haven’t seen the other kinds of Shadow Serpents you might come across in the Shadow Plane, so I guess such a reaction is understandable.” Pondering over Valyr’s question for a bit, Noel eventually nodded his head in understanding.

n“Either way, I truly mean it when I say the Juvenile Shadow Serpent is the weakest type you would come across. After all, it’s the only Shadow Serpent type that’s still within the realm of Rank 3.”

n“As for the other types, the weakest among them would already be in the middle levels of Rank 4, not to mention the fact that some types have even comprehended a kind of Intent that would bolster their strength even further.” Continuing to go through the types, Noel faintly shuddered as he recalled his memories of fighting against such Shadow Serpents in the past.

n“Of course, compared to the strongest Shadow Serpents, even a million Juvenile Shadow Serpents would be no match for it,” the old man continued, conveying through his words how lucky Valyr was to only have to fight against the weakest type. “After all, the only thing that could defeat a Rank 6 being would be another Rank 6 being.”

n“Anyways, best of luck in fighting against the Shadow Serpent, brat.” Letting out yet another sigh after taking a trip down a somewhat miserable memory lane, Noel patted Valyr on the shoulder before proceeding to perch on top of a nearby tree, giving the young man a thumbs-up. “Don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure to intervene once it looks like you’re in danger.”

n‘I don’t even know if you’ll be able to intervene in time…’ Scratching the back of his head as he wryly smiled in response, Valyr soon turned around to look at the Shadow Serpent, taking in a few deep breaths to compose himself in the process.

n‘I wonder if it’ll attack in the same way I use the spear?’ Then, after feeling like he had come to terms with what he had to face up against, he then proceeded to dash in the direction of the serpent, the latter entering the mark’s effect radius a few seconds later.

n“Hiss!” At the very instant the serpent was affected by the mark, it unfurled its dozen meter long body as its eyes began to glow crimson, letting out a loud hiss that shook the watery ground in its vicinity. Not long after, its sights soon focused themselves towards the running Valyr, slithering across the ground in great speeds soon after.

nSwoosh!

n“Limit Break!” Wanting to increase his chances of possibly winning against the Shadow Serpent, Valyr went ahead and activated one of his buffing skills, reducing the time it took for him to arrive in front of his opponent. However, before he could even begin his offensive…

nBang!

nAs if every movement it made flowed into the next, the Shadow Serpent swiftly halted its movements as it used its tail as a whip to send Valyr flying.

nOf course, the young man had tried his best to defend against the attack. Though, with how quick the tail was with the serpent’s improved agility and dexterity, the serpent was the first to land a strike between them, causing part of Valyr’s chestplate to crack as the two made contact.

nThud!𝒪𝗏𝑙xt.𝐂𝞸𝑚

n“Guh…” Failing to find his footing before landing, Valyr had to tumble a couple of times before rolling across the ground, his momentum coming to a stop once he decided to dig both of his hands into the ground. Then, putting all of his strength into his hands, he flung himself forward, using the force he had generated to propel himself towards the serpent.

n“Hiss!” Naturally, the serpent took notice of this, moving its tail in a bizarre pattern as a faint layer of dark energy started to coat over it.

n“Wait a minute…” Landing just a couple of meters away from the Shadow Serpent on his feet, Valyr noted the dark energy accumulating around the serpent’s tail, feeling that the attack looked somewhat similar.

n“Oh, **!” Fortunately, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head, the young man realized what the serpent was about to do, taking out the blood-red spear affixed behind his back as he proceeded to infuse Shadow Energy into it.

nSwoosh!

nWithout any signal whatsoever, the serpent had moved its tail towards the young man’s head at the very moment the coating of dark energy surrounding it had solidified, making it look as if it were a dark spear instead of a tail.

nHowever…

n“Oh no, you don’t!” Finding the fact that he had only activated one buff foolish, Valyr put the thought at the back of his head in the meantime, thrusting his spear forward against an attack that looked similar to what he was going to unleash.

n“Strike of the Venomous Night!”

n

n