Absolute Cheater

The village head grimaced. "The latter. But not in the way you'd expect. His flesh wasn't torn—he was drained, as if something had sucked the life out of him."

Asher and Serena exchanged glances.

"A twin-headed serpent shouldn't have that kind of ability," Asher muttered. "Something's off."

Serena nodded. "Could be a mutation. Or maybe something else is involved."

The village head looked between them nervously. "Do you still plan to go after it?"

Asher nodded, his expression clam "Of course. That's what we're here for."

Serena rolled her eyes. "We'll take care of it. Just keep your people inside tonight."

" You should rest and then go for it" Village head suggested as Asher shook his head " it's okay we are in our prime condition" he said as the Village head nodded.

With that, they made their way toward the riverbank.

The moon cast a silver glow over the landscape, reflecting off the dark waters of the river. The air was thick with humidity, and the sound of insects filled the night.

Asher crouched near the edge, dipping his fingers into the damp soil. "Tracks. Fresh." He stood up, his eyes glowing faintly red as he activated his Blood Ruler ability, sensing the lingering traces of life in the area.

Serena unsheathed her daggers, their edges faintly glowing with her Magic. "How close?"

Serena is an healer but her father has also trained her to be an fighter and she is good with daggers, and thanks to her build she is almost unstoppable with it and fast as an rabbit.

Asher closed his eyes for a brief moment, feeling the faint traces of blood in the air. Then he grinned. "Very."

A sudden movement in the water caught Serena's eye.

"Left side!" she shouted, flipping backward just as something massive surged out of the river.

The twin-headed serpent emerged, its black scales gleaming under the moonlight. Each head had gleaming yellow eyes and sharp fangs dripping with venom.

But something was wrong. Its body pulsed with a dark aura, veins of eerie blue light running across its form. Its fangs weren't just venomous—they were glowing, pulsating with something unnatural.

Serena's eyes widened. "That's not just a twin-headed serpent—it's been corrupted."

The serpent hissed, lunging forward with terrifying speed.

Asher reacted instantly, raising his hand. With a mere thought, blood from the surrounding air condensed into thin, razor-sharp spears.

Blood Spears—Release!

The crimson projectiles shot forward, aiming for the serpent's eyes and joints.

The serpent twisted midair, dodging most of the spears, but a few grazed its body, drawing dark, inky blood instead of normal red.

Serena darted forward, her daggers flashing in the moonlight as she used Surge Step, a high-speed movement technique enhanced by her magic. She struck at the serpent's underbelly, but the moment her blade made contact—

A pulse of dark energy blasted outward.

Serena was thrown back, rolling across the grass before coming to a stop. "Shit… that thing has some kind of defense mechanism."

Asher narrowed his eyes. "No, it's not defense—it's rejecting normal attacks. Something is influencing it."

The serpent roared, lunging toward them again.

Asher raised his hands, summoning a Blood Wall to block the attack, but just before impact, the serpent's eyes flashed, and the wall shattered like glass.

Asher's expression darkened. "Alright. Now you're just pissing me off."

Serena stood up, wiping blood from her lip. "What's the plan? We need to kill this thing before it drains more life."

" What else?" Asher rolled his eyes as they rushed at it.
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The serpent lunged again, but this time, Asher didn't dodge. Instead, he extended his hand, allowing its fangs to sink into his arm.

Serena gasped. "Asher, what the hell?!"

But Asher grinned. The moment the serpent bit him, its body convulsed violently.

His Blood Ruler ability was overriding the corruption.

"You suck my blood?" Asher whispered, his voice laced with power. "Then let's see how you handle mine."

The serpent thrashed wildly, its veins pulsing as Asher's blood invaded its system.

Serena didn't waste the opportunity. Activating her Battle Surge, she dashed forward in a blur, both daggers glowing with a fierce blue light.

Twin Fang Execution!

She struck both heads simultaneously, her blades piercing through the corrupted flesh.

The serpent let out a final shriek before collapsing, its body convulsing one last time before falling still.

Asher pulled his arm free, watching as the inky corruption slowly faded from the corpse. "And that's how you kill a corrupted monster."

Serena panted, wiping sweat from her brow. "Next time, warn me before you let yourself get bitten, idiot."

Asher chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?"

Serena rolled her eyes but smiled. "Let's head back. The village head's gonna want proof that this thing won't be bothering them anymore."

Asher wiped the remaining blood off his arm and stretched. "Okay, but first, let's see what it ate that made it turn into this."

Serena raised an eyebrow before nodding. "Good idea. Something definitely wasn't right about that thing."

They approached the serpent's corpse, its dark scales now dulled after death. Asher crouched beside its stomach, pressing a hand against the bloated section. He channeled a small amount of Blood Ruler energy, forcing the stomach to rupture slightly without causing too much of a mess.

A sickening squelch followed, and out spilled the half-digested remains of various creatures—livestock, a few wolves, and something that immediately caught Asher's eye.

A dark, pulsating mass, roughly the size of a human head, lay within the pile.

Serena stepped closer, her expression darkening. "That's… a Corrupt Core, isn't it?"

Asher nodded, his gaze narrowing. "Yeah. That explains it."

Corrupted beings were a natural occurrence in the world. Unlike regular monsters, Corrupted creatures had the ability to drain the life force of others, growing stronger with each victim. The more they consumed, the more twisted and powerful they became.

Becoming Corrupted wasn't difficult either—there were two main ways it could happen:

Being cursed by a Dark Mage. Those skilled in dark arts could infect a creature with Corruption, forcing them to mutate into monstrous forms.

Consuming Corrupt Fruits. Certain cursed fruits, such as the Wither Fruit and Ashen Bloom, contained dark energy. Eating one would either corrupt a creature or kill them outright.