NOVEL NEXT Chapter 445: One Kick to Fell the Serpent
Ethan listened to Micah's hurried explanation and finally took the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Plumevine seriously.
"Advanced Analysis…"
He waved a hand, activating the system's function.
[Ding… System Notification: Analysis failed!]
Ethan frowned. So the Amethyst Plume Serpent's diagram wasn't in the Bestiary he'd acquired before. It didn't bother him much. He wasn't particularly interested in this little serpent. When he first arrived at the Sea of Death, he had already taken down a Tier 4 magical beast—the Fire-Eyed Toad. After all this time, his strength had grown far beyond that.
What really intrigued him now was reaching the upper levels of the Spirit Realm—a place said to have been untouched for a hundred thousand years. Even if he was three days late, there would still be plenty to claim. Besides, he was now strong enough to fight a mid-stage War God–rank expert head-on. Why would he worry about coming away empty-handed? In fact, Micah's earlier idea of robbery wasn't so bad at all.
Whoosh!
Just as Ethan was idly wondering how to make robbery entertaining, the Amethyst Plume Serpent lunged. Its mouth gaped wide—wide enough to swallow him whole. Two fangs, one on the upper jaw and one on the lower, glistened with translucent venom that dripped to the ground. The liquid hissed as it hit the earth, the sound alone sharp enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
"… Heavy Strike!"
Ethan threw himself into a perfect iron bridge, arching backward until his shoulders brushed the ground, and then kicked upward with one leg.
Thud!
The kick landed with crushing force. The serpent's lower jaw snapped up into its upper jaw with a loud crack, and the momentum carried its entire head skyward like a violet-gold blur. Its long body whipped in the air, streamers of light trailing behind, before the creature reached its apex and plummeted back down.
Ethan didn't even spare it a glance. He moved straight to the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Plumevine. Uncle Jed's instructions rang in his mind: when harvesting a Plumevine, you had to dig at least half a foot into the soil to take its root with it. Pulling it from the surface would ruin much of its medicinal potency.
He brushed the soil away with care, digging a full foot deep, and finally eased the Plumevine free, leaving a little dirt clinging to its pale roots. A portion of the root still remained underground, but Ethan left it deliberately—hoping it would grow again for some future adventurer to discover.
Thump!
The serpent's entire body crashed to the ground. It looked perfectly intact, its scales shining with violet-gold luster… yet its body was limp and unmoving.
Micah stared, wide-eyed. From the moment Ethan charged to the moment he harvested the Plumevine—including the entire battle—it had taken less than thirty seconds. The Amethyst Plume Serpent, the magical beast famed for its near-impervious hide, was down after a single kick. And Ethan hadn't even broken a sweat.
The serpent's hide was said to shrug off blades, fire, and even heavy blows. Yet here it was, motionless.
Micah crept closer, poking it with his chipped blade. No reaction. He pressed harder and realized with a start that the serpent felt like a taut balloon—everything inside seemed to have turned to mush. Even its jaw, the part Ethan had kicked, showed no visible marks.
"This thing's skin is ridiculous," Ethan muttered as he strolled over, tucking the Plumevine safely away. "Everything inside is paste, and the hide isn't even scratched."
Before Micah could respond, Ethan casually snatched his large blade and brought it down on the serpent's head. A Tier 4 magical beast core was worth collecting—after all, his Fire-Eyed Toad core had been rated as a valuable Gem by the system.
Clang! Crack!
The blade struck with a metallic ring… and snapped in half. The serpent's scales bore only a faint white scuff.
"What a piece of junk," Ethan said, tossing the broken blade back to Micah.
Micah caught the pieces, speechless. "Brother, that's an Amethyst Plume Serpent! Its skin can be made into armor that ignores anything short of an artifact!"
He didn't dare voice the rest of his thoughts: 'You just hacked at it with a broken blade and then blamed the blade?'
Ethan wasn't too bothered. His Analysis had failed, so he hadn't realized just how absurdly tough this thing was. "That so?" His eyes lit up. "If I can turn its skin into clothing, it'd be better than any bulletproof armor."
With a casual wave, he stored the serpent's entire body in his spatial storage. He'd figure out how to process it later.
Micah, on the other hand, had gained nothing. Yet he wasn't entirely upset. He hadn't done a thing and had still eaten a meal. If this terrifying man was willing to share some food and drink, he could just hide somewhere until the Spirit Realm closed and he was teleported out safely.
"Brother," he said carefully, "since you took everything, could you maybe… give me a little more food and water?"
Ethan smirked. "What, you're giving up already? Not going to check out the higher levels?"
Micah hesitated, then shook his head. "Forget it. I'm just an unaffiliated practitioner trying my luck. And I'm a Rune Weaver—without proper rune-drawing materials, we're barely stronger than normal people. I'd rather hide and wait for the Realm to close than die for nothing."
His expression darkened. He'd probably lost more than he'd gained this trip. No treasures, and his savings gone.
Ethan tilted his head. What the hell's a Rune Weaver? Like Ryan? He didn't ask out loud. Instead, he chuckled. "You've got guts, I'll give you that—trying to rob someone after losing all your life-saving gear."
Micah let out a long breath, finally saying, "I'm at Transcendent rank, alright? When I sensed your aura, I thought you were only Sovereign rank. I figured I could scare you and take some loot. Who knew… you're a complete freak. Do you know how hard my life is?"
"Oh? You can see my Energy level?" Ethan asked, curious. He'd never met anyone who could identify his rank. He didn't even know it himself.
Micah immediately froze, realizing he'd said too much. No amount of prodding—or even Ethan hefting his staff meaningfully—could make him explain further. He clammed up, ready to die before revealing his secret.
"Fine," Ethan said at last. "Since we've teamed up this far, let's see it through. Take me to the next layer. Anything we find, we split fifty-fifty."
He still had no idea how to reach the higher levels. After three days, he was probably the only outsider left on this first floor. The rest were all Sea of Death natives. If the real treasures were up above, he might as well leave this level to the others. And as for Baleron—if that guy survived the trial, Ethan could deal with him afterward.