Chapter 43 – A Practical Lesson
Zane had to fight the serpent using only his physical strength—no mana, no weapons.
He narrowed his eyes at the creature, analyzing its stats through the system interface.
"Its Strength and Health Bar are weak... too weak. A regular slap could probably take it down. The problem is its Agility. That’ll be the real challenge."
The serpent, having failed its usual sneak tactics, was now in a wary standoff. Its three heads flicked their forked tongues through the air, tasting the environment, calculating its prey. It had expected an easy meal. Instead, it found a calm, confident opponent.
Zane couldn’t wait any longer. He approached the twin banyan trees where the creature had hidden itself. As he closed in, the middle head struck like a coiled spring—its long neck launching the skull like a javelin.
Zane dodged by instinct, the attack grazing the air beside him.
Lethal. If that had hit...
The serpent hissed in irritation. It slithered with impossible speed, all three heads weaving in different directions, trying to overwhelm Zane’s defenses with misdirection.
Zane ducked, flipped, twisted away from each strike—his weighted body still moving with deceptive grace.
When he finally punched out at the middle head, the serpent dodged again, its sinuous form weaving through the air.
I need to do something about its speed... he thought.