The Snake God with SSS Rank Evolution System

The morning sun rose over Myrta, casting pale gold light across the damaged rooftops. Despite the destruction from the night before, the streets were already alive with movement. People were clearing rubble, hauling stones, and rebuilding what they could. The city had survived worse.

Adam walked down the main road with Alice on one side and Azrynn on the other. The morning air was cool, but the warmth from the sun hinted at a long day ahead.

Alice stretched her arms above her head, her tail curling lazily behind her.

"Haaah... my body feels better than before."

Adam glanced at her. "How can that be? You were in pretty bad shape yesterday. If I hadn’t had Ouroboros blood, you’d probably be paralyzed right now."

Alice scoffed and crossed her arms. "Of course it’s because I’m amazing. Injuries like that don’t mean anything to me."

Adam shook his head with a faint smile. "Sure, sure."

Azrynn walked a little behind them, her hands resting behind her back. She looked toward Adam and spoke quietly.

"Thank you for healing me, Adam."

Adam glanced back at her. "Yeah, well... it’s my fault you both got hurt while I was gone. If I’d been there, none of that would’ve happened."

Alice stopped walking and turned toward him. Her violet eyes narrowed.

"Hey."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Alice jabbed a finger into his chest.

"I’m not some weak woman who needs you to protect her all the time, Adam. Get that through your head."

Adam blinked, slightly caught off guard by her tone.

"I didn’t say—"

"Shut up, Adam. I can do things on my own even without you. So don’t pamper me."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "I never pampered you. You’re the one who usually wants to be pampered."

Alice’s cheeks flushed. She turned her face away sharply, her tail flicking once behind her.

"Anyway, don’t think like that! Because we don’t know our luck either."

Azrynn smiled softly from behind them. "He’s right, Adam. Even though we were badly injured, we can still protect each other."

Alice turned toward her, eyes lighting up. "Exactly, Az! We really are a good team." She grabbed Azrynn’s arm and started walking faster. "Come on, we need to hurry and pick up your arrows from that blacksmith."

Adam sighed and shook his head, but a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Good grief... seems like my worrying was for nothing..."

Azrynn glanced back over her shoulder. Her expression was gentle.

"No. It means you care about us a lot, Adam."

Adam met her gaze for a moment. Then he let out a quiet breath and kept walking.

"...Yeah. Maybe you’re right."

Alice glanced around as they walked. "By the way, where’s Ignis? When I woke up, she was suddenly gone. She usually wakes me up really rudely."

Azrynn answered from beside her. "Ignis is at the Dream Grave dungeon right now. I wanted to come along, but she refused and said she wanted to go alone."

Adam kept his gaze forward. "Maybe Ignis needs some time to herself. So let’s give her space."

Alice frowned. "If she gets hurt again, I’m going to scold her."

They reached the blacksmith’s workshop. Adam pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The heat hit them first. The forge burned bright, filling the small space with orange light and the sharp ring of metal on metal. Hilt stood near the anvil, a tank top clinging to her sweat-soaked skin. The fabric was cut low, revealing the lean muscle of her shoulders and the curve of her chest. Sweat dripped down her neck as she brought the hammer down again and again, her short hair tied back in a messy tail.

Adam’s gaze lingered for just a moment.

Then he felt it. A sharp stare boring into the side of his head.

Adam looked away immediately.

Hilt didn’t stop hammering. She spoke without turning around.

"I told you. Three days."

Adam cleared his throat. "It’s been three days."

Hilt paused mid-swing. She glanced over her shoulder, wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

"...So it has."

Hilt set the hammer down and looked at Adam. She wiped her hands on her apron and spoke in a low, steady voice.

"There were a lot of fireworks outside yesterday."

Adam shrugged. "Yeah... I don’t really know either. Maybe there was some kind of celebration."

Hilt crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "I heard from people that you were the ones who took care of the problem." She paused, then added, "As a citizen of Myrta, I’m grateful. Especially to you, for going after that noble."

Alice perked up immediately. "Of course! Since we helped, you should give us a discount."

Hilt shook her head. "That’s not possible. We already agreed on a price from the start."

She reached for a towel and wiped the sweat from her neck. The cloth moved slowly across her collarbone, then down her chest, pressing against the fabric of her tank top.

Adam’s gaze lingered.

Hilt noticed. Her hand froze mid-motion. She yanked the towel up, covering her chest, her cheeks flushing red.

Alice’s fingers found Adam’s side and pinched hard.

Adam flinched and looked away immediately.

"Ow!"

Azrynn stepped forward before the silence could stretch too long.

"It’s fine. The important thing is that the arrows are done." She looked at Hilt with a calm, polite expression. "May I see them?"

Hilt’s blush faded slowly. She cleared her throat and nodded.

"Yeah. One second."

She turned toward the back of the workshop, still holding the towel against her chest with one hand.

The sound of metal clinking and drawers opening echoed from behind the curtain. A moment later, she returned with a long bundle wrapped in dark cloth, held carefully in both hands.

She set it on the counter and unwrapped it.

Inside were six arrows. Each one was sleek and perfectly balanced, the shafts carved with faint enhancement that pulsed with a soft white light. The arrowheads gleamed like polished obsidian, sharp enough to cut the air itself.

Azrynn’s eyes widened. She reached out, then stopped herself.

"May I?"

Hilt nodded. "Go ahead."

Azrynn picked one up carefully and turned it in her fingers. The patterns along the shaft responded to her touch, glowing slightly brighter. She ran her thumb along the fletching, then tested the weight.

"They’re perfect," she said quietly. "Better than I expected."

Hilt crossed her arms, the towel now draped over her shoulder. "Of course they are. I don’t do half-finished work."

Alice folded her arms and glanced at Hilt.

"Don’t forget about my dagger too."

Hilt kept her eyes on the anvil, one hand already reaching for the next tool. "Ah... That one? I forgot."

"Hey!" Alice’s tail snapped behind her.

"Relax," Hilt said, raising a hand. "I’m still working on it. The materials don’t exactly get along, so it’s been a pain to forge. Just wait a little longer."

Adam glanced at Hilt. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Hilt shook her head. "It just needs to be adjusted so the two properties fuse better. I’m already on it. Just needs the finishing touches."

Alice let out a breath. "I thought you actually forgot. I was about to destroy this shop."

Hilt winced. "Please don’t. I already lost it once. I don’t want to go through that trauma again."

Hilt turned back to the counter and tapped one of the arrows. "Oh, right. I added an enchantment to these. They’ll return on their own after being fired, so you won’t have to run around collecting them."

Azrynn’s eyes lit up. "That’s incredibly helpful."

Adam picked one up and turned it in his fingers, watching the patterns pulse along the shaft.

"Impressive," he murmured. "I’m a little jealous."

Alice stared at Adam with a strange look.

"You can’t even use a bow, Adam."

Adam kept turning the arrow in his fingers, watching the light ripple along its shaft.

"I just want to see it fly back to me after it sticks in someone’s head. Does it bring the body with it, or does the arrow pull itself free? That’s what I’m curious about."

Hilt’s face went pale. She took a small step back from the counter.

"What exactly is going on in your head?" she said, her voice careful. "It absolutely cannot do that."

Adam shrugged and set the arrow back down on the counter.

"Just a thought."

Hilt exhaled slowly, visibly relieved that Adam wasn’t going to test his theory on anyone. She wiped her hands on her apron and turned back toward the forge.

"Anyway. The arrows are done. Your dagger needs another day. Come back tomorrow and it’ll be ready."

Azrynn carefully tucked the wrapped arrows under her arm, handling them like they were made of glass.

"We can’t afford to wait until tomorrow. If it isn’t ready by then, we’ll have no choice but to leave without it."

Alice nodded, crossing her arms.

"She’s right. So it has to be done now. Can’t you finish it today?"

Hilt rubbed the back of her neck, thinking.

"Hmmm... so that’s the situation."

She looked at the three of them, then nodded slowly.

"If that’s the case, why don’t you help me speed it up?"