The forest was unnaturally silent, a heavy darkness pressing down from all sides. As Rora Starsea walked through it, the only sound she could hear was that of her own footsteps crunching against the ground.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected had happened along the way—until she reached for her wristband, intending to summon her hovercar.The moment her fingers brushed against it, her instincts screamed. She dropped to the ground and rolled aside.
A massive serpent's head slammed down where she had been standing, stopping just short of the ground before rising again, scales rippling as it lifted itself high—three meters tall at least, its girth too thick for even two arms to encircle.
Cold, slit-pupiled eyes fixed on her, unblinking. Its enormous body dragged across the earth, making a grinding, weighty sound that echoed through the silence like a blade across stone.
Only then did Rora understand why the forest had been so eerily quiet.With a monster like this stalking her, no creature dared make a sound. Its very presence radiated a suffocating aura of dominance that had driven everything else into terrified stillness.
The beam from her wristband light swept across its scales—gleaming black and green—and revealed a creature easily ten meters long. The thickness of its body rivaled her thigh. When she glanced beyond it, the rest of its length disappeared into the darkness; even the tail was nowhere in sight.
Rora's eyelids twitched.At that size, it could swallow her whole.
The thought of "avoiding conflict" vanished instantly. The python's eyes were filled not with curiosity but with killing intent—nothing like the probing, uncertain stare of the smaller black snake she'd faced before.
"Hssaaa—"
The python struck. Its jaws gaped wide, fangs glinting, and it lunged straight for her head.
Rora swung the iron rod with all her strength, aiming directly for its skull.
Clang!
The sound that rang out wasn't flesh meeting metal—it was metal striking metal.Her iron rod bent outward where it hit, the force rebounding painfully up her arms. The python's head hadn't even dented.
The creature tilted its head slightly, then lunged again. Its jaws clamped down on the rod. With a savage twist, it yanked hard.Rora's hands instinctively released their grip, and the serpent's enormous upper body crashed against the ground with a thunderous thud. The rod flew from its mouth, landing somewhere unseen in the dark.
Without hesitating, Rora summoned her hovercar and leapt onto it, speeding off in the opposite direction.
Behind her came a furious hiss—a low, guttural sound that vibrated through the air. The python surged after her, its massive body slicing through the forest floor like a living river of muscle and scales. Despite its bulk, it moved frighteningly fast, and in the blink of an eye it was upon her again.
The creature's head reared back, then shot forward like a spear, fangs gleaming as it aimed for her back.
Feeling the killing intent rush up behind her, Rora twisted the hovercar's controls sharply, veering just in time to dodge the strike.
But she knew she couldn't keep this up for long. The serpent was too fast—it would catch her eventually.Her gaze flicked across the dark terrain and landed on a mound of metal debris not far ahead, its surface bristling with iron rods and steel fragments. Her eyes lit up.
She turned sharply and sped toward it.
The python lunged again but struck only empty air. Enraged, it let out a deafening hiss and surged after her, its entire body crashing forward in pursuit.
At the base of the scrap heap, Rora leapt from the hovercar, dismissed it back into her wristband, and dove into a sliding roll, barely evading the python's crashing body. Without pausing, she scrambled up the mountain of twisted metal.
The python, momentarily dazed by its own impact, flicked its tongue and followed, its massive form coiling and slithering upward.
Rora grabbed at exposed metal rods, climbing rapidly but never in a straight line—she darted and wove through the debris, leading the creature in tight circles.
No one knew how long the deadly chase lasted.When Rora finally reached the top, chest heaving, she turned to see the serpent below her, its mouth yawning wide, fangs bared.
With another furious hiss, it lunged upward—only to jerk violently backward.
Its body had tangled itself among the countless iron rods during the pursuit. The more it struggled, the tighter it became ensnared, until it could no longer move at all.
Rora Starsea pulled another iron rod from her wristband and began hammering it against the python's head—clang, clang, clang.
"Why are you chasing me?" she shouted.
The python's eyes burned with fury, its hissing growing louder and sharper.You killed my mate. I will avenge her!
Somehow, Rora understood its words.
"Your mate? When did I ever—" She stopped mid-sentence, realization dawning on her. The black-scaled serpent whose head she'd smashed earlier… oh.That was awkward.
The python glared at her with a gaze full of hatred and grief, completely unaware that the human before it could understand its speech.
Rora averted her eyes, guilt creeping up her chest. "It was your mate who attacked me first. I was just defending myself!"Saying that made her sound much more justified.
The python's pupils narrowed, shimmering with sorrow. Hissss… where's my mate? Did you eat her?
Rora sighed. "No."
She reached into her wristband again and took out the cloth bag containing the black-scaled snake. Opening it, she shook the contents gently onto the ground.
The python slithered closer, lowering its massive head. Two tears rolled down its scaled face."Wuuu… my love!"
Rora's guilt deepened. At the time, she had only been fighting for her life—she never expected things to go this far.
Just then, Starling awoke from her dormant state and fluttered to Rora's side. In a few moments, she learned everything that had happened.
"Star Mistress," Starling said, "this black-scaled serpent isn't truly dead. A single drop of your blood can bring her back."
The mourning python froze for a heartbeat, then turned its teary eyes toward Rora. Its vertical pupils were full of pleading desperation.
"Alright, alright! Don't look at me like that—I'll do it!"
Rora drew a dagger from her wristband and sliced her fingertip lightly. The sharp sting made her wince, and a bead of dark red blood welled up from the cut.
She flicked her finger, and the drop of blood arced through the air, landing squarely on the black serpent's severed neck.
In the next instant, the supposedly dead snake convulsed. The mangled flesh began knitting together; within seconds, a brand-new head sprouted where the old one had been.
The black-scaled snake's eyes snapped open. With a violent hiss, it sprang from the ground—fangs bared, venom spraying straight toward Rora's face.
Rora's reflexes were sharp. Her right hand shot out, gripping the snake tightly at seven inches below its head, while her left arm raised to block.
A sizzling sound followed—the sleeve of her shirt melted into holes as white smoke rose. The exposed skin burned with searing pain where drops of venom had splattered.
Anger flared in Rora's chest. Her black-and-white eyes narrowed sharply, turning into golden vertical pupils.A wave of pressure burst from her body—wild, primal, commanding.
The black-scaled snake instantly went limp in her grasp, trembling. The crushing aura robbed it of strength; it hung there, paralyzed with fear.
The python, halfway forward to help, froze as well. The human's golden pupils radiated an authority that pierced deep into his instincts. His massive head lowered against his will, eyes full of submission.In that moment, he knew—the being before him was born to stand above him. Resistance was not an option.
Smack—
Rora Starsea released her grip. The limp black-scaled serpent dropped to the ground with a dull thud, motionless—like a dead snake once again.
"Hisss~ My Lady, please don't be angry!" The python lowered its head anxiously, its voice trembling. "My wife just woke up—she was startled and confused, not attacking you on purpose!" He watched Rora's expression nervously, terrified that one wrong look would cost his wife her freshly regrown head.
Rora lifted her arm and examined it. To her surprise, the skin where the venom had splashed showed no signs of swelling or rot. Her sleeve was tattered, but the burning pain had completely vanished.
"I know," she replied casually.
She could tell the python wasn't lying. There had been no malice from the black-scaled snake—only panic and fear.
Seeing that Rora wasn't about to strike again, the python slithered closer, gently scooping his mate into his mouth and swinging her onto his broad back. The black-scaled serpent flopped down weakly, settling there without a sound.
"Alright then," Rora said, brushing the dust from her hands. "Your wife's fine now. You can go."
But the python didn't move. Something deep inside him screamed don't leave. If he did, he would regret it for the rest of his life.Instinct whispered another truth: follow this human.
It was that same instinct that had saved him countless times before, and he trusted it completely. This human was powerful—following her wouldn't be shameful at all.
"Hisss~ My Lady," the python said earnestly, "may we stay with you? If we're here, no one will ever harm you!"
Rora arched a brow. "You want to follow me?"
"Yes, My Lady!" The python bowed his head low, voice humble. "You saved my wife's life. We wish to repay that debt!"He didn't dare meet those golden eyes, fearing she might see right through the thoughts he was trying to hide.
Rora was about to refuse when she remembered the massive project she'd soon have to begin. Her gaze lingered on the python's thick, muscular body—such an enormous labor force. Letting that go to waste would be… inefficient.
"You may stay," she said at last. "But neither you nor your wife may harm humans. However, if anyone provokes you first—or if outsiders threaten us—you're free to act as you see fit."
"Yes, My Lady!"
As they spoke, the black-scaled serpent, who had been lying limp like a corpse, began to stir. After two near-death experiences, her fiery temper had cooled significantly. When her gaze met Rora's golden pupils, she froze, then obediently lay flat on her mate's back, not daring to move.
Rora glanced up at the darkened sky. Night had completely fallen. After helping the python remove the remaining metal rods from his body, she was about to lead them away when a rough, hoarse voice echoed through the air—
"Wait… LX045, Level 0 Star Mistress."