Rocky took a deep breath as he stepped onto the hardest trail, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.


    ''I''m scared'' he admitted to himself candidly, as he tried to get a grip on his nerves and stop his hands from trembling.


    Every rational part of him screamed for him to turn back, but the system notification had left him no choice.


    He nced back at Epita onest time, who watched him walk down the hardest trail with a mix of concern and resignation, before refocusing on the path ahead.


    The forest around him felt dark and foreboding, with ancient trees looming overhead, their twisted branches casting eerie shadows that danced in the faint light filtering through the dense canopy.


    Most of the trees and life forms around him were very different and foreign to the life forms he was used to, which added ayer of unfamiliarity to his surroundings, making him feel even more anxious than he already was.


    His surroundings were eerily silent, almost oppressively so, as unlike the forests of Earth, where the chatter of wildlife and insects was a constantpanion, here, it felt as if the forest itself held its breath.


    *Crunch*


    *Crunch*


    The sound of Rocky''s footsteps, while mostly muffled by the thickyer of leaves on the ground, was still audible as a faint rustle as he cautiously moved forward.


    Every few seconds he felt a strong urge to abandon caution and start sprinting down the trail as if trying to speed-run his way through this mess, however, he held back the urge and walked extremely slowly and with caution.


    Every sense in his body was on high alert, every nerve in his body taut with anxiety, as he constantly scanned his surroundings for any sign of movement, aware that danger could strike from any direction.


    The air around him felt thick with tension, and his paranoia for the safety of his life, made him perceive every shadow cast by a tree branch as a potential threat.


    Every Time he saw a tree branch shadow looking like a figure whose shape he recognised, he felt his heart undergo a scare as his grip on his swords automatically tightened.


    Every second that passed, he could feel the weight of the forest pressing down on him a little more, as it almost felt like a palpable presence that made his skin prickle with unease.


    With his excellent eyes after his racial enhancement, and his superior sense detection after his time in the snakeman chamber, Rocky was confident in his ability to detect danger before it struck, however, unbeknownst to him, a massive tier-4 pythonid hidden among the trees a few meters in front of him, with its scales perfectly camouged against the bark.


    The snake watched him with cold, calcting eyes, waiting for the perfect moment to strike as it had been drawn by the unusual disturbance in its territory.


    As Rocky continued his cautious advance, unaware of the danger lurking just a few feet away. His mind raced with thoughts of potential threats, but he failed to notice the slight shifting of leaves that betrayed the python''s presence.


    This particr snake was a ''Hypnosis Python'' a clever beast that lured its prey using hypnosis magic, before slowly wrapping its body around them and crushing them with their strong muscles.


    It was a beast that Rocky had studied about in the university, however, having failed to detect it, once Rocky came within a ten meter range of the beast, he still started to be affected by its hypnosis magic.


    Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation, as if his mind was growing fuzzy and although he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, the feeling persisted.


    ''What''s happening to me?'' he wondered, as he began hearing a soft, almost imperceptible hissing sound reach his ears as he realized with a jolt of fear that he was not alone.


    The python had begun to weave its hypnosis magic, its yellow eyes glowing with an unnatural light as it focused its power on Rocky.


    Hallucinating, Rocky saw thousands of yellow eyes all around him, as the start of the hypnosis magic had already rendered his sense of sight useless.


    Panic surged through him as he struggled to maintain his focus. His vision blurred, and he felt his limbs growing heavy, his movements growing sluggish and uncoordinated.


    The python, thinking that it had sessfully confused its prey, slithered closer, its massive body coiling around a tree trunk as it prepared to strike.


    ''It''s a hypnosis python, I''ve already been affected by the first stage of its hypnosis and my eyes have be useless.


    ording to the monster booklet, the beast itself is not powerful and is very slow and bulky with a limited range of movement.


    It hunts using its camouge and hypnosis abilities, so as long as I can dodge it''s first strike and decapitate it, I have a shot at living'' Rocky thought calmly, as he closed his eyes and tried to rely on his other senses.


    Rocky knew he had only moments to act before the hypnosis took full effect, rendering him helpless, as while it was only his vision that had been affected for now, soon his other senses would face the same consequences as he would lose his sense of hearing, smell and touch soon.


    With a supreme effort, he forced himself to concentrate, drawing on every ounce of willpower he possessed as he focused on the sensation of his swords in his hands, the familiar weight grounding him in reality.


    Summoning his strength, he shed wildly at the air, hoping to break the python''s concentration, as he unleashed a series of [ Sword sh ].


    At first, Rocky''s attacks missed their mark, however, focusing on the source of the hissing sound, Rocky soon turned towards the real direction of the python, with his shes inching closer and closer to the beast.


    The python hesitated, its grip on Rocky''s mind momentarily weakening, as sensing an opening, Rocky opened his eyes to spot the enemy and lunged forward, his des slicing through the air towards the enemy.


    —-----


    /// A/N - Privilege Update Chapter 4 Of 5, Hope you enjoy it ///