<h4>Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Hunting Scaled Forest Vipers</h4>
The seven-foot-tall woman, who called herself the host of the ss selection, watched Damian disappear with an indifferent expression that slowly shifted into one of bewilderment.
"Wait, did he just choose the Hell difficulty?" the woman muttered.
"This man... does he have a death wish? Didn''t I make it clear that it''s impossible to clear Hell difficulty?"
She shook her head dismissively.
Then her red eyes glowed faintly as the system instantly sent all the information about Damian directly to her mind.
"True Magic Swordsman? A perfected version of the Magic Swordsman ss, huh? The system wouldn''t grant such a special ss unless he truly deserved it... But even with this ss, I don''t think he can survive this trial."
A strange expression appeared on her face as she continued reading through all the information.
Her eyes eventuallynded on a particr talent he possessed.
"The World Tree''s Blessing?"
"It couldn''t be... could it?" Her eyes widened in astonishment.
"I need to keep a close watch on this man. System, put this man on the top priority watch list."
<strong>[Order received.]</strong>
<strong>[Moving the profile of the Awakener ''Damian Ignatius'' to the high-priority Watch List.]</strong>
"Keep me updated on everything he does from now on... well, if he manages to survive the Hell mode trials."
<strong>[As you wish, Administrator.]</strong>
...
Damian felt his vision blur for a moment before finding himself standing in the middle of a dense forest.
<strong>[You have entered the first floor of the Tower of Evolution, The Lair of the Scaled Vipers.]</strong>
<strong>[1st Trial Condition: Hunt down the Scaled Forest Viper King.]</strong>
Damian read the notification and sighed. "Scaled vipers? Snakes? I have to hunt down snakes in this dense forest?"
As someone who relied on speed and agility to eliminate his targets, fighting in such a restrictive environment would significantly hinder his movements.
Moreover, he had no prior experience battling in a setting like this.
He looked around, taking in his surroundings.
All he could see were trees, bushes, and nts, some of which were entirely unfamiliar to him.
"I''ve also awakened another talent and ability, haven''t I?"
<strong>[Innate Ability: Eye of rity]</strong>
<strong>[Effects:</strong>
<i>-Grants the ability to perceive the flow of energy.</i>
<i>-Reveals the ''truth'' of the world.</i>
<i>-Increases visualprehension by 30%.</i>
<i>-Significantly enhances eyesight.</i>
<i>-Provides perfect vision, even inplete darkness.</i>
<i>-Passively boosts mental acuity and perception by a small margin.]</i>
As Damian activated his new ability, his eyes began to glow with a faint neon blue hue.
<strong>[Eye of rity: Innate Ability Activated]</strong>
The world around him transformed, as if painted in shades of blue.
He could discern the flow of different types of energy, like the wind currents weaving through the forest.
Not far from where he stood, he spotted a presence radiating energy from a sphere inside its body.
Deactivating the ability, Damian unsheathed his<i> [Monster yer]</i> sword and headed toward the location of the presence.
When he arrived, he finally saw the creature up close.
"This thing is at least 50 feet long... Do I seriously have to fight this?"
The creature was a massive python-like snake, its body as thick as a small car.
Its long fangs jutted out menacingly, and its scaled body shimmered in the dim light.
The snake''s narrow, vertical slit eyes locked onto Damian, hissing threateningly.
<strong>-----</strong>
<strong>[Name: Scaled Forest Viper]</strong>
<strong>[Level: 55]</strong>
<strong>-----</strong>
Damian nced at his own stats.
-----
[Level: 20]
[Strength: 47 ║ Agility: 57 ║ Vitality: 47 ║
Stamina: 57 ║ Perception: 57 ║ Mana: 120 ║
Qi: 0 ]
{Stat Points: 12}
-----
After regressing to level 20 temporarily, his stats had decreased, though the points gained from cultivation and free stat allocation remained intact.
<i>"From level 33 to level 20... Each of my stats got reduced by 13 points."</i> Damian''s eyes locked with the viper''s.
As soon as he made the slightest movement, the viper opened its massive mouth and let out a loud hiss, its colossal body swaying before it lunged at him with astonishing speed.
Wasting no time, Damian leaped into the air to meet the attack head-on.
Holding his sword with both hands, he aimed a powerful sh at the creature''s mouth.
<strong>CLANK!</strong>
The sound of metal striking metal echoed as Damian felt like he had just hit a steel wall.
The viper''s massive body crashed into him, flinging him backward and mming him into a tree, which shattered upon impact.
"Damn, its scales are too strong... even tougher than the gue Silk Spiders''," Damian muttered, his eyes wide with concern.
Landing on the forest floor, he steadied himself and stared at the snake. "Shit, These trees are getting in my way... Let''s try this."
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
His sword erupted in mes as he poured his energy into it.
nting his foot firmly on a tree branch, Damianunched himself at the viper like a zing projectile.
Moving faster than he ever had before, Damian outpaced the viper''s reactions.
Though it tried to snap at him, its massive head was too slow.
Sliding under its gaping maw, Damian drove his ming sword into the soft underside of its neck.
"Haaah!" he yelled, using all his strength to drag the de through the viper''s flesh.
The scales finally gave way, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
The snake writhed in agony, its enormous body thrashing wildly.
Damian pulled his sword free and leaped into the air,nding with a powerful downward sh that severed through the scales and struck deep into the creature''s body.
Fresh, cold blood spurted everywhere as the viper''s vitality drained away, its movements slowing until it finallyy still.
<strong>[Experience Gained]</strong>
Damian sighed in exhaustion. "I can''t believe it took so much effort to take down a single viper... and it''s so not worth it. I didn''t even level up. Is it because, even though I''m reverted to level 20, my true level is still 33?"
Damian activated his <i>[Eye of rity]</i> once again and quickly located three more vipers of simr size a little distance away.
Using the densely packed, tall trees as stepping stones, Damian leaped from one branch to another with ease.
Soon, he appeared before the vipers.
This time, the vipers had coiled themselves tightly around the thick branches of a tree.
For some reason, the sight made Damian uneasy, as if a hidden phobia was surfacing.
A shiver ran down his spine.
"Fuck it, I''ll burn everything!" Damian growled.
Channeling his mana, he raised his hand, and a dozen reddish-orange magic circles materialized above him.
From these circles, a barrage of long, zing me spears emerged.
Following Damian''s hand gesture, the projectiles shot toward the coiled vipers with immense force.
Damian didn''t stop there.
Without pausing to see the results of his initial attack, he repeated the spell.
Another dozen me spears materialized andunched toward the vipers.
<strong>BOOM!</strong>
What followed was an unrelenting chain of explosions.
Waves of searing heat radiated outward, engulfing the area.
Damian continued his assault without hesitation, spamming <i>[me Spear]</i> three more times.
Only when a notification appeared before his eyes did he finally stop.
<strong>[Experience Gained]</strong>
<strong>[Experience Limit Reached]</strong>
<strong>[You Have Leveled Up]</strong>
"It took three of those damn vipers just to level up once," Damian muttered with a bitter smile.
Landing gracefully beside the charred remains of the vipers, Damian extended his hand toward the corpses. "Extraction."
<strong>[Extraction: Unique Ability Activated]</strong>
The mana stored within the vipers'' source cores was rapidly drained, flowing directly into Damian''s mana core and replenishing his depleted mana pool.
"I wonder how many times I can use this method to kill these vipers," Damian mused, closing his eyes and sharpening his senses.
With his naturally high perception stat, the enhancements provided by his ss, and the passive boost from<i> [Eye of rity]</i>, Damian''s awareness reached an entirely new level.
He could feel the energy signatures of all living beings within the forest.
"10... 23... 44... 53? There are at least 53 vipers in this forest, not including the Scaled Forest Viper King," Damian murmured to himself. "It has the strongest presence among them all."
His brow furrowed as he focused on the most powerful aura. "The Viper King is at least level 80, and it''s established its territory at the far end of the forest. The other vipers are scattered everywhere else. If I want to take down the king, I''ll have to eliminate the rest of them first."
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Damian smirked faintly.
"Well then, time to spam spells."