The forest was eerily quiet as we moved deeper into its thick heart.
The trees stood tall and dark, their twisted branches reaching for the sky. As I observed the surroundings, I couldn't shake the feeling that this place was artificial. The trees seemed intentionally crafted this way.
The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and decaying leaves, a reminder that this place was ancient, untouched by time.
We had only been sprinting for a few minutes, but at our speed, we had already covered a great distance. The thick carpet of fallen leaves muffled our footsteps—then I felt it.
A faint, almost imperceptible tremor in the ground. It was subtle, but it was there, like something massive moving just beneath the earth, something that could shatter the ground with a single step.
"Do you feel that?" Steve's voice broke the silence, low and cautious.
I nodded and pulled out my staff from the miniature storage space.
Steve looked at me surprised and I winked at him.
The air around us seemed to thrum with tension, as though the entire forest was aware of something coming. "Stay alert," I muttered, eyes scanning the surrounding trees. "We're getting close."
My perception locked onto the clearing ahead.
We continued forward, our pace quickening, the feeling of being watched growing stronger.
It wasn't long before we reached the clearing that had caught my attention.
The trees had parted, giving way to a small, rocky outcrop where the soil was cracked and uneven, as if something had disturbed it not long ago.
The scent of sulfur hung in the air, and I could hear a faint, hissing noise coming from ahead.
I held up a hand, signaling Steve to stop.
He crouched beside me, his eyes narrowed as he looked into the clearing.
There, scattered across the clearing, was a series of wide holes burrowed into the ground, each one large enough to swallow multiple people whole.
It was a nest, not just of one, but many.
Bones, shredded carcasses, and snapped bodies of other Abominations lay strewn around the area, half-buried in cracked soil. The earth itself seemed broken, as if trampled and torn by something massive.
I focused, letting my perception expand.
Through the faint traces of movement and the shifting of earth, I could see them—dark, heavy bodies coiled deep within the pits. Their scales shimmered like black stone, catching the dim forest light as they stirred.
I scanned the biggest one I found.
[Black Tooth Serpent - Level 95]
I grinned and whispered to Steve. "Let me flush them out."
I focused my will, and the Essence in the area began to stir.
Slowly at first like ripples in still water then stronger, deeper, heavier. I pulled more of it in, gathering it above the center of the nest. The air grew thick as the invisible energy swirled together, pressure building with each second.
I pushed harder, forcing the Essence to obey.
The gathered energy shivered, and with a sharp boom, it erupted into a massive wave of water. I twisted my hands, spinning the wave midair until it spiraled like a crashing whirlpool, then hurled it down.
The impact was brutal. The water slammed into the holes with a roar, flooding the pits in a violent surge.
Mud and shattered bones flew into the air as the water carved through the cracked earth.
Then came the sound—hissing. Sharp, angry, rising from all around.
They were awake.
One by one, the serpents burst from their holes, soaked and furious. Their black scales glistened in the light. They slithered out in every direction, their long bodies coiling across the clearing like streams of living shadow.
I didn't waste time.
My eyes scanned the chaos, and then I saw them—the three largest of the group.
Level 95, Level 93 and Level 89.
They dwarfed the others, their bodies thicker, their presence heavier. They didn't rush like the smaller ones.
They rose slowly, as if they knew no one here could challenge them.
The biggest of the three remained coiled in the heart of the nest.
Its scales were a deep, matte black, almost absorbing the light around it. Its size was staggering with fangs that glowed with an eerie, venomous green light. Its breath was slow, steady, but I could feel the air around it crackling with an ominous energy.
The other two were smaller, but still dangerous in their own right. One was just shy of twenty feet long, its body sleek and powerful, its eyes glowing a dull yellow as it flicked its tongue in the air. The other was slightly smaller, only fifteen feet long, its body thinner and quicker, but no less deadly.
There were six more serpents.
I said to Steve, keeping my voice low. "I'll take the big ones. You handle the smaller ones."
Steve nodded without hesitation. "Got it."
I gave Steve a small grin and stepped forward, my staff steady in my grip.
The nest ahead stirred with movement. The three massive serpents began slithering forward, their thick black scales glistening with moisture, their eyes glowing faintly with malice.
I exhaled.
Essence surged.
With a thought, I redirected the flow through my channels, concentrating it into my legs and arms.
Wind responded first, swirling around my frame. The forest leaves trembled. My staff pulsed once, a subtle hum running through the metal as it adapted to the change.
I slammed my foot into the earth and launched myself upward, high over the weakest of the three. Level 89.
While in midair, I shifted the Essence again, this time toward fire. My arms lit up, crimson veins glowing across its length. I spun the staff once behind my back and then drove it down like a meteor.
The fire exploded on impact.
Boom.
The serpent's head slammed into the dirt with a screeching hiss, flames trailing up the side of its face. The beast reeled back, roaring in pain as scorched scales peeled from its snout.
I dropped beside it before it could recover, Essence shifting back into raw strength. With both hands gripping the base of my staff, I brought it up in a wide arc, aiming directly under its jaw.
The blow connected with a deafening crack, lifting the serpent's head and snapping its neck.
And just a second later its upper half exploded in blood and pieces.
The first one collapsed, its body twitching violently, then falling still.
I heard multiple notifications.
The second serpent didn't wait.
It struck in a blur, faster than its bulk should have allowed. I dropped low, sliding under its fangs as the snake's body slammed into the ground behind me, carving a groove into the earth.
I commanded and Essence shifted into ice. The temperature around me dropped sharply as frost danced along the shaft of my weapon. I stood just as the serpent coiled to strike again and jabbed the frozen staff into its throat.
A jagged pillar of ice burst out the other side.
The snake shrieked, flailing violently, slamming into the ground as blood and frost sprayed from its ruptured neck.
I stepped in, yanked the staff free, and twisted my wrist.
The ice melted and reformed, this time as a single sharp spike that extended from the tip like a lance. I thrust it into the beast's open eye, piercing its brain. It went limp immediately, collapsing in a thundering heap beside its fallen kin.
Two down.
The third, largest and strongest, finally moved.