As Haruto hid behind a crumbling stone wall, a fireball suddenly struck the giant snake—but it did nothing. The flames dispersed harmlessly off its scaled body. Haruto turned toward the direction the fireball came from.
"Where did that come from?" he muttered.
An adventurer stood boldly in the open, a wand gripped in his hand. He was tall, bulky, bald—and very confident.
"Haha! I'll crush you like an ant!" the adventurer roared.
He summoned a massive fireball and hurled it at the snake. It exploded on impact, sending shockwaves that shattered windows and rocked nearby buildings. People screamed and fled in panic as the ground trembled beneath them.
But as the smoke cleared, the adventurer's eyes widened in disbelief.
"I-Impossible... not even a scratch?"
The snake, completely unfazed, swung its massive tail. It struck the adventurer with such force that he was sent flying through the air, crashing violently into a distant mountain.
"He's dead... right?" Haruto whispered.
[50/50 chance of survival.]
Suddenly, the snake slammed its tail into the ground, creating a devastating earthquake. The earth cracked. Multiple homes crumbled. Fires erupted. Citizens screamed and scattered in every direction.
"Aaaah! What do we do?! It's too strong!"
[New Mission: Defeat the Demonic Snake] [Note: You don't need to defeat it. As long as you fight it, you'll receive the reward if someone else finishes the job.] [Reward: +10 Levels] [New Skills Unlocked:]
[Clock Stop: Freezes time globally for 5 seconds.]
[Illusion: Casts a full sensory illusion on any target.]
[2 Fruits of Recovery]
"This is a win-win! I just need to fight a bit, then run. Let's do this!"
Haruto stopped hiding and stepped into the open. The snake turned its head and spat acid toward him. He dodged it easily.
"He's powerful, but his size slows him down."
"System! Activate Virgin's Determination! And give me an iron sword!"
[Understood.] [Virgin's Determination activated. All stats doubled.]
A gleaming iron sword materialized in Haruto's hands. The snake swung its tail at him again, but he flipped over it with ease. Haruto dashed forward, moving faster than the wind. In a flash, he was at the snake's face and drove the sword deep into its eye.
The beast roared in agony, flailing wildly.
Haruto leapt back to the ground. "Let's make this a 4v1!"
"Summon!" he shouted.
A magic circle appeared, and out came Gobchi, Gobo, and Gobiro—three goblin warriors.
"Ruler, did you summon us?" Gobchi asked.
"Yeah. Distract that snake while I go in for the kill."
"Understood!" they replied in unison.
The trio dashed toward the snake. It tried to hit them, but they were too fast. Its blindness in one eye only made things worse.
"Wow, they're actually good," Haruto muttered.
He lunged forward and tried slicing the snake's thick skin—but it was like steel.
"I can't even scratch it... Gobo, attack its eyes! Gobchi, Gobiro, keep it distracted!"
They nodded and executed his orders.
"Analyze!" Haruto commanded.
[Target Analysis: Skin is extremely tough. Weak spots include the eyes and inside of the mouth.]
"Alright, I've already blinded one eye. Time for the other."
Haruto jumped and landed on the snake's face again. He stabbed the sword repeatedly into its remaining eye. Blood sprayed everywhere, coating him, but he didn't stop.
The snake went berserk. Blinded, it thrashed wildly, destroying everything around it. One of its flailing attacks headed toward a crying child.
Without hesitation, Haruto threw himself over the child, shielding him with his body. The snake's tail slammed into him and sent him crashing into a wall. His summons vanished instantly.
The child was safe, but Haruto lay on the ground, coughing up blood. Another attack was coming.
Suddenly, the snake's tail was sliced clean off. It hit the ground with a heavy thud. The snake shrieked.
Haruto looked up through bloodied eyes. A woman stood between them and the snake. She had flowing white hair, glowing red eyes, and wore a pristine white kimono.
"Are you both alright?" she asked gently.
Haruto nodded weakly.
"You did well, holding it off and protecting the child. Rest now. I'll take it from here."
She stepped forward. In the blink of an eye, the snake was cut into dozens of pieces.
But... she hadn't even moved.
"What... just happened?"
[That woman is Arthoria.] [S-Rank Adventurer. Ice Element User. Possesses the skill: Time Slash — sends an attack 1 second into the past and future simultaneously, completely bypassing defense.]
Haruto's vision blurred. The last thing he saw was Arthoria walking toward him.
Haruto opened his eyes in a white room. Arthoria sat beside his bed.
"You're finally awake. I was kind of worried," she said, voice calm.
"Where... am I?" Haruto asked, trying to sit up.
"Don't push yourself. Just lie down. You need time to heal."
Haruto obeyed. "Who are you?"
"I'm Arthoria. S-Rank. You're new here, right?"
"Yeah. I'm Haruto. F-Rank Adventurer."
"F-Rank?" Arthoria tilted her head. "Then how did you survive that long against something near A-Rank?"
"I... I don't know. Maybe just luck."
"I don't believe in luck like that."
Just then, a nurse walked in.
"Arthoria, the doctor is calling for you."
"I'll talk to you later," she said and walked out.
[System Notification:] [Mission Complete.] [Rewards Claimed.] [Level Up: 10 → 20] [New Skills: Clock Stop, Illusion][2 fruits of recovery] [Skill Points Gained: 10] [Would you like to allocate them now?]
"Later. I'm tired."
[Understood.]
Haruto closed his eyes.
"Today... was a rough day. I was so close to death."
Sleep took him swiftly.
Chapter 6 End