Monster Integration

Chapter 3561 Prize

Shar!

The snake's eyes blazed, and it came at me with twice as much speed as before. 

It was so fast that all I could see was a blur.

All the thoughts I had to try for the other coin had vanished and the only thought that remained was escape.

'I have to escape or I will be a dead man,' I thought, but didn't immediately move to escape, that would be a death sentence. 

Instead, I ducked.

Slice!

I felt a sharp pain across my cheek and ear, which it had sliced. I once again felt a sharp pain, along with other things, but I bit and instead spring back, with everything I have.

Sup!

The snake turned mid-air and turned to me, and this time, I was an open target to it.

This is an idiotic move, but it is the only way I could think of. Now, I have to survive and maintain this momentum. If I did, I would be out of the circle, doing nothing else.

It might seem simple enough, but it is not.

The snake is coming at me, and this time, its target is my chest. Looking at its speed and power, it seemed unstoppable. For a moment, I cursed myself for doing it, before controlling my emotions.

I have to trust myself and hope what I had noticed is really the truth and not some trick, or I would be really fucked.

The snake reached me, and I didn't try to maneuver in the air; the bronze snake was much more agile and faster than me. It might have worked if I had been on the ground, but I was not.

The snake reached me and moved toward my chest.

This time, it isn't using its bladed tail, but a sharp long horn appears over its head.

Its blurred form becomes clear, the moment I felt the prickling sensation. My hands, which were waiting close, my chest moved as the horn moved deeper and deeper into me.

The horn had breached through the bones and was about to touch the heart itself when my hands caught the snake.

My left hand caught the head of the snake, while my right hand caught the part near its tail. 

I felt relieved when I felt the solid touch and gripped it in a vice-like hold.

Earlier, in two attacks. I had noticed that the snake's speed would reduce to half the moment it touched the skin. 

I had bet on it and I hope, that the bet succeeds.

Crack Crack Crack

The relief I felt was short-lived the next moment. I felt the snake struggle and its struggle was so powerful, that the bones of my hand began to break.

I bore it but didn't let it move from its place. If it moved further, its horn would touch my heart, and the consequences of that would be unimaginable; I don't want to suffer that.

So, I held the snake-like my life depended on it and it did. 

Time felt extremely slow as more and more bones of my hand broke, but I didn't let go of the snake, no matter what it did.

Finally, I felt my head moving out of the circle, before the rest of the body. The snake didn't disappear, but its struggle began to lessen.

Thud!

By the time, I had come out of it; it had completely stopped struggling and remained in my hand.

Thud!

I fell down on the floor hard, but I didn't care. The armor appeared on my body, and I could now heal my injuries.

Hun!

I was about to activate healing formations for a faster recovery when a surprising thing happened. The snake had turned into bronze energy and it entered inside me.

Within seconds, it had healed my injuries.

Seeing that, I felt lived, because injuries might be physical, but they were serious. Especially in my chest, it had crushed the chest bones with its horn.

I was able to stop it from moving in my heart, but its wriggling had crushed those bones.

Thankfully, everything is healed now, and I turned to the prize for which I had nearly lost my life.

Hun!

I turned to the bluish wooden coin between my fingers. Since there was no storage, I had to put it in my fingers when I had gripped the snake.

It had come loose with all the wriggling of the snake and would have fallen off if I hadn't come out of the circle.

This wood is soft and wriggly, like a jelly. Though its surface is quite rough. Thanks to that; it hadn't fallen off my fingers. 

"It is worth it," I said as my clone had finally recognized the material and, to be honest, I was surprised that I didn't recognize it on my own.

This wooden coin is made from the wood of the seedling of the world tree. The same seedling, which is growing in my core.

This wood belongs to the tree that had reached Prime, and I am quite curious about the type of ability the tree had from which had been taken from.

The ability seedling gets is dependent on the environment it has grown in, and I am curious about it.

Hun!

However, I didn't spend any time thinking about it, instead focused ahead of me and was surprised to see that the circle had disappeared, and the huge hall had also shrunken.

It had happened, and I didn't even notice. 

Even without soul sense, I noticed the slightest thing happening around me, but I didn't notice a thing.

The more I thought about it, the more shocked I would become.

Though, I shouldn't.

This is something that came from Titan; it was made through a power that I couldn't comprehend. I am lesser than an ant in front of this creation and should be extremely careful.

The first challenge had nearly killed me, and I wondered what kind of challenges I would face later.

'Whatever they are, I will be careful in dealing with them.' I thought and walked toward the door no.8.

There is no reason to choose it other than that, I had chosen the cave of similar numbers before and now choosing the same.

There is also common logic behind it. When escaping the maze, use your hand, to touch the wall of it and continue walking. Eventually, you will be out.

I don't want to get out, despite facing the dangerous first challenge.

I am scared, but I am even more excited. I want to face the other challenges and get what I can from them.

Click!

I reached the door and pushed it open before entering inside.

Like the cave, I didn't appear in a different place and instead, there is a clean hallway in front of me.

It is small, but not restrictive, but some people might feel claustrophobic in it.

I walked, while looking walkway, which seemed to be in pristine condition. Unlike the cave, which had water dripping and algae growing; this one is pristine, without a speck of dusk.

I walked slowly, and over seven minutes later; I saw the exit in front of me.