Chapter 32: Self-Assessment of Strength, Black-Green Giant Snake

In the jungle.

Tang Zheng trudged forward toward the east, one foot deep and one foot shallow. Perhaps because he was still in the outermost perimeter, he hadn't encountered any wild beasts, let alone magical beasts, for quite some time.

*Buzz—*

A faint, almost imperceptible sound of wings flapping rose from the tree branches.

It was a strange insect, about the length of a thumb, resembling a caterpillar but with a pair of thin wings.

This winged caterpillar slid off a verdant leaf and drifted slowly down toward Tang Zheng.

Yet, just as it reached the space above Tang Zheng's head!

His iron sword traced an arc through the air, slicing the winged caterpillar in two before it fell to the ground.

【Experience gained: 1 point.】

A faint, fishy stench wafted through the air.

Is it poisonous?

Tang Zheng glanced at it casually and continued forward without a pause in his stride.

What a pity!

He hadn't mastered any detection-type magic, so he had to rely on his own judgment.

As of now, Tang Zheng's HP, Physical Attack, and Agility stats had all reached 73 points.

Setting aside HP for the moment.

He had experimented not long ago; with 73 points in Physical Attack, he could snap a tree as thick as a man's torso in three strikes while swinging his iron sword with full force.

If he used his fists.

A single full-force punch against a tree stump could leave an indentation half a fist deep.

As for "Agility," the data wasn't quite as precise, but Tang Zheng knew his five senses had sharpened significantly.

Previously, with an Agility stat of 63, the speed of that thief who should have been at least level 8—which would have seemed blindingly fast to an ordinary person—felt quite normal to Tang Zheng, perhaps even a bit slow.

The "Rock" squad was the group Tang Zheng had interacted with most deeply, and their strongest member was Captain Dosari.

Now, Tang Zheng felt he should be somewhat stronger than him.

Furthermore.

He possessed not only martial arts but also skills and magic.

If it were a head-on confrontation, Tang Zheng wasn't entirely certain of victory, but if it were an ambush, he had a degree of confidence that he could wipe out the "Rock" squad, though he would likely sustain injuries in the process.

From a weakling to someone capable of rivaling a "Silver-ranked" adventurer squad—Tang Zheng couldn't help but marvel at the terrifying nature of the "Player" innate ability.

That "Player" captain from two hundred years ago, the leader of the Thirteen Heroes, had drawn the wariness of the Platinum Dragon Lord precisely because his strength had increased so rapidly in such a short time.

Pressing onward!

The real trouble in the forest wasn't the conspicuous magical beasts or wild animals, but the colorful insects, most of which were highly venomous.

With Tang Zheng's Agility stat, he didn't fear their sudden attacks, but dealing with them was a tedious chore, and they only yielded single-digit experience points.

It was severely dragging down his pace.

*Snap! *

A branch lying on the ground snapped under Tang Zheng's foot, emitting a crisp sound.

In the outer perimeter of the forest, filled with the chirping of insects and the sound of wind through leaves, it wasn't particularly loud, yet Tang Zheng stopped in his tracks.

"Finally, a decent prey. Is this your territory?" Tang Zheng turned his head to look toward his left.

There!

At the intersection of several thick tree branches, a creature of pure black speckled with faint green spots lay prone, motionless.

Fortunately, it was daytime.

Although it was hidden among the foliage, its elongated silhouette was still discernible; had it been night, Tang Zheng feared he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Long before this.

Tang Zheng had vaguely sensed something amiss. Although this area belonged to the outer perimeter of the Tob Forest, the number of wild beasts he had encountered during his advance was suspiciously low.

There was only one possible reason for such a situation!

That this place belonged to the territory of a rather powerful wild beast or magical beast. It seemed he had guessed correctly.

Tang Zheng swept his gaze over the black figure hidden in the leaves; its body length was at least over a meter.

Come to think of it, what exactly is this?

Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes, holding his iron sword horizontally across his chest.

*Swish! Swish! *

The leaves rubbed against each other, emitting a sound like wind blowing through them.

The hidden creature clearly realized it had been discovered. Facing the human who had trespassed into its territory, it flicked a red, forked tongue from its mouth.

The next moment!

The black-green figure lunged like a spring from the dense foliage, opening its blood-red maw to fly toward Tang Zheng below.

The black-green scales shimmered with a cold, chilling light under the dappled sunlight; it was a metallic texture!

Tang Zheng finally confirmed what this creature was.

It was a snake!

And a giant snake at that, with a body length of over six meters and a girth as thick as two of a normal person's thighs.

The black-green giant snake shot forward, its blood-red maw, reeking of a fishy stench, gaping wide as it aimed to bite down on Tang Zheng's head.

=9+Book_Bar

Tang Zheng swung his iron sword rapidly, hacking with all his might at the giant snake's head.

*Bang! *

The blade struck heavily against the giant snake's gaping mouth, emitting a dull thud; a spark actually flew where the black scales met the iron sword.

So hard!

Tang Zheng's eyes narrowed.

"Hiss—roar!"

The black-green giant snake let out a pained hiss, its six-meter-long body twisting as it whipped its thick tail around from behind.

The tail lashed through the air, emitting a sharp, urgent hum.

Seeing this.

Tang Zheng held the giant snake's head down with his right hand on the sword, while his left hand reached into the void, pulling another iron sword from his Item Box to slash in the direction of the whipping tail.

*Bang! *

The dull sound of impact rang out again.

The surprising force made Tang Zheng take a step back, his left shoulder shifting, but he successfully blocked the giant snake's tail strike.

"Hiss—roar!"

Aside from the middle section of its body anchored to the ground, the black-green giant snake pressed its entire front half and tail section onto Tang Zheng, its body constantly writhing.

It seemed intent on coiling around Tang Zheng, utilizing the constricting movements snakes were known for to kill its prey!

But Tang Zheng utilized his Agility advantage, wielding a sword in each hand to parry the attacks from the giant snake's head and tail while steadily retreating.

"The scales are very hard, and combined with the slippery nature of its body, it's quite difficult to damage it using brute force."

Tang Zheng swung his iron swords incessantly, occasionally landing strikes on the creature's body, but the effect was negligible.

It wasn't just the hardness; the slippery body caused Tang Zheng's attacks to lose a significant portion of their force upon contact.

He had originally thought this was just a large serpentine wild beast, but now it was clear: this was a magical beast!

In this other world, wild beasts and magical beasts were easy to distinguish; as long as they possessed some unique ability, they could be classified as magical beasts.

Seeing that the human before it seemed unable to break through its scales, the dark yellow snake eyes of the black-green giant snake showed a little less caution.

It began to abandon some of its defensive movements, its attacks becoming even more ferocious.

*Bang! *

The thick, whipping tail was blocked by Tang Zheng's iron sword once more, the force behind it significantly greater than before.

"That's enough."

Tang Zheng's expression remained unchanged; he had basically grasped the giant snake's attack pattern.

It wouldn't be difficult for him to shake off this black-green giant snake using his speed.

However, this was an excellent experience pack!

*Bang! *

Tang Zheng stomped heavily on the ground, leaping backward, putting on a show of wanting to flee.

(End of Chapter)