The Serpent’s Shadow and a Surprising Encounter

Having stood at the respawn point for a moment, Bai Xia, without a shred of hesitation, swiftly retraced her steps, determined to uncover what monstrous entity had managed to claim her first blood so swiftly.

As she moved, she once again unsheathed her dagger; despite knowing that approaching it meant instant annihilation, she was still resolved to charge in and land a few blows to vent her burgeoning frustration.

Fortuitously, not long after she began her return, and while still a fair distance from the treeline, Bai Xia spotted the very perpetrator that had just sent her to the respawn point.

At that moment, her inherent player detection skill activated, seamlessly relaying the monster’s details to her.

[Jade Serpent]: Level 6 Normal Monster, HP 300. A large serpent species inhabiting the forest. Though remarkably beautiful, creatures of such striking appearance are often the most perilous. Beware its highly venomous fangs.

“Snake, snake… a snake!?”

Upon seeing the Jade Serpent coiled on the path, leisurely basking in the sun, Bai Xia, who had just been brimming with fierce determination, suddenly froze, her entire body rigid, halting instantly.

It wasn’t, of course, that she had chickened out simply because the massive serpent’s level vastly surpassed her own… well, she had indeed chickened out a little, but the disparity in their levels wasn’t the primary cause.

Had it been any other creature, Bai Xia wouldn’t have flinched even if its level were ten; her current trepidation stemmed solely from the fact that it was, unequivocally, a snake.

Bai Xia, it was widely known, harbored an intense fear of two types of creatures throughout her life: those with no legs, and those with a multitude of legs. And snakes, quite conspicuously, fell into the latter category.

In truth, her fear of snakes hadn’t always been so profound; however, ever since she was a child, living in her old family home, she had woken up one morning to discover a snake coiled right beside her pillow. From that day onward, these creatures had cast a deep, indelible shadow over her childhood and, indeed, her entire life.

Frankly, standing before such a cold-blooded creature, Bai Xia considered her failure to immediately turn tail and flee a remarkable display of composure.

Even with the rational understanding that the Jade Serpent before her was nothing more than a game monster, a mere collection of virtual data, its scales, glinting with a chilling light, and its cold, reptilian eyes still managed to send an undeniable shiver down Bai Xia’s spine.

‘Why did it have to be a snake, and why does it look so incredibly real!!’

Her dagger was clutched in a death grip, and as she gazed at the massive emerald serpent not far off, Bai Xia couldn’t help but let out a mournful sigh. ‘Could her grand journey to conquer ‘Otherworld’ be stillborn, cut short before it even began, simply because a colossal snake had chosen to block her path?’

The obstructed path filled her with an undeniable melancholia, yet for all her efforts, she found herself utterly devoid of the courage required to force her way past. Bai Xia could only lament that she was, indeed, far too weak.

‘Perhaps it would be best to simply return to the novice village. This forest is, after all, one of the primary leveling zones; surely, this troublesome serpent blocking the path will soon be vanquished by other passing players?’

Just as this thought solidified in her mind, a figure unexpectedly brushed past her from the side.

“…Damn it!”

Bai Xia, whose attention had been entirely captivated by the scene ahead, was momentarily stunned before she could react, then instinctively leapt to the side, startled.

The man, likely not anticipating such an abrupt and exaggerated reaction from her, paused his stride, having merely been passing by, and instinctively turned his head to glance in her direction.

Unwilling to appear weak, Bai Xia met his gaze, and then… a surge of jealousy washed over her.

The reason for her jealousy was evident: this passerby’s game avatar was astonishingly handsome. Not only did he possess a face that even Bai Xia grudgingly admitted would score an eight out of ten or higher, but beneath his simple novice cloth armor, there were subtle hints of curves that would undoubtedly make many young girls shriek with delight.

Consequently, Bai Xia felt a sharp pang of envy.

‘She yearned for such an avatar, even if it was merely a facade! Honestly, if someone genuinely looked like that in real life, how much could they possibly earn as a male escort in a single night?’

‘But why would this guy bother making himself so unbelievably handsome just for a game? Couldn’t he have learned from all those other players, how charming it was to have no nose and no eyes?’

The man, utterly oblivious to the torrent of malicious thoughts Bai Xia harbored towards him, observed her for a moment before suddenly extending a finger to point at the Jade Serpent nearby. “Aren’t you going to fight it?”

“Huh?”

“That’s your quarry, isn’t it? You’ve been standing here for ages; surely you’re contemplating the best way to fell it?”

The man’s expression remained somewhat aloof, yet his voice was unexpectedly gentle. Nonetheless, his question left Bai Xia utterly dumbfounded.

‘Goddammit, contemplating how to kill this monstrosity? I was preparing to make a getaway, thank you very much!’

Such a truth, however, could never be openly admitted; it was far too humiliating. How could she possibly tell him that she was utterly terrified by a mere virtual monster from the novice village?

‘Though it was the undeniable truth, it remained far too mortifying to confess.’

Thus, after a pair of discreet coughs, Bai Xia adopted a remarkably straight face and declared, “Precisely. I’m surprised you saw right through me.”

“But you’re only Level 0, aren’t you? That’s a Level 6 monster. Are you certain you’ll be alright?”

“Ahem… playing games, naturally, is all about pushing boundaries,” Bai Xia declared, puffing out her chest with a feigned air of mastery when she saw the man’s slight confusion. “Why else would I have come straight to this area? Moreover, it’s merely a tiny grass snake; with a bit of caution, I can undoubtedly take it down.”

To her surprise, the man nodded, seemingly in genuine agreement with her words. “Indeed, you have a valid point; challenging one’s limits is precisely what makes games like this so engaging. However… even with that in mind, I believe monsters below Level 4 would be more appropriate for you at present. After all, the level disparity is simply too vast. Didn’t you just get instantly obliterated for stepping on its tail?”

Bai Xia: “…”

‘How long has this scoundrel been lurking around? And if you witnessed it, could you at least drop the pretense of utter ignorance!’

The man’s half-amused, half-mocking gaze successfully ignited within Bai Xia an overwhelming urge to pummel him senseless. Yet, before this impulse could fully solidify, she heard the man beside her lightly chuckle. “So, shall we team up and vanquish it to avenge your defeat?”

Before his words had even faded, the unmistakable chime of a system notification echoed in her ears.

[Player [Tian Zheng] requests to form a party with you. Accept?]

‘What kind of tactic is this?’ Bai Xia was momentarily bewildered, the simmering irritation from being mocked having considerably faded. Nevertheless, upon glancing at his level, she immediately accepted the invitation.

Tian Zheng, Human Warrior, Level 5… ‘He’s already Level 5!?’

It was a well-known fact that ‘Otherworld’ had only been live for five hours. According to the official website, while early-game leveling was swift, it would still take at least three days before any player could realistically depart the novice village.

Moreover, given the limited number of monsters in the novice village—those near the settlement were typically cleared as soon as they spawned—reaching Level 3 within five hours was already considered a remarkable feat.

‘Level 5… how had he possibly achieved that?’

As Bai Xia reeled in surprise at his level, Tian Zheng, having received the system notification, calmly summoned his iron sword and unhurriedly approached the Jade Serpent.

The longsword in his hand was no mere novice blade; it shimmered with a faint glow and boasted a more ornate design compared to ordinary iron swords.

Before Bai Xia could even attempt to stop him, Tian Zheng had already stepped into the Jade Serpent’s attack range.

Although they were now a team, he clearly didn’t expect a Level 0 novice like her to contribute much. His attitude was quite clear: stay in a safe spot and let him handle it.

Bai Xia opened her mouth to speak, but in the end, nothing came out.

Then, the instant Tian Zheng entered the Jade Serpent’s attack radius, the creature, which had been basking lazily in the sun, instantly shifted into an aggressive stance. Its massive body coiled and sprang, transforming into a blur of emerald light as it lunged forward, fangs bared to bite!

As a system monster, the Jade Serpent’s attack came with virtually no warning. An ordinary person facing such a strike would be utterly unable to dodge and would have no choice but to endure it.

Not only would they suffer damage, but they would also be afflicted with a debilitating poison status.

Bai Xia similarly doubted Tian Zheng could evade such a lightning-fast strike; however, in the very next moment…

“Shink!”

The man merely shifted his body slightly, perfectly evading the venomous fangs at a subtle angle. Then, with a swift counter-attack, his longsword, gleaming with a silvery light, struck heavily into the Jade Serpent’s gaping maw!

‘Otherworld’ incorporated a weakness system, where critical hits and damage would increase when striking areas like the head or heart, often with a high chance of causing stun.

The Jade Serpent’s mouth was similarly vulnerable. Thus, despite the relatively small level difference, Tian Zheng’s single sword strike cleaved a full fifth from its HP bar.

Not only that, but the blow also inflicted a laceration and a brief stun upon the Jade Serpent. Then, with a sweep of his longsword that suddenly flicked upwards, he seamlessly chained into ‘Reincarnation Slash,’ a skill only learnable by warriors at Level 5!

Four blades of energy formed a massive ring, instantly striking the Jade Serpent four times, causing its once-full HP bar to plummet dramatically.

Tian Zheng then casually followed up with two more strikes, effortlessly killing the Jade Serpent that had caused Bai Xia so much distress. The entire process took less than five seconds, leaving her utterly dumbfounded.

‘This… this is a god-tier player, damn it!’