Along the way, Manda remained unusually quiet, seemingly deep in thought. This unsettled Saitama, who was very familiar with the serpent's ill temper.
Staring at the same old scenery for too long eventually turns admiration into boredom. So Saitama had already stopped looking around and decided to strike up a conversation with Manda about this giant snake named Shinta.
After all, in his previous life, he had merely heard of this snake's name, knowing only that it was a rampantly violent specimen that possessed Sage Chakra but hadn't mastered Sage Art. Beyond that, he didn't know much else about it.
"Manda, do you know anything about this Shinta?"
Saitama patted Manda's head, starting the conversation.
In his opinion, since Manda was at least a minor leader in Ryuchi Cave, it should have some knowledge about this.
"You know its name already—so why are you asking me? Trying to mock me, aren't you?!"
There was something off about Manda's tone, and Saitama noticed it immediately—it sounded strangely bitter.
Finding it oddly amusing, Saitama—who always liked reflecting deeply on his actions—began recalling everything from just moments ago, trying to figure out what had caused Manda's sudden shift in mood.
Soon enough, he seemed to find the reason, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ha!"
Saitama chuckled again while patting Manda's head, saying, "You're... feeling threatened, aren't you?"
Unable to come up with a perfect word to describe the emotion, he used the romantic term "jealous."
Manda hesitated for a moment before continuing forward as usual.
"Hmph! Saitama, don't flatter yourself. If I weren't your Boss Summon, I'd be far more comfortable—I could eat humans every time I went out! Not everyone is as stingy as you!"
Manda snorted in disdain, huffing hot air through its nostrils, clearly scoffing at Saitama's words.
Who was it? It was none other than Manda, the undisputed boss of Ryuchi Cave—from head to tail!
"Just because I said I'd sign a new Summoning Contract with Shinta doesn't mean I'm going to betray ours with you. You're both from Ryuchi Cave—shouldn't you two be able to cooperate without any issues? You can come out anytime!"
Unconvinced by Manda's tone, Saitama smiled slightly and gently rubbed his hand across the smooth scales atop Manda's head, speaking slowly and casually.
"Hmph!"
Manda had pride of its own. Even though Saitama was a Ninja who mastered [Snake Sage Art] and held a status equal to Hebihime (Snake Princess) of Ryuchi Cave, it still had no intention of becoming a kiss-up.
After hearing Saitama's words, Manda noticeably quickened its pace forward, as if its earlier anxiety over being replaced had vanished entirely, leaving its body feeling much lighter.
"Hehehe!" Saitama chuckled to himself, lazily running his hand over the cool scales, feeling inexplicably light-hearted.
"Can you feel it yet? We're almost there!" Manda flicked its tongue, exhaling a chill into the air.
As they advanced, the surrounding temperature dropped sharply, and the humid air filled with a salty scent.
It reminded Saitama of sea wind—carrying a distinct flavor, somewhat intoxicating and subtly unique.
"Yeah, I can sense its Chakra fluctuations—but why is it so cold here?"
Saitama sat cross-legged on Manda's head. After mastering the Sage Arts, his sensing ability had been awakened and expanded, allowing him to perceive things several times further than before.
In his perception, a concentrated mass of Sage Chakra coiled not far ahead, constantly radiating waves of violent and savage aura outward.
"The place where Shinta was exiled was designated as a Dead Lake, so the salinity is extremely high. The living conditions are abysmal. Oddly enough, the surrounding temperature has also become unusually low. However, the White Snake Sage said this environment could effectively suppress its urge to cause destruction!"
As Manda slithered forward, the temperature dropped sharply. Salt from the humid air quickly crystallized across its entire body.
"Oh..." As Saitama spoke, a ring of transparent chakra appeared on his hand, which he then pressed onto Manda's head. As the chakra flowed through it, the salt layer on its body began to vanish.
"Hmm..."
Under Saitama's care using Sage Chakra, Manda let out a comfortable groan but immediately realized it didn't fit its usual demeanor and quickly shut its mouth tight.
"Be careful; it seems like it's coming!"
Saitama warned Manda because Shinta appeared to have sensed Manda's approach and was drawing closer.
Boom! Right after his words, a huge sound erupted from the road ahead, shaking the tunnel and the surrounding rocks as if some massive creature was approaching.
Crack! Thud!
Manda alertly curled up its body, instantly halting all forward motion, its two large eyes staring intently at what lay ahead.
Red scales covered its body. Compared to Simba earlier, Shinta's scales were anything but delicate—rather, they were rough and rugged.
It had only one eye—its right eyelid sealed shut vertically, with a fierce scar running across it.
Long, sharp fangs extended from its lips, slightly visible even when its mouth was closed.
"Manda, you brat! Why did you dare come to my territory!"
Shinta appeared suddenly, blocking their path forward since its body was even larger than Manda's.
While speaking, its gaze caught sight of Saitama sitting atop Manda's head. Its lone eye narrowed sharply, clearly showing its serious intent.
"Hmph! Don't think I'd want to look for you, Shinta. Your stinky place definitely isn't as comfortable as mine! This time, Saitama wanted to come—he wants to form a summoning contract with you!"
Manda let out a cold scoff, showing no fear toward Shinta whatsoever. As the officially recognized top beast of Ryuchi Cave, it always spoke with intense pride, as if proclaiming 'I am the strongest.'
"Oh? Sign a pact with me—aren't you afraid I'll just eat him?"
Shinta suddenly opened wide its maw, revealing sharp fangs, and emitted a foul stench straight toward Saitama and Manda.
Roar! Unwilling to show weakness, Manda didn't back down either, emboldened by Saitama's presence and unafraid of any retaliation Shinta might unleash.
Then, Manda too opened its jaws wide, unleashing its own "bio-weapon" toward Shinta.
After all, these summoned beasts never brushed their teeth. Over time, decaying matter built up between their teeth, producing a putrid odor.
"So what do you say? Don't you miss seeing the world outside anymore?"
As the two snakes squared off, Saitama decided it was time to make his move. He stood up, and his slightly damaged windbreaker fluttered backward on its own, despite the lack of wind.
"Hmm?"
Shinta looked at Saitama, its single eye filled with seriousness. A force within that human's body was beginning to stir—a power source identical to its own energy. This made Shinta have to brace itself.
"Defeat me, and I'll agree to your request!"
Shinta stared at Saitama and slowly uttered these words.
"That sounds easy enough."
Saitama interlocked both hands, twisted them a few times, looked at Shinta, and smiled.
When in doubt, just punch. That was the advice from seasoned fighters—and one of Saitama's favorite mantras.
In short, just smash everything flat!
He leapt off Manda's head and landed lightly on the ground.
"Manda, step aside and watch! I'm about to teach a lesson!"
Saitama said to Manda, then pressed his lips together, fixing his gaze on the tense figure of Shinta.
Coincidentally, he hadn't used the Sage Art he had just mastered after completing his training. It would be perfect to test it out against Shinta, who has also mastered Sage Chakra.
On his way here, Saitama had flipped through the [Sage Art scroll] given to him by the White Snake Sage. It didn't contain much—only practical applications and notes on mastering [Snake Sage Art]—yet it was precisely what enlightened Saitama the most.
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