CHAPTER 30 — THE COBRA OF THE DEEP
"Oh my God…"
The words slipped out of one of the men—barely a breath, barely a sound—yet it echoed through the cavern like a death sentence.
Then came the scream.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
All four men staggered back, their breaths breaking into frantic gasps as the creature slithered into the cavern's dim light. A massive serpent—green, scaled, ancient—its body thick as fallen pillars and long enough that its coils filled the cavern floor. When it lifted its head, it rose so high it nearly brushed the ceiling, forcing the men to crane their necks upward as the monster's hood expanded.
A cobra. But not one born in any natural world.
On its forehead, between its cold yellow eyes, glowed an upside-down triangle—braided with black and emerald lines, pulsing like a beating heart.
Zodac felt the air shift.
The system panel flickered before his eyes.
ELEMENTAL WOOD – LV 15
New Skill Unlocked: (Air Stroke Shield)
Type: Defense
"This is the worst possible moment for this" Zodac muttered inside his mind, eyes never leaving the serpent.
Another flicker.
Name: Nagendra
Class: Higher Organism (Intelligence)
Stats: Continuous growth — 50 years evolution. Rare.
Fifty years…
A creature that had lived and evolved for half a century. A living disaster, compressed into scales and venom.
But what troubled Zodac wasn't its size.
It was its stillness.
The serpent wasn't striking. It wasn't lunging. It wasn't driven by instinct like most beasts in the tunnels.
It was watching.
Studying.
Almost as if it was… enjoying their fear.
Zodac's gaze returned to the trembling men behind him. Their knees shook so badly the clattering echoed across stone.
"Now do you understand why I told you to leave?" His voice was low, flat, cold.
They nodded aggressively—fear making them obedient at last.
"Don't run," Zodac said softly. "Slow… back away toward the ladder."
They obeyed, taking tiny steps backward… but Nagendra's eyes followed them like a predator savoring its fragile prey.
Zodac continued retreating as well, keeping the serpent in sight. But then he made a mistake.
Kogestu appeared in his hand.
The serpent reacted instantly.
With a thunderous crack, the massive tail snapped across the cavern like a living whip. Zodac sensed the attack too late.
"Pure Mana dr—!"
The words left him mid-air as the tail slammed into him with bone-shattering force. Zodac's body was flung violently across the cavern, smashing into the stone wall with a quake that sent debris raining down.
He hit the ground hard, dust bursting around him.
The men screamed together.
"RUNNNNNNNNN!"
All four sprinted for the ladder. Nagendra's tail rose again—this time ending in a massive bone-like spike. It whipped forward like a spear aiming to pierce all four men in one brutal strike.
Zodac's eyes snapped open.
"Air Strike Shield!"
He thrust out his hand.
A massive shield of wood, leaves, and coiling vines burst into existence directly behind the fleeing men. The serpent's tail smashed into it with explosive force—and got stuck deep inside.
The men didn't stop to thank him. They only climbed.
The serpent thrashed violently, trying to free itself.
Zodac forced himself back to his feet—bones aching, vision shaking—and began sprinting toward the ladder. He grabbed the rungs and started climbing.
A breath escaped him—small, shaky, relieved.
I made it…
Halfway up, his hand touched the next rung—and a boot slammed into his face.
"Die, you devil!"
The kick landed so brutally his head snapped back. His grip loosened instantly.
"What—!"
He fell.
Stone rushed up to meet him.
Zodac crashed onto the cavern floor, pain shooting up his spine. For a moment he lay there, breath forced from his lungs.
His gaze drifted up.
The man who kicked him was climbing with renewed speed, hatred twisting his expression.
Zodac stared, silent.
No anger.
No shouting.
Just a quiet exhale almost like he had gotten used to the heart stabbing pain of betrayal.
Of course… humans never fail to disappoint.
He rolled to his side and forced himself up—just in time to hear the serpent's hiss. It had finally ripped its tail free.
Nagendra turned toward him.
"Sssssssssssssss…"
The sound vibrated through his bones.
Zodac rose with Kogestu like a crutch, pain flaring through his body, but his eyes were steady. Cold. Unbothered by betrayal. Focused only on survival.
Escaping is no longer an option.
He launched forward, legs burning.
"KOGESTU—WHIRL WIND!"
His blade carved a crescent of energy that sliced through the air and slammed into Nagendra's neck.
It did nothing.
The serpent's head only jerked back slightly, more annoyed than injured.
Then came the retaliation.
The tail blurred—too fast for his eyes to track—and smashed into him again.
This time, Zodac barely managed to twist his body mid-air.
"Blitz—drain!"
A dim red glow flared around him. He spun, twisted, and landed on his feet—but the sheer force still sent him skidding backward, his boots carving trenches into the stone.
He jammed Kogestu into the ground to stop himself.
His chest heaved. Sweat mixed with blood on his brow.
Then a wave of agony shot through his left knee.
"Ahhhhhhhh—!"
He buckled, gripping his knee with a pained snarl.
Nagendra watched him… and the serpent's earlier frustration melted away. It seemed almost amused now—its eyes narrowing, tongue flicking lazily.
"That strike… was something else," Zodac muttered through clenched teeth.
"One more hit like that and I'm done. Air Stroke Shield is the only thing that can handle that tail. But the serpent… isn't even trying. It's testing me. Mocking me."
He inhaled deeply—slow, forced.
Fine. You underestimate me? That's your mistake.
His eyes sharpened.
First, remove the tail.
He raised Kogestu above his head, both hands firm.
"KOGESTU—WHIRL WIND!"
He spun for momentum and released another slash wave.
Nagendra responded instantly.
The spike-tail shot forward like a bullet. It pierced through Zodac's slash wave as if it were mist—and kept going.
"Air Stroke Shield!"
The shield materialized again, thicker this time—more vines, more wood, more density.
The tail crashed into it with thunderous force.
Instead of shattering, the shield held—but the impact drove it back, grinding across the ground with Zodac bracing behind it, boots scraping, arms trembling.
The force was so powerful it threatened to crush him completely into a splatter of flesh and blood.