Chapter 181:Invisible.
Silver’s eyes remained fixed on the floor. The others instinctively followed his gaze, but all they saw were cracked concrete tiles stained by decades of neglect.
"What is it?" Ravenna asked quietly.
Silver didn’t answer immediately; instead, he slowly crouched and ran two fingers across the dusty floor.
When he lifted them, they were damp.
He rubbed the moisture between his fingers before looking toward the corridor where the snake had disappeared.
"...Water."
Dillian frowned.
"Water?"
Silver nodded.
"When we first entered the laboratory, many of the containment tanks were still filled with preservation fluid."
He glanced toward the shattered corridor behind them.
"When the snake escaped, it must have come from one of those tanks."
Ravenna immediately understood.
"So its body is still wet."
"Exactly."
Silver stood again, his expression becoming calmer.
"It can become invisible and avoid my senses, but it can’t make the water clinging to its scales disappear."
Everyone looked down. Only now did they notice tiny droplets scattered across the dusty floor. They were incredibly faint. If Silver hadn’t pointed them out, none of them would have noticed.
Maya adjusted the grip on her rifle.
"So we follow the droplets."
Silver shook his head.
"No, if we chase it, we’re playing its game." He looked around the corridor. "It wants us separated and also wants confusion."
Dillian nodded.
"So we force it to attack instead."
Silver gave a small nod.
"We stay together, and no one moves alone. The moment someone sees even a single droplet moving... Call it out."
Everyone acknowledged the plan. Even Cruella silently nodded, her face still pale after narrowly escaping death. James’ body lay quietly against the wall; no one had the luxury of mourning him properly.
Silver tightened his grip around his sword.
"We leave together, slowly."
Nobody argued. The group formed a tighter circle than before. Maya and Iris covered the rear with their rifles. Selene stayed between them, watching the ceiling. Dillian guarded the left. Silver and Ravenna took the front.
Cruella remained in the center of the formation.
The group began walking, every step deliberate. Every breath sounded unnaturally loud within the abandoned laboratory. The only sounds came from their boots scraping across the dusty floor.
Then...
"Hiss..."
The sound echoed from somewhere ahead. Silver didn’t turn.
"It wants us to look; ignore it."
The formation continued moving.
Another hiss came, this time behind them; again, nobody reacted.
Silver’s attention never left the floor.
There.
A tiny droplet landed silently in the dust several meters ahead. His eyes narrowed; it hadn’t fallen from the ceiling. It had appeared.
"...Left wall."
Everyone immediately shifted their attention but saw nothing but only old concrete. Then another droplet appeared, slightly farther forward. As if something invisible had just brushed against the wall.
Silver smiled faintly.
"Found you."
The snake wasn’t completely invisible after all; its scales still carried moisture from the containment fluid. Every movement left microscopic evidence behind. The serpent seemed to realize the same thing. The droplets suddenly stopped.
Silver frowned.
"It’s waiting."
Dillian lowered his voice.
"Should we attack?"
"No." Silver slowly shook his head. "We’d only waste stamina."
Seconds stretched into nearly a minute. Nobody moved or spoke. Then, the corridor suddenly erupted. The invisible snake burst from the ceiling directly above Maya.
"Above!"
Silver shouted. Maya instinctively dove sideways. The serpent’s venom splashed across the wall where her head had been moments earlier.
Concrete dissolved instantly. Before the snake could disappear again, Silver moved. His body vanished.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]
Space distorted briefly and he reappeared beside the serpent before it could fully camouflage itself again.
His sword flashed as he slashed down. A sharp metallic ring echoed through the corridor.
The blade sliced across empty air, then sparks erupted. The invisible body suddenly became visible for an instant. Silver’s strike had scraped against emerald-blue scales.
The snake hissed violently. A thin crimson line appeared across its side; it wasn’t deep, but that had not been the goal.
"It bleeds!" Iris shouted.
The serpent twisted unnaturally, its body blurring before vanishing once again. Only a trail of blood floated briefly in the air before dripping onto the floor.
Silver landed lightly.
"...Its camouflage broke when I hit it."
Ravenna immediately understood.
"So if we injure it, it becomes easier to track."
Silver nodded.
"Exactly."
The snake circled them once more, this time... Much faster. The droplets scattered in several directions. Silver’s eyes darted from one to another.
"...It’s trying to confuse us."
Dillian cursed quietly.
"It’s smarter than most beasts."
Silver couldn’t disagree. This wasn’t raw strength; this was patience and calculation. The snake wasn’t fighting like a beast; it was hunting. The fact that I had decided to attack when they decided to leave was also another matter.
A faint breeze brushed against Ravenna’s cheek. Her instincts screamed. She immediately ducked, and venom flew past her shoulder.
"Right side!"
She slashed instinctively. Her sword struck nothing but a shower of water suddenly scattered through the air. The invisible snake hissed again.
Silver reacted immediately.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated.]
Space folded.
He appeared exactly where Ravenna had swung, his sword descending in a clean diagonal arc. This time... The blade bit deeply. Blood sprayed across the corridor.
The serpent shrieked, its camouflage flickering wildly. For nearly three full seconds, everyone could see it.
The creature’s appearance was unsettling. Its emerald-blue scales shimmered unnaturally beneath the flashlight beams. Its body was almost as thick as a man’s thigh. Dark venom dripped steadily from curved fangs longer than Silver’s fingers.
Most disturbing of all... Its golden eyes. They weren’t filled with instinctive savagery. They watched the contractors with careful intelligence. Then its body shimmered again, invisible once more.
Silver exhaled slowly.
"We’re hurting it, but it’s learning how to fight us."
Dillian wiped sweat from his forehead.
"So do we."
Silver nodded.
For the first time since the battle began, the advantage had shifted ever so slightly. The snake remained dangerous; its venom remained lethal, and camouflage remained nearly perfect, but it was no longer an untouchable predator.
And now, Silver understood its rhythm. Blue text quietly appeared before his eyes.
[Advanced Swordsmanship Lv1]
{Proficiency Increased.}
Silver smiled faintly. The skill was already beginning to adapt to real combat. He raised his sword once more.
"One more good opening... We end this."