Chapter 182:Finally.
The laboratory fell silent once more. The only sounds that remained were the slow breaths of the contractors and the occasional drip of liquid falling from the ceiling.
Silver stood at the front of the formation, his sword held low. His eyes never stopped moving.
Now that he understood how the snake hunted, every shadow, every droplet of water, and every faint disturbance in the dust became another clue.
The serpent was intelligent; it knew it had lost the advantage of surprise, and that made it even more dangerous.
An intelligent beast wouldn’t keep repeating the same mistake; it would adapt, just as they had.
"Stay alert," Silver said quietly. "It won’t rush us again."
Dillian nodded.
"If it can think, it’ll wait until we’re careless."
Ravenna tightened her grip on her sword.
"Then we don’t give it that chance."
No one argued. The group resumed moving toward the exit, this time even more slowly than before. Their formation remained tight. Every contractor watched a different direction. Nothing escaped their attention.
Nearly two minutes passed without incident, then Silver noticed it; a single droplet slid down the side of a rusted support pillar.
"There." His voice was calm. "Left pillar."
Everyone immediately shifted without breaking formation. The snake remained invisible; only the tiny trail of moisture betrayed its position; instead of attacking immediately, Silver waited.
The droplet moved again, higher, then stopped.
"It climbed," Ravenna whispered.
Silver gave a slight nod.
"It’s positioning itself."
The serpent had learned; instead of charging recklessly, it was searching for another opening. Unfortunately for it... Silver had begun learning as well.
His breathing slowed, and his mind became strangely calm. Every lesson from countless hours of training, every sparring session with Ravenna and every battle since arriving in Delta Four; everything flowed together.
Blue text appeared quietly before his eyes.
[Advanced Swordsmanship Lv1]
{Proficiency Increased.}
Silver smiled faintly.
"So that’s how it feels..."
The skill wasn’t making him stronger; it was refining him. His posture shifted naturally, his footwork became lighter, and his grip adjusted itself by instinct.
Tiny imperfections disappeared one after another. He could almost predict how his next strike should move before he consciously thought about it.
The serpent struck without warning; it launched itself from the pillar like a green-blue arrow, its jaws opening wide. Venom sprayed toward the center of the formation.
"Duck!"
Everyone reacted instantly, but Silver didn’t; instead... He stepped forward. His left hand rose and space distorted.
[Spatial Distortion Lv1 Activated.]
The stream of venom struck the invisible wall several feet in front of him. The liquid splashed harmlessly against the warped space before sliding sideways and dissolving into the floor several meters away.
The others stared in surprise.
"Wow, what skill is that?" Dillian muttered.
Silver didn’t answer. The spatial barrier shattered almost immediately. As expected, the strain hit him like a hammer; a sharp pain pulsed through his head.
His vision blurred for a moment.
"...Still expensive," he muttered under his breath.
The snake hadn’t expected its venom to fail. For the briefest instant, it hesitated. That hesitation was enough.
"Now!"
Ravenna moved first. A wave of fire swept across the corridor, illuminating it. The heat caused the moisture clinging to its scales to evaporate into visible steam. Its outline appeared.
"There!"
Maya fired immediately. The bullet struck the creature’s side, the impact knocking it sideways. The camouflage flickered violently.
Silver vanished.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated.]
Space folded and he appeared directly above the snake. The serpent reacted with frightening speed. It twisted in midair, its fangs shooting toward his throat.
Silver calmly adjusted his sword. With one precise movement, the blade came down on the snake, effortlessly slicing through its flesh.
The snake’s head separated cleanly from its body. The severed head crashed onto the concrete floor several meters away. Its body continued writhing violently, smashing against the walls before finally collapsing into silence.
Everyone simply watched, waiting. Thirty seconds passed before the body finally stopped moving.
Silver remained cautious as he approached slowly. Only after confirming the creature had truly died did he lower his sword.
A familiar notification appeared.
[Space Slash Lv2]
{Proficiency Increased.}
Another followed almost immediately.
[Advanced Swordsmanship Lv1]
{Proficiency Increased.}
Silver dismissed both prompts, His attention remaining on the snake. Now that it lay motionless, everyone could properly examine it.
Its scales shimmered beautifully beneath the flashlight beams. Deep emerald blended seamlessly into sapphire blue. Even in death, the body almost seemed capable of disappearing into the shadows.
"It’s beautiful," Ravenna said quietly.
"It is," Silver agreed. "And dangerous."
Dillian crouched beside the severed head.
"Tier Three?"
Silver nodded.
"Definitely."
[Tier three beast core detected.]
He carefully cut open the beast’s chest. After a few moments, his fingers located the familiar crystal. He gently pulled it free.
A pale green beast core rested in his palm, still... It contained remarkably pure energy.
[Tier 4 beast core stored successfully.]
Silver placed it inside a reinforced container before storing it safely in the slots.
Then he looked back at the corpse. Most contractors would’ve stopped there; he didn’t. Instead, he carefully examined the enormous fangs.
"They’re intact."
Ravenna tilted her head.
"What are you thinking?"
Silver smiled.
"I’ve never seen a beast like this; it could become useful."
Using a combat knife, he carefully removed both venom fangs, taking great care not to puncture the venom sacs that remained attached.
Dillian watched curiously.
"You planning to sell them?"
"Maybe." Silver shrugged. "Or maybe I’ll find someone who can make something from them. These fangs carried venom capable of melting reinforced concrete; it’d be a waste to leave them here."
No one could argue with that. Next, Silver carefully began skinning sections of the serpent’s hide. The work took several minutes.
Fortunately, the scales separated cleanly from the muscle beneath. The resulting hide retained its remarkable green-blue sheen. More importantly, even detached from the body, the scales subtly shifted color depending on how the light struck them.
Silver raised an eyebrow.
"So the camouflage comes from the scales themselves."
His curiosity deepened. He folded the skin carefully.
"This too."
Ravenna smiled knowingly.
"You’re fascinated."
"A little." Silver chuckled. "I’ve never seen an invisible snake before. If someone can study this... Maybe they can learn something."
Or perhaps, he thought silently, he might learn something himself one day. After storing both the fangs and the skin, Silver stood once more.
The laboratory suddenly felt much quieter.
James’ body still rested where he had fallen. The brief satisfaction of victory faded immediately. Dillian walked over silently.
"...We should go."
Silver nodded.
"First..." He looked toward James. "We’re taking him home."
No one objected.
The surviving contractors carefully wrapped James’ body in a clean emergency tarp from one of the vehicles. The atmosphere became solemn once more.
The mission had begun as an investigation; it had ended with two dangerous beasts defeated, and two lives lost.
Silver looked back toward the darkness of the underground laboratory one final time. This place had revealed more secrets than anyone had expected.
He had the feeling... it still wasn’t finished revealing them.