Thankfully, there were no other interruptions after that, and Damon quickly arrived at the snake pond, his next target area. True to its name, a snake popped up in front of him just as he barely reached the vicinity of the pond.
It slithered out from under a patch of ferns, its scales glossy black with an iridescent shimmer, like oil on water. Its eyes glowed faintly green, and its forked tongue flicked the air as it tasted Damon's scent. A [Lesser Venomspitter]—Level 4.
Also known as the newbie killer.
This snake was deadly for the low-level players because the venom was extremely toxic, and the player died within seconds after getting bitten unless they had a resistance potion or an antidote. And most of the time, they didn't.
Damon remembered this bastard well. Back in his previous life, it had ambushed him many times during his early grind. The death was fast, humiliating, and expensive.
This time, though, he wasn't a clueless newbie anymore. The snake reared its head, fangs dripping with venom, ready to strike. Damon didn't give it the chance.
He activated Blood Swipe, his fingers glowing with a faint crimson shimmer as he slashed out in a wide arc. The snake lunged at the same moment, but Damon anticipated the movement, stepping in instead of away. His clawed swipe connected first, ripping through the snake's side and sending it into a violent thrash.
[Ding! Average Completion]
[Ding! + 2 Skill proficiency]
Before it could recover, Damon was on it. He pinned the thrashing serpent down with one foot, leaned in, and sank his fangs into the still-writhing body. Hot venom-laced blood filled his mouth—and just as he willed the Bloodline Extraction to activate, a familiar ding echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Bloodline Extraction Initiated]
[Target: Lesser Venomspitter – Tier 0 Beast]
[Ding! You have extracted the ability: 'Minor Venom Resistance']
[Minor Venom Resistance (Lv. 1): Poison damage reduced by 20%.]
[Ding! You have killed Lesser Venomspitter Lv. 4]
[Ding! You have gained experience points.]
Damon exhaled in relief as the snake stopped twitching. "That's going to come in handy. Especially around here."
He leaned back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The blood had tasted sour, oily—definitely not ideal. But it was worth it. He was stacking passives at a freakish rate. He looked around for another snake when he noticed a small plant under a tree.
It was unassuming at first glance—just a squat, purplish-green herb with tiny spade-shaped leaves and a faint shimmer clinging to its edges like morning dew. But Damon's eyes widened immediately. He recognized it.
Ghostroot.
It was a very valuable herb used in many potions, and just the herb alone sold for a gold coin even at the later stages of the game. He immediately jogged over to it and plucked the herb, making sure not to bruise the leaves. A system notification blinked into view.
[Ding! You have acquired Ghostroot (Unprocessed).]
"Nice. This place seems to have a lot of herbs. I shouldn't miss anything." Damon stood up and started walking to the small pond ahead. He stopped suddenly when he noticed someone approaching the same area. Thanks to his heightened senses, he was able to detect the player before the other person noticed him.
He quickly hid behind a tree and waited, wondering who had managed to come to this special area this early in the game.
The player walked into view a few seconds later, and Damon's eyes widened in surprise. It was a young, timid girl who was trembling visibly. "I hate snakes. I hate snakes." She continued to mutter under her breath as she slowly walked.
She still had her nickname displayed, and when Damon saw it, he instantly froze in shock.
Arya? This girl was Arya?!
No, it couldn't possibly be. The alchemy genius who found the shortcut to the mana potions and the health potions was also a player with the same nickname. But that was a guy and he was fat and balding and middle-aged. It couldn't possibly be this young girl in front of him?
Just as he was thinking about this weird development, two snakes slithered behind Arya. She turned around but it was too late. One was already at her face and was about to dig into her neck. But at the last moment, a hand shot forward and grabbed the snake.
Damon tossed the snake away and used Blood Swipe on the other one. He then smashed his boots on the head of the thing and soon the snake stopped twitching, its lifeless body slumping on the ground.
[Ding! You have slain Lesser Venomspitter Lv. 3]
[Ding! You have gained experience points.]
The girl dropped flat on her rear, trembling, staring at him with wide, stunned eyes. Damon turned his gaze to the first snake, which was now coiling back in alarm.
"Don't move," He said, stepping in front of Arya.
The snake hissed, low and furious. He didn't hesitate. A flash of red flared from his palm as he reached down and slammed his hand into the snake's head with enough force to crack its skull. The beast jerked violently and after a few punches, stopped dead.
[Ding! You have slain Lesser Venomspitter Lv. 6]
[Ding! You have gained experience points.]
[Ding! You have leveled up]
[Ding! Lv5 -> Lv6]
"Finally!" Damon smiled. He turned back to the girl, who hadn't moved an inch. She was still sitting there, mouth slightly open, arms locked around a leather satchel. Her eyes flicked between Damon's face, the dead snakes, and the glowing red edges of his hands.
"Are you okay?" he asked.