CHAPTER 7: DUCKSKIN NAGA

I followed the trail the LycanClaw Shadow creature left and when the it was faint, I sniffed out its scent till I got to the boss chamber.

As I stared at the dense trees, the system suddenly flickered to life before my eyes.

~Instant Mission Solo Gate Shutdown~

~Objective Eliminate the D-Rank Boss: Duckscale Naga alone~

~Reward New Skill~

~Bonus Duckscale Naga’s egg~

I paused, my heart pounding with anticipation.

I had every intention to go against the boss, but I didn’t think the system would eventually reward me handsomely for it.

It was as if the number one rule governing this system was: High risk, high reward.

~Accept?~

~Yes~

~No~

~...~

The option bounced in front of me, waiting for me to pick my answer.

I let out a huge gasp of air from my mouth and nodded my head, "Yes!"

Ding!

~Mission Accepted~

~Time remaining till Gate Break 15:59:00~

The system window disappeared, leaving me alone with the weight of the task ahead.

At the entrance, the vines parted as if the reality itself was inviting me in. My boots sank into the damp soil and the stench of rot still clung to my every breath. The jungle’s chatter of birds, insects and life suddenly vanished the moment I stepped inside.

Twisted roots coiled across the ground like dead serpents, glowing fungi stained the chamber in a sickly green light and shadows stretched far, twitching where nothing moved.

"I can feel something watching me..." I said with a breath of fear, my heart pounding at a thousand miles per second.

I gripped my dagger tightly with both of my hands slowly moving forward, just as I took one more step forward...

A long log\rope like object shot out from the surface of a black, swampy water body in front of me.

It was fast, extremely fast. The thing arrived in front of my nose in the blink of an eye and it wasn’t some giant rope... No.

It was a snake, biggest and meanest I had ever seen and it had a huge amount of killing intent emanating from its eyes.

"What the hell, this is a D-Rank Boss?!"

Ding!

~Duckscale Naga~

~Difficulty: D-Rank~

The creature dove for me but I was able to deviate the direction it lunged at, I looked back in surprise.

Naga must have been surprised by my movement because it didn’t try to follow up right away, instead it chose a simpler approach to kill me.

This was a creature that was incomparably stronger than anything I had ever faced, but there’s no turning back now, I have to do this or die trying.

I swallowed nervously and cautiously as I studied the boss Naga.

It had dark, pitch black scales covering its entire body as if it was some kind of armor, because the scales had no gaps whatsoever.

"This dagger is completely useless in this situation... and I’m too weak for my punches to do anything."

One strike wouldn’t pierce those scales and fighting it head on was suicide.

With a slow breath, I sheathed the blade, "This thing isn’t alive because of muscle or scales... it’s alive because of that."

My eyes locked onto the faint glow from the center of its forehead, it was the Anti-arcane stone embedded deep in its skull. The source of its power and most importantly, its weakness.

Naga hissed again and lunged, I rolled to the side, mud splashing across my face and my heart hammering. Every move I would make has to count, one false move and I would wish Percy and Jackson farewell never to be able to protect them.

I snatched a loose chunk of stone from the ground and, as Naga’s head whipped past me, I imbued it with all my Arcane energy and hurled it with all my strength.

~0/500~

Crack!!!

The rock slammed into the gem, sending a sharp fracture across its surface. Naga let out a deafening shriek and thrashed violently as if its very soul had been struck.

I saw my opening and didn’t hesitate. Sprinting forward, I leapt onto its convulsing body, grabbed my dagger again and drove it straight into the cracked stone.

The creature let out another deafening shriek, its body convulsing as it collapsed to the ground in a heap.

I staggered back, panting heavily as I watched the creature’s lifeless form slowly turned into shadowy mist and evaporate into nothingness.

I had done it, I had defeated the Duckscale Naga on my own.

Ding!

~Objective Complete: Eliminate the D-Rank Boss Duckskin Naga~

~Reward: New Skill~

~Bonus Reward: Duckskin Naga’s egg.~

The notification flashed in front of me, and my lips curved into a small, exhausted smile. My first real gate mission was a success.

The New Skill was a credible reward, although I didn’t know how that would work. But, the second reward had me puzzled for a bit. Naga’s egg? That was way more intriguing than any reward the system had given me so far.

As the creatures body finished dissipating, it left behind the Anti-arcane stone in the dirt and a midsized, shining object appeared where the creature had fallen.

Curiosity quickly overwhelmed me to the point I momentarily forgot about the ache all over my body, I knelt down and reached for both of the items.

My fingers brushed against the other item, it had a warm surface. I lifted it carefully to my eye level and it was an egg.

The system wasn’t kidding when it said ’egg’, it literally meant an egg.

But it wasn’t like any other, its shell was covered in intricate markings and patterns that seemed to shimmer faintly with Arcane energy.

Ding!

~Item acquired, Naga’s egg.~

~Information concerning this item is currently locked and will be available once the egg has hatched.~

"I see..."

I stared at the egg with a mixture of curiosity and extreme excitement bubbling inside of me.

What kind of creature would hatch from this egg? It would likely be one that has similar qualities to Duckskin Naga.

I tucked the egg carefully into my sac bag as the weight of responsibility settled over me. Whatever was inside was likely to play a significant role in my journey ahead.

I swiped on the screen to reveal my other reward, it was a New Skill. Finally, I had gotten something that can tap into my Arcane. I opened the tab and revealed information concerning the skill.

~New Skill Unlocked~

~Divine Thread~

~A skill when activated is passive and allows host to see the weaknesses of anyone or anything that has killing intent towards host.~

In essence it was more or less a tactical skill that utilized my intellectual abilities to pick out the weaknesses of an opponent who dares to harm me.

It was a good skill, however the issues with my low Arcane reserve would cause me to have a limited time using it. But, I was still grateful that I reached this milestone.

Although I wasn’t as ecstatic as one would like, I understood that...

"...This is a direct result of my hard work, I shouldn’t be surprised"

»»»«««

Before long, I exited the gate before it sealed and made my way back to town, with the egg safely tucked in my bag and my pocket heavy with the weight of the Anti-arcane stone gotten from Duckskin Naga.

On getting to town, I made a beeline straight into a local gear shop to purchase items. With Naga’s magical stone, I now had the means to upgrade on equipment for battle, which was a crucial investment if I wanted to survive the increasingly difficult missions ahead.

The shop vendor looked up as I entered, his eyes lighting up at the sight of a new customer.

"Welcome, young adventurer..." he said noticing my sheated dagger.

I nodded, scanning the shelves. "I need something durable enough to handle close encounters."

The shop vendor glanced at my entire appearance, noticing my weak figure and my dirty clothes.

"Umm... did a Reaper send you or you’re buying it for a stronger adventurer?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"