A Test of Strength
The Venomfang Serpent hissed, its massive form towering over the group. Its forked tongue flickered, sensing prey.
Ryo's grip on his sword tightened.
This was his chance to gain Kael's trust.
Kael's golden eyes studied the creature with his usual calm intensity. He didn't seem fazed at all.
Haruto and Shiori, on the other hand, took a step back, their faces pale.
"That thing is… massive," Haruto muttered.
"Can we even fight it?" Shiori asked, gripping a small dagger she had purchased from the system shop.
Ryo ignored them for now. His focus was on Kael.
If he played this right, he could change everything.
Kael was already moving.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward, his Steel Blade gleaming. His form was flawless—a protagonist's instinct in action.
He sidestepped the serpent's first strike, his movements smooth and controlled.
With a single swing—
SHING!
His sword slashed across the serpent's scales, sparks flying.
But—
CLANG!
The attack barely left a scratch.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Tough defense."
The serpent lunged, its venomous fangs flashing.
Kael dodged again, but the force of the attack shattered the ground beneath him.
Damn. It's fast.
Ryo knew this from the novel.
This monster was one of the first true tests for Kael. It was supposed to push him to his limits.
But this time—Ryo was here.
Ryo had already positioned himself.
He knew exactly where the monster's weak point was.
While Kael distracted it from the front, Ryo rushed to the side—
And activated his inventory.
With a flicker of blue light, his Iron Sword appeared in his hands.
Ryo didn't hesitate.
He aimed for the serpent's eyes.
With a quick burst of speed, he lunged forward and—
THRUST!
His sword pierced into the serpent's left eye.
SCREEEEEECH!
The creature let out an ear-piercing shriek, its body thrashing violently.
Ryo immediately jumped back, avoiding its counterattack.
His heart pounded.
That had been risky. If he had been even a second slower—he would've died.
But it worked.
Kael, who had witnessed the whole thing, glanced at Ryo with newfound interest.
This was the turning point.
The Venomfang Serpent was now blinded in one eye, its movements growing more erratic.
This was their chance.
Kael's grip tightened on his sword. His golden eyes gleamed.
And then—
He moved.
Faster than before.
His blade glowed faintly, a sign of his natural mana awakening—just as it had in the novel.
With a single, precise slash, he severed the serpent's head.
SHING!
A moment of silence.
Then—
THUD!
The giant corpse collapsed onto the ground, blood pooling around it.
A system message appeared.
Ding!
─────── [SYSTEM ALERT] ───────
✅ You Have Defeated: Venomfang Serpent
▶ Rewards Distributed
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Ryo - +350 Coins, +1 Skill Unlock
Kael - +400 Coins, +1 Skill Unlock
Haruto, Shiori - +150 Coins
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Kael wiped his blade clean, his expression neutral.
Then, he turned to Ryo.
"…That was impressive."
It was a simple statement, but coming from Kael Draven, it was huge.
Ryo exhaled. He did it.
He had proven his worth.
Kael acknowledged him.
This was the first step in changing the story.
But the second scenario was only two days away.
And things were only going to get harder.
---
To Be Continued…