Chapter 32 Fight In The Forest

Minori moved steadily eastward, boots sinking into the soft earth with each step.The ancient jungle loomed around him — endless layers of tangled roots, mist, and towering trees.

Perhaps because he still lingered near the outermost edge, no monsters or beasts had appeared yet.

It was almost too quiet.

—

Buzz.

A faint flutter of wings disturbed the air.

Something slipped from the leaves above —a strange, thumb-length creature resembling a green caterpillar with delicate wings.

The winged insect drifted downward, silently approaching Minori's head.

—

In a flash—

The iron sword at Minori's waist arced upward.

The caterpillar was cleaved neatly in two, its two halves falling to the ground with a soft plop.

At the same time, a faint mechanical prompt echoed in Minori's mind:

[You have gained 1 experience point.]

A fishy, sour scent immediately permeated the air.

Minori glanced at the remains without much interest.

Poisonous, most likely.

Without any proper detection magic, he had to rely on instinct and knowledge gleaned from YGGDRASIL.

He sheathed the blade and continued forward.

—

A pity.

Had he possessed detection spells like [Detect Poison] or [Analyze Lifeform], things would have been simpler.

For now, though, his physical strength and perception had improved dramatically compared to when he first arrived in the New World.

His current stats:

HP: 73

Physical Attack: 73

Agility: 73

He had tested it earlier: with a full-strength swing, it took only three blows of his iron sword to fell a tree as thick as his forearm.

With bare fists, a full punch could leave a deep dent in a trunk half the size of his hand.

As for agility—

It was harder to quantify, but the difference was obvious.

When he fought a thief earlier, a man likely above level 8, the opponent's "swift" movements had seemed sluggish to Minori's eyes.

Now, thinking back to the adventurer team called Rock—particularly their captain, Dosari—Minori was confident.

If it came to a surprise attack, he could annihilate them.Though he would probably sustain injuries himself.

Still—

From an unknown outsider to someone approaching "silver-rank" strength, Minori had to admit the truth:

The power of "Players" was monstrous.

No wonder the Platinum Dragon Lord had once feared a certain Player among the Thirteen Heroes—someone whose strength rose alarmingly in a mere few years.

Minori smirked faintly.

He needed to rise even faster.

—

The true danger in the Tob Forest wasn't large beasts or flashy monsters.

It was the poisonous insects — the colorful ones hidden beneath leaves, capable of killing an unwary adventurer within moments.

Minori's heightened agility let him dodge most sudden attacks, but the frequent interruptions and meager experience rewards frustrated him.

Still—

He pressed on.

—

Crunch.

The sound of a dry branch snapping beneath his foot.

Minori immediately froze.

In the dense forest filled with the rustling of leaves and chirping of insects, the sound wasn't loud—but it was enough.

Something was watching him.

He turned his gaze sharply to the left.

—

Amid the crisscrossing branches of ancient trees—

A black, slender figure lay hidden, barely discernible against the foliage.Its body, decorated with faint green spots, melded almost perfectly with its surroundings.

Minori narrowed his eyes.

If it were night, he might not have noticed it at all.

He had already sensed it:The unnatural absence of wild animals here suggested one thing.

A predator's territory.

His earlier guess had been correct.

Now that he spotted it fully:

The creature had a long, narrow body—easily a meter in visible length—and was lying motionless.

Minori shifted into a battle-ready stance, drawing his iron sword.

Rustle.

The hidden beast, realizing it had been discovered, stirred.

Its crimson forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air.

The next instant—

It struck.

Exploding from the branches like an arrow, it dived toward Minori with terrifying speed, jaws wide open.

Under the fractured sunlight, its emerald-black scales gleamed with a metallic sheen.

Only now did Minori confirm the species:

A serpent.

Not an ordinary one.

This was a black-green snake—over six meters long, as thick as a man's thigh.

A genuine monster.

—

The snake's gaping jaws lunged straight for his head.

Minori reacted instantly, swinging his sword upward with all his might.

Bang!

Steel met scale.

The impact sent a sharp jolt through his arms, and faint sparks burst where blade struck armored hide.

—So hard!

Minori gritted his teeth.

The snake recoiled slightly from the pain, letting out a low, guttural hiss.

Its body, thick and powerful, twisted violently.

From behind, its massive tail whipped around with the force of a battering ram.

—

Without hesitation, Minori used his left hand to pull another iron sword from his item box.

Dual-wielding now, he caught the tail strike with his second sword.

Bang!

Another heavy collision.

Minori was forced back a step, left shoulder absorbing the shock, but he stood firm.

The black-green snake wasn't done.

It tried to coil its long body around him, aiming to crush him to death—a textbook constriction tactic.

Minori, however, was faster.

He danced backward steadily, swinging both swords to intercept each strike.

"The scales are too hard...""The body too slippery..."

Slashing attacks weren't working.The smooth, flexible scales deflected much of the force.

Even if Minori landed clean blows, the slippery surface lessened the damage.

It wasn't merely a giant beast.It was a magical creature.

That changed everything.

In this world, magical beasts weren't just physically powerful.They often possessed unnatural resistances and deadly abilities.

Minori's mind raced.

Meanwhile, the snake grew more aggressive.

Realizing the human could not harm it easily, it began sacrificing defense for all-out assault.

Its thick tail lashed harder.Its venomous fangs snapped closer.

Bang!

Minori caught another tail strike, grunting softly.

"Almost ready."

He kept his face blank, but inside, he had already mapped out the enemy's attack pattern.

A full retreat would be easy.

His agility far outstripped the snake's speed.

But—

This was valuable experience.

It would be a waste to flee now.