Chapter 42: Serpent Scale

“Ding!”

A crisp sound, like metal clashing, accompanied by fleeting sparks in the cold air, echoed repeatedly in the vast cave.

[Whirlwind Slash]

The iron-gray arc of sword light flashed, striking the black-iron-like scales in an instant.

“Ah… ouch, ouch, ouch.”

I felt a numbing shock travel from the sword hilt, rendering half my body senseless in a moment.

What followed was excruciating pain from beneath the splint and bandage on my right arm.

I sat on the ground for a while, my back soaked with sweat, before I recovered.

Exhausted, I leaned against the stone wall, staring at the train-thick serpent body before me.

I glanced up at the menacing snake head, its emerald-green eyes still coldly fixed on me.

I let out a sigh.

“Was I too naive?”

Driven by fanciful ideas, I had enthusiastically embarked on my trophy-collection plan.

Though I didn’t know the exact species of this black serpent, its scales or gall bladder, if brought back to town, would likely fetch a hefty sum.

But this serpent, massive beyond human comprehension, seemed to have defenses rivaling the most advanced armored vehicles.

Chopping, hacking, prying, drilling…

In the past dozens of minutes, I exhausted every ounce of strength, trying countless methods.

In the end, even forcing through my injuries to use [Whirlwind Slash] yielded no progress.

I even suspected those cold, fine scales could easily withstand bullets and explosives from my technological world.

In this context, my dagger and longsword were like humanity facing the Trisolarans’ “droplet” in sci-fi novels—primitive and powerless.

I also tried climbing the serpent’s body, hoping to reach the spot where it was pinned by the stone spike at the cave’s ceiling—

The scales there must be breached, and I might collect some fragments or even a few drops of blood.

That failed too.

The scales, though angular and distinct, had gaps so tight my fingers couldn’t slip through, offering no leverage for climbing;

their edges were razor-sharp, and a slight press left a bleeding cut on my hand.

Moreover, the serpent was pinned high at the cave’s ceiling. If I climbed up and fell, it’d be instant death—no healing potion could save me.

Using my still-intact left arm for support, I leaned against the stone wall and stood, sheathing the beheading longsword.

Having seen the [Adventurer’s Handbook]’s many methods for collecting magical creature trophies, I knew exactly how many precious treasures this serpent’s massive body held.

“I’m not reconciled.”

My expression was complex, and I forced myself to look away.

I couldn’t get stuck on this.

No matter how much effort or thought I put in, if it didn’t work, it didn’t work.

“I’ll come back later, if I get the chance.”

For now, the priority was finding a way out of this damned place.

I exhaled slowly, calming myself while regaining my resolve.

I carefully examined the spacious cave I was in.

Unlike the deep, shadowy corridor before, the glowing fungi on the surrounding stone walls were particularly active, their blue light filling every corner.

This allowed me to clearly observe details that would’ve been hidden in darkness.

“The stone walls on both sides have numerous scratches and impact marks, likely left by this serpent when it was alive.”

“Given this snake’s size, the tunnel I came through was far too small.”

“Is there another exit, or some other reason?”

“The human bones that were everywhere earlier are now completely absent…”

“Hm?”

My gaze froze.

In a corner of the cave’s depths, a flash of pale white caught my eye.

Approaching, I saw a human skeleton slumped against the wall.

Unlike the scattered bones I’d seen before, this corpse, though reduced to a skeleton, was relatively intact.

Shins, pelvis, ribs, skull…

It even wore scraps of dark blue fabric, faintly recognizable as the remnants of a “robe.”

But what stood out most was the jet-black scale piercing through the skeleton’s chest, straight through the spine, embedded in the stone wall.

“What’s this?”

My eyes lit up, a sudden sense of “a village appearing after a dark path” washing over me.

“Sorry for the disturbance,” I murmured to the skeleton, stepping forward.

With both hands, I tugged the scale from the stone wall.

Holding it in my palms, I examined it closely.

The scale was diamond-shaped, about the length of my forearm, its surface glossy black, cool and smooth to the touch, both hard and faintly resilient.

Without a doubt, this diamond-shaped scale in my hands was the tough serpent scale I’d struggled in vain to obtain.

Recalling how even [Whirlwind Slash] with the beheading longsword left no mark on its surface, I felt a ripple of excitement.

Once I got back, I could find a blacksmith in River Valley Town, maybe at “Rockhammer,” to craft equipment from this scale, as I recalled they offered custom services.

To maximize its defensive properties, making it into armor or a shield would be ideal,

but its size might not suffice, and if it were a shield, I’d need to find a way to learn related techniques.

Considering the sharpness of its edges, a small weapon might also be an option?

“I’ll figure it out when I’m back.”

I shook my head.

Carefully, I tucked the scale deep into my backpack.

Then I chuckled at my cautious demeanor.

If something happened, with the defensive strength this scale showed, it’d probably outlast even my ashes.

The unexpected find lifted my spirits.

I was about to leave when I noticed something else.

Beside the skeleton lay a dusty, weathered wooden sword, marked by the passage of time.

For safety, I focused my gaze on the sword, holding my breath.

To my surprise, a stream of translucent information appeared before my eyes.

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