Chapter 17: Awakening
Chapter 17: Awakening
Gao Jing, fully recovered, examined the snake corpse on the ground.
By eye, this huge snake covered in bright red scales was at least seven meters long. Its body, as thick as a large bowl, looked terrifying. Back on Blue Star, this would rank as a giant python.
But in the Great World, it was just a small critter.
The most unusual thing about the Crimson Snake was the pair of golden horns growing on its head, making it look like a legendary flood dragon.
Gao Jing tried hard to pull at one horn, which felt like metal but wasn’t quite metal. It was extremely tough.
It was also firmly attached.
Clearly, pulling it off was beyond Gao Jing’s strength.
Thinking for a moment, Gao Jing drew the Machete he carried and brought it down hard with a swing.
Clang!
The gleaming blade crashed fiercely against the snake’s head, producing sparks.
The blade immediately bounced back!
Gao Jing held the hilt tightly, staring at the notch in the edge. He was speechless.
Though this Ontario Machete was a replica, its craftsmanship and material were quite good, almost as tough as the real thing. Chopping through coins or iron wire was child’s play.
Yet it couldn’t even scratch the snake skin.
The Crimson Snake’s head didn’t have a single mark, let alone show any chance of the horn being chopped off.
He wasn’t too surprised though. Earlier, those two crossbow bolts hadn’t pierced the snake’s scales either.
Their toughness was obvious.
But instead of feeling discouraged or angry, he was actually pleased.
If I could figure out how to skin it and make armor, it’d probably be better than a bulletproof vest!
And there was the snake meat, snake gall, snake bones…
This fierce thing was treasure from head to tail. Leaving it here was such a waste.
Even if it couldn’t be made into gear, he could still soak it in liquor.
He’d already deeply experienced the huge benefits the snake blood gave him!
He definitely couldn’t pass up the rest.
Before, carrying a snake carcass weighing hundreds of jin would have been impossible.
But things were different now.
Placing a hand on its head, he easily stored the entire Crimson Snake in his Storage Space.
Even though his Storage Space had many items, there was plenty of room for the snake.
With the snake gone, Gao Jing looked towards the cave ahead.
He felt a flicker of interest in this wolf den.
It used to be the wolves’ territory, but now it was the Crimson Snake’s lair.
The wolf pack had been forced to leave their home.
Was there something valuable inside? Did they fight over it? And the snake won?
Well, now Gao Jing had killed the snake.
If there was treasure in there, it was his spoils of war!
Gao Jing checked his gear. He loaded the strings back onto his three Hunting Crossbows and stored them in his Storage Space.
Holding a high-power flashlight in his left hand and gripping the Machete in his right, he cautiously entered the cave. The wolf den was big, deep, and dark, but under the intense beam of the flashlight, everything inside was visible.
The air was stale, filled with a nasty stench, and jagged rocks littered the place.
Gao Jing walked forward several hundred meters without finding any treasure.
It was just an ordinary cave!
Just as Gao Jing was running out of patience and about to give up, what he saw next shocked him to the core.
The cave ended dead ahead, with no other exit.
The ground was covered in a dense mass of over a dozen wolf beast corpses, sprawled out for dozens of meters!
The corpses closest to him were relatively intact. The further ones were more badly damaged. They looked like they’d been scorched by violent flames; many were charred into coal.
The relatively intact wolf beasts still showed their pitiful state at the moment of death.
Fear, agony, and despair were frozen in their unclosed eyes!
Seeing it made Gao Jing’s hands go cold.
A scene involuntarily formed in his mind:
The Crimson Snake burst suddenly from the ground, appearing in the deepest part of the wolf den.
The wolf beasts inside had no time to react. It opened its enormous maw and sprayed searing flames.
The nearest beasts vanished instantly into ash. Dozens perished on the spot.
The surviving ones were scared out of their wits. They fled for their lives in panic.
The Crimson Snake openly took over the lair… until Gao Jing arrived…
Now I understand just how ridiculously lucky I was!
Hitting the jackpot isn’t a million; it’s a billion!
Before entering the wolf den, Gao Jing had been puffed with pride. Now his over-heated head thoroughly sobered up.
The bloody, cruel scene before him shouted: Don’t fool yourself! You’ve gotten stronger, but in this Great World, you’re still just a bug. A tiny, insignificant bug.
Don’t get cocky. Lose your head, and you won’t even know how you died!
Luck won’t stick around forever.
Gao Jing slowly backed out of the wolf den.
Back outside, breathing clean, fresh air, soaking in the warm sunshine, his courage was still there.
He just reminded himself: Stay grounded! Don’t get too big for your boots!
The exploration of the Great World continued.
Originally, Gao Jing planned to go around the mountain ahead.
Looking at this rocky hill, only two or three hundred meters high, Gao Jing changed his mind. He decided to climb over it.
It would save a lot of time.
This mountain wasn’t much of an obstacle for him now.
But to be safe, before climbing, Gao Jing sent his drone ahead to scout.
Satisfied no monsters lurked there, he leaped onto the high Shan Yan.
Using hands and feet, he climbed upward quickly.
His improved physical fitness vastly increased his agility.
Moves impossible before could now be done easily. Relying on his heightened speed and dexterity, he bounded over the rugged, steep mountain terrain.
It felt as if he were walking on flat ground!
It didn’t take much time or effort before Gao Jing reached the summit.
The view ahead opened dramatically. A whole new, vast landscape unfolded before him!
The mountain slope beneath him descended gently far into the distance, eventually meeting a plain. Lush forests gave way to wide expanses of shrubland and grass.
Only near the river at the mountain’s base did a few large trees sprinkle the landscape.
To the north, imposing mountain ranges stretched into the distance. To the east lay the endless grassy plains.
Wind swept across the land, carrying the scent of earth and wildflowers. It instantly lifted his spirits.
The magnificent rivers and mountains, the boundless open country – an expansive feeling surged within Gao Jing.
Braving so many dangers to come here, he felt the journey had been worth it.
After appreciating the view from the peak, Gao Jing began his descent.
Going down was much easier.
Compared to him, a mere “little man,” even the bushes were tall. The long grass reached his waist.
Many mosquitoes and insects made their homes among the thick vegetation.
But as Gao Jing moved past them, nearby mosquitoes immediately fled far away. Occasionally, centipedes or spiders would suddenly appear nearby, only to scurry off wildly in all directions!
It was as if Gao Jing were their natural predator.
It was quite weird.
He hadn’t sprayed on any repellent, and even if he had, it wouldn’t have been this effective.
Seeing this repeated again and again, a thought took shape in his mind.
I drank a lot of Crimson Snake blood. I must be giving off its scent. That’s what’s making the bugs run away. They don’t dare come near.
This was great news.
From now on, Gao Jing probably didn’t need to spray himself so often or endure that chemical smell.
He wouldn’t have to stay constantly alert against bugs unaffected by the repellent either.
Quickening his pace, Gao Jing reached the mountain’s base.
Ahead lay a clear, sparkling river. It was over ten meters wide but looked very shallow.
Standing at the bank, he could see the bottom easily.
The riverbed was full of rocks big and small, covered in algae and moss. Many stones poked out above the water.
Gentle ripples shimmered on the surface, water gurgled merrily, plants swayed, and fish swam. It all looked incredibly pretty.
Gao Jing pondered that by Great World standards, this river was probably just a Mountain Stream.
It originated in the northern mountains and flowed south towards an unknown destination.
Gao Jing took his TDS pen and test strips from his pack to test the stream water.
The results showed the water was very clean.
Of course, this was just basic amateur testing. Real analysis needed proper equipment.
But Gao Jing felt confident they could drink the water after boiling it.
Just as he packed the tools back into his bag, a rustling sound came from nearby.
Several dark figures came into Gao Jing’s view!