After my experience with a ferocious (Blue) ranked beast, I slowly climbed down the tree.
Hanging by a tree was not something I wanted to do all day, and there was no need to take the hot-air balloon with me.
Taking only the things I needed, like the [Forest Nectar], the fuel tanks, and the small ropes, I returned to my cave.
Collecting this tree fap didn’t take too long, but I was so far away from my shelter that it took much longer to return.
It was already time for sunset when I reached there.
Putting the small glass bottles and containers with nectar in the corner, I laid down on the ground.
“If the (Blue) ranked creature was so dangerous… what about the others?” I asked myself, staring at the ceiling.
There were (Indigo) and (Purple) ranked beasts out there, far more powerful than these bunch.
Unlike humans who are made of many natural substances, energy beasts are mostly made of different energies.
They were masses of concentrated and sculpted energies and that was the reason they could leave the <Core> or <Skill stones> when their [Soul Energy] reached rock bottom and they integrated into nature.
This was the reason all energy beasts had a large amount of M.P. and were ranked based on the amount of M.P. rather than their overall stats.
This world was far more intriguing than I thought.
There was a strange thing about this world that intrigued me the most.
In this world, [Revival] was possible through some different means.
If the person’s soul hasn’t fully integrated into nature, we can revive it through divine or demonic means.
Demonic method: turning the person into an undead being.
These undead creatures varied greatly and every one of them had special qualities.
Just like the zombies I fought back then, there were skeleton soldiers, ghosts, liches, undead knights, and much more.
Through these methods, the demon collects useful pawns with higher intelligence.
The other method is a sacred ritual of revival and it has to take place within a small time after death.
It requires a large amount of holy energy and numerous people to sustain the mental burden of the divine spell.
Gods and Divine Beasts can do this alone if they want and have the necessary permission to do so.
This reminded me once again that [Divine Beasts] were almost god-like beings in this world.
So, in the end, these energy beasts were dangerous, and I didn’t want to go to one that I knew I can’t even get close to.
“But… I have to get stronger. And for that, I will have to go in a snake’s nest,” I told to myself and got up.
While searching for different ingredients to purify the demonic core, I saw the [White Ruby Snake] that I saw on the first day I found my cave.
It was an enormous creature, and it was one of the most beautiful beasts that I had seen until now.
I followed it to its nest inside a large hole in an open area.
It was a wide hole, or more like a crater, formed after a large impact.
In the middle of it was his, or more likely her, nest.
As soon as she reached her home, she wrapped herself around her three white and shining eggs.
The eggs were silver and they shined just like her pure white body.
The snake mother was happy as she spend her time with her eggs.
I can’t control my tears when I saw them like that.
It brought back many memories, opening a dam that I was trying to keep closed every single day.
The mother only walked out to hunt and mostly stayed inside her nest.
I knew I couldn’t just enter her nest and take the small, brightly shining pink mushroom when she wasn’t there.
If, by any chance, she came back and found me inside her nest, only death awaited me.
The only way to get that was through facing her.
She was not interested in weaker beings and mostly stayed silent and asleep.
If I just silently go and pick out the mushroom, she might just let me go.
For someone like her, this mushroom wasn’t even worth looking at.
It was just there, before her eyes, inside of the crater.
There was just one problem.
‘I’m afraid and terrified of going there. Going before a (Green) ranked mother.
If anything goes wrong… I can’t even think of dying an easy, peaceful death.’
I knew how ferocious mothers can be and I really hated to even remember about mother right now.
I knew it would break me and I will have to delay every plan I crafted with so much difficulty.
So!
“Let’s just go there and check. I have everything prepared so there shouldn’t be any problem,” I decided with some dried meat in my hand.
Today was eventful, and tomorrow might turn out to be my last day…
***
Slowly walking through the bushes and trees, I reached the nest of a beautiful snake mother.
Just like always, she was sleeping with her babies.
As snakes were cold-blooded creatures, they needed warmth as well as large space.
The crater was warm from the inside, enough to feel it on my cheeks from afar.
I was hoping that she would just let me take the mushroom and leave but if, by any chance, she suddenly got upset…
I had a plan for that situation that at least secured my survival.
I looked down from the edge of the creator and spotted the pink mushroom just some steps away.
The small mushroom contained one of the most lethal poisons, and I had to take it and walk away.
At that time, the mother snake opened her beautiful eyes and looked at me.
Her ruby eyes were somewhat like mine, but hers had more detail and was a lighter color than mine.
I took a step, not minding her confused gaze.
I understood she was confused.
What could a human child, which wasn’t even as strong as an ant would do before her?
I walked and her eyes followed my every moment.
I was calm, and I focused my mind on the mushroom.
If some weak fool so much as even expressed hostility here, they would be dead on the spot.
I knew these things and there was no way in hell I would fight such a beautiful, strong, and amazing creature.
I just wanted this mushroom, and I would be gone.
I reached for the mushroom and bent down on the grassy ground.
“Psssss?”
Just then, I heard a quiet hissing sound from ahead, almost as if asking a question.
It was my first time with something like this, so I looked at her.
Her sparkling eyes were looking deep into mine as if checking me.
I didn’t know what to do, so I awkwardly raised my hand in a ‘hello’.
“Psssss?”
She looked at me first and then at the mushroom on the ground as if asking if I wanted that.
“Can I have this?” I asked, pointing at the mushroom.
“Psss?” she understood what I just said and asked me something else.
From her look, maybe she was asking what I wanted this for.
I didn’t know if we were really talking, but I just believed she somehow understood me.
“I need this to get stronger. I have to go back to my mom, you see,” I answered as if telling another mother that I have lost.
My feelings and emotions were pure and true, and I wanted nothing more than to go back to my parents.
Maybe she understood that and somewhat smiled with her eyes.
“Psss.”
With a short answer like ‘take it’, she went back to her sleep.
“Thank you…” I slowly said and put on some gloves and an armored glove.
I had strangely gotten permission to take this rare thing for free and I was deeply grateful for this.
I picked up the pink mushroom that almost melted my armored glove and put it inside a special box.
I made it from a refined shell of ant armor and the owl-like bird.
Because it was Mana conductive, I put some enchantments on it to make it sustain the deadly poison from the mushroom.
I walked out of the nest and stood on the edge of the crater.
Bowing my head, I said my thank you and goodbye.
“Pssss.”
She replied something like ‘take care.’ with her closed eyes.
I smiled and walked away with some new thoughts on my mind. 𝘰𝑣𝘭.𝗇𝓔t
“Nature is more surprising and beautiful than I thought,” I said under my breath and smiled again.
Maybe this was the first time I had seen some kindness in this hell.
And… I hoped with all my heart that this wasn’t the last time.