The egg hatched successfully.

But the serpent that emerged from it was not the size he had originally expected, especially considering the massive egg, which was almost half his height.

Floki stared at the little snake coiled on his palm.

It had shiny, jet-black scales with no spots like its mother.

Its large red eyes stared into Floki’s with curiosity, then gradually shifted to recognition as it let out a small, almost inaudible hiss.

Floki heard a cute, babyish voice inside his head utter the word "papa." Even without the system explaining, he already grasped that it was a mechanism similar to translation, converting the sound of his pet into understandable words.

Floki became deeply appreciative as he realized how most tamers had to learn such skills to communicate with their pets, and how difficult it was to form the first bond with a pet.

[ To complete bod, please name your pet ]

A prompt appeared. Floki fell into deep thought for a few seconds while the innocent serpent beast stared at him, waiting to be named.

Floki recalled a username he used back on Earth. It fit his new pet.

[ You’ve bonded with Pet: Nightfang ]

[ View details.. yes/no ]

"Obviously. Yes."

╔════════════════════╗

NAME: Nightfang

RACE: Shadow Serpent (Unique)

AFFINITY: Shadow

EVOLUTION: Bronze-rank (0%)

AWAKENED SKILLS: Night Merge (F) Adaptation (F)

╚════════════════════╝

As Floki read the details, he glanced at Nightfang, whose eyes were still fixed on him. Although there was now recognition in them, something within still seemed to be scrutinizing him.

It instantly made Floki realize how its mother adapted to battle, using what it observed to defeat its foes.

Nonetheless, there was something rather strange.

"The serpent queen did not possess any magical affinity whatsoever, and yet her offspring has a unique affinity. Is this because of evolution, or maybe its real father is a shadow serpent?" Floki muttered to himself.

The answer he was seeking came in the form of a terrifying hiss that echoed across the entire village, accompanied by the sound of something massive crawling rapidly.

’What the heck is that?’ Floki wondered as he stood up immediately.

[ You have unlocked Pet domain. You can send your pet there to relax. The pet domain has the basic necessary nutrients for your pet to survive. ]

A prompt appeared.

’Good..’ Floki thought.

He telepathically opened the pet domain, and a small white portal appeared in front of them. He brought his palm close to it, and Nightfang crawled inside on its own.

After Nightfang entered the pet domain, Floki left the room.

In the sitting room, he saw that the door was open.

Garrick and Breeze were no longer present. Apparently, they had run out to see what the commotion was about.

When Floki stepped outside, he was shocked to see a massive serpent monster coiled directly in front of his manor.

The serpent monster was about double the size of the serpent queen, who was already colossal on her own.

Unlike the serpent queen, this one had no spots. Its scales were a rough shade of black, and it had three horns on its head.

It had red eyes that burned with hatred and carried intelligence. Somehow, it reminded Floki of his new pet.

’Could this be Nightfang’s father?’ Floki connected the dots as the thought crossed his mind.

Seeing how the serpent was focused solely on him, ignoring his knights and the dozens of people who had come out to witness the commotion, Floki felt his suspicion deepen.

Before he could think further, the serpent king opened its mouth, and in front of it, a smoky yet chaotic ball of shadow energy gathered, growing larger by the second.

Garrick, seeing the beast preparing its attack, grasped his greatsword and launched into action.

The tattoo on his face glowed with a bright red hue. Instantly, a visible red aura appeared over his body, and his blade was wrapped in the same energy.

Garrick stomped the ground hard and launched himself several feet into the air, aiming straight for the serpent’s head.

Breeze observed but did not act.

Floki, on the other hand, was curious to see the abilities of his new knight.

"AHHH!"

Garrick’s voice echoed across the dark village, accompanied by the sharp sound of his blade cleaving through the air as he lunged toward the serpent’s neck.

The serpent released the shadow ball it had been gathering and focused on the immediate threat, its eyes glowing red with annoyance.

At that moment, a thick veil of shadow energy formed over its massive torso.

Garrick’s sword connected with the veil. Like a hot knife cutting through butter, his blade passed through the air without resistance.

Before Garrick could understand what had happened, the veil on the serpent pulsed with energy and erupted into a small but destructive shockwave.

Garrick’s massive body was sent flying backward, crashing into one of the nearby huts and destroying the muddy structure in the process.

"It is strong."

Floki noted to himself.

Being able to defeat Garrick, who was close to platinum rank, was no easy feat.

He turned to Breeze. "Ensure none of my people are hurt."

Breeze nodded softly, his eyes still fixed on the serpent as he observed its movement.

"I am the one you’re looking for."

Floki stepped forward and spoke loudly, drawing the serpent king’s attention away from Garrick.

The serpent king stared at him, the annoyance in its eyes shifting into pure hatred.

It hissed loudly, clearly stating the reason for its attack, which unfortunately could not be understood by anyone present.

’Too bad, my understanding of beast language only works on my pet.’ Floki shook his head slightly as he continued stepping forward.

The serpent king continued hissing, filled with intense emotion.

When it realized no one understood it, it suddenly lashed its tail violently, attempting to destroy several of the nearby huts.

And that was when Floki took the battle seriously, moving forward at a rapid pace as he switched path.

[ You’ve switched from tamer path to Battle-mage path. ]

[ Mana Infusion is active ]