Surviving The Beast World With My 'Sassy' System-Chapter 68: Mist-Vein Serpent

Her breath caught, and she did not dare move even a fraction more. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of pale movement sliding through the mist-covered ground.

A white snake.

Its scales were bone-pale, patterned with thin, irregular black markings that ran along its length. Its body was thick, far thicker than any ordinary snake she had seen before, and it moved with slow, deliberate control. Its head lifted slightly, tongue flicking as it tasted the air.

Lavayla’s heart slammed hard against her ribs.

It was close.

She tightened her hold on Vai without thinking, instinctively shielding him as her muscles locked. Her mind raced, but her face remained still, careful not to draw attention. She could hear her own pulse roaring in her ears.

The snake’s eyes shifted.

They were not dull or mindless. They were alert and assessing.

Lavayla swallowed slowly, her throat dry. She did not know if it was venomous. She did not know how fast it could strike. All she knew was that any sudden movement could turn this into a disaster.

"Mirek," she said quietly, her voice barely louder than the water flowing behind them.

He did not look up at first, focused on freeing another cluster of moss.

"Mirek," she repeated, a fraction firmer this time.

Hearing her voice and the tone made him pause. He straightened slightly and turned his head toward her.

"Snake," Lavayla whispered, her eyes never leaving the white form coiled near the edge of the mist. "Don’t move too fast."

Mirek’s gaze followed hers instantly.

The shift in him was immediate.

His posture changed, every trace of relaxation vanishing as his focus locked onto the creature. He rose slowly to his feet, placing himself half a step in front of Lavayla without blocking her path, his body angled just enough to shield her and Vai.

The snake hissed again, louder this time, its head lifting higher as it coiled tighter, muscles gathering beneath its pale scales.

Mirek’s eyes narrowed.

"It is a Mist-vein Serpent," he said quietly. "It hunts by ambush. Do not step back."

Lavayla’s fingers clenched lightly. "Is it dangerous?"

"Yes," he replied simply.

The serpent shifted its weight, sliding forward a few inches, its body brushing against damp stone. The mist curled around it, making its movements harder to track.

Mirek lowered his center of gravity, claws sliding free from his fingers as he measured the distance. His breathing remained steady, controlled.

"Hold him tight," he murmured to Lavayla. "If it moves toward you, turn and run. Do not look back."

Her stomach twisted, but she nodded once.

Then the serpent struck.

Mist tore apart as the serpent surged forward, thick coils driving it with terrifying force. It did not attack blindly. Its head angled toward Lavayla in a clear feint before snapping sideways without warning, aiming straight for Mirek’s flank.

Mirek moved at the same instant.

He lunged into the attack, claws crashing against the serpent’s scales with a heavy, dense impact. The sensation was nothing like flesh. It felt closer to striking a packed stone wrapped in muscle. The serpent reacted violently, its body twisting as its tail slammed into the ground, sending water and mud splashing high into the air.

Lavayla stumbled back two steps, clutching Vai tightly to her chest. She did not turn and run. Her eyes stayed locked on Mirek, her breath shallow and tight as her pulse thundered in her ears.

’Nessa!’ she called out. ’What type of serpent beast is this? It feels too strong.’

’Yes, host!’ Nessa replied quickly. ’It is a low-level High-tier serpent beast, but it only reached that level recently due to ingesting chaotic energy. Mist-vein serpents are naturally powerful and extremely cunning.’

’Wait, did you say chaotic energy?’ Lavayla asked, remembering what Nessa told her about the Shadow claw tribe’s fight with a beast infected with chaotic energy. From what she remembered, chaotic energy was the opposite of ambient energy. In one word, it was very bad news. ’So it was a high-level mid-tier beast before?’

Before Nessa could answer, a colder thought struck her.

If it bit Mirek, wouldn’t the chaotic energy affect him?

She lifted her gaze just in time to see the serpent recoil, then surge forward again, faster than before.

Mirek ducked under the second strike and slammed his shoulder into the serpent’s body, forcing part of its length hard against a rock. He dragged his claws across its side, tearing through scales and drawing dark, viscous blood. But the wound was shallow. The serpent’s body was unnaturally dense.

The serpent hissed sharply and wrapped around him.

In a heartbeat, thick coils locked around Mirek’s torso and legs. The pressure was immense. Stone cracked beneath his feet as he dug in, muscles straining as he fought the crushing force.

Lavayla’s heart lurched. "Mirek!"

"Stay back!" he growled, teeth clenched.

The serpent lifted its head, eyes fixed on him with a chilling focus. Its coils tightened again, the sound of stone grinding beneath Mirek’s foot sending a spike of fear through her chest.

’Nessa! Is there any way I can help?!’

’Host,’ Nessa replied, her tone unusually serious, ’if I were an emotionless system, I would advise you not to interfere. But I am the Genesis System.’

Lavayla swallowed hard. ’Then tell me.’

’Mist-vein serpents have a clear weakness,’ Nessa continued. ’They are highly sensitive to sudden changes in temperature and intense vibrations. Their mist affinity stabilizes their bodies, but it also makes their internal energy flow fragile when disrupted.’

Lavayla watched the struggle, her thoughts racing. Her fingers tightened as she remembered the lighter inside her space vault. Her gaze flicked to the stones near the stream, her heart pounding.

’Heat,’ Nessa added quickly. ’Sudden, concentrated heat is most effective, especially near the head or the mist glands along the neck.’

Meanwhile, Mirek drove his claws into the serpent’s body again, this time sinking deeper. Blood spilled freely now, dark and steaming. The serpent’s coils loosened slightly, just enough for him to wrench one arm free.

That was all it needed.

The serpent struck.

Its fangs buried themselves into Mirek’s shoulder, piercing through his flesh and muscle. The bite was deep.

Lavayla’s hesitation vanished as she secured Vai tightly against her chest and dropped into a crouch. She snatched up a flat stone and struck the lighter against it. Sparks flared, and the dry moss ignited instantly, burning brighter than she expected.

"Mirek!" she shouted.

The serpent’s head snapped toward her, pupils narrowing as the sudden heat disrupted the mist surrounding its body.

Lavayla hurled the burning bundle.

Flames struck the serpent’s neck, bursting into smoke and fire.

The reaction was immediate.

The serpent shrieked as its coils loosened instinctively, its body thrashing wildly as its control over the mist shattered. Vapor scattered violently, dispersing for the first time.

Mirek did not hesitate.

With a low growl, he tore himself free and drove both claws into the softened scales beneath the serpent’s head. He ripped downward with brutal force. Dark blood gushed as the beast convulsed, its strength rapidly fading.

Lavayla staggered back, her heart racing as she clutched Vai and watched the serpent collapse into the stream. Its body twitched weakly before finally going still, the mist draining away from its body completely.

She stood there trembling, breath coming fast and uneven.

Then something else happened.

She felt it before she saw it.

A strange pressure rippled through the air. The remaining mist stirred unnaturally, swirling inward toward Mirek as if pulled by an invisible force.

Mirek staggered.

Then he dropped to one knee, one hand slamming into the ground.

.

Something was wrong.

The venom itself was weak. He could tell that much. It should not have affected him like this. But beneath it, mixed within the serpent’s bite, was a surge of chaotic energy. It slipped into his body through the wound and collided violently with his internal energy.

Pain exploded through him.

This was not ordinary pain. It was deep and internal, as if his own energy had turned against itself. Heat and pressure flooded his chest and spread through his limbs. His breathing hitched, every inhale burning as his internal circulation destabilized.

Mirek clenched his teeth and tried to suppress it, but the energies refused to merge. They clashed violently.

Lavayla saw him sway, her blood turning cold. "Mirek!"

He tried to stand and failed, dropping back to one knee. The ground beneath his palm fractured further as unstable energy pulsed outward, rattling stones and sending ripples across the shallow stream.

He barely heard her.

His vision blurred. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, erratic and dangerously fast. Every attempt to control the foreign energy only caused it to rebound harder, sending waves of agony through his core.

This was bad.

Very bad.

Ignoring the danger, Lavayla rushed toward him and stopped only when another surge rippled outward. She tightened her hold on Vai and forced herself to think.

She had read about naturally occurring chaotic energy in the manual, which could lead to an internal energy overload. Even if the chaotic energy were not naturally caused, the outcome could still be the same, or even worse.

If this continued, his energy channels might rupture, causing his body to tear itself apart from the inside.

So, if this continued, his energy channels could rupture. His body could tear itself apart from the inside.