The Snake God with SSS Rank Evolution System-Chapter 208: Compass of Desire

Lilith’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile. "Hmm. So you’re nothing more than a lost little lamb, wandering aimlessly in search of revenge."

Isolde’s crimson eyes blazed with indignation. Her voice, still hoarse from the poison, cut through the night air. "So what if I am? Those humans destroyed everything I loved. They slaughtered my students—children who had never harmed anyone. Why shouldn’t they pay? Why shouldn’t all of them burn?"

Adam watched her for a long moment, his expression thoughtful. Then he turned to Lilith.

"We’re not exactly in a position to judge her." His voice was quiet, matter-of-fact. "We have our own revenge to settle. The Void entity." He looked back at Isolde. "We understand wanting to make someone pay."

Isolde’s breathing slowed. The firelight caught the tears still clinging to her lashes.

Adam continued, his voice gaining a new edge—almost persuasive.

"Instead of lashing out at every human you see, why not focus on the ones responsible? Find the soldiers who burned your village. The commanders who gave the orders. Make them pay." He tilted his head. "Wouldn’t that be more satisfying?"

Isolde’s jaw tightened. Her fingers curled against the ground.

"That’s... more difficult." Her voice was strained. "I don’t know their faces. Their names. It would take time—years, maybe. Time I don’t have the patience for." She lifted her chin, defiant. "Slaughtering all humans is easier."

Ignis nodded thoughtfully from behind Adam. "She’s not wrong about that."

Adam shot her a look, then turned back to Isolde.

"Easier, maybe. But smarter?" He shook his head. "You want to kill every human in the Solarian kingdom with your current strength?" His voice was flat, almost pitying. "That’s suicide. Even if you somehow succeeded, your life wouldn’t be peaceful. You’d be hunted forever."

Isolde’s eyes blazed with frustrated fury. "Then what am I supposed to do?! Just let them go? Forget about my students?!"

Adam met her gaze steadily.

"Do what I suggested. Find the ones responsible. The specific humans who gave the orders, who swung the swords. Kill them." He paused. "And then your revenge is complete. No more, no less."

Isolde stared at him. The fire crackled between them. Her crown of thorns, still dim, pulsed weakly above her brow.

"Why..." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Why are you helping me?"

Adam’s expression didn’t change. His crimson eyes held hers.

"Because I need something from you." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "You lived in the demon kingdom, didn’t you? I have a delivery to make there. A letter. Someone I need to find." He tilted his head. "With your help, that becomes much easier."

Isolde’s eyes narrowed. Suspicion warred with desperation in her pale gaze.

"You want to use me."

Adam shrugged. "Call it mutual benefit." He gestured at her bound form. "I let you go. You help me navigate the demon territory. And in return..." He paused. "I’ll help you find the humans who killed your students."

The silence stretched. The fire popped. Ignis shifted restlessly.

Isolde’s voice, when it came, was hoarse.

"You’re serious."

"I don’t make promises I can’t keep."

Lilith’s threads twitched. Her voice was soft, almost purring. "Adam... are you sure about this? Trusting a vampire who just tried to kill you?"

Adam glanced at her. "She’s not going to try again. Are you?"

Isolde’s jaw tightened. Her pride warred with survival—with the desperate need for something she had thought lost forever.

"No." The word came out strangled. "I won’t."

Adam’s lips curved into a faint smile.

"Good. Then we have a deal."

Lilith’s crimson eyes remained fixed on the bound vampire, her expression guarded. But within the silent space of their mental link, her voice was sharp.

’She’s hiding something. I can feel it.’

Adam’s mental voice was calm, almost amused. ’I know. That’s why I’m curious.’

Ignis’s mental voice chimed in, bright and eager. ’Ooh! So we’re going to play along and figure out what she’s hiding? That sounds fun!’

Adam’s mental tone grew more serious. ’Her crown. It’s more than just a blood skill. You both felt it, didn’t you? That crown shares a resemblance with Gluttony.’

Lilith’s silence was confirmation enough.

’It wasn’t nothing,’ Adam continued. ’There’s a connection. I want to know what it is.’

’So we pretend to trust her,’ Lilith said slowly, ’while digging for the truth.’

’Exactly.’ A hint of dark amusement crept into Adam’s mental voice. ’And we get a free tour guide through demon territory. Win-win.’

’Adam, you’re terrible,’ Ignis giggled mentally.

’He’s smart,’ Lilith corrected, a touch of reluctant approval in her tone. ’Fine. I won’t object. But if she betrays us—’

’She won’t get the chance.’

The mental link fell silent.

Adam’s voice cut through the tense silence, calm but carrying an edge that made Isolde’s skin prickle.

"One more thing." He held up a finger, his crimson eyes fixed on hers. "The poison in your body isn’t gone. It’s dormant. If you don’t drink my blood every day, it will activate again and kill you." He tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips. "So don’t get any ideas about betraying us."

Isolde’s eyes widened. Her pale face went even paler. "That’s... impossible. No poison can be controlled like that. You’re lying."

Adam’s smile widened. He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper.

"Want to try?"

The challenge hung in the air between them. Isolde’s throat bobbed as she swallowed. Her mind raced, searching for any sign of deception—but Adam’s expression held nothing but absolute confidence.

’He’s not bluffing.’ The thought crystallized with cold certainty. ’He really can do it.’

Her hands, still bound, trembled.

"...Fine." The word came out strangled. "I believe you."

Adam straightened, his smile easing into something almost pleasant.

"Good."

Behind him, Ignis snickered. Lilith’s serene smile never wavered, but her eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction.

Isolde looked away, her jaw tight, her pride bleeding as surely as the wounds on her wrists.

She had no choice but to trust the monster who had poisoned her.

And that, perhaps, was the cruelest part of all.

Adam stepped closer to her, his crimson eyes steady. He extended his wrist toward her pale lips.

"Drink," he said quietly. "Just enough to recover."

Isolde hesitated. Her pride screamed at her to refuse, to bite his hand instead of his wrist, to do anything but submit. But her body was too weak, her hunger too sharp. The scent of his blood—warm, rich, laced with the same poison that still lingered in her veins made her mouth water.

She leaned forward.

Her lips touched his skin. Her fangs pierced the vein.

The blood flowed—slowly, deliberately, measured by Adam’s own will. Isolde drank greedily at first, then forced herself to slow, to take only what she needed. The warmth spread through her limbs, chasing away the numbness, knitting together the frayed edges of her strength.

When Adam pulled back, she let him. Her lips, stained red, pressed together.

"Enough," he said, rolling down his sleeve. His expression was calm. "You’ll get more tomorrow. If you behave."

Isolde said nothing. She simply nodded, her eyes fixed on the ground.

Adam watched as Isolde finished drinking, the last drops of his blood vanishing past her pale lips. Color returned to her cheeks. Her breathing steadied. The trembling in her bound hands eased.

"Welcome to our group," he said simply.

Isolde’s crimson eyes flickered up to his. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Just once. A small, reluctant motion.

Adam turned and walked back to the fire, settling onto a log. Ignis immediately scooted closer, her flames warming his side. Lilith drifted to his other shoulder, close enough that her sleeve brushed his arm.

Isolde remained where she was, still watching them with wary, exhausted eyes.

Adam gestured for her to come closer. "Sit. We have things to discuss."

Isolde rose stiffly, her legs unsteady, and made her way to the fire. She settled on the ground across from them, her back against a tree, her bound hands resting in her lap.

Adam leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Our first destination is the Wasteland." He watched her reaction carefully. "Do you know anything about that place?"

Isolde’s brow furrowed. Confusion flickered across her pale features.

"The Wasteland?" She shook her head slowly. "I thought... you said you needed to deliver a letter to the demon kingdom. Why would you go to that desolate place first?"

Adam exchanged a glance with Lilith, then looked back at Isolde.

"We have business there. Something we need to find." His voice was flat, leaving no room for argument. "You’re with us now. So you’ll come along."

Isolde’s jaw tightened. Her fingers curled against her bound wrists.

"I know the Wasteland," she said finally. "It’s a barren stretch of nothing. No life. No water. No landmarks." Her crimson eyes met his. "Anyone who sets foot there gets lost. The terrain shifts. The sky changes. It’s designed to trap intruders."

Lilith’s head tilted, her interest sharpening. "Then how does one navigate it safely?"

Isolde was silent for a moment. Then she spoke, her voice low.

"You need a Compass of Desire." She looked at Adam. "It’s an artifact. It doesn’t point north—it points toward whatever the wielder desires most." A pause. "It’s the only thing that can guide you through the Wasteland’s illusions."

Adam’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"A Compass of Desire." He turned to Lilith. "Have you heard of it?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Lilith shook her head slowly. "No."

Ignis piped up from beside Adam, her flames flickering with curiosity. "So we need to find this compass thingy before we can even go to the Wasteland?"

Isolde nodded. "Yes. Without it, you’ll wander until you die of thirst. Or madness." Her voice was flat, matter-of-fact. "The Wasteland doesn’t forgive arrogance."