Pat felt confident.
The magician was dead. From now on, no one could challenge him for control of the ogre.
This ultra-violent killing machine would be his to use, fighting for him alone!
Pat's vision was beautiful.
Unfortunately, there was a tiny flaw.
This time, the hypnosis had failed!
The ogre lunged forward, howling.
When Pat realized the situation was dire, it was too late to dodge.
A fist as big as a casserole pot slammed into his chest.
Bang!
Pat was sent flying.
Still in the air, blood gushed out of his mouth!
Puff!
After landing, Pat spat out another large mouthful of blood.
He struggled to sit up, his face as pale as pater. His sternum shattered, and breathing felt like a knife's ache.
Watching the frenzied ogre stalking towards him, Patu gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and persevered in the fight.
"Damn it... bad luck at this crucial moment!"
Patu muttered a curse at his bad luck and hastily activated his second-stage atavism.
Up until this point, he still believed the hypnosis had failed, a fluke.
With a strange scraping sound, his blood-stained green robe was stretched open by countless vines.
Beneath the green robe, Patu had transformed from a flesh-and-blood mortal into a lush, animated plant!
Second-stage atavism, killer vine form!
As a killer vine, Patu's physique and natural armor were significantly enhanced, and he also gained plant-like properties.
Plants lack vital points and pain nerves.
So, despite his severe injuries, at least he wasn't feeling any pain now. Pat felt much better.
A dignified late-stage second-level naturalist, he activated his atavistic transformation.
Taking care of that foolish ogre, wouldn't that be a piece of cake?
Seeing Pat transform into the killer vine.
Alan couldn't help but recall the time when he, Angel, Felin, and Duke had encountered the same monster during their school days.
Back then, they were too weak.
Even the four of them combined couldn't handle a single killer vine.
Thanks to Herent's timely rescue, they were able to escape.
However, things are different now.
Alan is no longer the weak apprentice he once was.
"Turcafinwé!"
As he ran, Alan roared a spell.
He cast the "Giant Transformation" spell on himself, doubling his height!
Atavistic form, second stage of transformation! As his size skyrocketed, Allen's physical attributes increased to 26 points.
His natural armor also strengthened to level 6.
In comparison, Patu across from him looked like a small clump of grass.
No way!!
The ogre... can cast spells?!
Patu was stunned!
He finally realized that the ogre across from him was no ordinary creature, but it was too late!
Alan suddenly leaped up and, with a mid-air kick, stomped down on the killer vine!
Bang!
The giant's foot was like a pile driver.
He crushed Patu hard!
Every step he took was imbued with the power of "Bone-Breaking Explosion."
The killer vine shattered, its juices splattering.
Patcould no longer withstand it.
He steeled himself and severed the vine that Allen had stepped on!
He tried to sacrifice his pawns to save his chariot, to escape.
It was too late to run now.
Hound stride!
Giant Allen, advancing with great strides!
He leaned forward, reaching out with both hands to grab the shattered Killer Vine.
He forcibly plucked it from the ground.
"Iron Palm, break the stele! Shatter it!"
Boom!
The "Explosive Palm," cultivated to perfection, could crush the entire corundum stele into dust with a single strike.
How could a mere clump of vines withstand such divine power?!
With a crackling sound, the Killer Vine in Allen's palm was shattered.
A red and green slurry dripped from between his fingers.
This was great! Even the formalities of disposing of the body were unnecessary.
Thinking back to when Pat had come to blackmail the winery, that arrogant face...
Alan grinned, his fangs flashing coldly.
He felt incredibly happy!
After confirming that no one was around, Alan unleashed his atavism and returned to his normal form.
His clothes were ripped apart again, leaving him in only a pair of blue shorts woven from spider silk.
Two bulging storage bags hung from the waistband of his shorts.
Alan didn't mind his half-naked appearance.
Since he might need to transform and fight again, he didn't bother changing and simply returned to the woods half-naked.
He grabbed Pat's discarded green robe and pulled out a bag of magic stones and several potions.
There was also a pearl necklace of exceptional quality, the instrument used by Pat to perform his "hypnosis" spell.
Alan also searched the magician's body.
He found a gemstone pendant and several gold and silver jewels.
He also found the magic stones needed for his training.
He stuffed all the rich loot into his storage bag.
After destroying the magician's body, Alan decided to explore elsewhere, perhaps there was more to come.
...
A clearing appeared in the mushroom forest.
The enchanting figure of the snake charmer darted and stopped.
A lion's roar echoed overhead.
A golden griffin, clutching a spiked chain hammer in its talons, suddenly swooped down, swung the chain hammer, and smashed it at the snake charmer! The snake charmer rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the hammer's blow.
Bang!
The hammer smashed into the ground, leaving a large dent.
"Lóké!"
The snake charmer spun around, stood up, and with his backhand, unleashed a cone of poisonous gas!
But he was a beat too late.
The griffin had already taken flight, dragging the hammer along with it.
The poisonous gas spray missed, and the snake charmer's face turned grim.
The griffin, in mid-air, spoke in human language.
"Hey, hey! Witch, stop struggling!"
"This young master will show mercy to you. I'll give you a quick death with one blow. That's better for both you and me."
Charlie's son, Parker, roared with laughter, echoing over the mushroom forest.
"You despicable birdman! Do you dare come down and fight me on the ground?"
The snake charmer cursed, pointing to the sky.
"Believe it or not, I'll beat the shit out of you!!"
"Hahaha! I believe it! I believe it!"
Pike spread his wings and circled, seeing through the snake charmer's provocation.
"I'm in the late first stage, and you're in the early second stage. In a head-on battle, I'm certainly no match for you."
"I'm not stupid. Why should I give up my air superiority and fight you on the ground?"
"I won't go down. Come up if you dare!"
"Just wait!"
The snake charmer gritted his teeth and transformed into his ancestral form.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a true "snakeman."
From the waist up to the neck, his torso, including his arms, remained human.
Its legs fused together, forming a long, rounded snake tail.
The head transformed into a flattened cobra shape.
A hissing fang emanated from its mouth.
The snake man rubbed his hands together, and flames erupted from his palms.
Like a blazing arrow, it shot straight into the sky.
Pike, already on guard, dodged it with ease.
"After reverting to your ancestral form, you've gained a new move called 'fire arrow,' right?" Pike's laughter remained frivolous. "You almost hit me! I was so scared!"
The snake man's face darkened. He ignored Pike's taunts and continued to fire his 'fire arrows' into the sky.
Pike dodged the fire arrows, folded his wings, and dived down at high speed.
The eagle's claws dragged a chain over three meters long.
At the end of the chain was a spike hammer the size of a watermelon.
It swung through the air with a whirring sound, smashing down hard on the snakeman!
Pike's principle was to avoid contact with the snakeman.
He kept at least three meters away, ensuring the opponent couldn't retaliate and could only take the beating.
It seemed that this tactic was as effective as ever.
The snakeman twisted his nimble body, narrowly avoiding the chain hammer.
Pike wasn't greedy for credit; after missing the strike, he immediately flapped his wings and flew high.
But just as he reached his lowest point...
Something unexpected happened!
A sinister glint suddenly flashed in the snakeman's eyes.
It opened its venomous maw and bit him fiercely!
At first, Pike wasn't panicked; he even felt like laughing.
The two were three meters apart.
Even if the snake-man stretched its tongue tenfold, it still wouldn't reach his feathers.
Baring its teeth, what's the point other than scaring people?
And yet... the snake-man truly can stretch!
However, it's not its tongue that can stretch.
It's its incredibly flexible neck!
Swish!
In a flash, the snake-man's neck stretched three meters.
Before Pike could react, the snake-man's ferocious face closed in.
With a grunt, it bit down hard on his thigh.
The curved fangs pierced his flesh, injecting a venomous blast!
Pike screamed in agony and terror.
He flapped his wings desperately, hoping to escape the snake-man's bite and reach higher ground!
The snakeman released his jaws, landed lightly, and gazed up at the sky with a sneer on his face.
Level 4 venom—one drop could bring down a buffalo, and the dose she'd injected into Pike was enough to kill ten!
Instantly, the griffin's venom took effect, and it plummeted.
The snakeman, with its true serpentine waist, slithered over and bit Pike's neck.
Its fangs tore through arteries, guzzling blood!
A sizzling, sucking sound echoed through the dim forest.
Pike twitched a few times, his eyes rolled back, and he expired.
The snakeman, having drained his blood, raised his head, feeling a sense of relief!
"Hmm? There's a toxin reaction..."
The snakeman turned his head and gazed deep into the mushroom forest, his pupils flickering.
At the outset of the battle, she cast the zero-level magic "Detect Virus."
Any poisonous substance in the vicinity could not escape detection.
In the forest across the way, the poison reaction was quite strong, and it was still moving.
This indicated that the carrier of the poison was alive!
Inside the circus, including the enchanters in the mushroom garden and the numerous human demons, the snake man knew who was best at using poison and what level of poison each had mastered.
The poison reaction detected from a distance seemed unfamiliar; it couldn't be from one of them.
"I've heard for a long time that of the three factions of the South Island Warlock Academy, the Naturalist School is the most skilled in using poison."
A sinister grin crossed the snake man's flat face.
"Green-robed bastard, now that you're here, don't even think about leaving!"
"Just wait, I'll teach you how to use poison!"
...
In the mushroom forest.
Alan, maintaining his ogre form, crouched before the corpse of a green-robed apprentice.
He hummed a little tune and happily touched the corpse.
Suddenly, he sensed something amiss!
"Hmm? A strong toxin reaction is approaching!"
Alan's enhanced "Detection Virus" sounded an alarm.
Frowning, Alan stood up, turned, and took three steps to the left.
He hid behind a thick fungus.
Strange…
The poisoned individual in the distance also turned left, moving almost the same distance.
Alan immediately turned and took three steps to the right.
The toxin signal he had detected also followed suit to the right!
"Holy crap! I've met someone in my field!"
Two tests ruled out chance.
The other party must have also awakened the "Detection Virus" and was adept at using it to track poisons.
Alan knew he was the prey this person was tracking. However, a skilled hunter always appears as prey.
Alan licked his lips, a ferocious smile flickering in his eyes. "Excuse me, you're the prey, I'm the hunter!"