After his encounter with those Nightmare Creatures, Samael began talking to Terror-chan even more frequently.
It wasn't exactly for entertainment.
It was so he wouldn't think.
Fear still clung to the depths of his mind—silent, persistent—and talking, even without answers, helped keep it under control.
While stacking dry branches and preparing an improvised campfire, Samael broke the silence.
"Hey, Terror-chan…" he murmured.
"What species were you, anyway?"
No answer.
He hadn't expected one. Still, he continued.
"You know… I got curious," he added, adjusting the base of the firepit.
"The description of the Ascended Spear says you're a 'creature of the depths', but it doesn't really explain what you actually were."
The fire hadn't been lit yet, but the scent of dry wood already filled the air.
"Now that I think about it…" He tilted his head, studying the colossal bones.
"You kind of look like some sort of… shark."
Samael let out a short laugh.
"What do you think of my theory?"
Absolute silence.
The wind answered instead, passing through the massive bones and producing a hollow, low sound.
Samael sighed.
"Hope I find someone soon…" he muttered. "I'm starting to accept these bones as company."
The realization made him uncomfortable. He paused, staring at the distant sea.
"But on an island like this…" he thought aloud."Who would even survive long enough to meet someone else?"
Silence weighed down once more.
"If I had been thrown straight into the forest…" he concluded, a shiver running down his spine."I'd already be dead."
The fire finally crackled to life.
And for the first time since arriving on the island, Samael felt something close to safety.
Fragile.
Temporary.
Built upon the bones of an ancient terror.
The relief didn't last long.
"I'm thirsty…" he complained.
He stood up, brushing sand off his clothes, then grimaced as he caught his own smell.
"I really am alone here, huh…?"
He glanced around instinctively, making sure no one was watching.
Then, after a brief, resigned sigh, he stripped completely.
"Great. Now this is starting to look like a nudist beach."
He gathered scattered stones along the shore until he felt he had enough, then sat down and began experimenting.
Holding the first stone, he activated his Aspect.
The Spell whispered in his ear.
[You have acquired a Memory.]
Name: Water Purification CupRank: MundaneEnchantment: StorageEffect: This cup can store more water than its apparent capacity.
"That wasn't it…" he complained.
He continued.
One stone after another.
On the sixth attempt, the whisper returned.
[You have acquired a Memory.]
Name: Water Purification Cup V2Rank: MundaneEnchantment: FiltrationDescription: This cup can filter stored water, making it safe for human consumption.
Samael smiled in relief.
"Finally…" he murmured. "Good thing my essence lasted."
The next day
Samael rose at dawn, his body aching—but functional.
"I'll hunt again," he said quietly.
"Terror-chan, watch the house while I'm gone."
Of course, no response.
"I need to get used to killing the creatures here…" he thought as he headed toward the forest."I don't know how long I'll be stuck on this island."
He moved stealthily between the trees, imitating the motions he'd learned the previous day.
It still wasn't perfect.
He tripped on a dry branch.
Sometimes his breathing was too loud.
"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath, irritated with himself.
Still, he was improving.
Constantly.
His Attributes—Bestial Reflexes and Adaptation—were simply absurd.
Without them, he would've suffered far more.
His chances of survival without those advantages would have been laughably low.
Suddenly, Samael felt something.
A chill ran down his spine.
Something was watching him.
"Probably another one like yesterday…" he thought, clenching his fist.
A tense smile formed on his face.
"Finally…" he murmured. "This time, I'll face one properly."
He took a deep breath.
"And this time…" he added, moving deeper into the forest,"I'm more used to this place."
Samael summoned the Ascended Spear and the Rusted Sword.
He slowly turned toward where he sensed the hidden presence.
The serpent realized it had been discovered.
The undergrowth shifted.
It emerged from its hiding place, its long, muscular body sliding between the roots like a living shadow.
For a few seconds, Samael and the serpent stared at each other, studying one another.
He analyzed the terrain with his peripheral vision.
Too many trees.
Exposed roots.
And a large rock—close enough to be useful.
The serpent lost patience first.
It lunged.
The movement was brutal.
Its speed was overwhelming—far greater than Samael's.
But he already knew that.
This wasn't his first time fighting one of these bastards.
Samael rolled aside at the last moment, barely dodging the attack, and hurled the Ascended Spear.
The serpent reacted instantly.
A violent tail strike knocked the spear aside, preventing it from piercing its scaled body.
"Damn it…" Samael muttered.
It attacked again.
Samael angled his body and blocked with the flat of his sword.
The impact still sent him flying, but the angle reduced the force.
His body was thrown diagonally, scraping along the ground.
This time, Samael dismissed the spear.
And summoned it again.
But he didn't throw it.
He drove it into the ground behind him, tip pointing upward, never taking his eyes off the serpent.
The creature charged once more.
Lowered its head.
Prepared a direct rush.
Samael repeated the same trick.
Angled his body.
Blocked with the sword.
Was sent flying backward—
And then—
The serpent ran straight into the spear embedded in the ground.
The tip partially pierced its body, tearing a deep gash between its scales.
The creature hissed in pain.
But it didn't stop.
In the same motion that sent Samael flying, the serpent twisted and unleashed a brutal tail strike.
Samael tried to block with his sword.
He succeeded.
But he hadn't expected a chained attack.
The impact was far stronger than he calculated.
His body flew.
This time, too far.
He slammed into a tree.
The dry sound of impact echoed.
Samael felt his bones rattle.
The air was forced from his lungs.
His breathing turned ragged, broken.
For a moment, he thought something had snapped.
But no.
Nothing seemed broken.
Still, the pain in his back was intense.
Throbbing.
A metallic taste spread through his mouth.
He had bitten his lip on impact.
Blood trickled down.
Samael spat on the ground, forcing air back into his lungs.
"Tch…" he muttered, gritting his teeth. "So that's how you want to play…"
The serpent turned toward him again.
Wounded.
But far from defeated.
And Samael realized, with cold clarity, that the fight was far from over.
The serpent charged again.
Samael was in a terrible position.
His back pressed against the tree trunk, almost no room to maneuver.
If he tried to dodge that charge…
He wouldn't make it in time.
He'd be crushed.
His eyes scanned the surroundings desperately.
Then he saw it.
A vine.
Just above his head.
Without hesitation, Samael leapt upward and grabbed it, pulling himself up at the last second.
The serpent's charge passed beneath him.
As he climbed, an idea formed in his mind.
Fast.
Risky.
He waited.
Waited until the serpent drew even closer.
When he reached a thin branch above, he released the Rusted Sword.
The blade fell, spinning through the air, straight toward the serpent's head.
The creature was fast.
But now that speed worked against it.
There was no space to slow down.
No time to dodge.
The impact came like thunder.
BOOM.
The serpent crashed violently into the tree.
The entire trunk shook.
The branch Samael clung to swayed dangerously, forcing him to hold on with all his strength.
When the dust settled, he saw it.
The sword was embedded in the serpent's neck.
And yet, the damn thing still wouldn't die.
"Like a cockroach…" he muttered, panting.
Without wasting time, Samael dismissed the spear.
And summoned it again.
The serpent was still stunned, thrashing, trying to free itself from the sword lodged in its body.
Samael aimed.
And hurled the Ascended Spear with all the strength he had left.
He had already killed one of these creatures before.
He trusted that weapon completely.
The spear cut through the air.
And pierced.
It lodged squarely into the serpent's face.
"Hissssss!" The screech echoed through the forest.
Samael smiled despite the pain.
"Hurts, doesn't it?"
Seizing the moment, he leapt toward the large rock nearby, dismissing the sword midair.
The instant the blade vanished from the serpent's neck and reappeared in Samael's hand, blood began to gush freely.
But the creature didn't react as Samael expected.
Instead of charging head-on, it twisted its body and unleashed another violent tail strike.
Samael managed to block it, redirecting the force sideways.
Unlike the head-on charge, the tail strike didn't carry the creature's full weight.
Even so, the impact left his arms numb.
He slid several steps backward.
His wounded back burned fiercely.
"Tch…" he groaned, teeth clenched.
Furious.
Wounded.
And sensing death approaching, the serpent gathered everything it had left—strength, speed—and charged one final time.
Samael rolled across the ground to avoid the attack.
"Ow… my back…" he cursed as the pain exploded again.
POW.
The sound was deafening.
The serpent slammed into the massive rock.
Samael stood up slowly, breathing with difficulty, watching cautiously.
The creature lay there.
Motionless.
Dead.
Silence claimed the forest.
Samael remained still for several seconds, waiting.
Nothing happened.
He finally released the breath he'd been holding.
He survived.
Again.
[You have slain the Man-Eating Serpent, an Awakened Beast.]