Capítulo 24: Chapter 24: Beauty in the Woods
Charles peeked out, only to see a dark figure leaving the campsite, heading towards the dense forest.
"It's late for someone to be sneaking around like that. Definitely up to no good," Charles whispered, then followed the figure, just in case it was Felix up to something secretive.
The night woods were pitch-black, but with Max's partial wolf-vision, Charles could just about keep up.
However, the closer he got to the shadow, the more Charles felt something was off. The figure's movement was odd, swaying from side to side, not quite walking like a human but rather seeming to slither like a snake.
Moreover, there was a long trail on the grassy ground, similar to the tracks near the [resurrecting serpent] den he had seen the day before, likely left by some serpentine creature.
"Could it be a ferocious beast?" Charles's heart skipped a beat, pounding rapidly.
For a beast to freely enter and exit the camp right under Felix's nose, a Level 2 Beast Master, it must be extraordinarily powerful.
"Hiss!"
Hearing a faint hissing sound, Charles looked up and saw a venomous snake coiled above. Reacting almost reflexively, he dodged the snake's strike.
"That was close, thank goodness I reacted quickly! Why does it feel like there are more and more venomous snakes around here?" Charles swallowed nervously, looking around cautiously. By the time he looked up again, the mysterious figure had vanished.
Although the shadow was gone, Charles continued following the trail through the dense forest and out of the gorge. Suddenly, the scenery opened up before him, revealing a pond.
Charles pushed aside the bushes, and above him was a clear moonlight scattered with stars, while in front of him lay a pond emitting a misty haze of emerald green water.
"Too bad, the trail ends here." Charles sighed disappointedly after noticing the last trace at the edge of the water.
Just as he was about to leave, a slight 'splash' sounded from the water. Through the mist, the rippling surface churned and splashed, and suddenly, a stunningly beautiful woman emerged.
Thinking he was seeing things, Charles rubbed his eyes, but indeed, there was a beautiful woman in the pond.
Her eyebrows, nose, lips, shoulders, and slender neck appeared as flawless as a piece of perfect art.
Unaware of Charles on the shore, she peeked her head above the water. After ensuring no one else was around, she slowly rose from the water.
Her long hair, wet and clinging to her back, dripped beads of water that trickled down her fair skin. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and her narrow, pale gold eyes shimmered with enchanting allure.
Looking further, the exquisite scene made Charles's blood surge, his heart pounding as if a wild wolf was rampaging inside him.
"Who's there?" The girl in the pond suddenly cried out, clutching her chest and swiftly diving back underwater.
Only then did Charles snap back to reality, followed by a look of astonishment. Had he just been caught peeping on a girl bathing?
As he was about to turn and flee, the girl had already dressed quickly and stepped ahead to block his path. Charles recognized her; she was indeed Aria, the girl often seen with Felix.
Their eyes met in a bewildered silence, neither speaking, creating an eerie standoff.
"Freak! I'll kill you today!" Aria was the first to break the silence, her cheeks flushed as she drew a slender longsword and swung it at Charles.
Instinctively, Charles thought to summon Max, but then reconsidered: He had been peeping at her bathing, and now he was about to fight her—was that the behavior of a real man?
Knowing he was in the wrong, Charles merely used his supreme spear to block Aria's attacks. "Miss, calm down and let me explain! I didn't mean to spy on you bathing!"
With a scoff, Aria's lovely pale gold eyes now looked at Charles with disgust, as if she was staring at something filthy. "What's there to explain? Today, only one of us walks away alive!"
The girl, being a mere human, was no match for Beast Master Charles. After her slashing attack missed, Charles caught her hands: "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to spy on you. There was a snake..."
Just as Charles thought he had subdued her, the situation took an unexpected turn.
The girl's slender white arms sprouted fine pale purple scales, and her golden eyes suddenly narrowed into thin slits.
At the same time, her body began to swell, transforming into a half-human, half-snake creature with a long purple tail, continually flicking her forked tongue.
As Charles looked at the snake woman, a few lines of information flashed on his screen.
[Name]: Aria
[Species]: Snake person
[Age]: 17
[Level]: Lv9
[Body Length]: 6 meters
[Attributes]: Earth/Poison
[Weakness]: Solar plexus/Water attribute
Realizing this, Charles understood why this young girl, though not a Beast Master, possessed extraordinary combat capabilities—she was not human.
[Atacama women are fiery and bold, loyal and true. Snake people tribes revere Queen Medusa as their spiritual totem, capable of fierce combat. They are one of the rare groups in the Ethereal Grove that cannot awaken Beast Master talents. They are both pets and Beast Masters, except their mastery is over themselves...]
Recalling this excerpt from a geography book, Charles suddenly realized the girl might not be as fragile as she appeared. Besides, her level was Lv9; he might not necessarily be her match.
While he did not want to harm her, as her sword thrust at him, Charles summoned Max.
"Max, block her attacks, but be careful not to hurt her!" Charles issued his combat command.
Max seemed puzzled, receiving such an odd order for the first time. If she was the enemy, why couldn't they strike decisively?
"Calm down, please!" Charles shouted abruptly.
However, the girl's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and her red sword emitted a strange pale purple mist. Wherever it passed, even the grass and trees withered.
In her beast form, Aria not only grew larger but her attributes also significantly increased. Max was no match; the ice spikes shattered into fragments upon touching the purple mist.
Seizing a gap in the attack, Aria quickly broke through Max's defense and charged close to Charles, her sword slashing towards his throat...
In that critical moment, driven by the instinct to survive, Charles cast aside any reservations about harming a lady and activated [bestial soul merge], drastically increasing his strength and speed.
Clang—
A sharp sound echoed.
Charles dodged nimbly, narrowly avoiding the girl's strike. The tip of her sword tore through his clothes, but the Divine Scale Armor stopped the blade, sparks flying.
A wooden box and a torn photograph fell from the tear in Charles's clothing.
"Calm down! If you keep this up, don't blame me for not being nice!" Charles roared in frustration and anger at the girl.
However, her assault suddenly ceased. The snake tail behind her disappeared, and the fine scales on her body vanished, returning her to the lovely girl she had been before.
Clang!
The long sword fell from her hand, and the girl knelt on the ground, gently picking up a snake-shaped pendant from the ground, seemingly sobbing softly.
Charles stared blankly at the scene.
Wasn't this the snake pendant Lily gave him on the day he left Lsengard, asking him to deliver it to her sister in Atacama? Could this girl be Lily's sister?
It couldn't be such a coincidence!
Thinking of how they had met in such a manner, Charles felt he would be too embarrassed to face her again.
"Just now, I saw a figure with the body of a snake tail heading this way, and thought it strange, so I came to see what was going on. I happened to see you bathing in the pond... It was unintentional, and if I have offended you, I sincerely apologize," Charles said earnestly, apologizing repeatedly to the girl.
However, Aria acted as if she hadn't heard Charles at all. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and ran back towards the campsite swiftly.
Picking up the wooden box and photo from the ground, Charles sighed, empathizing with Aria's current state of mind.
Anyone would struggle to cope with being spotted by a stranger while bathing secretly at a pond, especially when that stranger saw everything.
It was clear this girl was not Lily's sister, neither by species nor appearance.
Since Aria had wept over the snake pendant, it indicated she recognized it and might know the whereabouts of Lily's sister.
"Once she cools off in a couple of days, I can ask her then." Stowing away the box and photo, Charles headed back towards the campsite.
By the time he arrived, it was nearly dawn, and many hunters were yawning as they emerged from their tents.
Having not slept all night, Charles felt a bit drowsy, but fortunately, he had plenty of regenerating potions. He took a bottle from his storage space and drank it; his sleepiness vanished immediately.
Just as Charles was packing up his tent, Felix was already impatiently urging everyone:
"We've already lost a day; we can't afford any more delays. We must reach Remarkable Rock Summit before dark!"
Without even stopping for breakfast, the hunting party set off again, hurrying towards Remarkable Rock Summit.
Charles was curious why Felix was in such a rush today—had he received some urgent news?
After yesterday's incident, the group no longer traveled in a single file but adopted a defensive formation to guard against sudden attacks from ferocious beasts.
Handing Charles a piece of bread, Uldir suddenly leaned in close, "Charlie, have you heard the legends about Remarkable Rock Summit?"
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