章 43: Chapter 43 The Secret Nest of the Black Ice Snake

Both of Veer's small knives simultaneously attack the black ice snake flying in the air. With a whoosh sound, both knives fly towards the Black Ice Snake quickly. When the Black Ice Snake sees the two knives flying towards him, he tries to get out of the way by raging fast, but the knives strike the tail of the Black Ice Snake, and both of them break upon impact with its body.

However, the force of the knives propels the Black Ice Snake through the wall of the cave. Upon witnessing that his knives haven't harmed the Black Ice Snake's body and have also been broken, Veer clicks his tongue in frustration.

"Tsh. My knives! How did I forget that these knives are meant for ripping and cleaning the flesh of a dead monster? They are not meant for fighting any monster. Moreover, I increased their speed and strength with my mental power, which has weakened the knives further. I must infuse my mental power with my internal energy in the knives, or else they will break," Veer thinks to himself.

Subsequently, Veer takes out two more knives from the eight knives he carries, which he considers his "children," to attack again. But this time, Veer holds the knives with both hands and starts channeling his internal energy into them. The knives begin to shine little by little, and when he releases them, they fly from Veer's hands.

Meanwhile, the Black Ice Snake, after being attacked by Veer, understands that staying there means certain death. It tries to think of ways to escape but fails, as suddenly, a knife grazes its body with a "whoosh" sound, causing a burning sensation and making a part of its body bleed.

Veer tests the strength of his knife by firing it at the Black Ice Snake. By channeling his internal energy into the knife, he discovers that its strength increases significantly. The Black Ice Snake screams in pain and fear as Veer aims his flying knives at it.

In an attempt to flee the cave, the Black Ice Snake is unable to do so as Veer sends his knives rotating like drills towards it. The knives travel at a speed of over 200 m/s, piercing through the Black Ice Snake's head and the rest of its body. The creature's body collapses to the ground, with blood flowing like a river, and its once-red eyes now closed.

"F-ck, this mental power is more potent than I thought, and it's too exhausting to control just two knives," Veer exclaims.

Veer, who is drenched in sweat, looks at the black ice snake, "I must remove the source stone and its skin from its body as soon as possible; otherwise, it's like we never had a fight. If I leave the monster's remains here, it might attract more dangerous creatures," Veer says.

He starts by removing the skin of the Black Ice Snake, something he had never done before with the rank 1 demon wolves he usually hunted. Even if something valuable came out of their bodies, it wouldn't fetch much money. However, the Black Ice Snake being a rank 3 monster means its skin would be worth a lot and its source stone could fetch a high price as well.

After successfully retrieving the skin and source stone, Veer is about to leave when he suddenly remembers something. "Wait, where is the girl who was killed by this Black Ice Snake monster?" Veer looks around and eventually finds the girl lying against a wall at some distance from where he had seen her before.

"I wonder how she got there when the Black Ice Snake was fighting me. Did the impact throw her there?" Veer wonders.

Approaching the girl, Veer lifts her lifeless body in the air using his mental power, and she starts floating. As he sees her face, he recognizes her. "This is the same girl who contacted me to join her team. Her name was Fiona, if I recall correctly," Veer mutters.

"It means she followed me from the beginning," Veer realizes. He searches her belongings but finds nothing of value. Veer then starts scanning the cave from all angles and notices the direction from where the Black Ice Snake attacked him. He decides to investigate further.

There, he finds a nest-like structure, similar to a bird's nest, containing a broken half-meter-long egg surrounded by a pile of bones—some human and some from other monsters.

This must be the nest of that black ice snake, Veer thinks in his mind.

Among the bones, Veer discovers human belongings like battle suits, blades, swords, spears, magician and warrior medicines—some broken, some intact. This discovery makes Veer happy.

"Wow, I'm lucky today! After selling all these, I'm sure to earn at least 2 to 3 million star dollars," Veer exclaims joyfully.

As he prepares to leave, his eyes catch sight of a shining stone. He approaches it and gets surprised, "This, this is the source stone of a rank 4 monster, worth 20,000 star dollars. If I find more of these, I can earn a fortune," Veer says excitedly.

He finds four more such stones nearby, but at the same time, a strange feeling creeps in. "Wait, if there's a rank 4 source stone here, doesn't that mean there might be an even more powerful monster than the Black Ice Snake? I should leave here quickly," Veer thinks to himself.

As Veer raced out of the cave, he swiftly sprayed himself to mask his fragrance, ensuring he wouldn't be easily detected by any other lurking monsters. His heart pounded with adrenaline, knowing he had to put distance between himself and the enraged black ice snake monster he had just defeated.

Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the cave, sending shockwaves through the surrounding area. A colossal cloud of dust and glimmering ice crystals erupted, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle that reached as far as 500 meters. As the dust settled, a figure emerged, a creature of immense power and fury, less than 15 meters in length – it was the black ice snake monster, now more furious than ever.

HISSSSSSSS!

The resounding roar echoed through the forest, causing an eerie silence to descend upon the surroundings. But within that silence, a new force stirred – the sense of Veer's indomitable spirit and unwavering resolve.