Chapter 229 227: A hidden Surprise beneath the Tree

Chapter 229 227: A hidden Surprise beneath the Tree

'What kind of sick joke is this?' It raged internally.

Actually, the effectiveness and ferocity of an attack didn't matter.

If it didn't connect, it was as useless as a fart.

Val didn't care about its feeling. He put all his strength into the tips of his feet and launched himself into the air. He was like a flash of blinding light as he cut through the air, pouncing toward the immobilized snake and covering the last remaining distance between them in a flash.

He landed on top of it.

Now, clearly the beast was entirely at Val's mercy, and he was the type of guy that never shows mercy to his enemy.

The snake's fate was quite clear.

Without a moment's hesitation, Val stabbed downward with his sword. The blade cut through the hard scales on the snake's head like a hot knife through butter, effortlessly penetrating its skull and stabbing into its brain.

The snake was already severely weakened from using the Serpent Mirage skill and then burning its essence blood. It was a last-ditch effort that had failed to save it.

Faced with the additional trauma of having its brain attacked, it couldn't hold on any longer.

The snake let out one final, indignant roar. Then, its eyes turned lifeless, resembling those of a corpse.

It had breathed its last; the snake was no more. It was dead, and it died indignantly.

Up until its last moment, it didn't want to believe it had been defeated and killed by a lesser life form.

Just then, a system notification popped up in front of Val.

[System Notification: Congratulations, Host! You've killed a Level 40+ Eldertail Snake. Experience gained: 1,050+ points.]

Val couldn't help but grin.

While the notification didn't mention any special loot, he knew the beast's body itself was a treasure trove.

Thus, there was nothing to not be happy about.

'Let's get the spoil of battle.'

After taking a moment to survey the downed beast, Val decided to make good use of its remains.

He summoned his undead minions and ordered them to carefully remove the scales from the snake's body.

They went to work immediately, separating the hard scales from the flesh with skilled precision, as if they'd done this countless times before.

Actually, they haven't.

But Val's command was like God's decree to them.

Thus, they did their best.

Once the scales were all collected, Val transmitted a thought to his Void Orb.

In response, a black hole materialized right in front of him.

Without any hesitation, he told the undead to toss the scales they've collected from the corpse into it.

The undead immediately followed his order.

The black hole closed up after the last scale was tossed inside of it.

Turning his attention to the snake's meat, Val considered its value. As he'd learned earlier, the Eldertail Snake wasn't venomous, which meant its meat wasn't laced with poison either. The only issue was the residual force of corruption in its flesh. While inedible to most, Val knew he could consume it to enhance his own strength.

Lastly, a paste made from the snake's eyes could help people see in the dark. It wasn't useful for Val himself, but it could come in handy for others.

"I bet this would fetch a good price back in the frontier," Val thought to himself.

An expedition to a lesser dimension was set to start in a few days, and nobody had a clue what conditions they'd encounter there.

Being better prepared was essential, and he knew people wouldn't pass up an opportunity to acquire something as useful as the Eldertail Snake's eye paste.

'I can't leave any part of its body behind.'

Thus, Val grabbed the snake's entire body by its tail and hoisted it up.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it into the pocket dimension within his Void Orb.

After ensuring it was safely stored, he dusted off his hands.

"Go and cut down that tree and pull out its root."

Val commanded his undead minions to make quick work of the tree that had initially concealed the snake.

When Val had activated his Heavenly Eye during the fight with the snake, he had seen something quite intriguing.

There was an altar hidden beneath the tree.

He couldn't clearly see it.

Thus, he gave out such a order.

Once the undead had finished chopping down the tree and pulling out its roots, a hollow, wide pit was revealed where the tree once stood.

Val recalled the undead before he jumped right in.

It was pitch-black down there, but thanks to his Nocturne Vision Trait, he could see as clearly as if it were daytime.

Sure enough, just as he had seen back then, an altar was present in the pit. It wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

He took a few steps forward and found himself standing before the altar.

On it was an engraving in Roman numerals.

It read "II," indicating that the dungeon was accessible to those with a Level 2 bloodline.

Since his innate class was still at Level 2, this meant he could access it.

'The entrance to a level 2 dungeon. It's truly a fortuitous find.'

Val was strong enough to complete the dungeon.

However, it would also turn dark in the world outside the Shadow Valley before he could finish and exit the dungeon.

Navigating the mountain range at night was a risky business he'd rather avoid!

However, Val dismissed these concerns with a mental wave of his hand.

He reasoned that even if it did turn night by the time he completed the dungeon, he could simply take shelter in the Shrine of Evil and wait for night to pass before making his way back home.

However, even then he felt a bit reluctant to proceed.

He hadn't informed Eliana about his plan.

Knowing her personality, she'd likely be worried sick if he didn't show up at home before midnight.

By just closing his eyes, he could already picture her face etched with concern, and her trust in him decreasing.

Was dungeon hunting important to the point of creating dents in their relation?

The answer was already in Val's heart.

It was no!

'Eliana's sincere support is more beneficial to me than any support, and I don't want to lose it by being uncaring of her feeling.'

Thus, Val decided to head back for today, and return first thing in the morning to do the dungeon.