[Origin Credits: 90]
Krrt!
The satisfying sound of fat dripping into the open flames rang out as Caelus rotated a thick skewer of boar meat over the crackling campfire.
Sitting around the warm fire were Arnold, Aron, and Riya.
They all silently chewed on the freshly roasted meat, the savory, rich flavor acting as a highly welcome distraction from the harsh, brutal environment of the Newbie Plains.
Aron had generously purchased 10kg of meat from Caelus. With Riya using a basic 1-Star fire spell to quickly ignite the gathered wood, they had managed to set up a temporary, comfortable rest point to recover their depleted stamina.
[System: Consuming Boar Meat. Actively recovering Stamina, Mana, and HP.]
By now, Caelus was taking a massive second bite from his own large share. He still had nearly 60kg of premium meat sitting securely in his inventory, which amounted to a small fortune in the early game economy.
After swallowing the second heavy chunk, he felt a soothing, warm current rush through his limbs. His hidden stamina bar refilled completely.
Feeling entirely rejuvenated, Caelus was more than ready to head back out and find some new monsters to kill.
However, just as he casually wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his expression shifted drastically.
A split second later, Aron's eyes widened in absolute horror as well.
Swish!
Without a single second of hesitation, Caelus threw his entire body backward, rolling aggressively across the dirt in a seemingly clumsy but highly effective tactical dodge.
Immediately after he vacated the spot, a massive, terrifyingly fast serpentine figure lunged straight from the dense canopy above, crashing precisely where Caelus had been sitting just a microsecond ago. The campfire was violently scattered, sending burning embers flying in every direction.
"Sss~"
The monstrous creature reared up, towering over the clearing. It was absolutely enormous. Its thick scales shimmered under the moonlight with a sickly, metallic green hue. Embedded deeply in the center of its flat forehead was a faintly glowing red gem.
A Ruby Serpent.
Only incredibly rare, mutated monsters possessed actual monster cores. While the core did not directly increase their raw combat score, it was absolute proof of their innate potential to evolve. This specific creature possessed the terrifying bloodline necessary to become a catastrophic threat at Level 20, or the Bronze Rank.
"It looks exactly like one of the smaller snakes we eliminated before, but much bigger. Is this their leader?" Aron's face went deathly pale as he scrambled frantically to his feet, quickly drawing his glowing sword.
"How can that be? I thought we wiped out their entire nest?" Riya stumbled back, genuine panic surfacing rapidly in her eyes as she gripped her staff.
"Check its base stats!" Arnold shouted abruptly, tightly gripping his heavy spear with white knuckles. "Its combat score is at 6! It is at least Level 3!"
The color completely drained from all of their faces.
A combat score of 6.
They were not even Level 2 yet. Matching a mutated elite monster with that kind of raw, oppressive power was nearly impossible for a rookie team of their caliber.
Caelus squinted his eyes critically at the beast from the safety of the bushes.
"Sss~"
The chilling sound of hissing suddenly erupted from absolutely all sides of the clearing. The Ruby Serpent was not alone. Over two dozen smaller, highly aggressive snakes, each as thick as a burly man's muscular arm, slithered smoothly out from the dense ferns to completely encircle the temporary camp.
"We are completely surrounded," Riya said, her voice trembling with barely suppressed terror.
"Damn, did you guys massacre their entire family tree? They traveled a very long way just to set up this ambush," Caelus muttered to himself, genuinely impressed by the Party's misfortune.
However, the enraged snakes did not give them any time to chat or formulate a plan.
Swish!
The massive Ruby Serpent lunged directly at Aron, instantly identifying the group's leader. Simultaneously, the swarm of smaller snakes perfectly coordinated their attacks, lunging aggressively at Riya and Arnold to violently separate their defensive formation.
Surprisingly, the horde of snakes completely ignored Caelus.
"Am I not worthy of being eaten?" Caelus blinked, feeling slightly offended by the blatant disrespect.
Then, realization hit him. Monsters in the Origin Ascension Domain were highly sensitive to ambient mana. Aron, Arnold, and Riya were practically glowing beacons of rich mana compared to him. With his terrible E-Rank affinity, Caelus possessed the mana signature of a literal rock. To the magically attuned snakes, he was the absolute lowest threat priority in the entire clearing.
"Well, this is a very good learning opportunity." Caelus settled comfortably into a low crouch, his eyes sharp and analytical.
He genuinely wanted to see exactly how the so-called Class 1 elites fought when their lives were on the line.
Clang!
Aron reacted with highly impressive speed. His crafted sword glowed with a faint blue light as he expertly parried the Ruby Serpent's massive fangs.
"Formation B! Riya, buff us! Arnold, keep the small ones off her!" Aron barked sharp orders, his composure miraculously returning now that the battle had officially started.
"On it!" Riya shouted back.
She raised her wooden staff high, and complex, glowing magical runes flared brilliantly into existence all around her.
"Aria Zone Amplification!"
"Heal!"
A soothing golden light erupted from the staff, instantly enveloping Aron and Arnold. Their movements became visibly faster, and the minor, bleeding scratches they had just received began to knit together rapidly.
Aron, heavily empowered by the stacked buffs, roared and stepped bravely forward. His sword movement was fluid and highly precise, a true testament to his expensive, high-quality education. He thrust the glowing blade forward with all his might, aiming directly for the serpent's unblinking eye.
Squelch!
The blade narrowly missed the eye but violently tore a very deep, bleeding gash into the side of the serpent's thick neck.
"Sss!" The giant snake screeched loudly in pure pain.
However, the team's victory was incredibly short-lived. The serpent's heavy tail whipped around with a speed that seemingly defied the laws of physics, brutally catching Aron directly in the ribs before he could even retract his sword.
Bam!
Aron was sent violently flying through the air, crashing heavily into a thick tree trunk.