Chapter 42: A Moment of Weakness He Hadn’t Expected At All
As the dark-green venom dripped onto his face, Nith became subject to a sizzling sound that threatened to burn through his skin and melt his very existence.
While it was a potent poison, Nith’s defenses against this type of venom proved superior, preventing it from causing any damage to him.
He even licked it for further research.
Would he survive, though? Medusa howled at him so intensely that she must have frightened every living being in the forest and beyond. No one dared come near them.
She kept calling his name, recounting what he had done to her. Her entire heritage had ceased to exist because of him. He had researched her poisons and how she naturally used them, along with her racial traits for special effects like petrification. Then the players had left the world after killing the poison demon, Serqet, further oppressing her race.
One of those players was that hunched bastard, Nightshade.
He had been on her tail all this time!
“That was the nature of players!” Nith screamed as he struggled against Medusa’s deathly coil. “We screwed up the world and its residents for selfish reasons, like leveling up and getting new skills! If not me, someone else would have broken your monuments! Do you think I was the type to babysit someone?! We came to this world for fun! We never believed you were real!”
“I COULDN’T CARE LESS, NIGHTSHADE!” Medusa roared.
“But I cared about you at the time, you damn bitch!” Nith howled back. “I’d never admit it then, but the people of this world were much closer to me than I let on! I couldn’t admit that, for a lot of reasons. One of them was because I knew we’d part ways eventually. At the time, I believed you were nothing more than a fake existence!”
Nith didn’t even know why he was talking to her as if she were the Medusa he had hurt in the past. His feelings seemed out of control, as though a dam had broken in his heart, and everything was pouring out.
“But I truly cared about you! My time with your tribe was a significant step toward mastering poison. I learned so much from you and your people. I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you for the sake of my skills, even though other players told me to kill you for your loot!
“I studied everything you gave me—your quests, caprices, interests—I indulged in them without any intention of harming you. But that also held me back! That’s why I went for the monuments in your throne room… and messed up! I made a huge mistake!”
Hearing Nightshade admit this much shook Medusa’s soul. This bastard had never spoken truthfully about his feelings. He was like a woman expecting her husband to guess everything she wanted… or perhaps the opposite, if one preached equality.
“Your natural poisons and how your eyes facilitated a different use of them—that intrigued me so much! I wanted that power, too! That’s why I made the difficult decision to tinker with your monuments, knowing they contained the core of your petrification. I could never go after you or your eyes… because I cared, you hear me?! I made one mistake! Inexperience, whatever you want to call it. I only intended to break a single monument, not destroy all of them!”
Because of his flaw, Nith had acted without emotion during the chaos, making it seem like he had done it on purpose.
As his words hit Medusa, she froze again. She no longer knew what was happening, gazing at Nith with a mix of emotions.
A moment later, she lost consciousness, overwhelmed by memories and feelings.
She collapsed onto Nith’s chest, drooling. Meanwhile, all her strength evaporated, and her snake muscles no longer squeezed him with their full force.
Sighing with relief, Nith settled himself more comfortably on her tail and inhaled the fresh air while gazing at the intricate canopy of green trees above.
“This bitch is drooling in her sleep,” Nith muttered as he felt her poison melting his rags and warming his skin.
He had taken her side and now had no idea what would come of it next. He could have hidden his nickname and used his real name, but Nith no longer cared. The damage was done.
He needed to rest for a while and free himself from this embrace, which was too much for a human to handle. He could only manage it because the snake woman was asleep.
–
Medusa woke up in darkness.
A starry sky spread above her head, and the dense forest canopy further drowned her in cold shadows, causing her eyes to glow like two fallen stars.
She instinctively pressed her palm to her forehead, feeling awful. The memories of her encounter with Nightshade flooded her mind, and Medusa realized she had been overtaken by her predecessors.
After Nightshade’s confession, things had changed.
Nith couldn’t possibly know about it.
That was why he stood still, with his golden blade pointed at Medusa’s head. As she noticed his presence, Medusa raised her eyes to look at him.
“I’m calm now. However, I must commend your courage for staying by my side. It must be a player’s drive that keeps you close to me. Do you want a quest? Should I come up with epic lines for the forgotten legendary player?” she asked with a derisive tone.
Nith called back his spear and scoffed. “Would you believe me if I told you my human side made me wait for you to wake up?”
“I’d never believe that,” Medusa replied.
Nith sneered. “I like that.” He sat down at the base of a tree and said, “Let’s cut to the chase and discuss the incentives for our teamwork. Before you bark at me, you need me. I refuse to believe that the Queen f Snakes would ever allow herself to be imprisoned—especially by humans.”
