Early February.
In the Kingdom of Cher, it was known as the Month of the Cracking Ice.
At this time, the frost and snow on the ground were gradually disappearing.
The morning light, like half-melted silver sand, slowly poured through the gaps in the eastern clouds, outlining the hazy silhouette of Stone Mill Village like a damp charcoal drawing.
Low-hanging mist, like a wisp of winter breath exhaled by the earth, wound around the eaves and fences, refusing to disperse for a long time.
The distant Shadow Forest had shed its heavy robe of snow, revealing an interweaving of green leaves and shrubs.
The snow in the forest had almost completely melted, with only a few stubborn puddles of ice crystals remaining in the hollows of tree roots, shimmering slightly in the daylight like forgotten broken mirrors.
In the outer areas of the forest, the air was as crisp as a freshly quenched blade.
A youth lowered his body, hiding himself in the intersecting shadows of the bushes.
He wore coarse burlap clothes, which contrasted sharply with the cold, high-quality silver soft armor underneath. The armor was finely crafted, with a pattern as delicate as frost, clearly a protective gear that only someone of status could possess.
Matthew's gaze was locked tightly on a nearby branch, a mixture of surprise and caution in his eyes.
On a tree trunk not far ahead of him, a giant python with a trunk as thick as an adult's thigh was tightly coiled.
Its length was estimated to be nearly ten meters, and its scales gleamed in the morning light like soaked cold iron.
In terms of size and aura alone, such a giant python was indeed intimidating.
But in the eyes of a Class holder who had truly stepped into the extraordinary, it posed no fatal threat at all.
Let alone to Matthew, who was now at the Brass Rank!
However—
Matthew's gaze was locked dead onto its slit pupils.
There was no coldness and chaos common to reptiles there; instead, two clusters of deep green flames burned, looking almost solid.
“Green Bead Python...”
Matthew felt a chill in his heart, and Instructor Calm's low, cautious warning seemed to echo in his ears once more:
“If you encounter a python in the forest whose eyes glow green like jade beads, you must act with caution.”
He came back to his senses, his gaze falling back onto the slit pupils flickering with green flames before him.
The morning light of the Month of the Cracking Ice flowed over him, illuminating the changes in the youth's silhouette—
Over two months of continuous tempering had quietly made the youth's figure taller and more upright. The strength hidden within his bones was taut like a bowstring, and his face had shed some of its youthfulness, replaced by the calm and sharpness of a snowfield hunter.
At the same time, Matthew's progress in strength was also exceptionally obvious—
Not only had his Basic Swordsmanship become increasingly proficient, but his 【Melting Slash】 and 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 were also functioning more smoothly under the integration of the “Feathering” state.
Today was different from the past.
With a thought, 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 activated silently, and his vision instantly cleared.
The trembling of the distant leaves, the falling ice crystals, and even the minute contractions of the muscles beneath the Green Bead Python's scales—
everything seemed to have been slowed down.
At the same time, the energy of 【Melting Slash】 also flowed faintly through his arm holding the bow. Although it was not attached to an arrow, it had already pushed his muscle reaction and explosive power to their limits.
When one holds a sharp weapon, the intent to kill naturally arises!
What was more, after more than two months, the prime magical beast meat stored at home was almost completely depleted.
Ever since Matthew promoted to the Brass Rank more than ten days ago, he had been going to the Giant Bear Cave every night for deep meditation, making full use of that triple cultivation progress.
Most of his daily round trips were peaceful and without incident, but that also meant there were no extra gains.
Until today!
Meeting a solitary and seemingly not highly alert Green Bead Python on the outskirts of the forest was an opportunity like a passing meteor—not to be missed.
His mind was made up!
Matthew steadied his breath.
He held the hunting bow steadily in his left hand, the bow extending like an arm; his right hand drew an arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and drew the bow, his movements as fluid as snowmelt feeding a stream.
Under the perception of “Feathering” with dual combat techniques active, the sound of the wind, the play of light and shadow, and the prey's breathing rhythm... all turned into calculable trajectories.
He was in no hurry to release the string, waiting instead for that most precise instant—the moment the Green Bead Python slightly raised its head upon sensing danger, its neck scales flaring to reveal the slightly lighter-colored fatal gap beneath.
Now!
The bowstring twanged, the arrow left the bow, and the sound of breaking the air was as sharp as cracking ice.
Tearing through the morning mist, the arrow turned into an almost invisible gray line, precisely piercing the muscle beneath those light-colored scales—
It was not aimed directly at the eyes burning with green flames, but at the neural center where the cervical vertebrae connected!
Commonly known as the seven-inch spot!
Pfft.
The muffled sound was slight, yet as heavy as a hammer blow!
It pierced straight through the python's thigh-thick body, pinning it to the tree trunk.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss!!”
The Green Bead Python let out a painful hiss.
It writhed its body, wanting to launch a counterattack, but the arrow had already pinned it firmly to the thick tree trunk!
It could neither break free nor mount an effective counterattack.
Matthew did not let down his guard.
His fingers had already quietly gripped a second arrow. With 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 continuously running, his vision clearly locked onto every spasm of the Green Bead Python and every gap between its hisses.
Then, two more arrows were shot in rapid succession. The sharp sound of breaking wind and the muffled thuds of piercing flesh were exceptionally clear in the forest.
One arrow pierced the Green Bead Python's other slit pupil that burned with green flame, while the other was precisely nailed into its throat, where the scales were sparser and exposed due to pain.
The giant python's struggles stopped completely.
This magical beast, which was enough to threaten a Black Iron Rank expert, was easily dealt with by Matthew.
Matthew slowly deactivated his “Feathering” state.
The burden of maintaining dual combat techniques instantly receded, followed by a sense of emptiness brought on by a portion of the life energy in his body being drained.
He exhaled a deep breath of white steam, his chest rising and falling slightly, and his heart thumping rapidly in the silence. Even though the battle was brief, the consumption of stamina and focus by “Feathering” was still intense.
But he did not rest immediately.
He swiftly put away his hunting bow and held his shortsword in his hand.
Maintaining a basic 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 (which consumed less energy), his eyes calmly scanned the shadows of the surrounding forest.
After dozens of breaths, there was still only the wail of the wind passing through the dry branches.
Only then did Matthew walk slowly to the ancient tree.
The scene before him clearly confirmed the power of his first arrow:
The Green Bead Python's thigh-thick trunk was pinned precisely to the tree by three arrows. They had penetrated extremely deep into the wood, almost dividing the python's body into three segments.
The most eye-catching was the first arrow he shot—the arrowhead had not only completely penetrated the Green Bead Python's neck bone, but with its remaining momentum, it had also sunk deep into the solid tree trunk, with nearly half of the shaft buried.
“Not bad...”
Seeing this, he nodded slightly. The power of this arrow was no different from his estimation.
Matthew gathered his thoughts, his shortsword flashing a cold arc of light in the morning sun.
Taking a step forward, he swung his shortsword in his right hand for a precise strike. The blade swept along the tree trunk, cutting off the arrow shaft that was deeply embedded in the wood and had almost pinned the Green Bead Python's neck bone through.
Then, applying force with his left hand, he cleanly pulled out the other two arrows that had pierced the python's body, splashing a few drops of dark red blood.
Rate on N.U.
