Matthew did not linger to clean up the scene. Instead, he quickly stuffed the severed, still-warm python body along with his arrows into the sack he carried with him.
The smell of blood had already begun to disperse through the forest; this was no place to stay for long.
After all, this was still the outskirts of the forest, and Matthew had no time to leisurely process the carcass here. The safest approach was to bring his spoils back to his cabin in Stone Mill Village and handle them at his convenience.
He slung the sack over his shoulder and took one last quick scan of the surrounding trees using 【Eagle Eye Gaze】. Confirming there were no anomalies, he turned and walked away, heading toward the village with swift, steady strides.
The hem of his coarse burlap clothes brushed against the blood-stained snow, and the youth's figure soon vanished into the depths of the forest path as the light grew stronger.
...
Back at his cabin.
Matthew pushed open the wooden door and set the heavy sack in the corner without opening it immediately. The space inside the cabin was small, and once the bloody scent of a magical beast spread, it would be difficult to clear out, which might cause unnecessary trouble.
He walked over to the water jar in the corner, scooped up half a ladle of fresh water, and drank it down quickly. The ice-cold liquid relieved the thirst and fatigue from his hurried return.
Then, Matthew picked up the sack from the corner, turned around, and walked back outside, closing the door behind him.
The faint morning light reflected off the sparse snow, casting clear outlines on the wooden boards and tools in the clearing.
He set the sack down and pulled out the still-warm carcass of the giant python. The thick torso lay across the wooden boards, its dark green scales reflecting a damp, cold sheen in the light.
“As expected of a magical beast, this size is truly immense. It far surpasses any python from my past life!”
He muttered to himself, his fingertips brushing across the cold scales. “The net meat alone is probably around a hundred pounds. I just don't know how much prime magical beast meat near the heart there will be...”
With those words, the short blade in his hand sliced down cleanly.
The blade cut along the gaps between the scales, making a faint slicing sound as it sliced through the flesh.
Though his movements were steady, his mind drifted back to the forest from moments ago, replaying the scene in his head.
If 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 had not broken through to the Novice Level, allowing him to capture details and enhance his vision far better than before even without actively channeling it, he would have struggled to spot that dark green silhouette. It had been almost completely integrated with the tree trunk amidst the swirling morning mist and overlapping shadows of the branches.
This ability to camouflage and lurk far exceeded the instincts of ordinary beasts. It felt more like... some sort of hunting talent spawned from being eroded by the dark side of the forest.
What was even more terrifying!
If Matthew had been careless and gotten too close to the Green Bead Python, he might have even been ambushed!
“If I had walked ten steps closer back then...”
Matthew paused his wrist, the tip of his blade hovering over the python's body.
There was no need to overthink it; the clear answer made a shiver run down his spine.
Given the speed of the Green Bead Python's sudden burst and the precise targeting of its green-flamed slit pupils, he wouldn't even have had time to draw his bow before being caught in a close-quarters constriction. And the most terrifying part was the venom...
At that point, even if Matthew could break free using his “Feathering” state, he would have undoubtedly paid a heavy price.
As for the venom, while it might not be life-threatening to his current self, it would be extremely troublesome if he couldn't completely purge it and was left with lingering side effects.
Thinking of this, he slowly exhaled a breath of white steam. His short blade descended once more, but his movements were faster and sharper!
It was as if he were venting his frustration.
Fortunately, over the past two months, Matthew's physical fitness had been enhanced in all aspects!
With a thought, a panel appeared before his eyes:
【Name: Matthew
Age: 16
Strength: 27 (+7.5), Agility: 24.5 (+8.5), Constitution: 27 (+7.5), Perception: 7 (+1), Spirit: 7.8 (+1.02)
Equipment Slots: Finely Forged One-Handed Sword (Green), Forest Shadow Hunting Bow (Green), Filthy Bone Chain (White), Steel Chainmail (Green), Damaged Staff (White)
Skills: 【Basic Swordsmanship: Practiced (134/500)】 (+54), 【Basic Archery: Practiced (51/500)】 (+45), 【White Snake Breathing Technique: Novice (188/500)】 (+74), 【Elemental Meditation Method: Mastered (154/500)】 (+64), 【Melting Slash: Basic (13/300)】, 【Energy Missile: Novice (34/200)】, and 【Eagle Eye Gaze: Novice (32/100)】】
Looking at the rapid growth of his physical attributes and skill proficiencies on the panel, Matthew was naturally quite satisfied.
In just over two months, his physical attributes had increased by an average of more than 7 points!
This growth rate was truly astonishing. One had to realize that he was a Class holder!
Even a single point of attribute was a massive boost for him!
The arrows he had shot to easily kill the Green Bead Python in the forest already demonstrated the change in his current strength.
If he wanted to shoot the same arrows that had shocked everyone and heavily wounded the mountain giant bear two months ago, he would probably only need to draw his bow casually to achieve the same power.
This was the power of a 7-point attribute boost!
As for why his attributes had increased by seven points, there were three main reasons:
First, in the process of practicing 【Melting Slash】 and 【Eagle Eye Gaze】, Matthew had received attribute feedback from the panel due to his combat technique breakthroughs, directly strengthening his body.
Second, as Matthew promoted from the Black Iron Rank to the Brass Rank, although the enhancement brought by this breakthrough in his life level was not as great as when he broke through to the Black Iron Rank, it was still a considerable amount!
Third, after this period of rigorous training and the continuous consumption of prime magical beast meat from the giant bear and other creatures, his vital energy and life energy had been replenished, providing the foundational conditions for his physical improvement.
The combined effect of these three aspects allowed him to achieve a growth rate far exceeding that of an ordinary Class holder in just under three months.
Furthermore, with his breakthrough to the Brass Rank, the life energy condensed within his body had also become purer and more profound.
At this point in his thoughts, Matthew's gaze slowly drifted down, bypassing the temporarily unchanged equipment slots, and landed on his skills.
After two months of uninterrupted training and practical refinement, the growth of his various skills was extremely significant, bringing a trace of satisfaction to his eyes.
However, a single worry quietly lingered in his heart—
namely, his two core skills: 【Basic Swordsmanship】 and 【Basic Archery】.
Ever since they entered the “Practiced” level, the growth rate of his proficiency had noticeably slowed down, and this sluggishness had become particularly prominent over the past two months.
The slowing progress itself was acceptable. After all, these two basic skills still required accumulation before they could break through to the next level.
What truly made Matthew feel uneasy were skills like 【Energy Missile】 and 【Melting Slash】.
These skills played a crucial role in actual combat. If they slowed down, his strength would stagnate.
More importantly, 【Energy Missile】 was his true trump card; its progress absolutely could not slow down.
After witnessing the power of the Novice Level 【Energy Missile**, he felt an even greater yearning for the path of spells...
Rate on N.U.
