I just wanted to watch TV! But now, I'm in a Fantasy World!-Chapter 69: First Hunt: Blast Serpent

The shadow of Thane hovered over the Serpent.

Thane was already in the air.

He had used Esau as a stepping stone, springing off the Groundling’s rock-solid arms to launch himself upward while Esau threw him. At the peak of his jump, he activated Spirit Deflecting Strike on the air itself while harnessing some of the magic that he drew from the two staves.

BOOM!

Thane was able to perform the legendary skill that is common in most of the games Thane played as a kid.

The Double Jump!

Thane flew higher using the recoil to push his body even higher, as if he had kicked off an invisible platform.

[4]

Two staves were in his hands. He had channeled mana into both, weaving Spirit through the cores and forcing them to resonate together. Flames coiled at their tips like compressed suns, and he took aim at the Blast Serpent, which was slowly turning its head to see the source of the booming sound.

But time moved slowly while the Celestial TV was turned on.

As the Serpent’s face turned, Thane unleashed the magic.

"[Twin Fireball]!"

Two fireballs shot downward toward the serpent’s face, leaving trails of orange light.

[3]

From Thane’s perspective, time seemed to slow.

He could see the serpent’s remaining eye widening, its pupils narrowing in sudden alarm. He could see the Captain’s half-lidded gaze drifting upward. He could feel Libra’s quiet focus in the back of his mind.

"Good timing, Master..." Libra whispered.

BOOOOM.

The dual fireballs slammed into the Serpent’s skull. Flames exploded outward, engulfing its face. Chunks of chipped scale and bone flew in all directions.

The serpent staggered, its massive body swaying. It began to fall back from the pain.

[2]

Big Bonky appeared in mid-air as Thane summoned it from his Item Storage while storing the two staves he held. The gigantic stone club manifested just beneath him, suspended for a split second by the force of his Spirit.

Thane pulled down on it.

He channeled more Spirit into his arms and the boulder, forcing it straight toward the serpent.

[1]

Time resumed as Thane pulled down.

The large boulder fell from the high heights where it was summoned.

Thane’s height, his Spirit-Fueled wielding of the giant club, aided by the final ingredient.

"[Mass Times 9.8 Meters per Second Squared]!"

SMASH.

Big Bonky crashed into the serpent’s head with earth-shaking force.

The Blast Serpent’s skull was driven into the floor. The impact cracked the stone and sent a shockwave through the cavern as it brought the head of the serpent crashing down to the ground.

The huge body slithered weakly to the side, spasming. Its tail twitched, then drooped.

Big Bonky tilted and rolled over from the uneven flooring, which is the Serpent’s head.

The Serpent was free from the weight and began to move away.

It was fleeing!

Thane did not hesitate.

He had already leaped from the top of Big Bonky and made a quick leap, descending like a falling spear as he summoned his new weapon.

Excaliblade glittered in his hands, its edge humming with Spirit Amplification.

"[Spirit Piercing Strike]!"

STAB.

The sword plunged into the wounded scales of the serpent’s skull, piercing through the fractured bone, slicing past the shattered remnants of its eye, and driving straight into its brain.

The creature convulsed once.

Then it went still.

The Blast Serpent was slain!

"Hunt Complete! What a haul! Blast Serpent, was it? I can’t wait to see what this can do to the Dungeon!" Thane chuckled.

Silence settled over the cavern, broken only by the crackling of cooling stone and the distant drip of water.

"A... boy?" the Captain murmured weakly, staring up at the figure standing atop the dead monster.

Thane pulled Excaliblade free, blood sliding down the blade. He hopped off the serpent’s skull and walked toward the Captain, boots splashing in the shallow pools of blood.

"You were quite awesome," Thane said, genuinely impressed.

"Your Tactics and hustle allowed you to deal with the serpent. If I had not killed those two, you would have fled or managed to command your group to kill the serpent. And of course, that unwavering will of yours surpasses even Bolgard’s! This makes you a good leader! Your soul will do." Thane smiled and drew Stabby Boi.

STAB.

The blade slid into the Captain’s chest. The man barely reacted. With so many wounds already consuming his nerves, the final strike felt like nothing at all.

His eyes dimmed. His breath stopped.

The Captain of the Red Chains lay still.

Thane turned away and scanned the battlefield. A barbarian lay a short distance away, chest torn open, but still breathing faintly.

He walked over, knelt, and rummaged through the dead bodies of the mages and fallen warriors.

He found a half-full potion vial and pried open the wounded barbarian’s mouth.

"Drink," Thane said.

The barbarian coughed as the bitter liquid slid down his throat. His breath steadied slightly. He was barely alive, but not dead yet.

"You Red Chains are pathetic!" Thane said calmly, grabbing the barbarian by the hair and dragging him toward the now-cleared passage.

"Not worth this prince’s effort."

The barbarian’s eyes widened at that word.

"Prince...?"

"Tell your master, Boldred," Thane continued, his voice cold.

"Bolgard’s head is with me. If he wants it, he can come and take it. Follow this path to the end of the den, where the Magma Beasts appear. If he is brave enough to fight me and my traps, then come!"

He shoved the man forward.

"Who... are you?" the barbarian rasped.

"You do not even recognize me!" Thane chuckled and gave him a hard kick, knocking him stumbling down the path.

"Now scram and report this to your master, or I will kill you here."

"ROAR!" Esau howled behind him, the feral cry echoing through the tunnel.

Fear jolted through the barbarian’s body. He staggered to his feet and began to limp forward, clinging to life and duty with what little strength he had left.

With the messenger gone, Thane turned back to the chamber.

He began to work.

"Now to take my spoils!" Thane chuckled.

One by one, he stored several corpses into his Channel: the Red Chain warriors, the shield bearers, the Battle Mages, some of the Barbarians, the Captain, the serpent, even the monstrous bats that had drawn the beast here. Weapons were gathered and absorbed. Potions, scraps of armor, broken shields, and shattered staves all vanished into his invisible inventory.

Thane left the corpses of the two archers and one of the Barbarians to lie in their spots while cleaning up the rest. This would make the Red Chains send more forces, even if the half-dead barbarian that Thane sent would die halfway before he could deliver any of the messages.

Thane prioritized the corpses of the things that he knew would be useful.

"Let’s go, Esau! Now with that messenger, we could go back to the Channel World! Let’s head back to where our traps were and wait!

They left the cavern, slipping back into the darkness.

Several minutes after their departure, the half-dead barbarian continued to make his slow march. The potion could not close up the wound he had, and he kept on losing blood. Finally, flickers of light appeared down the tunnel. A squad of Red Chains scouts and warriors arrived at the edge of the battlefield that no longer existed.

Seeing this, the Barbarian collapsed.

"Commander!" a barbarian called out.

"Commander! Someone is there!"

They spotted a figure collapsed near the path.

"It is Herik!" one of the men shouted, recognizing the wounded barbarian.

They rushed forward. The Commander, the veteran battle mage with a scar across his cheek, knelt beside the fallen man.

"Where is Captain Jargos? What happened?" the Commander demanded.

Herik’s eyes fluttered weakly.

"Dead..." he rasped. "They are all dead... A... boy... A boy led the snake of the Mad Mage..."

"What are you talking about?" another barbarian asked, bewildered.

"Calm down, Herik," the Commander said, signaling for a potion.

One of the men uncorked a vial and tried to bring it to Herik’s lips, but the wounded barbarian pushed it away weakly.

"No... No time... to drink... I know I am dead..." he whispered.

"Commander... a boy... He is the Prince... He... he was the one... tricked us... fought the snake of the Mad Mage... He said... he will wait... where the Magma Beasts are... Captain Bolgard’s head... is with him..."

The Commander’s eyes narrowed as he listened.

Herik’s voice trembled as he tried to continue.

"We fought... trapped inside... Captain Jargos died... killed by the boy... The boy... also..."

His words faltered. His head slumped to the side. His gaze was fixed on nothing.

"He is dead, Commander," one of the barbarians said quietly.

The Commander’s expression darkened.

"Move out! Scout the area!" The Commander commanded.

The team moved and rushed further, and finally found the empty cavern with three corpses in the area.

The ground revealed where the Serpent once was. A massive trail of the Serpent’s body could be seen.

"The Mad Mage’s Serpent? The one he issued a hunt is here...?" The Commander frowned.

"Where are the rest of the corpses? Where is the Captain? Were they...?" One of the Red Chain archers asked.

Jargos was the best of our team in formation battles. He would not have died so easily. But... that Herik said they were all dead..."

"Tell the Boss," the Commander ordered, his voice grim.

"We will all have to move in. The Prince, and perhaps, the Green Mage, has prepared a trap for us at the Magma Beasts’ den! This will not be an easy battle! We could lose more than we have accounted for! We need to prepare... for war!"