Chapter 12: A Shift in Mindset
(This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation)
Perhaps it was the first time it had encountered a human capable of easily piercing through its scales, but the Black-Armored Python was caught off guard and suffered a severe blow.
However, instead of retreating in fear, the injury only triggered its ferocity. Its jaws opened wide, its forked scarlet tongue flickered rapidly, and it lunged viciously at Lin Ze.
Lin Ze showed no fear. Brandishing his Tang Blade, he charged directly to meet it.
In an instant, man and beast were locked in a ferocious battle.
Infusing his True Qi into his legs, Lin Ze’s speed surpassed even that of the Frost Blade Leopard he had encountered before. With a powerful step, the ground beneath him cracked into countless fine fractures, propelling him forward like a lightning bolt, his figure blurring into a shadow.
Clang!
A burst of sparks exploded from the python’s body, accompanied by several shattered scales and a fresh wound. The snake snapped its jaws at Lin Ze but bit down on empty air.
“Hisssss!”
Enraged, the Black-Armored Python lashed its tail at Lin Ze, who dodged again.
Boom!
The massive tail struck a nearby tree, snapping it in half. The towering trunk was sent flying over ten meters before crashing to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Before the dust could spread, it was swept away by a sudden whirlwind. Accompanied by the deep whoosh of the python’s movement, its enormous, terrifying head emerged from the cloud, lunging at Lin Ze. A foul stench enveloped him.
At the critical moment, Lin Ze dropped into a low crouch, leaning back as the icy, armored scales whistled past mere inches from his face. The rancid scent filled his nostrils, and his back nearly brushed the ground.
In the next second, his entire body sprang up like a compressed spring. Channeling overwhelming momentum, he slammed his shoulder into the vulnerable spot seven inches down the python’s body.
A muffled thud echoed as the Black-Armored Python was flung away like a car hit by a speeding vehicle. It crashed into a tree seven or eight meters away, breaking it in half, before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
Lin Ze’s gaze flickered briefly with daze, but clarity quickly returned. Gripping his blade, he charged at the python again.
Since becoming part of the Vampire race, he had only faced beasts far weaker than himself. Battles often ended in a single strike, offering little opportunity to hone his combat skills.
Until now.
This was his first encounter with an evenly matched opponent.
Amid the fierce combat, the combat techniques inherited from his Vampire Bloodline gradually surfaced in his mind. He absorbed them bit by bit, transforming them into the foundation of his growing strength.
His combat proficiency visibly improved at an astonishing pace.
Lin Ze already had a slight edge in overall strength against the Black-Armored Python, but now his rapidly advancing techniques tilted the scales further in his favor. Each clash brought him closer to overwhelming dominance.
Although the python’s occasional counterattacks left wounds on his body, the injuries healed completely within seconds, thanks to the Vampire’s incredible regenerative abilities.
The python’s strategy often relied on wearing down opponents with its formidable defense until they succumbed. Yet it had never anticipated facing an adversary even more enduring than itself.
Over ten minutes later, with an unwilling hiss, the Black-Armored Python crashed to the ground. Its massive body twitched a few times before going completely still.
Lin Ze pulled his Tang Blade from the python’s skull, swung it clean of blood, and exhaled deeply.
Despite being his first encounter with a Savage Type beast, the battle had been intense.
In the end, he emerged victorious with no major mishaps.
Although this was just a single victory, it filled Lin Ze with a profound sense of accomplishment. A peculiar sensation of transformation welled up within him, as though he had broken free from a cage, reborn anew.
Lin Ze vaguely understood that this was likely a shift in his mindset.
Only now did he truly complete the transition from an ordinary person to a warrior.
“Gulppp…”
The sudden voice interrupted Lin Ze’s musings.
Turning his head, he saw the Sheep-Bone Monster running past and stopping at the corpse of the Black-Armored Python. It lifted its hooves and kicked at the massive body several times with great effort. However, its small hooves were far too puny to even scratch the python’s scales.
Yet, after its futile efforts, the Sheep-Bone Monster appeared jubilant, as if venting its frustrations.
Lin Ze chuckled and shook his head, deciding not to ruin its moment. Instead, his gaze returned to the corpse of the Black-Armored Python as he sank into contemplation.
The massive python, over twenty meters long and weighing well over a ton, was comparable to a small car in size. While its weight wasn’t a problem for Lin Ze’s current strength, its bulk made it inconvenient to carry into the apartment building.
Lin Ze’s main objective in hunting the Black-Armored Python was its valuable skin, but its meat was just as precious.
The higher the life energy level of a monstrous beast, the more potent energy its flesh and blood contained. A small piece of meat from a Savage Type beast could provide energy equivalent to that of an entire Blood-Eyed Wolf.
This colossal python could feed him for a long time; wasting it would be a real shame.
[Too bad power outages are widespread. If the cold storage facilities at seafood markets or food processing plants were functional, I could store the python there and consume it gradually,] he thought.
“Oh well, I’ll take as much as I can for now.”
“If it runs out, I’ll just hunt another.”
Lin Ze began dissecting the corpse.
Though the Black-Armored Python’s scales softened slightly after death, they remained extremely tough. Lin Ze had to infuse True Qi into his Tang Blade to cut through the scales successfully.
It took him over half an hour to remove the python’s skin entirely.
He carried the skin back home, storing it safely before returning to the corpse to cut up the meat. Bringing the entire carcass closer to the apartment was not an option; it might attract a horde of monstrous beasts, endangering the community nearby.
After several trips, Lin Ze managed to fill his specialized freezer for monstrous beast meat to capacity.
“This should last me a while,” Lin Ze remarked with satisfaction, gazing at the stocked freezer.
When he returned to Baiyun Forest Park, the Sheep-Bone Monster was still waiting for him at the same spot, looking as foolishly loyal as ever.
Smiling, Lin Ze retrieved a large bag of snacks he had scavenged from a supermarket and placed it before the creature.
“Thanks for helping me find the Black-Armored Python. Consider this your reward.”
“Baa!” the Sheep-Bone Monster bleated excitedly, hugging the bag of snacks larger than itself with difficulty.
“Alright, I’m leaving now. See you again if fate allows,” Lin Ze said, patting its bony head.
The little creature, an oddity even among the monstrous beasts of Weifeng City, seemed destined to cross paths with him again.
“Baa…” It waved a reluctant farewell.
Back home, Lin Ze replenished his energy by drinking a pack of frozen blood plasma, then rested briefly to restore his peak condition. Finally, he prepared to train in the Black Blade technique.
Normally, Black-Armored Python skin would be dried and ground into powder to mix with water for consumption, but Lin Ze found that process too tedious. Instead, he cooked it directly with monstrous beast meat.
[Taste doesn’t matter anyway, so why bother with finesse?]
After finishing his meal, Lin Ze moved to the center of the living room and began practicing the martial technique as instructed by the formula in his mind.