The viper lizard, also known as the “corrosive lizard.”
This species lived in packs. They were about half a meter long in their infancy, but could reach one to one and a half meters upon reaching adulthood. They fed on carrion, insects, small animals, and even fungi nourished by magic.
Their most distinctive features, aside from the dark green scales covering their entire bodies that were as hard as iron plates, were the sac-like organs at the ends of their tails that could store and spray corrosive venom.
They typically lived in damp caves and marshy areas deeper within the Shadow Forest, near underground magic nodes or areas where mineral veins seeped out.
The magic there was denser, and the environment was harsher.
To survive, they had evolved unique abilities—venom sacs and sturdy shells.
However, these traits had evolved simply to make them harder to eat, rather than for active offense or highly efficient killing.
But to low-level adventurers, these sturdy shells meant high defense, and the venom sacs represented lethal danger!
According to statistics from the town's adventurer guild, the survival rate of low-level adventurers upon encountering viper lizards was only ten percent!
...
Meanwhile, everyone reacted quickly.
First was Instructor Calm.
His longsword was like lightning as he thrust directly at the leading viper lizard. The tip of his sword precisely avoided the back where the scales were thickest, stabbing toward the relatively vulnerable side of its neck.
However, the viper lizard reacted extremely fast. It whipped its head aside, and the blade scraped across its scales, kicking up a shower of sparks and leaving only a shallow trail of blood.
“Attack the joints, avoid their venom sacs!” Instructor Calm shouted sharply, while simultaneously stepping aside to dodge a stream of foul-smelling venom sprayed by another viper lizard's tail whip.
The venom splashed onto the ground, sizzling as it corroded the dry leaves.
Hearing the sizzling sound, Matthew's skin broke out in goosebumps. Any thought of stepping forward to fight them in close quarters instantly vanished.
Holy crap!
Is that venom?
Alarm bells rang loudly in Matthew's mind.
His past-life fear of venomous snakes was instantly triggered. If even a drop of this stuff got on him, at best his skin would rot and tear open, and at worst he would die on the spot!
The venom sprayed by the viper lizard before him was so highly corrosive that it was clearly far more terrifying than ordinary snake venom.
Although his Constitution had improved, he was still far from being able to tank venom with his bare body.
He immediately abandoned his plan for close-quarters combat. Shifting his footwork, he quickly pulled back to the rear-flank, while his right hand already drew an arrow from his quiver.
The scene of Sierra's arrow being deflected just now was still fresh in his memory. He instantly understood the key to attacking—he absolutely must not aim for those hard scales!
His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, instantly locking onto a viper lizard that was pouncing toward Rayson from the side.
The viper lizard opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of fine, sharp teeth, and let out a threatening hiss. This completely exposed the relatively soft, scaleless area inside its throat and mouth.
He drew his bow to its absolute limit!
The power brought by the White Snake Breathing Technique surged in an instant. Aiming for the depths of that foul-smelling mouth, he released his fingers!
“Twang!”
The bowstring vibrated, and the arrow shot forth, tearing through the air. Like a venomous snake itself, it precisely plunged into the wide-open mouth of the viper lizard!
“Splat!”
The arrow entered through the mouth and pierced straight through the back of its head!
The viper lizard's screeching stopped abruptly. Its forward momentum ground to a sudden halt, and it tumbled to the ground. After its limbs twitched violently a few times, it stopped moving altogether.
Dark green blood mixed with slime welled up from its mouth and nose.
Even Matthew was somewhat surprised by this shot. Did I just fuse the breathing technique with drawing the bow?
He had clearly felt an indescribable force surge from within his body just now; otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to pierce through the lizard with a single shot.
As Matthew fell into thought, everyone on the field witnessed this shot.
After parrying a pounce from a viper lizard, the female archer, Sierra, couldn't help but look in Matthew's direction, a flash of surprise and admiration crossing her eyes.
Rayson and Hal were even more dumbfounded. They were currently being pushed into a frantic, perilous situation by two viper lizards, so Matthew's shot was truly critical.
Under Flynn's protection, Brody also saw the entire process of Matthew shooting the viper lizard.
A trace of surprise crossed his originally relaxed face. Clearly, he had not expected this country youth, who didn't look very old, to possess such skill.
Flynn, on the other hand, saw even deeper. He noticed that throughout Matthew's entire process of drawing, aiming, and shooting, his breathing rhythm was exceptionally steady and rhythmic. It perfectly synchronized with his body's exertion, even providing a boost.
He could tell that Matthew's breathing technique had already begun to take shape, and he was close to reaching the Novice level.
He had seen the children carefully nurtured by the great families in the county capital. At this age, to have such archery skills and comprehension of a breathing technique was rare even among them.
Yet, the battle did not stop because of this.
Although Matthew's shot had beautifully dealt with one, the remaining viper lizards were still fierce.
However, this shot had still boosted morale, pulling everyone back from their fear.
Half an hour later, the din of battle finally quieted down.
The dense mist still lingered, but the heart-palpitating screeches and clashing of weapons within it had vanished. Only the heavy panting of the group and the bloody, corrosive stench emanating from the lizard corpses on the ground remained.
Instructor Calm swept his gaze over the battlefield and the surrounding mist. After confirming that no new threats were approaching, he said in a deep voice, “Treat your wounds, and watch out for leftover venom!”
“Clean up the battlefield as quickly as possible and bury the lizards' corpses.”
After saying this, Instructor Calm turned and walked toward Flynn, who was standing a short distance away. The two began to converse in low voices.
Matthew stood where he was, his gaze somewhat vacant. He was not looking at the viper lizard corpses at his feet, but rather staring at the lines of small black text floating before his eyes that only he could see:
[Basic Archery proficiency +1]
[White Snake Breathing Technique proficiency +1]
[Basic...]
[White...]
[White...]
He was not surprised by the improvement in his archery. Actual combat could rapidly increase proficiency; this was something he had known for a long time.
But Matthew was truly shocked by the improvement in his breathing technique.
“That shot just now really did integrate the rhythm and power of the White Snake Breathing Technique into the entire process of drawing, aiming, and shooting!”
“No wonder its power suddenly increased so much.”
“A breathing technique can not only be integrated into daily walking, but it can also be deeply fused with combat skills to mutually promote each other.”
His previous speculation had been verified, and the results far exceeded his expectations.
With a thought, he quietly called up the attribute panel that only he could see, focusing his gaze on the skills column:
[White Snake Breathing Technique: Mastered (99/100)]
“Hiss—” Matthew gasped inwardly.
He clearly remembered that when he finished practicing last night, the proficiency of the White Snake Breathing Technique was (91/100).
In other words, just from last night's routine practice and that brief but intense actual combat just now, his proficiency had actually surged by 8 points, leaving him only 1 point away from Novice!
“And a breathing technique can not only improve perception, but it can also increase explosive power!”
“Perhaps it can even be applied to arrows and sword blades...”
Matthew speculated in his mind.
Just as he was lost in thought,
the female archer named Sierra walked over.
Rate on N.U.
