Without wasting even a second, Aethryon tossed the entire flame flower into his mouth and swallowed it in one go.
For a moment he stayed completely still, waiting for something dramatic to happen. His body tensed slightly as he focused on every tiny sensation inside him.
Ten seconds passed…
Nothing.
No burning energy. No explosive power. No divine transformation.
Aethryon blinked.
"...Maybe it's slow acting."
So he waited again.
One minute passed…
Still nothing.
At that moment, if a snake could grow veins on its forehead, Aethryon would have several very visible ones.
"...I've been scammed."
The small snake lay there stiffly, staring at absolutely nothing while silently fuming.
"I risked my life. I ran from a giant flaming lion. I spent ten precious system points on an escape pill…"
He paused.
"And this flower does nothing?"
Aethryon mentally raised his nonexistent hand toward the sky as if lodging a complaint with the universe.
"I demand a refund!"
Then he grumbled to himself one last time.
"Next time I see that lion… I'm asking for customer service."
At that moment, Aethryon suddenly felt his heart pounding violently.
Just a second ago, he had felt nothing. But now his entire body felt as if it were burning alive.
The veins beneath his scales burned like heated iron. His internal organs felt as if they were being scorched by flames.
Aethryon instinctively collapsed onto the ground, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"W-what is this?!"
At that exact moment, a system notification exploded inside his mind.
[Host has consumed a 250-Year Crimson Flame Orchid spiritual plant.]
A second later, another warning appeared.
[Warning! Warning!]
[Crimson Flame Orchid attributes are incompatible with the host.]
Aethryon's eyes widened.
The next instant, the fire inside his body intensified even more. It felt as though a volcano had erupted inside him.
He writhed violently on the ground, his tail slamming into the soil and scattering dry leaves everywhere.
"I'm burning…!"
His breathing became erratic. For a creature whose body was filled with venom, absorbing such intense fire attributes was completely unnatural.
And the system warnings were not finished yet.
[Host must remain conscious. Otherwise, the host may never wake again.]
Beep…
[Positive mutation detected within the host.]
But at this point, Aethryon could barely understand what the system was saying anymore.
His mind was becoming hazy.
A ringing noise echoed inside his head.
Only a single thought remained.
Stay awake.
Aethryon forced himself to resist. Every time his consciousness began slipping into darkness, he clenched his will and dragged it back.
"Don't… sleep…"
As he writhed on the ground, his scales slowly began to change color.
The dark green scales first turned crimson, as if fire itself was flowing beneath them.
Soon, his entire body glowed with a deep flame-red color.
But the transformation didn't stop there.
Across the red scales, thin green vein-like patterns began to form. They moved faintly, creating a strange harmony between flame and venom.
Aethryon's body trembled violently.
It wasn't only his color that was changing.
His body was growing.
45 centimeters…
50 centimeters…
60 centimeters…
His muscles expanded, his bones reshaped themselves, and every cell in his body was rewritten.
The pain was so intense that time itself lost meaning.
Hours passed.
Each second felt like an eternity.
Yet Aethryon kept resisting.
Because his instincts were screaming one truth.
If he gave up now…
everything would end.
Finally, the transformation began to slow.
His body trembled one last time.
And the growth stopped.
70 centimeters.
The snake lying on the ground was no longer the same Aethryon as before.
…
Aethryon lay there for an entire day, completely motionless.
From the outside, he looked almost like a corpse.
He didn't move.
He didn't react.
Time simply passed.
The forest wind rustled the leaves, the sun moved across the sky, night came and went.
Finally…
Aethryon's consciousness slowly returned.
The first thing he felt was a heavy dizziness.
"…Am I alive?"
The faint thought echoed inside his mind.
After a moment, Aethryon slowly lifted his head.
And instantly, he realized something had changed.
The world looked different.
No…
The world wasn't different.
He was.
His body felt longer, stronger, heavier. His scales glowed like crimson flames under the sunlight, while the green patterns across them pulsed faintly as if they were alive.
Aethryon stayed silent for several seconds.
Then he gave the familiar command in his mind.
"Open System Panel."
A transparent screen immediately appeared.
[Status Panel]
[Name: Aethryon Drakoryx]
[Title: None]
[Race: Crimson Venom Datura (Mutated Datura Snake)]
[Cultivation: 57-Year Spirit Beast]
[Combat Power: ~120-Year Spirit Level (Equivalent to Level 20–21 Spirit Great Master)]
[Element: Poison / Fire]
[Abilities: Weak Poison Breath, Poisonous Tail, Hardened Skin (Passive), Large Stomach]
[Mutation Trait: Crimson Flame Body]
[Divine Concept: None]
Aethryon stared at the panel for a long moment.
As Aethryon carefully examined the panel, he noticed that his cultivation had become a 57-Year Spirit Beast.
But that wasn't what surprised him the most.
The real change was the massive jump in combat power.
According to the system's calculations, his combat strength was now far beyond what his cultivation level alone should allow. This caused Aethryon to slightly puff up with pride.
He lightly tapped his tail on the ground.
"…Not bad."
But the thought only lasted for a moment.
Aethryon quickly calmed himself.
He might have gained some strength in the Beginner Forest, but this world was vast and dangerous. He knew he was still very weak.
The second change on the panel was far more interesting.
He no longer had only the Poison element.
Now there was something else.
Fire.
Aethryon narrowed his eyes.
This was clearly the result of consuming the Crimson Flame Orchid.
But the line that caught his attention the most was something else entirely.
A new trait.
Aethryon tapped it curiously.
The description appeared instantly.
[Crimson Flame Body: The host's body has mutated through the fusion of fire and poison attributes. The host's venom now carries fire properties, creating both burning and corrosive effects upon contact. The host's body gains strong resistance to fire-based energies. Additionally, the fire attribute slightly enhances physical speed and attack power.]
Aethryon stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he slowly flicked his tail.
"…So the flower wasn't a scam after all."