Thunderbolt
Deshnan, the Shadow Elf.
His alias was "Zookeeper."
A top-tier wanted criminal of the Great Continent.
Yet it had already been a full hundred years since the bounty on him was issued.
Despite the enormous reward, he had never been captured, and in the dark regions of the Great Forest, he continued repeating the very acts that had made him a wanted man.
Deshnan was a researcher of magical beasts.
His ability to raise and tame dangerous creatures was acknowledged even by Pelerian, who defied the heavens.
Once he became certain that Pelerian was dead, Deshnan began wandering in search of his dungeon.
One day, he discovered a dungeon that was extremely difficult to excavate.
Using goblins to excavate it had been a brilliant plan.
Though things had gone slightly off course, it wasn't bad.
He had captured a new Hobgoblin King.
There was a wound on Deshnan's cheek.
He licked the blood flowing from it with his tongue.
A goblin that had just evolved dared to wound him?
Ridiculous.
Deshnan laughed so hard that the wound on his cheek throbbed.
His current condition was terrible.
The problem was that he had been bitten by a magical beast he had been raising. Its fangs were as large as a forearm, leaving five holes of similar size in his body.
Most of his magical equipment was heavily damaged and under repair.
At best, he was operating at a quarter of his usual strength.
Even so, he could still use his specialty—blood magic.
The "Twelve Blood Serpents," which moved as if alive, could also serve as defense.
A goblin named Nanaruk had crushed all of those serpents and even managed to wound Deshnan's cheek.
"A truly fascinating specimen."
Yet even that Nanaruk now hung limp, her neck gripped by Deshnan.
One of the blood serpents was digging into the wound in her abdomen.
"Strong, beautiful, and even mentally resilient."
Deshnan decided to capture Nanaruk.
And place her in his "zoo."
"Why won't you speak? Is it really because of that Serpent god?"
He had heard there was a Serpent called Ululululu in the dungeon.
Was that really the reason? Nanaruk refused to reveal the dungeon entrance to the very end.
Either way, he would find it soon enough by searching the area.
To Deshnan, it looked like nothing more than pointless resistance.
He sent his will into the blood serpent.
The serpent embedded in Nanaruk's wound writhed.
"AAAAAAAH!"
"You— you speak instead. About that Serpent."
The one pointed at was a young shaman.
She hesitated, then stammered.
"Ululululu is…"
But even after hearing the explanation, Deshnan frowned, dissatisfied.
"A magical beast? A Serpent? Why call it a god?"
"It— it understands human speech, uses magic, and has led us goblins…"
"So that Serpent killed Krok. And you worship it as a god. Truly goblin-like behavior—just like beasts who believe they're human…"
Deshnan was a Shadow Elf who had lived for a very long time.
His knowledge was vast and deep.
Based on the shaman's explanation, he began to sift through that knowledge.
"When did it appear? Its size? Its appearance?"
The shaman explained hesitantly.
Each time the Serpent was mentioned, the goblins' expressions turned serious, which amused Deshnan.
"I see. It's nothing special."
Soon, he reached a conclusion.
He was well-versed in both Serpent-type magical beasts and goblins—even the myths surrounding them.
"A derived myth with an original archetype."
All myths have an origin.
Just as there are many myths about the sun,
and many about its counterpart, the moon,
there are also countless myths about Serpents.
Especially Serpent gods worshipped by goblins.
"Goblins are scattered across many regions, and the versions of Serpent gods they worship differ in name and detail."
Like a professor lecturing students, he gestured through the air.
"Serpents with horns, talking Serpents, Serpents large enough to coil around mountains, feathered Serpents, riddling Serpents, Serpents that die and revive… And among them, there is one closest to the original archetype. Ululu… Ulululu? There's something similar."
Most likely, among the Runga tribe settled here, the name had changed over time.
"Uroboros."
That was undoubtedly the original name of the ancient Serpent god.
"Uroboros of the End. Names often change—Urkios, Mulboros, Uroboros… but 'Ululululu'? That's a new level of ridiculous. Ha!"
Deshnan mocked the goblins.
The pale-faced goblins murmured the word "Uroboros."
For some reason, the word carried weight.
An ancient power.
Just pronouncing it felt oppressive.
"And it's not even a black Serpent. The original Uroboros was white."
A massive white serpent.
At that moment, a faint chuckle was heard.
"You idiot."
It was Nanaruk, blood dripping from her lips.
She glared at Deshnan.
"It was white."
Deshnan frowned in irritation.
The crimson serpent inside her stomach writhed.
"AAAAAGH!"
"Such a foul mouth. Once you're branded, you'll behave."
Unable to endure the pain, Nanaruk finally lost consciousness.
"If you don't want to see her die, guide me to the dungeon."
With Nanaruk unconscious, the goblins could not resist Deshnan's demand.
They led him beneath Elephant Rock, to one of the many openings there.
In their hearts, they prayed for forgiveness—
to the benevolent white serpent,
to Ululululu… or Uroboros.
Before Pelerian's dungeon, Deshnan calmed his excitement.
The security would not be ordinary.
Breaking through while carrying a Hobgoblin would be difficult.
He decided to kill the remaining goblins.
Just as he made that decision—
A white Serpent slithered out.
It was no ordinary creature.
Its size was that of a normal Serpent,
but the horn on its head and its beautifully gleaming scales—
"Oh? So there really is a Serpent."
Deshnan exclaimed in admiration.
But the Serpent did not flee. It raised its head proudly, staring at Nanaruk.
At that moment, its scales turned black.
Many magical beasts could change color—
usually for camouflage.
Trying to escape?
No. His instincts warned otherwise.
That was a battle stance.
A Serpent that changed its scale color to enter combat—
he had never heard of such a thing.
Bang!
A gunshot-like sound rang out—
the sound of the Serpent shooting straight toward Deshnan.
Its speed rivaled an arrow.
Its fangs gleamed sharply.
He could have blocked it with one hand.
But an inexplicable instinct brushed the back of his neck.
He followed it.
He threw Nanaruk aside without hesitation.
Then raised a hand and cast a spell.
Blood Magic—Blood Drop of Slowing would suffice.
Though it had little physical force, it was enough to slow an opponent.
The droplet flew and struck the Serpent's body.
That was his first mistake.
The Serpent's pattern glowed—and the droplet bounced off.
'Magic resistance?'
A creature of that level shouldn't have such an ability.
Then physical force.
He threw the crescent blade hidden in his wrist.
A Serpent should be easily sliced in two.
At that moment—
The ground shook.
The blade missed completely.
'It uses magic too?!'
That was his second mistake.
Following the exact same sequence of astonishment Pelerian once had,
the Serpent had already closed the distance.
'No choice.'
He withdrew even the mana he had been using for minimal defense.
The Twelve Blood Serpents, previously destroyed by Nanaruk, reformed.
The Serpent, poised to bite out his heart, was tightly bound by the crimson serpents.
'Don't kill it—capture it!'
Any other Shadow Elf might not have done so.
But Deshnan, driven by greed, chose not to kill it.
That was his final mistake.
Even bound, the Serpent did not lose its momentum.
It simply stared straight at Deshnan.
Then—
Magic power began to surge from the Serpent.
Deshnan's hair started to rise.
Static crackled across his clothes.
He had experienced this only once before.
Just before a storm.
A cat he had raised had been sitting on a roof.
Its fur had begun to stand on end…
"Impossible…!"
Deshnan urgently tried to snap the Serpent's neck.
At that very moment—
Blue sparks crackled from the Serpent's scales,
and a thunderbolt struck from the clear sky.
When I came to my senses, I was already acting.
[You use the Skill: Leaping Horn.]['Heavenly Thunder Decree Lv.0' temporarily becomes 'Heavenly Thunder Decree Lv.1'.]
Leaping Horn itself consumed a massive amount of mana.
Even so, thanks to my mana capacity having tripled, I still had plenty left.
[You use Heavenly Thunder Decree Lv.1.]
All that mana was instantly drained.
"Engrave the lightning of the heavens into your heart."
That was the description of Heavenly Thunder Decree.
Lightning from the sky struck me.
CRAAAACK!
It felt like something inside my head had been damaged.
A scorching heat spread through me.
With a flash, my vision disappeared.
The red tentacles wrapped around my body burned away.
The Shadow Elf must have been electrocuted.
Even without seeing, I was certain of it.
I have to finish this.
Did the lightning steal his vision too?
—Ahead. Kill him!
Pelerian advised.
It seemed he could still see.
Should I bite him?
No… biting wouldn't kill that Shadow Elf.
I instinctively knew that.
A little to the right… yes, about one step forward.
Pelerian corrected my aim.
I leapt upward.
Not to bite.
I summoned a sword from subspace.
Even without seeing, I easily grabbed the hilt with my tail.
It was a technique I had practiced for days.
Pelerian had scolded me for showing off, but look—
wasn't it impressive?
Lightning still coursed through my body.
I felt it travel along my tail and into the sword.
—Yes, that's the neck.
Got it.
Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique.
First Form.
Decapitation.
[Slash Lv.1 activated.]
The blade cut through something.
Even through the ringing in my ears, the sound was unmistakable.
Thud… roll…
Ah… that's the sound of a head falling.
It hurts… damn it.
If I could cry, I'd be sobbing right now.
But Serpents have a transparent membrane over their eyes, so they can't shed tears.
So I had no choice but to swallow the pain of my whole body burning.
"Just endure a little longer."
I heard the worried voice of the Great Shaman grandmother.
—Stop whining.
Pelerian's dry nagging was irritating.
Splash.
A cool liquid soaked my entire body.
A potion.
My wounds began to heal.
The lightning from Heavenly Thunder Decree had burned even my own body.
Even if I wasn't electrocuted, that heat couldn't be avoided.
Ah— I can see again!
What about Nanaruk?
Fortunately, Nanaruk was lying down, breathing heavily.
She wasn't dead.
Her body was also drenched in potion.
Wow… I really thought I was going to die.
"Did you see that?"
—What are you talking about?
The Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique—no, Heavenly Thunder Decree.
—I saw it. It's an incredible technique.
Even Pelerian admitted it honestly.
No, seriously… you were hiding a skill like this?
A skill that calls down lightning—unbelievable.
Thanks to that, smoke was still rising from the decapitated corpse of the Shadow Elf.
—That doesn't seem like the intended way to use it…
I agree.
Why would you strike yourself with lightning in the middle of a fight?
It's not a skill meant to electrocute your own allies.
Still, thanks to this skill, I defeated the Shadow Elf.
You could call it my ultimate move now.
If I go through this a few more times, I might be able to use Leaping Horn again.
But… why didn't my level go up?
Was he really just that weak?
The moment Pelerian saw the Shadow Elf, he let out a sigh of relief.
He clearly looked down on him.
—It's not that he's a Shadow Elf. It's just good he wasn't a Golden Leaf Inspector. If he's just someone bullying goblins in a place like this, he's nothing special.
Pelerian said it casually.
He really doesn't treat Shadow Elves as equals.
Still, I thought I'd at least gain one level.
Wasn't he really strong?
"Ugh…"
I jumped in shock.
The severed head had just groaned.
"To be… defeated… by… such a mere… beast…"
How is he talking without a body?
Even Pelerian was stunned, staring at the head.
—W-wait. I know this guy.
What?
—Isn't this the Zookeeper? That mad Shadow Elf, Deshnan? The one who sold his soul to a demon!
I thought you said he was a nobody.
—Back off! Don't get close.
I obeyed immediately.
The moment I stepped away—
"KIEEEEEK!"
The head screamed, and its shadow stretched unnaturally.
Soon, the head melted into the shadow.
[You have defeated the Shadow Elf Deshnan.][If the fact that you defeated Deshnan becomes known, your fame will spread across the entire continent.]
So he wasn't a minor enemy at all.
[This individual had already pledged their soul to a demon.][The amount of demonic essence recovered is reduced to one-tenth!]
No—my experience points!
That could've been a massive level-up opportunity…
But disappointment came too soon.
[Level increased.][Level increased.][Level increased.][Level increased.][Level increased.]
…Five levels at once?
Even at one-tenth?
If I had received the full amount, I might have evolved immediately.
Well… no point regretting it.
Honestly, defeating him in one strike was practically a miracle.
—Of course it was. You probably used up a lifetime's worth of luck.
That's… a bit scary.
I guess I should be more careful for a while.
"Was he stronger than you?"
—Him? Hah.
Pelerian just laughed.
—I remember him because he was abnormal. But how could he even be compared to me?
"Ah, I see!"
When he starts bragging like that, it tends to go on forever.
So I ignored him and searched the corpse.
After a successful hunt, looting is only natural.
There were quite a few interesting items.
Then—
A half-burnt notebook fell out.
"What's this… a diary?"
It was clearly handwritten.
Flipping through, I saw readable text—records about various magical beasts.
Then one line caught my eye.
"…What is this?"
—What is it?
No way…
It read:
"...Today, one Medusa Serpent escaped. It was right before laying eggs. It was an unusually special specimen…"