Concentrating, he began experimenting again.
The adjustment demanded focus. Too much narrowing, and he risked weakening the structural integrity of the body.
Too little, and snake-style propulsion failed. Every movement became a calculation: energy, traction, angle, and pacing.
'This should do it.'
He flexed his slimmed muscles, bristles pressing into the tunnel floor, tail flicking for balance.
Each undulation carried him forward smoothly, combining the strength of his worm-like contraction with the speed and fluidity of snake motion.
A sharp curve loomed ahead, and a dangling pipe swayed with the slightest touch.
He arched his body, threading under it without slowing, muscles shrinking and releasing in perfect timing.
Momentum carried him through the tight space effortlessly.
'This… feels right,'
He ran a quick mental calculation. With his hybrid movement, he could now slither forward at nearly 30 km per hour—faster than a black mamba in a straight line.
In terms of turning, he used his Spring Joints to pivot sharply. His body spun 180 degrees in just one second, which was extremely impressive.
Not bad for a six-foot, heavily scaled body. Compared to smaller, more streamlined snakes like the sidewinder.
'So the movement's settled. Now I need to figure out how to attack.'
Slowly, he began visualizing opponents in his mind.
It wasn't some godlike skill. Boxers, UFC fighters, and even athletes in basketball or football practiced visualization all the time.
What set him apart was the level of training behind it.
He honed his visualization through top-secret military programs, pushing his mind to the limit.
In the darkness , Francis's mind ran a shadow of Daryl—the Special Category who wielded two daggers.
Attempt one through nine: Absolute Defeat.
Daryl appeared with his vibrating daggers. Francis tried to use his new six-foot worm host's raw power, but the +250% base stat boost wasn't enough to overcome Daryl's high pressure attacks.
Each time, crescent wind blades carved through the air before he could close the distance. His long frame only made things worse, turning him into an easy target.
Francis adjusted . He triggered Muscular Acceleration, doubling his movement speed for five seconds to blitz the opponent.
He reached Daryl, but the Special Category was a "shadow," weaving through the tail strikes with lightning-fast reflexes.
Attempt ten: He used the new snake-style movements, but the opponent read the pattern almost instantly.
The vibrating dagger flashed forward, piercing straight into the neural cluster before Francis could adjust.
'It's harder than I thought.'
He kept trying, adjusting his tactics each time, learning from every failure, until he finally found a way.
'Now.'
Mid-flight, Francis activated Spring Joints and Muscular Acceleration within the segments of his muscular midsection.
Instead of a slow arc, his body snapped like a high-tension steel cable.
The force was tremendous and required no wind-up. At the same time, he used Parashift to harden his tail into a serrated, obsidian-like whip
Daryl's daggers met only empty air as Francis's body distorted mid-flight, snapping around. The hardened tail, boosted by multiple talents, slammed into the sternum with the force of a hydraulic press.
It took many attempts, something he would never have in a real fight. Still, the experience gave him a clearer idea of how to defeat stronger enemies in the future using his current body.
'It's time to leave.'
He crawled through the tunnels, searching for a way up.
Roughly ten minutes later, a gap opened between the floor and the wide, rushing waterway.
Francis could have gone around it, but he didn't want to pass up the chance to train.
A snap of his tail launched him upward. He wrapped his long body around a pipe overhead and began swinging.
Momentum carried him from one pipe to the next, each grip tight and controlled, until he cleared the waterway, its strong current roaring far below.
'Good.'
He was satisfied with his performance.
Training remained essential, and he needed to think of new ways to apply each body in different situations. The more he understood, the better he could adapt when unexpected scenarios arose.
From his position, he began slithering along the tunnel floor, moving toward the slight incline—a promising sign.
Obstacles appeared along the way, but he navigated each one with ingenuity, twisting, stretching, and adapting.
The tunnel narrowed and slanted upward. A rusted mid-size pipe protruded from the wall, leading into a tighter shaft that climbed toward a higher section of the underground maze.
The opening looked barely large enough.
Francis slowed.
He compressed his muscles, narrowing his already slim body. Scales pressed tightly against each other as he tested the gap. There was little room to spare.
'Should fit… '