The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

(Note: The following events take place in a parallel world and are unrelated to the main text. Please do not make unfounded connections. If you are not interested, you can skip this part; it will not affect your reading of the following content.)

Mission location: Twisted Jungle.

Mission objective: Defeat the Storm Serpent.

Task difficulty: SSS.

Task time: No time limit.

In a dark forest, a silver-haired girl, fully armed with a long spear at her side, strode through the woods.

Listening to the mission announcement through her headphones, she frowned and couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

She was just a novice adventurer who had just started out, and SSS-level missions were a level she never even dared to dream of.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous or scared.

But when she thought of her brother, who was in the hospital at home waiting for the commission to pay for his medical treatment, she quickened her pace.

"Newcomer, the monster you're fighting this time is extremely dangerous. You probably can't handle it alone. Do you need me to arrange a few more helpers for you?" The mercenary leader's voice came through the headset.

The girl gritted her teeth, hesitated for a moment, and then her eyes showed determination: "No need, Captain, I can handle it."

Even though she knew it was a dangerous task, she was determined to try it on her own.

The reason is that if she succeeds on her own, the commission will be 100% hers.

Conversely, if she were to hunt in cooperation with others, she would have to give up most of the commission.

As a result, she was unable to raise enough money for her brother's medical treatment.

Upon hearing this, the team leader sighed through the earpiece: "Take care, and good luck."

The girl did not respond. She held the spear in her hand, bent down, and carefully crept into the depths of the jungle.

This jungle has an indescribable eeriness; there are no towering green trees, only slender, twisted black shrubs.

The branches were twisted and intertwined, and the air was filled with a damp, rotten smell, mixed with a faint, fishy scent of photinia flowers.

The deeper you go, the denser the black trees become, completely blocking out the sunlight overhead, and the darkness grows ever heavier.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a thick, cylindrical object suddenly appeared in front of us, blocking the middle of the jungle.

The girl suddenly stopped, held her breath, and slowly raised her head.

It was a colossal pillar that shot straight into the sky, its hard surface covered with fine veins that rose and fell slightly with each breath, as if it were alive.

Sensing someone approaching, the "giant pillar" suddenly trembled violently.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening roar came from the top, shaking the surrounding black trees and causing leaves to fall in a rustling sound.

The girl froze, and upon closer inspection, she realized that it was not a giant pillar at all, but rather a huge snake head.

Its scales are jet black and shiny, its eyes are blood red, its fangs are exposed, and its face is so ferocious that it makes your scalp tingle.

It seems that this is the target she is going to hunt down today—the Storm Serpent.

She steadied herself, keeping a close watch on the giant python's every move, not daring to relax for a moment.

The Storm Serpent slowly turned its head, its scarlet eyes scanning its surroundings, and its nostrils twitched slightly, as if it had smelled something.

The girl carried a faint scent of white roses, her innate fragrance, a scent that her brother found utterly intoxicating.

Following the scent of the flowers, the giant python precisely locked onto her hiding behind the bushes. It let out an angry roar, and with a sudden movement of its massive body, it charged straight at her.

It opened its blood-red maw, emitting a strong stench of fish and the corrosive smell of venom, as if it wanted to swallow her whole.

The girl's nerves were on edge as she stared intently at the charging python. Just as its fangs were about to touch her, she leaped up, using the treetops for leverage, and landed steadily on the python's head.

The moment her little foot touched the snake's body, a scorching heat instantly hit her, and she was startled: It's so hot!

The textbook says that snakes are cold-blooded animals, but this giant python's body was as hot as a red-hot iron.

Enraged by being trampled on, the Storm Serpent roared and charged straight into the sky with the girl on its back. Its massive body shook violently, attempting to throw her off the ground and smash her to pieces.

The girl was prepared. She quickly stretched out her hands, tightly hugged the python's neck, and wrapped her arms around its body. She then kicked the python's two round eyes with all her might.

That must be his most sensitive and vulnerable spot.

However, she was too weak. As a novice warrior, her attack power was insufficient. Even if she kicked with all her might, she could only leave a faint mark on the python's eyes, which could not cause any damage at all. Instead, it completely ignited the python's anger.

The giant python shook more and more violently, its massive body tumbling in mid-air before suddenly stopping. After a moment of preparation, it opened its blood-red maw, and a stream of milky-white venom gushed out, spraying into the jungle like a fountain.

Wherever it went, the black trees withered instantly, white smoke rose from the ground, and it emitted a fishy smell of photinia flowers.

The girl couldn't dodge in time and was splashed all over with venom.

Fortunately, she was unharmed because she was wearing a poison-resistant cloak that her brother had knitted by hand.

When her kicks proved ineffective, the girl immediately changed her fighting stance.

Her most lethal feature was her sharp, silvery teeth.

She tightened her legs, wrapping them tightly around the giant python's body. Leaning slightly forward, she aimed at the snake's head and bit down hard.

The giant python roared, its hard scales repelling the girl's silver teeth without harming it in the slightest.

But the girl's behavior was nothing short of a huge provocation to him.

The python was completely enraged. Its venom sac rapidly secreted large amounts of venom, which dripped continuously from the corners of its mouth before it suddenly spewed it out.

The venom rained down like a storm, leaving nothing but barren land in its wake.

The girl began to panic. She could feel that the poison-resistant cloak on her body was starting to crack, and the poison was slowly seeping in.

If this continues, her defenses will eventually be breached by the venom, she will die here, and her brother will never wake up again because they can't raise enough money for her treatment.

Fear and despair intertwined, suffocating her, but the thought of her brother made her grit her teeth and a resolute glint rekindled in her eyes.

She can't lose, absolutely not!

She switched to her final fighting stance, loosened her grip on the python's neck, and began to climb up its scalding body step by step.

Finally, she landed steadily on the giant python's head.

She drew the long spear from her waist and aimed the dark muzzle at the hard snake head.

Brother, wait for me a little longer. I will definitely be able to raise the money for your treatment and save you!

She silently recited the command in her mind, closed her eyes, and with all her might, pulled the trigger.

However, she still underestimated the defensive power of the SSS-level monster.

"boom--"

Gunshots echoed through the jungle, but when the bullets struck the python's scales, they only made a crisp "ding" sound before being deflected without leaving a trace.

This attack thoroughly enraged the Storm Serpent.

It roared to the sky, its voice shaking the heavens and earth, and then, carrying the girl riding on its head, it charged fiercely towards the snake's lair at the foot of the snow-capped mountain.

It was a long, dark passage, pitch black, with no end in sight.

The walls were damp, covered in a sticky liquid, and smelled of white roses.

The girl panicked completely, her heart pounded wildly, and despair slowly consumed her.

She knew that once she was led deep into the snake's lair, she would never have a chance to escape.

She frantically reached out her little hands, trying to grab the rocks on either side of the passage, but the walls were too slippery, and her fingers slid down as soon as they touched them, leaving her with no foothold.

She could only let the giant python drag her along at high speed through the dark passage, her body constantly slamming against the walls, causing her to feel numb all over in pain, and her consciousness began to blur.

After an unknown amount of time, the giant python stopped and reached the bottom of its lair.

It was a huge cave, damp and scorching hot.

The giant python opened its blood-red maw, and a massive amount of milky-white venom gushed out from between its teeth, instantly filling the entire cave.

The venom reached above the girl's knees and quickly spread to her chest. The gurgling sound of bubbles echoed in the cave. The girl's pupils suddenly dilated. She was submerged in the venom, unable to breathe, and a feeling of suffocation instantly overwhelmed her. Her venom-resistant cloak was also gradually crumbling.

"Oh no..." she thought to herself, despair completely filling her mind.

She knew she was in a hopeless situation.

Brother, I'm sorry, I couldn't raise enough money for your treatment and I couldn't save you.

Goodbye, brother. If there is an afterlife, I still want to be your sister and stay by your side to spend my whole life with you.

She slowly closed her eyes, gave up struggling, and quietly awaited death.

The feeling of suffocation grew stronger and stronger, and my consciousness gradually became blurred.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a tremendous force pulled her out of the venom.

The overwhelming feeling of suffocation suddenly dissipated, and fresh air rushed into her nasal cavity, causing her to cough involuntarily.

She slowly opened her eyes, her mind still a little dazed, and was shocked to find herself being carried out of the venomous snake's den by the Storm Serpent, back into the jungle.

"Humans," a deep, hoarse voice suddenly rang out, and the giant python actually spoke, uttering human language.

"I have been asleep for thirty years. You are the first human to dare to awaken me from my slumber and to provoke me time and time again. You do have some courage."

The girl froze, realizing that it was the Storm Serpent speaking.

Fear filled her heart again. She swallowed hard, her body trembling slightly, but she still tried to hide her unease. She slowly raised her head, her back straight.

Even if you're completely disheveled, you can't lose your last shred of integrity.

"I've lost. Do with me as you please, no need for further words."

The Storm Serpent stared at her with its scarlet eyes, a strange smile curving its lips, its voice tinged with mockery.

"Hehehe... I've been asleep for so long, and I've finally found an interesting prey. I won't eat you so easily."

It slowly lowered the girl, its massive body wrapping around her, its scorching breath spraying onto her face, making her nose itch.

"Now that the battle has begun, then whatever you do... don't let it stop."

As soon as it finished speaking, it swung its tail violently, wrapped it around the girl's waist, dragged her, and once again burrowed into the dark snake den.

......