Hidden genius: Black belly snake

Rustle Rustle Rustle Rustle

Tang Yue weaved through the shrubs and bushes of the forest and speedily headed towards the northeastern marshlands.

She decided to start with an easy task first and hence headed to the marshy murky parts of the vast deciduous forest.

"Hmm… I need about five of these fatsos." 

The blue snake hid behind a tree and locked her emerald eyes on the target of interest, a cluster of plump and lazy salamanders.

Since she was familiar with them, she wanted to start here and warm up her body for combat.

There were quite a few different varieties of salamanders happily lazing around the swamp shores.

They were not even bothering to hide in the abundant patches of tall grasses.

There were a few spiny green salamanders. There were a few dark red ones.

Some were pitch black in color and some were even a shade of smooth and shiny baby pink with big round eyes, looking a little bit cute albeit deadly.

Tang Yue's specific mission required brown spotted salamanders. 

She needed their thick poisonous hide, which when dried thoroughly to perfection could be used as a vital ingredient in various poisonous concoctions.

Tang Yue's small head bobbed up and down and she peered forward to take a look. 

Even from a distance, she could already see a few of the brown spotted reptiles.

And no other beast was present in the vicinity. So for all means and purposes, she was ready for her hunt.

But for some reason, she had an unsettling feeling at the back of her mind, an intuitive ominous feeling.

"Damn it. Why am I so nervous?! This is a very simple and straightforward mission." She hissed exasperatedly and readied herself.

She surveilled the surroundings for a few more minutes to check the presence of any other beast and quickly lunged forward in her human form to attack the lazy reptiles.

The metallic sheen of the mid-grade sword shone in the bright sunlight and Tang Yue flitted towards the bundle of chubby round reptiles with the full force she could muster.

She wanted to get as many of them as possible before they start diving into the swamp for cover.

Not understanding her urgency, a familiar notification sounded in her mind.

Ding. Sneaky Snake System Quest Alert

[New Quest Available: Hunt 20 common-grade beasts]

[Reward: 20 Experience Points]

Tang Yue grinned. An easy quest!

"Bring it on." She muttered and slashed at the stationary targets.

Before the chubby reptiles around her could even realize what was happening, she had already mowed down three of the brown spotted salamanders.

Ding. 1 Wild Salamander killed

Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded

Ding. 1 Wild Salamander killed

Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded

Ding. 1 Wild Salamander killed

Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded

One by one the group quickly started diving into the marsh and swimming deep for cover, but not before Tang Yue slashed at another four.

The salamander barely had time to open its mouth and reveal its two rows of sharp pointy teeth, before it was mercilessly cut down into two halves.

Ding. 1 Wild Salamander killed

Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded

Ding. 1 Wild Salamander killed

Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded

Ding. 1 Wild Salamander killed

Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded

Ding. 1 Wild Salamander killed

Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded

"Damn it. These don't give experience points anymore." She hissed.

She propped the bloody blade on her shoulder and gazed at the blood bath.

Numerous chopped up salamander bodies were strewn around her haphazardly.

Tang Yue sighed and started collecting the bodies one by one, tossing them into her space pearl. 

She needed to clear up this mess fast before some other beast sniffed the bloody scent and made it her way.

As busied herself with the dirty work, Tang Yue didn't yet sense the pair of eyes staring intently at her, hidden well beneath the murky waters.

The beast patiently waited until her back was turned towards it.

A slight ripple surfaced on the water and a huge mouth with sparkling silver teeth snapped at her with a tremendous force.

CRUNCH

Tang Yue clutched her arm in pain and she immediately tried to retreat back.

But unfortunately, it was not enough and it was already too late.

The tail end of the beast that had attacked her was waiting for her in the rear and swung at her with a huge force which propelled her forward several paces.

"Arghh" Tang Yue yelped in pain. Blood trickled down her calf muscles.

But the worst part was, she was no longer on the shores of the swamp. 

Rather, she was now in the midst of the mushy uneven water clogged grounds.

Tang Yue tightened her grasp on her sword and looked around in alarm. 

She saw two pairs of vicious fluorescent eyes circling her injured body.

There were two low-grade swamp croco beasts surrounding her, blocking her path of retreat.

The snake's mind raced as she tried to balance herself and keenly observe the two beasts.

"Damn it." She cursed inwardly.

These were not that dangerous if she was on dry land. 

But she was not sufficiently vigilant enough and now managed to land herself in quite a bit of trouble.

This was precisely why actual hand to hand combat and real hunting experience always mattered.

If she had at least a bit more combat training, she would have never ended up in a situation like this.

However, Tang Yue was not done yet. 

Maybe because of the sword in her hand, and her improved agility, she felt confident that she could handle this battle.

She calmed herself down and observed the two enormous beasts in front of her.

They were long and gigantic in size, definitely huge even for a low-grade beast.

Moreover, they had an overwhelming strength to boot.

These were the only two advantages they had. 

Well, except, of course, Tang Yue was right now in their domain, the soggy muddy marsh!