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AFTER another night and an entire day of trekking through the monster-infested forest, Aila finally reached what appeared to be a small village.

Or at least, what remained of one.

She was covered in dirt and blood, most of it belonging to the countless monsters she had fought along the way. It was becoming absurd. She could barely walk a few steps without another monster appearing from the trees.

At this point, she had lost count of how many she had killed.

She had also lost count of how many times she had burned parts of the forest.

Still, she was slowly getting used to her powers.

Aila cautiously entered the village.

The houses, both concrete and wooden, were in ruins. Walls had been torn apart, roofs had collapsed, and holes were scattered throughout the structures. The entire left side of the village had been flattened, as though something enormous had crashed into it—or slithered through it.

She couldn't hear anything.

That didn't mean she relaxed.

Aila remained vigilant, carefully scanning her surroundings with every step.

Then—

Thud!

The sound of something hitting the ground made her breath catch.

She froze.

Her head snapped toward the sound.

She stood completely still, feeling the surroundings and listening for anything else.

Then she heard it.

Hissss...

Her eyes slowly lowered. It was already too late to run.

A snake emerged from the ground.

Its body resembled a cobra, but it was nearly three times larger than any snake Aila had ever seen. Its scales gleamed under the dim light, and its eyes were a terrifying crimson.

Aila froze.

Not because of its size.

Because she had a phobia of snakes.

Her entire body locked up the moment she saw it.

The snake flicked its tongue in and out. Its red, slit-like eyes narrowed as they fixed on her.

Then, without warning, it lunged.

Aila barely managed to raise her arm.

CHOMP!

Its fangs sank into her flesh.

"Ahh!"

Pain shot through her arm.

Instinctively, she grabbed the snake's head. The moment her fingers touched its cold, slimy scales, a wave of horror and disgust surged through her.

"Flare!"

Fire erupted from her hand.

The snake was engulfed in flames. It hissed violently and released her arm, dropping to the ground as it thrashed and twisted.

But Aila's knees buckled and her vision blurred. Something was spreading through her body.

She looked down at her arm. Violet veins had begun creeping outward from the bite.

Venom.

Her entire body felt like it was burning from the inside.

"Ugh..."

She clutched her chest as a searing pain spread through her torso. Her body writhed as she desperately tried to breathe.

No. No, no, no.

"I just died yesterday..." Her voice trembled. "The penalty is still active. If I die again, my age penalty and XP penalty will be halved again..."

Her thoughts became increasingly sluggish.

"I can't fight in the body of a nine-year-old!"

But what could she do? She could barely stand. Her stomach convulsed and she vomited blood onto the ground. Her head spun violently as her vision darkened.

Then—

Ding!

A familiar sound rang inside her mind and a notification appeared before her eyes.

[You killed a Jewel Python! +50 XP.]

[Due to the 50% debuff from the Rebirth skill, you receive only 25 XP.]

[Level Up!]

[You reached Level 20! You obtained a new skill: Flame Purification.]

Aila collapsed onto the ground, desperately gasping for air. Her entire body felt paralyzed. She could barely focus enough to read the notifications.

She remembered that every ten levels, she would gain a new skill.

"F-Flame... Purification..."

The words barely escaped her stiffening tongue.

Then something happened.

A flame bloomed from the center of her chest, exactly where she had been clutching herself. But this wasn't the familiar yellow flame she had used to burn the monsters and the forest.

It was blue.

The blue flame spread across her body, enveloping her completely.

Aila expected another wave of pain. Instead, she slowly felt it disappear. The burning sensation in her chest faded. The venom coursing through her veins vanished and her breathing gradually returned to normal.

After what felt like an eternity, she was finally able to breathe without pain.

Aila rolled onto her back and stared helplessly at the night sky.

She had survived. Again.

But the venom had been excruciating. She never wanted to experience something like that again.

After resting for a while, Aila remained sprawled on the road, barely moving.

She probably looked like a corpse.

Eventually, she pushed herself upright and looked around. She steeled herself.

If another snake appeared, she couldn't freeze like before.

She had a phobia. Fine. But she still had to move. She couldn't afford to let fear paralyze her again.

If she hadn't leveled up and obtained Flame Purification, she would be dead right now. Or worse... She would still be alive, but in the body of a nine-year-old.

With that thought in mind, Aila continued through the village. She encountered several more snakes. This time, she fought back.

By the time she finished searching the village, she had killed several of them. With no one else around, she had no choice but to search the abandoned houses for food, clothing, and anything else she might need.

She even found a first-aid kit and bandaged the wound on her arm. Fortunately, Flame Purification had removed the venom. Unfortunately, at Level 1, it couldn't heal the physical damage from the bite.

She also found no bodies. Not a single one.

With the number of snakes infesting the village, Aila could only assume that the people had been swallowed whole. The thought made her stomach churn.

She forced herself to eat the leftover food she found inside one of the houses. She ate while crying.

After searching every corner of the village and killing every snake she could find, Aila settled into one of the few houses that was still barely intact. She spent the night there.

The next morning, she continued her journey.

Before leaving, she found a bicycle in one of the houses and decided to take it with her. It was better than walking.

She rode along the road, keeping a careful eye on her surroundings.

She hadn't even gone a kilometer from the village when—

BOOM!

Something enormous struck her. The impact knocked the air from her lungs.

Aila and the bicycle were sent flying through the air before crashing into a tree beside the road.

"Ugh!" She groaned and slowly pushed herself upright.

Surprisingly, she wasn't seriously injured. Perhaps her increased stats had made her body more durable. That didn't mean it hadn't hurt.

She could still feel the impact throughout her body—probably half the pain she should have felt from being swatted by something that massive.

Then she heard it.

Hissssss...

Aila's body went rigid as she slowly looked up.

This wasn't one of the oversized cobras she had encountered in the village.

This was something else entirely.

A gigantic purple snake towered over the road.

When it raised its head, it stood nearly as tall as a three-story building. Its massive serpentine body stretched far beyond what she could see, and its enormous tail was what had struck her moments ago.

Aila swallowed hard. She desperately tried not to let her phobia take control.

"But how on earth am I supposed to kill that?" Her voice trembled.

The giant python lunged.

Aila dove aside.

Its enormous fangs slammed into a nearby tree. The moment the venom touched the trunk, the wood hissed and dissolved.

Aila's blood ran cold.

That venom can melt trees?!

She turned and ran.

"Think, Aila. Think!"

Every instinct screamed at her to keep running.

But she knew the truth that she couldn't outrun it. She could almost feel the poisonous breath against her back.

The snake hissed. Its jaws opened wide enough to swallow her whole.

Aila spun around and raised her hand.

"Flare!"

A concentrated torrent of fire erupted from her palm and shot straight into the python's enormous mouth.

BOOM!

The flames blasted deep into its throat.

The python recoiled with a furious hiss, violently twisting its massive body.

But its tail came swinging toward her.

Aila barely had time to react.

WHAM!

The massive tail struck her again.

Her body was launched into the air before crashing into the ground several meters away.

"Arghh!"

The impact knocked the air from her lungs again. Aila struggled to breathe as she stared at her status.

Her HP was dropping. But thankfully, she hadn't suffered any broken bones or serious wounds.

I can still fight.

She gritted her teeth and forced herself back onto her feet.