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Chapter 4: The Giant Python and the Master of Fire

Aila struggled to her feet, her entire body aching from the impact.

The giant purple python raised its head, its crimson eyes fixed on her. Its forked tongue flickered in and out, tasting the air as though savoring the prospect of its next meal.

Her.

Shit.

Aila swallowed hard.

She had faced countless monsters over the past two days, but this was the first time she had encountered something so enormous that she couldn't even estimate its full length.

And it was a snake.

A freaking snake!

She had always been afraid of them. Even an ordinary snake could make her jump, and now she was standing in front of a monster that could swallow her whole without chewing.

Why couldn't it have been a giant spider instead?

No. That wasn't any better.

She shook her head, forcing herself to concentrate.

This wasn't the time to complain about her bad luck.

She needed to figure out how to kill this thing.

Aila glanced at the floating status window at the edge of her vision.

HP: 50/250.

Her health was already dangerously low.

Her MP, on the other hand, was probably still recovering from her previous battles. She hadn't had enough time to rest after using Flame Purification on herself.

She couldn't afford to waste any more magic.

Think. Think!

The giant python suddenly lunged.

Aila threw herself to the side.

Its massive jaws snapped shut where she had been standing moments earlier. The impact sent a shock wave through the road, scattering stones and dirt.

She rolled across the ground and scrambled to her feet.

"Flare!"

She thrust out her hand.

A stream of fire shot toward the python's head.

The monster twisted away, and the flames struck its purple scales instead.

They barely left a mark.

Aila stared.

You're kidding me.

She had burned goblins and wolves to ashes. Even the smaller snakes hadn't been able to withstand her attacks.

Yet this thing had barely reacted.

The python hissed.

Its massive body coiled, and its head shot toward her again.

Aila ran.

She ducked beneath its snapping jaws and sprinted toward a cluster of trees. The python's fangs struck the ground behind her, sending dirt flying into the air.

She could hear the trees cracking as its enormous body pushed through them.

It wasn't merely chasing her.

It was destroying everything in its path.

How much does this thing weigh?!

Aila glanced over her shoulder.

The python's head emerged from the trees.

Its crimson eyes gleamed.

Then its mouth opened.

Aila's instincts screamed.

She threw herself behind a boulder just as a stream of liquid sprayed across the road.

The venom struck the surrounding trees.

HSSSSSS!

Their trunks began to dissolve.

The smell of burning wood and something foul filled the air.

Aila pressed herself against the boulder, her breathing ragged.

That isn't fair!

Not only was the monster enormous, but its venom was practically a chemical weapon.

And unlike the goblins, it didn't seem to care about her fire.

She had to find a weakness.

Every living creature had one.

At least, that was what she wanted to believe.

Aila cautiously peeked around the boulder.

The python was searching for her.

Its head swayed from side to side, and its tongue flickered as it followed her scent.

She could attack its eyes.

That was an obvious weak point, but the problem was getting close enough to hit them.

Her Flare skill had a limited range. She had already learned that the hard way while fighting the goblins.

If she wanted to strike its eyes, she needed to aim carefully.

And if she missed...

She didn't want to think about it.

Aila glanced at her status window again.

Job: Master of Fire (SS)

The rank still seemed absurd.

An SS-ranked job should have been powerful, shouldn't it?

So why was she struggling so much?

Then again, she had only just awakened her powers. Her skills were still at low levels, and her stats weren't exactly impressive.

She couldn't expect to defeat every monster simply because she had an SS-ranked job.

That would be ridiculous.

Aila clenched her fists.

"Fine. Let's try something else."

She took a deep breath and concentrated.

Fire.

She needed fire.

But instead of immediately casting Flare, she tried to feel the energy within her body.

It was faint, almost nonexistent.

Her mana was running low.

Still, she could feel something else.

A strange connection between herself and the flames she had created.

It reminded her of the notification she had seen earlier.

[Skill: Fire Manipulation (B) Lv. 1 — Passive]

Fire Manipulation.

She had assumed the skill would automatically help her control her flames.

But perhaps she had to do something herself.

Aila stared at the fire burning among the trees where her previous attack had landed.

The flames flickered in the breeze.

She extended her hand.

"Come here."

Nothing happened.

She blinked.

"...Seriously?"

The python's head suddenly turned toward her.

Aila's eyes widened.

"Oh, crap!"

She ducked behind the boulder just as its jaws snapped at her hiding place.

The boulder cracked under the impact.

Aila scrambled away, narrowly escaping before the monster struck again.

"Okay! Okay! I get it!"

She ran toward the open road.

The python followed.

Her heart pounded as she tried to put some distance between them.

I need to stop running around like an i***t!

She couldn't keep dodging forever.

Her HP was low, her MP was limited, and her body was already exhausted.

If this continued, she would eventually make a mistake.

And one mistake was all it would take.

Aila gritted her teeth.

She turned around.

"Flare!"

Fire erupted from her palm and shot straight toward the python's face.

This time, she didn't aim for its scales.

She aimed for its eyes.

The python jerked its head away.

Her flames grazed the side of its face, leaving a blackened patch across its scales.

But the monster didn't stop.

Instead, it let out a deafening hiss.

Its tail swung toward her.

Aila barely managed to cross her arms before the impact sent her flying.

WHAM!

She crashed through a bush and struck the ground.

"Ugh!"

Pain exploded throughout her body.

For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

The world spun around her, and her vision blurred.

A notification appeared.

[Warning: HP critically low.]

Aila stared at the message.

HP: 12/250.

Her blood ran cold.

Twelve.

She had only twelve HP remaining.

One more hit would probably kill her.

And if she died again...

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"No."

Her voice was barely audible.

"No, no, no. I'm not doing this again."

She had already died once.

She had already experienced the pain of being poisoned and nearly died a second time.

She didn't want to go through another rebirth.

She didn't want to lose more of her age.

She didn't want to become a child.

And she certainly didn't want to die here, in the middle of nowhere, after everything she had endured.

Aila pushed herself up.

Her arms trembled.

The python was approaching.

Its massive head lowered toward her, and its jaws opened wide.

She could see the curved fangs glistening with venom.

Her body froze.

For one terrible moment, her fear overwhelmed everything else.

She was eighteen again.

No.

She was thirty-six.

She had lived through thirty-six years of life, including the years when her body had been ravaged by illness. She had endured pain, loneliness, and the despair that had driven her to the cliff.

She had wanted to die.

But that had been yesterday.

Yesterday, she had wanted to end everything.

Today, she was terrified of dying.

Wasn't that ironic?

Aila laughed weakly.

"Look at me..."

She raised her trembling hand toward the python.

"I'm actually trying to survive."

The monster lunged.

Aila's eyes widened.

"FLARE!"

A massive burst of fire erupted from her palm.

But this time, something was different.

Instead of a short stream of flames, the fire expanded into a blazing sphere that shot directly into the python's open mouth.

The flames exploded inside its jaws.

BOOOOM!

The python's head jerked backward.

Its deafening shriek echoed through the forest as it thrashed violently, smashing trees and tearing up the road.

Aila stumbled backward, her eyes wide.

What was that?!

She hadn't meant to make the flames that powerful.

Had she?

A familiar sound rang in her mind.

Ding!

A translucent window appeared.

[Skill: Flare has reached Level 3!]

[Flare's power and mana efficiency have increased.]

Aila barely had time to read the message before another notification appeared.

[Your skill, Fire Manipulation, has responded to your desperate desire for survival.]

[Fire Manipulation proficiency has increased.]

Her mouth fell open.

Proficiency?

Was that even a thing?

She didn't have time to investigate.

The python was still alive.

And it was furious.

Its enormous head rose above the trees, its crimson eyes burning with murderous intent. Black smoke drifted from the inside of its mouth, and several of its fangs had cracked from the force of the explosion.

Aila swallowed.

"You're still alive?"

The python hissed.

"Right. Of course you are."

She wanted to cry.

Instead, she forced herself to stand straight.

Her HP was still dangerously low, and she could feel the last traces of mana draining from her body.

She couldn't cast another attack like that.

Not unless she wanted to collapse.

The python coiled its body.

Aila watched it carefully.

Its head lowered.

Its muscles tensed.

Then it lunged toward her one final time.

Aila raised her hand.

There was barely any mana left.

But she didn't need another massive explosion.

She needed precision.

She remembered the blue flames of Flame Purification.

Those flames hadn't been like her ordinary attacks. They had spread throughout her body, seeking out the poison and eliminating it.

The skill had acted on something she couldn't see.

Something hidden inside her.

If that fire can find poison...

Her gaze shifted toward the python's open mouth.

Can my flames find its weakness, too?

She didn't know.

She had no idea whether it would work.

But she had no other choice.

Aila focused on the faint energy remaining in her body.

She imagined the fire gathering at her fingertips.

Not a blazing torrent.

Not an explosion.

Just a single, concentrated spark.

"Flare."

A tiny flame flickered into existence.

The python's jaws rushed toward her.

Aila stepped aside at the last possible moment and thrust her hand forward.

The flame shot straight into the creature's right eye.

For a split second, nothing happened.

Then—

KRAAAAAAAHHHHH!

The python's shriek shook the surrounding trees.

Its head slammed into the ground, and its enormous body writhed in agony. The tail lashed wildly, flattening everything around it.

Aila threw herself behind a tree.

The ground trembled beneath her feet.

She pressed her hands over her ears, desperately waiting for the thrashing to stop.

Seconds passed.

Then a minute.

Finally, the forest fell silent.

Aila cautiously peeked out from behind the tree.

The giant python lay motionless on the road.

Its head was partially buried in the dirt, and smoke drifted from its ruined eye.

She stared at it.

Then she stared at her hand.

Then back at the python.

"...Did I win?"

No response.

Aila waited another few seconds before slowly approaching the monster.

She kept her distance, ready to run if it moved again.

But the python remained still.

A familiar notification finally appeared.

[You killed a Giant Jewel Python! +500 XP.]

[Due to the 50% debuff from the Rebirth skill, you receive only 250 XP.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

Aila stared at the notifications.

Five consecutive level-ups.

She had just killed a monster that could have swallowed her whole.

And she had done it with barely any mana remaining.

Her knees gave out.

She fell onto the road and lay flat on her back.

"...I'm going to need a vacation."

She closed her eyes.

Then she abruptly opened them again.

"No. Wait."

She sat up as quickly as her battered body allowed.

Aila stared at the enormous purple corpse.

"Can I even eat that?"

She immediately shook her head.

"No. Absolutely not. I'm not eating a snake."

She paused.

"...Unless I'm starving."

The thought alone made her shudder.

Aila opened her status window.

She needed to know how much she had gained from that fight.

And, more importantly, whether she had finally gained enough strength to stop getting tossed around like a rag doll.

The translucent window appeared before her eyes.

[Name: Aila Jade Sacramento]

[Age: 36 (Penalized: 18)]

[Level: 25]

[Job: Master of Fire (SS)]

[Title: Phoenix Descent, Someone Who Lived Again]

[HP: 12/250]

[MP: 0/120]

[XP: 53/800]

[Penalized: -50% XP accumulation | 719:58:26 remaining]

[STR: 20 (+15)]

[AGL: 20 (+15)]

[VIT: 20 (+15)]

[INT: 30 (+15)]

[Free SP: 6]

[Skills:]

Fire Manipulation (B) Lv. 1 — Passive

Phoenix Rebirth (S) Lv. 2

Flare (D) Lv. 3

Fireball (E) Lv. 1

Flame Purification (New)

Aila's eyes widened.

"Level twenty-five?"

She had gained five levels from killing that monster.

Her gaze shifted toward the enormous corpse.

Then she looked at her MP.

MP: 0/120.

"...Ah."

That explained why she suddenly felt as though she had been run over by a truck.

Twice.

She leaned back and stared at the sky.

She had survived another day.

She had killed a giant monster.

She had gained five levels.

And she had absolutely no idea where she was.

For a long moment, Aila said nothing.

Then she covered her face with both hands.

"What kind of world have I reincarnated into?"

The wind rustled through the trees.

Far away, something howled.

Aila slowly lowered her hands.

"...Please tell me that wasn't another monster."

Silence.

Then another howl answered the first.

And another.

Her expression turned blank.

She stared at the forest, then at the enormous python beside her.

Finally, she lay back down on the road.

"Nope."

She closed her eyes.

"I'm done for today."

For the first time since her rebirth, Aila decided that she would rather risk being eaten tomorrow than take another step today.

After all, she had already died once.

She wasn't particularly eager to repeat the experience.