Dungeon King: A Lady Knight Offered by My Goblins

At that moment, Ethan, seeing the brown Venomous Serpent still mustering the strength to emit its black fog, acted swiftly without a second thought.

Gripping the serpent firmly, he exerted pressure and snapped its neck.

Instantly, the head of the brown Venomous Serpent drooped lifelessly, signaling the end of its vitality.

As Ethan watched the serpent turn into a lifeless body, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This formidable Venomous Serpent, which had caused him so much trouble, was now defeated.

Unbeknownst to Ethan, the entire scene had been witnessed by the mysterious observer hiding nearby.

The observer was significantly taken aback, for the strength and ferocity Ethan had displayed were truly formidable.

At this juncture, the mysterious person, observing the situation, couldn't help but inhale sharply, considering a stealthy retreat.

With Ethan having vanquished the serpent, the observer realized that if Ethan approached, his presence could easily be discovered.

And should Ethan find him, subduing him would be an effortless task.

Consequently, the observer's resolve wavered, and he contemplated leaving.

However, before he could make his move, he heard Ethan's voice boom out: "This damned creature, hiding and planning to ambush me. If anyone else is lurking nearby and I catch them, they'll meet the same fate!"

Ethan's voice rang out loud and clear, intentionally ensuring that the hidden observer would hear his words.

Ethan's words, though ostensibly directed at the brown Venomous Serpent, were actually intended for the mysterious observer, serving as a deliberate intimidation.

This revelation took the observer by surprise, filling him with fear.

Thus, seizing the opportunity when Ethan seemed preoccupied, the observer hastily made his escape without waiting for Ethan to speak again.

However, unbeknownst to the observer, Ethan had noticed his departure all along.

Observing the mysterious person's retreat, Ethan couldn't help but let a slight smile creep across his face, amused at how easily the observer had been frightened off by his words.

It seemed that the observer was indeed quite timid, scared away by a mere sentence from Ethan.

This reaction was not entirely unexpected, considering Ethan's formidable strength.

His merciless and fierce manner in combat was enough to instill fear in anyone who witnessed it.

The observer must have been terrified at the thought of being discovered by Ethan, fearing he might meet the same fate as the brown Venomous Serpent.

After all, the observer had seen the brutal way Ethan had dealt with the serpent, and with Ethan still holding the dead creature, the observer likely believed that discovery would result in a similar end for himself – becoming nothing more than a lifeless body.

At that moment, Ethan turned his attention to retrieving his shoe, which had been stuck in the mud.

Time had passed, and the shoe had sunk deeper, almost entirely engulfed by the swamp, with only a small portion visible above the surface.

Extracting the shoe from the mud proved to be a considerable effort for Ethan.

After retrieving the shoe, Ethan found it in a sorry state – covered in mud, thoroughly soaked, and punctured by the venomous fangs of the serpent.

It was a sight that left him speechless, seeing how his once intact shoe had been reduced to such a condition.

However, given his current situation in the wilderness, Ethan had little choice but to make do.

He found a relatively clean source of water and washed the shoe, removing the mud and putting it back on his foot despite its sorry state.

With the mysterious observer having departed, Ethan decided not to dwell on him any longer.

Holding the lifeless body of the brown Venomous Serpent, he returned to the area of the swamp where he had initially planned to use it as bait.

His goal was to see if this lure could entice whatever creature was lurking beneath the muddy waters, allowing him to confront and possibly eliminate it on firmer ground.

Having traversed the path twice already, Ethan quickly found his way back to the swamp.

Once there, he swung the dead serpent's body around near the swamp, even smacking it against the muddy surface a few times, hoping to catch the attention of the creature below.

Ethan was uncertain if this plan would work, as he was unfamiliar with the creature lurking in the depths of the swamp and unsure whether it would take the bait.

As he pondered this, he suddenly heard a faint sound from beneath the swamp and noticed a few small bubbles emerging on the surface.

"Aha, it's coming!" Ethan thought, a surge of excitement in his heart.

It seemed that his plan had worked, and the creature was indeed taking the bait.

At that moment, Ethan was on high alert, intently watching the swamp, ready for whatever creature was about to emerge.

Given the incredible speed of the mysterious creature, which had previously evaded his sight before swiftly retreating back into the swamp, Ethan was eager to finally see what he was up against.

Determined not to let this opportunity slip away, Ethan knew he had to act fast.

If the creature managed to return to the swamp, drawing it out again would be a lengthy and challenging task.

Ethan's gaze remained fixed on the swamp, waiting for the creature to make its move.

Soon, a dark shadow darted out from the murky depths, lunging towards the corpse of the brown Venomous Serpent.

Reacting quickly, Ethan released the serpent's body from his grasp just as the creature snapped at it, swallowing it whole.

In that instant, Ethan reached out to grab the creature emerging from the swamp, intending to pull it onto the shore and prevent it from diving back into the swamp's depths.

However, his grip faltered.

The creature's body was incredibly agile and coated in a layer of thick, slippery mud, making it difficult to grasp.

Ethan's attempt to haul the creature ashore resulted in him getting nothing but a handful of mud.

This opportunity was fleeting, and Ethan was acutely aware of its rarity.

He understood that if he allowed the creature to return to the swamp, capturing it again would be a formidable challenge.

Ethan had observed that this creature could stay submerged for extended periods without needing to surface for air.

Once it dived back into the swamp, it could remain hidden indefinitely, making it nearly impossible to predict when it might emerge again.

Moreover, now that the serpent's corpse, his only bait, was gone, Ethan had no means to lure the creature back.

Searching for another lure in the night, with limited visibility, would be a daunting task.

Even if he managed to find another bait, there was no guarantee that the creature would fall for the same trick again.

Determined not to let the creature escape back into the swamp, Ethan, whose first attempt to grab it had failed, quickly extended his other hand.

With both hands, he firmly grasped the creature.

With a strong effort, he heaved it onto the dry land behind him.

In the process of capturing the creature, Ethan's clothes became covered in mud, much to the dismay of someone who valued cleanliness as much as he did.

The situation was nearly enough to drive him to despair, but he had no time to dwell on these concerns.

At that moment, his priority was to deal with the creature he had just dragged out of the swamp.

Earlier, Ethan had planted a torch into the ground, and now, by the dim light it cast, he could finally see the creature clearly.

He noticed that it had an extraordinarily peculiar appearance, resembling a python but much thicker and somewhat shorter than a typical snake.

What struck Ethan as most remarkable was that this creature had no eyes on its head, only an enormously wide mouth.

The mouth of this creature was oddly shaped, not simply split into upper and lower jaws like most animals, but comprised of five distinct flaps.

Open wide, it revealed countless teeth, too many to count, arranged inside in a terrifying display.

Confronted with such a bizarre creature, Ethan couldn't help but feel startled.

Throughout his life, he had encountered many wild animals, but this one was undoubtedly the ugliest and most horrifying he had ever seen.

Of all the wild beasts Ethan had come across, none had been as hideously formed as the one now lying before him.