'Vanishing Snake: In life trouble, in death trouble,' Shang read in his mind with surprise.
Why surprise?
Because 2,000 Contribution Points was a lot!
With just one snake, Shang could buy one unit of ore.
Shang definitely was interested in the big reward.
'Descendants of General Stage beasts. However, the General Stage variant only lives in swampy areas. The powerful adult Vanishing Snakes put their young in the Wild Forest, and the young remain there until they become powerful enough to go back to the Empress Cobra Zone.'
'The Vanishing Snakes are atypical snakes due to their teeth. In comparison to normal snakes, Vanishing Snakes don't have poisonous teeth but a full set of sharp fangs.'
'The Vanishing Snakes have a Metal Affinity, and with their sharp teeth, they infuse their prey with the destructive power of metal, making the insides of their prey bleed furiously.'
'The Vanishing Snakes are a menace in three ways.'
'One: They are experts at assassination, and they are not afraid of humans. The Vanishing Snake is the beast that kills the most Soldier Stage hunters each year in the Storm Eagle Zone.'
'Two: Vanishing Snakes can birth offspring after their death. In their lives, Vanishing Snakes will procreate with one partner, and the female Vanishing Snake will store the fertilized eggs until she dies unless she reaches the General Stage and finds a good spot.'
'When the eggs get into contact with stomach acid, they come out of hibernation and start growing. The eggshells are sticky and will stick to the lining of the stomach. Eventually, the young will eat the target that has eaten their mother from the inside out.'
'Three: The Vanishing Snake has access to a gas that causes targets to fall into a deep sleep. During combat, the effects of this gas are negligible, but if a Vanishing Snake manages to sneak up on someone without their notice, it can have devastating results.'
'Humans will very quickly realize that the sudden onset of tiredness is unnatural, but beasts won't. Vanishing Snakes are not very big, and they can move very silently, hence the name.'
'With the sleeping gas, the Vanishing Snake is one of the very few beasts that can take down beasts a Realm above them.'
'There have been cases of Vanishing Snakes killing the guarding dogs in the Farm Line.'
Shang's eyes opened wide.
He still remembered the dogs he had seen in the Farm Line. Even now, Shang was very certain that he couldn't kill one of them. They were simply too fast and powerful.
However, with the sleeping gas, the Vanishing Snakes could even kill these dogs.
After having read all of this, Shang realized why the reward was that massive.
This thing was the biggest danger to Warrior's Paradise out of all beasts in the First Realm.
It was probably also responsible for a lot of deaths among the students.
'It's also in the northeastern part of the Wild Forest,' Shang thought. 'So, to summarize, Pest Cats are everywhere, Life Scarabs are in the northwest, and Swamp Millipedes and Vanishing Snakes are in the northeast.'
That was when Shang realized something else.
'Swamp Millipedes and Vanishing Snakes? The mission said that adult Vanishing Snakes only live in the Empress Cobra Zone. However, if the Swamp Millipedes manage to turn the northeastern Wild Forest into a swamp, even the adults will come here.'
'It's almost like the poisonous swamp of the Empress Cobra Zone wants to expand. In comparison, the northwestern forest has it easier. Sure, they have the Life Scarabs, but they can't compare to the Vanishing Snakes in terms of threat to the environment and humans.'
'I think I should go to the northeastern Wild Forest since the reward is higher, but it's also more dangerous. I can deal with all kinds of beasts, but I can't deal with beasts I can't see.'
Shang scratched his chin in thought. He wondered if there was a way to find them.
Shang looked around at the other people. He had been standing here for quite a while, and a lot of people had come and gone from the mission board.
After a while, Shang's eyes shone when he saw someone.
It was a man in his late 20s. He didn't wear the silver uniforms of the teachers but a black uniform. The students with the black uniforms wanted to become hunters.
Quick thinking people probably had already noticed something strange.
A student in their late 20s?
Shouldn't someone like that be in the General Stage?
And yes, this man was in the General Stage. However, he was also still a student. That meant that he was a member of the special training the academy offered.
"Excuse me," Shang said politely to the man.
"Hm?" the man uttered as he looked at Shang. "Yes?"
"I'm planning on going to the northeastern forest for the first time. I wanted to ask if there is a way for me to find the Vanishing Snakes before they find me?" Shang asked.
The man looked Shang up and down with a bored gaze. "No, they're too good at hiding. You can only trust your instincts. If your instincts are telling you that you are in danger, you are in danger. React appropriately, and you will be fine."
"Thank you for your advice," Shang said politely.
"No problem," the man said. Then, he pulled down a mission for a General Stage beast and left in a bored manner.
"How did you do that?"
Shang looked to his other side when he heard someone say that.
It was a student about 17 years old, and he wore a yellow uniform.
"Do what?" Shang asked.
"Get Yiral to answer you," the student said with surprise.
"The guy just now?" Shang asked.
The student nodded.
"I just asked."
That made the student frown.
"I've seen many people ask Yiral about the northeastern forest, but he always tells them that they shouldn't go there. He always says that they are too inexperienced and that they should go to the northwestern forest."
"But when you asked him, he answered."
Shang hadn't known that he had been treated differently from the other students just now, which surprised him a bit. After all, the guy had just answered a random question.
"I'm very experienced when it comes to beasts, and I have been in a wilderness for over six months without interruption before," Shang said. "I guess he noticed that."
The student blinked a couple of times in shock and surprise. "Six months in the wilderness?"
Usually, that student would never believe that. After all, how old was Shang? 15? Why would a 15-year-old stay in the wilderness for half a year?
However, when he thought about how Yiral had just acted, he started to believe it. Obviously, Yiral was looking out for the younger students by telling them not to go to the northeastern forest, but when it came to Shang, he apparently felt like it wasn't necessary.
That meant that Yiral probably thought that Shang could go to the northeastern forest.
After realizing that, the student tried to get acquainted with Shang, but Shang very quickly left.
Shang simply didn't want to be distracted from becoming stronger.
And then, Shang left the academy.
It was time to go to the northeastern forest.
