Chapter 355: The Serpent’s Pact

The floating stone began to shudder, thin cracks spreading across its surface like veins of light. Each fracture pulsed white until a sharp, deep crack split the air. A blinding flash exploded outward, swallowing the entire street. The ground trembled, the air reeked of ozone and hot dust, and energy rippled through the broken walls around them. Vibrations ran across the shattered cobblestones, lifting small spirals of grit into the air. The light refracted off the uneven ruins, warping the world as if the air itself had grown heavy. Out of that radiance, a massive silhouette began to take shape.

The brightness swelled, and the figure grew so vast it filled the street, the outline unmistakable. The Beast Lord.

He was being reborn as a familiar. Energy wrapped around the creature’s colossal form, shadows and light weaving together in an unstable pattern. Metallic scales shimmered, pulsing faintly as though they breathed. For one brief instant, the very air seemed to bend under the weight of its presence.

Heat washed over him like a living wave. The pressure of the light was so intense he had to shield his eyes.

“I’m alive again!” The serpent’s deep voice echoed through the street.

The glow began to fade. The last remnants of shadow twisted violently, as if the light itself were fighting to erase something too dark to exist. The heat receded, leaving only a trail of sparks hanging in the still air.

“I can’t believe it, Mr. Shitpants!” Artemis blurted, caught between laughter and disbelief. “You’re actually going to help!”

When the light finally vanished, Luke looked up, scanning the street for the serpent, but confusion furrowed his brow.

“Where’s the snake?” he asked.

“Hey! What happened to me?” came a voice from below, far lower than he expected.

When Luke glanced down, he froze. On the ground, a tiny, dark-green snake, so dark it was almost black, was coiling and thrashing in frustration. Its golden eyes gleamed with fury.

“What the hell did you do, human? What did you do to me?” the little snake shouted.

“Wait… that’s you? You’re the snake?”

He tried, and failed, to hold back a laugh, his lips twitching.

Artemis didn’t even try. The moment she saw Luke’s bewildered expression and the furious little serpent squirming on the dirt, she burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“Stop laughing at me!” the snake screamed.

“Man, and here I thought you might actually be useful in this battle,” Luke said, crouching to meet it at eye level.

“I’m a rat!” the serpent yelled, staring down at its own shrunken body. “My majestic size, gone! What did you do?”

“Hey, you think I planned this?” Luke shot back. “I’m just as surprised as you are.”

[A familiar has been bound to your soul.]

A translucent screen unfolded before his eyes, lines of blue energy twisting together into glyphs that spun before solidifying into words. A new tab appeared beneath Servant, this one labeled Familiar.

When Luke tapped it, a new window opened.

[Familiar: Frankzaroth]
Race: Jormungandr
Rank: F

Familiar Skills: [Serpent’s Leap (Rare)], [Corrosive Venom (Ultra-Rare)], [Acid Jet (Epic)]

[Evolution to Rank E]: To evolve from Rank F to Rank E, the familiar must consume Magic Beast Cores of Rank E.
E-Rank Cores (0/100)

Unlock another evolution option?

It was quite a lot of information. While Franky complained, Luke tapped on the skills to read them in detail.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

[Serpent’s Leap (Rare)]: The Jormungandr coils its body like a living spring and releases it in a powerful jump, covering long distances in a single motion. The impact of landing can cause small tremors in the ground and knock down nearby enemies.

[Corrosive Venom (Ultra-Rare)]: The Jormungandr releases a controlled venomous fluid from its fangs, capable of coating a target without corroding it immediately. The venom, thick and adhesive in texture, clings to the surface for a few moments before triggering its corrosive effect.

[Acid Jet (Epic)]: The Jormungandr concentrates toxic energy in its stomach and fires a pressurized liquid stream of acid, capable of piercing armor and dissolving rock. The impact leaves behind a contaminated area that continues to corrode the ground and anyone who touches it for several seconds.

“I don’t believe this. I’m a snake! A tiny little snake!” Franky hissed, his scales a dark green that was almost black.

“You were born that size?” Luke asked.

“Yes! I regressed! I reverted to my newborn form!” the snake snapped, voice sharp with outrage.

“Well, you were always a baby, weren’t you?” Artemis said with a laugh.