Apollo stared at the swirling fire and wind, his breathing labored and parts of his body bleeding.
Fighting the Great Serpent for at least twenty minutes was exhausting. Every time he took a step, the serpent would appear in front of him, forcing them into close combat. The creature's fists and kicks inflicted damage but never enough to kill him outright. It felt as if the serpent was programmed not to deal a fatal blow in one hit.
But Apollo knew that if he didn't retreat, the accumulated damage would eventually kill him.
If he didn't take a step, his opponent wouldn't either. Apollo used those brief moments of stillness to gather his thoughts and heal his injuries, prolonging the fight.
Gathering the surrounding Qi, he slowly patched up his wounds. As he did so, an idea sparked in his mind.
"What if I use Refined Qi?" he muttered, his eyes gleaming. Refined Qi was far superior to the unrefined version—stronger and more efficient. If he used it to heal his injuries... Excited by the idea, he quickly put it into practice.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the Refined Qi stored below his navel. The ball of energy churned to life, releasing Qi into his body. Apollo guided it to his wounds, and sure enough, they healed much faster than when he used Unrefined Qi.
A satisfied smile crept across his face at the discovery.
But when he opened his eyes, shock replaced his smile.
The Great Serpent was still alive, its deep blue eyes locked onto his. Its injuries were healing at an alarming rate!
"Shit!" Apollo cursed. Without waiting for his own wounds to fully heal, he activated his Simple Movement Technique, combining it with all the other movement techniques he had learned from the Advancement Examination, as well as the one he'd recently mastered on the fourth floor.
Water swirled around his body, mingling with gusts of wind as he dashed toward the serpent!
The Great Serpent moved too, and they collided halfway! A loud bang echoed as their fists met, shockwaves rippling from the impact!
A tail lashed out, but Apollo dodged by snapping his head back. Twisting his body, he delivered a kick enhanced by the Simple Wind Sword Technique, sending a wind slash that cut into the serpent's side!
Not enough! Apollo gritted his teeth. The monster's regeneration was too fast, and he had to deal as much damage as possible.
In a blur, his small frame appeared behind the Great Serpent, though the creature's tail was already aiming for his chest.
Fire Blast! Though it was a smaller variation, it was enough to deflect the tail.
Apollo's eyes narrowed at the rapidly healing wound on the serpent's back. Filled with killing intent, he plunged his hand inside!
The sound of flesh tearing echoed through the air, followed by the spurt of blue blood.
Apollo's face was drenched in it, but he remained expressionless, though the burning rage in his eyes betrayed his emotions.
"I did it..." he muttered, realizing what had just happened. It was a short burst of speed—probably fueled by adrenaline—but it had paid off. "I di—"
But before he could finish, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Looking down, he saw the serpent's tail had pierced through his chest.
Apollo managed to change the direction of the tail using the small variation of Fire Blast. If he had used the original version, he would have blown himself up along with the serpent, which would have only put him at a greater disadvantage. The smaller Fire Blast gave him just enough time to pierce the back of the Great Serpent.
He slowly looked up and saw the Great Serpent glancing at him.
Silence lingered, but it was shattered as the beggar coughed up another mouthful of blood.
"You won," the Great Serpent said.
"Eh?" Apollo looked surprised at first before a smile crept onto his face. "That's good to hear... I won, but at what cost?"
The Great Serpent said nothing more. Its body, starting from the left, began disintegrating into particles of light.
Seeing this, Apollo let out a sigh. Soon, the entire snake disappeared.
The beggar collapsed onto the water-covered floor, his blood staining it red.
Because of his small frame, his face was nearly submerged in the water, but it hardly mattered. The pain in his chest was unbearable, but right now, all he wanted was to sleep.
To sleep in eternal peace.
That thought crossed his mind for a moment, causing him to abruptly open his eyes.
"Hell nah! I'm not going to die!" the beggar shouted, hurriedly sitting cross-legged as he began healing his injuries with the Refined Qi in his dantian.
Fck, it hurts,* the beggar thought, gritting his teeth as his wounds slowly started to mend.
Looking down at his chest, he could see his insides, even catching a glimpse of his back through the gaping wound.
Apollo focused the Refined Qi on his chest, his organs slowly regenerating, though not as fast as when he healed lighter wounds.
"I will not die here!" he declared, his gaze fixed on the spot where the Great Serpent had vanished.
Suddenly, the entire area began shaking violently. The beggar continued healing his wounds while watching his surroundings.
"That snake said he'd give me a technique if I defeated him, so why's the place falling apart?!" Apollo muttered, worrying whether the Great Serpent had tricked him.
The space around him started to crack and collapse. Each piece that hit the ground disappeared as if it had never been there. They fell, one by one.
Apollo glanced upward and saw the black space crumbling above him. But he couldn't move—if he did, he might worsen his injuries.
He closed his eyes and let the black space fall onto him. Apollo felt only a soft breeze brushing his hair. When he opened his eyes, his surroundings had completely changed.
Dark wooden walls and ceiling, just like on the fourth floor, but the only object in the room was a circular platform in the center.
On top of the platform floated a glowing scroll, emitting a whitish-blue light.
Seeing it, Apollo's face lit up. "This must be the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation!"
He was about to stand but remembered his injuries weren't fully healed yet. Reining in his excitement, he focused on healing his body first.
The new technique sounded amazing, but his health was the most important thing right now.