-9- A Hundred Years

After her initial taste of combat, Yvette became hooked. Every month that followed, she would venture to the floating platform to "fish with explosives" two or three times. Though she only dipped her toes in each time—striking briefly before retreating—it allowed her to adapt effectively to the sensation of battle. She no longer fumbled as she had early on, nor did she frequently misfire her frost projectiles into absurd directions.

During these excursions, she discovered the sovereign of this place: a mutated giant serpent, over thirty meters long, covered in rotting scales, with a single eye set in its forehead. The presence of this "One-Eyed Serpent King" greatly disrupted Yvette’s escape plans. Its existence meant that if she ever intended to leave using a "flight board," she would need the strength to face an assault from a behemoth of the lake. For her current self, the pressure was truly immense.

Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye. It had now been exactly seventy-three years since Yvette had transmigrated. Due to the threat of the Serpent King, she reduced the frequency of her visits to the platform, wary of being instantly obliterated by the terrifying maw that might burst from the lake at any moment. She redoubled her efforts in cultivation, and on one particular morning, she finally accumulated 100 points of mana, compressing them within her body into a tiny mana core.

According to the "Runic Siphon Effect" theory, a high-density mana core naturally attracts surrounding magical elements. This held true; her cultivation efficiency increased significantly, allowing her to gain 2.5 mana points per year. At this rate, it would take a mere century to gain another 250 points—by then, she might finally be qualified to cross swords with the Serpent King.

"A mere" century, indeed.

Beyond the breakthrough in mana, Yvette spent her spare time iterating the final forms of three magical formulas: "Frost Bolt," "Flame Dance," and "Wind Walk." The mana cost of "Frost Bolt" had been reduced to the terrifying figure of "1," truly achieving a one-to-one ratio of mana to projectile. Furthermore, she calibrated its firing mechanism so that, when necessary, she could create multiple virtual launch points, allowing the frost bolts to pour out like a Gatling gun, creating a storm of ice.

"Flame Dance" was not only optimized for handling and mana efficiency but also allowed for designated launch points. Through "Dual-Purpose Runic Array" technology, each additional fire pillar cost only an extra 10 mana, allowing up to four pillars to be released simultaneously, forming a "Full Firepower Mode" for 50 mana points. As for "Wind Walk," it was renamed "Wind Mastery." Consuming 8 mana per second, it could be used to generate powerful gusts, providing utility for acceleration, brief levitation, or blowing enemies away.

Unfortunately, Yvette lacked advanced theoretical knowledge and high-precision equipment; otherwise, she might have created magic more suitable for flight, allowing her to bypass the serpent’s threat and escape with ease.

Over the next hundred years, aside from an offensive spell named "Thunder’s Wrath," Yvette did not attempt to design new magical formulas. Instant-cast magic required two conditions: rote memorization and massive amounts of practice. Her current memory capacity hit its limit with "Thunder’s Wrath," which consisted of 500 runes. Forcing herself to memorize a fifth or sixth spell would likely lead to confusion, causing her to lose mastery over the spells she had already perfected.

Consequently, she repeated a routine of "meditation," "magic practice," "leisurely visits to the floating platform," "watching mutants fight," and "spying on the Serpent King." Her life was calm and rhythmic, to the point that she almost lost her grasp on the passage of time. Only during the coldest depths of winter would she be startled by the realization that another year had slipped away, so quickly that she could scarcely form any memory anchors.

By now, her mana had approached 400 points. On that morning, crouching at the entrance of the facility while watching another year’s snow drift down, she thought that perhaps she could finally attempt to test the power of the giant serpent in the lake.

Through long-term observation, Yvette had gained considerable understanding of the One-Eyed Serpent King. She discovered that the creature had no circadian rhythm; it seemed to never sleep and could emerge from the water at any time. Thus, she acted decisively, walking to the edge of the floating platform and tossing down some vines of the Light-Mana Vine to see if she could lure it out.

The luring process took a long time, but Yvette did not lose heart, knowing the giant snake had to be beneath the surface, as other mutated creatures kept their distance. Not until dusk did that pale, pupil-less, nightmare-like giant eye emerge from the water. Even though it was only a glimpse, it was enough to make one tremble.

"Roar—!"

Without waiting or hesitating, the giant serpent lunged out of the water, sending up a spray dozens of meters high. Yvette had been prepared; with a pull of "Wind Mastery," she dragged herself back several dozen meters, dodging the attack before looking forward. On the dusk-lit lake, the giant serpent, having breached the surface by over ten meters, loomed over her like a god looking down upon an ant.

The serpent’s snout split open from the center of its lower jaw, revealing a bright red forked tongue. If one looked closely, however, it was not a tongue at all, but over a dozen slippery tentacles entwined together. They separated and struck toward Yvette like lightning, as if to wrap the small, delicious prey directly into its maw.

Yvette’s nerves were taut; she used "Wind Mastery" to retreat again. This was her first time engaging the sovereign of the lake. Coupled with her mild thalassophobia and megalophobia, she dared not be the least bit careless. After dodging the tentacles, she immediately unleashed her hybrid control-and-damage spell.

Frost Bolt—Gatling Mode!

Blue projectiles poured out from multiple angles. In just a few seconds, she fired forty or fifty shots, freezing the serpent’s head and its tentacles into an ice sculpture. The off-balance head slammed into the platform, shaking the entire structure.

Watching the giant serpent struggle, Yvette chose not to use "Flame Dance," lest she help it break free too quickly. Instead, she used another spell—her only new achievement in the field of runes over the past century: "Thunder’s Wrath."

This was a spell with a logic entirely different from her previous ones. It did not pursue an optimal mana-to-damage ratio; instead, it pushed single-target damage to its absolute limit. Within the constraints of a 500-rune specification, this was the highest damage she could achieve, and it came with the highest mana cost.

A full 240 mana points!

Using it once drained over half her reserves!

As the formula activated, a runic ring over ten meters in diameter appeared in the air. A thick, dazzling bolt of lightning descended, striking the still-struggling, ice-encased head. It stiffened the creature's body, sending it into violent spasms. Even after the ice shell shattered, the serpent remained in a state of paralysis, twitching incessantly.

Yvette held her breath, her heart pounding. Her remaining mana was under 100 points, making a second "Thunder’s Wrath" impossible. She summoned the runic ring for "Flame Dance" beside her, preparing to unleash a pillar of fire.

But...

Before she could strike again, the serpent’s movements ceased. It stopped convulsing, its massive head dropping straight onto the metal grid of the platform. Its eyes and tentacle-tongue turned black, and a foul, scorched stench filled the air.

Was it... dead?

Yvette was suspicious and wary, but she did not stop her movements. She immediately used "Flame Dance" to scour the portion of the serpent’s body stuck to the platform with fire, burning every inch of its skin as best she could. Only after the serpent’s limp body was thoroughly charred and devoid of life, and she had used "Wind Mastery" to toss the remains into the depths of the lake, could she finally be certain that the beast was, perhaps, truly dead.