Genetic Ascension novel Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Fangs

This was the only thought he could finish before a snake jumped out from a nearby bush, its jaws opening wide.

Sylas couldn't even register exactly what it was. He just let his legs fall out from under him. With the pressure of Little Madness' weight on his shoulders, he winced. He hadn't had the time to brush the carcass off his shoulders and could only do his best to survive.

The snake soared over his head even as Sylas lost his balance, the python corpse tilting him to one side. He couldn't pop back up quickly, and his legs folded under him awkwardly.

Danger signs blared in his mind, not because he had awakened some magical sense for it, but because he knew he was screwed.

He had been paying attention to his surroundings because he knew it was foolish to assume that Floor Two would be the exact same as Floor One. He just didn't expect that he would be attacked so suddenly.

For all he knew, the snake that had just soared over his head was already doubling back, ready for round two, and here he was, pinned beneath a dead python.

'Focus!'

He activated Madness without even trying to look back. He knew that if he wasted too much time, he would be finished. He still hadn't recovered from his battle with Little Madness, so he only had a minute or so left. The regret of not finding a place to use Maddened Meditation first hit him. This was a new world. He always had to be near 100% so long as he could spare the time. What was he rushing to enter a new floor for?

With a grunt, he pushed the corpse off of him. Ignoring the dull pain in his right leg, he popped back up to his feet, whipping around toward where the sneak-attacking snake had gone. But he saw nothing but a line of trees.

He didn't see anything, but that didn't mean he didn't hear anything.

There was a wild thrashing in the grass and when Sylas approached it, he found a snake of a little under three feet long. Its tail suddenly moved wildly and slapped against a tree chunk, blowing a chunk of the bark off of it.

'So strong…'

Sylas had a lot of experience corralling snakes, but he gave up on any idea of that when he saw that tail whip.

[Madness Minion (F)]

[Level: 0]

[Physical: 27]

[Mental: 2]

[Will: 4]