Overlord: Welcome the Birth of the King

As expected!

Seeing its prey attempt to flee, the black-green serpent's weak intelligence couldn't discern that this was a deliberate ploy.

The serpent leaned back, raising most of its body upright. Like a coiled spring, it prepared to strike, compressing itself before launching forward like a slingshot, aiming its gaping mouth directly at Lyle.

Opportunity!

Lyle's eyes lit up. This was exactly the move he had been waiting for.

He swung the iron sword in his hand, gripping it in a reverse hold like a spear. With a swift throw, he hurled it straight into the dark green serpent's open mouth.

Bang!

A tremendous force exploded in the air as the iron sword pierced through the serpent's mouth. White mucus, red blood, and chunks of flesh splattered onto the ground.

"Hisss! Roar!"

The black-green serpent fell from mid-air, writhing in agony and letting out sharp hissing sounds.

Bang! Bang!

Its thick tail flailed wildly due to the immense pain, smashing into nearby trees and producing loud crashing noises.

Lyle cautiously observed the serpent, which was now writhing on the ground with its head pierced through, and slowly backed away a few steps. He waited patiently for the black-green serpent to die. Since its scales were tough and slippery, it was better to attack from the soft interior.

The serpent struggled for two to three minutes. Its body twitched violently before gradually ceasing movement altogether, lying lifeless on the ground.

[Gained 150 experience points]

Current experience: 421/1000.

"Not bad. That's a lot of experience."

Lyle smiled and walked toward the serpent's corpse. Despite the violent struggle earlier, the body remained largely intact except for the heavily damaged head. He glanced at his iron sword, now covered in sticky mucus and blood, with a hint of disgust in his eyes.

He rummaged through his inventory and found a hardened parchment sheet previously used for crafting scrolls, using it to wipe the blade clean before putting the sword away.

"These black-green serpent scales might be useful for crafting armor," Lyle noted, observing the six-meter-long serpent. However, he wasn't particularly interested in making armor.

With the current technology available in this world, even the best armor they could produce would only reach [High] grade at most. Instead of wasting time on such endeavors, Lyle figured it would be better to seek out the legacy of the Eight Greed Kings or the Six Great Gods.

In the game YGGDRASIL, equipment was divided into ten tiers:

[Lowest Grade]: Levels 1–10 [Lower Grade]: Levels 11–20 [Mid Grade]: Levels 21–30 [High Grade]: Levels 31–40 [Top Grade]: Levels 41–50 [Legacy Grade]: Levels 51–60 [Relic Grade]: Levels 61–70 [Legendary Grade]: Levels 71–80 [Divine Grade]: Levels 81–90 [Guild Weapon Grade]: Levels 91–100

Above these, there were items beyond standard classifications, known as World-Class Items, which were counted separately.

To stand a chance against the forces of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, Lyle knew he would need at least one piece of Divine-grade equipment.

"If I sell this serpent's corpse, it should fetch a decent price," Lyle thought as he reached out to touch the corpse, mentally storing it in his item box.

The noise from the earlier battle had been significant, but since this area was likely the serpent's territory, it shouldn't attract other monsters immediately.

Lyle continued heading eastward.

The Forest of Tob encircled the Azerlisia

Mountains, forming a vast U-shaped expanse of ancient woodland, about 120 kilometers long and 40 kilometers wide. Carne Village, situated near the center, was surrounded by dense obstacles, and occasional monster attacks were common.

Estimating the distance he had covered, Lyle realized he was about a third of the way through. Compared to his initial expectations, he was moving slower than planned.

"I need to pick up the pace."

Without stopping, Lyle grabbed some hard black bread from his item box, eating it as he walked.

By midday, he had accumulated a significant haul in his item box:

The dark green serpent's corpse, Three wild boars, Five giant pythons, each about five meters long

He had also slain various smaller creatures—such as snakes, wild beasts, and poisonous insects—but since they offered little experience or monetary value, he didn't bother storing them. Additionally, he had disposed of the bodies of two "Eight Fingers" operatives earlier, who had likely been devoured by wild animals by now.

Pushing deeper into the forest, Lyle noticed something unusual: despite his bold movements, the local wildlife was eerily quiet. No monsters or predators seemed interested in attacking him. This caught him off guard, as he had expected more resistance.

He pressed on, hacking through branches and foliage with his iron sword to clear a path forward.

Above him, the thick canopy of interwoven branches blocked out most sunlight, casting an oppressive gloom over the forest.

Suddenly, a faint sound caught his attention from the left.

Lyle halted and quickly retreated a few steps.

Whoosh!

A thin strand of white spider silk shot past his face, sticking to a nearby tree.

"Spiders?" Lyle muttered, glancing toward the source of the silk.

Hanging upside down on a branch was a spider with a grayish-brown body, purple-striped abdomen, and eight sharp, agile legs the size of a dinner plate.

The spider had just launched the silk from its mouth.

"A dangling spider?" Lyle's expression darkened as he recognized the creature.

He recalled purchasing information on forest monsters from the Adventurers' Guild, which had detailed this species. While not exceptionally powerful individually, encountering one of these spiders typically meant there were many more nearby.

Rustle! Rustle!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before Lyle could react further, rustling sounds came from all around him as more white spider silk shot toward him from multiple directions.

Dodging the incoming threads, Lyle sprinted forward.

It was clear these spiders weren't going to let him go without a fight. Riding their silken threads, the spiders glided swiftly after him, their sharp legs skittering effortlessly across the webbing.

A quick glance behind him revealed a growing swarm of spiders, filling the air with a chilling presence that made Lyle's heart skip a beat.

"This is bad..."