Oops, I'm a Monster with a Too Long Prefix!-Chapter 36: Fusing a New Bloodline

Isaac had always stressed over leveling his Legion subordinates. If he shared XP Orbs with Red Team, his own leveling would slow to a crawl. But then those three goofballs went and gained a level overnight—while he slept.

Not only that, even though they didn't earn XP Orbs directly, they still got kills, loot, and combat credit. Honestly, it was a crazy good deal.

"Well then," Isaac muttered, "guess I'll let you guys power level while I'm offline from now on."

As Red Team continued tanking mobs, Isaac opened the Reputation Shop. He'd finally killed enough Bamboo Vipers to unlock their Bloodline and skin options.

"Two thousand Reputation... Damn. No money left for the skin," he grumbled, then shrugged. "Whatever. Skins don't boost stats anyway."

But the Bloodline—now that was worth a closer look. Snakes and spiders both focused on poison damage, but the spider one had a movement speed boost. What about the viper?

Two thousand Reputation was no small investment. And Isaac still had a shopping list. He had to think carefully.

After a minute of consideration, he made his decision.

"Screw it. Money's meant to be spent. Buy the Bamboo Viper Bloodline. Fuse it!"

[New Talent acquired: Inferior/Viper Bloodline]

[Basic attacks apply poison based on max HP. For every step the poisoned target takes, poison damage increases by 10%, up to 7 steps. Effect lasts up to 60 seconds.]

Isaac blinked. The viper's poison was totally different from the spider's.

"Whoa... this is some black mamba-level stuff!"

No wonder he hadn't noticed the difference before. Red Team just stood there tanking mobs—none of the enemies had moved around enough to trigger the new effect.

He opened his Talent panel to double-check the details.

He now had three Talents:

Inferior/Hyena Bloodline (Tier 3): 19% chance for a double-damage crit on basic attacks.

Inferior/Venomspider Bloodline (Tier 3): Deals poison damage equal to 2.5% of max HP (56 + 10). Duration: 5 seconds. +19% movement speed.

Inferior/Viper Bloodline (Tier 0): Deals poison damage equal to 1% of max HP (22 + 10). Every step the target takes increases poison damage by 10%, for 7 steps. Max duration: 60 seconds.

That Tier 0 label irked him, so—compulsion kicking in—he instantly upgraded it to Tier 3.

Inferior/Viper Bloodline (Tier 3): Deals poison damage equal to 2.5% of max HP (56 + 10). Every step the target takes increases poison damage by 10%, up to 7 steps. Max duration: 60 seconds.

"Holy crap. This thing's busted."

Seven steps. Each step increasing damage by 10%. That meant the seventh tick dealt 112 damage by itself. Way more than the spider's 5-second flat poison.

And think about it: a player trying to flee from a viper? The more they run, the faster they die.

Isaac chuckled. "Venommist Forest... One in ten make it through? I believe it now. Hell, maybe not even one in a hundred."

As he admired his new Talent, a system message popped up:

[Bloodline Fusion in Progress!]

"Oh god, not this again..."

The moment the fusion started, his lower half completely disappeared.

The stubby Hyenaman legs? Gone.

In their place: a massive, coiling serpentine tail.

Isaac stared in horror at his reflection.

He now had a hulking green viper's body—complete with his eight spider legs still attached, somehow fused onto the serpent base.

"What the hell am I even supposed to be anymore...?"

For a moment, he glanced at his Red Team still fighting nearby, and had an existential crisis.

They actually looked... kind of normal compared to him.

He sighed. "Screw it. Ugly's just part of the job now."

Then another thought struck him.

"These two poison Talents... one flat, one scaling... Can they stack?"

He spotted one last Bamboo Viper still slithering around. He smacked it once.

-93 (white)

-68 (green)

-68 (green)

Two separate poison icons appeared above the viper's head.

"They can stack!"

He hit it again and ran. The viper gave chase.

-68, -68, -68... freёwebnoѵel.com

-75, -82, -88...

Isaac howled with laughter. "Yup! Spider poison burns you down over time. Viper poison punishes you for moving. This is a disgusting combo!"

It was moments like this that made him truly appreciate his build.

Grinding here was great—especially for Red Team—but he was already bored out of his mind.

He decided to let Red Team keep farming later while he logged out. For now, he wanted to keep pushing forward.

They cleared the rest of the serpents and took a quick breather.

Isaac then led the charge deeper into Venommist Forest.

Toxic spiders and Bamboo Vipers tried to ambush them, but the waves were manageable. Isaac didn't bother fighting—he just kept running.

Eventually, the claustrophobic woods opened up into a broader path. In the distance, he could see a wide, sunlit road.

"Heck yeah! We're almost out!"

They sprinted up the hillside path—until Isaac screeched to a halt.

Blocking the exit... was a towering monstrosity.

Unlike Daffino, this thing had a purple nameplate and a unique boss icon.

[Level 12 Boss: Matriarch of Venommist Forest — Wandering Maria]

She was over three meters tall. Half-woman, half-spider. A terrifying mirror of Isaac himself.

And disturbingly enough... she was kind of hot.

She paced the forest's final checkpoint, guarding the road out like a spider-queen Cerberus.

Isaac stared.

"There's a boss?! Now there's a boss?!"

He was flabbergasted. The hellish slog through this forest had already been brutal—why throw a major boss fight at the end?

"Level 12... that's not that high," he said, squinting at her.

Bosses meant guaranteed loot—or at least, better odds than Elite mobs.

Isaac's lips curled into a grin.

"Red Team... wanna see if she drops anything good?"