The large Chameleon was eerily difficult to spot; it practically blended in perfectly with the large tree it perched on.

  Sun Yuying only caught sight of it because it was springing attacks at her.

  In a blur of movement faster than her eye could track, the large Chameleon tongue smacked her painfully continuously.

  The Black Snake felt relieved that it had acquired the Tough Skin trait from the Monitor Lizard, yet was curious about the Chameleon hunting strategy.

  Sun Yuying found it almost impossible to catch up to it, as it was very high up in the large tree. When the Black Snake attempted to pull herself up to retaliate against it, the large Chameleon would smack her with astonishing velocity with its tongue, preventing her from reaching it.

  The smacks of its tongue are more an annoyance than damage inflicting, yet it seems very troublesome to hunt since it attacks from range, and she found it difficult to close the distance.

  I will reach you eventually.

  Sun Yuying remained confident until she began to feel numb, and her strength was fading.

  Is that thing venomous?

  Suddenly, the large Chameleon that eyed her predatorily appeared far more cunning. The Black Snake realised its tongue delivered a slow-acting paralytic venom.

  So that is how it hunts?

  Safety perched high up in a tree until its prey collapses helplessly from the effect of its venom.

  Sun Yuying grew desperate as she felt herself weakening and knew she had to consume the greedy Chameleon quickly, for she knew it would not let her retreat to safety.

  At that time, she rapidly thought of a way to get the Chameleon close enough for her to deliver her own strike of venom.

  The large Chameleon was frustratingly hard to get near, and she was running out of options.

  After some thought, the Black Snake theorised.

  What if I play dead?

  She felt it was worth an attempt. The Chameleon likely assumed she would have become its victim by now. Her Toughened Skin partially dampened the initial effects, slowing them.

  Sun Yuying felt strange, lying still and feigning weakness from its venom.

  At first, she felt frustrated, and she ignored it as it continued to whip her violently with its tongue to make sure she was dealt with.

  It took all her willpower to remain still.

  The large Chameleon was exceedingly cautious; it waited a long time, to the point where Sun Yuying grew worried she had made a mistake and felt weaker from the venom by the second.

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  Should I have just gone for it? Or tried to flee, search for an alternative way out? Have I doomed myself?

  The Black Snake felt muddled, her mind usually dominated by her instincts, yet she felt both greed and pride at not fleeing from the Chameleon, winning her over.

  She wanted to hunt the large Chameleon for daring to see her as prey.

  Fortunately, she found her patience rewarded as the large Chameleon finally became confident enough to begin its descent from the tree.

  Once the large Chameleon reached the forest floor, she was able to see how large it actually was.

  Sun Yuying thought it must have been almost 9 feet long, and as its body rapidly changed colour to match the surroundings, she saw its mouth open, revealing razor-sharp teeth as it hungrily eyed her.

  A large carnivorous Chameleon?

  Now that was something, though she supposed even she was freaky. Sun Yuying was a Snake capable of consuming far beyond her size, which should have allowed, yet the rules and norms of this World differed from the memories she had on Earth.

  The Chameleon continued to approach her as its large bulbous eyes regarded her.

  It seemed overly assured as it opened its mouth wide to take a bite out of her, yet at that moment, she swiftly coiled and struck so fast the Chameleon barely blinked as she sank her fangs into its flesh and injected a hefty dose of venom.

  Now on the ground, the Chameleon was not as strong despite its large size; its tongue moved lightning fast, yet it was not a particularly fast creature, and Sun Yuying found its resistance weaker than she expected after she injected her venom.

  She still did not dare to underestimate it, as it had sharp claws that it dug into her flesh in anger, and the Chameleon tried to drag her head near its mouth to try and chomp on her head.

  Sun Yuying protected her vitals and knew the large Chameleon was weakening, so, knowing she had to hold out, she realised her venom was far more potent, and soon enough the Chameleon began to make a loud hissing sound as its chest puffed and its mouth gaped open.

  The Black Snake knew it was trying to scare her off, and the Chameleon began to grow fearful for its survival. Sun Yuying unleashed another dose of venom as she felt it slacken even further.

  Eventually, the large Chameleon finally stopped its resistance and fell. At this point, Sun Yuying felt not far behind the Chameleon; she was severely poisoned and knew she needed a source of a large amount of Spiritual Energy.

  Eyeing the large Chameleon, she knew it was her only option, and as her mouth opened impossibly wide for her size, she slowly swallowed every bit of the Chameleon.

  The Black Snake never questioned the illogical manner in which she could consume large prey; after all, she was more revelling just how tasty the Chameleon was.

  You have consumed Death Chameleon, gaining +12 Spiritual Energy.

  Death Chameleon? What sort of species is that?

  Yet, after she had recalled the Chameleon's appearance before she consumed it, she realised it was a fitting name for the monstrosity. With rows of razor-sharp teeth and bulbous, dark red eyes, it was a horrifying visage.

  Suddenly, she was disturbed by another notification.

  Compatible trait detected. Current progress: 1/5 in assimilating the trait Adaptive Camouflage from Death Chameleon.

  Another compatible trait?

  Despite the horrifying experience in fighting the Chameleon, she knew she felt a great desire to acquire such a helpful trait.

  At that point, her tongue flicked, and she detected something valuable nearby, something with a strong scent.

  She had already begun slithering towards it; she was close to maxing out her Spiritual Energy limit and eager to see what would happen.

  The paralytic Death Chameleon venom has receded since she consumed it, and she feels strong enough to continue her search for more sources of Spiritual Energy.

  Let us continue moving.