Charles felt his body burning, as if every muscle vibrated with energy he could barely contain.
Blue sparks danced around his hands, casting an unstable but intense light across the cave.
Despite the pain still pulsing through him from the system's upgrade, he felt incredible.
The guardian snake, with its glistening white scales and furious red eyes, hissed before him, but Charles was ready.
However, before he could act, the system's interface flickered in his vision with a message in red letters:
[Warning: Energy reserves at 10%. Recommend ending combat quickly to avoid disadvantage in the dark.]
Charles turned his head just in time to see the snake shift its focus to Nora, who was on her knees, gasping from pain and exhaustion.
The creature opened its mouth, revealing razor-sharp fangs, and lunged at her with a deafening HISS!.
"Nora!" Charles shouted, reacting on pure instinct.
