At top speed, Number 12 and I scrambled up the nearest earth-pillar, then looked down to see the ground below transformed into an ocean of toads.

It was a dense, fleshy, hopping mass that nearly made one vomit just looking at it.

Toads actually emit a faint, fishy odor, one or two you wouldn't notice, but in such great numbers, the scent turned into a suffocating stench.

Number 12 and I could no longer bear the smell, so we continued climbing the earth-pillar, hoping the air higher up would be slightly better.

It was fortunate we did so, because as we climbed, we noticed many toads were jammed between two earth-pillars about ten meters away.

Logically, the toads weren't that large, so even in great numbers, they shouldn't have been able to block a passage ten meters wide.

I guessed there must be something else mixed in among these toads.

Indeed, as I looked closely, I saw things of enormous size writhing beneath the mass of toads.

Judging by the size of its head, it was slightly wider than the ten-meter opening between the two earth-pillars.

Because its back was covered by countless toads, I couldn't make out its outline at all, nor could I tell if it was a giant toad.

However, this situation lasted less than a minute before the massive entity squeezed out from between the two pillars.

Since the passages ahead were relatively wide, this thing acted like a boulder suddenly dislodged from a pipe; once free, it shot toward us like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Seeing such overwhelming momentum, I was genuinely startled, giving up any thought of speaking and simply pointing upward, motioning for Number 12 to climb faster.

We used all four limbs, ascending another ten meters within five or six seconds.

At that moment, a muffled thud resonated from the earth-pillar beneath us, followed by the sharp sound of cracking—kaka-ka.

The impact jolted us up high, nearly knocking us off, forcing us to cling tightly to the outer wall of the pillar.

Fortunately, though the pillar showed cracks, it didn't collapse.

We steadied ourselves at the top, breaking into a cold sweat, but finally gaining a chance to look down.

What we saw then was a monstrous snake, covered in black scales, plunging its head into the earth-pillar we were on.

Its body was like a massive dragon; unable to pull its head free, it thrashed and struggled continuously. Where its tail swept, the toads were instantly pulverized into plumes of bloody mist.

In that instant, masses of toads were violently killed, and the fishy smell in the air intensified.

But because the sheer number of toads was so overwhelming, this slaughter barely made a difference.

That giant black-scaled serpent, after exerting immense effort, finally wrenched its head free from the pillar.

Then it raised its strangely triangular head and peered upward at us with blood-red eyes. As its black tongue flickered in and out, it seemed to be tasting the air for our scent.

“It seems to be coming for us; this is going to be a disaster!” Number 12 said, his face utterly pale.

As he spoke, the great serpent actually began ramming the earth-pillar again.

With the cracks on the pillar top widening, we both felt like ants on a hot griddle.

While enduring the tremors from the impact, I said to Number 12, “We have to move now, or when this pillar collapses, even if we aren't eaten by the snake, we’ll be crushed by the falling debris!”

Number 12 replied, “Okay. Then use your psychic power to launch yourself over first. Once you reach the other pillar, I’ll switch places with you, and then you pull me over.”

I glanced at the nearest pillar, about twenty meters away; I wasn't sure if I could actually make that leap.

If I failed, I would fall into the toad pile—a fate worse than death.

But the extent of the pillar’s shattering didn't allow us any more time to deliberate. The giant serpent continued to strike the pillar below us.

So, I took a deep breath, focused my psychic power to a considerable intensity, and launched myself out like a bullet.

In truth, every time I use my psychic power to propel myself, my body endures a corresponding impact force. Otherwise, given my 12-ton psychic load capacity, I could launch myself a hundred meters effortlessly.

This time, though the launch was only twenty meters, the force felt like it reached the limit of my body.

Accompanied by a sharp jolt of pain, my vision went black, and I heard only the whooshing sound of wind in my ears.

About a second later, the temporary blindness caused by the pain began to clear, and I found myself halfway through the flight.

At that moment, I faintly heard Number 12 shouting from behind me, “Watch out below!”

I instinctively looked down and saw a massive, gaping maw rushing toward me, trailing a boundless, foul wind.

I reacted instantly: as I was launching myself, the great serpent saw me fleeing and hurled its own body into the air, intending to swallow me whole.

Its body was tremendously powerful, its speed faster than an arrow loosed from a string; if things continued this way, I was surely going to be consumed!

However, at this moment, I couldn't exert any psychic power on my own body, and doom was imminent.

But just as the serpent reached less than two meters beneath my feet, my vision blurred, and I suddenly found myself back on the earth-pillar I had been clinging to.

“Number 12 switched places with me!” I exclaimed internally, looking toward the spot I had just leaped from.

Indeed, Number 12 had taken my place and was about to be swallowed by the giant serpent.

At that moment, he yelled to me, “Use your psychic power to accelerate me!”

I snapped back to reality, activated my psychic power, and pushed Number 12 forward again.

I realized that even though Number 12 and I had swapped positions, he hadn't inherited my kinetic energy. He only began moving when I pushed him.

This momentary pause, followed by an acceleration, deceived the lunging serpent.

It seemed utterly confused and actually halted its motion, drawing its body back down.

Seeing this, I finally let out a sigh of relief.

Number 12 was propelled forward by my immense force for several meters and was about to crash into the opposite earth-pillar.

While this impact wouldn't be fatal, it was highly likely to render him unconscious.

I had calculated the force based on my own weight, but Number 12 clearly weighed far less than me.

I held my breath for him.

But just as he was about to strike the opposite pillar, his body suddenly vanished from mid-air.

When I focused my gaze again, he was standing on the top of the other earth-pillar.

Only then did I see clearly that he had momentarily swapped places with a small bird flying over the top of that pillar.

The bird was already close to the pillar’s peak; by using the swap ability, he nullified the momentum of his charge, allowing him to land safely.

I started to see Number 12 in a new light; it turned out he could swap places with any living entity!

This realization suddenly made me recall the incident from Number 12’s childhood where he killed several people.

It was possible that, unaware of his ability, he encountered a life-threatening situation—perhaps falling from a building—and swapped with someone else, resulting in that person falling to their death.

Such unintentional homicide couldn't truly be called a crime, which is why Number 2 said his nature was fundamentally kind.

It was precisely these repeated brushes with danger that honed Number 12’s unique skill. Capturing a bird like that must have required countless risks—something an ordinary person wouldn't even dare attempt once.

I looked down to see the black serpent’s body disappearing back into the toad mass. The force of its descent crushed many toads flat, sending up a cloud of blood mist—the scene was undeniably spectacular.

Though the serpent’s body was obscured, I could still clearly perceive its form twisting and writhing, as if engaged in some kind of internal struggle, which looked very odd.

However, this display didn't last long. Suddenly, I saw a red fruit slowly emerging from the toad mass.

I recognized it immediately as the magical plant we had seen before.

I hadn't expected it to keep growing, and now it was enormous.

Once the fruit surfaced from the toads, the giant serpent stopped struggling, its neck stretching out from the mass, its gaze fixed intently on the fruit.

At this point, the red fruit seemed to cease growing, and the seven or eight leaves beneath it slowly withered downward until they died completely.

I knew the plant had reached its maximum growth stage and was now entering the wilting phase, which proceeded faster than its growth rate.

Once all the leaves turned yellow and dry, the plant’s stalk also began to yellow slowly.

By then, the fruit had grown to the size of a human head, and the outer red husk began to slowly turn brown, developing fissures.

Finally, the husks peeled away from the fruit, revealing the interior: crystal-clear fruit segments, resembling pearls.

The giant serpent flicked its tongue and wagged its tail, displaying clear excitement.

It opened its enormous mouth, intending to swallow the pearl-like fruit, but at that moment, countless toads leaped up, bounding toward the fruit.

The great serpent grew furious, raising its tail and sweeping it through the air, instantly turning all the leaping toads into chunks of meat and bloody foam.

Then the serpent’s body coiled slightly and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a string, swallowing the fruit whole.

The surrounding toads let out a collective lament and scattered in retreat.

The toads that had been pressing down on the serpent receded like a tide, until not a single one remained, as if they all feared the serpent that had just consumed the fruit.

Only after the toads had completely dispersed did I realize the serpent’s body was riddled with wounds; in many places, scales had been torn off, exposing white skin.

It appeared these toads had also been attacking the giant serpent privately and had wounded it severely.

If that was the case, then both sides must have been fighting to claim that fruit.