Nom, nom, nom. Crunch crunch crunch. Ah, it tastes awful.
Even if I've become a good little snake who eats anything and everything, that doesn't mean I have no sense of taste. And cockatrices really are on the nasty side.
[Cockatrice Carcass]
Of course it's a carcass. As I relaxed my eyes, the floating window vanished. It was the power of the centipede's inner core. Things I couldn't see before were now visible. Spirits really are something else.
I diligently devoured the cockatrice. As always, my body had become fuel-inefficient. If I compared it to a car, it was like a Ferrari or Lamborghini, guzzling gas like crazy. The more I moved vigorously or spammed skills, the quicker my stomach started rumbling.
Come to think of it, back in my old life, I suffered from acid reflux every day. This was better than indigestion, at least.
The cockatrice's muscles were tough as steel tendons. Ow, one of my teeth just broke. It had happened before, but the good news was that new teeth grew every time one fell out. Just like a shark. Sharks regrow teeth endlessly when they break, right? No worries—time to chow down!
⚡ STATUS UPDATE ⚡Poisoned. Poison Resistance proficiency has increased.
Erk. How is this thing poisonous even in its meat? It's not a pufferfish or anything. My stomach started to ache faintly. But no need to worry. It wasn't a bite or a claw scratch.
⚡ LEVEL UP ⚡Poison Resistance lv3 → lv4
My poison resistance went up. A little toxin soaked into the flesh? Piece of cake for me, the ultimate venomous serpent. As I stuffed myself diligently, I finally burrowed all the way to the vicinity of its heart. I cautiously worked my jaws. Chew chew chew—and my mouth ended up stained bright red around the edges, like a kid who just scarfed down tomato pasta.
And at last, I found it. Crunch. There was something like a gallstone. Just like when I'd found the magic stone in the hybrid jaguar's heart. Back then, I hesitated, wondering if it was some kind of kidney stone or whatever, but now? I welcomed it with open arms.
I bit down on the magic stone and pulled out. I wiped the blood from my face with my tail, then focused my eyes.
🗡 Cockatrice Magic Stone 🗡Grade 2
Magic stone confirmed! The only downside was the grade. The one from before was grade 3, and this was grade 2. Guess the hybrid jaguar was stronger than the cockatrice after all. Even now, beating that thing from the inside was pure luck.
Well then, bon appétit. Magic stone for dessert? Luxury itself. I gulped it down. It even felt kinda sweet, like candy.
⚡ INGESTED ⚡Grade 2 Magic Stone
When I ate the hybrid jaguar's grade 3 stone, nothing much happened, surprisingly. I figured it'd be the same this time.
⚡ DEMONIC ESSENCE ABSORBED ⚡A faint demonic essence infuses your body.
Your rank rises faintly.
Your body grows tougher, and your mana becomes more abundant.
Oho, what's this! An unfamiliar sensation spread through my whole body. Different from the pleasant warmth of leveling up. Like downing strong liquor or popping a mint— a spicy burn radiated from my gut.
This demonic essence that settled in me. And the mana that felt fuller. Definitely, the amount I consumed using skills like Borrowing Horn had increased.
I'd grown. Hunting the cockatrice had brought its due rewards. Time to check my status window.
⚡ STATUS WINDOW ⚡[White Hybrid Snake lv5]
[Traits]
Unbreakable Will, Diligence, Horn
[Skills]
Borrowing Horn lv2: Mana Detection lv1
Fangs lv4, Breath Holding lv4, Predation lv3, Bite lv4, Poison Resistance lv4,
Bleeding Resistance lv2, Pain Resistance lv4, Heat Resistance lv2, Survival Instinct lv4,
Leap lv2, Stealth lv2
…
Yep, I've got a ton of skills. Even more than the cockatrice, which was definitely way stronger than me. Must be the effect of Potential 20. Come to think of it, how amazing was my bro with even better skills (Little Green Snake lv3, died from a fall)? If he'd survived, he might've grown into a serpent surpassing Mom someday.
But no—it's not the strong who survive; it's the survivors who are strong. I read on in the status window.
⚡ STATUS WINDOW ⚡※ Evolution possible: Quick Squirm lv10
[Status]Mana Saturation, Pride
Something changed! Evolution possible?! Quick Squirm had somehow hit lv10. First skill to reach it. My heart raced. Would Quick Squirm transform like how I became a dignified horned snake?
No reason to hesitate. Quick Squirm was my most-used skill. Evolve!
In my mind, majestic Digimon evolution BGM blared.
⚡ SKILL EVOLUTION ⚡Consuming demonic essence to evolve skill.
Not free, huh. Urk, strength draining. Dizziness hit like after spamming Borrowing Horn repeatedly. Stomach full, but insides felt empty. Gut feeling: without the cockatrice magic stone, I couldn't have evolved it.
⚡ SKILL EVOLUTION COMPLETE ⚡Quick Squirm lv10 evolves into superior skill.
⚡ NEW SKILL ACQUIRED ⚡Quick Squirm lv10 → Acceleration lv1
Eh? Uh, huh? I pondered for a moment. The result was a bit subtle. Acceleration was the skill the Galloper Hawk had. But Quick Squirm was already pretty fast now—what would Acceleration bring?
After some thought, I decided to test it. Coiled my body. Tense every muscle and leap! Using Leap, fully mastered from Borrowing Horn. And now, Acceleration.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Acceleration lv1
Whoosh—my face felt cool. I sliced through the wind. It was a mana-consuming skill like Borrowing Horn. Shot like an arrow, landed perfectly. No doubt now. Jackpot!
Acceleration was a clear upgrade over Quick Squirm. My usual stealth-leap hunting combo was useless if spotted—the target just dodged. But leap with Acceleration? Too fast to react to, even if seen. And the applications seemed endless beyond just leaping.
I imagined taking a cockatrice attack. If it pecked with its massive beak—whoosh, like this, ha! Dodge sideways. Huff huff. Evasive maneuvers alone made it amazing. If other skills could evolve like this...
Want to test more, but mana was critically low now. Caught my breath and looked at the now-shattered centipede hubby. All thanks to the new groom. Without his inner core, hunting the cockatrice would've been tough.
I gathered the centipede hubby's fragments with my tail. Sprinkled dirt on top. Nice grave, right? Hmm, too plain without decoration. No stele, so I looked around. Grabbed a random golden crown rolling nearby and placed it atop the grave.
...What the heck is this?! Only now did I notice the junk scattered everywhere. This crazy monster. The cockatrice had a trait called [Treasure Maniac]. Wondered what that meant—turns out it hoarded trash around here.
Rotten branches, mystery shells. But also gold coins and gems. Even rusted armor and weapons. Some ancient warrior must've come geared up and died.
I'm rich! ...Nah, all useless to me. What am I gonna do with gold coins? No MapleStory to chuck mesos around. If I had an inventory, I could've stored valuables for later. Who knows, maybe there's a vending machine that takes coins in this world.
I shelved the nonsense and scanned around. The centipede inner core let me see the unseen. Since entering, one thing bugged me most. That stone door.
[Dungeon: Fairy Archmage Pellelian's Temporary Residence]
Right, this was a dungeon. Where there are monsters, there's adventure—and dungeons. And a fairy archmage? Elves exist in this world too? Traps everywhere—either hiding treasure or the mage was sadistic. Or both?
Backing out clueless? Loser move. Storming in demanding loot? Alpha male. I'm beta, so I inspected the stone door closely.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡Mana Detection lv1
Good thing I borrowed this from the dead cockatrice. Red glows showed spots not to touch. Not danger warnings exactly—clusters of mana. Traps or door mechanisms?
...Thinking back, that was risky earlier. Suspicious ceiling hole—thought trap, but if it'd been a doorbell, ding-dong and chomp.
Scanned thoroughly—no obvious traps. Mana low, released skill. Can't open it? Right then—
Complex carvings atop the stone door. Words. I could understand human speech before, but apparently I could read too.
— Ancient Inscription —[Fairies who can read this, knock on the door seven times.]
I'm a snake, not a fairy. Wait, the mage called it fairy language? ...Maybe? I could read and understand, but human or fairy script? No clue. Worth a shot. Knock.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.
Grrrrrind. Automatic door, huh. It opened. Stone door thicker than a fist. Even with a gun, busting it would've been impossible. Temporary residence, my tail—why so fortified? What treasure's hidden here!
Slipped inside cautiously. Eugh, dust smell. Abandoned for ages—centuries, by my guess. Earthquake maybe? Statues in the hall were shattered.
Climbed over a statue head. Up close, long pointy ears—fairies are elves, confirmed. Elves don't age, all handsome beauties, right? Heart pounding.
Crawled on, body caked in dust. Used mana detection to check surroundings. Worried about traps—nope, clear all the way.
This dark? Without night vision like mine, impossible. Hall led to a big room. Crystal orb in the center. Looked expensive. Approached—and it lit up.
Oh, mana surging. Light from the orb formed a human—no, fairy shape.
✧ ✦ ✧PROJECTIONStranger, welcome.
✧ ✦ ✧Not a great voice. Figured—an elderly man, deeply aged. Thought elves stayed young, but this geezer looked wrecked. Grumpy face, not handsome. Wouldn't peg him as elf without the ears.
-This is the laboratory of I, Great Archmage Pellelian. You must have suffered to arrive.
Voice kindly, despite looks. Can't judge by appearance.
-One who opens the door must be an outstanding, pure member of our kin.
At those words—
"If you're not some filthy inferior race but a pure-blooded fairy, you'll know Ancient Fairy Tongue. Bow your head at once—now!"
⟨ Hostile Shift ⟩
Uncle, what the—? Guess I understand multiple languages. No need to bow—I was already on the floor. Then a spear flew from somewhere, piercing over my head.
Whoosh—boom!
This old man loves traps. Spear-launchers especially. The fairy elder dropped the kind smile.
-Glory to the World Tree. Welcome, kin.
Racist elf, confirmed.
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Read 193 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
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