Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Became the Gallery's Only Reptile
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The ancient era was fundamentally rich in mana.
Thus, it was the established theory that all living beings from that time possessed robust vitality and strength.
However, those accustomed to abundant mana in their daily lives shied away from places where it was even denser.
This applied not just to beasts, but to people as well.
Beasts avoided such places due to their instincts, while people steered clear thanks to the sacrifices of their ancestors, who had perished from overabsorbing mana after losing their way.
Of course, there were special cases like me.
But those were extraordinarily rare, with probability approaching nearly zero percent.
Excluding outliers like myself, people who ventured into places like this generally did so for one of two reasons.
The first was when a beast that had ascended to the ranks of a divine beast came to rest.
Mana density at this level posed no great threat to a divine beast.
As I just mentioned, no one approached dense mana zones, making them ideal spots for divine beasts to rest undisturbed.
'And the second... honestly, that's the most dangerous type.'
If the first came for rest, the second consisted of those whose lives hung by a thread—truly cornered individuals gambling everything in a last desperate stand.
Yeah. Just like the guy right in front of me.
"Chit! Jjiik! Kyaaak!!"
No matter how I looked at it, this massive rat was neither a divine beast nor here to rest.
It was an uninvited guest who had barged in while I was peacefully eating and lounging.
Its body appeared at least five times larger than mine, yet its skin clung directly to its bones like a starved corpse, and it bared its teeth at me while glaring fiercely.
"Shaa."
'This one's not going to let me off easy.'
The hostility directed at me was no joke.
If the thing had even a sliver of stamina left—or if it weren't for the poison I'd scattered earlier during practice—we wouldn't be in this standoff right now.
Had either condition not been met, we'd probably be locked in a brutal fight already.
'Seriously. I was sleeping well and playing well, and now this.'
This was the first living creature I'd encountered since arriving here.
I was happy to meet a living being, sure—but when it's one treating me as an enemy, that's a different story.
Look at it. Eyes bloodshot red, glaring daggers at me.
They say even a cornered rat will bite a cat.
And this opponent was bigger than me, driven by hunger that had its eyes rolling back in desperation.
Fighting something like that was bound to cost me dearly.
I kept facing straight ahead to avoid provoking it, while subtly moving my tail to scrawl a message on the ground.
So what does it say.
Gallery lord just fight it. Time to get moving.
Too rushed writing in an emergency, so typos everywhere—but I asked for countermeasures!
This isn't the time for playful jabs and jokes.
I'm seriously desperate here.
Sss...
I moved my body slowly, bracing in case it lunged.
Physical condition: Good.
Mental condition: Good.
Even if we fought, I wouldn't go down easy.
Not even as a baby snake not yet a month old since hatching!
"Shaaah."
There's that saying about small peppers being the hottest, right?
I'll be even spicier once I grow, but even now, I'm hot enough to breathe fire.
"Kek. Jjiik. Chit."
Did it sense my burning passion and resolve?
Stagger. Thud. Thud.
Suddenly it started stumbling on its own, slamming into the walls here and there.
It looked off at a glance, but I hadn't realized it was so wrecked that even moving like that was a struggle.
'And it's still scary for real.'
But no matter how much it staggered, the size difference remained.
It still had a massive bulk over five times my own.
'Look at those eyes.'
Plus, even while bashing itself into the wall, it never took its eyes off me.
That obsessive determination made even me, who'd steeled myself, flinch for a moment.
Gulp.
"Shaa!"
'Hey! I propose we talk this out!'
...Not that I'm scared of that thing.
I just think resolving this through dialogue is better than fighting.
If I were human, talk might be impossible, but right now I'm a beast. Surely we could communicate to some extent...
"Jjiik! Chit!"
"Shaa!"
'Ugh! No clue what it's saying!'
Just as I couldn't understand it, it seemed unable to understand me either.
And whatever it made of my words, it got even more agitated and charged straight at me.
I'd wanted dialogue, but things had gone this far—no helping it.
"Shaa!!"
'Come at me, you rat bastard!!'
If we're fighting anyway, I'll go all out too!
I sprang forward like a shot, mouth wide as I met the charging giant rat head-on.
The nameless snake—called the Gallery Lord in the gallery—had resolved to fight the giant rat. Meanwhile, the gallery was already ablaze with heated debate.
This post was the spark igniting the current gallery frenzy.
You might wonder why.
Doesn't it look like just another ordinary troll post?
You're right. It was just some slacker from another dimension, jealous of the gallery's hot topic—the Gallery Lord—and posted out of envy.
Shows what academy bottom-feeder level you are. Thinks he can beat gallery lord easy?
Gallery lord haters are just brainless udon noodle slurpers. Daily growth alone is insane lmao.
No why tf are you guys fighting? Gallery lord is trash af.
Of course, plenty sided with the OP.
And they all shared one trait:
Those mocking the Gallery Lord and defending the OP were all mediocre nobodies with no notable feats in their dimensions.
Conversely, those agreeing with the Sword Saint were powerhouses firmly in the [strong] ranks of their worlds.
And every one of those elites had expressed awe and admiration for the Gallery Lord's power.
The traits of the ancient era.
Rational, intellectual judgment without losing human reason.
And finally, sheer luck with the environment.
These three factors combined to give the Gallery Lord growth speed incomparable to others.
"Kek. Jji, jjiik."
"Shaaak."
'Hurry up and die.'
Even against an opponent over five times its size.
Thud.
The fight between the Gallery Lord and the giant rat didn't last long.
He casually dodged its initial charge and sank fangs into its ankle—poison shot one.
Then, as it tried to climb up his leg to thigh, pelvis, waist, belly, back, etc.
Dodging its movements, he diligently bit repeatedly, pumping venom into its body.
Kwaduk.
A normal snake would have latched on after one bite and used its body to constrict and immobilize the foe.
But the Gallery Lord possessed intellect beyond mere instinct.
Sss...
For a safer, more perfect victory, he gladly abandoned the prideful snake fighting style.
'I can't die here.'
And so, reborn as a snake, the Gallery Lord claimed his first kill.