I Want to Get Close
The dungeon was vast. Upon closer inspection, I found emergency rations stashed in various spots here and there. Most of that "emergency food," however, was meant to nourish the chimeras. It was a powder that thickened when mixed with water, but it tasted utterly revolting. So I just pocketed a bit in the ring's subspace. It might come in handy as emergency rations someday.
There was a tiny amount of Pellelian's personal food too. Even with preservation magic on it, time had taken its toll—most of it was inedible. But I grabbed some honey, spices, and tea leaves.
The furniture that seemed like something Pellelian would use was all wooden. I collected a few chairs and smashed them up myself. Then I lit them on fire. And with that, my campfire was complete.
The key was finding a griddle for roasting meat, but there wasn't anything suitable. So I ripped out a crystal panel from the control room. Figured it might work as a hot plate. Truth be told, as a monster, I could've just swallowed it raw without issue. But doesn't this feel more civilized? Besides, these chimeras were so ugly they killed my appetite. Gotta char 'em good to make 'em palatable.
First, peel off the tough hide. Then slice open the torso. Shlurp. Once the guts are cleaned out, it looks just like a filleted fish. At this size, you could call it a bone-in steak.
Sprinkle on the salt and spices I had. The spices were dried herbs—Pellelian once said they were worth more than an equal weight in gold. The scent was like rosemary.
Lay the meat on the sizzling hot plate. Tsssizzle! The fat melted, producing an intoxicating sound.
Would've been perfect with some butter. Grilling like this takes me back.
To the days after I escaped Medusa Mom's nest and crash-landed in the Akham Basin.
'Well, compared to back then, I've come a long way.'
The first time I grilled meat after being born a snake... Probably right after escaping Pellelian's first dungeon. To avoid smoke drawing attention, I dug a pit, buried hot coals and stones inside, and covered it up—went to all sorts of lengths. Ate it plain, no salt, and it was delicious. Can't recall what meat it was, but it melted in my mouth.
By those standards, this is pure luxury. Seasoned steak, at least. Chimera ingredients notwithstanding.
I remembered seeing on YouTube once: big cuts like this need resting to cook evenly inside. So I seared both sides golden-brown, then set the meat aside. While waiting, I'd practice Roll.
That was the plan. But—
-Wait a sec.
Pellelian was about to give another order.
-Twist the command pin, then two clicks right, three down.
Without voice recognition, manipulating the magic engine was no easy task. Like entering a complex code, I carefully operated the control room machinery... and the magic spirit responded.
No logs recorded.
Then Pellelian flew into a rage.
-Argh!
'What was that for?'
-Just checking if the main body left any logs. None?...
Even Pellelian had his moments of reflection. For someone who'd feared death enough to transfer his soul into a chimera—the epitome of arrogance and pride—that must've been a shock. But wallowing was for amateurs. A top-tier villain digs for the truth.
And Pellelian was indeed a first-rate villain.
-No more chimeras; the tanks were all empty. This was clearly an unfinished experiment.
'Yeah, the last chimera was definitely...'
Not wrong. Though maybe wishful thinking on his part.
-And I overlooked something crucial.
'Like what?'
-So did I ultimately die? Where's the corpse?
From what Pellelian remembered, he'd planned to return here upon death. Forced teleport if critically wounded. Or come on his own if terminally ill or poisoned. Either way, if he'd died here, the body should be around.
'The ruins said you got killed by humans.'
-Unreliable records.
'Maybe you died before teleporting here.'
-Hmm...
Pellelian groaned. No scenario was impossible—which only muddied the waters more.
But one thing needed clarifying.
-In the Palamu Rainforest magic stone vault, when we sent that signal. Pellelian realized it was aimed at Delphram.
-The data definitely went to Delphram. Dungeon intel routes to the main body—here. So he assumed his body was dead.
'But no corpse.'
No sign of Pellelian's dead body.
'Where'd the signal really go? Brain chip or something?'
-The receiver I carried.
'Might be hidden somewhere here.'
No receiver in sight.
-Maybe a secret compartment. Not on the control map? Possible. His memories of this dungeon seem wiped.
'Ah!'
-What? An idea?
'Nah, the meat's getting cold.'
Pellelian's face twisted. But gotta eat to live.
The chimera steak on the hot plate looked perfectly done. Sliced it with my dagger—gorgeous pink cross-section.
"Saaak!" (Bon appétit.)
No need to cut it human-style or gulp it whole like a normal snake. Crunch.Crystal Crown Python bites just fine.
The perfect medium-rare chimera steak was tender and juicy. Mmm. No dressing it up—this wasn't great. Like super-tough beef >>>> rotten chimera kimbap > mosquito rat skewers >>>> gray hagfish. Something like that.
But I'm a good snake who doesn't fuss with food, so I polished off the steak. Bitter medicine's good for you, right? Good for health?
Twitch twitch.Isil looked jealous. Currently in her flowerpot liver. She usually clings to me, but rests in the pot when idle—like her personal room. Uses it for meals too.
'Got it, here's some for you.'
I shredded steak bits onto her pot. Any gardener would smack me for this snake nonsense. But it worked for Isil. The chunks sank slowly into the soil. Shredded and cooked, easy absorption, huh. Carnivorous plant!
Chowing down and pondering with Pellelian delayed my discovery a bit.
"Saak!"
Startled looking at the minimap—no, crystal plate. Two life signals clumping and separating repeatedly. What were they up to?
Top theories: 1) Two chimeras playing tug-of-war with a Pocky stick. 2) Fighting.
No Pocky here, so fighting it is. Can't let one steal EXP from the other.
'Let's go, Isil!'
Perfect teamwork now. Isil shot out of the pot and latched on.
'Good meal down—time for post-dinner exercise.'
Dungeon layout was clear now. They were in a jar-shaped room. Hurrying through passages, I heard thudding ahead.
I didn't charge yelling "Gotcha!" First, gotta see who.
What if it was that ballerina chimera? Need to gauge strength...
"Chwiik, chwiiruk."
"Mutoo-toot!"
These chimeras had such unique cries. No ballerina. Instead—
Dullahan—famous undead monster. In old games like that ancient DaX Mage fad, second only to death knights. Headless warrior or knight, clutching its head under its arm as it charges. Guaranteed to freak humans out.
This chimera? Kinda different. No head on the neck, true—but it sprouted from the side. Limbs looked decent otherwise.
"Mutoo-toot!" Face vaguely human, but no brain with those yells.
The one-leg was already bloodied. Probably pummeled barehanded by the dullahan.
'Hmm.'
Judging their scuffle: manageable foes. One-leg speedy, dullahan tanky. Isil recovered some—try Hellfire?
'Hold up, their skin looks different.'
Chimeras' skin was usually slick and moist. Now dry and tough.
-They'd have resistances. Key to my original chimera design.
I focused to check status.
…Slash Resistance lv10, Heat Resistance lv15, Lightning Resistance lv10…
No way. Solid resistances. Skin drying boosted them? Hellfire might still work, but I changed plans. Can't rely solely on Isil'sHellfire.
"Saaaaak!"
I roared imposingly, exuding full majesty.
'Stop fighting, you're both my prey—get along.'
They froze, staring in shock. I braced for a pincer attack. But no way...
"Chwiik, chwiiruk."
"Mutoo-toot!"
Ignored me like dogs and kept going. Guess my form wasn't intimidating. Fine, time to show 'em.
Hunt both at once.
Giantification lv2
Grew big enough to take both.
Black Scale lv3
Reinforced scales against claws. Now they stopped fighting, eyeing me warily.
"Shiriit—"
Scared now? Too late, punks.
* * *
Meanwhile, the sole surviving human trapped in this dungeon—Zanil Peze—watched the snake via the crystal map, wondering where he'd gone.
A white dot moving frantically on the map? Had to be him. And it was.
Zanil scurried like mad. No choice.
Veteran ranger extraordinaire, but no lone hero busting out with raw power. Chimeras burst from tanks—grotesque horde. When the potbelly killed the doctor, terror hit hard. Eight more at similar strength.
But the snake—and its plant—spewed horrific flames. Nearly pissed himself. Threw a net at that? Lucky to be alive.
Fled for dear life. But all doors sealed? Unbelievable.
"Hoo, hoo."
Should've never taken this mission. No—refusal forbidden. Purple imperial seal on the orders.
Zanil's top-secret task: test imperial drugs in action. Methods specified.
First: "Monster Repellent"—aged but effective. Foul stench repels beasts. Worked great even here.
Key second: "Monster Agitant." Straight-up rage-inducer. Not for breeding—makes 'em more savage, cruel. Dose and duration tweak potency.
Zanil used it on wyverns. Orders targeted old Chugota, whose madness had faded with age. Coated wyvern bait, fed to her. Month later: Chugota's flock invaded rivals. Another month: mountain-wide war frenzy.
Huge success. Empire weaponizing monster hordes? Just a tool, Zanil wouldn't know.
'Gotta survive to complete this.'
He hid frantically. Still alive.
Then that "Saaak!"—snake cry. Followed stealthily, peeked.
"Chwiik..."
"Mutu, mutoo..."
The jet-black snake soloed two chimeras before his eyes. Ruthless. Black reaper.
Zanil gulped. Instinct screamed.
'Get close to that snake.'
Only way out alive.