Reborn into Hell: Right After Stat Allocation
Right after distributing the stats from that hellish domestic violence family, my vision filled with blinding white light. Nothing was visible, no sounds reached me, and this went on for what felt like ages. Then, amid the void, a voice rang out.
Mental Strength: 20. Acquired unique trait Unbreakable Will as a bonus.
Potential: 20. Acquired unique trait Diligence as a bonus.
I cheered inwardly. Just hearing it, it sounded extraordinary, didn't it? From the moment they told me to distribute stats, I'd suspected I was reincarnating into a world with a status window.
I had no idea what effects traits like Unbreakable Will or Diligence had, but with "unique trait" mentioned, they had to be something special. What happened next? Like in web novels, would I be born as a baby? Maybe I'd retain my reason and memories, growing up hailed as a genius from childhood.
How long did those worries and fantasies last? Suddenly, my body began to form. Was this my mother's womb? It felt warm. Time passed, and the moment of birth arrived. Pain hit, and light pierced my immature eyes. I was thrust into the world. Born.
As planned, I tried to cry out a hearty "Waaah!"—
"Saaak!"
That was all that came out of my mouth.
My vision cleared slowly. The first thing I saw wasn't my mother's warm smile. No, it was a woman's face, but not human. No person had such a massive body or sleek scales.
Thousands of eggs surrounded me. Hatchlings were emerging in real time. Slimy real snakes slithered out from the eggs along with mucus. My body trembled.
Wait, did "Origin" not just mean social status or lineage? Did it include species too? Average human was 10, right? So 1 was snake, 20 dragon? ...Something like that?
In the dim cave, countless hatchlings and that monstrous mother lurked. I looked up at her. That monster was my mom?
Staring intently, that name floated above the snake's head. The mother watched quietly as her offspring hatched. Most had broken free from their shells.
A purple tongue flicked from her lips. Shiri-ri-rit— like wind whistling through a narrow gap. The moment I heard it, my whole body stiffened. Like legs weakening before a predator—though as a snake, I had no legs...
Sure enough, all my wriggling siblings froze like insects. Some trembled in terror, shitting themselves. And me, gripped by soul-crushing fear...
Exposed to Serpent's Presence. Protected by trait Unbreakable Will.
...I didn't shit myself. Terrifying enough to piss myself, body shaking, but not quite madness. An ordinary everyman reincarnated as a snake, son—or daughter?—of that humanoid monster. A truly insane situation.
Yet somehow, I stayed calm. "The power of Mental Strength 20, huh." No other explanation. Good choice indeed... Though honestly, allocating Origin only up to 1 was the real smart move.
Tsk tsk! Then the mother made a weird noise. Calling her "mother" felt off, and "mom" was out of the question, so I dubbed her Medusa Mom right then.
My siblings suddenly crawled toward Medusa Mom. As if their earlier terror was a lie. The hatchlings climbed her massive body, settling into her scalp. Somehow, their bodies locked in place there.
I hesitated, then followed. Staying put felt like a bad idea. Good call—her scalp was riddled with creepy grooves. Slipping my tail in fixed me firmly. Thus, thousands of siblings became her living wig. Rippling like they were alive—well, they were. Hair as glossy as a shampoo ad. Satisfied, she tossed her head high, scanning the stiff stragglers.
Terror-struck kids ignoring orders. Mom brought out the rod of love. I.e., swung her tail. Pow-pow-pow-bam! Hundreds turned to blood and chunks in an instant. Medusa Mom was strict on discipline. My fate under such a mother? All thanks to Origin 1.
Was I mad, or normal? I couldn't tell. I dangled on her head, swaying. Probably not even a week since birth. Who'd have thought that armored guy called Gunter would lop off Medusa Mom's head?
The monstrous mother died. Just like I'd feared at stat allocation—orphaned, parentless. Origin 1's blessing again, I guess.
* * *
Whoa. I crawled for dear life. Covered in Medusa Mom's blood. How I'd escaped was a blur. Inside the cave, I turned to look back.
The monstrous knight was gone, but villagers still guarded the entrance.
"Light several fires. Might be escapees."
"I'll report to the castle."
The villagers, trembling moments ago, now seemed excited. First humans I'd met since birth. Somehow, I understood their language. I wanted to crawl over, talk. Hey, I'm not really a snake, I'm human... Save me, please, despite this body. But my sounds were just "Saaak!" or "Shirit-shirit," so impossible.
"Wipe 'em all out."
"Kill 'em while immature. Dangerous if they grow."
They meant to slaughter me and my siblings. No other exits from this cave, as far as I knew... Big trouble. Anyway, escaping alone seemed impossible. Needed a better grasp of my situation.
Hiding behind a rock, I closed my eyes. Squeezing them shut, focusing...
Yes! I wasn't Medusa Serpent lv1. Different species from Mom entirely. Made sense—none of my siblings had human faces or petrifying gaze. Inference: level up someday, maybe evolve. Or snakes shed skin, so something changes that way.
Not just species info.
├─ Unbreakable Will
└─ Diligence
├─ Fangs lv1
└─ Fast Crawl lv1 (NEW!)
My assets. Unbreakable Will tied to Mental Strength. Diligence? Hard to grasp. Practical ones: Fast Crawl, Fangs. No Stealth skill, but cave-born perk—perfect night vision. Without it, I'd be dead.
Fangs suggested venomous snake. But potency? Unknown. Not helpful for survival yet. New one: Fast Crawl, from desperate escape crawl. Lame name, but key.
'Fast Crawl!' No activation yelling. 'Like this...?' Desperate crawl test. Sluuurp. Body moved... A bit faster? Not dramatically. Medusa Mom freed us during cave rests; I'd crawled plenty, no skill then. Why now? Desperate max effort?
Only hunch. Poured everything in. Sluuurp, sluuurp. Sluuurp, sluuurp, sluuurp. Cold-blooded, no sweat, but crawled till death. Change hit.
Due to extraordinary potential, skill proficiency rises rapidly.
Fast Crawl lv1 → Fast Crawl lv2
Fast Crawl hit lv2. Felt noticeably quicker. Still way slower than human running. Train to lv10 like this, maybe survive? Nah, couldn't. Max effort left me exhausted. A week old—crawling was genius level. Potential 20 for the win.
├─ Hunger
└─ Exhausted
Damn, starving. Medusa Mom regurgitated half-digested kills for us. Disgusting mush, but my iron will chowed down daily. Growth spurt time. Now, full day fasted—no energy. Waiting worsened hunger.
Head deeper, to siblings. With thousands, survival odds up. Only child before; now tons of sturdy sibs.
Naive hope shattered fast. Deep cave: siblings entwined. Not hugging for comfort. Shockingly, cannibalizing. No Medusa Mom control—pure instinct. Pathetic idiots!
Snakes gulp prey whole. But our teeth? Shark-like, jagged for tearing. Ripping each other.
Plan change: Wait till they sate hunger. Turning to hide in crevice—
"Shirit."
Bigger snake blocked me, tongue flicking. Uh, bro, move? Flicked mine; no dice. Focused eyes on bully bro.
Made sense—lone white body stood out. Bro two levels higher. Snuck bugs or bats? Nah, blood on mouth: fresh sibling snack. His traits/skills?
├─ Ferocity
├─ Fangs lv2
├─ Fast Crawl lv2
└─ Bite lv1
Better skills than mine. Potential 20 too? No reply—instead, "Saaak!" He lunged.