A snake it is—Episode 113
A snake it is—Episode 113 (113/307)
Episode 113
I decided on the snake's name.
Her name is Rue.
It went through changes like serpent of good and evil—Satan—Lucifer—Luciel—Rue.
Since I didn't know her gender yet, I picked a name that could work for either male or female.
I think it's a pretty good name, and I'm satisfied with it.
"This child... she's a girl."
"...You can even tell that?"
"Hehe. I've already been raising two girls, so this is a breeze."
After hearing Snow's explanation, it seems she's definitely female.
'Lucy' might have been better than 'Rue'?
No, I've already named her, so no take-backs.
Rue seems pretty satisfied with her name too.
G-rank. Just your basic bottom-of-the-food-chain monster that only knows how to survive, but Rue already has some intelligence.
At the very least, she can clearly judge feelings of fondness or goodwill toward her.
She's getting along great with Suli and To Soon-i, who approach her so affectionately.
At first, she seemed a bit wary of the two, who were bigger than me, but once she got used to them, she was playing without a care.
A little snake, a fox, and a rabbit.
The combo was pretty unbalanced, but since they all had cute looks, it had its own harmony.
Honestly, they were adorable.
Is it because she's the same species? Or some distant relative of mine?
Or maybe just because she's the first snake-type monster I've met in the labyrinth since my rebirth?
I felt a strong sense of closeness to Rue.
Of course, it wasn't on the level of what I feel for Suli or Snow, but even so, I was aware that my emotions toward this stranger were unusually strong.
There were probably multiple complex reasons, but personally, I think the biggest one is those bright yellow eyes that remind me of the Queen.
Above all, the place where I met her wasn't far from where I last saw the Queen—that has to be a big factor.
I couldn't help but feel some strange connection.
As I said before, Rue is unusually smart for a G-rank monster.
She can clearly distinguish goodwill from hostility toward her, and she definitely understands our words.
Her rank is too low for thought communication, but she's several times sharper than nearby monsters.
So I decided to teach her once.
The way of the snake hunt.
Impossible in human form, so I returned to my main body.
Rue seemed pretty startled by my monstrous size that could level the surrounding forest.
She let out a huge 'Shaaah───!!!' louder than ever, but Snow soothed her just right, so no issues.
Suli came bounding over happily to my long-awaited main body.
She wants to play slide, I bet.
I get it, but hold off a bit— this is Rue's lesson time.
I'll let you ride all you want later.
"Concong!" Suli whined in complaint, but Snow handled it smoothly.
"You're a big sister now, so you need to learn to yield, right?"
"Big sister...? Suli's a big sister?"
"That's right. Let's yield Daddy to Rue this time, for her sake. You have to be a good big sister, okay?"
"Yeah! Suli will be a good big sis!"
Mothers are truly great.
Wait, Suli's the big sister?
She's definitely older than Rue, sure...
Watching Suli so determined to look after Rue made it all feel right.
With that in mind, as a fellow snake, I began Rue's hunting training.
The problem? My size is way too big.
Size difference with Rue aside, there weren't any monsters the right size to hunt.
I used the Sokchwi's Art that Snow taught me before.
Size from back when I was active in the Forest Zone—body length just under 10 meters.
The kids' reactions to my sudden shrink were explosive.
Suli's was the most enthusiastic, as always.
She charged straight at me in an instant, and given her size, it felt a bit threatening.
I could really feel how steadily she'd been training under Snow.
She's definitely grown.
No real pain, but it was a solid body slam.
Her big-sister vow rang a bit hollow as she went wild for a moment, but she calmed down soon enough.
Snow looked so reliable holding her back again.
Anyway, hunting lesson time.
The most important thing in snake hunting is Stealth.
Get within striking distance without the enemy noticing.
Once you're in range undetected, bide your time stealthily.
Don't charge rashly.
Be cautious, watch for the perfect opening until the end.
When the chance comes, use every muscle in your body to lunge.
Hesitate not—wrap them up in one go.
When constricting, use your whole body to squeeze tight.
No room for even a twitch—crush firm.
Hold until their breath stops.
That's it.
A Lesser Wolf passing by cooperated nicely for the lesson.
A little gratitude to the helpful Lesser Wolf.
After class, it naturally became mini-sized me's meal.
So, how was it?
Super easy, right?
Doesn't look easy at all.
Even the basics of hunting—Stealth—didn't work.
If she can't even stealth properly, how has she survived this long?
Guess I need to drill the fundamentals first before actual hunting.
At this rate, she probably can't even do basic snake attacks like Constrict right.
How the hell has she survived until now?
Snow scolded me for discouraging her.
Of course she can't—no one's taught her till now.
No, I learned alone...
That makes me the weird one, apparently.
Usually, if they don't learn hunting from their mother, they can't do it right.
And solo hunting fails most of the time after.
I'm just special.
It's true, but it didn't sit right for some reason.
Felt like I was being treated like a freak.
Well, I am a monster...
But it's a different feeling.
Suli and To Soon-i showered me with comfort.
Thanks, girls.
After that, Snow took over Rue's training.
I worried about species differences, but she says no issue—even Snow can stealth, and she's better at it than me, so she'll be a great teacher.
Plus, slow mana training too...
Feels like she stole my job, kinda weird.
Oh, Suli. Wanna ride the slide?
Wait just a sec.
I'll go back to full size right away...
After that, I became an amusement ride and played heaps with Suli and To Soon-i.
Child-rearing is best left to Mom over Dad, I guess.
...Or not?
Anyway, we leisurely explored the Forest Zone like this.
Going full-size for ride time caused a stir among hunters, but irrelevant to us.
Later I heard I became one of the Forest Zone's mysteries: the occasional massive mystery snake.
Still irrelevant.
Taking it easy like that, we reached the 18th floor before we knew it.
No different from other Forest Zone spots, but it's my hometown, I guess?
Can't help feeling different from other floors.
But aren't there more wolves than last time?
Dozens of Silent Wolves greeted us right after the gate.
"Hoo... A welcome from your hometown after all? You're pretty popular, huh?"
"...Wrong."
I firmly corrected Snow's misunderstanding.
The wolves' aura wasn't welcoming at all.
"Hehe. I knew that much. Just teasing... But they're so different from those burly ones on my turf. These cute little things like To Soon-i all gathered up... Adorable."
Snow recalled the wolves from the Snow Mountain Zone.
Snow Mountain wolves are B-rank, while Forest Zone ones are basic E-rank.
From an SS-rank like Snow, calling them cute was fair game.
"Grrr..."
The wolves naturally eyed us warily.
Growling threats, slowly encircling us—it screamed imminent attack.
Me and Snow were suppressing our auras to avoid trouble, so we probably looked like ordinary folk.
Plus, the kids like Suli were low-rank too, so easy to underestimate.
For me, with old memories, it was kinda funny, but Rue hanging on my arm felt differently.
"Shii─!!! Shiiiii───!!!"
Her urgent cries clearly showed tension at the danger right in front of her.
I gently stroked the frantically crying Rue, trying to convey reassurance.
Unlike Suli or To Soon-i, her smooth scales felt nice.
But even after seeing my main body, she's threatened by these wolves?
Maybe show her now—wolves like these are no threat to me or Snow, no matter how many.
To restore my honor after the failed hunt lesson, I decided to act.
I handed trembling, "Shii─shii─" Rue to Snow.
"Cute bunch... Tsk, go easy."
With Rue joining the family, Snow's fully awakened to motherhood.
Are all these low-rank monsters looking like kids to her now?
As I pondered how to show fatherly dignity, a presence slipped in.
Camo mask covering the face, thick robe, fine long black hair peeking out.
The hunter I'd seen once before.
"...Are you okay?"
Her cool but kind question drew a low exclamation from me.
The hunter from memory had grown to S-rank in the time apart.
The masked hunter glanced at us, confirmed safety, then turned to the wolves.
A savage aura erupted, totally different from toward us.
Heavy pressure from an S-rank hunter.
"Hoo... Decent human."
Snow's low admiration came from behind.
She'd clocked the masked hunter's skill too.
"...My comrades will arrive soon. Stay quietly behind me until then."
The masked hunter quietly urged in her cool, kind voice.
Then she boldly faced the dozens of wolves alone.
Visually, she looked disadvantaged, but closer look showed otherwise.
Wolves started hesitating one by one under her heavy pressure.
The fierce aura they'd shown us vanished like a lie; tails tucked, they backed off.
"Raid leader!"
"How can you go ahead alone!?"
"We barely caught up!"
Soon, her comrades arrived one by one, as mentioned.
Including those from the Minotaur hunt, total six.
All grown like her.
Full A-rank.
Impressive for a six-person small raid.
"...Had to hurry to save people."
"Eh? Other hunters here?"
The hunters finally noticed us, letting out low exclamations.
"Whoa... Someone who hasn't escaped yet... We announced 18th floor lockdown for the sweep op today..."
"Some hunters might've missed the notice... Glad you're safe anyway."
"-Are you okay?"
A female hunter approached, asking.
I glanced at the masked hunter and her team, then nodded to her.
"We're fine."
"Just the two of you? Any other group...?"
"No, it's been just two from the start."
She checked me and Snow behind, then nodded.
"Good then... Oh, I'm Yang Yu-i from Hwayeong Raid. A-rank healer, despite looks. Any injuries, tell me—I'll heal you right up."
Yang Yu-i scanned us again.
Ready to treat on the spot if needed.
I lightly shook my head at her, then glanced at the masked hunter.
Yang Yu-i, following my gaze, looked too.
"That's our raid leader. Just hit S-rank recently. Heard the news?"
"...No. I don't follow news much."
"Ah, makes sense. That's why you're still here—must've missed the notice."
"Notice?"
Yang Yu-i explained calmly to my puzzled question.
"Area boss appeared on 18th floor recently. White Ghost Wolf—A-rank monster. Lots of wolf underlings, caused heavy hunter casualties."
I let out a quiet exclamation at her explanation.
A-rank was rare high-tier for upper Forest Zone.
"I see. That's why you're all mobilized?"
"Yes. Other raids and guilds too. Taking out underlings step by step, then all-out on the area boss."
I nodded calmly at friendly Yang Yu-i's rundown.
Meanwhile, my eyes drifted to the masked hunter, who'd started fighting.
As expected from S-rank, she massacred the E-rank wolves.
A few higher-rank ones mixed in, but no match for her or the others.
'Felt it last time too—something draws my eye to her.'
Dunno why, but she nags at me.
My left head in the thought space snarked about love at first sight, but nah.
Just feels like I'm missing something... but what?
With that nagging feeling, I quietly watched the masked hunter and her team slaughter the wolves.
The one-sided fight ended quickly.