Venom Boa's Awakening

Day 132 of survival.

The 19th floor wasn't all that different from the 18th.

The mana density felt about the same, and the types of monsters that appeared were similar too.

That made sense, since both floors belonged to the same Forest Zone.

Still, it wasn't exactly the same. The monsters that showed up were subtly different, bit by bit.

Unlike the 18th floor, which was crawling with wolves, this place had more bears and wild boar types in their stead.

Of course, the lizardmen still ruled the floor as the dominant race.

The monsters might have changed a little, but my job stayed the same.

I hunted whatever crossed my path, just like always.

With new opponents, I racked up plenty of fresh experiences.

Day 132 ended.

Day 134 of survival.

Like the 18th floor, the 19th didn't seem to have a floor boss.

From scouting over the past few days, the 19th floor was locked in a three-way turf war between the [Lizardmen], [Grizzly Bears], and [Sabre Boars].

Each group had a D-rank monster as their leader.

It felt kinda fun.

Day 134 ended.

Day 135 of survival.

Thinking back to my connections on the 18th floor, I tried making contact with a lizardman pack.

Were monsters of the same species really that different across floors?

I got thoroughly rejected, and not in a good way.

Looks like these guys didn't know much about the Queen either.

Guess that means I can hunt them guilt-free.

Lizard meat tasted just like chicken, like I'd heard somewhere.

Day 135 ended.

Day 138 of survival.

The hunters were moving around like crazy.

Sneaking a peek, it looked like they were gearing up for a bear subjugation.

Word was, they planned to wipe out the leader, the [Muscle Bear], in one go. That's why so many hunters were flooding the 19th floor.

My Instinct was screaming louder than ever.

No need for that—I planned to lay low for a while anyway.

I watched the hunters and bears clash from a safe distance.

The bears were pretty tough, but these were Hunter Association pros on an official request.

That dangerous vibe meant they'd sent some high-rankers for crowd control.

I kept my distance and observed.

Of course, the bears lost.

It was a textbook example of what happens when hunters get serious.

Good thing I'd bailed from the 18th floor early.

If I'd stuck around, the lizardmen and I would've ended up the same way soon enough.

I snagged a few fleeing bears along the way.

I'd have loved to take down the Muscle Bear myself, but a top hunter beat me to it.

Bear bile's supposed to be great for you—might as well gorge while I can.

Day 138 ended.

Day 143 of survival.

This wasn't cutting it anymore.

Just wandering and picking off stragglers would raise my stats, sure—but that wasn't enough.

This wasn't the strength I wanted.

Time to get serious.

The lizardmen and boars had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been acting weird lately anyway. Perfect chance to exploit the chaos.

Time for some classic "let the enemy fight first, then swoop in."

Day 143 ended.

Day 150 of survival.

I took down a [Lizardman Warrior], an elite lizardman specimen.

For good measure, I also bagged a [Brave Boar], the Sabre Boar's top specimen.

D-rank monsters, dropped in one shot.

Perfect fisherman's profit.

The Brave Boar was already wounded, but I still crushed it head-on.

Feels great.

Big stat jumps.

Over the last few days, I'd been feasting on both packs, leaderless and ripe for the picking.

Gluttony handled the excess, no problem.

Think I'm ready to head to the next floor.

Day 150 ended.

Day 157 of survival.

The 20th floor was way rougher than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the 18th or 19th.

Scouting confirmed it: this floor had a real powerhouse.

A floor boss.

The [Owl Bear].

C-rank monster with an owl's face on a bear's body.

Top of the bear family I'd hunted on the 19th—seriously strong.

New rival secured.

Time to train hard.

Day 157 ended.

Day 163 of survival.

Time was running out.

Hunters were sniffing around big-time.

They were gearing up to take the floor boss.

Not on my watch.

I wasn't handing over my hard-earned rival.

Prep time.

Day 163 ended.

Day 165 of survival.

Not quite at peak prep, but good enough.

Wanted more time, but hunters were closing in fast.

Time to fight.

It ruled this floor.

Strongest, absolute top dog here.

I approached with respect.

Challenged it straight-up, face-to-face.

A quick telepathic chat got my intent across.

It accepted, no hesitation.

Knew style when it saw it.

We clashed in brutal combat.

The fiercest, hardest fight of my life so far.

I won.

This alert was different from before.

I pondered carefully for a moment.

'The Queen was definitely a higher form of Venom Viper, right?'

So maybe pick [Venom Viper] here...

The second I thought that, Instinct buzzed sharply.

It was telling me to go for [Venom Boa], not Venom Viper.

The vibe was totally different from usual.

After some thought, I made my choice.

Why hesitate?

More power? Sign me up.

As battle fatigue clouded my mind, I went to accept—then Instinct rang out again.

Fierce warning.

Don't do it.

Don't fall for the sweet talk.

Might feel good now, but regret later.

Didn't take long to decide.

I chose again.

That choice pushed me over the edge—exhaustion hit, and I blacked out clean.

Day 165 ended.

Day 166 of survival.

Consciousness slowly returned.

I shot upright.

Shiii───

The surroundings were beyond wrecked—a total disaster zone.

A massive bear corpse lay on one side.

'...I won. I actually won.'

My scales prickled all over.

Euphoria surged—I couldn't hold it, roaring skyward.

-Shaaaaaa───!!!

The forest shook hard.

Monsters—and even distant hunters—reacted noisily, but I ignored them.

'Wait, my tongue's sensing way farther now...?'

Tilting my head, I noticed more changes. Vision felt sharper too.

'What the...? Oh, right—evolution.'

Alerts from before blackout flashed clear.

I checked my status window quick.

Flashy.

So flashy it felt downright proud.

Euphoria hit again—I roared once more.

-Shaaaaa───!!!

Forest stirred up again, but whatever.

No time for that—pure joy took over.

'Made it this far...! Finally here!'

From bottom-barrel G-rank monster—no, talentless porter trash—to this.

C-rank monster, [Venom Boa].

From a kicked-around pebble—hell, garbage—to something that could strut in upper and mid floors.

Memories flooded back.

All that grueling effort.

It crashed over me as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one massive wave of elation.

'...No, can't settle here. I can get stronger—way stronger.'

Joy was short-lived. My goal wasn't some C-rank stopping point.

I hadn't clawed this far just to pat myself on the back at C-rank.

'B-rank next. Then A. And beyond... keep growing, no matter what.'

I recommitted.

Devoured the fallen Owl Bear corpse.

Pre-evolution me couldn't have handled that size, but now? My body was pushing 9-10 meters easy. Swallowed whole, no sweat.

Gluttony mopped up the rest.

A nod of respect to my ultimate opponent.

Then, down to lower floors.

No reason to stick here anymore.

Make that, no reason to linger in the Forest Zone.

Next target: 27th floor.

And beyond that, the Desert Zone.

Day 166 ended.

Day 180 of survival.

Half a year as a snake monster. Finally hit the 27th floor.

Blitzed past the 24th—my porter high-water mark—without noticing.

Smooth sailing to 27.

Just hunted food and hunters along the way, same as always.

Ran into high-rank hunters and floor bosses now and then—they all made great spars.

Tons of good experience.

All ended up in my gut, nice and tidy.

And now, the end of the Forest Zone. 27th floor.

Here, I met her.

A body several times my perceived 12-meter length.

Massive, like a moving mountain or hill.

Sleek black scales sucking in the light.

Fierce, slit yellow eyes.

A ferocious apex predator that turned any creature into midday snack.

The Forest Zone's pinnacle. Its ruler.

I met the Queen.

-Shiii───