Sharp Snake Awakening

Survival Day 6.

My entire body felt refreshed.

The wound on my side had completely healed without a trace.

What kind of miracle was this? What on earth had happened in just one night?

Just in case, I checked my status window, and there were quite a few changes.

and Limit Break had both risen to F-rank, and a new skill called Regeneration had appeared.

It seemed the healing of my wounds was thanks to this Regeneration skill.

On top of that, my Durability had jumped straight to G6.

The wound had hurt like hell, but in the end, I'd gotten lucky.

I lightly checked my condition in the clearing outside the burrow.

My state was better than ever. As if yesterday's injury had been a lie.

I pondered for a moment.

The main topics were reflecting on yesterday and planning ahead.

It was time to use humanity's greatest advantage over other creatures: thinking.

Even if my body was that of a snake (monster)...

After some deliberation, I reached a conclusion.

Yesterday's injury was the result of my own greed, but coldly speaking, it was unavoidable.

My ultimate goal was survival.

For survival, I needed growth. For growth, I needed to hunt.

I'd made a big mistake by underestimating my prey, but mistakes could happen anytime.

I just needed to avoid repeating the same one.

I had to move more meticulously, more coldly.

I headed into the forest for hunting.

Finding prey wasn't hard.

A Horn Rabbit, the same kind that had wounded me yesterday.

It didn't seem like the exact same individual, but since it was the same species, killing intent surged the moment I saw it.

I calmly suppressed it.

Unnecessary killing intent shouldn't affect the hunt.

The hunt succeeded easily, as expected.

My stats rose.

I didn't eat it this time.

Today's plan wasn't about filling my belly—it was growth through hunting.

A plan born from yesterday's lesson.

Hunting them without eating meant no sluggishness from a full stomach.

The plan worked brilliantly.

My stats rose nicely.

However, finding prey wasn't easy.

Crisis Detection was blaring loudly, so it seemed today's hunt had reached its limit.

I had no choice but to return to my burrow.

Should I venture a bit farther into the forest tomorrow?

Day 6 ended.

Survival Day 7.

My hunting method using Stealth and Ambush was highly effective.

Against other G-rank monsters, I could take them down easily, assuming normal condition.

However, if the first ambush missed and it turned into a head-on fight, it could get dangerous.

Just like on Day 5.

Excluding Day 5, I hadn't failed a hunt yet, but I still needed countermeasures.

The problem was there wasn't any clear solution.

So, I had no choice but to hone my current skills further.

Fortunately, the synergy between my skills was excellent, so there were no major hurdles.

I'd originally planned to go deeper into the forest, but with no way to mitigate the risk of a failed ambush, I put that on hold.

Instead, I pushed harder with hunts in the nearby forest.

Stats rose nicely again.

The only downside was how hard it was to find prey.

Agility had reached G10 and wouldn't rise further.

Strength, which also hit G10 later, was the same.

Had I hit some kind of limit?

Day 7 ended.

Survival Day 8.

A change happened overnight.

My whole body had been itchy, and before I knew it, I'd shed my skin.

Pure white shed skins were scattered around the burrow.

I wasn't sure, but my body felt a bit larger.

After hunting diligently all day, Agility changed.

From G10 to F1.

The number decreased, but thanks to the rank up, my movements felt much faster.

Personally, I now had confidence that I could face a same-rank Horn Rabbit head-on without losing.

No—arrogance is forbidden.

Don't forget the lessons learned.

Day 8 ended.

Survival Day 9.

After another day of diligent hunting, Strength rose to F1.

Vitality reached G10 too.

Maybe because of my fighting style? Durability stayed at G7 with no change. Mana was still stagnant.

At least Stealth rose to E-rank—that was a relief.

I felt proud.

I sensed a presence different from usual.

It felt entirely unlike the presences in the forest.

Out of curiosity, I approached cautiously and found human footprints.

Hunters, it seemed.

A faint sense of familiarity stirred.

I casually moved toward where their presence came from.

Crisis Detection blared wildly.

I bolted away at full speed.

My insides churned.

Crisis Detection had risen to F-rank.

It hit me anew.

I was inescapably a snake (monster).

That night, a change occurred.

Day 9 ended.

Survival Day 10.

Consciousness slowly awakened.

The burrow, which had fit perfectly until now, felt a bit cramped.

-Shiii───

I cautiously moved out of the burrow.

My body felt incredibly light, brimming with power. Even a slight movement caused the burrow's soil to crumble away.

...Did the evolution succeed?

Maybe because I'd half-lost my mind during the process? I didn't know the details.

As always, best to check the status window first.

- Name: Yu Jun-young (?)

- Species: Monster - [Sharp Snake] ▶ Details

I glanced over the status window, then turned to the details.

Maybe because my pre-evolution state had been so bleak? It nagged at me.

...The description seems shorter this time? No real info... Is this really the details?

And there was content I couldn't just gloss over.

On par with goblins...

-Shiii───

[Goblin]. A low-rank monster minimum F-rank, commonly found between layers 1 and 13 of the labyrinth, known as the Upper Zone.

A tricky foe for newbie hunters just stepping into the labyrinth, but to seasoned ones, nothing more than a magic stone-dropping scarecrow.

Obviously stronger than pre-evolution me, but still a low-rank monster.

Even I, an unawakened porter, could solo them with gear.

Even after evolving, still goblin-level...

Survival in this labyrinth still seemed distant.

How to shake off this gloom?

I clicked my tongue again and looked back at the status.

Checking it to lift my mood, the changes from pre-evolution were significant.

Not just stats—most skills had ranked up too.

Especially Crisis Detection hitting E-rank—great news.

It was one of my lifelines for safety.

At least there's hope.

-Shiii───

A cheerful hiss escaped my mouth for once.

So, how strong is this evolved body?

I tested my movements.

Already overflowing with power, but properly exerting it? Hard to imagine.

The gap between G and F was bigger than expected.

Already this strong now—what if stats rose higher? If the rank increased further?

Higher-rank monsters aren't a dream...

Higher-rank hunters too...

I shook off the trailing thought. Lightly shaking my head, I glanced at the forest beyond my burrow.

Yesterday, I really thought I was done for...

Even the bright yellow eyes of my presumed snake mom, now traumatic in my mind, paled compared to yesterday's terror.

Of course, I hadn't faced them directly.

Not even seen them—just sensed through my tongue.

Yet the pressure from them, the hunters, was overwhelming.

Enough to birth a new trauma.

What level were they? E? D? Considering this forest's danger, at least E-rank hunters...

Maybe even C-rank or higher. Top hunters in the Forest Zone were C-rank.

Most C-ranks operated deeper in the Desert Zone (layers 28~41), but they weren't absent here.

The deeper you went, the harsher the ecosystem—hence plenty of hunters stuck in the Forest Zone for relative safety.

...The problem is they're way too dangerous for me.

Yesterday alone, I'd nearly panicked.

Without even seeing them—just sensing.

Thanks to that, I fully realized my monster self, but fear was fear.

If I'd run into them head-on instead of them just passing by, who knows...

Ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred—I'd be hunted on sight.

They were hunters; I was a monster.

Plus, it wasn't just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠C-ranks.

Even non-C-rank hunters filled this labyrinth—plenty could handle me.

F-rank hunters... no, even porters like my old self could hunt me.

More reasons to grow stronger.

For my survival, I had to get strong. Fast, not leisurely.

First, raise stats. Then skill ranks. Ideally, gain some attack skills...

-Shiii───

I slithered smoothly.

Hunters outside the forest scared me, but I couldn't hide in the burrow forever.

As always, passivity meant certain death.

Matching my much lighter post-evolution movements, I stretched toward the forest.

A distance that took 20 minutes before now took less than 3.

The forest and countless presences loomed ahead.

Time to hunt.