Evolution.
It’s a heart-pounding word.
Whether I could evolve or not was very important to me.
It determined whether I’d have to live as this tiny white snake forever.
Of course, I didn’t want to become an ugly human-faced giant snake like Medusa Mother.
If possible, I’d like to evolve into something human-like.
Or at least a large and beautiful snake.
Yeah, so what could I evolve into?
There must be some choices, right? There absolutely must be.
But I couldn’t immediately check the options.
What’s this?
It doesn’t show what I can evolve into.
Instead, there was something like additional information.
──────────────
[※You must meet conditions to evolve.]
──────────────
I see, so certain conditions are needed.
Pikachu needed a Thunder Stone to evolve into Raichu.
Maybe I need something like that too.
Indeed, that was the case.
──────────────
Consume a Grade 1 magic stone.
──────────────
Oh.
It means I need to consume a Grade 1 magic stone to evolve.
If what I ate was indeed a magic stone, I could now judge.
The grade of magic stones seems to be more precious the higher the number.
If not, Grade 1 would be the highest grade of magic stone, but surely a mere grass snake like me wouldn’t need such a stone to evolve.
Horn Jaguar’s magic stone was Grade 3.
Even that beast was one I could never defeat in a fair fight.
A bit of a shame.
Then the magic stone I ate must have been precious too.
I only needed a Grade 1 magic stone, but did I eat a Grade 3 one?
When I was in elementary school, I once put beef in my ramen at home, and my mother kicked me in the stomach, asking if I had thrown precious Hanwoo beef into ramen.
This is just like that time, hmm.
But that ramen was deliciously tasty, and now I can evolve.
That’s all that matters.
Shall I start evolving?
I’ll know how I’ll evolve once I do it.
But I hesitated again.
I remembered the fate that Horn Jaguar’s corpse met earlier.
If I had chosen to take a nap inside it, I would have been dragged underground with it.
And met an inevitable death.
Yeah, it’s better to try evolving in a safer hideout.
Moreover, thinking about it made my body feel prickly.
Is this the manifestation of survival instinct?
No, it’s really itchy.
Ah, damn!
I cursed as soon as I opened my eyes.
Something was attached to my body.
The animal, about the size of a chestnut bur, had gray fur and a hairless red tail.
It was definitely a rat.
Is this crazy rat rubbing against a snake without fear?
I was shocked when I tried to check its brazen face.
I thought it was a rat, but what is this thing?
Its eyes were bulging out, looking like insect eyes.
Its snout protruded like a long protuberance.
And the tip of that snout was stuck in my body.
Slurp, slurp, it was sucking my blood.
I involuntarily checked its name.
──────────────
[Mosquito Rat lv3]
[Traits]
[Vampire]
[Skills]
[Blood Sucking lv2], [Poison Sting lv3]
──────────────
Aaargh!
How can such a hellish creature exist?
It was a monster that combined a mosquito and a rat, of all things.
And it had its poison sting stuck in my side.
Murderous intent surged.
Taste my Venomous Fang.
I bit it in an instant.
I swallowed it down my throat without even chewing.
That’s how I reclaimed the blood it had stolen.
Come to think of it, I swallowed it right away, so I didn’t even give it a proper taste of my Venomous Fang.
Anyway, this level of monster is something I can deal with.
I’m utterly satisfied. Even the late Medusa Mother would probably be proud of me.
There was one more nearby.
It slipped away when I glared at it.
It’s a truly annoying creature.
I did well not to evolve right away.
Let’s first find a hideout where I don’t have to worry about such blood-sucking rats.
The Mosquito Rat became my snack, but the wound it left behind was itchy.
It did have Poison Sting lv3, but it’s less painful than when my brother bit me last time.
I should be fine since I have Poison Resistance.
A little blood flowed, but I endured it and came out of the rock crevice.
Dawn was breaking.
Now my home-finding project begins.
Surely I can find a place to rest my body in this vast basin.
I crawled off in search of a place to shelter from the cold wind and hide my body.
==
Long ago, scholars used to sing about a life of contentment.
Did those scholars say they could be happy sleeping under the moonlight, using clouds as blankets?
I read many such sijo poems in textbooks.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to reach their level of enlightenment.
…No, come to think of it, all those who wrote those sijo poems were high-ranking officials.
As expected, all that talk about being happy even living in a one-room thatched house was deception.
So I wanted to find a good house too.
I wandered around diligently for my dream of owning a home.
Buzz buzz-
I thought I’d found a suitable rock crevice, but bees flew out from inside.
If I had chosen an unsuitable rock crevice, it would have been fine. It’s all my greed.
The place where I hid from the bees was a hole in the middle of some bushes.
And what I encountered inside were eight red eyeballs.
Don’t spiders live underground too?
Today I learned for the first time that snakes can also move backwards.
Humming “Für Elise” in my mind, I slowly retreated.
The place where I was stung by the bee is swollen and stinging.
Why are there so many monsters with poison?
My Poison Resistance level increased by one.
Without it, I would have already died from swelling up.
…This is a big problem.
A ‘safe and good’ hideout was very difficult to find.
All the decent places already had owners.
It’s just like how pretty and handsome people always have lovers.
In fact, the best of the best would be a cave, but those were being used as homes by the strongest monsters.
The terror I felt when a giant Owl Bear jumped out of a cave.
The most common and easy to find were rock crevices.
But rock crevices weren’t safe.
Aish, damn, there’s one here too!
I opened my mouth and made a hissing sound.
Then a Mosquito Rat that was lurking at a distance ran away.
Those bastards were my biggest problem.
Rats are already terrible creatures, and mosquitoes are the worst insects, but this breed combines their awfulness.
When I tried to sleep in a slightly exposed place, those things would come and suck my blood.
They have something like cotton fluff on their feet, so I couldn’t detect them in advance.
And the poison secreted from that snout.
That poison anesthetized my skin and prevented blood clotting.
There was a day when I was bitten three times, and I almost died from excessive bleeding.
My goal was to find a place without those things.
And after three full days, I found an amazing place.
This is pretty good.
No, it’s the best place I’ve found so far.
It seems like an area where lightning struck sometime in the past.
There were a few dead trees gathered together.
They were bare without leaves, and I could see hollow knotholes.
Dead trees often have such empty spaces inside.
It’s moderately humid and warm, and safe from threats that can’t climb trees.
In other words, it’s safe from Suckquito Rats.
The Suckquito Suck can’t climb trees.
Goodbye, Sucksuckito Suck!
Whew, let’s calm down.
There are things I’ve learned from my experiences so far.
First, I needed to check if this place was really a good hideout.
I examined the surroundings of the dead trees.
Are there any nests of dangerous bird monsters?
Is there anything like a hornet’s nest?
Are there claw marks of tree-climbing monsters?
After checking all items on the checklist.
This place is indeed top-tier.
It’s almost at the level of a luxury villa in Hannam-dong.
I carefully approached the largest dead tree.
No matter how good a place is, it’s useless if there’s a dangerous predecessor living there.
I hope either no one lives there or it’s someone I can beat.
There was a large hole in the middle of the dead tree.
I poked my head inside.
Wow! No one’s here.
There was a comfortable and spacious area inside the dead tree.
This seems better than the studio apartment I used to live in.
The problem is that instead of no one, there’s a dead Mosquito Rat.
If that Mosquito Rat couldn’t fly, someone must have brought it here.
Creak, creak.
And a strange sound came from above the tree.
Ah, I didn’t expect the owner to be home when I came to see the house.
The homeowner was a large centipede.
While my body is slightly thicker than a Cheonha Jangsa sausage, that centipede’s body was easily as thick as a baby’s arm.
I reflexively focused my eyes.
──────────────
[Redtis King Centipede lv6]
[Traits]
[Gentleness], [Artisan]
[Skills]
[Venomous Fang lv8], [Stealth lv3], [Quick Crawling lv2], [Carapace lv4], [Tearing lv5]
[Status]
[Full], [Newlywed]
──────────────
I can see it!
The fact that I could see the status window meant that the opponent was at a level I could handle.
Although it looks terrifying, is it actually weaker than it appears?
It has traits like Gentleness, so maybe.
What’s Artisan about, while it has scary skills like Tearing?
Wait, Gentleness…?
It was a trait I had never seen in a monster before.
It approached me very slowly.
And stopped at a suitable distance, wiggling its antennae.
It seemed to be trying to explore me.
Hello.
I slowly waved my tail as if greeting.
Then the centipede started to wiggle its antennae in sync with my tail’s movement.
I stopped waving my tail.
The centipede also stopped wiggling its antennae.
Hmm, it’s not gentle for nothing, it seems.
At least it didn’t try to eat me like other monsters.
Then are we friends now?
When I stayed still, the king centipede seemed to lose interest.
It slowly enters its home, the inside of the dead tree.
I considered biting its side to strike first.
Since it doesn’t have Poison Resistance, it might be worth a try.
That house looks so good.
Maybe I have a hidden trait like Cowardice.
But I gave up on that.
The ‘Newlywed’ written in its status.
I realized what it meant.
Another, slightly larger centipede popped out from the top of the tree.
──────────────
[Redtis King Centipede lv7]
[Traits]
[Gentleness]
…
──────────────
You two have a good relationship.
Come to think of it, centipedes usually move in male-female pairs.
I got down from the tree where they live.
Suddenly something occurred to me.
…Ah, so that’s why.
There were no Mosquito Rats to be seen in this area, which had been so common before.
Isn’t it thanks to this centipede couple?
I pondered for a moment.
Should I look for another place, or should I stay around here?
It wasn’t an easy choice.
Rumble-
An ominous thunder sound rushed my decision.
Looking at the sky, dark clouds were gloomy.
This is bad. I can’t get wet.
Cold-blooded animals can freeze to death if they’re not careful.
It seems like leaving isn’t an option.
There were many good dead trees here besides the centipede couple’s home.
I found a decent hole in one of them.
There was a knothole just small enough for me to barely enter.
Inside, there was space to coil up and lie down, and the entrance was small enough that the centipede couple couldn’t enter.
This should be fine.
Still, it didn’t feel right to stay next door without any greeting.
Instead of rice cakes, I went out nearby and caught a Mosquito Rat.
I left it under the tree where the centipede couple lives.
Please consider this as a housewarming gift.
Coming up to my new home and looking down, I saw the centipede husband busily moving the Mosquito Rat.
I feel warm inside for no reason. Isn’t this the affection between neighbors?
It absolutely wasn’t because I hoped the centipede couple wouldn’t get hungry.
Rumble!
Thunder and lightning struck, and rain started pouring.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.
Thanks to the sound of rain, I fell asleep quickly.
Then.
It’s time to evolve!
==
The moment I’ve been waiting for.
I proudly answered yes to the question of whether I would evolve.
What can I evolve into?
It would be nice if there were options to choose from.
──────────────
From [Little White Snake lv10]
You can evolve into:
1.[Little Green Snake]
──────────────
…What the hell is this?
There were no choices at all.
Moreover, the content of what I could evolve into was the problem.
Since I was a ‘Little’ White Snake, I thought I might evolve into just a ‘White Snake’.
Increasing size is important.
Isn’t weight class the basics of fighting?
I’m too small right now.
I should be big enough to swallow animals larger than a Mosquito Rat in one bite.
But what’s this ‘Little Green Snake’?
That’s the species name of my siblings.
So, in fact, was I a less evolved breed than them?
This is a lie.
It’s all a lie!
I firmly believed that being white alone was special and good.
It was a moment when my expectations for evolution were greatly dampened.
A voice gave me hope.
「You have achieved a special condition for evolution. A new evolution tree is unlocked.」
Yes!
Special condition! What did I do?
I must have accomplished something.
──────────────
※Special condition: Consumed a Grade 3 or higher magic stone
──────────────
Ah, Mr. Jaguar, I now realize your great favor.
One of the conditions for evolution was consuming a magic stone.
I only needed to eat a Grade 1 magic stone, but I had devoured a Grade 3 one!
And a new option appeared.
──────────────
From [Little White Snake lv10]
You can evolve into:
1.[Little Green Snake]
2.[White Horn Snake]
──────────────
Wow! I got horns.
Since Horn Jaguar was a jaguar with horns, Horn Snake must be a snake with horns.
…What would a snake do with horns?
But, Little Green Snake wasn’t an option to begin with.
Then there’s no need to hesitate.
「You have selected White Horn Snake.」
「Evolution will now begin.」
Special evolution!
