WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 18: Clean Up the Green!

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【Chimera Pafnacha Lv. 20+++】

【Traits】

[Chimera], [Underground Monster], [Dragon Bloodline], [Molting]

【Skills】

······[Frenzy Lv. 20], [Carapace Lv. 10], [Burrowing Lv. 9], [Heat Resistance Lv. 6], [Self-Healing Lv. 3], [Mana Detection Lv. 4], [Sense of Smell Lv. 7], [Cut Lv. 10], [Doppelganger Lv. 3]······

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The Chimera had several noteworthy traits and skills.

It probably had Dragon Bloodline because Lesser Dragon blood had been used to create it.

Even though it had been mixed with the blood of a Lesser Dragon rather than a true dragon, it still possessed the Dragon Bloodline trait.

Then maybe I could fulfill one of my Special Evolution conditions, “Consume dragonkin blood.”

The next trait that caught my eye was Molting.

That hit me like a bolt from the blue.

‘Why haven’t I molted?’

Come to think of it, snakes were reptiles.

And naturally, they were a species that molted.

So why hadn’t I molted even once yet?

After thinking for a moment, I reached a reasonable conclusion.

I was still basically a baby.

I’d forgotten because evolution had made me bigger, but I was only a little over a month old.

Maybe I’d molt before long.

Still, the Chimera had Molting written proudly among its traits.

It was similar to how Horn was written among mine.

That was because it also possessed a peculiar skill related to molting.

Then there was Frenzy Lv. 20 among its skills.

What was that?

It was Frenzy, as in the kind where someone went completely insane.

And it was a skill at Lv. 20. Apparently, skill levels didn’t always end at 10.

There were plenty of other interesting things, but going through every one of them would take a while.

I returned to my home.

I’d lived in the swamp for several days, but starting today, I was back at the place with the old tree.

Two cross-shaped grave markers made of branches were planted in the clearing.

I had made them.

For the kind newlywed couple who had once made their nest here.

Plop.

A bird perched in the tree dropped its shit on one of them.

That little bastard.

I really did seem destined to keep having bad encounters with birds.

I’d definitely avenge this bird shit.

Swearing that oath, I slipped into the knothole of the old tree.

First, I needed to sleep...

It wasn’t like I had wings, and catching birds was still difficult.

Sleep was essential.

Especially for me, sleep was another window of opportunity.

Not in the sense of rest, but literally a status window of opportunity.

As I drifted off, a status message appeared before my eyes.

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[You have reached Level 10 and can evolve.]

[Would you like to evolve?]

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I could still vividly remember the thrill I felt when I first saw that message.

Back then, I think I answered the status message asking if I wanted to have a round of evolution with, ‘Yes, of course, you punk! Heh heh.’

But I was more cautious now.

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[※ You must meet the conditions to evolve.]

-Sleep.

-Consume a Grade 2 Magic Stone.

-Reach Level 10.

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There were three conditions for evolution.

I had fulfilled those conditions long ago.

Whenever I reached Level 10, I met the evolution requirements, but those conditions were harsher than they looked.

Without Billy’s Horn, that broken-tier skill, and the sacrifice of the centipede couple, I never would have been able to kill the Cockatrice.

No, even with those two things, I couldn’t have killed it head-on.

What if I hadn’t used the spear trap?

How could a snake like me fight and beat a dinosaur-like monster?

The Magic Stone the Cockatrice had possessed was Grade 2.

Normally, even after reaching Level 10, fulfilling the evolution requirements would have been a distant prospect.

Hmm, what were the Chimera’s evolution requirements like?

Considering the plus signs beside its level, it seemed like it had been unable to evolve for quite a while.

Monsters that could evolve as easily as I could were probably rare.

Well, that was just a fact. I’d fulfilled all the conditions.

When I evolved last time, I couldn’t see the evolution options at this point.

Here, I benefited from the centipede couple once more.

Because I had consumed their Inner Cores, I could see them.

The evolution options!

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From 【White Horn Snake Lv. 10】

1. 【Green Horn Snake】

2. 【Poison White Snake】

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You can evolve into one of the following.

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There were several options this time!

Not only that, I could see information about the options too.

But was this really because of the Inner Cores?

Even after eating them, it was strange for things to change this much.

Still, there was no harm in feeling grateful.

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【Green Horn Snake】

The adult form of a Green Snake.

Its body becomes larger and tougher.

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Please, clean up the green!

I liked white, so this one was automatically out.

By that logic, Poison White Snake was out too.

As its name suggested, choosing it would strengthen my venom.

It would be useful, but should I really throw away my horn for that?

Without my horn, I’d be no different from an ordinary venomous snake.

My horn was my identity and my pride!

Besides, I had already shown foresight by upgrading Poison Fang into Deadly Venom.

The options I really wanted were below those.

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[※ You have fulfilled the special conditions for evolution, unlocking a new evolution tree.]

3. 【Swamp White Horn Snake】

4. 【Trap Horn Snake】

5. 【Double Horn Snake】

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Long live Special Evolution.

In Pelerian’s Dungeon, I had learned about several Special Evolution conditions.

Number 3, the swamp whatever, had appeared after I fulfilled the Special Evolution condition of living in a swamp.

It had the vague ability to become very strong in swamps, so I’d pass on that one.

What was interesting was that the special conditions I had read weren’t all of them.

Numbers 4 and 5 were proof of that.

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【Trap Horn Snake】

A snake that conquered a Dungeon alone has learned the allure of traps.

Perhaps one day, it will create and rule a Dungeon of its own.

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Even the tone of the attached explanation was different. For some reason, it almost seemed kind.

“Pelerian’s Temporary Residence” had clearly been a Dungeon.

Conquering it seemed to have been the evolution condition.

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【Double Horn Snake】

You gain two horns. The power contained within the new horn will arise from your heart.

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Two horns, huh~

Billy’s Horn was my best skill.

If I gained another skill like it, there would be nothing better.

Maybe I had fulfilled the special condition by using Billy’s Horn well.

Both options 4 and 5 were appealing.

That was the source of my dilemma.

‘Couldn’t I just evolve now?’

That was the conclusion I reached.

Did I really need to fulfill an evolution condition like consuming dragonkin blood?

Even then, I didn’t know if I could evolve into something better than a Double Horn Snake.

With my current strength, killing the Chimera seemed difficult.

It might be better to evolve first, become stronger, then kill the Chimera.

That would be safer.

Hmm.

After considering it for a while, I made a decision.

All right.

I’d observe it for a few more days.

I’d look for an opening to hunt the Chimera, and if no opening appeared at all, I could evolve then, right?

I was a snake who practically embodied rationality.

My mind was made up.

So.

What result did that decision bring?

To put it simply, my choice to postpone the decision was correct.

There was such a thing as timing.

My choices split parallel worlds into countless paths.

To move down a particular path, I had to make the right decision at that branching point.

There was a reason wealthy couples spent hundreds every month to send their children to English kindergartens.

When their brains were still soft, that was when you had to cram English into them to gain the Multilingual ability.

Of course, I couldn’t speak English. The TOEIC score I was forced to get was probably about the same as my shoe size.

Anyway, my evolution was similar.

The more I evolved, the harder it would become to meet the conditions.

There were evolution trees I needed to step onto while I was still weak.

* * *

I was sleepy.

Having postponed evolution, I gave myself three days.

I’d observe the Chimera for three days, and if I saw no way to kill it, I’d evolve first.

That was what I decided.

Before I knew it, the third day had arrived.

The result was anticlimactic.

There was no opening.

I didn’t think I could kill the Chimera alone.

Maybe if I had companions.

I was perched in a tree.

Below me lay the corpse of a monster, dead and bleeding.

Wild boars made the best bait, but I hadn’t been able to find one this time.

Today’s prey was a deer.

When people heard deer, they might imagine Bambi with big, sparkling eyes, but that thing was no cute animal.

It was a carnivorous deer with a forked tongue and sharp teeth.

In any case, it was currently sprawled dead on the ground, blood gushing from the hole in its neck.

Drdrdrdr-

Ah, the Chimera was coming from far away.

It seemed to have noticed that food was prepared here day after day.

I was basically running a free soup kitchen for it.

There wouldn’t be food tomorrow. How flustered would it be then?

I was hissing and laughing to myself about that because I wasn’t even nervous anymore.

It was probably a coincidence that I looked up at the sky.

Or perhaps a flash of light had reflected off someone’s armor.

Yeah, there were people on top of the cliff.

About six of them.

They looked down into the basin, seemingly discussing how to get down.

They were quite far away, but I recognized them at once.

That was because one of my archenemies was among them.

‘Guuaaard Captaaaain!’

How many of my brothers and sisters had become grilled hagfish because of that person!

I’d sworn to take revenge someday, but I never expected us to meet again so soon.

Wasn’t it divine assistance that they had appeared on this side of the vast cliff?

No, come to think of it, if they ran straight from Medusa Mom’s cave, this direction was probably only natural.

My mind began spinning.

This might be a variable.

A variable had perhaps come to me just as I was about to give up on hunting the Chimera.

* * *

“Should we descend from here?”

Zain asked.

The Guard Captain stroked his mustache as he answered.

“Yes, this must be where the pillar of light rose.”

“...Isn’t that already the third time you’ve said that?”

“Ahem.”

The Guard Captain cleared his throat.

He was certainly a capable soldier, but it had taken more than ten days to reach Akam Basin.

“It was not easy for me to determine the direction based on nothing but vague testimony.”

“Sure.”

It couldn’t be helped.

The pillar of light that had been clearly visible in the night sky had disappeared in less than a minute.

It was impressive enough that they had made it this far after receiving orders to investigate the place.

“Can you climb down the cliff on ropes?”

“I have received training. Of course.”

There was Knight Zain, the Guard Captain, and four elite soldiers experienced with the Great Forest.

The investigation party was small, but it was clearly elite.

While the soldiers lowered ropes down the cliff, the Guard Captain inspected the area below.

For some reason, a dead monster lay sprawled there.

And...

“Hmm?”

The Guard Captain furrowed his brow.

Zain noticed and approached.

“A strange-looking deer is dead. There may be a monster nearby.”

“No... That’s not it.”

The Guard Captain thought he had seen something white wriggling in that tree.

The Guard Captain swallowed those words.

It seemed to have been a mistake.

Footnotes:

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