WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 36: I Shall Return and Lead You

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They say it's a 'Crimson Tarantula King.'

Not Red, but Crimson.

Just as Dark sounds cooler than Black, and Ultramarine sounds cooler than Blue.

Crimson sounds cooler than Red.

And in my experience, the fancier a monster's modifier, the stronger it is.

The name King was the same.

A king. The king of spiders.

Wouldn't that be an incredibly strong monster?

Someday, I wanted to become something like a Python King too.

-The Goblins caught a Crimson Tarantula King...

Pelerian seemed to know about that monster.

I asked him about it.

It definitely wasn't because I wanted its Inner Core.

-The Crimson Tarantula was one of the monsters I wanted to fuse when I created Pafnacha. But that species was so rare that I had no choice but to settle for a Grey Tarantula.

'So what is a King?'

-A Crimson Tarantula that survives and grows for a long time evolves into a King.

In any case, it was a strong monster.

Even if there had been many Goblins, they must have suffered heavy losses.

Nanaruk's grandfather had caught it at the risk of his life and left it for his descendants.

Which meant I couldn't just gobble it up.

Take it back.

I pushed the box containing the Inner Core back toward her.

-I've never seen a Crimson Tarantula produce an Inner Core before. Just how incredible must its effects be!

'...'

That wicked old man kept trying to plant temptation in my heart.

I couldn't hear him. Not that I had ears to block anyway.

But Nanaruk pushed the box toward me again.

"I can't eat it. You eat it."

You're being emotional right now.

You might regret it tomorrow.

Nanaruk had her reasons, though.

"I can't eat it. I kept the Inner Core a secret from Father."

There was a whole story behind it.

It seemed Nanaruk's mother hadn't liked her husband very much.

The chieftain had vaguely learned of the Inner Core's existence and desperately tried to take it from her.

But the chieftain's former wife had hidden it with everything she had and passed it down to her daughter.

Nanaruk had kept it secret ever since.

"This Inner Core has venom mixed into it. I think it got in by mistake when it was collected. My Venom Resistance isn't that high, so I'll definitely be poisoned if I eat it. And after I eat it, it'll definitely show..."

Did she mean it would be obvious because she'd become stronger?

Why was that a problem?

"Father won't forgive me. He hates me even now."

Nanaruk.

Silly, softhearted Nanaruk.

What did it matter whether that pathetic father of yours hated you?

From what I'd seen, you'd be better off as chieftain.

"There's no one else who can eat it anyway. And it's so old that there might not even be any effect left."

Right.

"I won't resent you even if you can't become Ululullulu."

If she put it that way, it was only right that I eat it.

Honestly, my mouth had been watering.

Without showing any sign of that, I ate the Inner Core as solemnly as I could.

Wow, it was bitter.

There really was venom in it.

*「You have been poisoned.」

*「The proficiency of Venom Resistance increases sharply.」

Ugh, I'm getting woozy.

My stomach was bubbling like crazy. I'd better be careful not to make a mistake.

"Your body is getting hot."

Nanaruk worried about me.

It's okay. My Venom Resistance is high.

*「Venom Resistance Lv. 6 has become Venom Resistance Lv. 7.」

Even the skill level went up.

Thanks to that, my stomach felt a little better.

Then the Inner Core's effects spread through my body.

The heat I felt from within.

It hadn't been caused by the venom in the first place.

My body was hot.

It felt like I'd swallowed a fireball.

This was completely different from when I'd eaten the kind centipede couple's Inner Cores.

It hurt. It was agonizing.

I writhed in a silent scream.

The pain didn't fade.

"What do we do...!"

Nanaruk panicked.

What? What's happening?

-Your skin is coming off.

What the hell. He was right.

A strip of shed skin clung to Nanaruk's palm.

White skin with a vivid pale apricot pattern.

*「Your body is growing rapidly.」

*「Molting begins.」

Ah, I was molting. What a relief.

I looked Nanaruk straight in the eye as she panicked.

Only then did she calm down.

*「Your Scales grow tougher.」

*「The trait, Scales, has been created.」

*「Your Pattern becomes more vivid.」

*「Magical Essence infuses your Pattern.」

The Inner Core's effects were incredible.

It was like a complete gift set.

I could clearly feel that my body had grown.

Molting was supposed to be quite an ordeal, but it ended faster than I'd expected.

Of course, it hurt like hell.

If I had sweat glands, I would've been drenched in cold sweat.

No wonder. My body had grown this much.

I'd changed noticeably.

First, I'd become thicker and longer.

I'd been around two meters long, but I was definitely longer than that now.

My body had thickened too, and no one could call me a small snake anymore.

The biggest changes were my Scales and Pattern.

The pale apricot pattern had become more vivid.

My Scales were thicker and gleamed.

It had said I'd gained a trait called Scales, right?

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【White Double-Horn Python Lv. 5】

【Traits】

[Indomitable], [Relentless Growth], [Horn], [Pattern], [Scales]

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It was true.

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[Scales]

You possess tough Scales.

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It seemed to be a trait that raised my overall defense.

Wouldn't it have a synergy effect with Pattern?

Pattern for magical defense and Scales for physical defense.

As expected, the Inner Core's effects were excellent.

Spiders were spiritual creatures that appeared in martial arts novels almost as often as centipedes.

If the centipede couple's Inner Cores had sharpened my sight, the tarantula's Inner Core was a complete gift set in itself.

Still, it was a little early to celebrate.

*「You have consumed an Inner Core imbued with the lingering spirit of a Crimson Tarantula.」

Come on.

I wasn't even the one who hunted it.

*「The Crimson Tarantula was brutally slain by Goblins.」

*「You will incur an unknown hostility from spider-type monsters.」

Just like with the Chimera, I seemed destined to have a bad relationship with spiders.

But I received an unexpected benefit as well.

*「Your affinity with centipede-type monsters increases.」

*「The likelihood of centipede-type monsters showing you favor increases.」

Do centipedes and spiders not get along or something?

That was even better. I liked centipedes.

Just in case, I checked my Epithet once more.

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【Epithet】 Heart-Eating Snake

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My only Epithet was still Heart-Eating Snake.

So many Goblins called me Ululullulu, but it hadn't become a new Epithet.

Was it because I couldn't shoot lightning?

I was still a White Double-Horn Python.

I wasn't some Ululullulu.

I didn't have wings, and far from being black, I was a white snake.

Sorry, Nanaruk.

She stared at me.

She looked a little sad.

"Ahaha, I guess it really wasn't you after all."

I told you it wasn't.

"Let's sleep now. Sorry you had to go through all that because of me."

Nanaruk blew out the candle.

Then she loosely hugged her blanket and lay down.

She seemed to be trying to sleep.

Dawn would break soon.

I coiled up beside her and lay down too.

I didn't think I'd fall asleep easily tonight.

* * *

Ah, that felt good.

Honestly, I slept incredibly well.

I must've been tired, because I passed out right away.

I felt like a new person, no, a new snake.

It was probably thanks to my first molt last night.

Or maybe it was because I'd eaten such a healthy Inner Core.

I was alone.

In other words, I had left the Runga Tribe's village.

The farewell had been more anticlimactic than expected.

I had snuck out at dawn to avoid the people who called me Ululullulu.

Nanaruk clearly hadn't slept.

When I tried to slip out, she woke up right away and saw me off.

I chewed and swallowed the jerky she'd given me.

Not bad.

I looked back.

The Runga Tribe's village, where I'd stayed for a while, lay below me.

I didn't know if I'd ever see them again, but stay healthy, everyone.

In the end, a snake had to make its way through life alone.

Pelerian was asleep too.

He talked all day when he was awake, but he couldn't stay awake all the time.

He said it was because he lacked magical power.

Just as humans breathed, it seemed he could absorb some of the Magical Essence in the air.

But it was only enough to maintain his form and keep his mind awake, let alone cast magic.

From what I'd checked, he hadn't been lying.

My destination lay beyond the mountain peak shining in the morning sunlight.

I was alone, but the forest wasn't quiet.

Birdsong, insects chirping.

The rustling of undergrowth filled the air.

Not a sound came from me as I slithered over damp moss.

Small animals saw me and ran away.

Squirrels fled, and crickets leaped aside.

Dozens of butterflies clinging to strongly scented flowers took flight all at once.

This really drove home that I wasn't the little thread snake I used to be.

A forest predator was passing through.

I slithered along proudly for quite a while.

Thud!

That startled me.

I reflexively slithered beneath a tree root.

I wondered if it was too undignified, but it had been the right call.

An elephant appeared.

Not an ordinary elephant, but a monster elephant.

Something like a mace hung from the end of its long trunk.

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【Morningstar Elephant Lv. 9】

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Scary.

It was only Level 9, but I couldn't see its detailed status window.

It was definitely stronger than me.

If I concentrated like I had with Gunter, I might be able to make out bits and pieces, but why bother?

I'd just hide under this tree root for a moment.

Crack.

Kuu-ooooh!

The Morningstar Elephant passed in front of me.

It swung its trunk sharply, as if something had upset it.

Bang, and an innocent tree snapped in half.

The Great Forest was terrifying.

As I watched the elephant move away, I saw blood flowing from a wound on its rump.

Had it been fleeing after a fight?

To drive off an elephant like that, you'd need to be incredibly strong or have overwhelming numbers.

I cautiously started forward again.

It would be nice if I could reach the rocky peak by the end of today.

Then I should be able to reach Elephant Rock around tomorrow.

But my progress wasn't very smooth.

Thudududu-

Before long, I heard footsteps again.

This time there wasn't just one.

There were no crevices or tree roots nearby that I could hide in.

It was all because I'd grown too big.

I rolled in a muddy puddle where water had collected over black soil.

My body was hidden as if I'd put on camouflage cream.

White was cool, but it had the drawback of standing out, so I had no choice.

As I crouched under a tree's shadow, the owners of the footsteps appeared.

It was a flock of Horned Ostriches.

Ostriches with horns on their heads thundered through the forest.

There seemed to be five of them. They probably weren't easy opponents either.

Then I froze.

An arrow was clearly lodged in the rump of the last ostrich to pass by.

An arrow?

Were there Runga Tribe hunters nearby?

For some reason, though, I had a bad feeling.

I slithered toward the direction the ostriches had come from.

Even I could clearly hear the noise.

It sounded like several Goblins had gathered together.

The Palamu Rainforest was thick with trees.

Unless someone observed it from above, they wouldn't know what was in the low ground that dipped down slightly.

Goblins were gathered in one such concealed place.

"Hahaha, you idiot."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

They were rough-looking Goblin warriors.

They had set up a camp here.

There were crude tents, each marked with a sword-like pattern painted in red dye.

That pattern.

My brilliant mind remembered it right away.

The Krok Tribe Goblin who had called me Heart-Eating Snake.

It was the necklace he had raised while shouting, "Retreat, ugly creature!"

I had that very necklace in my Subspace right now.

Which meant they were Krok Tribe warriors!

Why were they gathered here?

There seemed to be more than a hundred of them.

There were at least thirty particularly well-armed Hobgoblin warriors too.

Judging by their leather armor, I probably wouldn't be able to eat their hearts either.

"Captain Ayutar! The ostrich is all roasted!"

"Good!"

A large Hobgoblin opened a tent flap and stepped outside.

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【Hop Goblin Captain Ayutar Lv. 30】

【Epithet】 Skullcrusher

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So that was their captain.

He looked strong.

And he even had a dangerous-sounding Epithet, Skullcrusher.

It was my first time seeing a Goblin with an Epithet.

Was he even stronger than Nanaruk?

I didn't know how strong the Krok Tribe was, but if it was only a little better than the Runga Tribe, they seemed to have gathered their elite.

They were planning to ambush the Runga Tribe.

The Runga Tribe probably couldn't even imagine that enemies were about to attack them.

'Uh... what should I do?'

I shook the ring.

Wake up, old man.

Pelerian soon popped out of the ring.

He was a quick thinker.

I hadn't even explained my deductions, yet he immediately grasped the situation.

-Heaven is helping me, helping us!

Then he immediately let out a cry of delight.

-The Runga Tribe will make perfect bait. Krok Tribe has sent out its elites, so Krok and his bastards' main camp will be empty. Let's attack!

Wow!

As expected of you, teacher.

Honestly, I'd already thought of that too.

But then the Runga Tribe would get completely destroyed, wouldn't they?

-From what I've seen, they certainly would. But what does it matter? Let those insignificant Goblins kill each other and fall over dead.

If I thought like Pelerian, that would be correct.

But I couldn't think as positively as Pelerian.

That was because I wasn't Pelerian.

-What, you don't like it?

'But if you think about it, their chieftain isn't here. They say the chieftain is the strongest in the Krok Tribe.'

-That's right.

'Then the chieftain must be at Elephant Rock, right? Since they're stuck so close to it, they seem to know there's something there. There's probably a high chance they're looking for the Dungeon entrance.'

-A reasonable deduction.

'Even if the guard has gotten a little looser, it wouldn't be easy for me to infiltrate the Dungeon entrance alone, would it? It's not like I have invisibility magic.'

-That is also true.

'It seems more sensible to use the foolish Runga Tribe Goblins to cause a commotion, then find the entrance in the meantime. Hmm.'

If I wore glasses, I probably would've pushed them up at that moment.

But despite my cool-headed analysis, Pelerian only gave a sly smile.

-You're not wrong, but it seems you've already made your decision and are fitting the situation to it.

That was true.

Well, I'd already made up my mind.

-Even so, how do you plan to convince them that those bastards will attack? A normal snake waving itself around won't make them listen.

'The normal snake is already dead.'

-Huh?

You had to use what you could use.

-From now on, I'm Ululullulu.

Even if it had started as a misunderstanding.

* * *

"Sis, did Whitey leave?"

Letch asked.

The boy still believed the snake was Ululullulu, but at some point he had started calling the snake Whitey after his sister.

Nanaruk gave a bitter smile.

"Yeah. Whitey left."

"Did Whitey really ascend to heaven?"

Those who seriously believed the snake was Ululullulu thought that when the snake disappeared.

But Nanaruk knew the kind snake had left for Elephant Rock.

"Well, I don't know either."

That was all she told her younger brother.

Then the door burst open.

"Nanaruk!"

"What is it, Jadiram?"

Jadiram's face was flushed bright red.

"Ululullulu, Ululullulu has returned!"

"What?"

Jadiram had never once called that snake Ululullulu.

Something was wrong.

Nanaruk hurried outside and followed Jadiram.

A huge crowd had already gathered.

Nanaruk pushed through the people.

Then she froze.

The snake had returned.

But its entire body had turned black.

A powerful wind swept in every direction.

The ground shook as if there were an earthquake.

Spray scattered through the clear sky.

Most of all, the snake was breathing fire from its mouth.

"Ah..."

The elderly Great Shaman at the very front was crying.

"Ululullulu has returned!"

She called out the snake's name.

Footnotes:

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