WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 47: The Pressure Interview Begins

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I stared at the devil's minion with a dumbfounded expression.

A devil's minion, was it? Did that mean a devil had sent it?

-It's shameful to even be grouped with him as a fellow fairy. To think he sold his soul to a devil.

Contempt dripped from Pelerian's voice.

'What's a devil's minion?'

-Exactly what it sounds like. A devil must have sent a minion to this bastard's house. It's close to a spirit body. It probably slips into the minds of unintelligent monsters and controls their main bodies...

The thing must've mistaken me for an ordinary monster.

That was why it immediately tried to invade my mind.

An unintelligent monster?

Then why had it entered my head?

'Can it control people or fairies too, whenever it wants?'

-There's no way a low-ranking minion can do that. It probably thought you were an ordinary snake.

That was extremely unpleasant.

Even without the benefits of Indomitable, I didn't think I would've been controlled.

Die, you bastard!

I tried tearing into the devil's minion's dead body. Unlike before, when it had gone straight through my tail, I could bite it now.

-What does it taste like?

'Like mung bean jelly.'

Pelerian wore an expression that said, There you go again with that meaningless nonsense.

*「You use Predation Lv. 7.」

*「You digest the devil's minion.」

Huh.

Predation had been a skill whose purpose was hard to understand.

I'd thought it simply let me eat more, but it was suddenly making its presence known.

It didn't taste very good, but I ate the thing completely.

*「You have hunted and consumed a devil's minion.」

*「Devil's minions will fear you a little.」

So that was how it worked.

It seemed Predation produced results by consuming things. Not just anything I ate would give me something, perhaps it only worked when I ate rare delicacies like this.

Maybe I needed to become a gourmet snake from now on.

-Stop dawdling and search the place already!

Pelerian urged me on.

The Dragon Scale and the Invisible Cloak.

Those were the two treasures supposedly in Dashnan's house.

'Yes!'

It wasn't as though I wasn't excited too.

I began searching the Shadow Fairy's house.

* * *

-Why aren't they here?!

Pelerian hopped up and down in frustration.

I did the same, coiling my body like a spring and bouncing around.

'My Invisible Cloak!'

I'd definitely heard that Dashnan possessed the Invisible Cloak, a Magic Tool that could completely hide his body.

Apparently, it could even let him escape Pelerian and Hero-class powerhouses.

With that, I would be perfect.

Maybe I could even kill Gunter, the Medusa Serpent's enemy.

Yet I couldn't find the Invisible Cloak anywhere.

The Dragon Scale was the same.

I'd heard that the Dragon Scale naturally gave off mysterious magical power, but I couldn't find it no matter how hard I looked.

Dashnan's house was a complete mess.

Every drawer and display case had been opened, with their contents scattered across the floor.

There were all sorts of odds and ends, but none of the things I wanted.

Still, there was one thing I had gained.

'At least I don't have to worry about food.'

Bags packed full of dried feed.

It was definitely feed, probably for feeding monsters.

It looked like unknown meat and mixed grains had been ground up and pressed together, and I could somehow sense magical power from it.

There seemed to be even a small amount of ground-up Magic Stone mixed in. Probably.

-They must've been planning to feed the monsters inside with it.

Dashnan's house was huge.

Yet Dashnan's actual living space wasn't very large.

It only took up one fifth of the entire house.

The door leading to the remaining space had a sign that read, "Indoor Zoo."

The Shadow Fairy had been raising monsters inside his home.

'What's this prosthetic arm?'

The other thing I found was a prosthetic arm.

At first, I thought it was a toy.

Two model arms sat inside a display case.

Looking closer, the craftsmanship was incredibly intricate.

Every finger joint could move freely.

Even the metal it was made of was clearly no ordinary material.

-It's too large for a person to wear.

The connection point of the prosthetic arm had vicious-looking spikes attached to it.

It looked like you could use it as a new arm by stabbing it right into your body.

──────────────

【Giant Prosthetic Arm】

It can be used as a new arm by attaching it to your body.

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The description was vague, so I had no idea who it was meant for.

'I can't use it. It's too big.'

I had briefly imagined it, that much was true.

A snake with arms. I could probably use better Swordsmanship than when I used Transparent Hand.

Still, it seemed impossible.

The connecting section that attached the arm to a body was covered in spikes.

If I stabbed those into myself, they would pierce straight through my whole body.

It was a matter of size.

Maybe Centipede Mom could wear it.

Pelerian, who had been examining the prosthetic arm with me, found something.

A small craftsman's mark engraved on it.

-A gnome's mark. A gnome made this.

They said gnomes possessed craftsmanship just as impressive as dwarves.

-I've never seen this mark before.

'Oh, wait. I think I've seen a mark like that.'

-You have?

'Yes.'

It must've been only a little while ago.

I rummaged through the clutter scattered in front of the entrance.

There it was. A letter.

The same mark engraved on the prosthetic arm was written on it.

I tore open the letter's seal with my tail and looked through its contents.

There was nothing particularly remarkable inside.

It simply said:

'The repairs to the Magic Tools you entrusted to me last time are taking longer than expected. The Invisible Cloak in particular is difficult to repair, so it hasn't been easy. I expect the repairs to be completed around the end of the Festival. I will leave them in front of your house then.'

Ah, Dashnan had sent them out for repairs.

There might be a gnome craftsman living somewhere nearby.

Either way, my Invisible Cloak really existed. What a relief.

'Should we find the gnome and rob them?!'

Naturally, I expected Pelerian to nod and agree.

-What kind of nonsense is that?!

Pelerian scolded me.

For a moment, I almost felt dejected.

-Do you know how well gnomes hide? We should wait, then grab that gnome and rough them up when they show up.

'Ah.'

Pelerian really was a fairy who could see one step further ahead than me.

For now, I should stay here and wait out Fruit Week, or whatever that festival was called.

Just in case, I read as many documents in the room as I could.

By the time my eyes hurt and I was getting hungry, I discovered where the Dragon Scale had gone.

It was a book with the words "Animal Husbandry Diary" written on the cover.

'I ground up Dragon Scale, sprinkled it over feed, and gave it to the Medusa Serpent. Its mate ate some as well, so if we're lucky, the next generation may produce a meaningful mutation.'

Pelerian's mouth fell open.

'...'

-...

Pelerian looked at me.

I avoided their gaze.

-M-M-Mixed it into feed...

'...'

-That precious magical catalyst...!

'I didn't do it. The Shadow Fairy did...'

-That idiot! It'll just turn into shit, what meaningful mutation? Was it breeding monsters through such an irrational method? The height of ignorance!

Pelerian raged as though breathing fire.

Well, even I, who'd slept through high school science classes, knew that much.

Something acquired later in life wasn't inherited.

Feeding Dragon Scale to something wouldn't make its offspring's scales as tough as the Dragon Scale.

Still, that was scientifically speaking. Maybe magic worked differently.

Could I have been born as the only white snake because of a mutation caused by Dragon Scale?

-If that were the case, it would've produced a higher-species mutation, not a lower species.

'...'

This time, I was the one who got hurt.

Fine. Maybe dragon blood flowed somewhere in my veins. I decided to think of it that way.

More importantly, Dashnan's Animal Husbandry Diary made it seem like my father was somewhere around here too.

Was he outside, or maybe in the indoor zoo?

Probably not. My father seemed enormous.

'Let's take a look in there now.'

I practically dragged Pelerian, who was still fuming, along with me.

Dashnan hadn't even locked the front door, but the door leading to the indoor zoo was a sturdy iron door.

That was probably why the devil's minion hadn't gotten inside.

Knock, knock.

I knocked without thinking, but there was no response.

I undid the latch securing the iron door.

Creeeak-

The heavy iron door opened with a chilling sound.

The air that had been trapped inside spilled out.

The first thing that hit me was a stench sharp enough to sting my nose.

The foul smell of excrement, the fishy smell of water, a strong animal odor, and even the smell of blood.

'You called this a zoo...'

The preconceptions created by a name were powerful.

It wasn't as though I'd expected a children's zoo.

Still, I'd expected an environment worthy of being called a zoo.

But it wasn't.

There was only a path down the middle, with sections divided by iron bars on either side.

They had tried to create different habitats, but dead monsters lay scattered everywhere.

They hadn't starved to death. They seemed to have gotten sick or eaten each other.

'Why are the monsters...'

At first, I thought there weren't any monsters at all.

But that wasn't it.

The moment I entered, the monsters quickly retreated into the corners.

They huddled there, trembling in fear.

Those creatures must have been hungry after going without food for days.

Did I really look that scary?

Well, I was a Crystal Double-Horn Python.

It was only natural that they would be frightened by a higher snake monster that had evolved three times, with scales that gleamed like crystal.

-Aren't they afraid of their original owner, not you?

Pelerian threw cold water on my thoughts.

Unfortunately, that soon proved to be true.

The monsters cautiously raised their heads, saw me, and approached the bars.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

"Whaaa!"

"Wheee!"

They barked angrily and shook the bars.

Were they embarrassed that they'd been scared?

'They seem hungry.'

Sure, I understood why they were irritable after not eating.

A hyena-like monster grabbed an empty feed sack in its mouth and shook it wildly.

It was demanding food.

There was certainly enough feed prepared outside the bars to overflow.

I considered showing mercy to the starving monsters.

Splat.

I dodged what came flying at me.

The monster that had thrown something from inside the bars looked strangely familiar.

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【Long-Legged Monkey Lv. 18】

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It threw something else.

I dodged that one too, but...

Splaash!

Something on the floor splashed onto my body.

It was shit.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

"Wheee!"

The other monsters barked as if they found it hilarious.

That was the moment the mercy in my heart instantly evaporated.

Ssssss-

No way.

Black Scales, a skill that wouldn't activate no matter how hard I tried to use it, activated by itself.

My scales turned black.

At the same time, I felt my body and mind shift into combat mode.

When my scales darkened, the monsters also lost their nerve for a moment.

"Eek!"

But the Long-Legged Monkey that had thrown shit yelled as if telling them not to be scared, and the other monsters started barking again.

Fine. You're first.

You said you were hungry, right? I dragged a sack of feed over.

*「You use Magic: Transparent Hand Lv. 2.」

I grabbed a handful of feed.

When I shook the feed in front of the bars, the Long-Legged Monkey's eyes rolled back.

"Eeeek! Kyaaah!"

It started throwing a fit when it stretched its arms outside the bars and still couldn't reach it.

It shook the bars and screamed.

Then I bit down hard on its wrist.

"Eek, eek."

The Long-Legged Monkey jumped up and down.

Then it collapsed.

*「You have defeated Long-Legged Monkey Lv. 18.」

*「You absorb Magical Essence.」

Maybe because its level was somewhat high, I gained a fair amount of experience.

Hm. It had become a much nicer monkey now.

Next.

The mood around me turned cold.

The space inside the bars was quite large.

There were nests where they could sleep and puddles of collected water.

Holding feed with Transparent Hand, I moved to the side.

It was the monster that had been making those whee noises earlier.

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【Poison Horn Hedgehog Lv. 19】

【Traits】

[Cunning]...

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It approached cautiously.

Having seen the Long-Legged Monkey die, it didn't make any reckless moves.

But if it didn't come closer, it wasn't getting food either.

When I stayed still, it stayed still too.

That was when the hedgehog seemed to bow its head.

Snap!

The spikes on its forehead shot toward me.

It was a surprise attack, like scattering poisoned needles.

Ting, ting, ting!

But not one spike could pierce my scales.

Hm. What a cunning friend.

And it had an interesting skill.

*「With Billy's Horn Lv. 4, you borrow Poison Spike Shot Lv. 5.」

*「You have temporarily acquired Poison Spike Shot Lv. 2.」

Something seemed to sprout inside my mouth.

Ptooey!

The hedgehog hurriedly tried to run away.

Luckily, the poisoned spike that shot out of my mouth lodged in its rear.

"Wheee!"

That was its final roar.

*「You have defeated Poison Horn Hedgehog Lv. 19.」

*「You absorb Magical Essence.」

*「Your level has increased.」

Easy and delicious.

At last, complete silence filled the place.

The monsters that had been going wild slowly backed away from the bars.

Still, they couldn't help being hungry. Drool dripped from their mouths as they stared only at the feed.

That was when I realized.

I held the power of life and death over all the monsters here.

I could raise my level, and steal... no, borrow useful skills.

It was a buffet.

I approached the hyena that had barked at me earlier.

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【Fang Hyena Lv. 31】

【Traits】

[Glutton], [Simplicity]

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This one looked a little stronger.

Just as I wondered how I should deal with it, the hyena flopped onto its back and exposed its belly.

"Woof! Woof!"

It was clearly a posture of submission.

'You do have eyes.'

I tossed it a single pellet of feed.

The hyena sprang into the air and caught it in its mouth.

Its tail wagged like a propeller.

Drool dripped from its mouth.

When I held out more feed, it immediately shoved its head forward to eat it.

"Sssaaa!"

When I stopped it from eating, it stayed in place and sat down, watching me cautiously despite the drool dripping from its mouth.

'Could this be...?'

I tested the thought that had come to mind.

*「You use Taming Lv. 2.」

*「You have successfully tamed Fang Hyena Lv. 31.」

It worked that easily.

You're Level 31.

*「The proficiency of Taming increases sharply.」

*「Taming Lv. 2 has become Taming Lv. 3.」

That was another unexpected gain.

From now on, your name is Spot.

*「You have named Fang Hyena Lv. 31 ‘Spot’.」

The name I gave it was accepted.

*「Fang Hyena Spot Lv. 31 likes its name.」

*「The proficiency of Taming increases.」

It followed a person, no, a snake, far too easily.

Were hyenas part of the dog family? It did look like a dog.

Either way, I decided on my plan from here on out.

The monsters here would now undergo a 'selection process.'

Footnotes:

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