WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 48: Not Grateful at All

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I decided to create an indoor zoo in the newly built house atop the cliff.

Perhaps because Shadow Forest had so many damp, dark areas, it tended to have less species diversity.

Still, it was interesting that the forest below the Manshi Hills was home to many primate monsters, while insect-type monsters formed colonies in the swampland beyond it.

The plains at least housed a variety of monsters, including hyena packs, wolves, and snakes.

That snake kept moving its home, apparently unable to find a place it liked.

I have spent much time pondering the methodology of taming.

Fear, familiarity, and respect. The three elements needed to earn a monster's obedience.

Fear can be gained through whipping, and respect through establishing one's rank and providing food.

But familiarity cannot be fulfilled at all.

I assume it is due to the unavoidable fundamental difference between monsters and the chosen races.

Unlike fairies, dwarves, and humans who receive the gods' care, monsters are those abandoned by the gods.

Their ugliness looks beautiful to me, but monsters seem to feel an unavoidable wall between themselves and me, a Shadow Fairy.

It is clearly different from how deeply my beloved cat Kalish followed me.

Is that why the Medusa Serpent left her nest and ran away too?

I thought it was because she fought with her husband, but perhaps it was because of me.

Ah, what am I supposed to do?

This month, all I managed was taming one new hyena.

Even that one does not properly obey unless I use food or beat it.

Rather than rolling over and showing its belly, it tries to bite my hand whenever it gets the chance.

I cut down the two hyenas that dared bite my hand in front of their leader.

It was meant to establish discipline, and at a glance, it seemed effective.

But only briefly. The savage monsters now refuse even to let me pet them.

Sadness pierces my heart.

「From Dashnan's Animal Husbandry Diary」

* * *

I got a new mount.

Unlike Centipede Mom, my new mount was covered in fluffy fur.

Its bristly fur was stiff like a broom, but the ride was not bad.

It was as large as a lion.

And it had a thick, sturdy neck.

A soft mane covered that neck, more than enough for me to coil up and rest on.

'Spot!'

"Yip!"

My pet dog Spot, not a dog, Fang Hyena Lv. 31, stronger than expected, was the identity of my new mount.

Maybe it was because I fed it, but Spot was gentler than I expected.

Ever since I named it and we grew somewhat close, it seemed to understand my intentions right away.

I felt sorry for Nanaruk, but Spot understood me about as well as she had when I first met her.

It was quite strange.

Centipede Mom also looked as if she understood everything I said.

I asked Pelerian, but even Pelerian could not give me a definite answer.

I tapped Spot's neck three times.

That meant it was time to go.

Spot began walking with me on its back.

A true villain ought to command hyenas.

You could tell just by looking at that scary uncle lion from The Lion X King.

Riding Spot, I entered the indoor zoo with great dignity.

A week had already passed since I started staying here.

During that time, I began reigning over the monsters in the indoor zoo.

Anyone who bared their teeth at me received a baptism of flame.

Those who threw shit had their limbs broken.

Those who pretended to submit before attacking became my meal.

Not every monster imprisoned here was weak.

The truly strong ones were in the outdoor zoo, which was really just outside, according to Dashnan's Animal Husbandry Diary.

Still, that did not mean the monsters Dashnan had placed indoors were pushovers.

This was deep within the Great Forest, and Dashnan was a powerful Shadow Fairy.

There were monsters I could gain experience from, and others with skills worth borrowing.

"Whine, whiiine."

"Wheee!"

All the monsters near the entrance of the indoor zoo submitted to me.

Each had their own way of showing surrender.

Some flopped onto their backs and exposed their bellies, while others lowered their heads until they struck the ground.

There were even ones that curled up to show they posed no threat.

I scattered feed for them.

The monsters hurriedly devoured it and looked at me with respect.

Whenever they did, Spot proudly raised its neck.

Envy filled some of the other monsters' eyes.

-You know how to command your underlings.

Pelerian nodded in praise.

Spot, the hyena that had submitted fastest and shown the greatest loyalty, received special treatment.

Unlike the other monsters, it was allowed to live outside the bars.

Spot tried even harder to show loyalty to me, while the other monsters became more loyal in their attempts to become like Spot.

Of course, there were exceptions.

The deeper I went, the fewer monsters took submissive stances.

Right. These were not ordinary animals, but monsters.

Creatures that would bite my throat whenever they had the chance, drooling over the prospect of taking the Magic Stone that might be inside my heart.

Still, almost none of them attacked first anymore.

True to its name as a zoo, the bars were divided into separate enclosures.

Several monsters lived together, though there were sometimes solitary cells.

The cage in front of me was like that.

Trees had been planted inside, and rocks were piled up to create a cave.

Spiderwebs covered that terrain.

Red eyes emerged from the pitch-black darkness of the cave.

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【Crimson Tarantula Lv. 32】

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The moment I saw that name, I sensed a bad history between us.

I had eaten the Inner Core of a Crimson Tarantula King, though there was no reason for one of its lesser kin to hold a grudge against me over that.

"Kak, kak, kak."

Whenever it saw me, all eight eyes glowed red with hostility.

This time, unlike yesterday, it did not attack first. It must have been hurt after getting beaten up yesterday.

I climbed down from Spot's back.

Spot refused to enter the cage. Not that I intended to make it.

Click.

I undid the latch.

Then I confidently entered through the open door.

I scattered feed in front of me.

'Come and eat.'

This was how I tamed the monsters here.

It always started like this.

I would give them food, and they would submit to me. That was the declaration.

The first step was coming over peacefully to eat.

The monsters who had watched others receive food and submit through the bars knew what this feed meant.

The Crimson Tarantula was no exception.

But it did not come out.

Yesterday, it tried to attack me after I put down feed, and got beaten up for it.

Maybe because of that, it only hid quietly in the cave this time.

Had it finally decided to submit?

Whoosh!

A venom spike flew at me.

I tilted my head and dodged it.

I had borrowed that skill from the hedgehog I met on the first day.

But I gave up on using it any further.

I had doubts about where the venom spikes shooting from my mouth were actually produced. It did not seem like magic.

Pelerian guessed that perhaps it rapidly consumed the calcium in my body before firing.

I might end up with osteoporosis if I was not careful.

Instead, I was in the process of acquiring another skill.

The spider gave up on coming out and kept firing venom spikes.

This was becoming annoying.

I moved a little farther forward.

That was when spiderwebs tangled around my body.

Danger.

When I struggled, the web only tangled around me more.

The vibrations reached the creature hiding in the cave.

Would it fire venom spikes at me?

At me, bound up and struggling?

The Crimson Tarantula was savage.

It chose a more direct method.

Thududududu-

It burst from the cave with terrifying force.

A tarantula as large as a bull.

Venom fangs gleaming bright red.

The deadly venom contained in those fangs was not much weaker than my Neurotoxin.

It sprang into the air.

And I had been waiting for this moment.

*「You use Elementary Elemental Magic: Fire Lv. 4.」

Flames formed around my body.

The spiderwebs that had been as tough as wire burned away in an instant.

The flames spread on their own, beginning to burn the surrounding webs as well.

Boom!

The Crimson Tarantula pounced where I had been a moment earlier.

Dust rose into the air, and sparks scattered.

I had not intended to kill it with such a small amount of fire.

I leaped onto its body and clung to it.

Quickly, I wrapped myself around its narrow waist.

"Kwek, kwek!"

Despite its enormous body, the Crimson Tarantula was incredibly agile.

Which meant it could rampage in every direction with me hanging from it.

Bang! Boom!

It slammed into the bars and crashed against rocks.

It was trying to shake me off.

And given enough time, that attempt would succeed.

I could not suffocate this thing to death with Strangling.

It was even difficult to bite it.

Its fur, hard carapace, and violent movements made my head spin.

I tensed my entire body.

I was planning to use the new skill I had acquired anyway.

*「You use Poison Scales Lv. 2.」

It was a simple skill that secreted venom from my scales.

Before, I would not have been able to use it properly. Snake scales could hardly serve as weapons.

I would have just become a snake that was unpleasant to touch.

But now that I had evolved into a Crystal Double-Horn Python, with crystal-like, sharp scales I could raise, things were different.

Kakakak!

My raised scales finally dug into its body.

It meant the Neurotoxin secreted from my venom glands had been injected into the Crimson Tarantula's body.

"Kwek."

It gradually slowed before finally dying.

Its long legs curled up sharply.

*「You have defeated Crimson Tarantula Lv. 32.」

*「Your level has increased.」

Whew.

It had been a while since my last level-up.

I had not leveled as explosively here as I expected.

My level must have risen quite a lot already.

Spot looked at me, raised its head, and howled.

"Awooooo!"

Did it think it was a wolf? It was not even a canine.

Still, it was not bad if I thought of it as a fanfare celebrating my victory.

I stroked its head with my tail.

Spot panted with its tongue out and wagged its tail.

Let us check my status window.

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【Crystal Double-Horn Python Lv. 10】

【Epithet】 Urooros, Heart-Eating Snake

【Traits】

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

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I was Level 10.

If I had not killed Dashnan, I probably would not have been able to raise my level this easily.

What level would I need to reach for my next evolution?

It was 20 last time, so perhaps I would need to reach around 30 this time.

Then gaining experience in the indoor zoo would definitely be difficult.

I might have to go outside and face stronger monsters.

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【Skills】

[Billy's Horn Lv. 4]: Poison Scales Lv. 2, [Surpassing Horn Lv. 2]

[Heavenly Thunder Decree Lv. 0], [Elementary Elemental Magic: Fire Lv. 4], [Elementary Elemental Magic: Earth Lv. 5], [Elementary Elemental Magic: Water Lv. 2], [Elementary Elemental Magic: Wind Lv. 2], [Magic: Transparent Hand Lv. 2], [Deadly Venom: Neurotoxin Lv. 5], [Predation Lv. 7], [Heart-Eating Leap Lv. 1], [Stealth Lv. 7]

[Venom Resistance Lv. 7], [Bleeding Resistance Lv. 3], [Pain Resistance Lv. 8], [Heat Resistance Lv. 10], [Cold Resistance Lv. 1], [Petrification Resistance Lv. 1], [Lightning Resistance Lv. 4], [Survival Instinct Lv. 6], [Mana Detection Lv. 3], [Acceleration Lv. 5], [Swimming Lv. 1], [Hold Breath Lv. 5], [Slash Lv. 2], [Black Scales Lv. 1], [Taming Lv. 5], [Awkward Swordsmanship Lv. 1]

【Status】

[Smug]

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My skill window had become quite complicated.

It was time to organize it.

The interesting part was the accomplishment section.

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[Guard Captain Slayer], [Friend of Centipedes], [Goblins' True Friend], [Monster Leader]

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I had achieved the accomplishment Monster Leader.

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【Monster Leader】

You have tamed five or more monsters.

Monsters will obey you more readily.

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Hahaha.

This proved that my activities in the indoor zoo had not been pointless.

-You said you wanted to become a Samu-ryong. I do not know what that is, but still.

Pelerian spoke quietly.

'It's Samu-ryeong.'

-Then what is a Samu-ryeong?

There was no need to explain in detail a martial arts novel I had read in middle school.

An absolutely invincible existence that neither heroes, armies, nor even monsters could handle.

Or an intangible venomous snake that a kingdom could not touch even if it put all its strength into it.

In short, I did not want to be chased or threatened by anyone.

-You know that is the realm all villains in the world desire, right? And that achieving it is nearly impossible.

Pelerian said they had dreamed of such a realm too.

They had only wanted to study and hope for the evolution of an entire species, yet the world would not leave them alone.

-There are two ways to reach that realm.

'What are they?'

-One is to gain overwhelming might. Become the greatest mage who can overturn even the heavens. Or become a divine sword that can split the sea.

Or become a gigantic snake that could coil around mountains and raise tsunamis.

-Or form the greatest possible force. Whether it becomes a kingdom or an empire.

'Then it seems you tried the first method, old man.'

And probably failed.

Pelerian nodded.

-Now that I think about it, perhaps the answer was to pursue both.

Forming a force.

Taming the monsters in the indoor zoo had honestly been half a joke.

But the accomplishment, Monster Leader, was clearly recorded in my status window.

'Well, let's keep going deeper for now.'

After killing the Crimson Tarantula, I had practically conquered the indoor zoo.

Only the innermost cage remained.

Leaving Spot behind, I approached it.

The lights were off here.

"You are in there, right? Come out!"

"Sssak!"

I shouted.

There was definitely a monster hiding inside.

But it would not show itself.

Would it be hostile toward me, or would it submit?

I liked either option.

If it would not come out, I would go in myself.

Just as I was about to open the bars, I heard a step.

Step.

Something walked out of the darkness.

It was fairly large.

Perhaps about the same size as the Crimson Tarantula.

Step, step.

But it looked far heavier.

I raised my scales and prepared for battle.

Somehow, it felt like a strong monster.

And strong monsters did not submit easily.

What appeared was a gorilla.

A cool gorilla with carapace growing over both arms.

Just as I held out feed and prepared to force it to choose between two options.

"Snake... snake."

Oh, that startled me so much that I spilled all the feed.

A shocking fact, unlike the other monsters, this one spoke.

Its large eyes shimmered with tears.

"Send me... home."

Uh, this gorilla.

I remembered reading about it in Dashnan's Animal Husbandry Diary.

This is your home, Gorilla.

"Then... my family will repay you."

What would a gorilla do to repay me?

Give me bananas or something?

"You have hands... if you have hands, same kind."

How did it know about Transparent Hand?

The gorilla was a disastrously extreme philanthropist.

"I give love... accept you. Into our family."

A shocking adoption proposal.

No thanks.

Footnotes:

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