WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 63: Beam

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Hailit Langrey smiled brightly and said,

“Peel off a little skin for me. I think it'd make nice arm warmers.”

That was exactly what I'd been afraid of, and I trembled.

Wasn't she a terrifying human?

She didn't look particularly strong, but she had to be incredibly powerful.

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【Hailit Langrey Lv. ???】

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I couldn't see her status window.

That woman had already saved Father and Big Eyes, offered to bring me to Silverback Akims, and offered to kill that monkey for me.

It was hard for me to refuse.

What if she really asked to peel off my skin?

Arm warmers would be impossible, but maybe I could compromise and give her enough for one ankle sock.

Yes, let's do that.

Everything was for the greater good.

I waited for her request with dignity.

"Just pull out a few scales. Two or three, no... five?"

‘...’

"...Four?"

I conveyed my intentions through Gorilla.

"Ten... I'll give you ten."

Hailit's face brightened.

"That should be enough to make a necklace, too."

Before she could change her mind, I hurriedly let her pull out my scales.

It stung a little and even drew blood, but it was a cheap price to pay.

"I've never really thought about making accessories, but I could do it like this."

She seemed very pleased with my scales.

Well, I'd evolved into a Crystal Double-Horn Python. In a sense, my scales weren't much different from jewels.

Maybe this would teach her that she could obtain monster byproducts without killing the monster.

All I could hope was that this poacher would turn over a new leaf because of it.

No matter how cruel Hailit Langrey had been to monsters until now, she'd been a great help to me.

She was helping me again now.

I was perched on her shoulder in a posture similar to when I'd clung to Nanaruk's shoulder, but the ride was incredible.

Fwoooosh-

She sprinted faster than a track athlete.

The surprising part was that we weren't on a track, but in a forest littered with monster corpses.

Still, there wasn't the slightest jolt. All I could hear was the wind.

Did she have great suspension or something?

"Just wait a little longer! We're almost there. This is so strange, running around with a monster on my shoulder. There really is everything in this world."

When she'd been sobbing earlier, she'd seemed like a crazy woman. She was more easygoing than I'd expected.

"Ah, it's embarrassing that I cried for no reason. Forget about it. You're a monster, so it's not like rumors will spread."

For someone who thought that way, she kept muttering as though she wanted to have a conversation with me.

"What species are you? Are you related to Crystal Lizards?"

‘I'm a Crystal Double-Horn Python.’

I played along a little.

"Your father looked incredibly cool, too. He could speak, so he must be a high-ranking species with great intelligence. Why can't you talk?"

‘My level's still low, that's all.’

"If you evolve a few more times, you'll be able to speak, too. If we ever meet again, tell me you're that little snake from before. You should definitely say it in advance."

‘I'll keep that in mind.’

My appearance changed whenever I evolved.

What would happen if I didn't tell her beforehand?

Besides, evolving didn't necessarily mean I'd be able to speak.

I decided to avoid ever meeting this woman again somehow.

Should I check my status for a moment while I recovered my stamina?

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【Crystal Double-Horn Python Lv. 30+】

【Epithet】Urooros, Heart-Eating Snake

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My level had reached its limit.

That meant I could evolve now.

As soon as this was over, I'd evolve right away.

What would I evolve into next?

Could I finally become a Serpent this time?

Honestly, that still seemed unlikely.

The only Serpents I'd seen were Father and Mother.

Father was a Polaris Serpent, and even Mother, a Medusa Serpent, seemed stronger than I was now.

By the evolution after next, I definitely wanted to become a Serpent.

While I was thinking about that, Hailit reached the roots.

Now that we were closer, I could see there were still plenty of monkeys left.

Insect King Riokk had died, the Human-Faced Spider had died, and Centipede Mom had withdrawn. The Insect Legion had fallen apart.

It seemed the monkeys had managed to defeat the remaining insects.

They clustered around the roots as though guarding them.

The monkeys gave Hailit and me wary looks.

It appeared that only Silverback Akims had climbed the roots.

Had Akims gone up alone because they were afraid their subordinates would covet the fruit?

What a greedy monkey.

Hailit stopped some distance away.

‘Don't we have to force our way through?’

I asked, but of course no answer came.

Instead, she took off her backpack.

"There's no need to deal with those weaklings. We need to get up there quickly."

For a second, I thought she'd understood me.

What she pulled from the bag was a long, curved rod.

Yet it just kept coming out.

Pelerian recognized it.

-It's a subspace backpack.

‘Oh.’

It had to be a Magic Tool.

‘Why carry around an inconvenient backpack? Doesn't she have something like a subspace ring?’

-Foolish snake. Do you think accessories imbued with Spatial Storage Magic are common items?

Pelerian spoke in a tone that made it impossible to tell whether they were boasting or scolding.

Come to think of it, I still had to retrieve the Invisible Cloak the Gnome probably possessed.

No, this wasn't the time to worry about that.

-A greatbow.

The rod I'd mistaken for a stick was a bow. A massive greatbow.

It gleamed black, so perhaps it had been made from a monster's horn.

She planted the bow in the ground and pushed down on it with all her strength.

Creak!

After stringing it, she plucked the bowstring.

She also took an arrow from her backpack.

It was an iron arrow so large that, at first glance, it looked more like a thin spear.

She raised the greatbow and aimed upward.

Creeeak, creak.

The bowstring groaned ominously as she drew it back.

Her strength really was no joke.

Twannng!

The arrow shot off with a whistle.

It didn't seem to hit Akims, but Hailit grinned.

"Let's climb up with this."

With the bow?

How?

Her method was even more extreme than I'd imagined.

* * *

"Uwooo!"

Silverback Akims let out a thunderous roar.

Their white teeth were sharp.

Those teeth tore into an enemy, into a Guardian's neck.

Crack, craaack!

The sound of the Guardian's neck being torn apart rang out horribly.

No hot blood gushed out.

The Guardians protecting the Radiant Fruit were Trents.

They were monsters whose bodies were made of wood.

That didn't mean they were slow or gentle creatures.

Each looked different, and they were extremely aggressive.

Just like now.

Though its neck had been torn apart, the Trent's body was still alive and moving.

It struck Akims with arms as sharp as thorns.

Thud, smack!

Akims spat blood.

Climbing the roots alone wasn't easy.

They struggled with all their might and tore off the Trent's arm.

Crack!

Then they stomped on it.

Bang, bang. They tore apart and dug through the trunk.

"Huff, huff!"

A trickle of blood ran from Akims's mouth. They wiped it away with an arm.

Akims was exhausted. They'd also been injured.

Yet a clear smile spread across their face.

"D-Done."

Their old enemy Insect King Riokk had been driven mad by the hunger before their eyes and hadn't even thought to climb the tree.

Akims had glimpsed Insect King Riokk dying while fighting the snakes they'd been worried about.

They'd also dealt with every Guardian that had tried to stop them from climbing the roots.

"The Radiant... Fruit."

The fruit was visible up there.

The Radiant Fruit resembled an apple.

A golden apple gleaming with brilliant light.

The scent wafting from it was enough to make Akims's head spin.

The fruit would soon be in their hands.

If they bit into that sweet flesh, Akims would become stronger.

They would reach a higher realm.

Their body could no longer evolve, but they could break through that wall and evolve once more.

Instinctively, Akims knew.

The World Tree had given them a chance.

Akims walked slowly.

Not because they were relaxed, but because they were struggling.

Their fur suddenly flared up.

Turning their head was an instinctive movement.

Whoosh!

An iron arrow passed through the spot where Akims's head had been.

Their earlobe was torn open.

Clutching their bleeding ear, Akims quickly turned around.

An arrow was a weapon.

Then who had fired it?

Were there elves or humans here?

Or perhaps that Gnome who always hid?

They didn't know, but the danger wasn't over.

The arrow had clearly flown high into the sky, yet killing intent came from behind them.

Akims twisted their body to evade it, but...

Thud!

The iron arrow lodged in their right shoulder blade.

The arrow had returned as if it were alive.

Akims tried to pull it out, but it wasn't easy.

There was a barb on the shaft.

It was an arrow made with its creator's malice.

If they forcibly pulled it out, there would be massive bleeding.

Then another arrow was fired.

Akims moved cautiously, but the arrow flew past them.

Thwack!

The arrow embedded itself deep in a section of the roots stretching upward.

A wire made of twisted metal was attached to its shaft.

No one could blame Akims for failing to immediately realize what the wire was for.

The fact that a monster knew what an arrow was in the first place was extraordinary.

Not long afterward, a human climbed up the wire.

She moved so fast that she practically flew.

Akims's attention was drawn away from the human and toward the monster sitting on her shoulder.

"Snake!"

Then that snake leaped at Akims.

* * *

Chimpanzee, you thought you'd won.

You hadn't!

My condition wasn't particularly good either.

But the chimpanzee's condition was much worse.

*「You use Heart-Eating Leap Lv. 2.」

I aimed for their right shoulder blade.

The spot where the arrow was embedded.

The chimpanzee swung a hand to block me, but the wound must have stung because they staggered.

Thanks to that, I succeeded in biting their shoulder.

Squeeze.

All the Neurotoxin remaining in my venom glands was injected at once.

"Kuheong!"

They roared as if they thought they were a tiger.

My Deadly Venom could bring down even a large monster in an instant, but Akims didn't collapse.

Instead, they grabbed my body tightly with their intact left arm.

They raised that hand as though they intended to slam me into the ground.

I'd expected this much.

*「You use Heavenly Thunder Decree Lv. 1.」

The greatest advantage of Heavenly Thunder Decree was that it was an instant-cast skill.

The disadvantage was that I was also harmed by it.

Still, even that monstrous chimpanzee should have had less Heat Resistance and Lightning Resistance than me.

Crack!

The chimpanzee's eyes rolled back until they were completely white.

Now all I had to do was escape their grip.

But there was something I'd overlooked.

When electrocuted, muscles contracted.

The chimpanzee's grip, already tight around me, grew even stronger.

It hurt enough to make me want to scream.

"Urk."

On top of that, Akims finally came to their senses.

Just as they were about to smash me into the ground like the Hulk...

Slice!

Akims's wrist was cut off while they still held me.

Hailit had joined the fight with a long glaive in hand.

"Uwaaaaaah!"

Blood sprayed like a fountain from Akims's wrist.

They had some spirit, at least.

Even in that state, they charged Hailit and tried to kick her.

Their fur sharpened like thorns, and metal rang when their foot collided with her blade.

"Just die already!"

Hailit wasn't pushed back in the slightest.

She wielded the curved blade as easily as if it were another limb.

I was about to join her, but I turned my head.

The wire we'd used to climb up.

Monkeys were climbing after us along it.

"Ookii, eek!"

"Kiiiik!"

They'd come to help their leader.

I couldn't let them.

I climbed the roots and approached the iron arrow connected to the wire.

*「You use Slash Lv. 3.」

I couldn't cut through the iron arrow, but...

Clang!

I could pull out the arrow that was already supporting their weight.

"Ookiiiiik!"

The monkeys that had nearly made it all the way up fell at once.

Naturally, they tangled together and smashed into the ground below.

*「You absorb Magical Essence.」

*「You share Magical Essence.」

My level didn't rise any further, but I received quite a generous amount of Magical Essence.

Maybe making all those primates fall to their deaths had helped Hailit a little.

"Kuaaaaaah!"

In the meantime, Akims finally lost both hands.

That was when they shoved Hailit away with their body.

Hailit, whose bravery until then had been impressive, was sent flying and rolled across the roots.

Akims, who seemed to have gained the upper hand for a moment, immediately ran.

No, they were fleeing.

They leaped down beneath the roots.

"N-No, don't!"

Hailit screamed.

She'd been ready to give up on the snake and go after the Silver Monkey hide.

But her prey escaped right before her eyes.

I hurried over and looked down.

‘It's alive!’

What an absurdly sturdy body.

Akims had also jumped down onto a pile of other monkey corpses, using them as a cushion.

They were limping as though they'd sprained a leg, but they were still running away.

‘Shoot them with an arrow, idiot!’

I pointed at the arrows with my tail, urging Hailit on.

She hurriedly took out her bow and tried to string it, but her face went pale as she muttered,

"Ah, my arm's broken..."

Hailit's wrist was badly swollen.

Had she injured it when Akims crashed into her earlier?

Humans really were pitifully frail creatures.

I'd thought Hailit might be a hero like Gunter, but apparently she wasn't on that level.

-We can't let them get away.

Akims was quite fast, even while limping.

We absolutely couldn't let them escape.

That crafty monkey would keep bothering me to the end, like a boil on my backside.

The long-range skills I had...

None.

My magic couldn't reach that far.

"I have to go down."

Hailit began climbing down the roots.

But there were still monkeys below.

Whatever Akims had ordered, they didn't flee. They stayed in place to stop Hailit.

I kept staring at Akims.

-What are you doing, just standing there with your mouth wide open?

‘Be quiet. I'm concentrating.’

Right.

There was a skill Father had possessed that I hadn't been able to fully learn.

Now that I thought about it, it was a skill I could learn well enough.

Father had it too, after all.

-Y-You're not trying that, are you?!

Pelerian was startled and started to say something, then fell silent.

They were being considerate so I could concentrate.

So I did.

I'd been told to gather Mana in my mouth and release it as if I were spitting it out.

I scraped together every last bit of Mana I had left.

Gathering it at a single point in front of my mouth.

Yes, like when I manifested Transparent Hand.

More.

Stronger.

-Ohhh...

Pelerian let out an exclamation.

A cluster of light began gathering in my mouth.

*「The trait ‘Relentless Growth’ removes restrictions on learning skills.」

Would it work?

Was it working?

I focused until the end.

Yes, as though I were spewing out Mana...

"Ugh."

At the very moment I truly felt like vomiting, a beam shot from my mouth.

Piiing-!

The beam struck Akims in the thigh.

It didn't pierce their tough flesh, but it left a wound as though they'd been struck by a full-force finger thrust.

Akims screamed and collapsed face-first.

Hailit, who'd been chasing them, gave me a thumbs-up.

-You did it!

Yes, yes. Amazingly, it was true.

I'd brilliantly managed to learn it by myself.

A skill that could be called an essential quality of a great monster.

Destruction Beam.

*「You have acquired Beam Lv. 1.」

...Just Beam!

Hailit Langrey finally reached Akims and cut off their head in a single stroke.

Either way.

The Radiant Fruit was ours now.

Footnotes:

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