WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 8: Aah! It's a Flying Snake!

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Hup, haap, hup.

There was a way to enjoy food more.

Stuff as much of it into your mouth as possible.

Think of a huge lettuce wrap filling your entire mouth. You chewed and swallowed a wrap so big it was almost hard to chew, then chugged cola while your throat felt slightly clogged. Nothing could be more satisfying.

It was the same now that I was a snake.

I could tear meat apart with my teeth, but swallowing it whole was better. Maybe it was an instinct that came with being a snake. Besides, it was safer to gulp down prey and move on than to leisurely tear meat apart out here in the wild.

After swallowing the rabbit whole, I rested in the bushes.

It wasn't just for digestion.

Ugh, I'm dizzy.

After using Billy's Horn a few times, I was starting to get a feel for it. I hadn't noticed much when borrowing other skills, but this one clearly consumed something.

At first, it felt as though all the strength had drained out of me.

Borrowing another monster's skills was incredibly useful, so naturally there had to be a cost. I wasn't sure whether it consumed Mental Strength or some sort of mana I might possess.

The only way to replenish that something was to eat another monster and rest.

Still, Billy's Horn had leveled up, yet my own level hadn't.

Was that dangerous rabbit really not a worthy opponent for me?

Just look at those front teeth. It was terrifying. This was too harsh.

Well, I supposed it was time to aim for something stronger than a rabbit anyway.

I slowly slithered onward.

While hunting, I gained one important skill.

*「Stealth proficiency increases.」

The centipede couple had possessed this skill too.

A skill every cool snake like me absolutely needed to learn.

It was essential for quietly approaching prey.

The sounds I made while pushing through the brush became noticeably quieter. After moving like that for a while, I suddenly stopped.

Up ahead was a sunny clearing.

Sunlight poured down from the blue sky, unobstructed by leaves. It looked like the kind of sunshine that would feel nice to bask in.

I wasn't the only one who thought so. There was already someone there.

A lizard about my size.

I narrowed my eyes to examine it.

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【Longtail Gecko lv7】

【Traits】

[Scales]

【Skills】

[Tear Apart lv7], [Wall Climb lv2], [Tail Swing lv10]

【Status】

[Thermoregulation]

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Tail Swing!

It was a level 10 skill, something rarely seen on weak monsters.

True to its name, its tail was long. At the end was something covered in sharp spikes, like a mace.

It seemed to fight by swinging that thing around.

It was definitely one of the stronger monsters I had encountered so far.

This looked like a fight worth having.

The creature was regulating its body temperature in the sunlight. Its eyes were gently closed, and it looked extremely content.

...Hmm, I really want that Tail Swing.

I had a tail too. It would be pretty nice if I could fight while smacking things with it.

The skill I had currently borrowed was Leap, which I got from the rabbit.

Should I borrow Tail Swing instead?

From what I had figured out, borrowing higher-level skills was more advantageous. Borrowing a level 3 skill gave me a level 1 version, while borrowing a level 6 skill gave me a level 2 version.

And that Tail Swing was a delicious-looking level 10.

After considering it for a moment, I made up my mind.

Let's not borrow it.

I was short on mana. A little rest probably hadn't restored it completely. Maybe I wasn't short on mana, but there was no way to check for sure, so it was better to be cautious.

Besides, Leap was more useful than Tail Swing for an ambush.

I could hide here, coil up, spring out, bite that thing in the side once, then run away.

I coiled my entire body.

Then I stretched out and launched myself into the air.

Thud!

A true flying snake.

The Longtail Gecko basking in the sun didn't even notice my leap.

Then, just as I was about to bite it, something fell from the sky.

That was the only way to describe it.

Bang!

A thunderous sound, like a gunshot, rang out.

Nothing remained where the Longtail Gecko had been.

I landed pointlessly.

I looked around, but the lizard was nowhere to be seen. Only a bloodstain remained where it had been.

A moment later, the Longtail Gecko fell from the sky.

Thump!

It must have fallen from a great height, because its neck was bent at an awful angle.

The Longtail Gecko had been smashed to pulp.

It looked delicious.

I heard birdsong.

When I looked up, a bird was perched on a large tree in front of me.

It hadn't been there a moment ago.

An animal was most vulnerable when it hunted another animal. Since I knew that, I had carefully checked my surroundings before leaping.

Where had that bird come from?

It was large enough to snatch up a Longtail Gecko and fly away with it. Its eyes were fierce, and its feathers were bright red. Its large yellow beak was sharply hooked at the tip, making it obvious that it was a raptor that tore meat apart.

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【Galloper Hawk lv9】

【Traits】

[Raptor]

【Skills】

[Flight lv7], [Acceleration lv5], [Peck lv4], [Talons lv3], [Silence lv2]

【Status】

[Curious]

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So you're my real enemy.

It was common sense that birds of prey were a snake's natural enemy.

That thing looked dangerous.

A bird soaring through the sky and a snake crawling along the ground had terrible compatibility.

It had stolen my prey, but I would forgive it this once.

I slowly backed away.

It would have been nice if it had let me go.

Instead, it seemed arrogantly curious about me. It spread its wings wide and slowly rose into the air.

Danger.

Survival Instinct screamed at me, and I quickly slithered toward the bushes.

Then a powerful pain struck my back.

Bang!

I finally understood how it made that gunshot-like sound.

Its flying speed was no joke.

It suddenly accelerated and slammed its talons into its prey.

My vision spun.

Was it trying to drop me from a height like that poor lizard?

No, that wasn't it.

I had only bounced away from the impact, then landed back on the ground.

When I turned my head, the Galloper Hawk was calmly perched on a tree with its wings folded.

Blood streamed down my back where its talons had struck.

What was that?

It could have dealt a fatal wound, so why had it backed off?

Had it noticed how dangerous my fangs were?

The creature took off again.

I wouldn't be hit this time.

I used the Leap I had borrowed from the rabbit.

Damn it, I can't dodge it.

Bang!

This time, terrible pain raked across my stomach.

It was an attack so fast that it would have been hard to avoid even at full strength, but my body was even heavier with a whole rabbit in my belly.

If only I had...

No, it was too late for regrets.

I had carefully watched my surroundings, yet I hadn't even noticed the bird's presence in the first place.

I thought I might die this time, but it once again perched on a branch.

What should I do?

If I could bite it just once, I could poison it and win.

But crawling along the ground, I would never get an opportunity like that.

Thump!

It struck me again.

The wound wasn't serious, but I would die at this rate.

Why did that bastard keep doing this?

I soon found out.

It began flapping its wings and laughing.

“Caw-kak, caw-caw!”

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【Galloper Hawk lv9】

......

【Status】

[Enjoyment]

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That fucking bastard!

It had been playing with me.

Fury surged through me.

Fine, so it thinks I'm a joke.

Let's see if it can keep cawing like that from inside my stomach.

Did they say animals were most careless when hunting prey?

No.

They were most careless when playing with toys.

That thing was looking down on me completely.

This was my chance.

I couldn't leap that high with the borrowed Leap lv1.

But I had a secret weapon.

I would borrow its Flight lv7.

Was I a genius?

My body practically trembled at the flexibility of my thinking.

*「This skill cannot be borrowed due to your species traits.」

Mm, no can do~

I could borrow Leap because snakes could jump. I could borrow Carapace because I had scales too.

But Flight was different.

I didn't even have wings, let alone arms and legs. How could I fly?

...Damn it. I had hoped otherwise, but it seemed skills had limits too.

Still, I wasn't an idiot.

If I couldn't borrow Flight, I would borrow Acceleration lv5.

That bird's ridiculously fast flight speed was probably affected by Acceleration. If I combined it with Quick Crawling, I could hide beneath the trees.

I wouldn't be able to take revenge, but surviving was enough.

Then it happened.

*「Due to the trait 'Relentless Growth,' your development is not restricted.」

What?

*「You borrow Flight lv7. You temporarily gain Flight lv2.」

What was going on?

Potential 20, I knew I could count on you!

I had gained Relentless Growth by setting my Potential stat to 20.

Unlike Indomitable, whose effects I had roughly figured out, I hadn't known what Relentless Growth did. Only now could I see its true worth.

Potential meant the possibility of growth.

I could learn things I normally couldn't learn.

*「You use Flight lv2.」

That meant I had become a real flying snake.

My body floated up.

Then I shot through the air at a fairly fast speed.

The ground rapidly fell away beneath me.

This was fucking terrifying.

I was headed straight for the Galloper Hawk perched on the tree.

The bird that had been cawing with laughter seemed horrified by what was happening. It belatedly flapped its wings, but even then, I was already closing in.

I was flying, but I had no wings.

I couldn't control my direction or speed.

I was simply flying in the direction I had initially headed.

The bird panicked and flapped its wings, but I stretched out my coiled body.

Crunch!

I bit it!

I clearly felt my fangs sink into the base of its wing.

My poison glands tightened, and the creature thrashed wildly.

I wrapped its body tightly with mine.

Trying to escape was useless.

I tensed my body and constricted it.

No matter that it was a bird, it couldn't fly with its wings bound.

We crashed to the ground together.

Boom!

Stars flashed before my eyes.

I nearly lost all strength after slamming my head into the ground, but I desperately held on to consciousness.

Its struggling gradually weakened.

It cawed a few more times before finally dying.

*「Your level has increased.」

The hunt was a success.

Heh heh, that hurt like hell.

This time, I checked the area without letting my guard down.

Fortunately, there were no other monsters looking to swoop in and take a share.

I let out a sigh.

The feeling of flying was really...

Terrible.

They called it flight, but it was no different from being blown around by the wind.

I couldn't control my direction at all.

If I hadn't managed to latch onto that thing, I might have flown off alone, fallen, and died from the impact.

Snakes seemed better suited to crawling on the ground than flying through the air.

Who knew? If I got used to it someday, I might be able to make use of it.

Billy's Horn could only borrow one skill at a time, though, so that would probably take a long time.

I looked at the two monsters that were now my dinner.

Either one would make for a filling meal.

The sun would set soon. Should I head back?

* * *

I swallowed the Longtail Gecko whole.

It felt like I could go several days without eating.

So what did I do with the Galloper Hawk?

I carried it all the way back to my nest in my mouth.

It would be great if I had something like a bag. At least the bird was light.

I hadn't brought it back to store it like a packed lunch.

I wanted to share the prey with the kind centipede couple.

I had torn open its stomach to see whether it had a Magic Stone, but they would still be happy enough with it.

I had brought it back with such warm intentions.

Then I saw something horrifying.

The centipede couple was together beneath the sunset.

They weren't leisurely enjoying the sunset.

They were embracing each other.

Their bodies were completely intertwined and wriggling. It was obvious what they were doing.

They're having sex.

Out in the open, shamelessly!

I thought they were good neighbors, but this was too much.

I opened my mouth in shock, and the Galloper Hawk dropped with a thud.

Startled by the sound, the centipede couple sprang apart.

Yes, of course they were embarrassed. They should be.

But it seemed I had misunderstood everything.

They hadn't been making love.

They were cradling something.

An egg?

No, it didn't seem to be an egg.

It was a round, black, glossy lump.

The husband carefully held the round sphere against his body.

Then something occurred to me.

In martial arts novels, spiritual creatures like centipedes always carried something with them.

An inner core?

Was that an inner core?

The kind the protagonist ate to raise their realm?

I focused my eyes and used Insight.

【Inner Core: In Production】

It really was an inner core.

Footnotes:

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