The World Serpent

The Sound of Water Dripping over the Rocky Walls echoed. The Moss was clinging to the surroundings Rock Walls. The Ferns gathering from the bottom of each side of the Walls. A Cold breeze blew to the Hall coming from the Surface. And A Light that Illuminated the Hall with its Small Hole leading to the Surface. It was the Hall of the Burrow. The Hall was the center of the Burrow. And the Burrow was recently conquered by a Small White Snake.

Within this Burrow was a Small White Snake peacefully sleeping in the Quiet Burrow. On the rocky surface below the Snake were traces of blood. But the Snake seems to be uninjured. The Small White Snake was a bit bigger than before. Its size was 50cm in length and 1.5cm in diameter.

The Snake was in its slumber until it began moving its body. The Snake was curled up in the center of the Hall. It was in its sleeping position to signify that the Snake was asleep. The Snake's curled-up body moved. The Snake began stretching as it woke up from its slumber.

'Hmm...' It was the only thought within the Snake. The Small White Snake was Persia who just got injured by being hunted by a Predator. It was the darkest night of her life. She might even be scarred for the rest of her life. Or was she? The Answer will appear the moment Persia woke up.

'What happened?' Persia thought to herself as she stretched her body. She rolled around the rocky surface of the Burrow and felt comfortable. She was still sleepy and tipsy, but after a while of thinking. Persia quickly realized what happened. She quickly rose her head and turned her head left and right.

'That night...' Persia got hit by multiple memory distortions about the things that happened last night. When she was hunting creatures, A Predator discovered her. She tried to escape, but she got injured by the Predator's attack. She managed to escape, and fortunately, the Predator didn't eat her. Her Tail got eaten, and her Head got injured by the Predator. With the Memory slowly revealing itself. Persia sighed in relief.

'Fortunately, I survive.' Persia thought to herself as she curled up her body. She remembered the things that happened when she got hunted by a Predator. It was a Scary night for Persia. If it continues to be like this during the night, She might be traumatized by seeing nightfall. She was lucky to have not Completely Brokedown and got ahold of herself.

'My Tail?' Persia realized the fact that her Tail just got eaten by a Predator. She turned her head around to observe the current situation of her body. Persia was surprised at what she saw. Her body got healed, and her Tail that got cut off grew back. It was a complete miracle.

'It's still here... I even grew in size. I wonder what happened?' She was curious about what happened during her slumber. She got lucky that the Predator didn't forcibly enter her Burrow. Persia had many theories about the Heal, but the notifications might give her clues about the situation.

Opening the Notification Window. Persia began reading the Notifications that she didn't see as she was out during the night. It took a while of reading, and Persia finally realized what happened. She was surprised, but it was a piece of great news for Persia. It could also increase her survivability.

'I leveled up? Is this how I got healed? a Healing Effect after leveling up.' Persia was amazed at this fact. She didn't know about the Healing Effect as she was too cautious and didn't manage to get injured. It was the first time she got injured, and it was fatal. Without the Level Up, Persia might have died.

'This is good.' Persia thought to herself with a satisfied expression plastered on her snake face. The Heal after Leveling Up would make her reckless during hunting. It would mean that even if she gets fatally injured. She could Level Up and increase her Level again. It would be a Painful way to get to the Top of the Food Chain, but it was the fastest, and it was also efficient.

'My Pit Organ is healed, My Head is healed, My Body is healed, and Even My Tail grew back.' Persia was really thankful for her current situation. She wouldn't have taken it well without the healing effect. She might even go crazy from the fact that her body got scarred for life. She also noticed many other things in her notifications.

'My Resistance Skills evolved...' Persia thought to herself as she looked at the notification. During the hunting situation between her and the Predator. She recently gained a Skill called Pain Resistance. It would help resist pain which means that she could think clearly even if she was injured. It was a practical and useful skill.

'Superior Fear Resistance and Superior Anxiousness Resistance... I wonder what comes after this.' Persia was curious about what comes after Superior. She already noticed the ranking of her Skills. The First was Inferior, The Second was Mortal, and The Third was Superior. What comes after it will be shown in the future.

'The Fear and Anxiousness Resistance is useful. No matter how I forced myself to think of my possible future. I don't get the Fear and Anxiousness that I would typically gain.' Persia thought to herself. Her Fear and Anxiousness Resistance was the highest Skill she got. They were the strongest skills for her current situation in the wilderness.

'Let's open my Status.' After looking at her Notification Window. Persia opened her Status and saw 10 Points waiting to be spent. She would clearly use this on her attributes for now. She needed to get her body stronger by using her attributes. Persia was curious if she could have a Status where only her Attributes would be notified. A notification echoed deep within her mind after such a thought.

――――――――――――――――

┃Attributes┃

[Strength: 7->10]-[Vitality: 11->14]

[Defense: 6->9]-[Agility: 34->37]

[Speed: 22->25]-[Coordination: 16->19]

[Wisdom: 16->19]-[Intelligence: 107]

[Charisma: 8->11]-[Perception: 10->13]

[Senses: 9->12]-[Stealth: 105]

――――――――――――――――

'It seems that my Attributes grew by 3.' Persia thought as she stared at the Attribute Window. Persia was right about the given attributes after Level Up. The Attributes gained from Level Up were 1, 2, and 3. Possibly the next one will be 4. It was Fairly Simple, and the theory of Persia got proven by the Third Level Up. It would be logical to assume that she would gain 4 Attributes if she Leveled Up.

'My Stealth and Intelligence didn't grow.' Persia expected this as the Attribute Intelligence and Stealth were the only ones over the 100s threshold. They wouldn't be affected by the Attribute Growth during early levels. She knew that something above the 100s was Powerful and Strong. She also had a Theory about the Human Sentience, which was 100 Attributes in Intelligence. She had no proof, so Persia wasn't planning on crossing that line of thinking.

'*Sigh* I don't have time to be investigating Human Sentience.' Persia shook her head. She didn't have the resources and time to proceed which such thinking. If that's how it works, then it would be a surprise. But it won't give Persia anything other than that fact. She didn't even know if Humans exist in this world.

'Anyway, What Attributes do I choose?' Persia thought to herself while staring at the Attribute Window. She would clearly pick attributes first before her skills. Persia stared at the Attributes and focused on Agility, Speed, and Coordination. It was these attributes that save her. But there were more.

'Even though I could be fast. It would be a good idea to make my body stronger.' Persia knew that she needed the endurance to survive being hunted by a Predator. She was even lucky to have entered the Burrow's Entrance without her body breaking down into pieces. The only things holding her together during that time were her Resistances.

'Physique would be a good choice. It seems that I have to divide the Points for Physique and Dexterity. The Other Attributes would come later. This is still the early game after all.' Persia nodded in satisfaction with the attributes she had chosen. It was a Good Choice to be fast, strong, and durable. The Two attributes were the things she needed to survive in the wild.

'Allocate 5 Points to Physique and 5 Points to Dexterity.' Persia thought to herself. Her Body shone as she invested all of her points to Attributes. She felt the change in her body. Her Body slowly got warmer during the process, and it was pure euphoria. It was a strange feeling, and Persia didn't want to be affected by it.

[5 Points allocated to Physique...]

[5 Points in Physique converted into 15 Strength, 25 Vitality, and 10 Defense.]

[Strength: 10->25]-[Vitality: 14->39]-[Defense: 9->19]

[5 Points allocated to Dexterity...]

[5 Points in Dexterity converted into 25 Agility, 15 Speed, and 10 Coordination.]

[Agility: 37->62]-[Speed: 25->40]-[Coordination: 19->29]

'Wow, I never felt this stronger.' Persia thought to herself with excitement. Although she was nothing compared to other creatures. She was still proud and excited about her current attributes. Persia turned her head upwards and noticed the light coming from the small hole.

'It seems that the night has passed... It's time for my next hunt.' Persia wasn't going to give up. She would still no matter how the world stops her. She will get Stronger and Bigger. She would fully adapt to this world no matter what the cost. She will never give up even if the boundaries between Her Monstrosity and Her Humanity become Dim.

'Let's leave.' It was time for Persia to leave the Burrow for her next hunt. She moved her body and slithered towards the exit of the Burrow. It took a while, but she was about to leave the Burrow. It seems okay, and the Predator didn't try to force itself in the entrance. She expected this and was still trying to see the confirmation.

She slowly slithered to exit the Burrow. The Sunlight shone through her face and all over her body. She felt peaceful at one moment, but it was the time of her next hunt. The Wild was never about Morals. If Persia wanted to survive, She must respect the rules of the Wild. To Respect the Rules of the Wild, She would have to be her True Self and Embraced Freedom.

'This is really a good day to adapt with the Rules of the Forest.' Persia thought to herself while looking around the beautiful forest. To think that during the night, she thought of this forest as some Hell. She stared upward with her head. She saw the Blue Sky with birds flying on echelons. The White Fluffy Clouds passed through the Sky.

She also felt a Warm and Cold Breeze early in the morning. It was really a good day for Persia.

The Creatures were moving everywhere, From Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Amphibians, and Insects. They were observable Everywhere, and they have their perfect ecosystem for the Forest to thrive. But such an Ecosystem will be broken sooner or later by the Serpent.

'The Predator that tried to eat me.' Persia remembered the Predator that tried to eat her. The Predator seems to have disappeared, but Persia was sure that it was still alive. It was roaming in the Forest, having fun with its life. With the Predator in mind, A thought passed through Persia.

'The Moment I get stronger... I will let you suffer the same fate. I am, after all, a Vengeful Creature.' It seems that Persia learned something during her near-death experience. The First Time she had a grudge against some animal. The Monstrosity inside of Persia was growing larger and larger by the day.

Would she able to keep her humanity? Or Will she became her True Self?