The Darwin Snake [Tensura x Multi-Anime]

[Azathras Salv.]

The Beginning​

Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.

Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely. Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.

Also, this is gonna be a dark story. It may not be as dark as some you might find on this platform, but be warned nonetheless. This is not for the weak.

Yo, I am expanding on this site and it can take some time to completely copy paste the story here, so go read it on my QQ Page, or wait some minutes.

---

I look around in boredom, sipping the tea from my cup. The dark sky, high buildings, and all the people and cars passing by frantically. I can't see anything else interesting, other than the enraged expressions of everyone passing by.

Through the hazy window of this run-down cafe, not much is visible. Time had indeed changed this place. I remember working here some years ago, serving everyone who came and watching them eat.

Now, this place is being shut down. A new building will take its place.

I go back to watching the cracked and webbed walls listlessly.

I am Carlos Linkin.

I was born into an impoverished family. We didn't have much money, but at least we were happy with what we had. My parents didn't even have enough money for me. All my requests to Santa asking for a sibling were left unanswered.

My father, Kisuke Linkin, was a construction worker. Working hard every day for his family. He was a Japanese-American. He always used to tell me about how beautiful his mom and Japan were. I never got to see any of them.

My mother, Sera Linkin, was a traditional woman. My dad loved that about her, he said it reminded him of his mom. She stayed at home and took care of me, both due to her nature and her weak body.

My mother suffered from an unknown disease.

We never knew what it was. Hospitals charged a shit ton for their tests and all the money my father managed to earn was spent on my education and running the house.

It was only in the far future that I came to know it was cancer.

They wanted me to become a Doctor, so I could cure my mother. How foolish those dreams look now that I know the truth.

But before I was even into my teenage years, I lost her.

I still remember that day when I opened the door only to see her lying down in a pool of her own blood. I didn't know what to do. I just froze.

I still wish that I had done something. Anything.

Maybe she would have still been with me if I was not so scared. Dad wouldn't have turned into an alcoholic if I had called for an ambulance that day.

We all would have lived happily if not for my fear. Alas, it's all in the past.

I was devastated at that time. I had cried for what amounted to 1 month.

Dad and I were left alone in our house. He wanted to cry and grief for his wife too, but he had to still take care for me.

He bottled up his feelings and got back to work in 2 days. Despite all this, he still loved and cared for me. Even while broken, he was a great father.

He worked harder to forget mom, but he never got over her. I knew cause I sometimes woke up at night to hear his sobs.

He tried to make me happy. He tried to fulfil my every wish. But he still couldn't bring back mom nor could he stop drinking. No matter how much I pleaded.

This type of life affected him greatly. He turned to alcohol to relieve his pain and sorrow. His co-workers encouraged him to drink more, saying things like, "It would drown your sorrows".

It didn't. Instead, he was found dead in a river after 4 years. Apparently, it was a mugging gone wrong.

The one guilty was found soon due to being irresponsible. The murderer was sentenced to a hefty 37 years of jail time.

I grew up from the age of 10 with no mother and was completely orphaned at 14. Living alone in a small dirty house. I had no relative that could take care of me, and no neighbour wanted to get involved.

The only source of income I had was some small chores I did around the town. No one wanted to hire a fourteen years old kid, but luckily I looked older than my peers. These chores earnt me just enough to not die of starvation.

Some would say that I should've just killed myself, relieving myself from the pain of living this hopeless life. They would be partially correct. I once shot myself. Or atleast tried to.

Father had a gun, a simple pistol. Mom and I knew about his love for weapons. Truly American of him.

Despite our requests for him to explore his interests, he remained adamant about prioritising us over himself.

A year later, on the day my father died, I had decided to use my his gun to end it all. It had 6 bullets. And one of them would have claimed my life that day, if not for my cowardice.

I had aimed for my head but due to fear, I missed.

It was a close call, the bullet missed me by 2-3 inches. The bullet has lodged itself into the wall instead of my head.

I didn't die.

After this realisation hit me, I had laughed hysterically.

Laughed at my own weakness. I had questioned myself. Why did I want to still cling to this life? Memories with my family had resurfaced, throwing me down the lane of nostalgia. I had already lost them. At that time, I was upset. Upset over my fate, thinking that I was cursed by the heavens.

It must have been those TV Dramas mom made me watch with her, fucking with my mind.

I had made up my mind then.

I was out for the blood of those who were the cause of my mom's death.

I would avenge her and father's death… Or so I would like to say. But there was no one to blame. This fact settled in after I got down from the high pedestal I was putting myself on.

I was confused and was suffering from God knows how many psychological conditions.

That day if someone had entered my house, they would have witnessed a very interesting scene. A child holding a gun, looking confused as fuck, and alternating his expressions between laughing and crying.

In this confusion, I had taken the rational path of finding people who shared the same fate as me. I wanted people who could sympathize with me.

I also held out hope that maybe doing this would lead me to some enlightenment on what to do next.

I had thought, it would be hard to find them. It's not like families are destroy led by the death of a person on a daily basis. Right?

Within weeks, I had found 13 people who were in the same conditions. To say the least, I was baffled at that time.

This had made me question whether there was a reason behind so many of these seemingly different cases. A reason behind this suffering.

I still don't know how, but my mind recovered from that haze of destructive thoughts and chose reasoning over being emotional.

I asked everyone I met about what they think is the cause, and their answers varied in terms of complexity.

I pieced together the simple and complex answers to the question, and arrived at the common object in all the responses I got from everyone.

It was money. Or the lack thereof.

I still can't understand why I didn't see it earlier. Over so many years to ponder. But when it clicked, it clicked hard.

The old lady, who was the last one I asked, had freaked out so much back then. A 14-15 year old child laughing maniacally is completely normal.

I had found the reason behind my pain.

Money, a thing created by humanity in order to supress the majority and to empower the minority. Oh so beautiful the concept is.

If my dad had more of that, all of this could have been prevented. He did his best and still got nothing worthy. What was the reason behind that?

Workers are not paid enough. Why is that so?

The big corporations don't want to spend more than necessary. They want to maximize their profits. They want to do so because that's humane.

What's not humane is to cause unnecessary pain to others in order to achieve said profits.

There were rumours going around the internet that Pharma industry was intentionally hindering the progress of medical sciences to increase their profits.

The big pharmaceutical companies were the ones responsible for the death of not just my mom but every patient that died due to 'incurable' diseases.

I had, in a bout of pure teenager angst, taken these rumours at face value. A foolish thing to do.

But luckily, they were true, as I would come to find out in the near future.

I was extremely disgusted by this. For the benefit of few, the majority had to suffer. I wanted to end this.

I had the aim ready, I just needed the plan now, and I had the perfect one. But only if it was that easy.

I had infiltrated a company, Phoenix Pharmaceuticals. A corporation that I suspected had many hidden experiments and research going on.

I was their IT Consultant and Cyber Security Expert. While this may not sound hard, it was almost impossible for me. I had to first get an education and then pursue higher studies in Computer Science.

Which required something that was the root cause of my suffering. Money.

Though, it turns out that I was not cursed by the heavens. I got a scholarship after I won a competition.

It wasn't much. But it was more than enough to cover my education. I still did some menial chores like dishwashing and serving at cafes to earn side cash. Anyway, let's focus back on the future that is now my past.

I had been the perfect employee for them. I had the required education, I was not ambitious and I was definitely very trustworthy.

By some twisted mockery of fate, the corporation I chose to work in actually housed the research data of all the pharma companies. Acting as the data center for many similar corporations all around the world.

Apparently, they thought it had a "very safe and secure vault" due to not having any data leaks even before I joined.

What a fucked up luck I have. Well it worked out great.

What I had done, surely achieved what I had aimed for. The desire to be a 'hero' born out of a naive and childish mind, realised by years of efforts. Hahaha, how philosophical.

Now that everything was set, after years of creating very tight and obscure loopholes in their data storage.

I had leaked the data on the exact same date on which my mother died. I have finally avenged her. Now that all their research on cures for seemingly "incurable" diseases is out, many would benefit.

Years of careful planning. Years of painful acting. Years of nearly getting caught. All of these finally paid off.

I succeeded.

The proof of my success is the utter chaos that is the outside world. All governments are currently busy controlling the public outburst. They are failing miserably at that.

I am visiting this cafe for the last time. This is the end of my journey. Though I wish I had spent some time enjoying my life. I am sure my mother and father would have appreciated that more. Alas, my self-loathing won.

Maybe in the next life, it would be different.

I took the final sip of my tea. I wonder how enraged my boss and superiors would be after they find out that they can't even kill me, while I have ruined their lives and indirectly led them to their death.

I am starting to feel drowsy now.

The poison is showing its effects. I am slowly feeling its effects creep up. Fortunately, I was not dumb and had chosen a painless poison. I hate pain.

Extra Skill: Pain Nullification Acquisition Successful

Sigh, on the doors of death, I am lamenting. If my mother didn't have cancer. If she hadn't died, maybe we would have been a happy family. I could have become a scholar with my intelligence.

Unique Skill: Scholar Acquisition Successful.

I have become whatever I am, due to my past. I have evolved from a naive child to someone who has made a change in this world. No matter how small or big of a change it is. I guess Dad would be proud of me.

Or not. Can never tell how an Asian parent's mind works.

Unique Skill: Evolver Acquisition Successful.

Sigh. All my life, I have been alone. Whatever friends I had in the past were either fake or I had strained our relationship by not paying them attention.

I shouldn't have become so hyper-focused on my plan. It would have been great if I had ever-present and like-minded friends with me. It would have made my plan and all those Computer Science lessons easier.

Extra Skill: Alluring Aura Acquisition Successful.

This world would have been so much better if we could create things out of thin air, like those magic spells from fantasy. I could have just cured my mother with some holy magic then.

It would make life so easy and fascinating if this was true.

God, I am sure those drugs didn't have intoxication in the list of their effects. Oh well, I guess these are the general thoughts of a dying man.

Extra Skill: Magic Manipulation Acquisition Successful.

If I reincarnate, I would prefer being an animal over a human. Animals are easier to understand. I had made sure to release all my pets into the wild. Wonder if that "little" sneaky snake of a python is eating someone right now. Hope it's not one of his brothers or sisters. That would be funny.

Race Changed To Tempest Serpent.

Intrinsic Skill: Thermal Resistance Acquisition Successful.

Intrinsic Skill: Poison Fangs Acquisition Successful.

Intrinsic Skill: Poisonous Breath Acquisition Successful.

Intrinsic Skill: Thermal Sense Acquisition Successful.

Intrinsic Skill: Echo Sense Acquisition Successful.

Intrinsic Skill: Hard Scales Acquisition Successful.

Intrinsic Skill: Mana Core Acquisition Successful.

At least I am dying after bringing hope and happiness for so many people. I am sure they would remember me as a hero. Or not. Doesn't matter much. I am going to die anyway.

Extra Skill: Hero Acquisition Successful

Slowly but surely, my eyes were closing. I guess this is the end. And before I knew it, I was dead.

---

What?... What is..this?...Where am I?! Why does my body feel so restricted?! Where are my limbs?! What is going on-

My train of thoughts stopped. A voice spoke into my head.

[Notice: Host body scanned. Non-Humanoid body-structure identified]

[Notice: Non-Humanoid Body identified as Tempest Serpent.]

[Notice: Unstable state of mind observed. High levels of Corticosterone detected]

[Notice: Host is getting emotionally unstable. Forcefully releasing anti-Corticosterone.]

[Notice: State of forced calm enforced]

Huh? What happened just now? Why am I suddenly so calm? Calm? Yes, I should remain calm. Ok, let's make sense of this mess.

I am not dead, seeing how I can still think. Not sure of that though, after all It's my first time dying. Maybe this is the afterlife and that robotic but feminine voice could be God?

The last thing I remember is sitting in a cafe and drinking the poison along with tea. What happened after that? I remember my dying monologue. I had asked for a second chance.

Don't tell me it came true. If that's not so, then I don't know what else it could be. The poison was a sure kill one, with no chance of surviving.

God, I hope it's true and I am not just daydreaming.

The world went still. I suddenly stopped my chain of thoughts.

The unknown voice spoke into my mind again.

[Notice: Scholar is open to queries now]

The voice sounded robotic. Though I still understood the gist of what it wanted to say. To say the least, I had many questions.

What are you?

[Answer: I am one of Host's Unique Skills, Scholar.]

What do you mean by "Unique Skills" and what's happening?

Seems like the only way to know about my current situation is this weird voice in my head.

What else can I do anyway? Dance?

[Answer: Following the order of queries, Unique Skills are skills that are the expression of the mind, emotions, and desires of the user, reflecting their personality and traits. They offer the User access to a unique power different from ordinary magic or skills.

As for the second query, the Host has undergone a transmigration from his world to the Central World. Currently, Host belongs to the species Tempest Serpent. A species given the ranking A-]

… Are you being serious {Scholar}? Did I really get a second chance?

[Answer: Scholar doesn't have the authority to lie to Host]

I don't even know how to describe my feelings. It all just feels like a fever dream. One that I want to never wake up from.

I am getting a second chance. A second chance to live. If this is true, I want to thank God or whomever did this. Now I can live again.

This time would be different. I won't make the mistakes I made last time. I won't dedicate my life to a single goal, and I would live life to the fullest.

Even if it's as a snake. Animals are better anyway. And if what this {Scholar} said is correct, then this Central World is a magical world. I am sure snakes can learn magic.

Even if snakes can't. I, a Tempest Serpent, can surely do magic. Right Scholar?

[Answer: Yes, Host can perform most kind of magic with time]

Perfect! I can totally be a wizard now. Just hope the Hogwarts of this world accepts snakes.

Also, what exactly do my skills do? And just how many of them do I have, {Scholar}?

[Answer: Would Host prefer it to be a list of all skills?]

Yeah, that would be appreciated.

[Intrinsic Skills: Thermal Resistance, Poison Fangs, Poisonous Breath, Echo Sense, Thermal Sense, Hard Scales, Mana Core.

Extra Skills: Pain Nullification, Magic Manipulation, Alluring Aura. Hero

Unique Skills: Scholar, Evolver.]

Interesting. Most of them are pretty self explanatory. Though, seeing {Mana Core} and Magic Manipulation} has definitely made me more relaxed about my admission in Hogwarts.

These Extra Skills are pretty simple too. {Pain Nullification} definitely does what I think it does. The {Alluring Aura} is suspicious though. The {Hero} looks intriguing too.

I am guessing that Intrinsic skills are common to the members of a race. It would make sense cause most of them are what I would expect a snake to possess. Am I correct {Scholar}?

[Answer: Yes]

Hmm, this opens up so many questions. How do Intrinsic skills differ in a species? Are there common Intrinsic skills that are possessed by almost all races? Do these skills evolve? Hmm, things to ponder on later.

Hey {Scholar}, can you explain the functions of my unique skills? I can infer some uses based solely on the name, but a description would be appreciated.

[Answer: Yes. Which skill would the Host like to know about first?]

I want to know about {Scholar} first then. Introduce yourself.

[Unique Skill: Scholar

Sub-Skills:

- Chant Annulment: It eliminates the need for chanting when using magic after a spell is analysed or successfully cast. The spell is stored in the user's mind and available to be instantly cast just by thinking about its activation.

- All of Creation: It allows the user to comprehend anything as long as they have a basic understanding of it and it is perceivable to the user.

- Thought Acceleration: It allows the user to greatly increase the speed of their thought process. The user can adjust the level of acceleration as needed, as well as extend the effect to other individuals. The factor by which time perception is slowed down can be controlled by the Host.

- Analytical Appraisal: Analytical Appraisal releases waves that enter the target of analysis and perform a full scan of their composition, which is then sent back to the user. Through this, the user can gain information such as the material composition of the target, the amount of Magicules it possesses, and if they're under the effects of Skills or Magic.

- Parallel Operation: Allows the user to detach their analysis of phenomena from their regular thoughts. Allows the Host to multitask efficiently.]

DAMN! I am busted as fuck! Please don't nerf.

Jokes aside, this skill has some scary potential. The {All of Creation} basically makes learning anything easy.

Just repeating things without actually learning anything is really a curse. A problem that I faced many times during my student phase. This would have made things so much easier, but there's no point in pondering on ifs anymore.

The {Analytical Appraisal} and {Chant Annulment} are pretty busted too. They make this skill even more awesome.

The only weakness of {All of Creation} gets hard countered by {Thought Acceleration} and {Parallel Operation}. I can process information at lightning speed now.

Damn. This really is busted.

…You know what. It's fair. Curse me all you want. This is just cheating at this point. Hey, {Scholar}. Are there- Never mind. This thing answers my questions before I can even think of them, given I want it to do that. Otherwise It can give me answers at the normal speed.

Scary~ but I like it.

Anyway, getting back on track. My question was, 'Are there stronger people in this world?'. And it turns out that I am not even in the top 100,000 list.

So despite being busted, I am considered weak. It is scary to think what sorts of monsters are out there.

My race has been assigned an A- rank according to {Scholar}.

And the average ranking in this world converges to C+. So even my race is way above the average. Great.

This {Scholar} skill would definitely help me in learning magic. Hell, I am pretty sure I can do magic anytime. I just need to practise.

Finally, reveal this {Evolver}. Heh, Charles Darwin would definitely gain this skill, if he got isekaid here.

[Unique Skill: Evolver

Sub-Skills:

- Dynamic Adaptation: Unique Skill: Evolver grants its wielder the innate ability to adapt and evolve in response to changing circumstances and challenges. Whether faced with physical threats or magical threats, this skill empowers the user to rapidly evolve new traits and abilities to overcome them.

- Enhanced Growth Rate: The skill accelerates the bearer's growth and development to unprecedented levels, allowing them to achieve mastery in record time. With each new experience and challenge, they absorb knowledge and skills at an accelerated pace, rapidly progressing along their chosen path of evolution.

- Evolution Designer: It offers a myriad of evolutionary paths for its bearer to explore, each unlocking unique abilities and potential. Whether it be physical enhancements, magical aptitude, or mental acuity, the skill allows the user to choose their own evolution.]

…I am sure Charles is rolling in his grave. I just defied most of his postulates.

Being serious though, I am starting to think that I am the favoured one of the heavens. Otherwise, I would feel really sad for everyone else. This skill single-handedly outshines all the others. The power to evolve continuously? Yes sir.

Can't handle the cold or heat? Don't worry, you will adapt to it. Don't think you can survive the opponent's next attack? Don't worry, you will get resistance to it.

{Scholar}, How do I- Oh so that's how you evolve! I just need to increase my Magicules. I noticed this term earlier, turns out they are like particles. They are extremely reactive to the waves generated by thoughts of sapient beings.

This world sure does have logical explanations for something like Magic.

Also I just found out that I am made of these Magicules. Pretty cool in my opinion. The fact that I grow more powerful by just existing is somewhat perplexing. More cheats for me.

Now I just have to figure out why I am not sensing anything.

Don't tell me I was born deaf and blind as the price for my cheats. That would suck major balls. You got an answer {Scholar}?

[Answer: You have been using {Thought Acceleration} unconsciously to slow down time perception by a factor of 690,000.]

I sweat dropped.

Why am I doing that by a factor of the funny number? Did reincarnating make my unconscious mind more humorous? Oh well, I have been feeling very light headed ever since coming here. Why is that so anyway? Do you know {Scholar}?

[Answer: Due to {Scholar} sensing increased levels of stress hormones in Host, anti-conticisterone were released into the bloodstream. One of the side effects of that is Light-Headedness.]

Ohh, so that's why I have been feeling so 'Drunk'. Hmm, lower the anti-whatever to normal levels.

[Notice: As you wish, Host]

[Notice: Anti-conticisterone levels stabilized.]

Suddenly my whole perspective changed. It's like someone has poured cold water on my sleeping body. The gravity of my situation is hitting me with the force of a truck now.

I am in a world where those who possess real power roam freely, out in the wilds. The chances of me dying because I offended someone or did something wrong are quite real.

Of course, I still feel happy about my reincarnation but now I don't feel the same way about my chances of living this life to the fullest.

I need to calm down first. I am powerful. That much I can be sure of. If this world is anything like the fantasy worlds I read about in my world, then I would need that power.

After some pondering and questions to {Scholar}, I came up with a basic plan.

First of all, I need to find a safe place to grow stronger. Growing stronger is a matter of time for me. I can just sit still in some cave, and I would still grow stronger, although it would be abysmally slow. So I need a place where I can be ensured of my safety.

Now to do that, I would need to understand the power dynamics of this world in-depth. If this 'Cardinal World' is as big as I think it is, there are gonna be a lot of powerhouses in this world. And from what I have learnt from {Scholar}, transmigrators and summoned people are valued very highly here.

So I am a hot commodity around here, this makes choosing a base of operations harder. Not impossible though. Also, I am definitely not revealing my origin story to anyone that I wouldn't trust with my life.

Now for the second part, actually growing stronger. I would need to learn as much as I could, in the shortest amount of time. Just to be cautious, because while there's no one out there trying to kill me, I would feel much safer knowing that I am strong enough to protect myself.

My primary learning goals are earning skills, magic, and using my physical body to my advantage.

Lastly, I need allies. This world is dangerous and I would need to have people I could trust, in order to survive out there.

This are just the basics of my plan, it would need to be modified and changed as I understand and learn more about my situation.

Okay, now that I can at least function without having an existential crisis, I should probably let the time become normal and examine my surroundings. I had already asked {Scholar} about how I can control my skills, so I am feeling confident in being able to do what I desire without its help.

I focused on the thought acceleration part of the skill and willed it to retard my thoughts. I am able to feel the time flow get normal as I am able to sense more and more of my surroundings. It's very liberating to be able to command the velocity of your thoughts.

I finally opened my eyes to the new world and I wasn't just disappointed. I was in despair at what I saw, lor rather because I didn't see anything! Why is everything so dark?

My {Thermal Sense} wasn't working either due to there being no big heat sources around. This would generally mean that I should be freezing but my {Thermal Resistance} has got me covered.

What the hell am I supposed to do? Should I just travel blindly and hope for the best? No, that seems like a stupid idea.

Hmm, can I somehow use magicules to my advantage? If they do respond to emotions and thoughts, then I should be able to somehow use them to see, at least in theory. I do have {Echo Sense}, if nothing else works.

Hey {Scholar}, is my idea possible?

[Answer: Affirmative. Host can use Extra Skill: Magic Manipulation to observe the light fluctuations and Intrinsic Skill: Echo Sense to observe the sound fluctuations. Unique Skill: Scholar can process all the information and provide auditory and visual information about the surroundings.]

Huh. This skill is too terrifying. I should use it in moderation, lest I become dependent on it.

Go ahead {Scholar}, I want to get the first glimpse of this world.

[Notice: Unique Skill: Scholar is using Extra Skills: Echo Sense and Magic Manipulation.]

[Notice: Host has obtained Extra Skill: Magic Sense.]

The darkness around me exploded in colours. The world brightened as if the brightest star had shone its rays on it. I have seen colours before, but now I feel like I have been colourblind all my life till now. I tried to close my eyes to cut off this much stimulation, but my efforts were worthless.

It didn't take long for me to get accustomed to my new senses. I then decided to look around, and as I had suspected, I was in a cave. The walls were composed of bluish-grey rocks, and there was a stagnant body of water very close to me. The water looked crystal clear with a greenish tint, as if it had never faced pollution.

I only had one word to describe my first interaction with this world.

Beautiful.

---

Positive reviews and valid criticism is always appreciated.

 

[Azathras Salv.]

Humble Start​

Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.

Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely?. Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.

---

I was still feeling very out of it. I just had my whole life flipped around like a grilled sandwich. While I was obviously very happy for this second chance, I couldn't help but wonder if my parents were also given a second chance like me.

If not, then why did I get one? Was it just a random stroke of luck? Was it a predetermined event? I would never know.

Leaving those sad and confusing topics aside, I should probably focus on exploring this cave more. I don't think I can hope to encounter any human life here, and I sincerely hope I don't. Pretty sure they would attack me on sight.

After taking some time to marvel at my surroundings, I decided it was enough. I need to get moving again. But just as I wanted to take a step, I was struck by an epiphany.

I am a snake now. I don't have legs. How the hell do I move?!

Just as I was about to start panicking, I remembered my cute snake Nagraj. I had taken care of him since his birth. In doing so, I had come to learn a lot about snakes.

Snakes move around through lateral undulation. They push against other surfaces to propel themselves creating an S shape in the process. As I'm now a snake, I should also be able to move that way.

I tried pushing against the rough surface of the cave. At first, I found it somewhat difficult, but as I continued to try, my body instinctively moved in a certain way. At least I can move now.

I started my cave exploration, making my way towards the area where more magicules were at hand in the air. I was thinking of moving randomly, but I paused. Instead, I started heading towards the pond with the sole intention to see how I look as a snake.

I reached the pond and peered inside it. A black triangular snake head with a thorn atop its head greeted my sight and stared back at me. It looked monstrous and scary, but there was also a strange sense of grace emanating from it.

I looked back at my body. I was some 15 meter long, that's already comparable to the longest snake species found on earth. This world really is magical. I looked at my body with complex emotions, but I knew that I had work to do. This really isn't the time to introspect myself.

As I moved through the cave, I noticed the crystal-like structures that were radiating Magicules. They looked very interesting but I currently can't see any uses they could provide me.

I was just examining the rocks, but I suddenly noticed another interesting thing by the riverbed. There were patches of some strange grass, they too were radiating magicules.

They had my interest now. What were these things radiating magicules, {Scholar}?

[Answer: The grass is commonly known as Hipokute Grass, a type of rare herb that is used as an ingredient for making Potion. Its leaves can also be ground and made into healing ointments, albeit less effective. It can be found in places with high Magicule concentrations.

The stone radiating magicules is called Magic Ore. Magic Ore only forms around the vicinity of B Rank Monsters or higher. When regular mineral ores are exposed to dense concentrations of Magicules over a certain period, the ores will slowly absorb them and eventually turn into Magic Ore. This has many diverse uses.]

Oh, these things appear around here due to high Magicule concentrations. Wait, the magic ore forms around only in the presence of B-rank monsters? Did it form because of me?

No, the more likely scenario is that it formed around here due to other monsters. If the magicules concentration is already so high around here, then there must be some strong monsters around.

I am an A-rank monster, so I should be able to deal with anything below that. Hopefully, nothing stronger exists out there.

About the Hipokute Grass, can any benefits be obtained just by ingesting it?

[Answer: Affirmative. The effects would be dulled and lesser in quality.]

Hmm, still very useful. Not to mention something is always better than nothing.

I moved closer to the grass and inched my mouth closer to eat it. But I stopped. Say {Scholar}, it wouldn't be poisonous or something right?

[Answer: Negative.]

Ok then, I ate it without any doubts. Just as the grass touched my mouth, I paused. I had tried to chew it, but apparently, I don't have any teeth or any taste buds. In hindsight, almost all snake species back home didn't have them either.

With a sigh, I gobbled up the grass. At least I don't have to worry about whether the grass tasted good or not.

Weirdly, even as it reached my stomach I didn't feel anything. It's probably because I am currently in perfect condition. I wonder if the effects will come when I am injured or would they disappear.

I was suddenly hit with an epiphany. I have a different digestive system now, that is fantasy-like in nature. So there is nothing really stopping me from eating everything I see.

{Scholar}, do you think I could eat these Magic Ores?

[Answer: Affirmative. The host can eat Magic Ore. It would be converted into magicules upon consumption.]

Hey {Scholar}, Wouldn't I get stronger if I go on an eating spree and gobble up all the high magicule things?

[Answer: Affirmative. The Host would get stronger as the Host's Magicules increase.]

I looked around and saw huge chunks and patches of Magic Ore and Hipokute Grass. Today I shall devour the heavens.

---

I don't regret my decision at all.

I ate everything in my surroundings and kept changing areas as soon as I cleared them off of their Magicules.

I'm sure I have grown stronger. At least {Scholar} told me so. Supposedly, all the magicules are being diverted to {Evolver}, so it can function. And it is indeed functioning. Eating the materials got easier, as I ate more of them and I felt the Magicules I was getting increase with each subsequent bite I had.

I confirmed my hypothesis with {Scholar} and I was correct. My body was adapting as I ate. I had severely underestimated this skill, even after I had acknowledged its usefulness.

Also, change of plans. I'm no longer leaving this cave.

If you think I would willingly leave this safe haven where I can grow stronger by just eating, then you can go die. I hadn't encountered even a single monster while exploring. This made me reconsider my previous assumption about there being other monsters in this cave.

As I was pondering about the loneliness of living, something stood out to me. There were webs around.

I coiled my body and began looking around. Sure enough, I noticed something from my {Thermal Sense}. There were warm markings around the webs. I pray to whoever will listen to my plight, let there be no spiders in this cave.

It turns out that no one was interested in saving me from these abominations, as I saw something crawl out of a hole. It had a large grotesque body, with eight limbs attached to its stomach. The back of this monster was striped with yellow lines. The monster looked at me, scrutinising me with its eight baleful eyes.

I was frozen but that lasted for only a second. I rapidly took action and used one of my intrinsic skills, {Poisonous Breath}. It was my first time using this skill, but it still felt natural when I used it.

As I opened my mouth to attack, I felt the magicules gathering inside it. They accumulated together and gave rise to a huge dense cloud of green gas.

The conspicuous gas shot out from my mouth like a jet spray and aimed its way at the disgusting creature.

As for what happened after, I am too much in awe to describe. Everything in 100 metres of the area was being melted. The spider by which I was a 'bit' frightened, now lay dead within a few seconds.

I just stood there, staring dumbly at the dead corpse of the once-scary spider.

I had led a creature to a gruesome death with just a breath. The creature's dead eyes stared straight at me as if accusing me of something.

But I didn't care much for the life of this spider, I was much more focused on the fact that I wield such power in my hands now.

In my previous life, until my last breath, I hadn't been in a position of power. Sure I worked as an IT professional for a big company, but that position didn't really come with any real power.

This. it wasn't financial or political power. It was power in its most primal form. Real power that could allow me to decide the life and death of others.

I knew I had these skills. I knew they allowed me to do such things. But knowing something and seeing it are indeed two different things.

It is just now that I am realising the horrors of my powers. {Evolver} once again surprised me. The reason?

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver's {Dynamic Adaption} activated.]

[Notice: The Host has acquired the Extra Skill: Fear Resistance.]

I gained a skill from doing literally nothing. This fight was unfair on so many levels. I definitely committed some war crimes with that attack.

Once my mind recovered from the haze that clouded it after realising the power it now wields, I had to remind myself one more time. There were many individuals stronger than me out in the world.

Not to mention, those guys could be in groups. Facing thousands of opponents stronger than me isn't really something I want to see happen.

This incident again cemented the fact that I needed to get stronger. With this thought in mind, I moved over to the corpse of that spider. As I was moving on the surface, I noticed something. I was also affected by the poisonous gas, even if it was to a very lesser degree.

Hmm, it makes sense. Or else how else would members of the same species compete for mates. Still, a pesky issue. I would need to look into build- Oh, I just had a great idea.

To see if my idea would work, I reluctantly focused my gaze on the black spider. It looked disgusting to the eye with its melted body, but I steeled myself, leaned my mouth towards it and looked elsewhere.

While very fucked up, it was beneficial and would only help me get more stronger. Not to mention, if my guess was correct, I should also be getting the skill I desired.

I opened my mouth wide enough to engulf the spider in one fell swoop. I am so thankful that I don't have taste buds right now, otherwise this would have been a lot harder.

Just as I had completely gulped up the spider, I felt the magicules in my body increase by a good amount, it was more than the increase I felt after eating all those Magic ores and Hipokute Grass.

Seems like defeating and eating other monsters would be the best way to collect magicules.

I was also greeted with the news that I was expecting.

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver's {Dynamic Adaption} activated.]

[Notice: The Host has acquired the Extra Skill: Poison Resistance.]

Yup, I am really starting to fall in love with the skill {Evolver}. This would be my key to getting really overpowered without much effort.

Hey {Scholar}, can you provide me with any information about the species of the spider that I just ate?

[Answer: Affirmative. Black Spiders are B-ranked Monsters. They are aggressive to other species, but cooperative with other members of their species due to mutual dependence for survival and reproduction. Their main talent lies in Thread Weaving, with which they neutralise or defend against threats.]

Huh. The naming sense is quite literal here. If the spiders are the same as back at home, then I really don't want to know how they reproduce. Also B ranked monsters are sooo weak compared to me.

It's quite sad that I didn't get to see the aforementioned skill in action. Well, it's fine. I am pretty sure there are more of its kind around.

Now back to collecting magicules from eating random things. Maybe eat some monsters too.

---

{Veldora POV}​

In a dark and gloomy part of the cave, waves of magicules were flowing outwards. There were a lot of Magic Ores protruding from the cave surface, most likely due to the enormous amount of magicules around.

There was no monster in a large radius from this part of the cave, all of them were scared to even get close to it.

Though seemingly defying the law, lay a gigantic body covered in black steel-like scales, with blue wings and underside. The creature had deep golden eyes and the back of its head was covered with four horns extending backwards.

Overall it looked like a very threatening and dangerous beast, ready to unleash its rage on anyone who dared to disturb its slumber.

If anyone from the outside world saw this creature, they would easily recognise it as The Storm Dragon. Being one of the - True Dragons, it had wreaked havoc everywhere once upon a time.

It's been around three hundred years since the imprisonment of The Storm Dragon, Veldora Tempest in the Sealed Cave.

Despite what others may think, even after the long passage of time, he still hasn't learnt how to pass time without it feeling like a second was an eternity. Currently, he was pondering over why he had been sealed for the millionth time.

Contrary to the thoughts and opinions of the outside world, he regrets the massacres he committed in his berserk state.

It technically wasn't his fault. Since the day he turned into a True Dragon, he has had this feeling of restlessness inside of him. He always felt agitated when everything was too orderly and peaceful.

It was this agitation that had led him down to a path on which he had challenged his 'Sisters'. They hadn't taken his provocations well and had ended up teaching him to fear them.

This urge to cause chaos inside him had once made him massacre an army from the Eastern Empires. They had been trying to expand their territories into the unclaimed land that was Jura Forest.

Unfortunately, they hadn't taken into account that there would be a True Dragon lying around. This miscalculation had resulted in them losing their entire army to the Dragon.

They didn't take it lying down and had made him the target of a Hero.

The Hero was a strong individual. They had used a skill to seal him in this cave for good. After he disappeared from the face of the world, it faced relatively peaceful times.

And this was how he had found himself in his current predicament.

After lamenting some more, he was again trying to fall asleep. He had discovered that sleeping was one of the few things that made him feel less lonely.

But just as he was trying to close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep, he was alerted by a sudden change in the magicules around him.

Not exactly around him, as he felt the fluctuation deep into the cave. He used {Magic Sense} and what he saw next surprised him. There was a twenty-foot snake and it was eating the Magic Ore around it.

In his long existence, he had never expected to see such a thing. For a short period of time, he was speechless. But he recovered soon and felt incredibly happy to see another being after a long while.

There were occasions when the monsters wandered too deep into the cave but the last one was a long while ago. So the appearance of this snake was a welcome surprise.

Not to mention, he can see signs of intelligence in the snake's eyes. This can be a very rare case of an Otherworlder. It seems like he is no longer gonna sleep.

---

{Carlos POV}​

As I was admiring the large amount of Magic Ore, I suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine. I instantly sensed around for threats but found nothing.

Strange. Anyway, I have been eating Magic Ores for a long while now. Their quantity keeps increasing as I head deeper into the cave. There were also literal floods of magicules.

Along the path I encountered some more Black Spiders, but no other monster. I was expecting there to be more monsters but surprisingly there were none.

As for the Black Spiders, a single breath was enough to subdue them. I have eaten around seven of their kind, and my magicules reserves have indeed increased by a substantial amount.

I am a little sceptical about heading in deeper, as there might be a strong monster awaiting me there. But the huge amount of magicules is very tempting for me.

What if instead of a very strong monster, there was a magical plant or some treasure? I think I have read too many novels, but what if it was true?

If it was a strong monster then why wasn't it coming out and killing every other monster to grow more strong?

With these thoughts in mind, I continued my journey to the source of these magicules. It felt like I was very close to my destination.

I continued on my path and ignored the humongous amount of Magic Ore for now. I am more interested in something else right now.

As I was moving, {Scholar} informed me of something.

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver has collected enough magicules for the Host to use Evolution Designer.]

[Query: Set the details for Evolution]

Huh? Wait, so am I evolving now?

[Answer: Negative. The Host hasn't gathered sufficient magicules for an evolution. The Unique Skill: Evolver is setting how the Host's evolution would change the Host.]

I used {Thought Acceleration} for a few seconds to come up with ideas about how I want my Evolution to be.

It's pretty crazy that I can do this, even compared to what else I can do.

Anyway, I came up with a list of possible enhancements that would increase my combat potential.

First of all, I wanted a more humanoid body. Not because I want to look more humane, but because it's perhaps the best body in terms of mobility and versatility in movement.

Then I added tougher and more resistant scales. I would like my scales to be more tough, cause they are my only defence option right now.

Thirdly, I wanted a more versatile medium of attack. In my previous life, I was always fascinated by illusions. So I have added illusions to my list but I have left the details to {Scholar}.

With this, my list was over. Of course, there were still things that I wanted but according to {Scholar}, adding more things would degrade their quality. So, with that in mind, I have settled for these three.

You can proceed now, {Scholar}.

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver has used Evolution Designer. The Host would evolve into the desired form after the Host has collected enough magicules.]

That's good. I only need to collect enough magicules to evolve.

I have access to magicules, but I haven't looked into how one is supposed to use them to do magic. I plan on looking into it after I have found the source of the magicules.

I am confident, that learning Magic can only be beneficial for me. There's a childish part of me getting restless and impatient. Controlling the elements with my thoughts.. this is the dream of many guys back home, and I am living that dream.

As I pondered the awesomeness of Magic, I sensed something from {Magic Sense}. It's incredibly taxing to use the {Magic Sense}. Due to the sheer information one needs to process, I use it in moderation.

I had just used the skill again unlike the last time. I sensed something. I am not sure what it is. It looked like a screen or wall. It wasn't that far away from my current location, so I instantly darted towards it.

As I got closer, the amount of magicules in the air increased exponentially. The sheer amount of magicules in the air was enough to exert a bit of pressure on me.

It felt a little uncomfortable but I still pushed forward. Just as I reached a certain distance into the cave, I finally encountered what I had been searching for.

As soon as I reached that point, I was greeted with a very unexpected sight.

This section of the cave was entirely made out of Magic Ore, the section looked like someone had thrown random colour all over the walls.

If the previous amount of magicules was like a flood, the current amount can only be described as an ocean. It was suffocating to stand in such a titanous amount of Magicules.

But what terrified me the most wasn't the amount of Magicule, it was the source. I looked at the enormous dragon staring at me, and felt all my bravado leave my body as if it was vapour. The only thing I was certain of now was.

I was fucked.

---

Positive reviews and valid criticism is always appreciated.

 

[Azathras Salv.]

Ancestral Talks and Magical Exploration​

Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.

Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely? Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.

---

As I stood very close to the big black scaly creature, which I can only assume is a Dragon, only one thought passed through my head. I am a stupid reptilian, who is now gonna be the dinner of a bigger reptilian.

Great choice coming here, you stupid brain.

While I did have {Fear Resistance} that lowered my fear by a large amount, I was still a bit afraid of this Dragon. After all, Dragons were considered legendary creatures even in my world.

The only reason I was still alive was perhaps that I could see something holding him back. It was like someone had trapped it with translucent shackles and chains. Hey {Scholar}, while I am busy getting scared, can you analyse whatever that is?

[Answer: Affirmative.]

Now, just one question remains. What am I supposed to do?

I considered all the possible things I should be able to do.

Attacking the Dragon never crossed my mind. Just its magicules were enough to suppress me. I can be a megalomaniac at times, but I am not that delusional.

Escaping was the most logical and limited option. The only exit plan I came up with was to turn back and slither away at my top speed.

The only other was communicating and getting the Dragon to spare me. Despite how good it sounded, it was the most unrealistic of all the options availab-

'Welcome to my prison, young Snake. Don't worry; this Dragon couldn't have killed you even if this Dragon wanted to. This Dragon has no intention of harming you.' A wise and arrogant voice rang in my mind.

I froze upon hearing this voice. You have got to be shitting me. I used {Magic Sense}, and sure enough, he was staring right at me.

…

…..

…….

Did I really just hear the Dragon speak in my mind?

[Answer: Affirmative]

It was a rhetorical question {Scholar}. You need to learn more about human(snake?) emotions.

'If I may ask, who are you?' I thought, in an attempt to communicate with the Dragon.

'This Dragon deems you worthy of knowing his name. I am Veldora, one of the True Dragons. But if this great one's musings are true, you probably wouldn't be very familiar with my kind. HAHAHA' Came the reply in the same haughty voice along with a boisterous laugh.

What did he mean by musings? Has he read my mind? What exactly is he? Fuck it, I am throwing all caution in the imaginary fire. This Dragon or 'True' Dragon or Veldora is restricted anyway.

'What do you mean by musings?' I asked without any care for courtesy.

'Quite bold of you to talk with this Dragon in such a manner. Don't forget in the end you're not-' He was saying something but stopped mid-way.

The reason? Probably because I had already turned around and was heading the same way I came from.

Since I know this guy doesn't pose any threat, I can just choose to walk away. Sure, he could be a good source of information, but I ain't dealing with that behaviour.

'Please wait! Don't leave me alone here! It has been a long time since I talked to anybody. I wouldn't use that way of speaking again.' Came the desperate reply from Veldora.

As he was no longer gonna be… whatever that was, I think we can hold a civil conversation.

'Ok, so let me ask again. What did you mean by your musings?'

'I have been observing you for quite a while now, and seeing that you have sentience and intelligence, I theorised that you are a rare case of Otherworlder.'

'I am gonna go ahead and assume that 'Otherworlder' quite literally means someone from another world. Though, why is my case special?'

'Otherworlders are of four types. For example, "Summoned" are people who are summoned to the Central World through rituals and magic, generally by nations to bolster their power. Your case falls under the most rare category,' He was suddenly very open to giving me information, almost as if he was trying to hold me here. Though deciding to not interrupt him, I let him continue.

'If my guess is correct, then you are a "Transmigrant." They are individuals that are reborn as inhabitants of the Central World. Though all the cases that I know of had individuals who reincarnated as Humans. There hasn't been another case like yours, to my knowledge.' He finished his info dump by giving me a very curious look.

So, apparently, I am very unique. Great. This has just made my life possibly harder, now I have a bigger target painted over my back. At least this one comes with the added benefit of being powerful from birth.

'Yeah, you're right. I am indeed a Transmigrant. I had died in my original world and was reincarnated here.' I said calmly, but hearing my response, Veldora started to laugh and praise himself. Again.

Just as I was wondering if inserting something sharp in his rectum would be easy or not, {Scholar} informed me of my query about the barrier.

[Notice: Skill {Infinity Prison} has been analysed.]

Oh, cool. Tell me the details about whatever is confining him here

[Answer: {Infinity Prison} traps the target inside of an infinitely large Imaginary Space for eternity and prevents any interaction between the inside and outside. It doesn't weaken over time and cannot be damaged by physical attacks. The skills of the target are sealed along with them.]

Holy shit! This guy must have done some crazy shit to be sealed in this kind of prison.

'How long have you been sealed here? And what kind of shit have you done to deserve this?'

After I said this, there was a bit of a silence but it was quickly broken by Veldora speaking. This time his 'voice' had a nostalgic tone.

'It has been almost 300 years since my imprisonment here. As for the reason? There were many.'

Damn, to mention three hundred years so casually.. this guy must be ancient as fuck. Also, that sounds sad. I don't know how a Dragon's mind works, but I am pretty sure a human would lose his marbles if they were left alone with no social contact for years.

'In my rage in the past, I had laid waste to an entire army of hundreds of thousands of humans that had come to conquer my resting place. Even after this, my rage hadn't been placated, and I had turned to destroy a human settlement. But before I could do much damage, a Hero had sealed me with one of their Skills. They really were powerful,'

His voice started off boasting, but turned respectful at the end.

Despite expecting a big reason behind his sealing, I was surprised. The Dragon in front of me stood true to the legends of my world. The sheer power needed to do something of this scale must be ridiculous. This once again reinforced my belief about my strength being nothing in this world.

As for the moral implications behind this act, I was a bit affected. This much unneeded bloodshed was repugnant to me, but I understood that hating Veldora for something like this would be hypocritical. Who am I to judge an existence that is neither human nor a short-lived species.

'Are you scared of my power, young Snake? This is nothing! Before being sealed, I had performed many such feats. Hmph, I wasn't called the 'Storm Dragon' or 'Chaos Incarnate' for no reason. Also, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I am an ancient Dragon, so I know a lot.' Came the booming, prideful voice, successfully interrupting my thoughts.

Yeah.. this guy and violence aren't relatable at all. Feels more like a Tsundere? I think that was the term.

But this does present many opportunities. I can ask this guy questions about the world, something I don't know much about.

'I am not scared of your power, you are sealed and can't do anything to me. Though, I do have a question. What is a Hero?' I asked, curious if this has some relation with my Extra Skill: Hero.

'Heroes are the counterparts to Demon Lords, an existence that only those who have the blessing of an elemental of either light or darkness can obtain.'

'You lost me at Demon Lords., I have some knowledge about these, but all of it is from my previous world's legends and stories. Explain the details too, please.'

'Hmm, I have an alternate brilliant idea. I have a skill that lets me communicate complex thoughts very efficiently. I can just transfer the knowledge directly to you. Though, processing this much information can be taxing on your mind.' Veldora said after some pondering, and scratching his neck with his claws.

I am really starting to like this guy. Hey {Scholar}, would you make it so that you receive and process the data? Don't know about others, but I certainly don't want to get brain damage, if that's a possibility.

[Answer: Affirmative.]

Cool, my ever-reliant and social partner.

'Ok, send over the data, please. Also, add all the things you think I should know, to not be perceived as a country bum.'

'Ah, I can easily do that. Though, this would increase the burden on your mind, are you sure about this?'

'Yeah, I have a skill that helps me process large amounts of data with relative ease.' I provided him with some knowledge about my skill. I am not completely trusting him, but I don't think this guy has any intentions or reasons to harm me.

Just to be sure, I had already asked {Scholar} to try its best to protect me and warn me of any perceived threat. So, technically, there shouldn't be any problems with letting him in my mind.

'Prepare yourself..' His face looked a little bit more serious, but I don't think I would be able to unsee the other face I have seen him make. 'It's finished.'

[Notice: Data received from the existence, Veldora.]

Oh, I thought this would take a long time. {Scholar} store that data for now. I would ask for it later.

[Answer: Affirmative.]
Now that I have information about the basics of this world, I won't be seen as someone without common sense.

I was right in placing my trust in this big, bad, ancient city destroying Dragon in the end. Just as this was going on, I had a weird thought.

'Hey Veldora, I am a Tempest Snake, and you're "The Storm Dragon." Are we somehow related?' I asked in amusement.

He didn't respond for a while, and there was silence for a while, but eventually, he burst out laughing.

'You have quite the mind, my friend. You're partly right, too. You were created by the magicules that I radiate, so I can be called your magical Father.' Came the surprising response from Veldora.

This guy? As a Father? I don't think my life can get any weirder than this. For some reason, I hoped to never find out, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine at that thought. Yup, I am ignoring that for the sake of my sanity.

After this, I was totally relaxed around Veldora. We talked for what felt like hours. I don't even know how much time has passed since I have found myself in this cave.

We talked about a lot of things, like my past life and Veldora's past stories too. I especially liked the ones in which his pride got shattered by his sisters.

Whenever he talked about a term that I wasn't familiar with, {Scholar} explained it to me. Since I used {Thought Acceleration} to talk with {Scholar}, the flow of the stories was never ruined.

I have come to understand Veldora better this time, and I understand one thing about him: He is really double-faced. He says something and means something else entirely. He is truly shameless.

Aside from all that, he is a very easy guy to get along with. You just need to see past his boisterous personality and prideful demeanour.

'We have been talking for a long time now, Carlos. I am honestly grateful to you for relieving my boredom. This has been the most content I have felt in the last 300 years. Say, do you want to get a name?'

I thought about this for a while before replying.

'Carlos was the name I had in my past life. Honestly, I don't want to associate myself with my past life. I would prefer to have a new name in this world. Probably something cool like Azridan.'

'If that's your wish, I can grant you a new name, but you need to name me too to make sure that this is a naming of equals. As I have told you, names are akin to a divine protection in this world. Currently, you're nameless, but after I give you a name, you will get a boost in your magicules and will be under my protection.'

I didn't even need to consider that. I have already learnt how much importance a name holds in this world. Veldora is a True Dragon, a being that the world fears. If I get named by him, I am definitely gonna get stronger.

'Sure, that sounds cool. I name you..... Veldora.' I said excitedly.

'HAHAHAH, that works too. I acknowledge you as an equal, Azridan. From here on, you and I are brothers! HAHAHAHAHAHA' Veldora transformed into a laughing maniac after proclaiming me as his brother.

Just as I was gonna reply with a jab about how he is now my brother despite being my 'father', I felt something strange. It was a very strange feeling but I felt like my mind became clearer and more attentive. It was like waking up after a good sleep, I felt refreshed.

[Notice: The Host's Magicule capacity has increased. Host has become a Named Monster.]

Huh, that felt very good. It was the biggest increase in magicules I had experienced till now. I feel like my capacity has been increased to five times the original. Now, if only I could learn magic-

'Quick question, Veldora, do you know anything about magic?'

The Tsundere Dragon was still laughing when I asked this question but halted his celebrations upon hearing it. He used his hand to stroke his imaginary beard, and put his other hand behind his back.

'Magic? Yeah, I suppose. I never really bothered learning any other Magic, except Flight Magic, as I was born with an innate Magic. Normally, no one but me should be able to use Storm Magic, but as you're under my divine protection, you should be able to use it too. Do you want to learn my brilliant magic, little brother?' Came the cartoonishly comedic 'wise' voice of Veldora.

I almost wanted to laugh. Ok, I am laughing right now. Though, Veldora's Magic is bound to be strong. Getting access to it so early on feels like cheating but I need to survive, so anything goes.

'I would appreciate it, if Your Majesty could do that.' I said in a mocking tone. At least, I hope that sounded mocking. We have been talking with our thoughts the whole time, but seeing how I could sense emotions in Veldora's voice, he should sense mine, too.

'Be prepared, my friend! You're going to learn the Magic of The Storm Dragon.'

Veldora used his skill again, and this time, the process seemed to take longer.

[Notice: Host is receiving data from the existence, Veldora. Data is being processed.]

[Notice: The Data has been processed.]

Huh? Shouldn't I get some Magical Spells from it? What's going on, {Scholar}?

[Answer: Insufficient data to acquire the Magic Spells. Unique Skill: Scholar need to observe the Spell being used to acquire the spell.]

Ahh, is that so? Ok. Time returned to its original pace after my conversation with {Scholar} was over.

'So now that this is done, I am going to perform the spells, so you can learn them. Don't worry. This is a very time-consuming process, it can take you literal years to completely master these spells. After all, they belong to me. HAHAHAHAHA'

Hearing his annoying voice in my head, I felt my veins bulge.

'Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!'

'Where would be the fun in that? Anyway, let's start with one of my signature Magic art. It's called "Black Flame". It's a higher version of Flame Transformation that I created. It allows me to convert my internal magicules into superheated flames. After conjuring them, I can freely manipulate those flames as I see fit.' He continued while skillfully ignoring my annoyance.

'While in normal conditions, I would have demonstrated this at its full power. Unfortunately, the barrier doesn't allow me to do that. I can just do a very underpowered version of this. But that should be enough for you. Now, watch carefully.'

{Scholar}, make sure to observe this carefully.

[Answer: Affirmative.]

After finishing his explanation, he opened his maw, revealing his sharp teeth. As I had tasked {Scholar} with observing this, I didn't have any limitations on my use of {Magic Sense}. That's why I was able to see the concentration of magicules increase around his mouth, even though it wasn't by much.

Out of it came the expected black coloured flames. What was unexpected was the fact that they fizzled out as soon as they formed. I was worried that this wouldn't be enough data for {Scholar}, but I was happily wrong.

[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Black Flame acquired.]

Heh, this is my first spell. I didn't even have to work for it. Just as I was celebrating learning my first spell, Veldora interrupted my fun.

'Don't worry, my friend. I don't expect you to be able to even begin comprehending my spell. HAHAHAHA. But I am confident that you would eventually get the basics of it in some month-' His smug and arrogant voice was annoying my non-existent ears.

To shut him up, I decided to try my new skill out. The magicules gathered in my mouth, but I made sure to limit the output because I didn't want to use too much power.

As I opened my mouth, scorching black flames came out of it and striked at the nearby Magic Ore and melted through it with ease.

Veldora looked stupefied at my unexpected display of magical might. All of his smugness was drained, and only shock remained on his face. It felt awfully good seeing him like that.

'W-What?! How did you learn it by just observing it once?!'

'Oh! I must have forgotten to mention that I have a skill that lets me analyse Magic and learn spells instantly! My bad, sorry~' I sent him my reply with a faux-innocent tone.

'You have a skill that lets you do what?!'

…

[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Dark Lightning Acquired.]

…

[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Death Heralding Wind Acquired.]

…

[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Storm of Destruction Acquired.]

…

[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Ruin Tempest Acquired.]

…

[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Thunderstorm Acquired.]

…

[Notice: Magical phenomenon observed successfully. Extra Skill: Storm Blast Acquired.]

'I am really starting to hate this outrageous skill of yours.' Veldora could do nothing as I stripped him of his "hard work".

---

Positive reviews and valid criticism is always appreciated.

 

[Azathras Salv.]

Hello World​

Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.

Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely? Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.

---

[Azridan POV]​

It's bullshitly hard and energy-intensive. How the hell does Veldora keep using {Dark Lightning}?!

Currently, I am trying to use {Dark Lightning}. But it has proven to be very hard. Apparently, Veldora has never faced many problems controlling the direction and intensity of the lightning.

Despite what this stupid Tsundere Dragon is saying, I can't even generate low intensity lighting without it rampaging around. I can just take {Scholar}'s help, but I want to perform it myself.

I do have ideas about how I can improve my control over it. However, testing them in a battle would be more productive.

"So Veldora, what do you suggest I do after leaving the cave?" I spoke.

In my time here, I had learnt to 'speak'. I had {Thought Transmission}, courtesy of Veldora. Though, I knew it wasn't a conventional method of communication. Therefore with the help of {Scholar} and {Echo Sense}, I was able to create specific vibrations in the molecules, effectively copying the effects of the vocal cord.

Ignoring all that, I have just been chatting with the Tsundragon and getting all kinds of advice from him. I don't even know how much time has passed, but it's more than a day for sure.

"Huh!? Are you leaving so soon!? I m-mean go ahead, and travel the world now. It's not like I would feel lonely if you leave," Veldora became sad after hearing my question. I am not sure if it was an illusion, but I swear I saw purple lines appearing around his face.

What kind of weird Dragon friend do I have? Sigh.

"I am not leaving you alone for eternity. I would occasionally return here to keep you company. Also, think about the possibilities. What if I can find a solution to this barrier?" I tried to placate him.

The voice that was coming out of my mouth was different from my past life, sounding far deeper and having a hiss to it.

That was definitely not intentional.

"HAHAHAHA, I am confident in you my friend! I am sure you will be able to crack this barrier one day." The cave trembled due to his laughter. I am really worried about his mood swings. Where did that 'depression' disappear?

"So, what does your brilliant mind suggest, I should do?"

"Well, I would suggest you try to evolve as soon as possible. I don't really know how the outside world has changed since my disappearance. I have already shared with you all I knew about the world before being sealed," He was again scratching his neck with a claw sharp enough to cut my scales like butter.

"As for how you could collect enough Magicules to evolve? Just go wild and eat every monster you see. You're already going to experience a steady increase in your Magicules. Add the mana you would receive from other monsters, and you should evolve in some time."

Hm, evolving fast would indeed be beneficial for me. I don't know how many monsters I would need to eat though. Hey {Scholar}, would I have taste buds in my human form?

[Answer: Affirmative.]

Cool. Now I would be able to enjoy good food and eat the bad-tasting food without feeling like vomiting. Truly the best of both worlds.

I looked at my friend and felt a very strange feeling well up in me. In my past life, I didn't have many friends. Almost all of them were either fake or were mere acquaintances.

Of course, there were some true friends, but even they didn't know much about me. This was the first time I had ever shared my life story with someone. To think that I would first open up to a big Tsun lizard. Sounds absurd but that's the reality I live in now.

"So, I think this is where we part?" I asked, feeling sad to leave this big guy here alone. I don't know when I will be able to visit.

"Yes, Azridan. Make sure you come back with awesome stories." Veldora spoke and I was able to see the smile on his face. Even if it looked more like a smirk.

"Hopefully when I see you again, you will be free. See you later, Veldora." I had already activated {Spatial Transfer}, another skill Veldora gave me. Before I disappeared, I saw a big grin on his face.

The skill had already activated and I was transported to where I first found myself in this world.

I was still feeling a bit of anxiety at leaving Veldora alone, but I am sure it would disappear over time. Anyway {Scholar}, make a path towards the exit of this cave for me. The exit should be in the direction where Magicule concentration decreases.

[Answer: Affirmative.]

I started heading in the opposite direction and saw Magic Ore in that direction. Not wanting to waste time with them, I just skipped past. There are going to be many monsters on the way, so Magicules won't be an issue.

Hmm, how much time has passed since I have come to this world? Can you tell me, {Scholar}?

[Answer: It has been 34 Days, 18 Hours, 29 Minutes, and 42 seconds.]

That's a lot of time. In all that time, the only things I remember doing were eating Magic Ore, Hipokute Grass, Monsters and talking to Veldora. However, I have definitely gotten stronger than before. Show me a list of all the skills I have, {Scholar}.

[Answer: Affirmative.]

[Intrinsic Skills: Thermal Resistance, Poison Fangs, Poisonous Breath, Echo Sense, Thermal Sense, Hard Scales, Mana Core.

Extra Skills: Magic Manipulation, Alluring Aura. Hero, Magic Sense, Thought Transmission, Fear Resistance, Poison Resistance, Pain Nullification

Storm Magic: Storm Blast, Thunderstorm, Ruin Tempest, Storm of Destruction, Death Heralding Wind, Black Flame, Dark Lightning

Elemental Magic: Flight Magic

Others: Spatial Transfer

Unique Skills: Scholar, Evolver]

This list has definitely grown a lot from before. Also, I don't think I have asked this before, but what exactly does the {Hero} skill do?

[Answer: The Extra Skill: Hero grants The Host an aura that radiates salvation and hope. Individuals standing in the presence of Host would feel secure and attracted to Host. Higher Existences can resist the effects. Host's 'Luck' is enhanced.]

.. That sounds a lot like mind control? But since it just makes people feel more secure, it should be fine right? I definitely wouldn't be burned at a stake for this.

As we are already on this topic, what does {Alluring Aura} do? I hope it's not another mind-control-ish skill.

[Answer: The Extra Skill: Alluring Aura makes the Host more attractive and charismatic. It works exceptionally well on females of a species. The effects can be resisted by Higher Existences.]

Sigh, I give up. However, both skills offer many practical uses. At least, most creatures won't attack me on sight.

Ugh, how long would it take for me to encounter a monster?

---

[Notice: Analysis complete.]

[Notice: Armorsauruses also known as "Shell-Lizards" are B-minus ranked monsters. They are territorial by nature and live in small groups. They possess a natural advantage in defence, due to having Intrinsic Skill: Body Armour.]

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver's {Dynamic Adaption} activated.]

[Notice: Host's Intrinsic Skill: Hard Scales has evolved into Intrinsic Skill: Body Armour.]
I had encountered a lounge of 7-foot long lizards. There were four of them, but I faced no problem in putting them down. I just used {Poisonous Breath} on three and {Poison Fang} on the remaining one.

{Poison Fang} wasn't what I expected. It was like my fangs glowed purple and were coated with poison. When I bit the lizard, the poor fella experienced pain. It was screaming very loudly as if its insides were being melted by the poison.

This was kind of hard to watch, but it died pretty quickly. After seeing that, I didn't particularly feel like swallowing it and the others. But knowing the importance of eating them, I devoured them after a bit of hesitance.

The increase in Magicules wasn't much but it would build up.

What exactly does this new skill do?

[Answer: The Intrinsic Skill: Body Armour, allows the user to form a shell-like substance harder than steel around the desired body parts like armour. It takes ambient Magicules to create the armour, the Grade of which depends on the power of the Host.]

The weirdness I felt after eating those lizards disappeared, and was replaced by happiness. This skill would be very useful, simply because it would grow alongside me.

I immediately used it and felt a layer of white exoskeleton form around my tail. Interesting.

I tried shaping the exoskeleton around my tail to form spikes, and I succeeded. So now I can grow different types of weapons from my body. The only restriction would be that it can't be separated from me.

As I deactivated the skill, the 'armour' expectedly vanished.

With that finished, I continued back on my path.

---

I really want to know how these monsters are designed. I am currently looking at a large centipede-like monster. Since it's battle time right now, {Scholar} is handling the output from {Magic Sense}.

Once I get out, I might just leave it completely to {Scholar}. Thoughts for later.

Anyway, the creature I am looking at is downright disgusting. I am relieved that I got Tempest Serpent, instead of whatever that ugly shit is called.

It has a long and thick, red pipe-like structure acting as the main body. There were sharp claws and legs all segmenting around its body. Its face was that of a centipede for sure, it looked like a horrifying creature straight out of someone's nightmare.

All I could feel looking at it was disgust.

It was some hundred metres away from me, so I just needed to get a little bit closer, for my spell to reach it. I am gonna use magic this time since I really wanted to try out the spell and it needed a living being.

I opened my mouth and the air around me began to shimmer and swirl, forming a vortex. The gust took on an eerie, dark hue, laced with Magicules. As the wind spread outward, every organic thing it touched began to wither and decay almost instantly.

Nothing was spared as the wind passed through. The Hipokute Grass decayed and was uprooted. Even the Magic Ore suffered some damage. The winds reached the centipede in no time and the results were as I had expected.

However, before the wind reached it, it released a yellow breath from its mouth. To its horror, the yellow particles were blown away by the incoming wind

I watched as the centipede's eyes darkened and its skin paled, before it collapsed, lifeless. If Veldora was telling the truth, then even its soul was torn away from its body by the wind, leaving nothing but a hollow shell behind.

The entire scene was accompanied by a haunting, mournful wail as the wind dissipated. It was both exciting and mesmerising, the sheer power and finality of the spell laid bare before me.

I got closer to the area and ate the corpse while still thinking about what extinguishing a soul meant.

I was also feeling somewhat tingly all over my body.

[Notice: Analysis complete.]

[Notice: Evil Centipedes, also known as "Great Centipedes" are B+ rank monsters. They are cannibalistic and combat using their Intrinsic Skill: Paralysing Breath.]

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver's {Dynamic Adaption} activated.]

[Notice: The Host has acquired Extra Skill: Paralysis Resistance.]

[Notice: Extra Skill: Poison Resistance and Extra Skill: Paralysis Resistance have combined to form Extra Skill: Abnormal Condition Resistance]

Ah, that breath attack must have been something like my own, just instead of poison it was a paralytic. Interesting.

What does the new skill do?

[Answer: Extra Skill: Abnormal Condition Resistance allows the Host to resist the effects of things such as corrosion, poison, paralysis, petrification, etc. Under a certain threshold the effects would be negligible.]

Without deliberating much on my earlier question, I continued making my way through the cave, feeling a bit more confident in my steps.

The combination of new skills and the steady accumulation of Magicules was definitely making me stronger. The latest addition, {Abnormal Condition Resistance}, seemed particularly useful. Not having to worry about various debilitating conditions would be a huge relief.

As I advanced, I kept my senses alert, using {Magic Sense} to scan for any nearby monsters. Despite Veldora's assurance that I wouldn't encounter any monster stronger than me, I was still vigilant.

The cave was eerily quiet at times, broken only by the occasional drip of water or distant rumble. It was easy to lose track of time in such an environment, but {Scholar} was always there to keep me company.

I picked up the pace, eager to see the outside world for the first time since arriving here. Thinking of how much time I might be wasting, practising control over {Dark Lightning} might prove to be a good idea.

Meh, I am sure I will become better at it than Veldora in no time.

---

"Yeah… Yeah… Yeah…. Doraemon and I will head to… A very bright future~" I hummed the Doraemon theme song.

I had been wal- Slithering for quite a while now. I got bored of just slithering and practising my skills, so I decided to sing a song.

It felt very obnoxious singing such a childish song as a big snake. I would never admit that I intentionally made my voice sound lighter. If anyone asks, I was just grinding my vocal skills.

As I reached the end of the song, I noticed something. Rather, it would be more appropriate to say, I am seeing many things.

Nearly 30 or so bats were hanging on the roof of the cave. All of them had black leather as skin and were as big as a human.

Though, I don't sense a lot of Magicules from them. They must be very weak then. Well, I would find out if I am wrong in a minute anyway.

My control over {Black Lightning} hasn't increased much, but right now it doesn't matter. I don't want it to be controlled.

With that devious thought in mind, I decided to unleash the strongest spell in my repertoire.

These bats weren't particularly strong; their Magicules were minimal. But I wasn't one to take chances. I focused my energy, feeling the raw power of {Black Lightning} form around my mouth.

I unleashed a torrent of black electricity towards the bats.

The cave was illuminated with a blinding flash as the black lightning arced and crackled through the air, raging around. Even with its chaotic nature, it struck many bats.

The high-pitched screams of the bats were drowned out by the sound of the lightning. In an instant, most of the bats were reduced to ash, their remains scattering in the updraft.

However, not all of them were caught in the initial strike. A handful of bats managed to evade the imprecise attack. They swooped down towards me, their wings beating furiously, and using some sort of screech attack aimed at me.

I felt the pressure building in my ears but remained unfazed. I quickly used another skill. As the bats drew closer, I used my {Poisonous Breath}.

Within less than a second, dark green gas left my mouth and made its way to the bats. They tried to manoeuvre their way out, but the gas was too widespread. One by one, they were engulfed in gas, and their screeches turned into hisses as their bodies melted and fell to the ground.

Within moments, the cave fell silent. The only sound was the crackling of the dying flames. I surveyed my handiwork, the charred remains of the bats scattered across the cave floor.

"Hah, you all weren't that strong. Get better b(r)ats!" I taunted the already dead bats. I am so funny.

I opened my mouth and consumed all the bats that still had a somewhat intact body.

[Notice: Analysis complete.]

[Notice: Giant Bats also known as "Blood-Sucking Bats" are C+ ranked monsters. They are nocturnal and prefer to reside in caves. Their means of combat involves confusing their targets with Ultrasound waves and draining them of their blood.]

These bats are indeed quite weak. This is my first time encountering any monster below B-rank.

Also, this would perhaps be the first time I didn't get a skill after combat. The increase in Magicules wasn't that much either. Truly wasted time.

Sigh, I looked ahead and still saw a long 'path'. I guess the saying was true. There ain't no rest for the wicked.

---

I heaved a sigh of relief. Man, fighting and this much really isn't for me. I am going to make my own empire and army and let them fight for me. I want power, and want to use that too. But this much is too much.

It's been five days since the 'Bat-cident'. I have faced many things since then. For example, many monsters. Many many monsters. They all were from the species I have already fought and didn't even prove to be a problem.

I have killed them in many different ways by now. Sometimes I would use {Black Flame}, on other occasions I would use {Black Lightning}. The latter is only used when there are a lot of them. I have probably used it only 3 times.

The funniest way I have killed a monster was when I let an Armorsaurus bite me and then used {Body Armour} to create a spike on that part. It pierced through its jaw and it died instantly.

The other most exciting part was when I encountered a big cliff. I thanked the only God-like being I knew for he had given me the perfect solution for this problem.

I had to simply use {Flight Magic}. My friend Veldora is indeed very helpful. It worked by using the Magicule resistance around me to propel myself.

Aside from that, it was just me either humming songs or killing monsters.

Having no one to talk to, and constantly being vigilant is really.. boring. I am trying to keep myself interested, but it still feels very boring. At least the monsters are somewhat interesting.

As I was going to go on a tangent about how bored I was, and probably sing a sad song after that, I saw something through {Magic Sense}. There were two doors.. doors mean exit.

I increased my pace and wiggled to where I saw them, about 300 metres ahead. I reached it and was greeted by two awfully big doors. They were way too big but I didn't care.

I got to the doorstep and stood there. After a moment of silence, I started dancing. When I say dancing, what I meant was to move my body in weird ways.

LET'S FUCKING GOOO!

Finally, I would get to bathe in the sunlight. I would get to touch some grass. I would be free to go. I would be in more danger, but that's irrelevant.

I excitedly approached the doors. I took a closer look at them and had to admit. They looked very plain for doors to the esteemed "Sealed Cave, Prison of Veldora". They were just big and were made out of… Iron? Is that Iron, {Scholar}?

[Answer: Negative. It's an alloy made up of Magic Ore and Iron.]

Yeah, that makes more sense. Even the B-rank monsters I encountered would be able to shred iron.

Now the question is, how do I escape from here? I think the best option would be to push through the doors. I am pretty confident in my strength.

I placed my head at the doors and pushed. I expected there to be some resistance but they were opening without any.

I let my previous life's programmer out for a second and marked my start in the outside world with two iconic words.

"Hello World"

Ahh, that felt good. Now time for the good things.

I slithered outside, ready to embrace the sunlight and the fresh air, only to be greeted by... pitch darkness.

"Huh?" I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my eyes. Instead of a bright, sunny day, I was standing in the middle of a dense forest under a starry night sky.

"Seriously?" I groaned, looking up at the twinkling stars. "I struggled for a month, battled monsters, met a Dragon and now this? At least it's not raining."

As if on cue, a raindrop splattered on my forehead. I looked up incredulously as more raindrops followed. "Oh, come on!"

I took a deep breath, trying to stay positive. "Alright, no problem. I'll just... enjoy the fresh night air and... wet grass."

Fuck my life.

---

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[Azathras Salv.]

The Great Jura Forest​

Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.

Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely? Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.

---

The air was humid with yesterday's rain, and there was an earthen aroma around. It was the nostalgic smell of the first rain. Ah, I remember revelling in this when my family used to live in the countryside.

There were puddles all around the cave entrance. Due to the rain, I had decided to remain inside. While I was cold-resistant, the feeling of wet soil sticking to my scales wasn't pleasant.

The sun had just claimed its position and was shining the first rays of light, creating a beautiful rainbow.

All night, I had observed the beautiful forest. Its beauty was enhanced by the rainstorm. In my past life, I had always been repulsed by rain. The reason being that when it rained, the streets of the city smelled worse than anything.

In monsoon, things needed more protection, the chances of getting sick were high, and the worst thing was the smell of wet garbage.

This was perhaps the first time I enjoyed the rain. This world is truly more enchanting than my previous one. Heh, I should probably start seeing this as my world.

It was very cold in the morning, and there was a cold breeze around me, at least I think so. Telling the temperature through plants is hard. I am assuming that based on how the leaves of a tree were somewhat wilted.

The Jura Forest sprawled out before me like an endless sea of green, each tree standing tall and proud, reaching towards the sky. The rustling leaves and distant calls of wildlife filled the air, enveloping me in a sense of serenity.

Seeing the narrow pathways between the trees, my eyes twitched.

Navigating through the dense undergrowth is gonna be a pain in the ass for me. Man, I hope I get that human form fast. I like my snake form, but I don't believe it's the best body in terms of mobility and manoeuvres. Well, for that I just need to evolve.

Despite knowing how troublesome it would be, I was still excited to explore the Jura Forest.

Well, I can't just remain in the cave. Time to leave and become stronger.

Ugh, I also need to get washed. I have been cleaning my body with the occasional ponds I found in the cave, but I need to properly submerge myself and rinse off the blood of the monsters I killed.

Man, I should have just used the rain. Fuck this world for being so damn attractive.

I am unable to sense any big water source around, but I can sense the water in the ground flowing towards a particular direction. Maybe it opens up somewhere. If it doesn't, I can just make a hole in the ground anyway.

Oi {Scholar}, try making a path to the nearest water body, also it should be optimised for my current form.

[Answer: Affirmative. Matching location theorised. Probability is 79%. Path optimization... Done.]

Yeah, I can reasonably trust these odds. I was worried about having to break trees in order to travel. Having a skill like {Scholar} really is a cheat.

Following the path that it gave me, I carefully manoeuvred between trunks and sharp roots. Though, even with its help, I did sometimes mess up. The mess-ups were brutal. I didn't even get scratches or anything, but I lost some self-respect every time I got stuck in between vines.

Oh Great Veldora! Please, I don't want to find myself entangled in those vines again. They seem determined to fuck with me.

---

"Fucking hell! Why the fuck are these trees so big and wide!?" I cursed, trying to get myself out of the entanglement that I had found myself in.

I was trying my best not to just use {Black Flames} and demolish the forest, but it was becoming more and more tempting.

As I was trying my hardest to get out of these damn bushes, I was momentarily stunned by a scene.

The scene that I saw was a group of vibrant birds perching on a branch of an enormous tree.

The birds had teal feathers with red accents on their wings and tails, and they flew gracefully. Their crests were tinged with purple and blue. Against the forest background dense with greenery, their striking appearance stood out.

The birds were calmly observing their surroundings and flew away as soon as they saw me.

Even after they left, I observed them fly away into the distant horizon with wonder in my eyes.

Wow… I have never seen such beautiful birds in my life. I had tamed birds, but the prettiest of them all was an eagle. While I am biased in favour of my pets, I have to admit; even they weren't as beautiful as the birds I just saw.

How does this world just continue to skewer my perception of beauty every damn minute?

I was still looking at the birds as they became more and more distant. So engrossed in my observations, I completely forgot about my current situation.

That was a mistake in hindsight, as when I tried to move, I became more trapped.

Fuck off! You damn bushes!

---

After what felt like an eternity of wriggling and cursing, I finally found my destination. Ahead of me, I could hear the sound of flowing water; it was growing louder with every step—slither.

The scent of fresh, flowing water was tantalising, promising me freedom from my current state of being covered with God knows what kind of things.

As I approached the source, the trees began to thin out, revealing a large water basin that glistened under the morning sun. The water was crystal clear, flowing steadily over smooth stones, and the banks were lined with soft moss and flowers.

I slithered closer, savouring the sight. This was it. I had found the perfect bathing spot. No more pond water, no more being covered in dirt. A proper wash, finally.

Just as I was about to dip into the water, I was again reminded of the existence of other monsters here.

Near the riverbank, a group of creatures was gathered. They were unlike anything I had seen before—deer-like monsters with short antlers. I could describe them best as a mix between cattle and a deer.

They seemed to be communing with the river, dipping their heads into the water and drinking serenely.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to approach them slowly, making sure not to startle them. As I drew closer, one of the creatures lifted its head, meeting my gaze. For a moment, we simply stared at each other, an unspoken understanding passing between us.

To my surprise, the creature didn't flee or attack. Instead, it continued drinking, seemingly unbothered by my presence. The others followed suit, acknowledging me briefly before returning to their peaceful activities.

Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Looks like not everything in this forest is out to get me.

They had a minuscule amount of Magicules anyway. If my perception of the power scale isn't screwed, they should be D Rank. What do you think, {Scholar}?

[Answer: The species should have an estimated rank of D- Rank.]

Hm, forget about them. Let me focus back on getting clean.

I lowered myself into the river and swam to the centre. After reaching there, I coiled my body and enjoyed the cool water covering me and washing away the grime and blood. It was blissful, and I could feel the tension in my muscles ease.

Fortunately, the river was deep enough for me to fully submerge myself, allowing the water to clean every inch of my scales.

As I got more soaked in the moment, I couldn't help but reflect on the strange beauty of this world. With its dangers, it also held moments of peace and beauty. It was a place of balance, where even a giant snake like me could find comfort.

"This world really is unique after all," I mused, watching the peaceful monsters continue doing… whatever they were doing.

I was rubbing my scales against any surface I could find. The feeling of sand being stuck in between your scales is very unpleasant.

Oh Veldora… Would I be able to find any other baths after this? Maybe learning some water magic is the answer to that question?

How can I even go about that? Should I just start doing the things I did as a child? I used to fill my mouth with water and then spit it back out after doing some hand signs. Yeah, I was trying to recreate Suiton: Mizu Deppo.

Welp, no longer an option. No hands, no hand signs.

I also have the {Magic Manipulation} skill; that should count for something. Oi {Scholar}, tell me how I can go about using water magic?

[Answer: After analysing the data available, the Host can perform or create magical phenomena involving water with Extra Skill: Magic Manipulation.]

… Well, I guess, childhood fantasies do come true.

I relaxed my body and focused on my surroundings. I became aware of everything around me, every single Magicule and how they were interacting together.

After this revelation, I used {Magic Manipulation} to affect the Magicules in the water to move to my will. I pushed them outwards, away from me. With a single thought, I had created little waves in the water.

I noticed the weird deer-like creatures getting curious at what I was doing.

Ignoring them, I continued what I was doing. This time, instead of pushing them outwards, I willed them to concentrate around my head in the shape of a sphere.

Unsurprisingly, they obeyed my will and did exactly what I wished them to do. It was at this moment I got the confirmation about my efforts bearing fruit.

I shot the "Water Ball" towards a random tree with a short use of {Flight Magic}'s concept of using Magicule resistance. The poor tree was split apart, and the tree behind it almost faced the same fate.

The deer ran away after seeing what I had done. For some time, there was no other sound but that of water dripping and leaves rustling with the wind.

……

I am definitely not gonna shout Suiton technique names in Japanese while using this skill.

However, this does raise a question. Why the fuck did I travel through that treacherous terrain in order to get water? I could have just created it with magic from the start?

Oi {Scholar}, answer for your actions!

[Answer: The Host had asked for the direction to the nearest water source.]

……

Fuck me. Can I at least recreate some water techniques from other animes too?

---

It's been a few hours since my discovery that I can do some crazy shit with {Water Manipulation}, but I did find one limitation. I can't create water out of nothing.

I can use the moisture in the surroundings to create water, I can fuse the Hydrogen and Oxygen molecules in the air, I can extract water from living things, but I can't create it from nothing.

In a situation where there's no moisture to turn, no constituents in the air, or any organic matter, my skill becomes kind of useless.

However, there's a solution to this problem of mine: I can just carry around a huge storage full of water and use it in such situations. Now I just need to find such storage.

I looked at another group of weird deers that had arrived after the first group ran away. They came from a different direction, so it is safe to assume that they aren't the same group as before.

I asked {Scholar} for the exact time and sighed at the answer: I have relaxed enough now.

I still don't want to get out of the water, and the sun above my head raining heat wasn't motivating at all. But I knew that just staying here isn't gonna benefit me.

Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of the river. The creatures by the bank glanced up at me one last time before resuming their calm activities.

As I slithered onto the mossy bank, I took a moment to appreciate the refreshed feeling that washed over me. My scales gleamed in the sunlight, free from dirt and grime. It was a small victory, but it felt monumental after the struggles of the past days.

Alright, time to move on. My gaze scanned the forest for the next path.

Oi {Scholar}, look around for footprints in the area and tell me where they are heading. Choose the path that has the highest density and variety in footprints.

[Answer: Affirmative… Footprints found… Analysis in progress… Analysis Finished.]

[Notice: The Host is advised to head North. Probability of encountering unique monsters is high.]

Good! Man, who needs to wander around aimlessly when you have {Scholar}.

With a new sense of purpose, I started moving north. The forest, though dense and seemingly endless, began to feel more navigable. I have almost mastered the art of travelling through forests with a big serpentine body.

As I moved, I didn't remain idle. I practised manipulating Magicules around me, using {Magic Manipulation} to create small gusts of wind or gentle ripples in the air. It was a satisfying way to pass the time and hone my skills.

The journey was relatively uneventful until I stumbled upon a clearing.

It was a beautiful open space, bathed in sunlight and filled with different types of colourful flowers. In the centre, there were some unique trees, their branches stretching wide and providing shade.

But what caught my attention were the creatures gathered around the tree. They looked like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel, with bushy tails and large, curious eyes. They were nibbling on the flowers and seemed completely oblivious to my presence.

And I would have also been completely oblivious to their presence as they have a very low Magicule presence. Even lower than the weird deer things.

Why are monsters outside so weak? I need Magiculse to evolve, but I don't think I am evolving any time soon if this trend continues.

Well, at least these guys are cute.

One of the creatures looked up at me, its nose twitching. It seemed to consider me for a moment before going back to its meal.

I chuckled, feeling a strange sense of peace.

Alright, let's see if there's anything useful here. I said, shifting my focus back to the task at hand.

I approached the trees in the middle of the clearing, my eyes scanning its bark and leaves. There was something unusual about them, a faint glow that wasn't present in other trees.

All the trees in Jura Forest had some Magicules in them, making their wood exceptionally hard to cut, but even they didn't have such a glow.

Oi {Scholar}, analyse this tree.

[Answer: Analysing... This tree is a {Luminous Sapling}. Its sap has minor healing properties and can be used for production of healing items.]

"Healing properties, huh? Sounds useful."

I extended my senses, feeling the flow of Magicules within the tree. After that I just used {Magic Manipulation} to make small cuts on the tree with precise manipulation of air.

As the hole got bigger, the sap began coming out, I watched as it pooled on the surface of the bark. I manipulated the air around it to hover the sap to some scratches on my scales.

The scratches disappeared within a minute of the tree sap remaining on my scales.

Nice find. But again, I don't have any way to store it. Such a waste of opportunity.

Hm, I am definitely coming back to the Sealed Cave with a way to store things.

Soooo, where should I head now? I looked at the huge mountains, and decided that it would be the best place for isolation. Also, if my knowledge of magical fantasies was to be believed, then there's always good shit around huge mountains.

Who am I kidding, I was definitely going there because I didn't want to deal with travelling in forests. I was built for the caves.

On we go then.

---

[Mikami Satoru]​

I leaned back in my chair, letting out a long, tired sigh. My apartment was cluttered with various H-games and manga, a testament to my escapism from the boringness of everyday life.

The news channel was blaring in the background, something about a massive scandal involving the medical industry. Apparently, despite it being an American thing, it was affecting the whole world.

I had heard about it around some time ago, but hadn't focused much on it. Though, the signs about this being a very big matter were evident from how there had been a steep decline in the American clients of his company.

He had taken a look into it after this and what he had found had been surprising to say the least.

"Here we go again, another corporate shitshow," I muttered, flipping through my latest game manual.

"Not that I care much. Those greedy bastards had it coming."

I glanced at the TV, where they were showing the face of Carlos Linkin, the man responsible for blowing the curtains off from the entire industry. There was also a blurred image of his dead body found at a decrepit building.

It was hard to believe that one person could cause such a massive upheaval. Not that I doubted it; after all, people are capable of anything when driven by vengeance.

"Carlos Linkin, huh? Never thought I'd see someone with bigger balls than the idiots in my games," I chuckled to myself.

His story was all over the internet, and I couldn't help but admire his bravado, even if his methods were a bit extreme for some people.

Scrolling through my phone, I saw posts and comments flooding social media. People were both praising and cursing him. Some people were criticising him for committing suicide to escape his consequences.

There were also the regular internet trolls creating dark memes about it. He suddenly saw a meme that made him laugh so loud that his stomach hurt.

It was an image of a group of suit-wearing people, standing in a boardroom. They had exaggerated expressions of shock and horror on their faces. The background was filled with stacks of money and medicine bottles labelled "Overpriced meds."

The text in it read as: "When you realise the 'safe and secure vault' was just a kid with a laptop."

He did have a hearty laugh at this one for sure. Though, what made it more funny was how real it was.

Lawsuits were flying left and right and all the people involved were sued. The governments were scrambling to control the public outcry. It was a beautiful mess that Carlos had created.

"This guy's practically a real-life anti-hero," I thought, sipping on my coffee.

"Maybe I should write a story about him. 'The Man Who Fucked the Pharma World'—sounds like a bestseller." I nodded at my wise words, and saved those thoughts in my mind to talk about with Tamura.

As much as I respected his actions, I couldn't help but feel a pang of cynicism.

"Sure, he exposed the dirty secrets, but will anything really change?" I wondered.

"The rich and powerful always find a way to bounce back. It's like playing an unwinnable game."

I turned my attention back to the TV. The reporters were now discussing the ripple effects of the leaks—how medical research was accelerating, how treatments once deemed too expensive were now becoming more accessible.

People were hopeful for a better future.

"Well, at least something good is coming out of this mess," I mused. "Maybe if this had happened a bit earlier, I wouldn't have lost my old man to that overpriced crap they call medicine."

It was a bitter thought, but I quickly brushed it aside. No point dwelling on the past. I'd learned that the hard way. Life was too short for regrets, and too long to waste on what-ifs.

"Good luck, Carlos, wherever you are," I said, raising my cup in a mock toast. "You did what most of us only dream of doing—sticking it to the man. Hope you found your peace."

As the news droned on about his personal life and tried to paint him as some villain, I returned to my game, with a small smile on my lips.

For once, reality was more interesting than fiction, and I couldn't help but feel a twisted sense of satisfaction. The world was changing, and who knows? Maybe, just maybe, it would change for the better.

---

Positive reviews and valid criticism is always appreciated.

Right now you would get to read the sixth and seventh chapter on my Patreon, so if you wanna support a student and motivate me to write faster, do consider subscribing.

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[Azathras Salv.]

Future Plans​

Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.

Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely? Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.

---

My eyes were twitching with the intensity of a fucking tornado.

The reason being that I have somehow again found myself wrapped around tree roots.

Seriously, how the fuck do I keep ending up in these situations? I grumbled while still unwinding my body from these cursed roots.

Getting entangled was becoming a habit, a really annoying one. If only I had hands to help me out—oh wait, no hands. Just scales and coils. How great.

With a final careful push, I was freed to explore the forest floor. I haven't burnt any trees. None at all. The charred stumps that are behind me have been there for centuries.

Shaking off the last remnants of dirt and leaves, I used {Spatial Transfer} to teleport towards the open path that I was able to sense. I haven't been using it before due to how many Magicules it would take and how useless it would be since even if I teleported, I would still end up between trees.

The sun was slowly advancing towards the west. It was definitely somewhat hot right now, but due to {Thermal Resistance}, I wasn't able to feel it.

It was kind of weird honestly. This was a different world but still has a similar day and night cycle to my previous planet. Deciding to not wonder about this thought more, I dropped it.

As I basked in the warmth, I allowed my thoughts to drift to my plans. The idea of having a humanoid form was exciting. Imagine the possibilities. Actual hands, legs, maybe even a face that doesn't make children scream and run away.

But I wasn't just evolving for convenience. I had bigger dreams. This world was full of opportunities, and I intended to take them.

There were kingdoms out there, filled with all sorts of creatures and potential allies—or enemies. Understanding the political landscape would be crucial. Who were the major players? Which kingdoms were at war, and which ones were perfect for alliances?

The data I received from Veldora had already been analyzed by {Scholar}. It had already told me all the useful bits on the political situation, but that information may not be useful. I am sure that many things must have changed in the last three hundred years.

Though the geographical situation shouldn't be different. There were three known continents in this world, and each of them was big. Their names were Magic Continent, Ice Continent, and El Dorado.

The Magic Continent, which lies in the center and was where I currently stood, was the only continent that was going to be relevant for me for a long time. Because I am not going anywhere near the other two.

On the far west of the continent, are the Barren Lands. It is a never-ending land full of inhospitable sandy desert. As if that wasn't enough, the land was also contaminated with magicule radiation. Which is somewhat similar to nuclear radiation.

However, despite how useless it sounds, it was actually the territory of Demon Lord Dagruel. I have already come to terms that Demons exist and Demon Lords aren't actually their lords. They are just strong monsters.

Ignoring that can of worms, let me get back to the geography class. On the borders of the Barren Land, lies the Holy Empire Lubelius. The territory of Demon Lord Luminous Valentine as well as the home of the Western Holy Church.

And wasn't that a hilarious surprise. A Demon Lord was cosplaying as a God and rallying her followers against monsters. They were going to be enemies, simply because I am a monster and I want to keep existing.

Besides those fanatics, in the center of the continent lies a big collection of countries collectively referred to as the 'Western Nations'. And unsurprisingly they all follow the religion of Luminous, so more enemies for me.

There's also the 'Great Canaat Mountains' to the north. That's the place I am currently headed for. It's a great expanse of mountains ruled on the surface by the Dragon Lords who live at the peak of the tallest mountain, and ruled underground by the Armed Nation of Dwargon.

At the southern border of Jura Forest is the Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion, a collection of 13 elven states that had sworn their allegiance to their divine emperor Elmesia El Ru Sarion, but otherwise acted independently. Its "capital" is the state of Elmin where the emperor and her family reside.

I have heard a great deal about the Elves in my last life, and it was kind of weird that they exist now, but the rumors about their beauty and longevity have done wonders to make that weirdness go away.

Definitely going there~

Moving on, the eastern border of the Jura Forest was accompanied by a collection of Demi-human and Majin populated states collectively the territory of Demon Lords. Part of it was also ruled by Milim Nava, someone that Veldora had warned me about. So not going there for a long time too.

Finally to the far east lies the… ugh… Nasca Namrium Ulmeria United Eastern Empire. This empire was ruled by Rudra Nam Ul Nasca, another guy Veldora warned me against. The reason being that they were partly the reason behind his imprisonment.

And another reason was that his sister, Velgrynd The Scorch Dragon was the protector of the Empire. He was almost crying when he told me the stories about his legendary defeats at the hand of his sister. He did once cry when I outright started laughing.

Ignoring my Tsundere friend, from all that it was pretty visible that the majority of the world was ruled by Demon Lords. Which is good, as I am a monster and monsters are more respected in the territories of the Demon Lords.

And just like these Demon Lords, I envision forming a kingdom of monsters too, uniting them under a single banner. My banner.

My kingdom. A place where even the weirdest of the weird could live in peace.

But before any of that, I needed to explore. Find out what resources were available, who could be trusted, and who needed to be avoided at all costs. It was a big world out there, and while my current form had its perks, a more versatile body would make this a whole lot easier.

I'll need to get to know the political and geographical situation better.

Gaining a human form would be a game-changer. I could blend in, gather information more easily, and perhaps even gain access to places that would otherwise be off-limits to a giant snake. And the best thing? I would get access to conventional methods of storage!

If the forest thinks that I have forgotten about its resources then it's dead wrong.

Once I've evolved, I'll head to the nearest kingdom. Start small. Gather information, make connections. And who knows? Maybe I'll find some allies too.

But it wasn't just about making allies. I also needed to be strategic. Some creatures could be bought, others persuaded. And then there might also be those who only respect strength.

I'd need to show them and the world that I was not just another monster, but a force to be reckoned with. I am sure being Veldora's buddy would help with that. I just need to get that goofball out of his prison.

And with that, I slithered forward, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

---

I was slithering near the bank of a river. The sun was almost about to set. I don't know where I am gonna rest tonight.

Though, I don't think I am even gonna rest. I am feeling completely fine since there was no real usage of Magicules throughout the whole day. What I had used has already been regenerated.

As I was peacefully humming a catchy tune, I—or rather {Scholar}—sensed something.

Several powerful entities were concentrated some distance away from me. There were about 37 signatures in total. All of them had different rankings.

Feeling curious about what could possibly be going on there, I darted towards that location. This would be the first time in a while that I am gonna see monsters higher than C Rank. Maybe it can be a group of humans too.

As I got closer, I was able to see what was going on. There were three distinct and easy-to-tell-apart wolf groups.

The first group consisted of wolves that had green fur. There were 11 in total, and each one of them was B Ranked. One green wolf stuck out due to the scar on its neck. I can sense that the scarred wolf had the highest Magicules of them all.

That guy must be their leader.

The second group wasn't much different and had 14 blue-colored wolves. The wolves on this side were also all B Ranked. There wasn't any special wolf among them, but one wolf had noticeably higher magicule capacity.

However, the third group of gray wolves was the weirdest. They were standing scattered around the two groups. They were also weaker than their green and blue counterparts. They also looked smaller in size. They were C Ranked at most.

What was really bizarre about the scene, however, was the dead bodies and blood littering the soil and river around. There were signs of battle all around the scene. The trees were torn apart, and there were claw marks on all the wolves, regardless of the color of their fur.

It looked like they were fighting each other for territory because I don't see any other reason around. I am just guessing, but those gray wolves look like the previous form of the other two groups. Would make sense considering how weak they were in comparison.

This presents a good opportunity for me. I am pretty close to evolving, and this fight can be the one I need to leap over my current limitations.

Hey {Scholar}, do you think if I eat them all, I would have enough Magicules to evolve?

[Answer: Calculating… Done. It has been calculated that the Host would evolve with that many Magicules.]

This was an exciting piece of news. Knowing that I am going to get my desired evolution after so long sounds so nice!

All right. Here I come, my human form!

The time returned to its real pace as I cut off my communication with {Scholar}.

As I approached the battlefield with my big form, the wolves became alert. I was still hundreds of meters away, but apparently, they could still sense me.

Since they already know I am coming, I might as well charge ahead.

Seeing me approaching fast, the different wolf groups seemed to reach a temporary truce. They probably decided that I was a bigger threat, and cooperation for now would be more beneficial for them.

Tsk. Smart of them.

As I neared them, they took on stances and started attacking me.

The first wave of gray wolves lunged at me with synchronized ferocity. In response to them charging at me, a burst of {Black Flame} was released, incinerating several gray wolves mid-air.

Their howls of agony echoed through the forest as their charred bodies fell to the ground.

However, the green wolves were not intimidated by the flames. They glowed for a second and, surprisingly, summoned thick vines and roots from the ground.

The surrounding vegetation twisted and turned, aiming to entangle and immobilize me. I responded with {Storm Blast}, unleashing powerful lightning that tore through the plants, shredding them to pieces.

But the green wolves weren't finished. They adapted quickly, combining their Nature magic with their physical prowess. They covered themselves with razor-sharp thorns and a thick armor made out of hardened soil that coalesced up from the ground around there bestial bodies.

A pair of green wolves leapt at me from opposite directions, their fangs glowing with poisonous energy. My {Body Armour} absorbed the impact, but I felt the sting of their venom seeping through my defenses.

They also managed to rip off some of my scales, leaving my tender flesh exposed.

I wasn't really worried about the poison, since I am sure {Abnormal Condition Resistance} would protect me from it. But this did announce quite a bit. I am lucky I have {Pain Nullification}, otherwise, that bite was bound to hurt like a bitch.

Alright, let's see how you handle this. I activated {Magic Manipulation} and sent blades of wind towards them, but unsurprisingly they evaded them pretty well. Seeing me go on the offensive, they took a defensive posture and started using the terrain to their advantage.

I conjured {Dark Lightning} and, instead of letting it roam free, I tasked {Scholar} to target the green wolves. The lightning crackled and danced, striking them with devastating force.

Their weak defenses of earthen walls didn't protect them from my lightning. Their howls of pain were cut short as they were reduced to smoldering heaps.

The blue wolves weren't sitting idle and took me by surprise as I was focusing on their green counterparts. They summoned powerful torrents from the nearby river, aiming to drown me. The sheer force of the water pushed me back, and that did a pretty heavy amount of damage to me.

Most of the scales around the area of impact were ripped off and damaged. I was even bleeding heavily from that area.

That was the most damage I have sustained after coming to this world. I once again thanked my last self for wishing for {Pain Nullification}.

Now, only if this damage could be healed. Man, I wish I had collected that sap. I would really look into some storage device after this fight.

As if listening to my desires, {Evolver} acted up.

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver's {Dynamic Adaption} activated.]

[Notice: Host has acquired Extra Skill: Self-regeneration.]

I felt a noticeable drain on my Magicules. I also felt the damaged parts healing. I slowed down my time perception using {Thought Acceleration}, and thought about my next step.

The new skill seems to be doing a good job reversing the damage, but it was also draining Magicules. Even if the drainage was small, I am still losing Magicules. I need to finish this fight as fast as possible, or else I am going to faint from magicule exhaustion.

I was somewhat disadvantaged on the surface due to how the green wolves can bind me. I should probably take to the air and then use some spells to take them out.

With that in mind, I removed the effects of {Thought Acceleration} and got back to fighting.

I quickly activated {Flight Magic}, hovering above the ground to avoid getting the kinky bondage play that the green wolves wanted to play.

From my aerial vantage point, I spotted the blue wolves utilizing more of their Magicules.

I could feel the water around me being manipulated into sharp, deadly projectiles. With a calculated move, I used {Magic Manipulation} to cancel their magic. They looked surprised when their magic was abruptly stopped midway.

Using this window of surprise, I cast {Ruin Tempest}, creating a maelstrom of wind and lightning.

The violent storm shredded through the futile resistance they put up by using water to shield themselves, and the blue wolves found themselves struggling against my attack. All of them sustained heavy injuries due to this, but none of them died.

However, they regrouped, forming a tighter circle around me. Their leaders, the two bigger wolves with different colored fur, presumably commanded them through {Thought Communication}.

Proving my theory right, the wolves coordinated their attacks, utilizing their pack synergy to create openings and exploit my weaknesses.

I knew I needed to thin their numbers quickly. To break their coordination, I focused on the leaders.

I first targeted the stronger of the two and used {Spatial Transfer} to blink behind it. The green-furred wolf turned, but I was faster.

I sank my fangs into the wolf and used {Poison Fangs}, injecting my venomous teeth deeper into it. The green wolf thrashed violently before collapsing, its lifeless body twitching.

With one leader down, the remaining wolves hesitated. But I knew this wouldn't last for long.

Therefore, I descended and quickly took to attacking them.

I quickly seized the opportunity, summoning {Death Heralding Wind} to create a wave of razor-sharp air currents around me. Any wolf that got caught in it was torn apart, their bodies littering the forest floor.

Despite my successes, the battle wasn't over.

The remaining green and blue wolves rallied, combining their elemental magic in a desperate last stand. Vines and sprays of water merged, creating a lethal combination.

If this wasn't enough, a coordinated attack came from multiple directions, with wolves jumping and trying to claw at me.

A few green wolves to my left summoned roots that shot out of the ground, while the blue wolves on my right conjured water blades that sliced through the air. Simultaneously, the gray wolves lunged at me from the front, their jaws open revealing their sharp teeth.

I was unable to dodge all the incoming attacks as they were all coming from different directions and my body was too damn big.

I twisted and turned, dodging and countering as best as I could. However, one particularly sharp water blade managed to slip past my defenses, slicing through several of my newly generated scales and {Body Armor} and ripping off a chunk of my mass.

Getting to the ground was a mistake. Summoning the last reserves of my strength, I pushed through the attacks.

My trustworthy skill did come to my rescue. But unfortunately, it was too late.

[Notice: Unique Skill: Evolver's {Dynamic Adaption} activated.]

[Notice: Host has acquired Extra Skill: Physical Attack Resistance.]

[Notice: Host has acquired Extra Skill: Magic Resistance.]

I decided that this was enough. I had already prepared the surroundings for the spell that I was going to cast now.

I invoked {Storm of Destruction} for the first time. It was a spell that required a few bits of preparation before being cast. I needed to electrically charge the area to create the suitable conditions for the spell to take effect.

That was partly why I had been intentionally using more electric spells. I wanted to try out this spell, and this was the perfect opportunity.

As I cast the spell, the world around me visibly shuddered at the release of Magicules. It was a saving grace that the spell just used the caster's Magicules for activation. It primarily used surrounding Magicules for the rest of the spell.

The sky darkened, and a colossal storm formed above the battlefield. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed with blinding intensity. I unleashed the storm's fury upon these fuckers.

The ground shook as the combined might of wind, fire, and lightning rained down on it. The gray wolves and their evolved counterparts didn't stand a chance against the sheer destructiveness of the spell.

Despite my best efforts at limiting it, it still affected the area of 300 meters around me. All the trees were incinerated, the ground was torn apart with huge chunks of land just flying off. The bloody water in the river was boiled and vaporized.

The only reason the corpses of the wolves survived was due to their Magicules and resistance. Everything else met the same fate: utter annihilation.

As the spell's effects dispersed, the storm subsided. But the rain remained and continued to pour down. The air was thick with the scent of blood, but it was slowly being cleared due to the leftover gusts of the spell.

Looking around at the destruction it caused, I felt a sense of pride surge through me. My efforts weren't wasted. I truly held power.

As the adrenaline from the fight started wearing down, I started feeling more and more drowsy.

Seeing that I might collapse, I started eating all the corpses I could find.

The state of most corpses wasn't pleasant, but I pushed through and continued devouring them. My lack of taste buds was again given hefty appreciation.

As I finished eating all the corpses I could find, my wounds had healed up and I was enlightened about my enemies.

[Notice: Green Fang is an evolution from a regular Direwolf. If they evolve in a forest, they evolve with a Nature element. Individually B-Rank, and as a pack they are ranked A-Rank. They possess exceptional affinity for Nature based magic.]

[Notice: Blue Fang is an evolution from a regular Direwolf. If they evolve near bodies of water, they evolve with a water element. Individually B-Rank, and as a pack they are ranked A-Rank. They possess exceptional affinity for Water based magic.]

[Notice: Direwolves. They are the preceding form of Blue Fang and Green Fang. They are D-Rank to C-Rank individually, and B-Rank as a pack due to the synergy in their skills and teamwork.]

After reading this, I didn't have enough time to celebrate neither my victory nor the fact that my assumptions were correct.

As for why? It was because I heard a voice like {Scholar} say this:

Conditions for Evolution have been met.

Commencing Evolution.

After that, the screen blackened and I hugged the good ole' Morpheus.

---

Positive reviews and valid criticism is always appreciated.

Question: This was my first time writing such a long fight scene, what are your thoughts on it? And tell me if you have any suggestions on how I could improve.

Right now you would get to read the seventh chapter of Darwin and first chapter of Crimson Sands on my Patreon, so if you wanna support a student and motivate me to write faster, do consider subscribing.

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[Azathras Salv.]

Evolution​

Disclaimer: If you are stupid and think I own Tensura, then sorry to burst your bubble. I don't. If I did, then Tensura wouldn't have succeeded as much.

Summary: A human soul transmigrates into the body of a newborn snake with some strange skills. How would it fare in this world where people with strength like Gods roam freely? Surviving this mayhem should be its first concern.

---

Conditions for Evolution have been met.

Commencing Evolution.

Intrinsic Skill: Thermal Resistance has Evolved into Intrinsic Skill: Thermal Fluctuation Nullification

Intrinsic Skill: Abnormal Condition Resistance has Evolved into Intrinsic Skill: Abnormal Condition Nullification

Extra Skill: Magic Sense and Intrinsic Skills: Heat Sense, Echo Sense have merged into Intrinsic Skill: Universal Perception

Extra Skill: Alluring Aura has Evolved into Extra Skill: Charm

Extra Skill: Alteration Acquisition Successful

Extra Skill: Alteration has been assimilated in Unique Skill: Evolver

Race Changed to Stormlord Serpent

Intrinsic Skill: Thermal Fluctuation Nullification has been converted to Magicules

Intrinsic Skill: Natural Effects Nullification Acquired

Intrinsic Skills: Poison Breath and Poison Fang have merged into Intrinsic Skill: Fain Eyes

Intrinsic Skill: Shapeshift Acquired

Intrinsic Skill: Weather Manipulation Acquired

Intrinsic Skill: Illusion Weaver Acquired

---

The world felt different as I slowly regained consciousness. It was as if every fiber of my being was more attuned to the air, the ground, the very essence of nature itself. My body felt immense, more powerful than ever before. I could feel the raw energy coursing through me, like a storm ready to be unleashed.

As I lay in the battle 'field,' I noticed something: my senses had improved by a lot.

Where once I could perceive only a hundred meters of the surrounding area, that was now expanded to encompass kilometers of the terrain. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing a world that was familiar yet unknown.

The sounds, the spectrum of light, Magicules, the flow of heat—all of it flooded into my consciousness with overwhelming clarity. It was a sensation both exhilarating and weird, as if I had unlocked a hidden dimension that had always been there.

The last thing I remember hearing before passing out was {Scholar} announcing that I had enough Magicules to evolve. Oi {Scholar}, tell me what has changed and give me a list of my current skills.

[Answer: Host has evolved from a Tempest Serpent to a Stormlord Serpent also known as 'Fainlords'. Stormlord Serpents are enormous in size, and possess a multitude of different abilities. The main skills include Weather Manipulation, Illusions and Shape Shifting.]

[Answer: Here's a list of all the skills the Host possesses:

Intrinsic Skills: Universal Perception, Mana Core, Body Armour, Weather Manipulation, Shapeshift, Natural Effects Nullification, Illusion Weaver, Fain Eyes

Extra Skills: Magic Manipulation, Charm. Hero, Thought Transmission, Abnormal Condition Nullification, Pain Nullification

Storm Magic: Storm Blast, Thunderstorm, Ruin Tempest, Storm of Destruction, Death Heralding Wind, Black Flame, Dark Lightning

Elemental Magic: Flight Magic

Arts: Spatial Transfer

Unique Skills: Scholar, Evolver]

Damn, that's a lot of new skills. Though, I have lost some skills too? Did they evolve, {Scholar}?

[Answer: Affirmative.]

I would love to try them all out, but I am currently more worried about what's happening around me. I will check them out after I am sure of my safety.

I focused my upgraded senses to observe the clearing and again realized the scale of the destruction I had caused.

It was still a mess of uprooted trees, scorched earth, and torn ground—a testament to the fierce battle that had taken place. I felt a strange sense of pride seeing the destruction that I had caused.

But first, I needed to assess my new form.

Lifting my head, I realized just how massive I had become. My body stretched over a hundred feet, my scales glistening with a mix of electric blue and stormy gray.

I could feel the power to affect the weather within me, ready to be called upon at any moment.

Also, I can see you, {Shapeshift}, my most desired skill~. I focused inward, tapping into my newfound ability to change my form as I wanted.

My form began to shrink rapidly, scales retracting and reshaping until I stood on two legs, looking down at my ashy human hands. I marveled at my transformation.

I commanded the surrounding water molecules to freeze and form a mirror of ice in front of me.

In my human form, I stood at almost 7 feet tall and had an imposing figure that commanded attention and respect. My hair was a striking shade of electric blue, flowing like liquid lightning as it cascaded down to my shoulders.

My new eyes were the color of storm clouds, and retained the defining eye features of a snake. My skin had become mostly smooth, with some scales around certain parts, and had an unblemished shade of pale gray.

Overall, it was a surreal experience looking at my new form. Despite what I had assumed, I felt natural in this form. I was expecting to feel somewhat restricted and claustrophobic, but apparently, {Shapeshift} makes sure that something like that doesn't happen.

"Interesting," I muttered, my voice sounding more human, but still retaining the serpentine hiss to it.

I flexed my fingers and realized the raw potential of shapeshifting.

"I could definitely get used to this."

After appreciating my form enough, I took a deep breath and turned my attention to the destruction around me.

I would feel very shitty just leaving the area ruined like this. Not to mention, I have reasons to believe that there are real tree people/Dryads in this forest. I really don't want them to start hating me, so better fix this all up.

I reached out with my mind, feeling the surrounding Magicules respond. I could control the elements, command the weather, and repair the damage I had caused. I raised my hand for theatrics and closed my eyes, using {Magic Manipulation} and {Weather Manipulation} to mend the damaged surroundings.

I willed the earth to mend itself, and the ground began to shift and settle, the scorched earth cooling and returning to its natural state. Trees that had been uprooted slowly straightened, their roots digging back into the soil. The sky darkened momentarily as rain began to fall, washing away the remnants of the battle and bringing life back to the damaged area.

Finally, all the debris that wasn't repairable was burned off by {Black Flames}.

I opened my eyes to see the clearing once more, now a peaceful, serene place. The damage was gone, replaced by the natural beauty of the Great Jura Forest. Of course, there were still many signs of battle, like the claw marks on some trees, but I saw no need to repair them.

I am sure the tree people wouldn't be that petty.

I took a deep breath, feeling the cool, fresh air fill my lungs. "Alright, time to figure out my next moves."

My mind raced with possibilities. Now that I had a human form, I could explore the kingdoms of this world more freely. The political and geographical situation of this world needed to be understood, and I can definitely find that in a kingdom.

"First things first," I muttered, looking at my new hands once more. "I need to get a feel for my new skills. And then, it's time to get back on my journey."

So let's start the review process with the change log—Damn, that's some big changes! Open up the description of {Thermal Fluctuation Nullification}. That's a mouthful ass skill name.

[Intrinsic Skill: Thermal Fluctuation Nullification: it is a Nullification type skill that negates the effects of temperature on Host.]

Woah! So I am basically immune to fire and ice? Wait, no. Fire has other types of damage other than just temperature changes, more so in this magical world. But this is still a pretty awesome skill.

A smile crept across my face. No longer would extreme temperatures be anything to me. I could just walk through the heart of a volcano or a blizzard without so much as a shiver. Man, I am cool.

Onto the next skill, {Scholar}!

[Extra Skill: Abnormal Condition Nullification: It is a Nullification type skill that completely negates the effects of things such as corrosion, poison, paralysis, petrification, etc.]

Huh, so all resistance skills evolve into nullification skills? Perfect. Poison, paralysis, petrification—none of it could touch me now. I am definitely going to acquire all the resistance skills in the world.

On to the next one!

[Extra Skill: Universal Perception: It allows for the perception of nearly all things within a wide radius. It is an enhanced version of Magic Power Perception with superior sensory capabilities. The user can perceive not only light and sound — inherited from Magic Power Perception — but also killing intent, heat, and sound waves within an extremely large range.]

Ohhh, so that's why my senses have improved so much?! No wonder everything looked so clear now. Also when it says a large range, it definitely means a large range. It's beyond a kilometer for fucks sake.

Moving on, next.

[Extra Skill: Charm: It allows the user to hypnotize and temporarily control the thoughts of their target and even alter their memories with suggestions.]

I chuckled awkwardly. As if the previous skill wasn't enough, now it's just straight up mind-fuckery. Looks like I can do nothing but accept the fate that has befallen me. At least the potential for manipulation was staggering.

[Extra Skill: Alteration merged with Unique Skill: Evolver. Extra Skill: Alteration allows the user to modify and evolve skills.]

This one is interesting. It fits my theme quite well and has some very cool uses that I can see. Modifying skills can be interesting. I will try it out later, anyway.

Now, tell me what's up with the Stormlord Serpent? Sounds like an awesome evolution from my past… race.

[Answer: Stormlord Serpents, also known as "Fain" are Monsters resembling serpentine dragons, with scales shimmering like storm clouds. These serpents possess the ability to harness and control the power of storms, manifesting lightning strikes and powerful winds at will. Storm Serpents are revered for their wisdom and feared for their destructive potential, embodying the untamed essence of the tempest itself.]

DAMN! That's busted, man. I am basically a serpent that is closer to Dragons than any other species and I can manipulate the weather. I wonder if there are other monsters who belong to the same race as me? Would be funny meeting one.

Anyway, what's my current rank, {Scholar}?

[Answer: The Host is currently a S-Rank existence.]

So I have gone from a B-Ranked monster to a S-Ranked one in my time here, which is somewhat around 4 months. What an evolutionary speed. Heh.

Now give me the list of what new Intrinsic Skills I got.

[Intrinsic Skill: Natural Effects Nullification: it is a Nullification type skill that negates the effects of natural effects such as elements, temperature, electricity, etc.]

So, wind, rain, lightning—none of the natural elements could harm me. Pretty neat. I am kinda getting used to such bullshitery.

But wouldn't that mean that {Thermal Fluctuation Nullification} is kinda redundant now? Wait, thinking back to it, why didn't it appear on my skill list?

[Answer: Intrinsic Skill: Thermal Fluctuation Nullification was hence sacrificed in order to generate Magicules.]

Then why did you mention it before??

[Answer: Host had asked for details on the changes that took place.]

I sweat dropped magnificent reasoning {Scholar} gave.

Anyway, get back to the reviewing process.

[Intrinsic Skill: Fain Eyes: It is a Skill that allows the Host to inflict various status ailments onto their desired targets. The potency of the effects is dependent on the user's strength relative to the targets, with the list of potential effects including but not being limited to; Corrosion, Madness, Paralysis, Petrification, and Poison. The Skill can also be used to transform objects into different objects.]

Wow, that's quite the upgrade from Poison Breath and Poison Fang. So now I can just stare at someone and ruin their day in all sorts of ways. Corrosion, madness, paralysis, petrification, poison… the list just goes on. And transforming objects? That's like adding insult to injury. Imagine turning someone's prized weapon into a rubber duck. Hilarious.

Of course there are bound to be limitations in what objects I could transform, which I quickly became aware of after asking {Scholar}. I can only transform objects into different objects when the fuel and product have a relation with each other.

What I am basically doing is by-passing the tedious process of making things. Which is still awesome. This is definitely gonna see many uses.

[Intrinsic Skill: Shapeshift: It allows the Host to manipulate their form to match their desires.]

Nice! So not only can I take human form, but I can become pretty much anything I want. I could disguise myself, infiltrate places, or just mess with people. The possibilities are endless.

I am definitely going to meet Veldora as a big dragon next time. I wonder how shocked he would look.

Alright, what's next?

[Intrinsic Skill: Weather Manipulation: It allows the Host to manipulate the various aspects of weather.]

This one is just too cool. Literally. I could bring rain to a drought-stricken area or summon a storm to wipe out my enemies. And manipulating wind? Talk about a dramatic entrance. I could show up with thunder and lightning, like a true Stormlord.

I am obviously gonna abuse the shit out of this for theatrics. After all, a win is considered a true win, if you don't even have to war. Just make your enemies dirty their pants with the awesome power of thetrics.

Finally, what about the last one?

[Intrinsic Skill: Illusion Weaver: It allows the Host to create and manipulate realistic illusions of all natures, that affects all senses.]

Perfect. I can create entire scenarios to deceive my enemies. Illusions that can affect all senses? This will be fun to experiment with.

So, to sum it up, I'm basically immune to all natural effects and abnormal conditions, I can perceive almost everything within a huge radius, I can charm and manipulate minds, evolve and alter my already OP skills, shapeshift, control the weather, inflict all sorts of status ailments, and create realistic illusions.

Not to mention, I'm now an S-Rank monster.

It's like I've hit the jackpot of power-ups. There's so much potential here. I can't wait to test out all these new abilities and see just how far I can push them in a battle.

But first, I needed to test one of my more practical new skills. Clothes would be a good start. I'd been standing here butt naked, and that needed to change.

I looked around and spotted a sturdy tree nearby.

With a focused gaze, I approached the tree. Placing my hand against its trunk, I activated {Fain Eyes}.

Alright, let's see what you can do.

The tree began to change under the influence of my skill. The bark softened and peeled away in long, thin strips, almost like fabric. The leaves intertwined, weaving themselves into a complex pattern.

Within moments, the strips of bark had become a sturdy yet flexible tunic, the leaves forming intricate designs across its surface. Pants soon followed, made from the same durable bark, while the leaves adorned the cuffs and hems.

"Not bad," I said, admiring my handiwork. The clothes were surprisingly comfortable to the touch. I blame Magic.

I slipped into the tunic and pants, feeling the smoothness of the material against my skin. They were lightweight yet strong, proving the power of {Fain Eyes}. The transformation was seamless.

The world better watch out because Azridan, the Stormlord and Dick-Rubber Converter, is here to shake things up!

Just as I was basking in the glory of my newfound power, I felt something wet and unpleasant land on my shoulder. I looked down to see a splatter of bird poop, bright white against my dark scales.

You've got to be kidding me.

I glanced up, just in time to see the culprit: a small, smug-looking bird flying away. It chirped merrily as it soared higher into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

I stood there, a mixture of annoyance and disbelief washing over me. Even with all these incredible powers, I was still not immune to the whims of nature.

With a resigned sigh, I cleared my shoulders with magic. Well, it looks like there's always room for a little humility.

---

The sun was setting, as I reached my much awaited destination. I could see the "nation"(it is smaller than nations from my previous world, but I guess, it can be called that if we go by the literal definition) lying at the lap of a mountain.

I was also able to see… people. It was pretty weird seeing living sentient beings roaming around and interacting after going so long without interacting with one. I guess I didn't count Veldora as one due to him having a non-humanoid shape.

I had some weird feelings about this. I would describe the feeling as the one you get when you get back to home after a long journey. That anxiety you get on your way back is the best way I could describe my feelings right now.

Though, I need to face my feelings some day anyway. It might as well be this day.

With determination in my mind, I advanced towards the gates. As I was getting closer, people started noticing me and gave me some side glances. But I wasn't the object of their attention for long as they got back to their work pretty quickly.

This was understandable because despite how exotic I looked, this was a fantasy world where exotic was the norm.

The gates of the Armed Nation of Dwargon were tall and imposing. Their sheer size and craftsmanship are a testament to the skill of the dwarves.

It was probably constructed from sturdy wood and reinforced with iron. The gates were framed by high stone walls which gave it a very sturdy look, even though the weathering of time shone through the sturdy look.

Two grand banners, adorned with the nation's emblem, hung proudly on either side, fluttering slightly… even though there was no wind. Probably Magic.

A line of all sorts of people stood outside the entrance. Travelers, merchants, and adventurers. Each patiently waiting their turn to pass through the checkpoint. The variety of attires and races showcased just how diverse the lives in Dwargon were.

I did note the harsh inspections carried out by the stern-faced dwarven guards, their eyes scanning for any sign of trouble. Each one of them was armored in well-crafted leather armor, giving them a somewhat menacing look… for others.

For me? They weren't all that. Just D+ Ranked at best. Not to mention, their armor having horns combined with their small stature just made them look funny.

As I approached, my heightened senses picked up many things. There were scents of packed earth, the faint aroma of distant forges, and the murmur of conversations filling the air.

Stepping into the line, I observed the people around me—travelers clutching bundles, merchants with their wares, children clutching their parents' hands. The atmosphere was a mix of anxiety and routine, it was the kind of busy calm that came with daily trade and travel.

After approximately half an hour, I stepped forward confidently as my turn came.

The dwarven guard had a burly and robust figure, sitting on the wooden chair with an air of authority. His weathered face, framed by a short, scruffy beard, exuded both focus and vigilance.

He, like the other guards, wore a helmet adorned with small horn-like protrusions. His attire consisted of sturdy, brown leather armor, it looked well-worn, probably from his patrols and skirmishes.

He was also wearing a white cloth around his neck and lower face, likely to guard against dust and heat. Which was understandable, with the place being inside mountains.

His eyes briefly met mine, and I held his gaze, projecting an air of calm and purpose. He scrutinized me for a few seconds before opening his mouth.

"What's your purpose of visit?" He asked in a gruff voice, his voice also held a sense of boredom that came with repeating a task over and over again. Poor guy.

"I am looking around for a job." I replied with a small smile on my face.

"The usual huh. Though your muscles suggest that you won't need to worry chap. There's bound to be a lot of work for ya in the mines," He looked a bit exasperated. Many people must be coming to this place in search of a job, for him to make that expression.

Seems like unemployment is an omniversal problem.

"Fill out this form first. Then you need to sign this form. Also, do you have any recommendation letters or any previous ID?" He handed me a form along with a pen. To his question, I just shaked my head.

"This is my first time visiting Dwargon, and I am from a small village so I don't really have any letters either. Would that be a problem?"

"Ehh, nope. It would have made the process easier but it's not a necessity. Anyway, fill out the form fast" He replied while scratching his beard.

I filled out the form. It was just about my name, age, and some more trivial information. It also had different sections for adventurers and merchants, but since I am neither, I left them blank. Being sure that it wouldn't have any mistakes, I handed it over.

After examining the details, and cross checking them, he nodded his head. He then handed it over to another guard who stood besides him and he took it inside the small tent and came back in a minute.

I did see him using a machine(?) to do something, but wasn't able to properly sense what was happening. He also placed my form in a register for safe keeping. I had also tasked {Scholar} with scanning all the documents in the tent.

Information is power, no matter how trivial it may look.

When the other guard came out he was carrying another paper in his hand. The guy handed over the document to me.

"This document serves as your ID. As long as ya stay in Dwargon, this would be your gateway to many places. Ya can stay for a month without any fees, but you would get charged after that. Ya would also need it to get a job, so keep it safe. You would need to pay a fine to get a new one in case you lose it," He gave me a pointed look, and I just smiled at him. He huffed and continued to speak.

"You can go ahead now. Make sure to not break any rules around here and keep your ID secure. You can find guides if you take a left turn from the entrance. Have a safe stay." He motioned for me to get inside.

Without waiting anymore, I entered the gates. As I moved through the gate and into the heart of Dwargon, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

This city promised new opportunities for me, and I plan on taking all of them with my serpentine… hands? Never mind.

As I stepped on the road of the Armed Nation of Dwargon, the scene before me was almost overwhelming. It was indeed an industrious city nestled within the mountains.

The air was thick with the scents of forge fires and fresh bread, an odd yet comforting combination. The cobble path was illuminated by the magic lamps on the side.

The architecture here was robust and practical, with sturdy stone buildings rising up from the cobbled streets. This was probably the only form of buildings they can have in such a hilly area.

People of various races moved through the streets, their conversations mixing and making an incomprehensible sound. Dwarves, with their small frames and determined expressions, were the most prevalent, mingling with Humans, Elves, and the occasional Beastkin. They bustled about, engaging in trade, bargaining, and conversation.

Steam rose from various forges and workshops, creating a misty haze that added a sense of mystique to the already impressive cityscape.

The higher tiers of the city, built into the mountainside, featured intricate balconies and walkways, connecting buildings and creating an interconnected network above the ground level. The craftsmanship of the architecture was fucking intricate, a testament to the dwarves' skills.

No wonder these small bastards are called the kings of innovation even in legends from my world.

As I was moving through the streets of Dwargon, I admired the pieces of brilliant blacksmithing that were put on display. The sheer amount of skill that would be required in their creation was mind-boggling.

Moving past a set of iron armor that had some damn good detailing, I noticed a particularly interesting bar- Tavern catching my eye. I should probably start using the more… appropriate words.

I don't think anyone here would understand how 'bar' also refers to taverns, instead of just being a word for slabs. Thank Veldora, that {Scholar} translates everything for me, otherwise I would be in some deep shit already.

Anyway, back to the tavern, it exuded a rustic charm. It was made with sturdy wood and rough-hewn stone, the smoke flowing through the chimney and acted as a beacon for the work-tired Dwarves.

I entered the tavern and observed the surroundings. Inside, the warm, inviting atmosphere is lit by the numerous wall-mounted torches and a big stone fireplace crackling at one end of the room.

Wooden tables and benches, worn smooth by countless patrons over the years, are scattered about, giving the place a sense of long history.

A long oak bar dominated one side, lined with mismatched stools that only added to the tavern's charm. The bar itself is cluttered with wooden mugs, and behind it, shelves are stocked with barrels, and a variety of earthenware jugs probably filled with wine.

The air is thick with the scent of roasting meat, freshly baked bread, and the yeasty aroma of brewing wine. People of all sorts—travelers, locals, and adventurers—mingled, their conversations creating a lively, constant hum.

In the ambient lighting of the tavern, stood the bartender. He was wearing a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a black vest snugly fitted over his torso. His black leather shoes peeked out from beneath the bar as he shifted his weight.

With a serene expression, he polished a glass with a clean white cloth, the rhythmic, circular motion reflecting his practiced ease. His hair, slicked back, glistened slightly under the soft glow of the overhead torch. Of course, the short stature made it look hilarious for some reason.

Looks like I have found my place of gathering intel.

[AN/: What are your thoughts on the evolution and the chapter?]

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