'That' thing arrived so suddenly.
Or maybe it wasn't all that sudden, if he really thought about it.
Looking back on his actions so far, he could even say it had been inevitable.
In truth, now that he was facing 'it' head-on, the overwhelming feeling was that this was something that had been bound to happen.
I forgot…! I got careless…!
Shii───
His body twisted this way and that at the abrupt arrival of 'it'.
This 'hunger' that had come as if it were the most natural thing in the world was far more agonizing than he could have imagined.
As he'd mentioned before, this sudden hunger was entirely predictable.
It was only his second day since hatching. He hadn't eaten a thing on the first day and had burned through energy nonstop, so of course his stomach was empty now—it was all his own doing.
He felt pathetic for not having paid any attention to it until now.
Of course, suddenly becoming like this had left him too overwhelmed to worry about hunger as well.
Either way, the sudden hunger had him writhing around.
He hadn't realized it before, but 'being hungry' was far more torturous than he'd ever imagined.
Was it worse because he was a monster now?
Shii───
His vision spun.
It felt like someone was twisting and pinching his body, or like sharp needles pricking him over and over.
In short, he felt like he was about to die.
Damn…! Am I seriously going to die not from some monster, but from starvation…? This pathetically?!
His life as a snake flashed before his eyes.
But a life that amounted to just two days held no real memories worth recalling.
Apart from raising his stats a bit, he hadn't accomplished anything.
No matter how he sliced it, dying this pointlessly made no sense.
If I'm going to die, better to go down fighting bravely…!
Starving to death after just two days without food? His dignity as a former human and current snake monster absolutely forbade it.
And as if acknowledging his resolve, the body that had been screaming in agony began to feel better, clear as day.
As if all that previous pain had been a lie.
Still, even with the pain gone, he couldn't relax. A faint emptiness lingered in the pit of his stomach.
If I don't eat something soon, this time it'll really be bad….
If the earlier pain had been a warning, this was his body granting him a brief reprieve.
Ignore it, and he'd be in real trouble for sure.
Probably by starving to death… or something like that….
Before things got worse, he hurriedly set off in search of prey.
There were no signs of life nearby, so clutching his empty belly, he had to travel quite a distance.
About twenty minutes by his estimate—flicking his tongue furiously the whole way—he finally sensed the presence of another living creature for the first time.
Shii───
A scent? Since it came through his tongue, maybe a taste?
A strange sensation, hard to put into words, crept up from his tongue.
At the same time, the hunger that had quieted down began to swell again.
It hadn't reached the agonizing level from before, but it was making its presence impossible to ignore.
His body reacted instinctively to this unidentified prey's allure.
Separate from that reaction, though, he managed to stay fairly calm.
The growing hunger was annoying, but he had no intention of charging in blindly on instinct.
Especially since he hadn't even seen what was producing this new sensation—scent or taste or whatever it was.
Moving cautiously toward it, he soon spotted a hazy shape amid some nearby bushes.
Shii───
The moment he confirmed that small form, an unintended hiss escaped him.
Luckily, it wasn't too loud, and it didn't seem to notice, but his heart skipped a beat anyway.
He was afraid his hard-found prey might flee.
…Chance.
Toward the creature, still oblivious and frozen in place, he crept forward stealthily.
Cautious not to scare it off with any noise he might make.
Dirt floor, pebbles, bushes. He focused on the sensations sliding over his scales.
His body, still awkward in places, moved smoothly without a hint of clumsiness right then.
How close had he gotten? His hazy vision suddenly cleared in an instant.
Not entirely—everything else remained foggy, and only that small shape sharpened.
Unable to flick his tongue freely for fear of noise, this sudden clarity was very welcome.
…A Horn Rabbit.
Through his cleared vision, he finally identified his prey.
Ilgaktó. A G-rank rabbit-type monster with a small horn on its forehead.
That horn was used in various gear, but it was so common that hunters didn't bother hunting it much.
They'd kill it if it was right there, but it wasn't worth the effort to track down.
It usually ended up as food for other monsters before hunters got to it.
Its abilities were as pathetic as you'd expect from the bottom-tier G-rank.
A newbie G-rank hunter—or even non-awakened porter-era him—could laugh it off and dispatch it leisurely.
Unfortunately, things were different now.
Both it and he were G-rank.
This hunt might cost him his life….
No—objectively, he was at a disadvantage.
He was a total newbie, just two days into being a snake monster.
This thing, on the other hand, was a wild-born monster.
If he weren't starving right now, he might have ignored it and looked for easier prey.
…At least it hasn't spotted me.
Even this close, it showed no sign of noticing him.
A head-on fight would be bad, but an ambush changed everything.
With its back still turned, he slowly tensed his muscles.
Without any prior knowledge, his body naturally assumed the optimal hunting stance.
In one go… one shot.
The moment its long rabbit ears twitched, he released his tensed muscles in a burst.
His body shot forward like a vicious arrow.
Shaa───!!
"Kyuu─?!"
The Horn Rabbit leaped up at the sudden ambush, but he was just a fraction faster.
Without conscious intent, his body coiled around it naturally.
"Kyuu… Kyuuwu─!"
Crack─
The constricted Horn Rabbit let out a feeble cry, but he ignored it completely, slamming his jaws into its neck.
He felt its tremors rippling along his coiled body.
Strangely, he felt no emotion at all.
Was it because Horn Rabbits were monsters? Or because he was one too?
The question flickered briefly, but he pushed it aside amid the relief of a successful hunt and the strange pleasure surging up belatedly.
With his fangs embedded in its neck, he waited silently for its breath to stop.
Not taking his eyes off it even for a second until the end.
After a not-insignificant time, the twitching Horn Rabbit finally went limp.
The faint heartbeat he'd felt sporadically faded away.
Only then did he slowly withdraw his jaws from its neck.
At the same moment, a calm, emotionless voice chimed in.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Your astonishingly nimble movement subdued the foe. Agility +1.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Current Agility: G6↑
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Your powerful strength subdued the target. Strength +1.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Current Strength: G6↑
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Maintaining the same posture for a long time. Stamina +1.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Current Stamina: G6↑
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
You skillfully concealed your presence.
Skill: Stealth G acquired.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
A clean ambush the opponent never noticed.
Skill: Ambush G acquired.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
A powerful constrict the opponent couldn't escape.
Skill: Constrict G acquired.
Shiii───
He flicked his tongue contentedly at the steady stream of notifications.
It was astonishing that stats he'd grinded endlessly for barely budged now jumped like this from one hunt.
Just as impressive was acquiring skills this way.
Considering skills were like hunters' ultimate moves, getting not one but three at once was especially mind-blowing.
First hunt a total success, rewarded with stats and skills—who wouldn't be thrilled?
His elation was short-lived. Hunger reared its head again, as if reminding him not to forget its existence.
Ugh…!
Poke-poke─ No time to waste with needle-like stabs assaulting him.
Stay here, and he'd be in deep trouble.
Chomp─
Without further delay, he swallowed the Horn Rabbit corpse whole.
He hesitated briefly at the sharp horn on its head, but his complaining gut left no room for such worries.
Something pointy scraped his throat midway, sending a chill through him, but thankfully, nothing worse followed.
No gory innards-exploding disaster like he'd half-feared.
If anything, it felt incredibly satisfying—a pleasant fullness enveloped him.
No real taste.
A snake's tongue was more a sensory organ than one for taste, so savoring flavor was out of the question anyway.
Especially gulping it down whole without chewing.
It was pure survival eating at its finest.
Ah─ bliss.
Lounging in the rising fullness, new information suddenly tingled at his tongue's tip.
Signs of life he'd ignored amid hunger—known but overlooked—now flooded in at once.
The forest teemed with reactions from countless lives.
A variety of tastes and scents climbed his tongue.
Some felt as tasty as the Horn Rabbit he'd just hunted, but many more exuded a dangerously ominous aura.
No—prey that tasty were rare; most presences screamed danger.
His scales bristled all over in an instant.
…Dangerous.
Every sense blared alarms.
This was the first direct threat to his life since becoming a snake.
The previous forest had felt devoid of such presences; here, they overflowed.
Got to go back.
Terror of death rose like trauma.
He whipped around toward where he'd come from.
He wanted to flee this perilous spot ASAP, but feared drawing attention with noise.
His belly full of digesting rabbit made speed impossible anyway.
Heart pounding wildly before the belatedly noticed danger.
At least he had his new Stealth skill—maybe it'd help? He tried to reassure himself, but reality was as harsh as ever.
"Graaaahhh─!"
"Piii─!"
Ferocious cries echoed through the forest.
Whipping his gaze around, he spotted two massive shapes in his blurry vision beyond.
One bear-like, the other a flying bird of some sort.
Fortune amid misfortune—they were busy fighting each other. Still, their roars left his body trembling uncontrollably.
"Kee─ keee─!"
"Grrung─ grruung─!"
And it didn't end there.
Monsters of unknown identity lurked everywhere with the slightest glance.
Blurry vision hid their shapes, making them all the more terrifying.
Damn! Damn!
Silently screaming, he hurriedly slithered away.
Planning to hug corners and move stealthily.
But while dodging, his reflexively flicked tongue caught another presence right in front of him.
"Woof─!"
The new creature was dog-like. Far bigger than his small self, properly monstrous in size.
Face-to-face, it loomed like a small hill.
His heart plummeted.
"Woof─ woof─!"
The thing stared at him briefly but, oddly, did nothing.
Just a small bark, then it passed him by on its way.
No time to question it—he bolted.
No luxury for doubts.
He just wanted out.
To a safe place. That initial forest where he'd started.
Back there, as fast as possible.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Astonishing survival instinct to evade death.
Skill: Crisis Detection G acquired.
The notification for the new skill rang out, but he couldn't smile.
His body, heavy with the undigested Horn Rabbit, just felt unbearably cruel.