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Serpentime
Chapter 1: Adapt or Die

Chapter 1: Adapt or Die

In a sea of darkness only illuminated by the faint glow of the stars, two glowing orbs were there, suspended perfectly. One was a magnificent blue, and the other was a blood red.

"When will this fucking soul wake up?" Wrath yelled with indignation. "Calm yourself, my friend. Have some pity! It's our -- really your reason he's dead." Patience pleaded its companion.

"Not my fault he's too weak to survive a stray heavenly punishment..." Wrath muttered, agitated. "He's a mortal born on E.3! He was born without magic and the system, of course, he's weak." Patience stated.

"Why the fuck did we make a world without magic, again?" Wrath questioned with confusion evident in his voice. "You already forgot?.. I'll remind you later, hun. The soul is stirring."

"Don't call me that!" Wrath yelled with... wrath.

----

'Whoo, last night was rough, I don't even remember what happened after golf. What did I even drink? Actually, where even am I!?' Kaiser thought, bewildered.

"Welcome, child. You are in the sea of stars. We have brought you here to ask for forgiveness." Patience said with a feminine voice like flowing honey. Opening his eyes, Kaiser was shocked to see a floating orb of brilliant blue suspended in front of him. 'Wait, we?' Looking around, he found another orb, though this one gave off a much more menacing air and was red as blood.

"We accidentally ended your pathetic existence on E.3, or Earth for you. We were arguing and sent down some rather nasty lightning. Sorry, loser." Wrath said nonchalantly. 'What the fuck?' Kaiser muttered.

"We killed you by mistake. In return, we'll rebirth you into a world of sword and sorcery! Tell me, child, what is it you want to be?" Patience questioned, her voice her voice as smooth as silk. "I bet you wanna be some weird ass tentacle monster! You humans are fucking gross." Wrath said with a snicker. 'What the fuck?' Kaiser repeated.

"Apologies, young one. It appears as though your mind isn't strong enough to be here for long. I will instead search your mind for your favorite creature, and you shall be reborn as whatever I find." Patience said before beginning her search.

"If it's something like a squid I'm gonna fucking kill you." Wrath said, his orb glowing brighter. "It's a snake! Pleasant surprise. Now, get out of here before Wrath kills you, young one." Patience said with a small chuckle before everything vanished.

'What the fuck?' Kaiser thought again before clarity hit him like a truck. 'I DIED!? I just got a job! My poor snake! My family!... Well, I don't think my family will care that much, actually... STILL! I'M DEAD!' Kaiser thought before sobbing internally. 'I know crying won't solve anything... but... ohhhh fuck that!' Kaiser yelled internally as he opened his eyes. What greeted him was pure darkness. 'An egg, maybe?' He thought as he realized he could feel again.

What surrounded him had a soft and leathery texture. 'So it IS an egg! How do snakes open their eggs again? Their egg tooth, right? Let's get a feel for my body first....' He thought as he tried to wiggle around. He was curled in a circle at the bottom of an egg, with a long and slender body that ended in a stiff tail. His head was like any other snake, plus an egg tooth. 'Why is my tail stiff? Weird. Also, I know I'm a snake, but can I talk? It IS a magical world after all.' Kaiser questioned.

"Hiss~" Despite his best efforts, the only sound that escaped his maw was a hiss. 'Well, that didn't work. I probably shouldn't leave my egg before I figure things out, anyway. Let's see... This is a magic world, after all! Status menu!'

Status menu:

Name: Kaiser

Race: Infant Vorgesetzter Snake

Gender: Male

Level: 1

Stage: Purpose

Class: []

Ether: 20

STR: 4

DEX: 14

INT: 19

CHR: 20

WIS: 3

END: 6

Racial traits:

-Serpentime

-Stalker

-Serpents tongue

-Superiority

Skill list:

[]

Achievements:

[]

(Click to expand)

[Shop menu]

[Affinity list]

'Charisma is my highest score? Damn it! Am I gonna be a bard?... Let's just check my traits. I'm big enough of a nerd to know what the stats mean. Probably.'

Serpentime:

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Hey, Kaiser! Sorry for them dumping you in this world! :3

Take this small gift ❤️ -Charity

50% more EXP till Stage 2

Combination menu (One-use)

Vorgesetzter snake race :D

'Uh... Who the fuck is Charity? I guess it doesn't matter, but... Whatever. Another time, I suppose. I say we should bring up the combination menu first...'

Serpentime: (Combination menu)

Hello, user! You have been blessed with

"Combo Menu Version. 124902.737"

You will choose combinations between the basic elements, namely "Water, Air, Earth, Fire, Light, Dark"!

These require intent to get what you want.

You may create two combinations. These are final.

WARNING:

Choose wisely, some combinations harm the user more than the target.

'Sweet! Is there even a limit I can make? I mean probably, but shut up. While I love illusions, I'd assume it goes off of willpower. Which I have little of. So what direction should I go? I say we lean into poison. I'd again assume it holds dark, but what else? I want something that can easily infect masses if need be... Maybe make it airborne? So like disease!? Combine Air+Dark!' Kaiser shouted joyfully.

'Wait. That might have been a little impulsive-'

Plague affinity added

'Er... What does that do?'

Plague magic:

Create deadly diseases and toxins through the air.

Requires mastery to use effectively. Will infect the user if you lose control over the spell.

'Sounds extremely good and extremely worrying. I have no damn clue how magic works here, but "Lose Control" is way too vague. Can it just ignore me and poison me? Dying to your own poison, damn. I'll need to learn more about the magic in this world before I use this. Maybe I could create a cure for the things I make. Hmm... A problem for another time!'

Stalker:

20% DMG when sneak attacking

Serpents tongue:

Bonus starting charisma

+3 Charisma when leveling up

Superiority:

Spend ether to create new creatures of your race type.

Exert your will over lower-level creatures of the same race type. If the lower leveled creature bests you, they gain superiority over you.

'20% Bonus? Is DMG here completely up to numbers? Since I have no HP count I'd assume not. Superiority seems really strong but also really dangerous. If another snake beats me in an argument, is that counted as besting me? Or is it strictly combat? My head hurts already... And I can just create life? What determines the price? Will I get a menu like the combination one? Argh...'

'Alright, let's calm down for a second. I just fucking died. I'm a snake now. I have magic now. A system. Levels. Stats... While I love snakes, it might not be very practical...' Kaiser thought as he was locked in contemplation.

Just then, a tiny growl escaped his stomach. 'Thinking makes me hungry, I guess. Let's just get out of this egg.' Kaiser thought as he brought his egg tooth to the wall of the egg and violently brought his head down. Surprisingly, it opened with great ease. Now through the hole in his egg, Kaiser could see rocks. A lot of rocks.

Gently slithering out, he stopped as the last of his body left the egg. Looking back, he discovered why the end of his tail was so stiff. 'A blade at the end of my tail? Badass, but is it really practical?' He questioned. 'It'll need further testing, I suppose.'

Kaiser's gaze drifted away from his tail and along his body. He had dark green-keeled scales with a slight tinge of white. 'Is it because of my affinities, maybe?' Kaiser thought as his gaze drifted along his surroundings lazily.

Around him were 14 eggs, the same as his own, cut through the middle included. 'Guess I'm the last one up, then.' Kaiser thought with a chuckle. Apart from the eggs, it was just a normal cave. Stalagmites & stalactites littered his vision, and the ground to his left sloped upward. 'Well, now I have a choice, I guess. Do I go up the tunnel or down the tunnel?.. Up, of course!'

Slithering up the slope, Kaiser came to see a fork in the path. One going left and the other right. 'Left.' Kaiser decided with blind confidence. Silently slithering through the tunnel, he stopped dead in his tracks as a low growl came from above him. Looking up, he saw a bat-like creature with two heads staring down at him and a body obscured by wings. Both parties were locked in a staring contest.

'Well, shit. I was hoping to get the drop on the first creature I found. So much for that. The bat looks around twice my size meaning I can eat it. Probably. Let's do a quick inventory check. Bladed tail, two fragile fangs, egg tooth. That's it? Damn.' Kaiser thought to himself, not daring to take his eyes off the bat.

The bat swooped down, spreading its wings and opening its mouth, revealing around 30 razor-sharp fangs on each head. Seeing this, Kaiser quickly rolled to the side, the bat chomping away at where he just was. Kaiser quickly shot his head forward at an impressive speed, his maw wrapping around one of the bat's necks.

'Am I venomous? If I'm not venomous I'm probably gonna fucking die.' Kaiser thought bitterly as the bat bit him with its second head on his back, its sharp teeth drawing blood from his lustrous scales. Kaiser quickly raised his tale and struck towards the bat's second head. The bladed tip impaled the bat, causing blood to spray over his scales. Seeing the second head go limp, the first head attempted to retreat, though it was unable to escape Kaiser's grasp.

They sat there as the bat tried to cut and stab Kaiser to escape his grasp, however, its efforts were in vain. After 5 minutes passed, the wound on its neck became more severe and the bat was growing tired. It let out a bone-chilling screech, wiggling and thrashing as a last-ditch effort for life.

Finally, the bat went limp, its long wings falling to the ground. Though drenched in the blood of his and his foes, Kaiser wore a vicious grin.

You killed a: Nocturnal Twin Bat

+10 ether

'To spoils go the victor!'

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