I spent a few moments calming myself and followed the way the skill directed me to channel the energy. It was much smoother and safer now, as I was able to shoot the translucent and semi-corporeal dart out of my mouth at will. I aimed my head at one of the towering trees around me and shot the [Qi Dart], jerking my head.

Delight spread within me as I peered into the hole in the bark of the tree. It was merely a couple of fingers deep, but that didn't stop me from wiggling my head in glee.

Even the mastery of the skill raised to 5% just with these simple usages.

Other than [Qi Dart], I had [Basic Meditation (F)] and [Bestial Instinct (E)] as my skills. Honestly, none of the two seemed as magical as [Qi Dart] to me. What about the Aspects, though?

Venom was pretty much self-explanatory—I simply needed to bite to use it. But then there was Golden Eyes (Dormant). I experimented by moving a little of my energy into my eyes, but to no avail. Getting nowhere with Aspects, I moved to Boon. Inventory and Lingual Comprehension.

I was eager to explore more of my abilities when a sudden chill spread across my scaly skin. My instincts cried as I spun around to inspect my surroundings. It felt like something just moved around me.

I looked around suspiciously, but after searching for a couple of minutes, I found nothing in the vicinity. Still, I gathered a small amount of energy inside my mouth, building it up into a [Qi Dart], just in case.

I decided to withdraw from the area. After all, I was a powerless little snake with average attributes. It wouldn't be wise to remain in the open.

Even though my new body had its instincts, my mind made it difficult to navigate without limbs. I was still registering myself as a human. Sighing inwardly, I resigned myself to following my instincts.

I wonder what Elle will say if she sees me like this, I thought. My elder sister had been the only family I was close to in recent times.

I crept through the forest, shuffling through dry leaves and lush grass. Undoubtedly, I was unaccustomed to crawling, but after practising for a few minutes, I became surprisingly adept at it. All I had to do was rely on my instincts, and it seemed natural for me to be a snake.

Dad probably won't even know of my death...

As I lamented, a shadow of a figure lunged at me abruptly. The movement was swift, but I quickly twisted my head, releasing a flare of condensed energy from my mouth.

Qi Dart!

It struck the shadow before it could come within a metre radius of me.

The creature recoiled, and I promptly shot another Qi Dart to ensure my safety.

[You have slain a Hamster Lvl 3.]

A hamster? I was cautious of a mere hamster all this time? Even if they looked unnaturally big to my small form, they were still just hamsters, no?

I'm really growing foolish in this snake form!

Sadly, I didn’t have time to dwell on that thought as two more hamsters lurched at me simultaneously, as if seeking revenge for their fallen companion. Or simply acting out of their inherent stupidity. Probably the latter. These creatures lacked any sense of camaraderie; all they cared about was filling their stomachs. Ironically, I could relate to that sentiment to some extent now. I hadn't eaten anything for eternities.

My snake form swiftly dodged the attack from the front, while I gathered another [Qi Dart] in my mouth. A deranged part of me wanted nothing but to succumb to the base instinct and bite this disgusting creature to death. But I resisted the crazy impulse.

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There was no need to rely on venomwhen a [Qi Dart] would suffice. But I didn’t know when I would get the chance to use the venom.

The thought was unsettling, but I was a snake. I couldn’t live in denial.

I released the dart, slinging the hamster away. Only one of them remained now. The giant hamster squeaked as it continued to chase after the little snake.

I twisted and turned, skilfully manoeuvring through the dry leaves and lush grass. I was faster than I had initially assumed in this form. Intending to finish it off as quickly as I could, I began forming another [Qi Dart], only to find all of my energy reserves had plummeted to nothing.

Shit! I braced myself and coiled swiftly, preparing for a sudden lunge towards the hamster. I guess it's a good opportunity to test my venom.

My tiny snake head rammed against the creature, my fangs biting into the neck without holding back even the slightest bit. The fangs pierced through the hamster's neck effortlessly, resulting in dark scarlet blood spraying into my mouth.

I regretted my decision immediately. These notifications appeared conveniently in my peripheral vision when I was unoccupied.

[You have killed Hamster Lvl 2.]

[You have killed Hamster Lvl 4.]

[You have achieved a small breakthrough. Your path has grown to Favoured Hatchling Lvl 2. +1 to all Primary Attributes, +1 Unallocated Point.]

A surge of power enveloped my entire being instantly. My body heated up as the power coursed through me, flooding every part of my being, empowering me. Then, everything returned to normal.

The process lasted only a dozen or so seconds, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of improvement once it concluded.

Well, I thought, that was easy. And disgusting.

I couldn't deny that I had severely underestimated my new form. Perhaps my attributes weren't as low as I thought. Of course, the +5 to all attributes boosted the strength of my infant form to a greater degree. So much so that these hamsters were mere prey to me.

Wait a second, hamsters are supposed to be the prey of snakes, I thought. Did magic make them so ravenous and savage that they would even chase after a snake?

I needed to be extra careful. Although I had magical capabilities now, it was only to a degree I could overwhelm hamsters.

I was repulsed by the filth staining my body. I got rid of the disgusting blood, frantically jerking my body.

[You have gained a quest.]

[Quest: Eat until you’re full.

You found yourself in an unfamiliar, mysterious land, after hatching. As a newborn snake, your first duty is to secure food. Since you retained most of your memory, you should have some ability to collect your own food.

Clearance Conditions: Consume food until you are fully satiated. Bonus: Gather food for the upcoming days.

Time Limit: 12 hours.

Rewards: A sense of contentment.

Penalty: None.]

There it is, I sighed inwardly. Grandpa, can't you just rest it for a while?

Then again, I was feeling quite strained in my stomach after my violent spree against the hamsters. I had no problem finding contentment as the reward for my mission, though this quest felt unsettling. Letting out a sigh, which sounded no better than a hiss, I turned my snake head towards the lifeless hamster corpse.

My stomach growled.

Just the thought of devouring raw disgusting meat made my stomach churn, though that could just be my hunger. To make matters worse, it was the flesh of these filthy hamsters. While I was sure I would have no trouble digesting raw meat, the idea of consuming it in its uncooked, contaminated state was hard to bear. Unfortunately, the hunger was something I couldn't endure for long.

Let's cut the crap and get it over with! I cursed and approached one of the hamsters.

Here goes nothing, I muttered to myself, and jerked my head forward to bite into the flesh. Surprisingly, I didn't feel any repulsion from consuming the raw meat, other than my initial disgust.

I truly am a reptile now. The realisation twisted my stomach.

I didn't have to chew, so it hardly took a while to devour the corpse as a whole. Well, it certainly felt like an immaculate task, with how the enormous bulge moved through my form. Yet within a few minutes, the bulge compressed... and I was hungry again.

I grimaced, or rather, did the mental equivalent of it. With a mental sigh, I approached the remaining two corpses to feast upon them.

After devouring another hamster, I felt my hunger satiated, though it was only the beginning of my ravenous appetite. For the last one remaining, I hassled with the System for several seconds to finally open my inventory. It turned out that simply willing it to happen wasn't enough. I needed to supply magical energy to open the obnoxious-looking magical hole.

After the dark hole materialised, I simply pushed the corpse into it and departed from there, unaware of how I would eject my food from the Inventory. It would probably take some tests and fail as well.

Now that my hunger was satiated, it was time to think hard about everything I experienced. Perhaps I should dig a hole and hide.