After securing myself in a hole, I decided to conduct a few experiments. I churned out one [Qi Dart] after another, finally concluding that my current limit was six before I would run out of energy.

Thankfully, spending all my energy on this experiment wasn't a complete waste. I gained some good mastery over the skill, which now stood at 17%.

The level-up didn’t seem to increase my magical capacity all that much. I had two unallocated points which I could use to boost my attributes, but for now, I decided to keep them as they were. Two points wouldn't make me super strong. Besides, I could use them whenever I liked.

For my next experiment, I needed to recover my energy as fast as I could. Thankfully, the meditation skill helped boost the process. Within an hour or two, I was brimming with power again.

Satisfied, I turned my attention to my venom. Ignoring my sentient mind of a reincarnated person, venom was the only other weapon I could utilise to my benefit. In this unfamiliar world, where hamsters grew to towering heights, who knew what kind of abominations lurked in the forest?

Though I could resort to biting and injecting my venom, much like the way I had been bitten before, I believed that employing long-range venom would be far preferable and more effective. After all, it was hardly graceful for a young woman to resort to biting every repulsive creature she encountered. Just because I was a snake didn’t mean I couldn't maintain cleanliness and civility.

Yeah, I'll kill them from afar. They wouldn’t even know what hit them.

I planned to incorporate venom into the Qi Dart skill. While uncertain if I could completely transform the energy into venom, I hoped to implant a little of the liquid venom in my Qi Dart. I focused on channelling the necessary process for the Qi Dart skill. Raw spiritual power swiftly gathered within my mouth, emanating a comforting warmth.

However, the skill manifested too quickly for me to inject venom into it. In the end, I had no choice but to expel the Qi Dart outward from my mouth.

In the following attempt, I concentrated on slowing down the process. It was only when I had depleted almost half of my energy reserves that I witnessed a glimmer of success. Yet, to my dismay, the [Qi Dart] plummeted right before me, failing to achieve the desired speed and trajectory with the implanted venom.

Just as I was about to resume my practice, a familiar prompt materialised in my mind's eye, accompanied by the resonating voice of System Grandpa.

[Would you like to learn the skill, Venom Dart (E)?]

Yes, yes, yes! I eagerly exclaimed within my inner thoughts even before the acceptance prompt appeared.

[Venom Dart (E) will cost 1 Insight Point. Please confirm your investment.]

[Accept | Decline]

This time, I refrained from accepting the prompt hastily, opting to ponder the importance more thoroughly. The special attribute seemed consumable, as learning the [Qi Dart] had depleted 1 point of Insight, leaving me with a remaining 10 points.

Would the [Venom Dart] skill be worth the investment of an insight point? I couldn’t be certain, but survival took precedence over all else. My time spent in the darkness had changed me, instilling a sense of paranoia that was impossible to disregard.

Despite being aware of my state, I was unsure of how to mend my fragmented mind.

Well, knowing that I'm a little loony is better than unknowingly descending into madness, right? Right?

To my dismay, there was no response from anyone.

Congratulations! You’re absolutely right, I mimicked in the voice of System Grandpa in my mind. Knowing you’re insane makes it a little better to cope with it, even experts will say it is the first step of recovery.

Having had all my fun with the lunacy, I released a deep sigh and returned to the prompt. Grandpa, if this works you'll be in my top ten favourite people. Right after William Goldman.

I willed myself to learn [Venom Dart]. Instantaneously, System Grandpa flooded my mind with invaluable information, just as he had done the previous time.

As the weight of knowledge settled within my small head, I couldn’t help but emit a sharp hiss of pain. The pressure of acquiring new insights was both exhilarating and overwhelming.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

[Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Venom Dart (E).]

[Synergy detected...]

[Would you like to incorporate Qi Dart into Venom Dart? As the base ranks of the skills are too low and synergised to a greater degree, it will cost you nothing.]

[Accept | Decline]

I only had to think once to accept the prompt. Considering my skill slots were limited, it was best to have a superior skill than two inferior ones. Honestly, I was curious to see what would happen after I accepted it.

[Incorporating the two skills...]

[Incorporation complete. Setting name and rank...]

[Congratulations! You have learned the skill, Arcane Shot (D)]

[Arcane Shot (D):

Mastery: 1%

A more versatile wide-range attack that can carry an arcane element within it.]

Taking a moment to absorb the newly acquired knowledge, I marvelled at the depths of understanding of the skill. The skill description simply didn’t do justice to what I learned through the purchased insight. This skill wasn’t just about venom, though I only had to resort to venom as my arcane element.

Moreover, I could use the skill as it was, without infusing venom, like a greater version of [Qi Dart], which was a huge plus, considering the limitation of my venom. I needed to test more to find out about it.

Makes sense, I thought to myself, finally emerging from the hole I had sought refuge in. There was a quest to complete as well.

It hadn't even been an hour since I got out of my hole, and yet I found myself in a conflict. I was simply sightseeing, marvelling at anything fresh and unique to this world, minding my own business, occasionally hunting creatures like hamsters or rabbits, when I came across a grey wolf.

Initially, I had no intention of getting into trouble. I was happy hunting hamsters for now. Sadly, the beast went into full murder mode at the very sight of me, as if I had eaten its babies. Being the noble snake that I was, I had no choice but to fight back.

Swiftly shifting to my left, I evaded the grey wolf's bite, leaving an opening in my opponent's defence. I didn’t forget to unleash a concentrated burst of energy in the form of [Arcane Shot] from my mouth.

It struck right below the grey wolf's neck, eliciting a howl as fresh red blood oozed from the wound. [Arcane Shot] gave me greater control over how much energy I wanted to use, or whether I wanted to infuse venom in it or not. This attack barely had any venom in it.

Granted, the grey wolf posed a tougher challenge, me being merely a hatchling. However, to satiate my insatiable hunger and complete the quest, I selected it to be the prime prey.

I shot one lesser [Arcane Shot] after another, penetrating a few inches into the wolf's body, but it was far from enough to stop a grey wolf. Wolves were born predators and held a superior position in the food chain to hamsters. Even if they were of the same rank and level, a wolf possessed greater strength, agility, and ferocity. Unfortunately for the wolf, it couldn’t utilise spirit energy, and I could.

I slithered further away as the wolf chased after me, my snake body twisting and manoeuvring through the lush grass and towering trees. Considering only a third of my energy reserves remained, I played my final card.

Venom it is, I mused, swiftly manoeuvring towards the trunk of a nearby tree. I condensed another [Arcane Shot], infusing it with a substantial amount of venom. With the insight in my mind, the process proved to be surprisingly effortless. My venom blended seamlessly with the energy, even though it was carried in a liquid form.

Now, all I needed to do was ensure my shot hit the intended target. There was a limit to how much venom I could produce, after all.

I lunged at the trunk of the tall tree, aiming to climb upward as the grey wolf pursued me. With a precise thrust, I ascended a couple of metres in one swift motion. Coiling my body around the tree trunk, I climbed another metre, positioning my head to face the grey wolf below.

Grinning inwardly, I unleashed the [Arcane Shot] at the beast, targeting the same spot below its neck where I had wounded it before. The grey wolf let out a pained howl, writhing on the ground at the moment of impact. It took several seconds for the venom to take effect, during which the wolf desperately scratched at the tree bark, emitting anguished groans.

A wave of unexpected empathy washed over me as I witnessed the beast's suffering. Unwittingly, I felt remorseful, realising I should have granted it a more merciful death. Even if it tried to eat me.

The wounded creature limped unsteadily, gradually losing all strength within a minute. Sensing its impending demise, I descended from the tree, approaching the wolf as it struggled in its final moments.

Easy now, I hissed softly, drawing near to the dying wolf. In a last, feeble attempt, the beast lunged at me before collapsing onto the ground, lifeless.

[You have killed a Grey Wolf Lvl 4.]

[You have achieved a small breakthrough. Your path has grown to Favoured Hatchling Lvl 3. +1 to all Primary Attributes, +1 Unallocated Point.]

I looted the fallen wolf into my inventory.

I suppose that should suffice for tomorrow's meal, I contemplated. Then my thoughts were interrupted by another quest notification from System Grandpa.

[Congratulations! You have completed your first quest and bonus quest, Eat Until You're Full. This accomplishment fills you with a sense of contentment.]

[You have gained a new quest.]

[Quest: Advancement - I

You have taken the first step into cultivation, the next step is to incorporate all power, essence, and truth to advance to copper rank.

Clearance Conditions: Reach Hatchling Level 25.

Time Limit: 30 Days.

Reward: Insight into the Paths.

Penalty: None.]

Okay Grandpa, I appreciate the recognition, but is there any way to decline these quests? I received no response, leading me to conclude that these quests were mandatory. Not that I had anything else in mind. But 30 days feels too short... After all, snakes need to sleep a lot.

I would have to hunt relentlessly during these 30 days to accumulate enough significance or experience to reach the height of Lvl 25. My gut was telling me it would only get harder as I level up.

It appears I'll be relying more on venom than I initially anticipated.