—GASP—
Arin's body jerked violently.
Air tore into his lungs as if the world itself had forced breath back into him. His chest convulsed, ribs screaming as they expanded too fast, too hard.
Pain followed.
Not sharp— but drowning.
His heart slammed against his ribs, hammering wildly, wrong somehow—alive in a way it hadn't been moments ago.
Stone scraped against his scales as his body thrashed weakly, fangs clacking uselessly.
He was alive.
That was the first thing he understood.
The second—
the poison was still inside him.
It burned. It chewed through him from within, gnawing at his organs, boiling his blood.
His vision swam.
Time was slipping.
Then—
he moved.
Not from thought. Not from reason.
Something acted before awareness could form—a will deeper than instinct, rough and unrefined, dragging his body forward even as his mind lagged behind.
He turned.
The four serpents lay motionless.
Arin's face drained of color.
"No… no way…"
He slithered forward desperately, ignoring the agony ripping through him. With shaking jaws, he tore open a potion, tilted it clumsily, and poured the glowing liquid into their mouths—one by one.
His heart burned. His vision slowly dimmed.
He collapsed yet again.
…
Outside, footsteps whispered through the dew-soaked grass.
"That's our destination," Ren said, pointing ahead.
"S-So… we have to clear out that cave?" one of the junior cultivators asked, voice tight.
"Yes. It'll be quick—don't worry too much," Ren replied with quiet assurance.
The air was filled with uncertainty.
Far inside the cave, something stirred.
A warm, rough sensation dragged Arin back from the dark.
Something brushed against his snout—once, twice—wet and insistent.
Arin's vision swam as the haze slowly peeled away.
Four familiar shapes hovered over him, tongues flickering anxiously.
"Wh—what's happening…?" he muttered, only half-awake.
Then realization struck.
"…What were you doing?!" he snapped, jolting upright.
He recoiled instinctively.
"Never!" he declared with sudden seriousness.
"Never ever lick me again, alright?!"
Silence.
No response came.
Only four serpents tilting their heads at him, eyes wide with confusion.
Arin froze.
"…Right," he muttered. "Talking to myself again."
He let out a small laugh despite himself.
"For heaven's sake… you all look like mirrors placed side by side."
The tension finally loosened from his body as he chuckled softly.
Then he noticed it.
Pale, discolored patches marred their scales.
The humor drained from his eyes.
"They're still suffering," he realized grimly.
"…Guess that's what I get for cheaping out."
A translucent window flared to life before him.
[Reward Granted: Hidden Nest Coordinates]
A sanctuary suitable for weak beasts… like you.
Instructions:
→ Move 100 meters ahead
→ Dig 10 meters to the left
Arin's pupils contracted.
Then his lips curled upward into a wide, genuine grin.
"…Perfect."
This was exactly what they needed.
He turned to the four serpents and flicked his tail forward.
"Come on, kids. Let's go."
Elsewhere—
Footsteps whispered through the narrow passage.
"U-Um… are you sure we shouldn't have taken the left path?" a junior sister asked nervously.
"Relax," a junior brother said confidently, stepping ahead.
"If anything happens, just stay close to me."
Ren walked behind them, silent, observing.
"Protect my ass," Leia muttered under her breath, pouting as another junior tried to placate her.
The cave swallowed them whole.
...
The faint sound of bodies sliding over stone echoed through the narrow passage.
The four serpents slithered behind him, their movements sluggish, breath coming in shallow huffs.
Their stamina was barely half of what it had been.
Arin slowed his pace.
"Just a little more," he said quietly. "We're almost there."
It took longer than he expected.
But eventually—
the cramped tunnel opened up.
Arin stopped.
"Good work," he said after a moment. "You did well. We're here."
Silence.
He immediately regretted speaking.
Damn it. I really can't do small talk, he thought. Do they even understand what I'm saying? This feels like I'm encouraging five-year-olds…
The four serpents only stared at him, heads tilting slightly.
Awkward.
Now all that remained was digging a new tunnel through the solid stone ahead.
Arin turned toward the wall—
and froze.
A sound.
Soft.
Scraping.
From the darkness ahead, several shapes emerged.
Large beasts. Rat-like bodies, swollen with muscle, each bearing a thick horn protruding from its forehead.
Oversized horned rats.
Arin's scales tightened.
"You four stay here," Arin said quietly. "It'll be quick."
The exhausted serpents barely had the strength to react. By the time they realized what he meant—
Arin was already gone.
The prey never noticed him.
He moved faster than ever before, his body low to the ground, coils gliding without a sound.
Silent.
Deadly.
The one at the very back fell first.
Arin struck without hesitation—his body snapping forward, coils wrapping tight. A sharp twist. A clean end.
Then the next.
Some were crushed before they could squeal.
Others had their skulls bitten through in a single motion.
Panic spread too late.
By the time the last beast realized it was alone, Arin was already upon it.
It didn't last long.
When the tunnel finally fell silent again, several lifeless bodies lay scattered across the stone.
Arin stored them into his inventory without a second glance.
Job done.
He turned back immediately, slithering toward where the others waited.
He laid four corpses before the others.
It was a feast.
The lesser serpents lunged forward, fangs sinking into plump—hairy—flesh.
Blood splattered against stone.
Wet tearing sounds echoed through the passage.
They ate fast.
Too fast.
Arin watched, stunned by the speed and brutality of it—
then realized, distantly, that he was no different.
When the feeding finally ended, not even bones remained.
Without wasting time, Arin began digging forward.
The others followed closely behind—too weak to help, but unwilling to fall behind.
Stone resisted.
Then cracked.
After a long stretch of darkness—
Arin's head broke through.
And an entirely new world opened before him.