"Gah! That fucking hurt."
I grumbled as I forced myself to move, slowly unwrapping the corpse of the giant snake from around my body. Its coils slid off me one by one, stiff and lifeless. The moment it fully loosened, its weight dropped to the ground with a dull sound.
Thud-
Its body looked like a burnt log now— cracked, shriveled, and completely dried out. There was no moisture left in it at all. It was honestly kind of creepy how fast it happened.
I reached down to my side and pulled out its fangs that were still lodged in my flesh.
"Tch—!"
It stung like a bitch the moment they came out. A sharp, lingering pain shot through me, but it was already fading faster than it should've.
Anyway, the reason I charged in so confidently against this monster was simple— I have high poison resistance. And because of that, I was confident that I could suck up all of its blood before it could kill me.
And I wasn't wrong, seeing that I came out alive from all of this.
I can consume blood like a vacuum straight out of any creature's body. Well— at least from everything I've encountered inside this cave so far. I learned about this after drinking blood multiple times since waking up here. The corpses I leave behind after I was done are always completely dry, shriveled up like raisins. And the process only takes a few seconds.
It's honestly terrifying when I think about it, but I guess it's normal for vampires.
My biting force is also ridiculous; I can crush rocks with it. Yeah, I've tried it before. Out of boredom.
Anyway, I straightened my posture and looked down at the dead snake monster. Its massive body was several times smaller now compared to when it was alive, its strength and vitality completely drained.
And despite getting bitten by that huge-ass snake— My body felt better than before.
The wound on my side was already almost healed. There was still a dull ache, but it was nothing serious. No bleeding. No numbness. Nothing that felt dangerous.
After drinking all of the snake monster's blood, I felt energized. No— more than that. I felt satisfied in a way I couldn't properly describe. My body felt sturdier, heavier, more solid. My overall constitution had clearly improved, and my strength had gone up again.
'Does that mean the stronger the owner is, the tastier the blood and the better the effect I get?'
I wondered silently, looking at my body.
Though, I had no way of confirming that yet, so I pushed the thought aside for now.
And moving on... I looked down at my hands, genuine curiosity rising in my chest.
"What skill did I get from all of that?"
I muttered quietly.
I focused, concentrating on my body, paying attention to every sensation to see what changed in me. Then—
SSSHHHK—!
Dark scales suddenly spread over both of my arms, covering them completely!
"...?!!"
My eyes widened in shock.
They were the same obsidian-black scales that were covering the snake monster's body!
I stared at my arms, flexing my fingers slowly, watching the scales shift naturally with my movement.
"Haha... no way."
I laughed under my breath, disbelief and excitement mixing together.
*****
The skill I acquired from the snake monster is called [Black Scales].
Just like the name implies, it's an ability that lets me grow and retract scales from any part of my body at will.
The scales are incredibly durable— at least as hard as solid rock.
They're useful not only for defense, but also for offense. I can coat my fingers and form sharp claws capable of tearing through flesh and stone alike. I've been experimenting with the skill nonstop, like an excited kid who just got a new toy.
I mean, how could I not?
This is something I only ever saw or read about in fantasy stories.
Being able to use animal abilities was already insane enough, but this— this was on a completely different level.
"..."
I looked down the path where the snake monster came from. Then, with excitement in my eyes—
"I wonder if there are other monsters in this cave?"
'I should get more skills on my way out of here.'
I declared that inside my head.
And once again... I continued my journey in search of the cave's exit.
Just like that, my first fantasy experience in this world ended.
...
...
...
*****
I've traveled for several days now without sleep since my encounter with the snake monster. I don't know exactly how long— but I know that it's been a while.
During that time, I encountered more snake monsters... and then other types of monsters as well.
Of course, I took their skills.
First were cave mimics or something like that. They varied in size and looked exactly like rocks. They specialized in ambush and stealth, and honestly— they would've gotten me too if my [Echolocation] wasn't already improved.
Their shape and sound were just slightly different from real rocks.
Dealing with them was easy since they had low combat ability. Once they're discovered, they're basically useless basically.
From them, I acquired [False Stillness]. It's a stealth skill that lets me suppress my presence as long as I stay still. Combined with [Black Scales], covering my whole body to blend into the darkness, I use it to hide and launch ambushes.
After that, I encountered massive scorpions with tails as long as my arm. They were extremely aggressive.
But once I covered my body with [Black Scales] again, their special attacks became useless againts.
After drinking their blood, I gained the skill [Paralysis Touch]. It paralyzes my target once I wound them. I don't know how strong it is yet, but it doesn't work on the scorpions themselves.
The snake monsters, mimics, and scorpions— these were the only monsters I encountered in this cave.
The snake monster was the strongest among them. But after fighting them repeatedly and drinking their blood, I eventually became stronger than all of them.
After that, traveling through the cave became easy and safe for me.
I just kept walking, killing whatever I encountered, drinking their blood, and strengthening my skills.
And then... After god-knows how many sleepless days of endless walking—
"I'M FINALLY OUT OF THE FUCKING CAVE!!!"
I found my way out of the dark hell that I've woke up in.
I looked up at the night sky. The moon and stars shone brightly above me, almost like they were welcoming me.
I smiled.
I looked down at myself. My lips parted—
"My balls are getting cold, is there anything out here I can use to cover myself?"
Then I muttered that.
Now that I'm finally outside, my first goal is to find civilization.
Well— second.
My top priority right now is finding some clothes.