NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
Chapter 8
—–CROW—–
Crunch. Crunch. Crack.
The victory in battle. And the spoils of war that naturally followed.
Crackle. Gulp.
I had defeated the giant rat. I moved around, injecting it with venom, and kept prodding it to ensure the venom spread quickly. It was a cowardly tactic, but it allowed me to survive without serious injury.
Victor and vanquished. When lives were on the line, the victor claimed all. So I decided to take everything from the giant rat. Its entire being.
“Ss-Sss.”
“D-Disgusting.”
With the joy of victory, I made the choice to eat the giant rat. Eating a rat? Was that something a human should do? Sorry, but snakes eat rats, and so do humans. I didn’t see the problem. Besides, I wasn’t human; I was a snake. Eating a rat was common “sense,” wasn’t it?
Of course, it tasted horrible. So horrible that I never wanted to eat it again. I didn’t know if it was inherently disgusting or if my venom had ruined the taste, but I turned away from the remaining rat meat. I’d rather eat delicious Amrita than that disgusting meat.
Gulp.
“Sss!”
“Ahhh! That’s the stuff!”
As always, Amrita didn’t disappoint. The fatigue from the intense concentration during the fight vanished instantly. And thanks to Amrita’s additional buffs, I felt completely refreshed. I stretched my body, enjoying the post-battle relaxation, and opened the Hero’s Gallery.
‘Huh?’
One second after opening the gallery, I was met with a flurry of activity, so intense that I instinctively closed the gallery and blinked.
‘What…did I just see?’
The gallery had been normal before my fight. But in this short time, it had become a blazing inferno? Why? My initial guess was that it was because of me. Perhaps people were worried about whether I had survived or curious about the outcome of the fight, and their excitement had fueled the gallery’s activity.
However, the actual content of the gallery was slightly different from what I’d imagined. It was true that the heated discussion revolved around me. But the topic was “how strong am I?” and “what is my current level of power?”
‘What’s going on?’
As I slowly scrolled through the posts, trying to find the source of this commotion, I came across a post by someone named SixThousandSixtySix. It was a critical post, and honestly, it stung a little. But the following responses quickly soothed my hurt feelings.
‘What do I do about this?’
The gallery had been divided into two factions: those who acknowledged my strength and those who didn’t. The former were the powerhouses of their respective dimensions, and the latter were the weaker ones whose ability to even complete the main storyline was questionable. At least, that was the prejudice forming in my mind.
‘Isn’t this dangerous?’
If this factionalism solidified, the gallery would be split in two. If there were moderators, they could mediate, but the problem was that there weren’t any.
“Sss…”
‘The gallery can’t be destroyed.’
I’d been living alone in this world. The cat had attacked me first, and we’d fought for our lives. It was an environment that could easily drive someone insane. If it weren’t for the gallery, I would have already lost my mind and become a madman… no, a mad snake.
‘I should at least post something.’
Since I was the topic of this whole thing. There should be some kind of reaction if I did something.
[Spoils of War (Warning: Graphic Image)]
– Author: YonggariSnack
I really fought for my life and won. Here’s the proof.
(Picture of the gruesomely dismembered giant rat)
If you’re wondering why it looks like this, it’s because I tried to cut it up to eat, and this happened lol.
– Oh god.
– Ughhh. I’m skipping dinner today.
– This is eye torture.
└ That’s why there’s a graphic image warning.
– What’s that green coating in between?
└ (Author): That’s my venom.
└ Wow, that makes me lose my appetite.
The Gallery Master had returned. The blazing gallery quieted down momentarily. Those who were generally favorable towards me or those who were neutrally enjoying the spectacle rushed to check my post, then expressed their horror at the picture of the dismembered rat in the comments.
– So how did you win?
└ (Author): I moved around, injecting it with venom. I had to keep prodding it because the venom would take too long to spread otherwise. It was exhausting.
└ That’s so cowardly LOL.
└ But you won, right?
└ Giant Rat: That’s a dirty way to fight.
└ Wow, high praise.
The tide was starting to turn. Good. If I could keep their attention on my post and disrupt the forming factions…
– But Gallery Master, some idiots are being annoying.
└ Agreed. The atmosphere got pretty messy while you were fighting.
└ They’re desperately trying to win this argument.
‘Ah.’
Just when I thought things were getting better, the topic resurfaced, and I felt a headache coming on. No, it was still okay. I shouldn’t pay attention to them…
– But is it tasty?
└ (Author): No. Seriously. Absolutely not. Don’t eat it.
└ LOL.
└ That reaction is intense.
└ That makes me even more curious.
└ You want to eat something covered in venom? The Gallery Master has a strong stomach.
└ In a way, it’s coated in the Gallery Master’s saliva…
└ Oh, I see.
└ ?
I ignored any posts that tried to bring up that topic. I focused on replying to other comments, deliberately avoiding that particular subject. After a day or two, others seemed to realize what I was doing.
Ah, the Gallery Master doesn’t want to talk about that.
10 days and 5 hours. That’s how long it took to clean up the gallery, with everyone finally understanding and cooperating.
“Ssssaaaassssaaa!”
“Yes! The gallery is finally clean!”
The gallery had finally returned to its former glory. Ah, how much effort I’d put into this! I hadn’t even slept, fearing that the topic would resurface and reignite the gallery while I was asleep.
‘I wouldn’t have made it without Amrita.’
The pile of Amrita beside me was a testament to my efforts. I’d eaten Amrita to stay awake, and when that wasn’t enough, I’d banged my head against the wall or, in the worst cases, bitten my tail or body to stay conscious.
‘S-So I’ll just… sleep for a bit…’
My 10-day sleepless shift was finally over. Seriously, how could anyone manage a gallery for 10 days without sleep? Was this something a human… no, a snake should do?
Thud.
I didn’t even have the strength to lift my head. I collapsed, resting my head on the ground, and closed my eyes, welcoming the cool touch of the cave floor. The fatigue I’d been suppressing with Amrita came crashing down on me.
“Sss…”
“I’m at my limit…”
No one could stop me now. I was going to sleep, and I would wake up tomorrow and check the gallery!
…Snore.
I fell into a deep sleep.
Thump. Thump.
“Meow.”
Unaware of the arrival of an unexpected guest.
***
Shake. Shake.
My body was being shaken. As if someone was trying to wake me up.
Thump. Thump.
My body was being jostled. As if someone was hitting me.
Nibble. Nibble.
My body was being moved around. As if someone was trying to eat me…?
‘…What?’
What kind of dream was this? Seriously, even if I was tired, this was a bizarre dream.
“Sss.”
I slowly recalled the events before I collapsed. The 10 days of sleep deprivation, seeing the clean gallery, and then passing out from exhaustion. And judging by the circumstances, I seemed to have just woken up…
Shake, shake.
Thump, thump!
What was this creature doing, playing with me? My body was being moved around even though I wasn’t consciously controlling it.
“Sss?”
“Meow?”
I turned my head to see what was bothering me, and there it was, an unfamiliar guest with sparkling blue eyes, pawing at me.
What? What was this? Why was there another creature here besides me? And when did it arrive? Why was it touching me?
Confusion and bewilderment were natural reactions. Imagine waking up to find a complete stranger playing with your body. How creepy was that?
‘It doesn’t seem dangerous, unlike the giant rat.’
Unlike the rat, this creature had glossy fur. And it looked well-fed, with a round belly. Its most distinctive feature was the thing it held in its mouth, something incredibly familiar… a tail…
‘Tail?’
I looked down at the end of my body, where my tail should have been.
‘It’s gone.’
What was gone? My tail. It was gone, as if I’d shed it like a lizard to escape a predator. And judging by the circumstances, my tail was currently…
Munch. Munch.
“Meow?”
…That damn white cat… was it eating my tail?
—–CROW—–