Becoming A Snake God 2 A Touch Of...What?

This is bad!

While mesmerized by the mysterious light, I failed to notice that I am surrounded by hundreds of eggs. Eggs much like the one I crawled out of.

Fortunately, I was one of the first ones hatched... If I wasn't that lucky as to have such a fortunate timing, I would be swimming in the belly of one these monsters!

Well, "siblings" sounds more correct, because I'm not sure yet that I am in another world so calling them monsters wouldn't be accurate and being born in the same nest must mean we share at least one of our parents, therefore, we are siblings.

*Grumble*

While we are at it, it would seem that I am getting a bit peckish. I need to hide before the same starts to apply to them.

I was surrounded from all sides, with many of the eggs still hatching and myself being one of those rare few who already hatched.

Lets just quickly a.n.a.lyze my surroundings.

To my left is a dirt-filled pa.s.sage that is impa.s.sable for me at the moment. To my right is that mysterious old-looking fountain. Every other direction is just swarms of soon-to-be hungry predators.

But I am one of them, so why don't I just act like them?

Nope.

If my hobby ever taught me anything about these scenarios, it is that those who hide survive, not those who act strong. If I know anything that would be two things: Snakes and Novel scenarios.

I've been learning about snakes ever since I fell in love with them in preschool while on a zoo tour we went to as a cla.s.s. It now feels like a lifetime ago... Nevermind.

I then even worked as a tamer once I grew older so I have quite a few acc.u.mulated years in experience with snakes.

That is why I know that once they get hungry they will start resorting to cannibalism. And I don't want to be the one that gets eaten, minutes after getting reborn.

That would have been such a heavenly comedy.

"A man, blessed by G.o.ds to have another chance in life after death, dies mere seconds after getting born again..."

Yep, curtains down and roll the outro music because that will happen if I don't dip out of here to a safer place.

The second thing I'm very familiar with is novels.

I spent most of my free time watching anime, manga, and reading novels, but novels always rope me in the most.

From Chinese Cultivation novels to j.a.panese isekai. All kinds of the genre have been on my reading list.

In a situation like this, the best thing to do would be is to preserve while hiding for as long as I can, before making a move on those hatchlings who don't leave the nest by then. They should be feeding on each other, thus being easy prey for the nimble me, because snakes are at their weakest while they digest their food. They lose all of their speed and the only way to save themselves in that situation is to regurgitate what they ate.

Earlier, while checking my fangs, I noticed that I have two big needle-like fangs, which implies that I am a venomous snake.

I don't know what kind of venom is at my disposal, but ill make sure to use it when I get a chance.

A sneak attack should give me the best opening for executing a successful venom injection.

That plan should do it...

If this were a novel...

H~ah... I need to start moving from here.

The fountain seems to be damaged enough to have cracks in it where I could hide.

Now, how should I move without limbs...?

WoOw!

Moving in this body is super weird, but I seem to be born with knowledge about how to naturally move with it.

It's just that the residue of the egg liquids left on my body gives me a weird slippery feeling, making it even weirder to move.

I should be thankful for this new brain of mine. Even though it is quite small now, it is useful nonetheless. Movement feels awkward but I kinda like it.

After setting my plan into action, I began slithering towards a small crevice at the bottom part of the fountain.

This crevice was small enough so that only one snake my size could fit, which was perfect in case my siblings try to make a meal out of me.

It feels nice to be in an easily defendable place while knowing there are not many such places in this cave. It really puts me at ease knowing no one took it before me.

Day 2

*Grumble*

Hungry~y...

It seems that getting hatched doesn't leave you with much sustenance. Originally I intended to wait for at least three days, but my metabolism seems a lot faster than what I thought it would be based on my knowledge from my previous life. In my world, newly hatched snakes could go on for weeks before they learn to hunt for themselves and very often their first hunt would result in their first meal.

It could have something to do with the fact that these siblings of mine, and I would a.s.sume the species as a whole, has ma.s.sive breeding grounds where many eggs are laid so that the newly hatched babies have something to eat and by something to eat, I mean other babies...

In a primal sense, it does sound logical.

Don't judge before you hear me out!

If we don't eat each other there is no guarantee we will find anything else to eat, so a Swiss table is set as soon as you break your sh.e.l.l.

weather u will be a serving or the person served depends mostly on luck and special circ.u.mstances.

I am beginning to feel desperate...

Little snakes do look like noodles. I miss food from my human life...

I need to stop drooling. If I want to eat some noodles I just need to catch one of these horror noodles of death.

Alright, I'll do it. I'll eat one of them just so I don't die before I get a chance to escape from this pit of horrors!

That's it!

I have a genius plan on how to get food and get back here into safety in time.

Muahahaha!

I'm so smart.

Day 3

IM AN IDIOT!

So...

About my "Genius" plan from yesterday, or at least I think it was yesterday.

So, in short, I almost died... no scratch that, I almost got eaten alive!

As soon as I got out of my hidey-hole I saw a complete butcher fest.

My siblings did their best to eat each other, but there would constantly be another one coming while the previous one was digesting the one he himself ate moments before, making it a snake in a snake in a snake... For G.o.d knows how many layers.

That wasn't even the worst part.

Oh, trust me it gets better.

It seems that among all of the people... creatures in the cave, I am the only one who sees those magnificent lights emitting from the fountain.

How do I know that?

Well maybe if there were more snakes stunned from that sight I wouldn't have been surrounded from all directions while looking at the lights myself.

So, yes... I barely got myself out of there.

If it weren't for the fact that most of us still had a slimy residue from our eggs mucus, I would've been unable to literally slip through their, what I'd call, "a wall of brotherly love".

I'm pretty sure that I am the weakest link here, probably the only surviving hatchling who didn't have anything to eat since leaving the egg.

All of the others are already noticeably bigger than me, and barely 2 days pa.s.sed.

This confirms my doubts about our metabolism, it is frighteningly fast. Many times faster than the snakes that I am familiar with.

And that is how my fabulous saga of searching for food ends. It really was lucky to barely slip past that wall of siblings, since a single bite would have been an end of me... Maybe since they had the advantage they didn't want to waste their venom as they had confidence they can catch me even without paralyzing me... At least that is what makes sense to me.

*Boom* *tremble* *tremble* *Shhhh*

Aw, Come on!

What now?

I don't dare go out right now so I'll just take a small peek...

It's a... Hmmm, a hole?

But why are its sides charred and blazing?!

Something very hot either entered or left the cave. I certainly hope its the latter.

By the explosive sound earlier and the trembling following it up, it should indicate that something left... but was something like that really in here with me the whole time?

Could it be that this fountain is actually like an underwater entrance?

No, that is hardly possible as I am under the edge of what should be a normal, closed off fountain, and as such there shouldn't be a hole in it because I would already be in it.

In any case, I hope there aren't any more of those things out there.

On the bright side for a change, that newly opened hole could be my ticket out of here I just need to wait for it to cool down and for my siblings to stuff themselves with each other. Their reduced speed from eating will secure my victory. Hehehehe.

Fuwaaaaaaah...

I could even take a nap if I block the entrance to this hole with pebbles, the rest of those pests out there should be too big to even use the entrance to this hidey-hole by now, but better safe than sorry.

About 30-ish minutes later...

Brrrrr, when did this hole become this unbearably cold?

I know it was cold before but now it actually makes me feel like I might die from the frostbite... and being cold-blooded by nature isn't helping at all...

Wait for a second, where did this water come from???

WHICH ONE OF YOU b.a.s.t.a.r.dS HAD A DRINK BEFORE GOING TO BED?!

If you come out clean right now, I might forgive you if you let me make a belt from you!

Could it be that trembling some time earlier caused a crack at the bottom of the fountain to open and begin dripping into my hidey-hole?

Usually, I would have been mad but this time my stomach is thrilled to get close to something that can fill it up.

This stuff is drinkable right?

If I was back in the time when I was a human I would have boiled it first, that is of course if I were to completely disregard the fact that this water looks NOTHING like normal water!

Sure it is very similar, but it is nowhere close to being the same thing. This water gives off some weird radiation and when I say 'weird' I don't mean 'as if radioactive', what I want to say is 'as if not of the mortal world'. But my belly won't fill itself, so even if I die from drinking it, I don't really lose much as I didn't really achieve anything but get close to starving to death.

Hmmm, what will it be then, to drink or not to drink...

Either way, death seems like an option, so I might as well gamble and drink it.

Phew, here goes nothing...

*Glug**glug**glug*

Eck, this...it is so~o SWEET!!!

*Glug**glug**glug**glug**glug**glug*

Ahh, this is worth living for. If this sweetness I feel is real and made from real sugar, I should be safe from starving for a while.

But how did something this good end up in an uncivilized place such as this, it makes no sense...

Who cares about that now, Itadaki-

*crash*

OUCH!

What!?

Where is my water!?

WHO TOOK MY PRECIOUS!!!???

*Sob* *Sob*

I know they say good things never last long, but this didn't last a single moment and it was over.

I feel cheated!

["Touch of Divinity" acquired]

A touch of... what?!