I'm a bigger and stronger snek now. I must admit, it feels really good to finally have at least a modicum of confidence in myself.

When I woke up, it was after what felt like a relatively long and pleasant sleep. Compared to my previous size, I had more than doubled. I'd shot up to around 2 and 1/2 meters in length, making me one of the 'top dogs' of this little area.

Granted, even if I thought that, I still knew that I was little more than air to beings like that giant... something. Still, I now at least felt a bit better.

Thankfully, nobody had interrupted my sleep. Still, I was ravenous now, and I really needed to get something in the damn sinkhole that is my stomach.

However, my previous ambush strategy would likely not work now. I was too long and big, and most things would see me hiding if they focused enough.

So, I womaned up and got my snakey ass out of my little home (you will be missed) and went out to explore the wider world.

It was beautiful, I admit, but I had very little time to admire the beauty of this world's underwater ecosystems, as I was far too busy trying to sense prey.

I was a complete noob at it, though. I knew intellectually that snakes had good olfactory and heat vision, but I didn't really know how to use them. Furthermore, I didn't even know if this world's snakes were the same as my last one.

Nonetheless, I eventually found something that looked worth hunting. It was a large, almost 2 meters long beast of a fish that seriously looked like a bull had sex with a fish and shit out this abomination.

I might have been overestimating myself... But it looked so god damn tasty and I was so god damn hungry.

Still, I needed to be cautious. I stalked the fish for a good thirty minutes, trying to figure out anything that could be of use.

Well... It didn't exactly work. All the fish did was swim around, mouth agape as it stared at nothing like a mentally retarded child. I would have felt pity for its intelligence had I been able to feel emotions.

Nonetheless, I was confident enough in my newfound power to at least try and take a chance with the big guy. Even if I failed I could always just run... Er, swim away.

And so I did. I crept up behind it as it looked off to nowhere-land, and then I bit as hard as I could on it's back, latching myself to it as the rest of my body rushed to coil itself around the thing.

I was much smaller than the animal, and it showed. I could barely wrap around it a couple of times, but that was enough. The bull-fish realized what was happening and began trashing, trying to shake me off.

I felt spines growing out of it's back, trying to sting and penetrate me, but my scales were thankfully though enough to withstand the relatively weak things.

I didn't immediately realize it but had I not invested so many points in my constitution, I would have died right then and there. Apparently, the spines of this damn fish were poisonous enough to kill a blue whale back in my old world with only a couple stings.

Nonetheless, that is future me talking. Present me was busy grappling and crushing the surprisingly slow and weak fish under my coils.

Eventually, I felt it's spine snap and the fish went still. It wasn't dead though, not yet. Which was impressive, considering the liberal amount of venom I was pumping into it and it's spine having been broken.

It took me another two minutes of crushing and venom pumping to finally end it. I'd basically run out of juicy poison too, trying to kill this damn thing.

Still, I was plenty satisfied. I eyed my surroundings, spotting a couple of smaller fish hanging around, eyeing me and my well-earned meal.

I hissed at them, although I doubt the sound even reached them. Nonetheless, they got the message and quickly skedaddled.

Feeling triumphant and quite proud of myself, I dragged my prize over to a more secluded area and got to work eating it.

It... was not pleasant. The small spines of the fish kept stabbing my throat, and I had to dislocate my mouth to an impossible degree to swallow the damn thing.

I was quite lucky that the poison of the fish only worked while it was alive. Otherwise, I would have died. I only realized this after a certain message popped up.

Through sheer luck, you have survived the sting of the Blob-Arg-Gorg. Lady luck smiles down on you, bestowing you with 3 status points.

To say I didn't almost regurgitate the fish upon reading that would have been a lie. Thoroughly spooked, I wisely decided that, from now on, I would need to be a lot more careful with what I ate.

Skill (Poison Resistance Lv. 1) Gained

Well, I didn't come out of it empty-handed, at least.

As I sorted through various minor skill level-ups, I did note that I also got bonus exp. It was a shame I couldn't exactly see how much exp I got or even needed, but I guessed it must have been something at least.

I threw my newly ill-gained points into constitution, feeling as though that might just save me again in the future.

Finally, having sorted through everything and with a fish inside me (which I could easily see the outline of within my body), I felt as though now might be a good time for some good old serpentine sunbathing, and I could see just the right spot for it.

There were a number of large rocks that were big enough to almost reach the surface of the water. I eagerly swam over to one of them, a really nice rock with a little flat area on one side. It's previous inhabitants quickly fled at my majestic sight, and I claimed the rock for the Kingdom of Cute And Cuddly MurderSnakes.

Lying onto the rock, I could faintly feel the heat of the sun washing over my skin. In my human life, sunbathing had always been one of my favorite pastimes, both for the tan and also for the simple pleasure of it. In this life, well, it felt even better.

If I could purr, I'm sure I would have been doing so by now.