I gave myself a couple of days to slack off before I would force myself to head back into the hellhole that was the Killzone. After all, even though I'd never been much of a workaholic, I was very much in love with not dying... wait, that doesn't sound right.

Anyways, I spent these days exploring the relatively vast reef and making snacks out of it's tasty-looking inhabitants. I also spent most afternoons on various newly claimed thrones, enjoying the wonders of sunbathing.

During these explorations, I came across so many species and sub-species of all kinds of creatures that I honestly lost count after a while. Still, while the exp they granted was minimal at best, they were still quite tasty, so I found that hunting them wasn't that big of a waste.

I also learned how to better control my new and improved constriction, mostly through what I personally would call 'scientific experimentation', but most sane people would, more correctly, call torture.

Still, as my self-imposed deadline neared, I found myself more and more uncomfortable in the reef. The food here was abundant, yes, but the exp it granted was minimal, and its nutritional value wasn't worth even a hundredth of what I could get in the Killzone. Furthermore, the reef was also starting to feel quite small.

I somewhat suspected that this was the reason why fish that become too strong or big for the reef end up always leaving it. It's almost instinctual, and I know full well how hard instincts are to disobey, even for someone with my level of intelligence and willpower.

Still, there was little reason to disobey these instincts. I did eventually plan on going out of my birthplace and traveling into the much wider oceans, where I could hopefully strengthen myself enough to carve out my own place in this world.

However, before I threw myself into the meatgrinder, there was one particular opponent I had a vested interest in seeing it become my food.

That damned moray that I'd briefly lived next to during my time as an ambusher. That huge thing needed to die. Well, at least I decided that it did, and my decision is absolute.

Unless they're not. Then I usually run away.

Anyways, it was quite easy to find the fake snake since it hadn't moved from the last spot I'd seen it at. However, figuring out a strategy to kill it proved quite a challenge.

See, the eel had its whole body within a crack in the stone, with only it's head barely peeking out. This made my usual strategy of attacking from any direction but the front quite impossible to pull off.

Now, normally, if it had been any opponent but this one, I would have given up. However, something, perhaps my deeply-buried instincts, or perhaps the aura it gave off, but regardless, this damn moray felt like the king of the reef.

I couldn't have that. I was the real queen of this shithole, and since that moray didn't seem that much bigger than me, then it had to die.

And I came up with an incredibly clever and subtle way of defeating it. With great intellect and cunning, I used my wits to outsmart the thing and...

Just kidding. I threw myself at it right from the front, charging like a drunk truck driver.

What followed was a brutal and merciless slugfest of both of us, snake and fake-snake, furiously biting each other. However, while the eel had a distinct advantage in the venom department, judging by the burning feeling that scorched through my body which only increased with each bite, I had a separate advantage.

The eel could bite... But I could constrict, and boy did I constrict hard. It took a while, but after I successfully wrapped around it a couple of times, I squeezed as hard as I could.

Unlike the first victim of my new skill, the moray didn't explode. Nonetheless, its bones still gave out. It was a pure battle of attrition after that, and to be honest, I only survived because of my frankly overleveled constitution and poison resistance.

It was a much shorter battle than the ones I'm used to, but it was a whole other level of brutal. By the end of it, although I came out victorious, I had been hurt. Very hurt.

Whole chunks of my body had been ripped off, making me lose blood on a massive scale. Furthermore, the venom the moray had pumped into me was constantly destroying me from the inside out.

When the thing finally died, I wasn't too far from death myself. Despite that, my mind was still very clear, and I felt no regret for what I'd done at all. In hindsight, there must have been some sort of higher influence controlling some part of me, because I doubt I would have risked myself in such a way otherwise.

Nonetheless, the rewards were very much worth the risk.

King of the Litrean Reef Albadrad Killed. Bonus exp Granted.

For killing the King of a reef as a reefborn, you have gained a special exp bonus!

New evolutionary paths unlocked.

Choice presented: Do you wish to become the Queen of the Litrean Reef or receive 15 bonus status points?

[Nameless] Has reached Lv. 11. 5 Status Points granted

[Nameless] Has reached Lv. 12. 5 Status Points granted

[Nameless] Has reached Lv. 13. 5 Status Points granted

As the flood of notifications streamed in, I forced myself to focus on the important matter at hand. I (shakily) asked the system what exactly being the queen of this damned reef meant.

As the Queen of the Litrean Reef, you would gain overlordship over the area, as well as a 50% boost to all stats while in the area. You would also be given several options for further expanding the reef.

The offer was tempting, I admit. As I laid there, so close to death, I was so very, very tempted to take the option.

However, I did not want to settle down like this. Not yet. Not in such a small and limited place like this, not when there was such a huge and mysterious world out there to explore.

I chose the status points.