I cautiously approached the collapsed cave-looking like crevice that had formed in the ground after my nose accidentally bumped into it.

Did I run away the moment I sensed the collapse happening? Yup. Am I a coward because of it? Who knows. I don't think I am. I'm just... too cautious.

The cave looked quite different from most other cracks in walls that I'd resided in so far. No, this one was obviously man-made, or at least something made it. How could I tell? Well... The first obvious sign about it was that the water, where I was currently swimming in, didn't continue down.

There was actual god damn air in there. How is that even possible? That doesn't make any bloody sense! The water is floating above the air, somehow. Oh, yes. I forgot. This world has magic.

I still don't regret not picking the magic path. I like being big and powerful.

I was half-tempted to turn away and pretend this never happened, but I was also quite curious to see whatever was in there. Well, as curious as I could be, I guess.

I cautiously poked my nose into the air, and oh boy was it weird. For some reason, I could actually... breathe this air? The hell?

Back at the reef, I'd tried to stick my head out into the air, and that air I definitely couldn't breathe. But, somehow, this air I could?

Too many questions, too little answers. I retracted my head back into the waters, peering down suspiciously. I could probably stick four or five meters of my body into this cavern while still being able to quickly retreat upwards into the water if I wanted, but that carried a risk in and of itself.

Still, I did it anyway. Now that I could look around a bit better, the cavern looked more like a fancy house than anything else. There were stones that resembled chairs and tables, a god damn bookshelf with no books on it, and... what the hell was this smell?

It was like fish but combined with... something else. I couldn't identify it, but it did make me quite curious. Furthermore, although I'd yet to refine a skill or even make sense of how I did it, I could smell no danger coming from the source, so I felt a bit more confident.

I dropped down with my whole body, landing with a heavy thump. I didn't even feel the impact though, as it was nothing compared to what some of my even more generic prey can dish out.

I took my time sniffing around the area, prodding and poking everything. The tables had been literally formed from the stone below them, and they couldn't really be moved without shattering them. The same went for the chairs.

Then, I came across my worst nemesis in this new life. My new antithesis, the thing which I don't think I can ever look at with the eyes I had as a human.

A door.

How the hell am I even supposed to go through that? I can smell the fish-thing coming from the other side, but I'm far too large to get through that.

Well... Violence is the answer, I suppose. I reared back, then struck the door with the full weight of my head and body.

The door, which was made of some sort of light and brittle stone, shattered, along with the wall around it. A surprisingly feminine and humanoid screech came from the other side, and I was suddenly assaulted by one of the worst noises there are. Crying sobs.

The hell?

I poked my head into the newly opened room, and oh boy did my eyes burn for a second. It had weird stones that shined quite brightly, and my eyes which had been so used to darkness did like that one bit.

I would have closed them, but I, unfortunately, could not do so, being a serpent and all. Hence, it was quite painful. Still, my eyes quickly adjusted and my insane regeneration fixed any possible problems.

I could have looked using my aura sight, but I'd lost control of that due to the shock. Still, it only took half a dozen seconds or so for my normal sight to return, so I didn't bother activating it.

... Why the hell is this room so fancy? It had a huge carpet covering the entire floor, had an area that resembled a kitchen, another area that was obviously a bed area, and even a medium-sized bath at the corner.

What in the nine hells was all of this? Why the hell is there a 5-star hotel room at the bottom of the fucking ocean? I have so many questions, and I knew exactly who could answer them... maybe.

I guessed the owner, or at least resident, of this place must have been the half-fish, half-something. So, it's either a mermaid or some kind of horrible abomination. I hope it's the second.

I slithered along, careful not to destroy anything more than I already had. The place did look quite good, after all, and it would be a crime to destroy such beauty.

I stopped when I arrived at the bed. It had soft-looking sheets and pillows, and even a small stuffed toy at its side. Really now, a stuffed seal? Snakes are obviously superior, I mentally snickered.

Anyways, I didn't even really need to use my nose to find whoever this guy or gal was. I could hear their labored breathing as clear as day, and I decided to make that clear by peering down under the bed.

I was greeted with a scream and another plush toy to the face. How rude. I ate monsters for far less, you know.

The little person under the bed was actually a... fairly human-looking girl? She smelled like fish, but other than the little scales on her legs and arms, I couldn't really see much resemblance to the mermaids of my culture.

She screamed and crawled away, eyes wet with tears. Ah, yes. I suspect she would be scared of a giant 30-meter long snake. I was, after all, probably quite a bit longer than this entire room. It's a shame I can't exactly tell her she's a bit too skinny for my tastes.

Just kidding, I wouldn't eat another person without good reason, and she looks person enough. I retreated away from the bed and settled myself into the corner. Well, I suppose my only choice is to wait her out. Siege tactics are not exactly my strong point, but the brat probably fares even worse than I do at waiting games.