Randy

[Open Evolution Menu]!

Evolution Prompt 1

You are now nearing hatching, and thus is the ripe time to choose your starting species specialization.

1. (Venomous Dungeon Cave Serpent) {60%}

2. (Scout Dungeon Cave Serpent) {17%}

3. (Constrictor Dungeon Cave Serpent) {13%}

4. (Elemental Dungeon Cave Serpent) {5%}

5. (Breeder Dungeon Cave Serpent) {3%}

6. (Leader Dungeon Cave Serpent) {1%}

7. (Shadow Dungeon Cave Serpent) {1%}

8. (Intelligent Dungeon Cave Serpent) {0%}

9. (Mage Dungeon Cave Serpent) {0%}

10. (Demon Dungeon Cave Serpent) {0%}

*Values are rounded to nearest ones

You are given 1200 seconds to choose. If input is not detected, specialization, future evolutions, and SP distribution will be randomized.

Okay now wait just a minute now, what’s with that large selection of evolution types? Venomous? Scout? Leader? Demon? Aren’t this a bit too many?

And what’s with that percentile numbers? Three zeros? Though, it did say values rounded to nearest ones. Maybe they’re just so insanely rare that their percentile numbers are below zero?

The green ones must be what I can choose, and red is what I can’t, right? I mean, it's common sense and all.

Also, I think it’s the same setup as that first prompt, which I had forgotten. Something about man and beast? I don’t think monsters can just choose what they want, so the timer will always runs out. Then isn’t this leaning too heavily towards me? I can choose to be whatever I want, I might even choose the most OP start there is.

Heheh. Hey God, do you really balance your game right?

…I should not says stuff that will jinx me like that. I did get hurt when grinding once, the pain is enough to remind me how real all of this is.

*sigh*

I will need to inspect each further. I should have enough time to do so.

[Inspect Evolution Choices]!

….

[Inspect Demon Dungeon Cave Serpent]!

….

….?

Nothing?

UI you rascal! Traitor! Evil! How could you!

I wanna know what I’m evolving into before I select! You have given so much written information since before, why not now??!!

Dammit, I really did jinx myself!

Then, I’ll just have to use cold hard logic to get there. I shall put my best impression of that thinking man statue before I continue!

I can cross out 1st to 5th options, the common ones. I mean, Breeder Serpent? I ain’t gonna be some snake mama shitting eggs around town, especially since I’m a guy before.

Come to think of it…. I never really did check down there, not that it’s the right time though. I’ll save that for later.

Leader should be some kind of general, but I don't think I will be leading snakes anytime soon, especially since …. everyone else is dead.

Shadow, I think it has to do with shadows, as in jumping out of one shadowy area to another shadowed area like a ninja? It might work great in caves with no lighting, but if there’s magic, shouldn’t there be lighting spells? Also, I’m treading blind here, so I won’t risk it.

Intelligent…. Maybe its sapience? I’m already one though, former human and all. Maybe I can go above sapience and transcend my mind into the 4th dimension? That might happen, but even if so, I won't pick this one. No info means no info, and I should play it safe.

That leaves us with the most obvious choice of all, Mage Cave Serpent. I haven’t been training magic for nothing, so I’m pretty glad I actually got a specialization for it. This will be my choice for sure.

….I wonder what a Demon Serpent would be though. I really hope I don’t miss out on something really big due to some kind of negligence in my usage of the UI. Though, I’m running out of time. I’ll have to investigate later on when I have the chance.

Then its settled. The one true profession any reincarnated person must choose when going into a world of magic; Mage!

[Select Evolution Species: Mage Cave Serpent]!

..

…

….

….aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!

NO ONE TOLD ME EVOLVING WILL HURT LIKE CRAAAZYYY!!!!!!!

All of my body hurts! From head to tail! Everything! I feel like sizzling! MY ENTIRE BODY TWISTS AND TURNS AND EVERYTHING BETWEEN! MY INSIDES ARE TYING UP TO A KNOT!

IT SIMPLY HURTS ALL OVER!

DAMMIT! I CAN’T STAND THIS!

AARRGHHHH!! AARRGGGHHHHGHK-

….

….

….

Urrghh...

My eyes open widely as I shake myself up mentally. Fainting is not the best feeling in the world, especially after you had incited hundreds of them before. I shake my entire serpentine body until I feel a bit more comfortable.

Strangely enough, I feel far more comfortable being a snake now than before. That evolution must’ve done something for my coping with it.

At least, it doesn’t seem as foreign as it is before.

Before doing anything else, there are quite a few things I need to check. Going outside without preparation isn’t exactly the best idea with that Megacada lurking about. I’m not stupid, I know how frail I am mentally. I’m really unresistant to pain, and significant changes, both of which I have experience a lot of in the previous month or so.

Firstly, I need to take a look at my new evolution stats. Secondly, I will need to devise a strategy. Thirdly, I need to test my own strength.

No, wait. Second will be to learn to slither. Time the break out correctly and I might get a whopping few seconds of solitude before Megacada starts slurping my body down like noodle.

No wait, would that be third?

GAH, who cares! I’m still a bit aching from evolving.

[Display Status]!

Name: Randy

Species: Mage Dungeon Cave Serpent (Early)

Level: 1 (0/100 XP to level up)

HP: 100/100

MP: 2019/2019

Fortitude: 15

Strength: 20

Luck: 65

SP: 2

Status: -

Resilience: 25

Intelligence: 175

C̷̢̡̪̪͉̦͎̹̳̣̹̤̜̱͉̍̑̄́̒͌͐̒̿̂̆̆̎̚͜ơ̶̢̧̲̖̣͍͇̤͓̦̘̹̰̝̪͖̟͔̣̅͋̐̏̈́͊͆͋̒̾̎̋̌̀̑̀̓̈́̈͂̐̾̊̑̔͘͝͝͝m̷̛̙̬̤̥̥̺̯̘͉͔̠̻̰̮̪̙̳̖͎͋̈̌͑́͜ͅṃ̴͙͓̘̦̲̳̘̩̂̉̉͑̈͌͋̾̓̈́̋͐̃̂̈́̌͊͑̄̌͘͠: %

Ayy, I got actual stats now. I don’t know how large is 100 HP, so I’ll still assume a one hit KO. MP rose up by quite a bit it seems. But if it rises just that easily, doesn’t that mean MPs are counted in hundreds as the norm?

Now hold on just a minute, what the hell’s with that Intelligence stat? 175? I mean, I might be a logical thinker with lots of obscure Wikipedia knowledge, but like, isn’t that still too high?

Wait up a second, I actually never inspected Intelligence yet. The others are pretty straightforward, so I assumed this one too.

[Inspect Intelligence]

Growth Factors -> Intelligence

[Intelligence] is the amount of understanding of mana and magic of an individual. Not necessarily reflecting individual’s actual intelligence, it helps in easing the casting of spells and amplifies spell powers by ([Spell Power] x 1.05^[Intelligence Value])

Oh GOD! MATH!

Waaaahhh!!

Jokes aside, that doesn’t seem like high buffs. Although powered values tend to rise up pretty quickly.

I wonder if the UI has a calculator built in, would be pretty funny if it has one.

[Open Calculator]!

_

=

7

8

9

+

4

5

6

-

1

2

3

x

0

00

.

/

WAIT WHAT?

BUHAHAHAHA! WHAT A JOKE! THERE ACTUALLY IS ONE!

….

After crunching some numbers, I’m faced with a stupid amount of numbers. Really stupid numbers.

Let’s say spell damage is 1. Which leaves us with just 1.05^175. Rounded, that’s basically over 5000 damage per spell, not counting for each spell’s actual power.

Which is horrifying, to say the least.

Am I really that strong? I mean, I might be level 1, but looking at my HP figures I really doubt it would go over ten thousand. Even if the Megacada has like a 100k HP it’ll still only take me 20 shots to bring it down. Isn’t this a bit too OP, even for starters?

No, that must not be it. It might be just my numbers being stupidly low.

Which makes somewhat of a sense. There’s that logic of mages trading everything for magic power, making them glass cannons, right?

Then doesn’t that mean I’m still pretty much underpowered?

All the more reason to plan the shit out of my battle strategy.

….

How long till I am able to hatch again?

[Display Estimated Hatching Time]!

I’m really close, but obviously, getting out early is basically an early suicide.

I actually missed the SP notifications, but thankfully the UI reminds me of my 2 unspent SPs and how to access skill shop. Considering I’m about to address the problem of not having actual (read: my version of) offensive skills.

Curious, skills are bought. Or is this a monster-specific trait? Wait, can monsters even buy skills themselves? Is there stuff that I miss? I sure hope I don’t miss anything too important.

I’ll just open the menu, I’m getting tired of all the twisted stuff.

[Open Skill Shop]!

Skill Shop (Mage Dungeon Cave Serpent)

SP: 2

- Venomous Bite (0 SP) = Inject venom in every bite. Standard serpent skill. Unlocks specialized venom skills.

- Constriction (1 SP) = Longer and more powerful body to constrict targets with high crushing power.

- Egg Laying (1 SP) = Opens possibility of creating offsprings. Reproduces asexually. [Req: NOT: Breeder]

- Basic Mana Affinity (1 SP) = Understanding of one basic mana. Unlocks specialized skills in shop according to species. Price rises with every basic element understood. [Req: Elemental/Shadow/Mage/Demon]

- Mana Fine Control (2 SP) = Fine-tunes mana manipulation to atom precision. [Req: Skill: Mana Manipulation]

- Mana Condenser (2 SP) = Condense mana until it materializes. [Req: Skill: Mana Manipulation]

- Accurate Mana Sensing (2 SP) = Fully detects ambient mana, mana traces, and past mana atmospheres up to 24 hours. [Req: Skill: Mana Vision]

- Biomana Manipulation (2 SP) = Controls mana in living beings, and integrate ambient mana to them. [Req: Mana Expertise]

…

Hahah! Well of course it has to be [Egg Laying]!

NOOOONONONONONONO! DECLINE! DECLINE! ABORT PURCHASE! CANCEL!

Hoooly Christ, I nearly dug my own grave!

*sigh*

I’ll just see what my options are.

Venomous Bite is free, so I’ll definitely take that.

I won’t be touching Constriction and Egg Laying. Probably ‘yet’ with Constriction, but never with Egg Laying. Oh I wonder why…

Basic Mana Affinity might be a good choice, especially if I’m going to fight Megacada. Like, aren’t bugs supposed to be weak to fire? I mean, all my exposure to TV and games led me to believe so. Problem is I’m afraid that won’t be the case. I never really saw it aside from with Mana Vision, which is now really great to discern anything within this cavern, but not anything outside of it. Outline looks Cicada-ish, but you never know…

That leaves me with the last four options. I won’t be needing Accurate Mana Sensing yet, I think. I can discern that Megacada pretty greatly already, even though I assume it would be as dark up there as it is down here. I mean, it’s a cavern room, what should I expect. There doesn’t seem to be hints of manmade structures either.

I don’t think I need Mana Fine Control either, the other two seems legit more useful than this.

It comes down to either Mana Condenser or Biomana Manipulation. Mana Condenser sounds really great because I might be able to collect ambient mana and make some sort of javelins out of it. That’s one way of fighting. Biomana Manipulation on the other hand, would probably allow me to drain mana out of that Megacada, maybe even make fast work of it. Problem is that I don’t know what the drain rates, or to what extent I can use it for. It might not be anything more than a glorified healing spell.

How about…

[Inspect Biomana Manipulation]!

…

As expected, it never shows anything during crucial times.

As tempting as Biomana Manipulation sounds, its just too vague. I’ll have to see on it later on, preferable after I have some more SP. Right now, Mana Condenser will be my choice.

[Skill Purchase: Venomous Bite and Mana Condenser]

Yes!

[Skills: Active]

Skill Table 2 (Active)

Mana Expertise Lv. 2

{Effect: Manipulates Mana}

Mana Vision Lv. 4

{Effect: Filters mana detected}

Venomous Bite Lv. 1 [10 MP]

{Effect: Paralyzes Enemy}

Mana Condenser Lv. 1

[Max : 100 MP]

{Effect: Creates Mana Crystal Objects}

Nice! I guessed right! Mana Condenser do make mana objects. Its MP cost is absurd though, 100 MP per projectile isn’t exactly cheap. There should be a bit more info from the UI though.

[Inspect: Mana Condenser]

Skill: Mana Condenser

Condense large amounts of mana until it actually materializes. Heavy MP cost is due to the amount of mana needed to materialize it. Maximum size of twice your body size. Projectiles are dissolvable, when dissolved you gain 50% of MP spent back.

That actually makes sense. You need lots of water vapour just for a bottle of it, and conversely an entire sauna would use no more than a bucket of water.

How do I activate this one though? My first two skills don’t have their MPs displayed so I always assume their consumptions are relative. It says Max instead of a fixed 100 MP, so if I condense a small crystal it would use less than it?

…

I try swirling mana around myself, before collecting a large amount of them in front of my face. Before, there was some sort of same-pole magnetism-like force that keeps me from actually condensing it to solid object density, but that is now gone. The mana compacts according to my wills and it collects into a tiny crystal. The crystal itself is as easy to move around as how mana of that amount would be.

I assume the skill comes with an automatic MP gauger, as I know on the back of my head that I use 14 MP for this little crystal.

Shame that I cannot see it with my eyes, as there is literally zero light inside this egg. Looking at the crystal with Mana Vision, it glows in a bit different colour than mana. Both colours cannot be described with the colours discernible by humans. Something past ultraviolet is the best I can describe it as.

Trying to test how fast I can lob the little crystal away, I aim at the very bottom of my shell, before launching it with the one technique I know how; which is clumping a large amount of mana until that magnetism force starts to really make it hard for me to compress it any further, and encapsulating it with a slightly bigger mana tube, before letting go of that mana clump entirely until it explodes and blows out of the tube’s end with quite the power. It shook the egg’s inner atmosphere.

It is similar to how guns work, so I’ll call it [Bullet Spear].

Looking at the hole created with Mana Vision, it cuts a clear round-ish hole on the egg shell, and it actually went so far down even Mana Vision fails to track it after a few seconds.

I start to wonder if I underestimated myself, but I quickly shoo that thought away and went on to plan ahead instead.

…

While patching my egg’s shell, a notification pops up. One that sends a bit of shiver down my serpentine spine, and anticipation up my guts.