But in this hellhole, where am I supposed to find food?
All around were rock walls, not a trace of plant life, and it didn't seem like a place where herbivores would live. Though, there were plenty of snail-like things crawling on the walls.
This place didn't seem like a place where you could find food at all. And what do snakes eat? All sorts of animals?
Are snails edible?
Right, didn't that cruel god say he'd give me compensation? Where is it?
Ryu Takeno carefully examined his body and surroundings, but found nothing except the corpse of a snake with its head smashed in.
Speaking of that sibling, Ryu Takeno suddenly remembered something.
When he'd killed it, something seemed to have flowed into him. It was a small amount, but he definitely felt something enter his body.
"Congratulations, you survived your first crisis after being reborn. Your fighting technique was quite crude, but it was amusing nonetheless."
The cruel god's voice reappeared, its mocking tone still infuriating.
Ryu Takeno looked around but saw no sign of it.
"No need to look. I'm not physically present; I'm communicating through your mind. Your promised compensation hasn't been forgotten. I've already integrated it into your body. It's quite a valuable treasure~"
Ryu Takeno was about to ask when the cruel god interrupted.
"I know what you want to ask. Don't worry, I have no intention of harming you. You don't need to be so wary. Even if you were, killing you would be a mere thought for me."
"Alright, your compensation is given, and I've fulfilled my promise of rebirth. Interesting little fellow, let's see how much amusement you'll bring to this boring world. I'll be watching."
"Wait, wait, wait!!"
With that, the cruel being vanished, unresponsive to Ryu Takeno's mental calls.
Who would believe it had no malicious intent?
No malicious intent would kill him? No malicious intent would turn him into a snake? No malicious intent would throw him into such a dangerous place?
But it had one point: with its power, any precautions he took would be a pointless, laughable performance.
Not only useless, but ridiculous.
[Ding! Proficiency reached a certain level. Skill acquired: Telepathy.]
What?
Proficiency? Skill? System? Did my cheat code finally arrive?!
The standard equipment for a novel protagonist was a system and a cheat code. As a reincarnated being, wasn't it only natural to have one?
Just as Ryu Takeno felt a surge of excitement, a flood of memories poured into his mind, knocking him unconscious.
In his dream, Ryu Takeno saw a crimson dragon, thousands of kilometers long, its end unseen. Its eyes were like the sun, radiating brilliant light, too intense to look at directly. He also saw a winged true dragon soaring through the air. As it flew, clouds and stars followed in its wake, accompanied by thunder that shook the heavens and earth, filling the nine heavens, and the ocean water rose like a whirlwind towards the sky.
The dragon, a symbol of power and strength in Japanese mythology, a creature of legend.
Soon, Ryu Takeno woke up.
He didn't understand the meaning of the dream, but his mind now held new knowledge: a method for enhancing his powers by leveraging his dragon blood, a path to self-improvement.
In Japanese legends, there are stories of snakes evolving over millennia into pythons, then boas, then dragons, and finally, powerful celestial beings.
Of course, legends are just legends, not necessarily entirely accurate.
Ryu Takeno learned from the inherited memories that creatures with dragon blood could unlock their latent potential and evolve into dragons, though reaching the peak of their power would take immense time and effort, unless aided by exceptional circumstances.
The cruel god's compensation was dragon blood, specifically, that of the powerful Ryūjin.
This explained his incredible strength.
His siblings were nowhere near as strong. Just one flung rock had stunned the other snake. Such strength wasn't typical for a newborn snake, though these snakes seemed unusual to begin with.
Normal snakes don't have nearly ten-meter-long bodies at birth… If only he knew what species they were, he might find some clues.
Right, the system's here, so the essential skill, [Appraisal], should be available too.
[You currently have 100 skill points. You can use 100 skill points to acquire the skill "Appraisal". Do you wish to learn it?]
Is this system this smart?
Ryu Takeno was surprised by the intelligent system. He'd read countless system-based stories, and systems varied wildly—intelligent, unintelligent; some with independent personalities, like little sprites; others that required self-discovery, offering no guidance.
Having such a smart system was a huge advantage.
Learn! Of course, he'd learn!
Who would refuse such an amazing skill? It's essential for a protagonist to show off!
[Successfully acquired Appraisal lv1. Remaining skill points: 0.]
Though he'd used all his skill points, he wasn't worried. Skill points could be earned later. Following the usual tropes and game mechanics, leveling up or defeating enemies should grant skill points.
Now, it was time to appraise this sibling of unknown gender.
Ryu Takeno looked at the headless corpse, unsure how to use the skill. Should he mentally say "Appraisal"?
[Snake Monster]