The first thing Luo Zhen knew wasn't light, but the damp, loamy smell of a forest floor pressed against his face. He blinked, a canopy of unfamiliar green leaves swimming into focus. He tried to push himself up, to rub the sleep from his eyes, but his arm wouldn't respond.
Wait a second.
Where's my arm?
A jolt of pure, cold panic shot through him. He looked down, and the world tilted. Not only were his arms gone, but his legs had vanished, too. In their place was a slender, green body, no longer than a chopstick, coiled on the mossy ground. He had become a snake.
You've got to be kidding me. His mind went into full-on static. One minute, he was asleep in his bed; the next, he was… this.
Luo Zhen's life had never been easy. As an illegitimate son whose mother died young and whose father couldn't be bothered, he'd learned to face things alone. He was a survivor. So, while the whole waking-up-in-another-world-as-a-snake thing was a shock, he didn't feel a sense of loss. There was nothing and no one for him to miss. Life had been a gray, meaningless grind.
Still, this was a lot to take in. The lack of limbs was a profound, unnerving phantom sensation that messed with his head as much as his ability to move.
But survival instincts are hard to kill. Within minutes, the initial shock gave way to a cold, calculating pragmatism. He was here. He was a snake. Now what?
As if on cue, just as he began to wriggle his new body, a voice echoed inside his mind—crisp, cold, and utterly alien.
<10… 9… 8… 3… 2… 1… Devour and Slaughter System now online.>
The voice faded, and a shimmering, translucent screen materialized in his vision, like a heads-up display only he could see.
Name: Luo Zhen
Race: Serpent
Species: Bamboo Pit Viper [Common]
EXP: 0
Tier: Ordinary Beast
A system? Like in the novels? The absurdity of it all was staggering, but it was quickly replaced by a wild, electrifying hope. He might be a tiny snake, but a system was a game-changer. It meant he had a path forward, a way to grow stronger. Maybe, just maybe, he could even become human again someday.
His mind raced. Devour and Slaughter System. So, I get stronger by eating things? And I get EXP or something for killing other creatures?
He let the possibilities wash over him for a moment before forcing himself back to reality. A system was great, but right now, he was pathetically weak. A falling twig could probably take him out. One encounter with a predator, and it was game over.
Okay, Luo Zhen. First rule: stay alive. He flicked his tail and began slithering toward the dense, low-lying bushes, their tangled leaves offering the best chance of cover.
Hell yes, activate, he thought, pushing his way into the undergrowth.
A square map bloomed in his vision, populated with a dense swarm of tiny, pulsing lights, like a galaxy of multicolored stars. He stared, mesmerized and confused. "What are these dots?" he thought, directing the question at the system.
**
"Okay… so why are there different colors? I see red, gray, and blue."
**
Luo Zhen's non-existent blood ran cold.
The map was almost entirely red. A sea of shimmering, scarlet dots, each one representing something that could—and likely would—kill him instantly.
So, I've basically woken up in a world full of my natural predators. Fantastic. The grim reality of his situation was a punch to the gut.
But then, he noticed something. Very close to his blue dot, two of the red dots flickered, their crimson light dimming until they faded to a lifeless gray.
Gray means dead. A spark of an idea, dangerous and thrilling, ignited in his mind. This could be my chance. After all, his system was all about devouring to evolve.
He moved with a newfound purpose, his small body gliding silently over the damp earth toward the location of the gray dots. He soon reached the edge of a murky, vapor-shrouded patch of water.
There, tangled at the swamp's edge, were a large crocodile and a venomous red snake. They were locked in a death grip; the snake had been bitten clean in half, while the crocodile's hide had a sickly reddish tint, a clear sign it had succumbed to the snake's poison. A classic mutual kill.
As Luo Zhen approached, the system pinged again.
Demonic beasts? Luo Zhen froze. His own status was "Ordinary Beast." These two were a full tier above that. This wasn't just a world with strange animals; it was a world with monsters. And if there were monsters… were there cultivators, too?
He pushed the thought aside. First things first. He slithered to the dead snake, opened his jaw, and took a bite.
The result was instantaneous and bizarre. The snake's flesh didn't tear; it dissolved on contact, transforming into a warm, powerful current of energy that flooded his body. He felt a surge of strength, his tiny frame seeming to expand from the inside out. In less than a minute, he had consumed the entire Fierce Venom Snake, leaving behind nothing but a paper-thin, discarded skin.
**
No-brainer. The snake was known for its poison. "I'll take the Fangs of Fierce Venom," he decided.
He immediately felt a change. His fangs sharpened and grew, pulsing with a potent, venomous heat. Thrilled, Luo Zhen flicked his forked tongue and turned his attention to the crocodile, tearing into its flesh with the same startling efficiency.
By the time he was done, another series of notifications flashed.
**
A brilliant light enveloped him. When it faded, he was transformed. His once-plain green skin was now a sleek, menacing black, overlaid with intricate red patterns. He was several times larger, as thick as a grown man's arm. His scales had hardened and tightened, forming a flexible but incredibly durable natural armor.
He spotted a large boulder nearby. Acting on instinct, he coiled and whipped his tail, striking the rock with explosive force.
CRACK!
The solid stone shattered into a spray of fragments. Luo Zhen felt a primal surge of power. He called up his status screen again, a savage grin spreading across his serpentine face.
Name: Luo Zhen
Race: Serpent
Species: Venom-Patterned Armored Snake
Active Ability: Fangs of Fierce Venom
Passive Ability: Toughness
EXP: 15/30
Tier: Level 2 Demonic Beast