《Why is it always snakes (couldn't it have been something nice for a change)》 Chapter 1: Character creation This isn''t the first (or the last) Mmorpg fantasy with a virtual reality technology to be created. It''s not even that good compared to the other games in the market. Some people play it, true, but with its difficulty level and limitations, it makes the game not really popular. Master Snake is a very difficult game to play. To this day no one got the title Snake Master ¨C the legendary title. I checked for reviews after the game''s release, at the very start is was quite popular, then something happened and made it very difficult to play. The administers saw the players cheating and letting higher level players help them finish the quests, so they made it so that can''t happen anymore. Now a player has to depend on his own abilities. And so a new update has come to pass ¨C Someone with a low level can''t talk to someone with a higher level, if they try all that comes out is senseless hisses, this is why one can''t seek help from players with higher levels. Another thing is the snakes, they are very hard to control. Sometimes they wouldn''t attack even if you ordered them to, the higher the level the worst the attitude, or so I''ve heard. I can''t help but feel a little cheated after buying it. This game is no good at all! A crappy game, that''s what this is... the game even has a restriction that won''t let the Starter Summon to level up beyond level one! The only one that can explain things to the players are the starter summon snakes, which are the only snakes that can talk in the entire game! The starter snake can''t level up at all, so all it''s good for is information and since there''re only ten open slots for summons, the first one to go is always the starter snake. I don''t know if I believe all of that, but if that''s true I can''t really blame the players for wanting a better stronger summon, can I? I still feel bad for the starter snake. I am sure it feels resentment towards us humans, after helping us and getting nothing in return. The reason I bought the stupid game-thing is to get over my fear from snakes. I have a terrible fear and whenever I face a real snake I start panicking. Even worst, after a few minutes I faint... and that''s so embarrassing! Now that would be something I could live with, only finding a job is incredibly difficult and now, that I have one, I don''t plan on giving it up. As I said, I just got hired to a new working place, one that has snakes in it. It''s a lab of some sort that deals with the snake''s venom. I really don''t want to faint on my first day there and it was so hard to find a job ¨C I can''t mess this opportunity! I start working there in a month, so I have to get better in this time frame. My stupid fear of snakes, I will surly get over you! I simply have to! I put on the hamlet and let the game connect with my brain.
Welcome to Master Snake!
A blue window with black writings pops up, it''s the system notification. At the same time something else comes out. She is a half human half snake with fire red hair, scales and snake-like eyes. Without asking I suddenly know who she is, Medusa, the snake goddess. "Hello¡± Medusa has a shy voice, it sounds cute and she has an adorable smile. She speaks in hisses like normal snakes, but it seems I can understand her for some reason. This game may have some good points¡­ this is so cool. I feel like freaking H*rry P*tter! I wonder if I''ll talk my words will come out as hisses too... The snake goddess smiles to herself and I feel like she''s laughing at me for some reason. Can she read my mind? "Umm... Hello¡± I say, it seems like she likes me for some reason. She smiles when I talk back to her and I feel foolish for actually blushing. She is just an NPC! A hot NPC, but why am I blushing because of some code? I feel like I am a fail as a human male. "Are you new to this game? I don''t think I''ve seen you Login before?¡± Medusa says. Is she the one handling all the new player? If so it will explain why she''s here and told me something like this.
The snake goddess wishes to know if you are a new user: Yes/No
¡°Yes¡± I say back to both, her and the system. This is my first time playing a virtual reality game! I am so excited! Medusa nods as if already knowing my answer. She comes closer to me as if to inspect me. What are you doing? Are you checking me out? You are supposed to be an NPC you know? I can''t help but blush. "You are going to be a cute one¡± she says with a coy smile. What''s the meaning of this?! Why is this NPC...? Is she trying to make me fall for her of something? "W-what do you mean?¡± I ask her, she giggles and for some reason she looks a little evil at that moment. "You will see, but for now let''s proceed, yes?¡± I nod at her to continue, ¡°above us is the Blue Screen. Whenever something important happen, it will show up with the relevant information¡± she explains, ¡°as an example, if I were to suggest for you to register and you agree, a blue screen will show with whatever it is that you need to fill¡± "That doesn''t sound too difficult...¡± I say carefully. Medusa nods. She is far too close. It makes it very uncomfortable for me. "It isn''t supposed to be difficult, it''s a system assist... Now would you like to register, since you are a new player?¡± Medusa smiles at me coyly, making me blush. "Yes, please¡±
You have chosen to register!
Please pick a gender in which you''ll wish to play: female/male
This is the moment in every guy''s life that he will wonder how good he will look as a female, or in other words ''am I going to be hot?'' this is the kind of thought that will run through their heads, so of course they will ask to see, I am no different, I am a guy after all. "Please show me how I look as a girl?¡± I ask the snake goddess. I kind of grateful that she looks more like an anime character then a true ''snake'', otherwise I probably would have fainted already. All of a sudden there a flash of bright light and there''s a body standing in front of me. It''s a girl. Is this how a girl me is supposed to look? She has a long dark hair with light milky skin. The me-she is tall and thin with heavy looking boobs upfront. She is wearing a white priest looking-like dress. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.I make a fine girl, if I may say so myself. With my curiosity satisfied I ask the goddess to change me back to a guy. With another bright light I turn to look at guy-me. I''m tall and thin with short black hair and shaman like white clothes. Are those the level one clothes? They don''t look like a level one clothes to me... "Ok, this is good, what now?¡± I say to the goddess. She nods and moves closer to me. It makes me blush as she whispers directly to my ear. "Now you will choose your name, little one¡± her tongue is like a snake, that''s all I can concentrate on. Her words are heard, but the only thing I comprehend is ''chose'' and ''name''
Please select your user name
Ho, that thing. Yes, of course I''ll chose a user name. Now, I just need to decide what kind of name... I don''t want a dorky sounding name! I want something I won''t be embarrassed to say. Unfortunately, as I said before, when this game first hit the market it was more or less popular, only later, it was that no one wanted to play it anymore. Finding a good name is going to be a nightmare. "Is Venom available?¡± I ask Medusa, but she shakes her head while pressing her body close to mine.
The name ''venom'' is already taken, please select another name
Thank god for the system window or else I wouldn''t be able to get past this part, not with Medusa practically sitting in my lap. Is it me or medusa speaks and acts completely different than a normal NPC? Like, what she says is very out of character, don''t you think? Could it be that she''s a player?! I look at her, but just looking makes my mind turn to mush. What was I supposed to do again? "So how about...¡± I was about to say ''freaky-eyes'' for my name, but I really don''t want to be called something like that ¨C then it hit me, a name I wouldn''t mind using ¡°Fear!¡±
The name ''fear'' is not taken. Do you wish to be called Fear? Yes\No
I don''t think too much ¡°Yes!!¡±, I yell. The goddess laughs. She pulls me closer to her and shows me the palm of her hand. In her hand there is an illusion of two snakes.
Please select your preferred summoned type: Venomous/Strangulation
WARNING! Once you have chosen, you will be able to summon only this type!
I know that snakes that use venom are smaller and if it''s a starter summon it''s supposed to be weak, the poison will be weak and probably won''t do anything to me even if the snake will want to poison me. The choice for me is rather clear, ¡°Venomous, please!¡± The goddess is smiling a bigger smile and I can see in her mouth there are two fang like things, is she a poison type? It seems I pleased her with my choice.
Your starter summon has been called!
You got a green horned grass snake! Those snakes are useless! They are tiny and their poison is barely enough to paralyses even insects!
Man, this kind of snake is perfect for me. The illusion of the larger of the two snakes disappears and now on the goddess'' palm there is a tiny snake with a green body and twin red horns on its'' head. The little thing has big red eyes and very sharp fangs. I can''t bring myself to actually pick the little thing up. I look at Medusa with worry. I don''t want to offend her. "I-is it safe?¡± I know I sound like a little kid asking his parent if the puppy won''t bite him, but I can''t help myself. I am terrified of snakes. This one is small, true, but it''s a snake none the less. "This little one doesn''t have a name yet¡± Medusa says instead of answering me, she looks at the little thing in her hand, ¡°he isn''t strong yet, maybe he''ll never be, but for you who''s his trainer, he will forever be loyal¡± her words make me a little less afraid. I reach out for the little snake and take it from the snake goddess. What now? I wait to get transported to the next location to start the game, this game has one starting point, it''s kind of like a tour guide for the new players and once you as a player, reach level two you can leave the area via teleportation to another low level zone to really start playing, but I am not transported. Why is that? "You didn''t read the manual before entering the game,¡± Medusa says with a smile as she sees my face, ¡°while true that here is where is one usually get transported to the starting village, the goddess can keep the player from moving on if she has something she wants to say¡± Is that so? She wants something from me? What is it that she wants? "I find myself liking you,¡± the snake goddess confesses, ¡°so I decided to help myself a little¡± she smiles at me and kisses me on the lips, ¡°I''ll tell you a secret none of the other players found out, aren''t I kind?¡± She k-kissed me! She really kissed me! Why?! I don''t get this game! Though I can''t say I''m complaining... "A secret?¡± I ask blushing. The goddess nods. "There is a reason why starter snakes never level up. All starter snakes are unique. They are my children. As long as a starter snake is a higher level than a player or the same level if both are level one, the starter snake can level up. They will receive 3 times the exp normal snakes get from completing quests too! And, as a bonus, leveling up the starter snake grants you rare titles! Kukukuku...¡± I blink, this is huge, I wonder if someone could have found out by accident? I can''t be the only one that knows, can I? I look at Medusa, ¡°why are you telling me this?¡± I ask her "You are here to learn of us snakes, I can respect that in a player. I have never faced someone like you before. I find myself intrigued by you¡± she says, ¡°but we can never be together unless you become a Master Snake, so I decided to... ahem, cheat a little?¡± she smiles sweetly. She... I have no words. So she knows why I''m here, that''s great. That means she''ll help me with that? She shakes her head, ¡°you won''t see me for a very long time, but my children will help you get over your fear. As long as you will keep learning about them, as long as your goal will stay the same, your will have my blessing player. Now go!¡± And just like that, I was gone. Chapter 2: Meeting the starter It seems like I got myself transported to the starter village. Well, more like the gates¡­ Behind me is the Green-Forest, where Level 1 players go to in order to get some much needed Exp. In front of me is the village itself. I can''t see any human going around just yet, for in the game it is fairly early morning hour and the sun is just getting up in the sky. I look at my new starter. The snake is small, no taller than my pinky. I place it on the ground ¨C where the thing belongs and steps away. The small snake wakes up the moment it touches the ground. It seems very excited about something, but, even if it reminds me of a little kid with how bouncy it''s acting, I make sure to stay as far as I can from it. Snakes and I never got along before no way we are going to get along now. I can''t rest easy in the presence of a real snake (unlike Medusa). Real snakes are dangerous, real snakes arevicious and¡­ reallu shouldn''t be giving humans puppy dog eyes. This one, does. Now that I look at this bouncy, pinky-sized snake, I can feel my pride taking a had blow. I feel foolish to be so afraid of such a small snake, but no matter how stupid it makes me feel, I just can''t face it bravely. the fear I have is not something rational, I can''t reason with myself to stop myself from feeling this useless fear. While it''s the truth that a normal amount of fear is even healthy, the amount I feel is considerably higher. It''s almost paralyzing. I have to cure myself of this fear in one month or I can kiss my dream job goodbye. Discounting the snakes, it is a dream job. It pays a lot, it''s easy to do and it''s actually located someplace near my apartment. While I was having my internal crisis, the starter snake actually succeeded in coming closer. It scanned my with twopiercing eyes and stopped when he reached my forehead. Without my knowledge, on my forehead there was a symbol there that wasn''t supposed to be. It was the symbol of the Snake Godess. It looks like a snake with green eyes and black wings. It''s rather small and hard to see with my hair covering it. The little snake looks awed at seeing that mark on a human and it''s mind races, trying to find a reason that could make it possible. "Are you really a player?¡± the little snake asks. I blink, noticing how close it had gotten to me and not willing to let it get even closer. I nod slowly, not really sure why we are even having his coversation. Taking a step back, I feel my legs starting to shake and my heartbeat speeding up. It starts to move closer to me again, not giving up no matter how much I show it that I want it nowhere near me. The snake stops suddenly. It looks surprised at something. It looks at me with its'' unnerving stare, "are you sure you are a player¡­?", I shift at his tone of voice. It sounds really suspicious and I don''t know why. Is it because I''m afraid of this tiny snake that it can''t believe I''m supposed to be a player? Am I this pathetic that even a baby snake can look down on me?! "Yes, I am very sure¡± I saychallengingly, as if daring the little snake to say anything else insulting. This is getting fucking ridiculous! This is a snake we are talking about! It''s not even a real snake, since I don''t know about you, but real snakes don''t fucking talk! Why am I getting this worked up about this?! This fake-snake that I know I shouldn''t let it get to me, looks like he doesn''t believe me at all! This is beyond insulting, I feel so ashamed of myself that I can''t even put it to words. That''s why, when he tries to move closer to me the next time, I hold my place. My body is rigid and my heart is all over the place, but I don''t move the fuck back. I hold my ground, I don''t back down, I stay just where I was before and let it come closer to me. I feel bad, my face loses all color and I have to force myself to keep my eyes open. My body starts to shake and my breaths starts coming up in short swift intakes. NO! I''m better than that! I have to get better than that! For my fucking dream job, I will not back down and I won''t let this rule me! I turn to look at the little snake defiantly and our eyes meet. I feel like he is judging me. When I look at him, all I can hear is words that never even left the little snake mouth and the single line that did - ''are you sure you are a player?'' I feel cheated. You are supposed to be easier to handle! I don''t know if it''s the way I look at him, or that it felt it was close enough, but the little snake stops a few feet from me. It samples the air with its forked tongue for a second and I want to- "But I can feel mother''s blessing coming from you! You have mother''s symbol on you forehead! You simply can''t be a player!¡± the little snake says. Well now, that didn''t go the way I thought it would. A blessing he said, while I do remember Medusa saying something like that, I don''t get how having her blessing and not being a player are supposed to connect. When Medusa said I''ll have her blessing, I thought it was something like a figure of speech, like ''good luck'' and nothing more. Appearently I was wrong. Plus, the symbol on my freaking forehead?! what''s the hell is it with that? Fuck. This is unknown territory. This blessing could be more than I think. Hell, this symbol could be something like a snake magnet and I''ll never know. Frowning I shake my head, "Well, she gave me her blessing, but I really am a player¡± I say blushing. I can still feel her lips on mine. "Mother will never give a simple player a blessing,¡± the little snake says in a bored tone. Suddenly, it freezes, staring into space, ¡°she only does it with her favorite children¡± It seems like something clicked in the little snake''s mind at that moment, ¡°could it be¡­?" the tone is again awed, "you are my little brother?¡± W-wha¡­? How the hell did you reach that conclusion you delusional snake! I am human! Do you not have eyes! Can you not see?! Even with infra-red sight, which part of my looks like a snake to you?! However, the little snake kept on talking, his delusion taking on a whole new level, ¡°did you lost your memories? Can this be it?" the little snake by now is only talking to itself. Please... don''t decide things like that without my input... I really am a player, you know. "I finally see!" the little snake shouts, making a commution and making other player that are near look our way, "Mother is trying to guard you! And she blessed you to make us,her children, know you are our brother and so we should not to hurt you?!¡± No. N-O. Completely wrong. You have too much imagination little snake. But still, no. I am no snake, no matter how you look at me, "I''m pretty sure I''m just a normal player¡± I try to tell the little snake, but alas, it seems like it already made up his mind. "You would think that" it nodded it''s head sagely "because you lost your memories! Don''t worry little brother, I will make sure you''re safe!¡±, the little snake puffs his chest. For something so small it sure thinks of itself as some kind of a big-shot¡­Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ''Anno... I think you got it all wrong'', is what I want to say, but I don''t think it will make a difference. This is a lost fight, isn''t it? Can it be connected to Medusa''s blessing? Does it make all snakes act strange next to me? What am I supposed to do? "Putting just how wrong you are aside," I get an evil snake-like look at that remark, "why am I supposed to be the little brother?" I say annoyed "There''s no way you are older than me" I say a scrawl on my face. The snake comes closer and again I step back. "Would you stop doing that?" the little thing says, "I won''t be able to reach you if you always step back!" Sorry, I wan''t really thinking... it''s an in built action I believe, "Can''t you¡­ just, stay there?" my voice is nervous and a little fearful. I''m pretty sure that by now I''m reaching my limit. I don''t want to feint so I''m going to keep my distance for now. The snake stops and titles it''s head, "why?" Because snakes are fucking scary and I don''t want to look like a fucking pussy and short-circute the moment you get in a 5 feet radius of me! Is what I think, but no way I''ll ever say that. I too, have my pride. There''s no way I''m going to admit to something so embarrassing, not when the snake is no longer then my pinky and really can''t do a damn thing to me... even his poison is kind of lame¡­ Deciding to take a page out of the delusional snake book, I finally say, "you see¡­" I hope with all my heart that NO ONE is going to hear what I''m going to say right now, "I am cursed, yes, that''s it" I say pleased. I''m rather happy with myself to have found such convenient lie, "every time a snake comes close I-I," I really didn''t want to use that word... "faint". "A curse?!" the little thing looks insulted on my behalf, "someone placed a spell on you?! That would explain why you look like a human!" What? No, no, no! Not that again! And now there is no way to make the little thing will forget about it now, just fucking great. Rainbows and daises. There is no way I admit to fainting because I am so afraid of snakes, at the same time, there is no way I''ll agree with this thing''s theory of being a snake. "Maybe¡­", I concur. Medusa, your blessing¡­ it''s really a curse, isn''t it? "I knew it!" the little snake starts dancing ¨C I think it''s dancing¡­ maybe? "I still say I''m the older one" I say while crossing my hands, there''s so much shit I''m willing to take after all. "But you are so tiny for a human!" the little thing says in protest, "you must be a hatchling" it doesn''t move closer to me, even when it looks like it really wants to. Thankfully¡­ Well, it is kind of right¡­ but that''s only because that''s how the game was designed. All Level 1 players look like little children, around three and a half or four I would guess. It was made this way, to show everyone at a glance that ''this one is just starting'', because no one can see what level the other players are. This way high-level players won''t even come close to low-level players. Thankfully, it doesn''t take much to reach a level where you don''t look like you need diapers. "W-well, that''s because I, umm¡­", but how should I explain this to a snake? Am I even allowed to tell him that he is nothing more than a code? He probably won''t believe me anyways. After all, he didn''t believe me when I told him I was a player. So, what can I tell him? Maybe, my age? I can blame the way I look on the ''curse'' can''t I? Yes! That''s what I''ll do! That will be perfect! I''ll use that thing''s logic against him! This way he wouldn''t be able to keep calling me something so stupid and humiliating like ''little brother''! This will work perfectly! I clear my throat, acting rather smugly "Well, because I''m twenty seven!" I puff up my chest proudly "I only look young, because of the curse!" I inform the little beast. The snake shifts his head to the right. It looks as if he is thinking really hard about something. Probably trying to find something wrong with what I said, so he could continue calling me ''little brother'', but this is all on you ¨C you snake bastard! You''ve lost! This is my win! "Silly hatchling!", what ¨C again with that nickname! That''s not fair! Why is he calling me that?! By the way, I am not pouting right now, truly. "You are truly a hatchling, thinking that twenty-seven is old" the snake bastard nods his head and I swear he''s laughing at me, making that weird hissing noise. I don''t get it. Twenty-seven is old for¡­ a human. Shit! I forgot the little thing still thinks of me as a s-snake, but how could I''ve known that for snakes (in this game? Because real-world knowledge is useless here) twenty-seven is only a child?! Not fair. I lost to a fucking snake. I ¨C I give up¡­ "Whatever¡­" I sigh. This is so not fair. I glance at the beast''s direction. Yep, still looking at me with those damn eyes. Fuck, I really hate myself right now. "Don''t worry little brother! I think I know just the person to break your curse!" the little menace called happily. "I don''t need to break the ''curse'', what I do need is to get rid of my fear of s-snakes", there. I said it. I look up, Are your happy universe?! "But, first we need you to be able to stay near us" the little snake says "this," it waves its'' tail between the space between us "won''t work". "What we need are more snakes, so little brother could practice being near us once more!" the little snake declared happily. It didn''t move closer and instead it started moving away, towards the forest. You''ve got to be kidding me. Why don''t you kill me now and get it over with? "¡­", does this snake has a name? I don''t want to keep calling him snake, I feel like shit whenever I even think of that word. "I don''t think that''s such a good idea¡­" I make sure to sound well, sure. I need him to understand that we need to do this nice and slowly. I didn''t even visit the human village! "Don''t you worry about a thing little brother! Leave it all to me!" and he''s ignoring me now. Great. Just what I fucking needed. Stupid lizard. I take a huge breath. Inhaling as much air as I can, before exhaling it out. Ok, I can do this. This is going to work. All I need to do is to make him understand. "No," I say firmly. He stops doing that funny looking snake dance and turns to look at me. And now he looks confused, because apparently snakes can pull a confused look as much as a human can. Fucking crazy game. "You don''t trust me¡­", why does he sound so ¨C hurt? ¨C "you probably hate me!" the little thing cries out in despair, "you think that I will lead you to a bunch of snakes" - wasn''t that what you were planning to do - "and order them to attack you!" Wha- "Leave you there to die. To suffer the pain of our brothers'' venom. To die painfully, one HP slowly draining out of you at a time. Paralyzed. Alone¡­" What the actual fuck?! What''s going through that snake''s mind! Fucking scary! "Maybe you don''t think I''ll be able to keep you safe while we are on the road" it had the audacity to continue, "I know I''m weak! But the creatures here are no danger to us, I promise! My kin will help us along our way!" Great, now we''re having friendship speeches. Can this day get any better? Someone? Anyone? I sigh. Loudly. "Look. It''s not that I hate you ¨C I think you''re even kind of funny," I tell him with a small smile, I start feeling a little better after he starts wiggling his tail again, "but I''m just not ready to face so many snakes all at once. Just you being you is spiking my fear like crazy and you are small and your poison ¨C well, it''s a really shitty poison, no offence" "My vemon is not shitty!" the little thing yells at me, offended. I huff disbelievingly. I did read your description "Hey, I''m just saying¡­", I raise my hand up in the universal sign of surrender. The little snake says something, but I only catch the last sentance "...saying stupid things" it sounds insulted "Little hatchlings like you are nothing compared to me!" the snake brags quietly. Nothing compared to you, heh? Little snake you arekind of getting on my nerves right now. "Well, sorry for being a human", I mumble angrily. "Don''t worry ¨C I forgive you. After all, that''s not your fault" it says in that annoying tone of voice. "So, you get what I''m saying?" I ask. The little snake nods his head hurriedly. Suddenly, I feel this foreboding feeling in my gut. Something terrifying is going to happen. I look at the little snake while it thinks deeply. "I understand" it finally says "you fear me less than the other snakes, so we will start lifting your curse starting with me", good, it seems like he gets it, "we can do that if we''ll make me grow stronger and stronger and making you adjust to me", that''s surprisingly a sound idea, "and the only way to do that is to go to the keep!" Thewhat now?! Chapter 3: The reason why no one is Mater Snake It turns out that the keep is somewhere deep inside the forest, which we just agreed I''m not supposed to go to just yet. "Ho don''t you worry, silly!" the little snake says with a glint of mischief inside his silted eyes "I wasn''t going to bring you with me," it said in a calming voice, as if talking to a scared toddler. I huff and cross my hands across my chest, feeling like this relationship between us is not going to work if it kept goading me like this. "I''m going to go to the keep and get a quest from the great sage snake" the little snake continues not even looking in my direction "don''t worry little brother, I won''t be long at all!" "Sure, I don''t mind¡­" I say, shrugging. "You should wait for me in that human village, since you look like a human, so they won''t give you any trouble" this is the first good idea the little snake said to me, so I nod happily. I should have some money to buy starter equipment. I could do that while I wait for the little snake to come back. I wave the little thing goodbye ¨C good riddance ¨C and enters the village with a skip in my step. On the other side of the huge gates I see a village full of children, a few teens and some adults. Most of the adults are NPCs and will be able to communicate with us. The road is full with sounds of laugh, pleasant talks and hissing. Each person in here has at-least one snake out, moving around. Creepy crawlies. I take a few steps back once the number of snakes'' registers in my brain, but I''m not fast enough of turning around and running the hell away. "Hey Lory21 I think the kid''s waking up!" I blink slowly, not really able to see yet, as a man''s voice says from somewhere above me. "Give him some space Gol, sheesh!" A female voice growls in replay. I keep on blinking until my eyes focus and I can finally see the due in front of me. Thankfully they are blocking my line of sight, so I don''t have to look at the hundreds of snakes crawling around like little devils. The guy is tall and wearing an armor, he''s skin is brown sunny colored and he has a beard that''s full and black as night. The girl is tall and kind of plain looking next to the snake goddess, but she isn''t ugly or something. In fact, she has the best pair of red ruby eyes I have ever seen. She is dressed in practical clothes and I can see a short sword strapped to her belt. Those people are the gate guards, aren''t they? I sigh. Way to go me, your first hour in and already building a reputation. I sit up and gets help from the guy, um... Gol? That''s his name, right? "I''m feeling kind of dizzy" I inform them, but I''m not really, it''s more like ¨C just like I didn''t want to tell the little snake that I fear snakes for no good reason, I don''t want to tell the rest of the world. This is also why I didn''t tell my new work place that I have problems with snakes. I lie through my teeth and smiled at them, assuring them that I will be fine and that it''s really nothing. "Get out of my way Gol, let me handle it" the girl, Lory21 is not an NPC now that I have a better look at her. I don''t know why she works at the gates, but even her name shouts out player. "Be careful with the little guy, he''s dizzy" Gol says and moves away from me. Lory21 moves next to me and without thinking much she takes out a bottle of water "here," she says "it''s no healing potion, but it should at least help you a little bit" Not feeling like arguing, I take the bottle away from her and drinks greedily. She says nothing, but after a little while I start to feel guilty. "Thanks" I give her back her bottle and smile at her to show her my thanks. I believe she won''t be able to understand my words anyways. Her cheeks turn red and she hugs me tight to her chest. Not bad¡­ a six out of ten. She picks me up and now I''m in the air. Great. "You''re probably hungry, right? Right" she nods to herself, "You''ll mange alone, won''t you Gol? This little guy needs my help!" Gol only laughs out loud and shakes his head, "as if I didn''t know that was going to happen, lass" he teased, "but didn''t you notice?"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Lory21 didn''t notice, it was clear from her dense expression that she had no idea what the old man was talking about, "what is it?" she asked "is something wrong with this little angel?" She sounds worried. It appears that I somehow attracted another annoying one without even trying. Maybe I was right, this mark of Medusa is truly a curse. "The little guy doesn''t have his starter snake with him" Gol explains "you won''t be able to talk, or rather, he won''t be able to talk back to you" he pointed out. I nodded along, because I didn''t really want to go with that girl, she was acting too suspicious in my humble opinion. I don''t know her and I look like a freaking kid next to her, so you''ll forgive me for my caution. "I don''t mind" she said in that up-beat tone "I also like mute little kids, any kid that cute will be pampered and fed delicious yummy food!" So, she''s a lolicon¡­ I guess there are girls like that too, I muse to myself. Well, as long as she''s willing to feed me¡­ my hunger bar is getting pretty low. Still, I take a step back and look at Sol, the only person present that can tell this girl that I am not a fucking toy. "Could you tell her that as long as she keeps a respectable distance, I''m willing to let her buy my lunch?" The man nods and tell the disturbing girl exactly what I said, word for word. "Really?!" she jumps up, stars in her eyes "you are the first that willingly agreed to come with me!" ¨C scary, what did you do with those that didn''t willingly agreed ¨C "aren''t you just the cutest!" Since I was already in her arm, I didn''t really need to do anything, she started walking all on her own. I let myself be carried, because frankly, it looked a lot more practical than trying to keep up with her much longer legs. I also have a hunch that even if I made a fuss, she won''t let me walk on my own. She looks like the type. It takes a few minutes, but we finally reach where she intends for us to dine. It''s a fine-looking place, a lot of wood was used to build this place, other than the fireplace and the area around it, it''s all wood really. "Something smells good" the girl says and we find an empty table and she places me in a high chair, much to my chagrin. I may look like a toddler, but I am a grown man you know?! A busty waitress comes our way and each of us gets a menu ¨C thankfully. It looks like the restaurant is handled by NPCs, so I can actually order for myself. I look at the menu. It''s ordered by the name of the dish, the price and some random number by its'' side. With one sweep I can see that there''s a lot of meat, pasta and potatoes and not much veggies, the drinks are water, cola and soda in various tastes, there is also an option to order bottles of milk. I can feel my eye twitch, as if anyone would actually willingly order a bottle of warm milk. I decide to order pasta and cola, it isn''t expensive much, so I think the girl is going to be ok with it. "Are you ready to order, sirs?" the busty waitress is back, she gives us a wide smile. "I believe we are," I say "or at least I am". "Level barrier?" the busty waitress asks in an understanding tone and I nod at her "you don''t have your starter with you?" "No, I left saying it''s going to get a quest from the keep or something", she looks surprised. "Ok, I guess" she gives another simile "so, what would you like to order?" "Pasta and cola, please" I request. "Ho, you can''t get that yet" she says sheepishly, looking uncomfortable "certain foods are restricted by your level," she explains hurridly "if you look at the right side next to the dish''s price, there''s a number" I nod. "Well, that¡¯s the minimum level you need to be at in order to get that dish" she gives me an apologetic look and turns to get Lory21 order until I¡­ choose. There''s really only one option open for me, isn''t there? I still look once more in order to make sure. Yup, the only dish that doesn''t have a level restriction is that cursed milk. I can''t even ask that girl, Lory21 to order something for me because she has no idea what I''m saying! In fact, the busty waitress isn''t even waiting for me to reorder, she just leaves and soon returns with the cursed milk. It''s in a sippy-cup. Gods, I can see why this game is no longer popular! This is simply degrading! But¡­ but I''m hungry¡­! I look at Lory21 potato chips and I give her a look full of longing. She moves closer to me with a knowing look on her face, "you know" she starts "little kids aren''t supposed to eat adult''s food" she says with glee. Her eyes literally sparkle. "You kidding me" I say sulkily "am I supposed to drink milk for a whole month?" This game and my task look bleaker and bleaker as time passes by. What a shitty game. "Ho, don''t cry little one" she coos "don''t cry" I wasn''t going to cry, you mad woman. Having no choice, I grab the bottle and drink just what I need to, so that my food bar will reach its full capacity. The rest I don''t intend to even touch. I feel insulted and betrayed by Lory21, my pride had taken a blow and I don''t really want to be near her anymore. It looks like she gets off of seeing grown men acting like kids. I wave a brief goodbye and hightail it from that place. I decide to go buy my starter equipment while I''m up, doing my very best to ignore the fact that I''m surrounded by snakes. If not for the fact that there is a snake free zone in the city, I don''t think I could have made it. I got a dagger, strapped it to my belt and got a few potions both for me and for my starter snake. It took me some time because my legs are so short, but I finally finished. Next, I tried buying dried meat, but I was met with that level requirement thing again. It seems that level one is discriminated against quite heavily in this town. Now that I think about it¡­ there''s a reason why. To become master snake, one has to increase the starter snake''s level before his own. This whole town makes you want to level up as fast as possible. Doing so will make you lose your chance of getting that title. No wonder no one got that stupid fucking title! No one wants to stay level one if they don''t have to! It stinks! The food''s bland and degrading! It''s not easy to get from place to place and no one knew about that little detail, so they didn''t know what they are giving up on! I, I got a hint from the snake goddess. That''s the only reason that I don''t go get a quest to level up right this second.
Ping!
''Little snake'' sends you a message!
[Little brother!] [I''m here!] [Where are you?] Chapter 4: To really see chapter 4: to really see "You''re back!" I said, not really knowing if I''m supposed to be happy about it, or the other way around, "did you get that quest you wanted?" The little snake looked confused, as if it somehow expected me to know something like this without needing to say anything himself. Maybe it does. Far be it for me to understand how that thing''s mind works. It looked no different from before, still small and tiny and thankfully, harmless. Its'' body was still mostly green. It still looked like a snake. Did it get the quest? Did it already leveled up,Iwondered asIlooked at the snake. Shouldn''t it look different if it leveled up? Scarier, meaner, just plain more? The little snake however, had no idea the turn of Fear''s thoughts had taken and just addressed the main issue - Fear''s lack of knowledge.If not for the great-elder words, the little snake would have wondered why his little brother doesn''t know bisic things like how to see one menu, find the quests, or use skills. "Ho, that''s right, I have yet to teach you about the system!", it called up, as if just having remembered it was it''s fucking duty to teach me those things. Yes, yes you did. You took off on your own, not telling me anything other than fairytales - ones that involve me, of all things. I didn''t even know about those level things, that won''t let me eat anything other than baby food. I crossed my hands across my chest and frowned. "Don''t be mad little brother" little snake pleaded "I didn''t mean to~" it whined. "I''m not mad"Fear said, but no matter how little snake looked at him, the little human boy looked mad. He was even tapping his right foot impenitently. "You are" little snake said unhappily "and... you have every right to be" Surprised at little snake''s sort-of apology (he didn''t really apologize) I cleared my throat, "well, all you need to do is tell me now" Little snake nodded hesitatingly, he looked much less enthusiastic than before he left. I wonder what happened to him while he was away from me. It probably hurt his pride some, or else he wouldn''t look so thoughtful. He looked like he was re-thinking things. Re-evaluating things that he took for granted before. Somehow, I''m curious. "I''m going to tell you what I know, well, what I can tell you as you are now" little snake amended. I nodded. "Ok, first thing you need to know is that in this world you can see how the world really sees you and the things you''ve done. You can do it by saying menu" little snake said. "Now, you have your name, gender andlevel in the first row" little snake explained "the second row is about your class ¨C your work, if you will. You will notice yours is still empty ¨C it will stay that way until you reach level 10" "Does that mean that by level 10 I''ll look like an adult?" I ask happily. "Yes, you will look like a sixteen years old teen. From then on, you will age one year for each 10 levels you gain" little snake informed me. I frown ¨C little snake this, little snake that. It grew tiring to keep thinking of him like that. It also pains me to even say the word snake mentally each time I refer to him. I need to find a name for the ¨C "Ok, from now on your name is Salazar, Sal for short" I state irritated. The decision wasn''t a hard one. I''m a fan of the book series and the snake is green, so it was either Slytherin, Salazar, Fang or Chibi ¨Cwhat?! He''s fucking tiny! "O-kay¡­" Sal said slowly. "You needed a name, I don''t want to keep calling you little snake all the time, so from now on, you are Sal" I insisted. "Sure," he nodded "but weren''t we in the middle of explaining the menu?" I blush and look away, so what if I got distracted, it happens to the best of us, "yes, we were" I agree. The li- Sal shrugs, "the third row to the fifth row is your stats. The higher they are the better. The second you awoken me, you would have received your stats, but since you are really a snake and not a human, you got it the moment you appeared in the world outside mother''s realm" "Sure¡­" I rolled my eyes at the explanation. I was done trying to convince this stubborn idiot that the sky was blue. Let time teach him instead. "Next, after your states are the skill section. You gain new skills through quests, special actions and when your familiars gain a new level. The skill can be a good skill or a bad skill, what you get is random and could be trash, or it could be awesome - you shouldn''t have any at the moment" I nod, that was annoying, but it''s not like I was here to win this game, I was here to get over my fear of snakes. It didn''t matter what skill I''ll get. I just need Sal to level up, grow stronger and have my fear of snakes grow smaller in the same time. "The last section is achievements and titles. If you do something really grand, or unexpected, you will gain titles or achievements. Both will give you some sort of perk" So, it''s a random perk, convenient. "Now all that''s left to do is look at my menu" I said cheerfully. As I said the word menu, a floating window appeared before me.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Name: Fear Gender: Male Level: 1
class 1: - class 2: - class 3: -
STR: 3 AGI: 5 DEX: 7
INT:6 WIS: 4 CHA: 5 (+3)
Title: Medusa''s favorit You who for some reason gained the goddess Medusa''s blessing, will have easier way to gain a snake''s trust, +3 to CHA.
That moment I noticed that there was text button next to the floating screen ¨C quests. I pressed on it lightly and the floating screen switched with another that read:
Sal''s first quest!
Survive in the plains outside of begginer''s village for three stright days with your summoner. Reward: 300 XP Reward: Posion Updrage Failure: Death
Extra - Sal P.O.V After Sal and Fear parted, Part one Little snake saw himself as knowledgeable, he knew a lot of the world outside of his mother''s real. This will be easy, he found himself thinking to himself years ago, before he even grew old enough to be one of those allowed to leave mother''s realm. To say that little snake is arrogant is going too far, but he is a sheltered child that never left the good and easy life. He knows not of what it is to be targeted, or even had a passing thought that resembled the desperation of fighting for one''s life. All in all, little snake had no idea what he was going to face when he offered to go to the keep. Still, he wasn''t ignorant to the point of stupidity, he knew, on some level, that the world outside was nothing like mother''s realm. He knew that he can grow stronger there when he beat others or completed quests ¨C that meant that there will be strong opponents he''ll have to face. Still, it was more like a passing thought. Not a real worry that plugged his every waking moment. Little snake knew that going to the-keep will not be an easy task, especially so to low level snakes like him, but little snake was determined to help his new-found, cursed sibling. Spoiled as he was, little snake was still loyal to his kin. In his eyes, it was a sad thing to find a little brother so very afraid of his snake-brothers and sisters. In truth, little snake felt sorry for the little hatchling. No one deserves such a fate, is what the little snake thought to himself as he made his way through the dangerous forest. Mother had left the hatchling for him to take care of, to look after and to keep safe. He will break little brother''s curse with all his might. The little snake was determined. He didn''t even entertain the thought that the little human was not, in fact, a cursed-snake, like he first decided. This was one of little snake''s bad virtues ¨C once his mind was made, not even death could change his opinion. One could bring logical facts, testimonies and other such things, but nothing will change. Stubborn, that was the word, little snake remembered. As he kept going, little snake grew unsatisfied with his pace. Wasn''t the keep supposed to be near beginner village? It was taking too long. Far too long. How come he wasn''t there already? The thing is, while the little snake had the knowledge inside of him, just like all of Medusa''s children, today is his first time seeing the world outside for real. Having never traveled anywhere in his life, little snake is a spoilt brat that doesn''t really know how different things are from back home. Now he''s starting to understand. Well, he always knew that the forest is dangerous. It is a known fact that every snake knows. However, it is different to actually live it in the flesh. The forest itself is filled with all kinds of snakes, but not many of them are Medusa''s children. Little snake isn''t sure how they will react to his presence, he never actually met a not-kin snake. Will they be nice, or are they going to be hostile? Not willing to take a chance with his little brother''s safety, little snake made an excuse for little brother to wait for him where he''ll be safe from the dangers of the forest. He, himself, is the only one that needs to be in actual danger. Little snake keeps to the high grass and lets his green scales hide him from the sight of others. His red horns are tiny and the red is not bright, so no one will see it through the dense green. The forest is filled with animals of all kinds, but snakes most of all. In the deep parts, dwell the monsters, not beings that little snake wants to see at the moment. He knows he''s too weak at the moment, still low level and not yet strong enough to protect his little brotheror himself. Going to the keep is essential, for only there he will be able to get the quests to level up. A thought crosses little snake''s mind ¨C what would happen if little brother leveled up before him? Will it be like with the other humans? Will he get crippled? How will he be able to protect little brother like this? He won''t. He never did tell little brother not to level up himself ¨C saying so to humans was forbidden, mother''s law. He was getting worried ¨C he had to get to the keep and fast. He traveled in this new speed of his for a few minuets and he covered ground fast, soon he''ll reach the keep and then it''s only going back to little brother. Happily, lost in his daydreams, little snake marched on. Speeding up had not been smart in hindsight, the little snake would think to himself later. It was easier to spot a fast-moving target than a slow moving one. It had nothing to do with his scales and everything to do with the movement of the grass as he raced towards his destination. From above, a hawk watched, looking for its next meal. When it saw little snake in the grass it didn¡¯t even think twice before going for a steep dive. It readied its'' talons and with a mighty battle cry, it zeroed in on the target. Spooked, little snake rolled to the side in fright and horror. He knew that this is not an opponent he can defeat, not while he was this weak. Running away was the only best choice he could make. He had to find a hole or some other place where the hawk won''t be able to reach. Little snake is small, so practically any place will do! He kept running, looking, running, trying to get awayget-awayget-away. Another war-cry was heard from above and little snake raised his head to look from where, so he could dodge. It was almost too late. The hawk grazed his scales. Just a few centimeters to the side and it would have had him. No no no no no no no no this can''t be- not happening ¨Cit can''t end like this! Running had never been as urgent as it was that very second. X Little snake had found a place to hide, it was a small hole near the burke of a tree. If it cried his little hurt out, shivering like mad, no one will blame him. chapter 5: money I don''t know if I should laugh. I probably should. This game is seriously looking down on the little snake. 300 XP is enough for Sal to level up, and while I admit that the first few levels in VMMORPG games are laughably easy, this is just sad. "Survive in the plains outside of beginner''s village for three straight days with your summoner" - this is the beginner''s village! What is there to survive? And three days? Three days is nothing. The whole quest is one big joke. But... Outside of the village, it isn''t safe. Not really. I stop celebrating, and instead, I start worrying. Outside the village, there''s going to be snakes. Snakes to the right, snakes to the left. Up. Down. Snakes, snakes, snakes. Snakes everywhere. I have to live out there. I have to live with the s-s-snakes for three freaking days without dying, without going back to the safety of the village. I fear that three minutes is impossible, not to talk about three days! But this shitty quest is 300 XP! It''s like free XP! I''ll feel like an idiot if I''ll fail something so darn easy! Well, it''s not like I logged in to beat this game. It was never my intention, so even if I don''t succeed, it should be fine, right? Wrong! Do you know why? Do you want to know why?! Let me tell you now, the reason why is that failure to complete the quest equals death! In this shitty game, where you only get one life, when you die, you don''t get to revive. Death is, plain and simple, death! How am I supposed to be ready to face those fangs monsters back at work if I die in the game? I won''t. I''ll get fired! Do you know how hard I worked to land this dream job? It close to home, so I don''t have to get up early each morning. The pay is dreamy, the hours are nice, and it''s not like you have to do much. This job is the best job I''ve ever heard of, so to throw it away because of one stupid quest is unforgivable!Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. That means I''ve got to do my best! I have to... I have to - god, pull yourself together, man! - I''ve got to stay near the s-s-snakes. Three days. Me, and them. The ultimate challenge. (?????? ?) Time to conveniently change the topic! - "Hey, what about the Classes? I know you said they''re empty until I reach level 10, but what kind of Classes are there? What should I take? I''m talking about my options, my options!" Sal did a little snake dance - he appears to be thinking. Must be hard, since he''s not the sharpest tool in the box if you know what I mean. I guess that it kind of helps that Sal''s not all that scary... and not all that snake-like if I''m completely honest here. Just looking at him moving his tail as if it''s a dog''s tail is enough to make me smile. "Ho, there''s a lot of awesome Classes you could take now that you''re human! There''s this one Class where you can enhance my stats and make me more powerful, and a Class that''s great with poisonous snakes, and a Class that makes a lot of money, but that''s not helpful, so I don''t recommend that one." The little snake nodded it''s head sagely. Of course, you don''t recommend the Class that will make my life easier. Stupid little snake. You wouldn''t know anything valuable if it smacked you in the face. You''re a snake. You don''t need money, but I do. I need to eat! I need to drink! I need money! Wait a second... "Hey," I call loudly, but I need to do it once more before the little snake stops talking. It reminds me of a children''s movie character, but I can''t remember its name. I think it started with an ''S'' - that character too, it wouldn''t stop talking. "You aren''t supposed to interrupt me," the little snake whined. "Sorry." I really wasn''t. "Ok, so what do you need little brother~," the little snake said happily. "Money." I say coldly "I noticed that in the quest you took there wasn''t any mention of any payment...? Usually, don''t you get some money after you finish a quest?" The little snake made some funny noises, which I guess is its'' attempt at laughter? I don''t know. "We don''t need money, silly!" The little snake rolled its'' eyes. "Sal." I said calmly, "I need money. I need money to survive. Do you want me to die?" Sal''s mouth opened wide. He looked at me like he never saw me before. Could it be? Is it finally happening? Sal, did you figure out the truth? Do you understand the simple fact that I''m human? I''ve always been human. I''ve never been a snake. I look at Sal, and - "It''s that curse again, isn''t it?" It asks me sadly. Wha-? No! That has nothing to do with your make-belief curse! It never existed in the first place! God! What do I have to do to knock some sense into that snake-skull of yours! Pea brain! No, that''s an insult to peas. What''s smaller than a pea? "It''s the curse. It makes you do things the human way, doesn''t it?" The little bastard says sadly, "You can''t hunt, can you? And you''re just a little kid, my poor, cute little brother~." I want to hit you. I really want to hit you, like really bad. Right. Freaking. Now. "..." "Sure, whatever." hapter 6: Gift pack Since I''m in a game, opening the inventory is normal. I didn''t try to open it before because I had other things on my mind. However, if I want to survive in-game, I''ll have to depend on you, Mr. inventory~ You see, because of this game''s insane difficulty level the inventors decided to gift each started player with a boost pack, which is now inside my inventory. I take a deep breath and mentally command the inventory open. A transparent, thin square opens up, and inside, I can see a picture that resembles a wrapped gift. There the number ''1'' on the lower right corner of the image, and a circle flashing on and off. It''s like it''s begging me to tap it. Near the lower parts of the square window, there''s a line that shows how much money you''ve earned so far. It''s empty, no money at all. I feel unfortunate. I''m a poor person, but seeing this zero staring back at me, I feel even lower than a poor person. Money~ Where''s my money~? Maybe part of the gift pack will be some cash? I can only hope. I tap on the picture with shining eyes, but instead of money, or food, or anything useful do you know what I get? Do you? I feel like crying. This game is bullying me.
*Ping*
Venom antidote x 10 has been found! This little bottle is effective against the Snakes of the starter village!
Great. Wow. Are you trying to tell me something you useless piece of a game? Are you saying I''m going to die? Is that what you''re saying?! I don''t want to die. I feel like crying. It''s not fair! It''s not like I don''t think that antidote isn''t useful, it probably is. That thing can, and more than likely, will save my life sooner or later, but I need something good for the quest!Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Like, like, like snake repellent incense, or a protective talisman - something to keep those legless reptiles away! Sal isn''t like any of them. I think that, if it were only Sal and me, I could probably do it, but the knowledge that so many ankle-biters are lurkingabout is terrifying. I take a deep breath. I need to calm down. Calm. Down. "Hey, Sal." I try to sound calm and mature. It shouldn''t be hard because I am an adult. "Um? What is it?" The little snake looks at me and shakes a little. What are you doing? I really can''t understand you. Sigh. "Well, if we''re going to do that quest of yours, we''re going to need food. Does your poison actually work, can you really kill anything with it?" He looks so small and harmless, so I can''t help but doubt his capabilities. I''m only saying that because surviving in the wild without food for three days is impossible. I''m not really good with words, so I probably could have said it better. My body is that of a child''s, so I''m not sure I''m going to be of much help. If Ilookedolder, I could have taken care of us, but this little kid''s body makes it impossible. Plus, we don''t have money to buy food in the beginners'' village, so the only one here that can hunt is Sal, but I seem to rememberreadingthat his venom is weak from his species description. I''m not saying he can''t hunt, but depending on the strength of his venom we''ll need to target smaller or largeranimals to keep us alive. Sal looks offended. The little guy''s mouth drops, and he''s hissing at me with hurt in his eyes. Not that I think of a snake as a ''he,'' it''s just hard to talk with someone and continue thinking of them as an ''it.'' Sal can think and feel, he''s not an animal. "Hurtful! Little brother is so hurtful!" Sal cries out dramatically. It''s funny. "Hehe," I try not to laugh, but a little bit gets out, which makes me feel a little guilty. Sal looks smug at the achievement, "Just so you know, I''m awesome." Sal says thoughtfully, "I''m a started snake! We starter snakes are amazing, and something as small as hunting for food is nothing but a child''s'' play!" It puffs its chest. Really? I could have sworn that a starter snake is one of the weakest, least impressive snakes in the game. What amazing? What awesome? I think he could see what I think on my face since Sal''s proud look goes down the drain, "You don''t believe me, ah?!" Sal hisses angrily, "Well, I''m going to prove it to you!" With that, Sal turned his back on me and started crawling towards the wilderness. W-wait! What do you think you''re doing?! If I let this stupid snake go by itself, won''t it get killed? My dream job, won''t it get killed?! "Wait! Don''t go!" I run after Sal.