So I'm a Snake, Who Cares?

「Stealth lv9 has become Stealth lv10.」

Assassin Crystal Crown Python.

Successfully infiltrated the freight wagon.

I munched on some jerky next to me.

The salty and chewy taste makes my mouth water.

After eating raw monsters for so long, tasting seasoning makes me feel like my eyes are going to roll back.

'This is travel, this is happiness.'

It wasn't a pleasant journey from the start.

It was really dangerous when I escaped from the human army.

I managed to escape by sneaking into a passing cart.

Then I succeeded in completely getting away by clinging to the bottom of a carriage transporting sick people.

Luckily, I came across a merchant group heading north.

While a mercenary on night watch was urinating in the bushes, I could squeeze myself into the luggage carried by a donkey.

That's how I arrived at this trading post.

I infiltrated another merchant's wagon heading to my destination.

Oak barrels filled with beer were stacked neatly in the cargo hold.

"It's all loaded. I put the jerky inside too."

"Thank you."

Perhaps due to the weight, there was quite a bit of space left in the cargo hold.

This means I have plenty of room to stay in from now on.

It's no different from a love hotel.

'Da-da-da-da-'

Humming a familiar tune, I inspected my accommodation.

There's enough space to stretch out fully and roll around.

Not just jerky, but food for the merchant and household goods were in one corner too.

It's no less than a five-star hotel for a short stay.

I'll leave the jerky cost and accommodation fee when I leave!

"If everyone's ready, shall we depart!"

"Let's go."

After a brief commotion, the wagon started moving.

I took out a map from my subspace.

Dark red dots were drawn in various places on the map.

These marked the locations of Pelerian's dungeons.

The true identity of the red paint is...

Sniff sniff.

Hmm, the cherry scent is still faint.

Actually, these are dots made with cherry juice I stole last time.

And I found a city called 'Calea' on the map.

It's this wagon's destination.

There was also a red dot on the border of that city.

"This isn't right..."

Pelerian sighed.

'Why? Isn't this correct?'

"That's the problem. When I created the dungeon, there was no such city!"

He grumbled.

I'm a bit worried too.

'I wonder if the dungeon has already been raided.'

"It wouldn't have been easily raided... It's a dungeon I made with the help of dwarves."

When the Heaven Defier magician built a dungeon here, Calea Mountain was dwarven territory.

"The dwarves shouldn't have disappeared, so it doesn't make sense that humans built a city there."

But what can we do about reality?

'It would be disappointing if there's nothing when we get there.'

"Don't worry... That won't be the case."

Pelerian's voice lacked confidence.

Let's hope the dungeon is intact!

It's only natural that this 'Hero Slayer' Ouroboros needs an excellent sword.

That Holy Knight who killed the chimera snake.

The one I killed turned out to be a great celebrity.

One of the top nobles in the kingdom, and also the commander of the Holy Knight Order, a master of light techniques.

It was Tiger Viscount Gerard Martein.

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[Hero Slayer]

You have slain a person known as a hero, an outstanding figure in the mortal world.

Your demonic rank rises. Your prestige increases.

Karma accumulates.

When facing heroes, you become even more resilient and your magical power surges.

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I've achieved an 'achievement', haven't I?

The mention of karma accumulating is a bit concerning, but isn't living all about accumulating karma anyway?

Among the many expressions describing Gerard Martein, the one that resonated with me the most was 'Steel Gunter's rival'.

That means only one thing.

'I've become stronger.'

Since I've killed his rival.

'I'm equal to or greater than Steel Gunter.'

That's the pride I can take.

"Nonsense! Hurry up and practice magic."

'Yes.'

Pelerian clicked his tongue as if disgusted.

Although I'm enjoying this luxurious stay, I haven't just been playing around.

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[Crystal Crown Python lv12]

[Title] Ouroboros, Heart-eating Snake

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My level has risen to 12.

Since I achieved my last evolution at level 30, I have a feeling that the next evolution might require level 40 or 50.

It seems I evolve more frequently than other monsters.

I hope I become a Serpent this time for sure.

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[Skills]

▸ Crown

[Steal lv4]: Gigantification lv0, [Overcome lv2], [Dominate lv2]

▸ Magic

[Basic Element]: Fire lv6, Earth lv6, Water lv4, Wind lv4

[Invisible Hand lv11], [Lightweight lv3]

▸ Techniques

...

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I mainly practiced magic.

The levels of elemental magic have generally increased, Invisible Hand has surpassed level 10, and Lightweight has become level 3.

The Lightweight magic turned out to be quite useful.

「Using Magic: Lightweight lv3.」

The oak barrels were smaller than barrels, but each seemed to hold over 100 liters.

That's over 100kg in capacity.

But with the Lightweight magic, I could move them with some effort.

I pushed the oak barrels to build a wall.

It's to hide me inside from view.

An effort to quietly focus on magic training.

'I should set up a guard too.'

Here, I had to use a new means I had acquired.

'This guy will do.'

As is common in old freight wagons, it wasn't unusual to have crickets crawling around in the cargo hold.

Instead of eating the cricket as a snack, I decided to use it differently.

「Using Domination Crown lv1.」

'Billy's Horn' became 'Steal Crown'.

'Leaping Horn' became 'Overcome Crown'.

'Taming' became 'Domination Crown'.

When I used the Domination Crown on the chimera snake, it failed.

However, I succeeded in partially taming it, so at that time, I didn't know what the Domination Crown skill was.

Now I know.

The Domination Crown was a skill with very, very high potential.

「Successfully dominated the cricket.」

「Successfully tamed the cricket.」

'Domination'

It was literally a skill that could control the target like a puppet.

'You, let me know by chirping if anyone approaches the cargo hold.'

The cricket moved according to my will.

It was a completely different sensation from commanding a tamed monster.

「Current domination power has reached its limit.」

For now, it's just controlling one insect.

But what if the level of the Domination Crown increases?

And if I use the Overcome Crown along with it?

Maybe I could even dominate people.

Like those guys like Steel Gunter!

With pleasant thoughts, I began my magic training.