【Ball Python lv14】
【Status】
「Playing dead」 「Nervous」

【Ball Python】

A species of python that grows up to 180 cm in length, with a relatively thick body. It has a unique defense mechanism where it curls into a ball when frightened, protecting itself. It is non-venomous and has relatively blunt teeth.

When you think of pythons, you usually picture a massive snake.

Some larger species are comparable to, if not bigger than, an anaconda.

But this snake didn’t quite live up to the python name.

It was chubby but short.

It had a decent level, and it was probably over 2 meters in length, but considering snakes tend to invest primarily in length, I couldn’t call it long.

It was small, non-venomous, and had weak teeth.

So, what was the point of this snake’s existence?

...Maybe because it was cute?

As strange as it sounds, this snake was actually quite cute.

I suppose my eyes might have become twisted after turning into a lizard and hanging out with spiders, but even as a human, I think I would have found it adorable.

At least, as far as snakes go.

The snakes I’d encountered up until now were more like the vicious Titanoboas, but this one was different.

Its snout looked a bit like a puppy’s. Round and gentle.

Even its eyes were unique. If you looked closely, you could see the characteristic vertical pupils of a reptile, but they were slightly cloudy. In other words, even its eyes were round and cute.

“Geggeggek.”

Did it read my thoughts? The snake’s tail began to twitch slightly.

It wagged, much like a puppy greeting its owner.

Yep.

The reason you’ve survived this long is definitely because you’re cute.

You look cute, so you’ll probably taste pretty good too.

Unlike other snakes, you don’t seem to have a lot of bones.

And there’s plenty of meat on your chubby body.

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

“Hieek!”

The snake jumped back when it saw the drool dripping from my mouth.

Can snakes even jump?

Its tail muscles must be impressive, seeing how it bent like a spring and leaped.

It must taste delicious.

“Shiririk…”

The snake seemed to realize that its act of playing dead had been exposed, and it started shifting its posture.

That was...

Unbelievable.

It curled up into a ball, forming a nearly perfect sphere.

It seemed determined to block all incoming attacks.

Did it really think that would work?

【Ball Python lv14】
【Status】
「Relaxed」

Why was it feeling relaxed?

Did it actually believe I wouldn’t eat it if it curled up like that?

All I could think about was swallowing it whole.

Its level was 14, too.

That meant it had survived here for quite some time, but how?

This jungle was clearly tougher than the lower part of the swamp.

Just look at the terror birds, and that human-faced bird shooting destructive beams from its mouth.

There’s no way a snake like this could survive here by simply curling up.

Maybe it really survived because it was cute?

Still, I had to do what I had to do.

If I didn’t eat it, I would be in danger.

I opened my mouth wide.

Waaang.

“Hieeeek…”

The snake’s posture crumbled.

The ball python shivered, trembling.

That expression wouldn’t change anything.

...

Why did it remind me of Tus and Pus?

Forget it.

Even if I ate it, it wouldn’t fill me up.

Instead of wasting energy on this low-nutrition snake meat, it would be more advantageous to find another prey.

I turned my head, about to leave, when...

“Hiek…”

The ball python poked its head out.

It bobbed its head, carefully observing me.

Then, as if realizing I didn’t intend to harm it, it began to slither toward me.

...A bit too fearless, aren’t you?

The ball python slithered closer, slightly opening its mouth.

I watched curiously, wondering what it was planning.

Was it going to try to eat me?

Those small teeth wouldn’t be able to pierce my scales.

Waaang.

The ball python opened its mouth as wide as it could and bit my front leg.

So, after all that, you still want to end up inside my stomach, huh?

I was about to open my mouth to bite it back when...

[HP has been slightly restored.]

Huh?

There’s an old saying that applying saliva to a wound will help it heal.

It does have some antibacterial properties, but it’s not really a recommended treatment because it could make things worse.

But what was up with this snake?

Its status window confirmed it: a healer snake.

Of course, its effect wasn’t amazing.

It only restored about 10 HP.

But the pain definitely subsided.

...Was this anesthesia?

Was this sneaky snake trying to numb my pain before eating me?

I briefly considered the possibility, but after checking the snake’s information again, I realized that wasn’t the case.

【Ball Python lv14】
【Status】
「Attachment」 「Hunger」

Hunger.

That seemed right.

It had a chubby body, but something about it looked weak.

It must have gone without food for a long time.

Attachment.

That was the real problem.

“Hiek…”

The ball python coiled itself around my leg.

For some reason, it seemed determined to stick with me.

Why was it clinging to me?

It should’ve known I wanted to eat it.

I wracked my smart lizard brain.

The ball python was level 14.

I raised Tus and Pus, but even they hadn’t surpassed level 10.

Considering that each species has a different leveling curve, this snake probably had an even harder time leveling up than they did.

If Tus and Pus were like geckos, then this snake was more like a green basilisk or a komodo dragon.

And yet, it had reached level 14.

In this treacherous jungle, no less.

There was only one conclusion I could draw.

This snake must have had some kind of protector.

It had likely been under someone's care until recently.

Then, by some twist of fate, it got separated from its protector.

Like a princess suddenly thrown into the wild after being pampered all her life.

That’s when it met me.

So now it was clinging to me, thinking, Maybe this lizard won’t eat me if I stay close.

Since the snake’s protector was probably also a snake, it might have felt some kinship with me, another reptile.

...Even though I did try to eat it.

“Hieeek…”

It was still scared, but it wasn’t letting go of me.

No matter how cold-blooded reptiles are, I couldn’t eat this snake after seeing it like this.

If this was some sort of trick, it was a terrifyingly clever one, but it didn’t seem like that.

What should I do?

I could let it live, but carrying this snake around with me was a different story.

It hadn’t been that long since I took Tus and Pus under my wing, and now I was picking up another one?

Tus and Pus were followers at least, but this snake...

Wait.

Right, followers.

I had the Lizard Faith.

【Lizard Faith】

A gecko lizard-based belief. A faith followed by those who worship the legendary beast Komodo. While it has not yet reached the level of a formal religion, it holds high potential for growth. The followers’ faith is strong.

Followers:
First Follower: 【Atercopus lv9】
Second Follower: 【Atelakomartus lv8】
Third Follower: 【Tang Soyeong】

The name was a bit odd, but Lizard Faith was quite useful.

Currently, it had two effects.

One, the stats of the followers who believed in Lizard Faith were slightly increased.

The second was that when a follower gained experience, a portion of it was also shared with me.

In other words, auto-farming.

The more followers I had, the more experience I would gain.

Plus, if my guess was right, this snake was likely a silver spoon baby.

If I took it along and made it my follower, and then reunited it with its parent, who I assume is a powerful snake, I could benefit from their protection.

As the snake grew, it would continue to offer me experience in tribute.

This was basically an experience-duplication exploit.

If this snake had any friends, I could recruit them too.

Snake, you’ve hit the jackpot, buddy.

“Geggeggek!”
“Hieeek!”

Was it trying to mimic my cries?

Maybe we were more compatible than I thought.

Still, there was something urgent to deal with.

First, I needed to find food.

This snake must have been starving too, so it likely didn’t have anything, but it should know where to find prey.

I tapped the snake with my tail and hand, signaling that I was hungry.

I mimed tapping my stomach and opening my mouth wide, hoping to communicate my hunger.

“Shirik!”

The snake nodded enthusiastically.

Alright.

You know this jungle better than I do, so I’ll trust you.

The snake wrapped itself around my neck, lifting its head high to guide the way.

...It was a bit suffocating, but I’m sure that was just a coincidence.

Alright, snake.

Let’s get along well.

If you join the Lizard Faith now, you can rise to the fourth rank, so keep that in mind.

As I walked in the direction the snake pointed, I suddenly received a notification.

[The level of 「Danger Sense lv9」 has increased.]

Huh? Why did this skill level up all of a sudden?

Skills only level up when you repeatedly use them and gain proficiency, which means my danger sense had been triggered repeatedly.

But... I wasn’t sensing any danger at the moment.

Maybe the proficiency I gained from facing the human-faced bird earlier was only now being applied?

[You have acquired 「Killing Intent Detection lv1」.]

Killing Intent Detection?

Did I get this because my Danger Sense hit level 10?

It’s nice to receive, but something feels off.

The moment I got Killing Intent Detection, a chilling sensation ran down my spine.

Far away, I sensed a vortex of emotions aimed directly at me.

[Your first follower, 【Atercopus lv9】, is displeased.]

[Your second follower, 【Atelakomartus lv9】, is feeling tense.]

[Your third follower, 【Tang Soyeong】, is watching warily.]

Suddenly, the status of my followers flashed before me.

Tang Soyeong’s wariness was probably due to her situation inside the Heavenly Demon Sect.

But what was going on with Tus and Pus?

I hoped nothing serious was happening.

This timing was strange, though.

It almost felt like the killing intent was being directed from their direction.

[??, 【Nephila Jurassic lv30】, is extremely angry at the arrival of a rival.]

Why are you angry?

You’re not even one of my followers! And what’s with the question marks?

What do you mean, "arrival of a rival"?

Are you referring to this snake?

And how do you even know about this?!

I bowed my head, overwhelmed by the unknown killing intent from the four mysterious beings.

[??, 【Nephila Jurassic lv30】, is greatly enraged by your shameless actions.]

“Geeek…”

It’s not what you think.

I can explain everything.

...Wait, why do I even need to explain myself?

Maybe my lack of HP is messing with my thought process.

“Geggeggek!”

I need to focus on finding food first.