The transformation into a Shadow-Scale Viper felt like someone had poured liquid nitrogen straight down my spine. My old slate-grey skin shrunk, hardened, and split down the middle with a wet rip.
I slid out of the old husk, feeling instantly lighter, thinner, and a hundred times more lethal. My new scales weren’t mud-colored anymore; they were a deep, light-absorbing matte black that made me look like a moving shadow. Two sharp, hollow fangs slid down from the roof of my mouth, tingling with a faint, dripping numbness.
[Evolution Complete!]
[Current Form: Shadow-Scale Viper (Tier 2)]
[New Skill Unlocked: ’Petty Venom’ (F-Grade) — Causes intense swelling, minor hallucinations, and makes the target deeply regret their life choices.]
’Nice,’I thought, flexing my new jaw muscles. ’Now, let’s get out of this damp ditch.’
I picked up the stolen mercenary map with the tip of my tail and slithered down the trail. Thanks to my new form, I didn’t make a single sound against the dead leaves. I was fast, smooth, and completely silent.
After twenty minutes of tracking the scent of stale beer left by the mercenaries, the thick brush gave way to the sound of rushing water. A clean, wide river cut right through the dark forest ahead, completely illuminated by a massive, silver moon.
But I didn’t see any mercenaries there. Instead, right in the middle of a clear, bubbling pool near the riverbank, the water ripples caught my attention. A young woman was washing off the grime of the trail.
My snake brain completely short-circuited.
She was, without a single doubt, the most insanely beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life—and keep in mind, I used to work the cash register at a grocery store in a busy city. She looked like a literal goddess who had accidentally descended into a dirty forest.
Her hair was a breathtaking mix of midnight black and streaks of pure silver, falling in damp, heavy waves down her bare back. The moonlight hit the water, reflecting off her flawless, pale skin. She had curves that could cause a multi-car pileup, a thin waist, full heavy perfect size chest and long, elegant legs kicking lazily beneath the water. Her eyes were deep, piercing pools of liquid black, framed by long dark eyelashes. Even while just taking a bath, she exuded a terrifyingly powerful aura that told me she could probably crush a boulder with her bare hands.
From my bush, my head extended out of the leaves as far as my little spine could stretch. My mouth fell completely open.
Oh my god, I thought, my tiny snake tongue flicking out in pure, unadulterated shock. She is a eleven out of ten. The internet didn’t lie to me about fantasy worlds. I am a literal reptile right now, but my human pervert mind is running very fast , right now if i were posses a human body, my body reaction must be different ,like somthing completly different!.
I was practically drooling into the mud. If a snake could sweat, I would have been soaking wet.
[System: Oho! Look at you, Barry. Eyes wide, jaw unhinged, heart rate hitting three hundred beats a minute. You’re a literal worm, but you’re staring like a starving man at a buffet. Want me to take a mental screenshot for your gallery, you absolute perv~? ]
’Shut up, System!’ I snapped mentally, my scales warming up with intense embarrassment. ’I’m just... checking for threats! She’s clearly high-level. Look at those daggers on the rock!’
Right next to the water’s edge, a pile of expensive leather armor and two sleek, glowing steel daggers with runic hilts were neatly stacked.
Suzy sighed, tilting her head back to let the cool river water wash through her black-and-silver hair. "Stupid mercenaries," she muttered to herself, her voice smooth like velvet but dripping with irritation. "Losing the Shadow Wolf core to a ’ghost worm.’ I should have never hired those two idiots."
Wait. She was the boss of the two guys I just robbed? Before I could even process that piece of information, a massive, dirty hand suddenly reached out from the bushes right next to the rock, grabbing her expensive leather armor and the two glowing daggers.
"Haha! Thanks for the gear, lady!" a rough voice laughed.
It was Barnaby and the Captain! They hadn’t run away. They had doubled back, tracked their gorgeous employer, and were now stealing her high-grade equipment while she was stuck in the water without a stitch of clothing.
"Barnaby! Captain!" Suzy screamed, her deep black eyes flashing with pure, murderous rage as she submerged herself up to her neck in the water, unable to step out onto the bank. "Put those down! If you steal my family’s blades, I will hunt you to the ends of the hell!"
"The Guild has to catch us first, beautiful!" the Captain sneered, slinging her leather chest piece over his shoulder. "With these runic blades and the wolf core, we’re moving to the capital! Enjoy the swim!"
The two thieves turned around to bolt into the woods—running right toward the exact bush where I was currently hiding.
My human brain saw a goddess in distress. My retail manager brain saw two terrible employees stealing from the inventory. But most importantly, my snake brain saw a massive opportunity to get a massive reward from a very wealthy, very angry, and very beautiful lady.
’System,’I hissed, coiling my new matte-black body into a tight spring. Time to do another crime.’
[System: Capitalist justice incoming! Let’s show these casuals how a real grifter operates!]