Long-Eared Psychos
Ah, what a beautiful morning.
The sunlight wasn't warm, and there were no birds singing cheerfully.
And yet, it was undoubtedly a beautiful morning.
After all, whether a morning is beautiful or not is something I decide.
Even if I were plunged into hell.
Even if I were rolling around in a muddy burrow soaked with chimera blood—if I'm happy, then it's a beautiful morning.
I truly believed that.
Still, it's a shame there's no sunlight.
Just imagining how beautifully my two horns and patterned scales would shine under the sun puts me in a good mood.
That's right. I've successfully evolved.
My horns were still adorably small, but having one on each side, balanced, made them look a bit cool.
My life definitely changed after the horns grew in.
Who am I?
The owner of the "Borrowing Horn."
And at the same time, the owner of the "Leaping Horn."
[Leaping Horn Lv.1]
Focus your mind and leap forward with all your strength.
Yeah, "Leaping Horn."
Honestly, this one makes even less sense than the Borrowing Horn.
After evolving, I could see more things.
There was even a description for the Leaping Horn, but it didn't explain what exactly I was supposed to leap over.
Well, I'll probably figure it out as I use it.
And now, I'm no longer a Serpent —I'm a python.
Well, technically still a Serpent , but if someone's going to call me something, I'd prefer "python."
Like how someone living in New York says "I live in New York," not "I live in the USA."
And the defining trait of a python—my pattern.
Even though my vision wasn't perfect, I could clearly see it: a white body with beautiful apricot-colored patterns.
And it wasn't just decoration. My status window made that clear.
[White Double-Horn Python Lv.1]
[Traits]
[Indomitable], [Diligence], [Fire], [Pattern]
Right. I gained a new trait—Pattern.
[Pattern]
You possess a pattern imbued with magic. It does not easily get damaged and repels magic and curses below a certain level.
So basically, a defensive buff.
And it even repels magic.
The only question is what "below a certain level" actually means—but still, it's definitely a helpful trait.
Niiice.
Now that I've even taken down a chimera…
Maybe I should live here like a king in this basin.
This seems like the outer edge of the Great Forest. At the very least, I haven't seen any monsters stronger than the chimera.
I hissed with a grin.
But… was there really a god in this world?
One who punishes the arrogant with divine retribution…
My patterns trembled.
Or maybe it was my scales.
My old friend—survival instinct—was screaming at me:
Run.
But where?
The burrow had two directions. Forward and backward.
I chose one at random.
There wasn't even a moment's delay between the warning and my response.
I activated my acceleration skill and moved immediately.
But it was already too late.
The burrow began to collapse.
At least, that's what I thought at first.
But it wasn't collapsing.
The ground… was rising.
The tunnel must have been dug quite deep underground.
But soil falling from the ceiling blocked both passages, and the ground where the chimera and I were standing began to rise rapidly.
This was clearly abnormal.
It was as if the earth itself were alive.
Magic?
I activated mana detection.
And my body trembled.
A torrent of mana was swirling everywhere.
Like The Starry Night—streams of glowing mana flowed through the soil.
If this was magic… then it had to be something like high-level elemental magic.
Light began to pour in from above.
I was already being dragged up to the surface.
Damn it—I quickly hid beneath the chimera's corpse.
Shraaak!
In an instant, I reached the surface.
And from within the shadow of the chimera's body…
I saw the one responsible for all of this.
"An elf!"
There stood an unmistakable fairy—
A young, beautiful elf with long ears, unlike Pelerian.
Exactly the kind you'd imagine from stereotypes.
"Thank you."
Iris spoke her gratitude.
At her feet was a mole-like creature sniffing the ground.
It was translucent—clearly not an ordinary animal, not even a monster.
"You can go back now, Clay."
It was a spirit.
One of the four elements—earth.
Though Iris wasn't a master of magic, she came from a noble elven lineage and knew how to command spirits.
But the spirit wasn't her possession.
Even after being told it could leave, Clay kept sniffing around instead of departing.
Iris ignored it.
She had found the cursed creation of Pelerian.
But it was already dead.
And inside a burrow, at that.
It had been dead from the moment she detected it through the spirit.
"…What a mess."
That was her first impression upon seeing the chimera's corpse.
She was an elf who had walked through battlefields—a skilled warrior and hunter who had fought large monsters many times.
But even for her, the state of the chimera was chilling.
Severed limbs.
Wounds covering its entire body.
Black, foul-smelling blood—likely poisoned.
It had died exactly as it crawled, spilling its guts and blood.
Who…
Who fought this chimera like this?
And how did it end up dead inside a burrow?
There were no clues.
First, she needed to collect its blood and retrieve any magic stone it might have.
Just as she drew her sword—
Tap tap.
Clay, the small mole-like spirit, tapped her foot.
"What is it?"
The spirit pointed at the chimera's corpse.
No… more precisely—
"I see… I understand."
Then… can you help me for a moment?
She conveyed her intent to the spirit.
The spirit obeyed.
Thoom!
The ground surged upward.
Despite losing several legs, the heavy chimera was launched into the air and spun.
And of course—
The white Serpent hiding beneath it was revealed.
"…Hmm."
Horns on its head.
A horn-type monster.
"A white specimen. An albino."
Albino monsters stand out.
Most don't live long—they get eaten early.
Yet this one had grown to adulthood.
And it even had double horns.
Quite remarkable.
Iris looked down at the Serpent .
She never imagined—
That such a small creature had killed the chimera.
The Serpent moved quickly, trying to escape.
She reflexively tried to step on its neck.
Whoosh—
The Serpent avoided her foot.
Not only that—it leapt up with astonishing speed and counterattacked.
Its fangs were extremely sharp.
Clearly venomous.
Iris tried to step back—
At that moment, the ground rose and bound her foot.
That wasn't the spirit's doing.
"Don't tell me… this Serpent ?!"
An attack from a venomous Serpent while her foot was restrained.
If Iris had been an inexperienced elf, she would have been finished.
But she was a Golden Leaf Investigator.
Such basic earth magic couldn't hold her.
She shook off the soil and retreated.
The Serpent bit at empty air and fell.
Iris let out a small exclamation.
"You've learned magic."
It wasn't uncommon for monsters to naturally acquire magic.
But such a tiny creature?
A mere Serpent ?
"If it grows, it'll be dangerous."
Better to uproot it before it becomes a problem.
That was her judgment.
Even the elders of the elves acknowledged her decisiveness.
As the Serpent leapt again, she swung her broadsword.
It didn't go thud—its head wasn't cleanly severed.
Kak—
Instead, sparks flew.
***
That crazy long-eared psycho.
I almost died.
She suddenly tried to stomp me to death, and then swung a sword at me!
My tiny heart was pounding wildly.
My neck split open—there was a wound.
Blood was flowing out.
But it wasn't severed.
Huff… huff… I'm alive.
Something like adrenaline surged through me.
My whole body tingled, like I was floating.
That sword—
An elven broadsword. I know because I've used one before.
Incredibly light, insanely sharp.
And yet it couldn't cut my neck—only sparks flew.
That was because, in that instant, I realized how to use the Leaping Horn.
The moment the sword came down—
I knew I couldn't dodge it.
Then I had to block it.
I didn't have armor or shell-type skills.
So that left only one thing—Pattern.
Could I somehow use my Pattern trait?
All of those thoughts happened in less than a second.
And I desperately wished.
[Using Leaping Horn Lv.1 to surpass the limits of the trait 'Pattern'.][Trait 'Pattern' temporarily becomes 'Magic Circle: Defense'.]
Right.
Leaping Horn was a skill that surpassed limits.
Because of that, my neck was only split open instead of cut off.
Thinking about it now—it was terrifying.
If I hadn't found that second chimera magic stone…
If I hadn't gained a new horn…
My head would have been cleanly severed just now.
Unbelievably, I survived.
And it seemed I wasn't the only one shocked.
The elf stood there with her mouth open, eyes wide.
Hey—I'm the one who's more shocked.
"…!"
But that murderous lunatic elf didn't give up.
A brilliant light gathered around the elven broadsword.
Aura. Definitely aura.
And far brighter and clearer than the aura that rookie knight Zain had used.
If that hits me—I'm dead.
I quickly tried to run.
Boom!
But damn it—
The ground surged, and my body was lifted into the air.
I saw that mole spirit covering its mouth, laughing.
I added its name to my mental kill list.
Right below that insane psycho elf woman.
Ah… my life is flashing before my eyes.
Though there wasn't much to see.
Getting bitten by a mosquito rat.
Sharing neighborly bonds with that friendly centipede couple.
The day I first evolved.
Those scenes flickered past.
I had no way to block that glowing blade.
Leaping Horn had already drained most of my mana.
Goodbye, world.
So much for having 20 potential.
And mental strength 20…
Well—shouldn't I at least not give up until the end to live up to that?
A memory suddenly flashed.
When a golem stepped on my tail.
I thought it would be crushed—but it wasn't.
Because of the ring.
Instinctively, I curled my tail.
Honestly, no matter how durable the ring is, it shouldn't be able to block that sword—
In that brief instant,
the elf's eyes widened as she saw my ring.
And then—
The aura and the ring collided.
CLAAANG!
Would it sound like this if lightning struck right in front of you?
A shockwave exploded.
This wasn't something mere metal-on-metal contact could produce.
For a moment—
My consciousness went black.
When I opened my eyes, there were clouds beside me.
What the hell—
It was the sky.
I had been launched at tremendous speed.
Far away, I could see the stunned elf and the chimera's corpse.
Fwoooooosh!
The air battered my body like crazy.
The entire basin stretched out below me.
In the clear sky, it almost felt like my tail could reach the sun.
Ah… my tail—and the ring—were both intact.
What the hell is this thing made of?
But gravity wasn't about to give up what was its.
I fell in a parabolic arc.
Yeah… I'm definitely going to die like this.
Surviving an aura-infused strike only to die from a fall?
That'd be ridiculous.
But it seemed my luck hadn't run out yet.
The ground rushed closer—
I snapped several tree branches as I fell.
And then—
Water.
SPLOOSH!
I crashed into a pool, sending water everywhere.
My whole body felt freezing cold.
It felt like I was about to burst from the pain.
I'd barely evolved, and it felt like multiple bones were broken.
But I couldn't lose consciousness here.
As a cold-blooded creature, my body would stiffen in an instant.
I thrashed wildly—
toward the shore, toward land.
[Due to the trait 'Diligence,' skill acquisition is not restricted.][You have acquired Swimming Lv.1.]
Oh, thanks~
But I'm already out of the water.
Huff… huff… I seriously almost died.
My whole body is freezing.
In the distance, I could see the elf still standing beside the chimera.
I quickly hid behind a rock.
At that moment, I made a decision.
Long-eared races—elves, fairies—
Every single one of them is insane.
I will never trust them.
Ah… my anger is burning.
—What a crazy bitch.
Seriously insane.
—Swinging a sword the moment she sees someone? What a terrible personality.
Wait—
who keeps saying the exact right things behind me?
I whipped my head around.
[Pelerian's Signet Ring: Seal Released]
Huh?
It wasn't just that the ring had been unsealed.
In front of me was a translucent old fairy, about the size of a palm.
A very familiar face.
And there were only two fairies I knew in this world.
It wasn't that crazy woman over there.
"…Pelerian?"
No way…
The real one?
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