Chapter One: Another World?

“Where is this place?” Zhou Tian glanced around in bewilderment, quickly sensing that something about his surroundings had changed. Instantly, his heart tightened, and he tried to stand.

But just as he attempted to move, he made a discovery that filled him with terror.

“My hands? My feet? Why is my vision so poor? Why has my hearing diminished so much?” As he regained his senses and habitually tried to rub his eyes, he was horrified to find that not only had his limbs vanished, but even his hearing and sight were now almost useless.

A cascade of shocking realizations left Zhou Tian trembling with fear. Overwhelmed by panic, he didn’t care whether it would help or not—he simply mustered all his strength and tried desperately to move.

But just as he struggled, he noticed something even more alarming.

“That’s a snake’s tail? How do I have a snake’s tail?” After enduring one terrifying revelation after another, Zhou Tian, paradoxically, began to calm down.

“A snake’s tail, no limbs, dull hearing and vision—could it be I’ve turned into a snake?” The thought flashed through his mind, and Zhou Tian was immediately dumbfounded.

Originally, Zhou Tian had been nothing more than an ordinary recluse on Earth, playing games and surfing the web every day. Though he had little to brag about in terms of life experience, his days were comfortable enough.

He’d assumed he would live out his life that way, but to his surprise, a minor accident had turned his world upside down. In a muddle, he’d become a snake.

The transformation from man to snake was not only bizarre but struck Zhou Tian with a nearly fatal blow. Contemplating the life expectancy and habits of snakes, and the thought of surviving on rats for the rest of his days, Zhou Tian even considered ending his own life.

Biting one’s tongue? That method of suicide was rather difficult for a snake.

Smashing himself to death? Given how hard it was even to crawl, hurling himself into oblivion seemed just as unlikely.

Perhaps it was the sheer difficulty of dying, or maybe simple fear of death, but regardless of the reason, once the initial shock faded, Zhou Tian slowly came to accept the fact that he was now a snake—and even began to attempt crawling.

Perhaps it was instinct; Zhou Tian found crawling surprisingly easy, requiring little effort to master.

Once he’d learned to crawl, his curiosity about the world drove him to slither away from his original spot.

He left not for any particular reason other than a reluctance to remain in the same place. However, he seemed to have forgotten that he was no longer human. If a person set out, there’d be little risk, but as a snake, if someone spotted him, he might be lucky enough to scare them away—or, with worse luck, end up crushed by a car or served as someone’s meal.

Clearly, Zhou Tian gave these possibilities little thought.

A sudden, thunderous boom erupted ahead, startling him. Perhaps fate had spared him—after crawling for some time, the noise jolted him to a halt.

Zhou Tian had no idea what had happened up ahead, but his instincts told him it was dangerous. Even knowing this, curiosity won out, and he slithered toward the source of the sound.

“Is this... another world?”

After crawling for a while and approaching the spot where the noise originated, Zhou Tian discovered, not far away, two colossal beasts, each over ten meters tall, locked in fierce combat. Knowing full well that such creatures didn’t exist on Earth, Zhou Tian immediately suspected he’d landed in another world.

He watched as, not long after he arrived, both monsters, unable to withstand their injuries and spent strength, collapsed to the ground.

There was no need to have witnessed the entire fight—Zhou Tian could tell from the massive pits gouged into the earth nearby just how formidable these beasts had been, and how destructive their battle.

Had the two monsters not fallen, Zhou Tian, in his current state as a tiny snake, wouldn’t have stood a chance. Even in his old human body, faced with such fearsome creatures, he’d have turned and fled without a second thought.

But now, with both monsters dead, Zhou Tian had no intention of leaving.

Magic core.

Zhou Tian’s favorite pastime had always been reading online novels. He had no way of knowing if this world truly matched those fantastic realms described in fiction. But after becoming a snake and witnessing such a monstrous battle, he couldn’t help but overlay his current reality with the worlds he’d read about.

Now transformed into a snake, if he were still on Earth, his only option would be to find some deserted place and eke out a meager existence. But if, by some miracle, he’d landed in another world, Zhou Tian wasn’t about to resign himself to a lifetime of mediocrity.

If he’d been born into a world of immortal cultivation, he might have aspired to become a snake demon like the White Lady of legend. Here, in a foreign realm, his only wish was to become a mighty magical beast.

He was well aware of his own strength. Though he’d barely acclimated to this new body, he was certain there was nothing special about it. He was just an ordinary little snake, and unless something extraordinary happened, he’d never have a chance to change his fate.

But if this truly was another world, then, judging by what he’d read in novels, Zhou Tian knew he’d stumbled upon perhaps the one opportunity in his life to overturn his destiny.

He had no idea how to transform from an ordinary snake into a magical beast. Still, if this was indeed a fantasy world, then as long as he could find a legendary magic core, he might finally have a chance to grow stronger.

“Here goes nothing.” Zhou Tian knew such an opportunity might never come again. Unwilling to spend his life as a mere snake, he hesitated only briefly before crawling toward the fallen monsters, undeterred by their immense size.

“They really are dead.” Cautiously approaching one of the giant beasts, he bit its nostril hard. When there was no reaction, Zhou Tian was finally sure it was truly dead.

With that certainty, he saw no need for courtesy and got straight to work.

“According to the novels, magic cores are usually inside a magical beast’s brain.” Recalling what he’d read, Zhou Tian muttered to himself and bit down forcefully onto the creature’s face.

Crunch.

“Damn it! Is this thing’s skull made of metal? My teeth...”

He’d only considered how to obtain the magic core, never imagining he’d encounter such trouble. Though both monsters had died, in life they’d possessed strength Zhou Tian couldn’t hope to match. Now, though they could no longer retaliate against him for desecrating their remains, it was still nearly impossible for his tiny teeth to pierce their thick hides.

Without sharper fangs, there was no way to break in and search for the core. Yet, even stymied by his lack of strength, Zhou Tian refused to give up.

Since gnawing through the skull was impossible, he quickly devised another plan.

Considering his predicament and the dangers he might yet face, Zhou Tian steeled himself and slithered into the beast’s nostril.

Safely inside the monster’s head, the area fell quiet. The presence of the two giant beasts had kept other creatures from venturing near.

A faint hissing sound marked Zhou Tian’s reemergence from the monster’s skull, a crystalline bead clutched in his mouth.

He spat out the blood that had filled his mouth, not even bothering to clean himself, and hurriedly examined the magic core he’d dragged out.

“So this is a magic core? It looks just like a marble.” He gazed at it curiously for a moment, then, unable to resist the lure of greater strength, swallowed the core in a single gulp.

What Zhou Tian didn’t realize was that, although magical beasts could indeed grow stronger by consuming magic cores, such a process was not without its risks. Having swallowed the magic core so recklessly, Zhou Tian was about to pay the price for his impulsive act.