The stream burbled, and the branches and leaves swayed in the breeze.
Bai Chuan returned once again to the nest he knew so well. Fortunately, even though he hadn't come back for several days, no other small animal had taken over his tree hollow.
Perhaps his scent hadn't faded yet.
That left him a little disappointed. Otherwise, he could've had another meal.
Only now did he get a chance to open the panel.
'Name: Bai Chuan.' 'Species: King Cobra.' 'Lifespan: 8 years.' 'Points: 81.6%.' 'Abilities: Final Growth LV2 (Details), Snake Venom LV2, Energy Saving Storage LV1, Danger Perception LV1, Strength LV1, Flexible LV1, Scales LV1, Swimming LV1...' 'Ability Structure Library: Rat, Sharp-Snouted Viper, Rat Snake, Frog, Goshawk.' 'Editable...'
"Only 81.6%?" Bai Chuan was surprised at first, then realized, "That makes sense. I started shedding when there were still two days left."
"In that case, once I've digested what's in my stomach, I should be close to ninety percent. That means there'll only be one day left. I can hardly wait."
After muttering to himself for a while, Bai Chuan coiled up and began to rest. He hadn't slept properly in days because of the shedding.
Of course, before going to sleep, he didn't forget to activate Frenzied Digestion.
"Time to strengthen myself!"
A day later, Bai Chuan had finally accumulated enough points. Eagerly, he opened the panel and went straight to the Ability Structure Library.
Without a doubt, Digestion LV1 would be most compatible with his stomach.
As the model took flight, the ability settled into place.
Bai Chuan fell into a deep sleep once more. Another layer of strange, opaque, viscous substance seeped from his body and covered him.
If anyone could see through that opaque, viscous layer, they'd surely discover something astonishing inside: time was passing strangely for the snake within!
It was as if everything was rapidly evolving toward some unknown destination.
Time slowly passed again.
One day... two days... three days...
Five days later.
"Hungry! Hungry!"
"So hungry!!"
When Bai Chuan woke again, his first thought was that he was starving—burning, searing hunger, as if every cell in his body was crying out to him: Hungry!
It was hard to imagine that a snake who'd eaten his fill not long ago could become so ravenous after only a few short days.
But Bai Chuan couldn't worry about that now. The moment he woke, without even taking the time to examine the changes in his body, he slithered out of the tree hollow. He didn't even notice that he was moving much faster than before.
Half an hour later, beside the stream.
After swallowing a water snake and feeling his stomach stop burning, Bai Chuan finally relaxed, gently swaying his head. That was when he realized he seemed to be much faster.
He'd been too hungry to notice before, but now that he was full and his reason had returned, he realized his speed and physical strength had both improved considerably.
The increase in physical strength could be explained by his body growing larger after shedding.
But surely his increased speed couldn't be because he'd grown larger too?
Normally, the bigger the body, the slower it moved.
He opened the panel again and looked at the list of abilities.
'Abilities: Final Growth LV2 (Details), Snake Venom LV2, Energy Saving Storage LV1, Danger Perception LV1, Strength LV1, Flexible LV1, Scales LV1, Swimming LV1, Digestion LV1, Agility LV1...'
Bai Chuan immediately noticed that he'd gained two new abilities.
Hadn't he only strengthened one ability? Normally, he should've gained just Digestion LV1, but now he'd also been given Agility LV1.
How strange. Bai Chuan couldn't make sense of it, and realized he still knew far too little about the panel.
Still, having an extra ability was a good thing.
When Bai Chuan couldn't figure something out, he always set it aside for the time being.
After all, as long as he lived long enough, he'd eventually understand. Rather than dwell on it, he might as well think about how to stay alive longer.
In the middle of the night, Bai Chuan was woken by a tremendous rush of water.
He raised his head and peered out of the tree hollow. The sky beyond had already turned a hazy white, rain pouring down like a waterfall.
He could no longer hear any other animals. Even the frogs, which he usually heard most often, had fallen silent.
There was so much moisture in the air that Bai Chuan could even see droplets of water beading on his scales.
"This midnight downpour must have left who knows how many nocturnal animals without a meal." Gazing outside, Bai Chuan sighed. At the same time, he felt a little relieved.
He was glad he'd returned to the hollow in this big tree after shedding, out of fondness for the place.
Otherwise, if he'd been in a burrow on the ground in weather like this, it would probably have been washed away by now.
After watching for a while and replenishing his moisture with the rainwater falling from the sky, Bai Chuan drifted off again to the sound of the rain.
The next day, when Bai Chuan woke at his leisure, he found that it was still raining.
The downpour was just as heavy as the night before, with hardly any difference from what he'd seen.
He looked outside and saw that a great deal of water had collected below. The ground that had always been there was nowhere to be seen.
A bad feeling stirred in his heart.
Was this rain going to keep falling? Had the rainy season arrived?
That would be terrible, especially since he'd activated Frenzied Digestion the day before.
Well, his points had risen by 15% now, 5% faster than before—half again as fast.
But did that matter right now?
What mattered most was that his stomach was nearly empty.
If the rain didn't stop, he might have a hard time finding anything to eat over the next few days.
At least he wouldn't be able to eat larger prey easily. After all, he was a land snake. He could swim, but he couldn't dive or eat underwater.
He figured he could only catch small animals, like frogs, and bring them back to his nest to eat.
"Ah, if this rain doesn't stop soon, a lot of lives are going to be lost."
Bai Chuan sighed. His situation might be bad, but compared to others, he was already lucky.
If he truly faced a desperate situation, he could enter hibernation, slow all his vital functions, and get through the rainy season without eating or drinking.
But what about the other creatures?
If this really was an unending rainy season, many animals would be forced to stay huddled in their nests, afraid to venture outside.
Some unfortunate ones might even have poorly built nests that collapsed. That would be when they began to face true despair.
Why, you ask?
Not every creature was amphibious, after all.
The rain would draw the heat from their bodies and soak their dry fur.
They were already unable to find food and were going hungry. If they were then drenched by a torrential downpour, losing a great deal of heat to the rain and left soaked from head to toe—
Hunger, weakness, hypothermia, weakened immunity, and bacteria invading unchecked would be waiting for them.
Soon, they'd be plunged into death!
Before you continue