“Waf…! Wan…!”
“Wanko! No, quiet…!”
The little dog in my arms gave a small bark, seemingly trying to intimidate the centipede.
Oh no～ So adorable, fluffy, and brave, too～?
My attention drifted to the dog for a moment, but this was no time to be distracted.
“Gigigigigi…”
The giant centipede, with its red and black body, wasn’t satisfied yet.
Clicking its jaws, it fixed its gaze on me and the dog.
Whoosh!
Something like a whip extended from the giant centipede’s mouth.
“Huh?”
“…!! Wan!”
The dog slipped out of my arms effortlessly.
Then, it leapt, pushing me aside.
“You… don’t tell me—”
“Waf!! ――Kyain!!??”
I watched as the dog was pierced by the centipede’s whip-like tendril—barbed with sharp spikes.
The dog… shielded me…!
Thump, thump, thump.
The tendril pulsed. Was it…?
Thuck.
“What?”
Before I realized it, one of the tendrils had stabbed into my right arm as well.
Thanks to the Mutsuyaku, I felt no pain. But—
“Uoogh…”
It burned. My chest felt tight. Nausea welled up inside me.
My body stiffened, refusing to move.
Poison…!
It injected the poison directly into me!!
[The Giant Poison Centipede is a gourmet predator. It uses its dissolving venom like Tabasco sauce, sprinkling it onto its prey for a more delicious meal!!]
“Wh-What the hell!!? Who’s the genius who created such a ridiculous monster concept!!”
The tendrils had barbed hooks, making them impossible to pull out easily.
Am I going to die… here?
Will my dream of becoming a writer and all my goals end here?
“Kyuuun…”
I can’t even save the dog?
…Or maybe, death really does come just like this, without ceremony.
～～～～
Poison’s Euphoria
You are now in a state of extreme toxicity. A significant mental boost has been applied.
～～～～
Wait, hold on.
Why the hell should I give up? Why should I have to accept this?
Why should I be thinking about giving up and welcoming death?
It’s the opposite.
Screw this! You think you can kill me!?
～～～～
Poison’s Euphoria
Mental strength further increased.
～～～～
So, this is reality.
I get it now. Facing something trying to kill you… it makes you furious.
Isn’t this the kind of situation that every aspiring writer dreams of experiencing!?
“What a waste…”
～～～～
Poison’s Euphoria
“You are intoxicated by the poison.”
～～～～
Ah, this is infuriating. Infuriating. INFURIATING.
What is this bug? Why the hell is it trying to kill me?
I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.
Don’t get in my way. Don’t mess with my dreams, my goals—my life.
Anyone who gets in my way is nothing but a nuisance.
Everyone who dares interfere is a complete, utter nuisance.
“…I’ll kill you.”
“Gigi?”
“I’ll kill you, you bastard.”
Skills evolve the more you use them.
Instead of smashing trees with my Dokushu (Poison Hand), I grab the centipede’s tendril with it.
“Dokushu… ――Kaihō (Release).”
“Gigi?”
Squelch…
I inject poison into the black tendril using my Dokushu.
The giant centipede doesn’t seem particularly affected, but still…
～～～～
Skill: “Dokushu” has been used to attack a superior native lifeform — 3000 skill experience added.
～～～～
“Hahaha… The experience gained is insane…”
[Whoooa!! What a thrilling life-or-death struggle――ahem, tutorial! Look at you go! Your perseverance is something all players should aspire to! I can’t believe you’re already fighting a native lifeform!]
A tutorial voice echoes in my head.
Of course, it had to chime in now!
“I’m busy! If it’s nonsense, save it for later!!”
[Oh-ho! Such determination in your expression! Amazing! Here’s some great news for you! You are the first in this world to amass over 5000 skill experience! As a reward for your effort, we’re granting you access to the Skill Tree system! You can now use your hard-earned skill experience to evolve your Dokushu freely!]
Ba-da-da-da-daaan.
A carefree fanfare plays in my head.
This damn voice… mocking me even now.
But if it can help me out of this situation…!!
“I don’t care what it is! If this Skill Tree or whatever can save me, then let’s do it!”
[Absolutely! Break through this dire situation with your choices, your willpower, and the fruits of your training! Oooh, yes, yes! This is exactly the kind of defiance I want to see from mortals! Oh, here’s the Skill Tree for Dokushu. You can unlock these abilities with your skill experience!]
Red text appears before my eyes!
～～～～
《Available SP: “6960” 》
- Dokugurai I: Digest poison as food – SP1000
- Doku Chougou I: Synthesize custom poisons from absorbed toxins – SP1000
- Doku Kaiseki I: Instantly analyze the effects of poison on contact – SP2000
- Mahi Doku I: Add paralysis effects to generated poison – SP2000
～～～～
“I want all of them! Every single one!”
[Excellent choice! Initiating Skill Tree system implementation. Time to full integration: 6 seconds.]
“GIGIGIGIGI!!”
Sploosh!
The poison being pumped from the centipede’s body suddenly surges.
My entire body feels like it’s on fire.
The toxin dissolves my flesh and bones from within. Blood drips from my mouth, and my vision turns crimson.
“GIGIGIII!!”
I can feel it—the centipede is trying to kill me for real now.
The difference in our lifeforms is stark.
It’s a monster, and I’m just a human.
Normally, this thing would be an unbeatable foe.
That’s how the rules work in an ordinary world.
But this isn’t an ordinary world.
“This is… an isekai.”
～～～～
Skill Tree system implementation complete. Skill installation finalized.
～～～～
I instinctively understood how to use the skill.
“6 seconds are up… ――Dokushu. Full release of all abilities.”
Dokugurai.
I digest and absorb the centipede’s poison.
The burning heat that had been eating away at my veins and bones transformed into a soothing warmth, like soaking in a hot spring.
“Gi, gigigigigi?”
“Ahh, so warm… This feels like stepping into a sauna after wandering through a snowstorm for an hour. Perfection…”
“Gig!？”
The centipede tilted its head, puzzled. It seemed surprising that I wasn’t suffering anymore.
I grabbed its tendrils with both arms—not to remove them, but to hold them firmly in place.
“Which poison is stronger? Yours or mine?”
～～～～
Poison’s Euphoria activated. Followed by Poison Analysis and Poison Synthesis.
～～～～
Poison Analysis.
I analyzed the centipede’s injected poison: effects include dissolution, blood coagulation, magic circuit destruction, and cellular damage.
――Centipede poison thoroughly analyzed.
Through Dokugurai, digestion and absorption of all types are complete.
Poison Synthesis.
I combined the absorbed centipede poison with paralysis poison.
Mixed Centipede Poison creation complete.
“Dokushu――Injecting Mixed Centipede Poison.”
“Gig!?”
This… this is starting to feel fun.
Oh wow, what is this? I feel amazing… like, euphoric!
Through the tendril embedded in my poisoned hand, I inject the centipede bastard with my own poison.
Inside the tendril, our poisons swirl and mix together!!
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.
The centipede’s poison continues to invade my body.
But――muda muda muda!!
Digest! Digest! Digest! Absorb! Absorb! Absorb! Synthesize! Synthesize! Synthesize!!
I convert the centipede’s poison into my own poison, right inside my body!
Oh my god, this is incredible!
This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!!
“I’m using your poison to create my poison! Then I inject that poison back into you! And then you send me more poison! We’ve created a perpetual motion machine!! Let’s keep it up, partner!!”
“Gi, gigigi, gigigigiGYA!?”
Splurrrrrt!!
The centipede sprays venom directly from its mouth!
“Gigi――”
The centipede… it’s definitely laughing.
“I told you—it doesn’t work on me, you poisonous bug!!”
“Gi!? GYAAAAA!?”
Even as it sprays venom all over me, I don’t let go of its tendrils.
Thump, thump, thump.
The centipede begins to let out agonized screeches as my poison takes hold.
It’s suffering. A creature stronger than me—one that tried to kill me—is now writhing in pain because of my power!
Hahaha, what is this? What is this feeling!!?
This rush!
I’ve never felt anything like this before!
Hahahaha!! This is incredible!!
“Was that a scream I heard just now!? Even your shitty-smelling venom—when paired with your screams—feels like a damn mist sauna!!”
The giant centipede starts convulsing.
The paralysis poison is working! My poison is overpowering its poison!!
Haha! So this is what it feels like!
To kill an enemy that tried to kill you… is this the thrill of survival!?
“――W-Waoooooooooon!!”
“Gigi!?”
The dog let out a loud howl, and in that instant, it dashed up the centipede’s body, sinking its teeth into its throat!
No way! This dog is strong!!
“Wanko!! You’re the best!!”
The centipede froze completely. Now’s my chance!
“Full poison release! Thanks for teaching me how to fight for my life! This has been an incredible experience!!”
“Gigigigigigigi!?”
I unleashed all the poison at once!
With enough force to make its tendrils burst, the poison I created was injected into the centipede’s body!
“Gyaaaaaaaaaa!”
The giant centipede convulsed violently, writhing in agony.
Slowly… slowly, it stopped moving altogether.
The tendrils embedded in my arm shriveled and easily slipped free.
～～～～
You have defeated a foe vastly stronger than yourself. 100,000 skill experience has been added.
You have defeated an Abyssal Creature. 100,000 skill experience has been added.
～～～～
The centipede was defeated.
The experience gain… is incredible.
“Ah… the dog.”
I made my way to the dog lying next to the centipede’s corpse.
It was limp, motionless.
“…Hey, hey. Can you hear me? …You saved me, didn’t you?”
“…”
The dog didn’t respond. Its eyes were closed.
…It must have run out of strength.
I didn’t even know its name or what it liked.
But I’ll never forget how it sheltered me when I was hiding and helped me fight the centipede.
Gently, I stroked its fluffy body.
“Huh?”
Lick, lick.
A warm sensation tickled my palm.
“Waf.”
The dog, still lying down, raised its body and started licking my hand.
“W-What? You’re kidding me!!”
“Wan! Wan! Snort!!”
You’re alive!?
Its fur looks shinier, and its eyes are full of energy.
Why is it suddenly so lively…?
[Hello, this is the tutorial! This is rare! It seems you’ve won his favor!! This is “Phantom Beast: Garum, the Venom Fang”! According to legend, Garum sustains itself on poison. The centipede’s venom and your Dokushu poison seem to have revitalized him! Well, that’s all the info we can share during the tutorial!]
“Waf!”
The dog wagged its tail happily, nuzzling its head against my chest.
…It’s alive.
“…Thank goodness.”
“Wan!!”
The dog barked cheerfully.
Relief washed over me, and suddenly, my body went limp.
The damage and exhaustion… it’s finally catching up to me.
But that’s okay. The dog is alive…
“Wan!?”
Hearing the dog bark was the last thing I remembered as I collapsed right there.
I needed to find somewhere safe…
But this is the forest. That’s impossible.
I gave in, letting my heavy eyelids close.
A warm, muddy sensation enveloped me.
I surrendered to the overwhelming drowsiness and drifted into sleep.
◇◇◇◇
[News from the Administrators: Reflections on Day One]