I dragged my body through the tunnel, my scales scraping against the cold, damp floor. The stale air clung to me like a heavy blanket, and water dripped somewhere in the darkness, echoing like distant whispers. Ahead, faint blue and red scales shimmered—the other serpents, silent and slithering forward. I trailed behind, lost in my own head.
Why… why did I choose the Earth Serpent?
Its strength was supposed to protect me, but all I felt was the crushing weight of slow, clumsy movements. My scales were tougher, but every time I coiled, I felt like I was moving through mud. And worst of all, I couldn't heal myself like some of the others. Every scrape and bruise lingered.
Lost in thought, I slammed into the tail of the blue serpent.
"Ah, sorry," I muttered.
"Get outta your head, goofbutt," she said with a light tone that felt strangely familiar. Her words sparked something—like an echo of a life I had once lived—but it slipped away before I could grasp it.
I started moving again, but the red serpent turned its head and stared at me with burning eyes, sharp as daggers.
He looked like he wanted to strike.
"…I don't need this," I muttered, forcing my voice to sound steady. "I think I'm going to be by myself."
The blue serpent tried to convince me to stay, but I slithered past them without a word. I didn't have the energy to deal with anyone—not anymore.
The Forest
The tunnel felt endless, but eventually I found a break in the stone. A pale light spilled through the crack ahead. I pushed through and emerged into a forest that looked both beautiful and deadly.
The air was thick and damp, heavy with the scent of moss and rotting wood. Shafts of sunlight cut through the canopy like blades, scattering dust motes that glimmered like gold in the gloom. Every sound was amplified—the drip of water, the creak of branches, the distant snap of twigs under unseen feet.
The forest was alive, breathing. Watching.
My tongue flicked, tasting the air—earthy, sharp, tinged with prey.
I slid out into the sunlight cautiously. The warmth on my scales was tempting, but I knew that warmth meant being seen. Being seen meant death.
I kept close to the roots of a fallen tree, belly scraping along the mossy ground. Hunger burned through me, gnawing at my insides. That's when I saw it—a lizard, fat and slow, basking on a rock.
I struck without hesitation, coiling around it and crushing until the life drained out of its body.
[You have consumed: Forest Lizard.]
+2 XP.
Level Progress: 18/30 XP.
The hunger dulled, but only slightly. I needed more.
Sliding forward, my senses flared—something heavier was moving. The earth itself seemed to pulse beneath me.
The underbrush split apart, revealing a monitor beast, its body plated with jagged ridges like natural armor. Yellow eyes swept the ground, scanning. I flattened myself against the soil, praying it wouldn't notice me.
But something worse arrived.
The Black Serpent
The air grew cold, sharp, suffocating. From the shadows slithered a black serpent, larger than any creature I had ever seen. Its scales glistened like oil, every ripple of muscle smooth and terrifying. Its crimson eyes locked onto me, and my breath caught.
This wasn't just another predator.
I knew him.
He was reincarnated, like me.
Even the monitor beast backed away, unwilling to face him.
I wasn't given the same choice.
The black serpent attacked without warning, its body a blur of shadow. I dodged by a fraction of an inch, but its tail lashed into me, throwing me into a root. Pain seared through my body. It circled me slowly, like it enjoyed my fear.
[Warning: Critical Threat Detected.]
I lunged out of desperation, but my strength was nothing compared to his. His body coiled around me like an executioner's chains, squeezing the life out of me.
The earth trembled.
Stone-Burrower
The ground split as a Stone-Burrower erupted from below, its jagged armor scraping against the dirt. The black serpent hissed, turning its gaze away for a heartbeat.
I fled into the shadows, heart pounding. But as I slithered, another Stone-Burrower clawed its way out of the ground. Hunger flared, and I struck.
I coiled around its plated body, tightening my grip until cracks spidered across its armor. It screeched and thrashed, but I didn't let go. When it finally went still, I devoured it whole.
[You have consumed: Stone-Burrower.]
+6 XP. Level Up! (Level 2)
Trait Acquired: Earth-Touched Scales.
Your scales resonate with the strength of stone, reducing physical damage.
Skill Unlocked: Earth Pulse.
Send vibrations through the ground to detect movement or disrupt enemies.
I added my points to luck hoping it would help me escape the black serpent.
Attunement Unlocked: Lucky Curse.
Your strange fortune twists fate itself. But beware—luck demands a price.
I froze as the new attunement's words burned across my mind.
Lucky Curse?
I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this.
A whisper followed, soft yet cruel:
"You'll survive. But only because I'll make sure survival hurts."
I slammed my tail into the earth, sending a tremor outward. The black serpent hissed in the distance but didn't pursue. I didn't feel strong. I felt hunted. I felt watched.
Death Coil
Night swallowed the forest, the air growing colder and heavier. Every shadow seemed to move, every sound gnawed at my nerves.
The black serpent returned. Its crimson eyes glowed like burning coals.
I used Earth Pulse, sending vibrations through the ground, but he pushed through them, relentless. His body slammed into me, and his coils crushed down.
I fought. I tried to escape. But the voice of the Lucky Curse laughed inside my head.
"You're not strong enough. You never will be. You'll just keep dying. Over and over. Forever."
Why am I even trying? I thought. What's the point?
I stopped fighting.
[You are on the brink of death.]
The Rebirth Curse
Darkness. Silence. Cold.
For a moment, I felt peace. Maybe this was it. Maybe I was finally free.
But the voice came back, darker, heavier.
[Attunement Path Detected: Soul of the Unyielding.]
"Oh, no. You don't get to quit. Not now. Not ever. I'll drag you through fire, through blood, through failure. You will crawl. You will fight. And you will suffer for trying to stop."
Accept this path?
Yes: Rebirth, chained to endless struggle.
No: True death.
"No!" I screamed into the void. "I just want peace! I want to stop!"
"You have no choice."
[Attunement Accepted: Soul of the Unyielding.]
The Lucky Curse has awakened the Rebirth Curse. Each death strengthens your body, but rots your mind. Each rebirth makes leveling harder, each chain pulling tighter. Every level one point goes into luck.
Fire ripped through me. My body burned, reformed, scarred with bronze streaks that felt like chains etched into my scales.
[Rebirth Complete.]
Level Reset: 1 (0/33 XP).
Attunement: Soul of the Unyielding (Cursed).
Buffs: +5% to all stats.
Permanent Buff: Crushing Resistance.
I awoke under the same log, trembling. My mind begged me to stay still, but my body slithered forward like it was controlled by invisible strings.
"I hate this," I hissed. "I hate that I can't stop."
Somewhere in the distance, I heard the black serpent's hiss, cold and mocking.
(After Rebirth):
HP: 29 / 29
SP: 10 / 10
Level: 1 (0/33 XP)
Attunements: Earth / Gravity (Drake),
Curses: Lucky Curse, Soul of the Unyielding
Skills: EarthPulse, Earth Spear, Stalag-Might, Gravity Slap, Earth Defense
Passives: Beginner Diver, Beginner Hunter
Stats (With Curse Buff):
STR: 3
DEX: 1
INT: 1
RES: 2
END: 6
VIT: 7
FAI: 1
LUK: 8 (increased from Lucky Curse)