So I'm a Snake, So What? (Kumodesu x OC)

6 - Abandonment

Ryoshi. Currently, my most valuable companion besides my Parallel Mind. An good fighter, and an even better brick wall to get behind! But, with the encounter with the Elroe Basilisk, he's not doing the best. The Basilisk petrified a good part of his front leg, thus, he's not as mobile as usual.

I figured the best way to fix this, as with most of my problems in this world, was to go on a killing spree. Committing possible war crimes that none of the things down here are smart enough to document.

Thing is, there's nothing here to kill! The cavern we're in seems almost void of monsters, aside from the weird looking bats too high up to reach, both with Ryoshi's claws and my heavy magic, and...

『Rot Resistance』
『Rot Attack』

Them...

So, I figured we had two options:

1. Head back into the Lower Stratum and set all the progress we made getting here to zero.
or
2. Fast-track our trip to the Middle Stratum and hope we can take out whatever we could there.

Of course, I chose the latter, because even if we can't get kills there, it'd be good to know what's waiting for us once we're ready.

I told Ryoshi the plan (whether he could understand it or not), chose a direction, and set off again.

.

It felt like we were walking around for hours, with no noticeable sign that we were getting any closer.

(Maybe we chose the wrong direction?)

Possible, but if that's the case than even we wanted to head back to the Rat Tunnel, we'd have a hell of a time getting there...?

What's that?

A few ways ahead of me, I noticed a couple shadows moving around. Now, anyone would be right to assume it was just another monster, being down in a place like this, but with the sizeable footprints they left behind, it was hard to imagine that. So that must mean...

(Humans?)

I slithered up to the footprints. Sure enough, I was much larger than what I could guess was the average human's foot. So, I guess all the creatures walking around here aren't just microscopic in comparison to everything outside.

I activated Heat Perception and followed steadily and stealthily behind the group of... 1, 2, 3,4... 8 guys, and motioned Ryoshi to do the same.

(Hmm... I wonder what they're doing down here anyway.)

Maybe they're adventurers? Here on some kinda quest? This world's already like an RPG, so I wouldn't brush off the idea of some kind of guild existing.

(Mm.)

...Now that I think about it...

Appraisal!

【Human    LV23    Gaikin】

【Failed to appraise its status】

The guy, Gaikin, stopped dead in his tracks, quickly turning around with his sword drawn. I did my best to stand still, hoping Stealth would be enough to keep me hidden.

(Weird. He put his guard up as soon as you appraised him.)

Yeah. And the appraisal failed, just like with Araba. I wonder if getting appraised is something you can feel and decline to? That would explain why he got all defensive so sudden- Huh?

As if on cue, I felt some odd sensation going through my whole body. Like that feeling you get when someone stares at you for too long, like they're peering right into your... soul...