Just another generic story from another world

Well, hello again, Kai's back. In case you forgot the last chapter with all those perspective changes, let me quickly get you up to speed, alright?

As you know, I reincarnated in a cave as a monster. Very original, right? Just like some certain spider and the most OP slime in history. Anyway, I went down the mountain and into a cave, almost dying a couple of times. Surprising? I know. So, after hiding from a titanic battle, I stuffed myself with the remains of a... something?

And what did I do next? Nothing out of the ordinary, of course. Just impulsively jumping through a hole in the cave. A super intelligent, well-thought-out decision. As always, setting trends.

Now that you're caught up, let's continue.

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"Well, at least I'm sure there are no spikes or deadly traps around here... I've just ended up with my body turned into mush. Splendid."

Shaking off the dust as best I could, I looked around.

"Wow, this cave is even smaller than the other one I was born in. It's almost oppressive. Is it just me, or does the air feel heavier here? Look on the bright side: at least there's only one way to go forward..."

Despite that reasoning, I couldn't help but try to climb back up. And, yes, I did, even though I knew it was only going to make things worse. Don't laugh, please. It was a terrible idea, I admit.

After that pathetic display, I accepted my fate and moved on.

***

Even with this thin, flexible body, making my way through the crack was becoming a real hassle.

"Who thought this was a good idea? If I'd just gone around the outside of the mountain, I'd probably be in a forest by now, or who knows, even in a village. Not here, struggling through the intestines of a mountain."

To top it off, the path was full of moss and cobwebs. Good thing I kept my mouth shut, except when I opened it to complain and, at that very moment, some cobwebs got stuck in my mouth. Yeah... I definitely need to learn to keep quiet.

The good news is, if there's moss, there must be water somewhere, right? That was my reasoning, at least. Although, at that moment, I would've killed for a bit of hydration, so maybe I wasn't in my most lucid state.

As I continued with my endless self-criticism, I felt it: something moved on... my back? My neck? Well, whatever it was, I thought one of the spiders that had woven these tapestries was about to try my flesh. So, instead of staying there, I did the most prudent and reasonable thing that came to mind: speed up and move on, completely ignoring any injuries to get out of that passage as quickly as possible.

Obviously, I didn't mean I would kill for a bit of water. I mean, look at me... Well, you can't see me, but you get an idea of what would've happened if I'd had to fight.

I could call it a record: I got out of there in just a few seconds. Quite an achievement. Yes, impressive, but when I left the crack, I did it with so much speed that I ended up flying forward, not even knowing where I was going to land.

The good part? I fell into a lake. The bad part? I didn't know how to swim with this body, and I had no idea how long I could hold my breath.

So, from a certain point of view, maybe there wasn't a good part... Yeah, I really shouldn't have jumped through that hole.

The water completely surrounded me, pressing against my body with relentless force. My lungs — or whatever was left of them — burned from the effort, and desperation began to set in. I didn't know how much longer I could hold on. My movements became more clumsy, and panic took over.

It was like everything was crushing me, like the water wasn't just around me, but inside me. I couldn't see anything, not even tell if I was sinking or just floating in the chaos of the liquid darkness.

Suddenly, without knowing why, something made me move. An instinct, a hunch. "If I could just turn..." I thought, not really thinking about how or why, just the idea that maybe if I moved a certain way... I could find a way out.

Twisting my body, like my own skin was a rope, I started to spin. At first, it was just chaotic movements, but then something began to make sense. The water started to move, to separate from me, pushing me upwards. With each spiral, I felt my body struggle against the water that kept trapping me, but each turn brought me closer to the surface.

Does that seem illogical? Something that would only work in an animated series? Well, don't believe it if you don't want to, but in the end, I made it out of the water. Catching my breath, I realized I hadn't even drunk any water. I had just thought about how to get out, about surviving. So, after a few moments lying beside the lake, I finally approached to drink, and that's when I saw, for the first time, my own reflection.

You know? I was pretty attractive for being a snake, I'd even say adorable. Or maybe I was just delirious from exhaustion, but I'm not complaining. The colors of my scales I probably mentioned before, but just in case, they're gray with a slight greenish touch. From my eyes to the tip of my tail, a chain of runes runs all over my body, and they're a dull green, almost without shine, like they're fading into the darkness. Honestly, I really liked my new "clothes," especially since green is my favorite color.

But of course, there was one little detail that threw me off...

"What's that? Is that some kind of earring... Can snakes wear earrings? I don't even have ears. How didn't I notice this before? It's pretty eye-catching..."

Indeed, I had some kind of "earring," or at least that's what I decided to call it at the moment. Honestly, it seemed strange, but I didn't pay much attention to it. It was just a shiny silver trinket with a red gem in the center. And when I say red, I mean an intense red, like the gem was about to catch fire. And come on, red? Why did I have a red gem on a body that screams green everywhere?

I turned to look for another path.

"Ah, right, almost forgot to drink some water."

Ahem... ignore that.

The cave I found myself in now was as large as a volleyball court. It was full of stalactites, moss, and some minerals that, from their glow, seemed quite valuable. There were several exits, but before playing the lottery and choosing one randomly, I looked back at the crack I had entered through. That's when I came to a conclusion:

There was never a spider behind me, it was just one of the webs brushing against me, mocking me. Well, the joke was on me. The number of times I got hit from rushing, and the fact that I almost drowned... If I had a health bar, I'd definitely be under 10 percent.

Remember when I spent too much time deciding on a path when there were only three? Well, now there are about ten... I'm not wasting all that precious time again. So, here's my brilliant solution.

It's really simple. I'm just going to keep spinning until I get dizzy and take the first exit I see. How's that? Smart, right? Better not answer.

I'd love to tell you which one I went through among the ten, but I don't even know myself. Well, anyway, somehow I ended up in a smaller room with only one exit, another crack.

As I turned around, the ceiling collapsed, trapping me inside with only that crack as a possible exit. I don't know how anyone else would have reacted, but my eyes lit up.

"Is this one of those impossible coincidences that always happen to protagonists at the worst moments?"

Spare me the comment. I know I have no way to defend myself from this and I'm not even going to try.

***

In the end, I ended up in a room not much bigger than the previous one. This time there were a lot of rocks, several webs, and some minerals. The only important difference was that now there was a spider. So I quickly hid behind one of the rocks.

"This can't be, my first forced fight. About time it happened..."

The spider still hadn't seen me — or at least, that's what I hoped — and while I thought of some strategy to skip the fight and sneak past her...

What? Did you really think I was going to jump to my death? Maybe I should try it... I mean, at some point I'll have to do it, right?

I must have thought out loud or something, because somehow, the spider spotted me.

"Oh God! I really hope I have plot armor..."

The spider climbed right on top of the rock I was hiding behind, and in the blink of an eye, my body moved on its own. I shot forward. A moment later, the spider lunged toward my previous position, aiming to sink its fangs into me.

Of course, I wasn't there anymore, and the spider only managed to crash into the ground, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Hey, having this 'enhanced instinct' is... Incredible. How many times have I been saved by it already?

There was no time to think. Without looking back, the spider charged at me again, fury in its many eyes.

I coiled up like a spring and leaped on her. The spider's charge ended up smashing her into a rock, breaking it into multiple pieces. But she didn't seem to care, all she wanted was to sink her fangs into me at any cost.

When I landed again, I quickly turned around, only to see, in the blink of an eye, the spider tying a web to one of the stones and throwing it at me. I had no choice but to run across the whole room, praying that she would run out of ammo before I ran out of breath.

"What the hell is going on!? Since when do spiders do this!?"

***

"How much time has passed already? How many minutes have we been doing this?"

Who am I kidding? It's probably only been a few seconds, which is depressing. I was already exhausted. The spider, with no more stones to throw at me, charged again with her head down. The cycle repeated: she charged, I dodged. I never found the right moment to counterattack.

Maybe because I'd never fought in my life. Or maybe because I was too nervous to try.

By the time I gathered some courage, it was too late. I felt a pull on my tail, then on my side, and finally, my whole body was stuck to the floor. Every charge I'd dodged had left a trail of webs... and I hadn't noticed until now.

I couldn't move. I couldn't escape.

"Shit! Since when do monsters have this level of intelligence? Was my first opponent supposed to be this smart? Maybe I'm the fool here..."

Well, that was my end. I was stuck to the floor, immobile, as the spider approached with its fangs ready. My mind flooded with contradictory thoughts: anger, resignation, and something else.

I didn't want to go out just like that.

"No... no way."

If I was going to die, it wouldn't be without doing something. It wouldn't be without fighting.

"If this monster's going to end me, I'll at least leave it with an unforgettable memory."

Maybe I could even take it with me.

With the little mobility I had left, I moved my head and prepared my jaws. If I was going to fall here, at least I wouldn't leave without leaving my mark. I could crush a couple of legs, or pierce its side. Something, anything, to strike back.

"Come here, bastard! I have a gift for you."

The spider paused for a moment and then started moving forward slowly, deliberately. It wasn't because it was cautious, no. It knew I couldn't escape. It knew and enjoyed it. Every step it took was a mockery.

Looking down on me.

Enjoying its superiority.

"Bastard, you'll regret this! Come closer, you piece of shit!"

The air left in my lungs burned with fury, but more than that, it burned with my pride. What did this stupid spider think? That I was just another prey?

No, this prey was going to teach it a lesson. A scar it would never forget.

"Asshole, you think you're so smart, huh?! You're just a giant shitty spider, but here you are, acting all high and mighty. But don't worry, if I go, I'll make sure you remember me every time you look at your fucked-up face in some puddle."

Why the hell was it taking so long? Come on already, you damn idiot!

Patience was no longer an option. The spider was right there, just inches from my reach. My whole body trembled, not from fear, but from pure hatred.

Finally, I felt it. Its fangs pierced what could now be called my neck, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but this:

It was within my reach.

In an instant, I dislocated my jaws, stretching them to the max, and sank my fangs into its torso. One bite wasn't enough. No, no. I bit again, and again, each one fiercer, deeper, crushing legs, tearing through flesh. My world narrowed down to one thing: destroying it.

And then, when my body could barely take any more, I launched one final bite with all my strength, right into its head. I felt the connection, like my hatred pierced my venom and burned its brain from the inside.

Then I felt how the spider's bite became less and less oppressive, losing strength with each second, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered until I exhaled its last breath and it was reduced to pieces.

The weakening of its bite only allowed me to move more freely, increasing the power of my own attacks. After a few seconds, the spider, or whatever was left of it, collapsed to the ground. Several of its legs were crushed, deep gashes crossed its body, and from a horrendous wound in its head, a viscous black liquid flowed. I guess my venom had mixed with its blood.

Revolting.

In that moment, it was like I woke up from a dream.

"What happened to me? Wasn't I about to die? I can admit that in my previous life, I was... a bit resentful, but barely, almost nothing. Well, fine, I was pretty resentful, but what I just felt a moment ago, that fury... it was disturbing."

The fact that I killed the spider didn't change that I still couldn't move, with its venom running through my veins. I wasn't really in a position to celebrate. But you know what? I felt amazing. I was happy. The spider was dead, and I was still alive. Though probably not for long.