Takeru swam—or more like floated—moving himself toward the tree by flapping his tail up and down until he arrived on the other side, drenched in water. But he didn't feel cold, and his body almost instantly dried.
He slithered toward the tree, sitting slouched against it with his back, like a human would, which was a pretty interesting sight to see.
Well, that was anticlimactic, he thought as he glanced toward the devilish army retreating, going back the way they had chased him from.
Heh, I guess rats can't swim after all, he thought as he let out a chuckle.
Okay, now that I've dealt with that, what's this thing that appeared above my head?
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, the bell noise appeared again, and a blackish, transparent screen appeared in front of him.
His eyes widened. What the hell is this thing!? he swung his tail through it.
I guess I can't touch it. Should I just wait until it goes away? he thought before he heard that strange bell again, and another window popped up beside it, although this one was smaller.
On the small window were the words:
—————
SYSTEM NOTICE
Swipe left to continue...
—————
So, I reicarnated into another world called Majestiar. Yep! That sounds about right.
His eye twitched. The hell it does! If people really got reincarnated or whatever, then those streamers would've already live-streamed this! He swung his tail around violently, creating a small dust cloud.
He frowned. Let's see what other nonsense this so-called "System" has to say.
He used his tail to swipe left as the system specified.
—————
INFORMATION
> Reincarnator:
The lucky soul that gets a second chance at life.
> System:
The guide used to teach a transmigrator what they need to know. It will disappear after first activation. There are certain points around the world where any normal human or transmigrator can check their abilities, stats, and skills—called System Tablets.
> Magic and Skills:
Every organism possesses mana, but not every being can use skills. Any being can use magic if they know how to channel their mana, but every being only possesses one magical element.
Swipe left to continue...
—————
Takeru looked at the screen, holding his chin up with his tail. Reincarnation... I can somewhat believe that, but magic? And skills? How would that even work? he continued to swipe.
—————
FINAL MESSAGE
Good luck surviving in this world. As a farewell present, you'll be given a starter pack containing random skills, items, or equipment.
Open pack: Yes/No
[Yes]
Opening pack...
Legendary Skill:
Mana Eater gained.
Equipment:
Black kimono ×1 gained
Blue obi ×1 gained
AmeTsurugi ×1 gained
Items:
Inventory Ring: Low ×1 gained
Information Scroll ×2 gained
—————
As soon as Takeru gained the last item, the screen completely disappeared, and the equipment and items fell on the ground right in front of him. His eyes flickered—he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. It was like some kind of magic... yes, magic.
He started to believe what the System told him about being reincarnated in another world. He wasn't by any means upset or sad. If it meant he could live again, snake or not, he would gladly accept it.
After the small screen vanished, Takeru's attention fell on the things lying in front of him.
He slithered away from the tree and surrounded the items on the floor before inspecting them. Clothes and a... sword. I think it was called AmeTsurugi (Sky Sword).
The sword was a clear blue, like his eyes, and resembled a katana—if it wasn't one already. Takeru looked at the items with narrow eyes.
Talk about useless items when I don't even have hands! He thought as he sighed.
He looked past the items he considered junk and focused on the inventory ring and the two information scrolls.
He gently touched the ring with his tail when suddenly it started to glow black. He quickly pulled his tail away, covering his head in a defensive pose as the ring sucked up every single item like a superpowered vacuum. When he lowered his tail away from his eyes, he could only see the ring in front of him.
He exhaled. Phew! That scared me! I didn't think the ring would work like that... but how do I get the stuff out of it?
He tilted his head, trying to figure out the ring, before tapping it with his tail.
Nothing happened.
What!? Didn't it work like this? Is it broken?he thought, shocked.
He tapped it and rubbed it with his tail for a good while, but nothing happened. Seeing that nothing was working, he decided to slip his tail through it, and strangely, the ring started to shrink tightly, matching the girth of his tail.
As Takeru saw this, there was no more doubt in his mind that he had transmigrated into a magical world. But then he began to remember what the System mentioned—that only the strong survive. In this unfamiliar world, Takeru felt just as powerless as he had back then.
As a child, Takeru was an orphan, having to fend for himself. He lived in an orphanage where the most liked and those a bit more talented than the rest got more attention and food. He was just in the middle of that, for only one reason—how he looked.
Survival of the fittest.
This rule became ingrained in his existence. He started to do things that would only make him better than his previous self. That was until he found out about snakes—the animals made to survive. Even if they weren't the strongest, they contained deadly weapons, not just one but multiple.
The situation he found himself in now was exactly that of a weak yet strong creature. But even the strongest weapons break over time. That was when reality hit him like a thunderstrike—he couldn't stay this weak, not when one unknown creature, like that giant who-knows-what from earlier, could instantly end his life.
With his mind made up and a heart as hardened as iron, he decided he would learn more about skills, magic, and, most importantly, this new world.
He slithered toward the tree, his eyes determined, when a thought popped into his head.
Am I forgetting something?