Han Soi was actually the heir of the Winged Serpent Clan, one of the four noble clans of the empire. Even among them, he was famous, as he was one of the youngest genius Orc...someone who reached SSS rank at such a young age. Everyone called him a prodigy, a rising star blessed by the heavens.
But even a genius couldn't escape the fate of beastmen.
He still hadn't found a female.
And the stronger he grew, the worse his condition became. His spiritual riots came more frequently, each one more painful than the last.
The emptiness in his body grew deeper, and his spiritual sea...something every beastman depended on…was slowly cracking under the intense pollution. With every fight against polluted beasts and polluted zones, his condition becomes worse.
If he didn't receive spiritual comfort from a female soon, he knew the result clearly.
He would become a deranged beast.
It wasn't a joke or an exaggeration. He had seen it happen to others. And he knew the signs in his body were getting worse. Sleep had already left him. Whenever the riot hit, he would stay awake in a half-crazed state for weeks, even months.
So when he opened his eyes now, he froze.
He had… slept?
He blinked hard and immediately opened his terminal. The date made him pause.
One week.
So only one week has passed?
His expression changed. This wasn't normal. His first and second riots had locked him inside the skyscraper for weeks. The latter one was even worse...two entire months where he could barely think, barely move, and barely hold onto his sanity. Yet now, he had snapped out of it in just three days?
"How…?" he muttered with a confused expression.
His head still felt heavy. His body was weak. But the madness that usually clung to him after every riot… it wasn't there. He felt strangely calm.
He pushed himself up slowly and looked around. He was still inside the skyscraper...his private safe zone on the 20th floor. But something felt off. He frowned and tilted his head slightly, his sharp instincts catching something faint.
A soft… breathing sound?
He instantly went on alert. His hand moved to his pocket, where the sound came from. But it does not have a threatening aura. In fact, the presence was so tiny he wouldn't have noticed it at all if his years of fighting in polluted zones hadn't sharpened his senses to this degree.
He carefully reached inside.
His fingers touched something warm.
He pulled it out and froze.
A tiny snake lay curled on his palm, oblivious to the storm brewing inside him, sleeping soundly. It wasn't even large enough to cover his palm. Its little body rose and fell with each soft breath. It even let out a tiny snore.
"…What is this?" he whispered with a stunned expression.
Where did this little thing come from? He inspected it closely. Was it a polluted beast from the polluted zone? But no... polluted beasts carried chaotic auras, violent energy, and dangerous fluctuations.
This little snake was the complete opposite.
There was a faint, pure, soothing energy around it. The fine crystal-like particles around the snake shimmered slightly, calming his spiritual sea the moment he inhaled the air near it.
His whole body stiffened.
This sensation… this comfort…
His eyes widened immediately.
He moved closer, almost in disbelief. The dull stabbing pain inside his spiritual seas...the one that always tormented him after every riot was fading. Little by little. Just because he was near this small creature?
"Is it… because of you?" he whispered.
He stared at the sleeping snake again. It has no reaction. It simply curled tighter in his palm and snored.
He sucked in a shallow breath.
Then realization crashed into him.
He had snapped out of his riot and madness in only three days…
Because of this tiny creature.
Shock struck him so hard he sat frozen for several seconds. Then a rare, faint laugh escaped him...it was disbelieving, relieved, and almost overwhelmed.
"This… this is priceless," he murmured.
He had entered the polluted zone simply because it was the only place where he could vent. The skyscraper used to be a prosperous, advanced city belonging to their empire. But a few years ago, the area turned into an A-level polluted zone. Not the most dangerous, but dangerous enough to help him endure his spiritual riots.
He had locked himself here on purpose. No outside contact was possible after stepping into the zone. His family and clan members could only check on him occasionally from the perimeter.
So until they came to check on him, he planned to wait because there is no way anyone can go outside from here without external help. This place was completely sealed so no polluted beast can escape from here.
So now he has already snapped out of his haze, then maybe he should hunt a little. Maybe see if he could find some more treasures. Polluted beasts all carried rare materials.
But this tiny sleeping creature was beyond any treasure he could imagine.
He debated briefly whether he should take the snake with him. But he quickly decided against it. The 20th floor was his personal space. His scent filled the entire area. No beast would dare step foot here unless it wanted to die immediately.
Leaving the snake here was the safest choice.
Besides… if he took it with him and it somehow slipped away, got injured, or he lost it in battle… he didn't even want to think about the consequences.
So he placed the little snake gently on the huge bed. It curled deeper into the bed, comfortable and peaceful.
With that, he left to hunt.
Hours passed.
And when he returned, he was covered in the blood of the polluted beasts. His eyes were tinged with red again, madness hovering dangerously at the edges. But he hadn't completely lost control yet.
He stepped into the room and near the tiny snake.
Instantly, the chaotic fog inside his spiritual sea trembled.
Then… calmed.
He turned his head.
The little snake was still there, curled up on the bed, sleeping peacefully.
Just its presence quieted the storm inside him.
He didn't even bother cleaning himself. He simply peeled off his blood-soaked outer clothes and collapsed onto the bed. His body sank into the sheets with a heavy thud.
Carefully, instinctively, he reached out and cradled the tiny snake to his chest.
Warmth spread across his body. The dull ache in his spiritual sea eased. His breathing slowly steadied.
For the first time in a long time… He felt sleep clouding his eyes.