The air in the grand throne room was thick with the scent of old stone and incense. Prince Cedric, a young man with tired eyes, watched from beside the throne as a circle of brilliant blue light flared to life on the marble floor.
Thirty-seven teenagers stumbled into existence within its glow. They wore strange, dark uniforms, their faces a mix of awe, terror, and confusion. The summoned heroes from another world.
From his elevated seat, the aged King Aldric observed them. His gaze swept over the group, a flicker of concern crossing his weathered face before he smoothed it away. He waited for the murmurs to die down before raising a hand, his voice calm and resonant.
"Welcome, chosen ones. Welcome to Midgard."
A tall boy with glasses, Kaito, stepped forward. "Where are we? How did we get here?"
"You have been summoned," the King explained patiently. "Summoned from your world to ours. A great evil threatens us. The Demon King, with his twelve lieutenants, the Calamity Lords, marches from the Crimson Wastes. Our armies are strong, but not strong enough. You, blessed with unique power, are our final hope."
Another student, a boisterous boy named Takeshi, clenched his fist. "Power? So we get like, magic and stuff? Awesome!"
"Yes. The summoning ritual awakens the latent energy within you. You will now possess what we call 'mana'. It is the lifeblood of all magic and skills."
"Skills?" Kaito questioned, ever the analyst.
"Indeed. A skill is an ability granted to you, fueled by your mana. They can be anything from a simple flame spell to a passive boost to your strength. You will find them listed in your mind's eye, should you focus."
A girl with pigtails, Yumi, looked at her hands. "I see... something. It's like words, but not. I just... understand it. It says I have [Appraisal] and [Cure Light Wounds]."
"Excellent!" the King beamed. "A healer is a valuable asset. You all have different aptitudes. The mages among you will see spells. They are structured magic, more powerful and complex than a skill, but requiring study and incantation. Your power will be ranked from F to S, with S being the pinnacle of mortal achievement. The Demon King and his Lords are all at least A-rank."
He gestured to a stoic knight in silver armor standing by the door. "Sir Gideon here is a B-rank knight. He could defeat a hundred common soldiers. You have much to learn, but your potential is vast."
He let that information settle before continuing. "For now, you will be given rooms, food, and instructors. You will learn to control your new abilities. In one month's time, your training will begin in earnest."
A boy with a lazy posture, Kenji, yawned. "A month? Sweet. Free vacation."
"This is not a vacation, young man," the King chided gently. "This is a reprieve. A chance to prepare for a war."
Kaito, ever observant, looked around the group, a frown forming. He counted silently. Thirty-six. His eyes scanned the crowd again. Thirty-six students, plus their teacher, Mr. Tanaka. They had started with thirty-eight. Mr. Tanaka was here... so who was missing? Then it clicked. The quiet girl. The one who never spoke, always had her nose in a book or her eyes glued to her phone, reading some story. Shirori.
He turned to the King. "Your Majesty. There were thirty-eight of us. Thirty-seven students and one teacher. I count only thirty-seven people here."
The King's face paled. Sir Gideon straightened. A frantic recount was done by the students themselves. Panic began to set in.
"She was right next to me!" one girl cried. "Shirori was right there in the circle!"
"Shirori?" the King asked.
"A classmate," Kaito supplied, his voice tight. "A girl. She's... quiet. But she was definitely with us."
"Perhaps the magic... misfired?" Yumi suggested, her voice trembling.
Sir Gideon stepped forward. "Your Majesty, if the summoning was imperfect, she could have been deposited anywhere within a hundred-mile radius. Or... she could be lost in the space between."
The words hung in the air, heavy with dread. For the lost girl, the situation was both far simpler and infinitely more terrifying.
---
Consciousness returned to Shirori not as a gradual awakening, but as a sudden, sharp snap. One moment there was nothing, the next, there was awareness. And pain. A dull, throbbing ache throughout her entire being.
Where am I? she thought. Did I faint? Was it the weird light?
She tried to open her eyes. Nothing happened. Panic began to claw at her. She tried to move her hand to rub her face, but her arm wouldn't respond. In fact, she couldn't feel her arm at all. She couldn't feel her legs, her body. All she felt was a long, sinuous pressure against... everything.
Slowly, a different sense kicked in. A flickering, forked tongue tasting the air. The world bloomed into being not as a visual image, but as a symphony of scent and vibration. She could smell the damp earth, the rot of ancient leaves, the sharp, territorial musk of a thousand creatures. She could feel the heavy footfall of something large, far in the distance, through the ground beneath her.
What the hell is going on?! she screamed internally. Why can't I see? Why can't I move my body?!
Desperation gave way to a strange, detached observation. She tried to look down at herself, and this time, a new sense flickered to life. It wasn't sight, not really. It was more like a mental image, a cold readout of data that superimposed itself over her understanding.
Species: Juvenile Forest Viper
Status: Healthy
Mana: Low
Skills: [None]
Shirori's frantic mental screaming stuttered to a halt.
What... what is this? A system? Like in my novels?
She focused on the words 'Forest Viper'. The image in her mind sharpened. She saw a long, sinuous green body, scales the color of young leaves, a triangular head, and two small, barely perceptible bumps on its head. The body was hers. She was the snake.
A snake. I'm a snake. A snake with a status screen. This is so not how the summoning was supposed to go.
Just as the full, crushing weight of her situation began to descend, a new presence bloomed in her mind. It wasn't her own thoughts. It was a voice, clear, calm, and distinctly female.
"Initial sync complete. Welcome, Host. I am the System Interface. I will be your guide and companion."
Shirori's thoughts, usually a quiet murmur in the back of her own head, exploded into a full-blown shout. A VOICE! THERE'S A VOICE IN MY HEAD! OH GOD, I'VE GONE COMPLETELY CRAZY! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU READ TOO MUCH ISEKAI, YOU START HALLUCINATING THE TROPES!
The voice responded, its tone unchanging. "I am not a hallucination. I am a construct designed to assist in your growth and survival. This forest, the Primordial Veil, is the most dangerous location on the continent of Midgard. Your current form is ill-suited for survival. Therefore, accelerated growth protocols have been initiated."
Wait, you can hear my thoughts?! That's an even bigger invasion of privacy! And what do you mean, most dangerous?! Panic surged again, a hot, frantic wave. I'm a tiny snake in the most dangerous place in the world! I have no skills! I can't even see properly!
"Your senses are adapting. What you perceive as scent and vibration is a superior form of spatial awareness in this environment. As for skills," the voice continued, "you now have one."
A new notification appeared in her mind.
Skill Gained: [Observe (Novice)] - Allows the user to glean basic information about a target. Effectiveness increases with skill level.
Shirori's panic momentarily receded, replaced by a spark of genuine interest. Oh! Okay, okay, that's good. That's a good start. Like in those litRPGs I love. So, I just... think about using it?
"Affirmative. Focus your intent on a subject."
Cautiously, Shirori extended her strange new senses towards a nearby tree, a towering behemoth with bark like iron. She 'thought' the word Observe.
[Ironbark Tree] - A common, highly durable tree of the Primordial Veil. Its bark is prized for crafting low-grade weapons and armor.
Whoa, she breathed, her internal voice filled with awe. It actually worked. It's like a little info box. This is... this is actually pretty cool.
Her fear was slowly being eclipsed by a burgeoning sense of wonder. This was exactly like the stories she devoured. The lonely protagonist, transported to another world, granted a unique power. Except she was a snake.
"Based on initial threat assessment, immediate survival is your primary objective. Your current mana pool is insufficient for any combat application. Recommend finding a food source to increase mass and mana capacity."
Right, right. Food. What do snakes even eat? she wondered, panning her sensory focus across the forest floor. She felt the skittering of tiny legs. A centipede, long and dark, was navigating the leaf litter a few feet away. She focused [Observe] on it.
[Giant Forest Centipede (Juvenile)] - A common pest. Low in nutritional value, but a safe first meal for a juvenile viper. Aggressive when threatened.
A giant centipede?! she shrieked internally. I have to eat a giant bug?! I'm a snake, not a monster!
"You are a snake. Snakes eat what they can overpower. This is a manageable target. Move slowly. Strike when its back is turned."
Shirori wanted to argue, to whine, to do anything but this. But the gnawing emptiness in her long, new body was becoming a physical ache. She was hungry. Desperately hungry.
Slowly, hesitantly, she began to move. It was awkward at first, a series of jerky, uncoordinated undulations. But her body knew what to do. Within moments, the movement became more fluid, more natural. She slithered through the damp leaves, a silent green shadow.
She approached the centipede. It was huge, at least as long as her current body, its many legs a horrifying blur. But it wasn't looking at her. It was focused on a chunk of rotting fungus.
Okay. Okay, you can do this. It's just like in those nature documentaries. Quick strike. Just... do it.
With a burst of speed that surprised even her, Shirori lunged. Her small fangs, still soft, sank into the centipede's segmented body. It thrashed violently, coiling and uncoiling, its legs scraping against her scales. But instinct took over. She held on, her body beginning the slow, methodical process of constriction, even though she hadn't consciously decided to.
After a few tense moments, the centipede went still.
Congratulations! You have defeated a [Giant Forest Centipede (Juvenile)]. Experience points gained.
Ding!
You have leveled up!
Shirori -> Level 2
Mana capacity increased. Physical parameters increased slightly.
A wave of warmth, pure and invigorating, flooded through her. The ache in her body vanished. She felt... stronger. More real.
"Excellent," the voice commented. "First blood. Now, consume it. This is how you will grow."
Shirori, still riding the high of her first victory and the strange, pleasurable feeling of leveling up, didn't even hesitate. She unhinged her tiny jaw, an act that should have been impossible, and began the long, slow process of swallowing the centipede whole.
As she felt the meal slide down her throat, a single, triumphant thought echoed in the mind of the gloomy, introverted girl who never spoke a word to her classmates.
Alright world. You made me a snake. But you also gave me a system. Let's see who's more dangerous.