In gamer terms, I became what is known as a 'camper'. Abusing my color scheme, I hid inside algae, and whenever a fish stupid enough to approach it came close enough... I struck.

Ambushing unsuspecting targets was risky, as everything in this damn ocean was, but it was far, far less risky than trying to capture prey out in the open. Furthermore, it allowed me to punch well above my weight.

This was demonstrated particularly well when I successfully caught and killed a 60-centimeter fish with extremely sharp-looking teeth.

The bastard actually bit me so hard he almost ripped a chunk of my side off, and I had to wait for the rest of the day in the grass, waiting for the wound to slowly heal. I was very, very thankful for the fact that everyone's healing factor was, frankly put, nonsensical.

Anyways, after 4 days of constant ambushes, with an average of 5-6 kills per day, I ended up receiving a tidy sum of points, which I'd chosen not to invest yet.

[Nameless] [Adolescent Snakeling]

Age - 0 years

Level - 7

Constitution - 5

Strength - 6

Dexterity - 3

Intelligence - 3 (?)

Wisdom - 1

[Special] Poison - 4

Remaining points - 10

Skills - (Bite Lv. 12), (Swim Lv. 4), (Constriction Lv. 9), (Headbutt lv. 5), (Inhale Lv. 4), (Venom Injection Lv. 5)

I was honestly pretty proud of myself for having made it this far. I'd finally gotten used to moving around in my serpent form, although I rarely ever really went away from my little nest amongst the algae.

I also apparently didn't really need to sleep all that much, only about one or two hours per day.

I hadn't yet fallen into any other comas, thankfully. However, something in me told me that soon enough, if I managed to continue eating as well as I had and gaining exp, I would be forced into one.

This both excited and scared me, to be honest. I'd grown to more or less be one meter long at this point, and as far as I knew, every time of the comas happened I would shoot up in size.

In this ocean, size really was king. You could be a level 100 goldfish and probably still die to a much larger but lower leveled shark. Well, maybe, I wasn't completely sure as I couldn't tell levels, but it was quite evident that being big usually meant being strong.

Like the titanic murray that inhabited a crack in a large boulder some hundred meters from my area. Damn thing must be at least 6 or 7 meters long, and most things around here try to give it wide berth, including me.

I must say, though, being a snake in the ocean might sound bad, but after around a week of living here, I have to admit that I'm starting to like it.

Other than the threat of survival, there is nothing hanging over you. No social expectations, no impossible deadlines to achieve, no all-nighters to finish work you won't get paid for... There is absolutely zero rush here, and it shows.

Most things barely move except when hunting. Otherwise, the monsters here usually do their own thing. Sunbathing, sleeping, or just... sitting there.

It's weird. Really weird. However, I can't say I dislike it. Sure, I would enjoy some more action of the non-murder kind, but I take what I can get.

Which, right now, includes a pretty large meal coming over to my area. Most of the 'residents' of my little area have, by now, learned to steer clear of my spot, but this one must be a newcomer.

As the silvery fish that vaguely reminds me of a barracuda passes next to my algae, I wait until the very last moment, and then I strike.

Using a combination of my bite and venom injection skill, I can figure out the best spot to bite that would prevent the fish from striking me back while I can pump as much of the sweet, deadly stuff into the bastard's body.

I fought ferociously to drag the large fish over into the algae, and it was a hard fight indeed. The fish tried it's damn best to either bite me or escape my grasp and coils, but I'd already learned ways to prevent such a thing.

I coiled half of myself around it and used the other half to swim as hard as I could over to the algae. As its bones gave out and its nervous system began to fail it with all the venom pumping into its body, it began convulsing, and that was the moment I won.

It's resistance quickly fell apart, and I dragged it into my little area just as quickly. Now hidden, for the most part, I got to work swallowing the delicious-looking meal.

I might be called a coward, but after seeing my new level-up notification... I couldn't bring myself to care.

Coincidentally, along with my level-up, I felt a switch go off in the depths of my mind, telling me that I would soon fall into a growth coma. I hurriedly pulled up my status and then went into the deepest and most hidden part of the algae patch I inhabited.

I dumped my points somewhat evenly, deciding that it was better to be average at a lot of things than good at a few. Following that, I allowed sleep to claim me.

[Nameless] [Adolescent Snakeling]

Age - 0 years

Level - 8

Constitution - 9

Strength - 9

Dexterity - 5

Intelligence - 5 (?)

Wisdom - 1

[Special] Poison - 6

Skills - (Bite Lv. 13), (Swim Lv. 4), (Constriction Lv. 10), (Headbutt lv. 5), (Inhale Lv. 4), (Venom Injection Lv. 5)