The Villain Refuses to be Corn Snake!

Chapter 2- Reincarnated!

“Otis, why did you bite me? I thought we were friends.” A young Henry asked Otis.

‘You don't know anything, do you!? You are the reason why I have reincarnated to this sorry excuse for a snake. Only if I got reincarnated to something more powerful, I already have killed you the second we meet. That's how much I hate you.’

These were the words that Andreas wanted to say. However, he only kept it in his mind. But these were the words that came out of his mouth.

“Sorry about that, Hiss Henry. I thought you were an enemy, Hiss.”

“I guess you still cannot move on from the kids that traumatized you?”

‘Anyone who has traumatized me was you and this cursed snake. I hate you.’ Again these were the words running through his mind.

But like before, these were the words that came out of his mouth. “Yes, I thought you were that kid, Hiss Henry. So I'm very sorry if I have bitten you, Hiss.”

Henry picks Otis, who was now Andreas and puts him above a fireplace. “Then why don't you join me, Otis?”

“Join you on what, *Hiss*?” Asked Andreas or Otis while raising his head.

“Join me in training, and together let's become the strongest adventurers. Then the two of us will go on an adventure, earn money, become heroes, and meet a ton of beautiful sexy girls, hehe.”

‘This kid had a weird perverted smirk after saying the last thing about girls. I guess this adds as proof this was the hero Henry. He may be righteous with heroic desires, but his perverted attitude is still assertive. No wonder he was almost defeated by my succubus underling. However, I cannot blame him, especially since the human flesh is weak to desire. But he should at least control his lust.’

“Training, you say? I think I can't.” Andreas (Otis) replied to Henry as he lays his entire body and enjoyed the fireplace's warmth.

“What are you saying, Otis! Because you are weak, you should train. That way, no one will bully you anymore! Like what happened to me, now that I mastered the basics of the sword, no kid wants to bully me.”

Henry spoke these words with a massive smug grin on his face. Only for Andreas to reply by rolling his eyes, which disappointed Henry's optimism about training together.

Henry lowered his head in disappointment. “I guess you're not feeling it.”

But the disappointed Henry suddenly turned into a childlike attitude. Similar to the perspective when arguing with a friend. Then Henry yelled, ”Fine! If you don't want to! I'll train by myself, and I'll show you how powerful you can become by just training!”

After that, Henry rushes out of the house, leaving Otis alone.

‘Such childish behavior, this proves that you are undeserving to save this world.’

However, Henry returned after a few seconds and pointed his index finger at Otis. “You! I'll show you an incredible power you have never seen! And when I finish with my training! I will unlock a hidden power inside me that will defeat even the strongest foes! So don't come crying for help when you get bullied again, cause I'm not going to help you anymore! Bleh!”

‘Such a childish behavior, his optimism on becoming powerful will only lead him to the path of ruination.’

However, as Andreas thought of that, he suddenly realizes something.

‘Wait! Did he say unlock a hidden power? Could it be? There's a possibility that he has trained so hard that he could have opened a hidden power without noticing it? Maybe he could have unlocked the force that led to my unacceptable defeat. It's a high possibility. However, I am still unsure he is capable of achieving such a feat alone. Then I have to observe, and if training is the way he gained that power, I need to sabotage Henry's training.’

‘I may be a weaker creature right now, but my intellect is of an adult. So scheming wouldn't be that hard. However, having such a body still poses a struggle for me. Not only that, the mysterious voice left me a message. Telling me that I could regain my strength as I grow stronger.’

Otis (Andreas) immediately crawled down, but he realizes that the fireplace was a pretty high place for him. Andreas faces his first problem in his new body.

“This is higher than what I have expected. Will I even survive this fall with this fragile body? Well, this is a good test to find out.”

Andreas jumps down to the floor, thud. He felt his entire body vibrate upon touching the ground. However, he felt an only dull pain, but he has no significant injuries as he checks his body.

‘Now I have to follow that stupid child.’

Andreas crawled towards the gaps in the door of the house where he could fit his entire body. Upon exiting the house, Andreas instantly saw the young Henry swinging his wooden sword under a maple tree. However, it was not only Henry that Andreas saw.

A man somewhere in the age of forty and fifty was sitting under the tree. Just a few meters away from Henry. Andreas (Otis) crawled towards them, and Henry notices him.

“So you decided to train! You're a coward, just as I thought.”

“Henry! That's enough! The way you talk is unbefitting of a knight. Now do a hundred more swings!”

“Y-yes, Master!”

But after that, the man looked at Otis (Andreas) and spoke, “So you are the critter that this child saved.”

“Yes, I am, and sorry for being rude for not introducing myself, good sir.”

Andreas bows even with a snake body by slightly bending his neck and introduces himself. “I am Otis, a lowly corn snake. And you are?”

“I'm Plaredel. You are pretty intelligent and respectful. But this kid was not lying at all when he said that he found a talking corn snake.”

“Am I that rare? Then I will consider that a compliment, sir Plaredel.”

“You are too polite, unlike a certain brat.”

Henry looked took a peek at Plaredel as he knew that he was the one that Plaredel was hinting at Otis.

“I know it must be troublesome for you. Training a brat like Henry must be hard.”

Plaredel gave the nod answers, “Yes, that is correct. You know my troubles, I did not even want to train a brat like him if it weren't for the thing that I owe his father.”

“Owe his father? May I know what you owe his father, sir Plaredel?”

Plaredel moved closer to Otis and replied, “ It's a complicated thing, scaly creature. But I'll tell you this. It was something of a big deal, so I have no choice but to obey.”

But as Andreas (Otis) was listening, he noticed the necklace worn by the man.

‘That necklace, it seems familiar.’

Then moments later, a surge of memories struck Andreas. Once again, he looked at the man's necklace.

‘This man, I remember him now. He was the knight that I killed. He may seem honorable, but in reality, he's rotten to the core. Until now, he only shows empathy to his kind and to anyone who respects him.’

“What are you teaching Henry, sir Plaredel?” Otis (Andreas) asked as he gazes back at Henry, still doing a repetition of swinging his sword.

“I'm teaching him the fundamentals of sword art and enhancement magic. This kid is not a genius. I would say his average compared to the guys I have taught before.”

‘So the Hero Henry is not that strong, however even with this, I still have to vigilant. But I will not just stand here idly while he grows stronger. I will observe his progress as I also train myself. That voice left a message that I can regain my powers as I grow my strength.’

After that, Andreas crawled away from the two and said, “I'll be going somewhere now. Also, Henry, sorry about before. I hope you will forgive me.”

“Uh? Sure, but…”

“I don't need to explain, Henry. You already know why, but I still can't train with you.”

‘I have to train no matter what happens. I have to destroy this wretched world along with its greedy inhabitants. This world does not deserve to exist. Then its fate shall be destruction. To achieve that, I must become strong and regain my powers.’

Otis crawled and looked for something that he could use for his first training. Then he saw something useful. A dying rat, Otis, crawled toward it and observed its situation.

‘Looks like I have found something useful. This rat will be my first test subject. The skills I have right now raise undead and soul eater.’

‘Raise undead is a dangerous skill, forbidden by the church of humans. It raises the dead into a loyal servant. It will continue to fight until it becomes immobilize or wholly obliterated. Meanwhile, the soul eater is a skill that can turn the enemy's soul into practical healing magic. But it has two specific conditions to be used. The enemy must be near the line of death, the reason, the soul, is more accessible to pull out.’

‘The second condition is for the user to be almost near identical but not entirely the same to the target's status. So, in other words, I have to hurt myself before I can use soul eater. But the problem is my current mana. It might not be probably enough to use soul eater. But I can increase my mana by having to use it even it fails. But as the saying goes, it's sometimes better to take risks to see better results.’

After that, Otis (Andreas) looked for anything dangerous that could hurt him, laying down the ground. Unable to find anything useful, Otis crashed his head to a stone.

Otis felt dizzy after bumping his head against the stone. However, the damage he received was not enough. So he once again bashes his head against the rock.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Otis continued until his head started to bleed. Even how painful it was, he continued to bang his head against the rock. He kept going until his entire head turned flat and his insides start gushing out.

‘Endure! Endure! Endure it! Remember, you have to destroy. You promised, Andreas! So endure it! No matter how painful. Train and hone your body until you regain your former self!’

Otis, drenched in blood, felt weak after bashing his head into the rock multiple times. But even he was weak, Otis still crawled towards the dying rat. He gazed at it as it was gasping its last breath.

’My mana is still insufficient to use soul eater. But I can always try and force this body to grow rigid. That way, I can contemplate my poor health to a body that can take a ton of punishment. Now I will be testing my skill on this subject.’

Otis glared at the rat and chanted in his mind, ‘Soul Eater!’

A purple magic circle then appeared below the dying rat. Then a purple orb came out of the rat's stomach. The purple ball flew towards Otis, and his body absorbs it. Then the wounds that he inflicted himself started to heal. However, before he could witness his wounds heal, Otis suddenly felt tired. He felt his body weighed heavier unexpectedly, and slowly his eyes closed.

‘This place.’ Andreas woke up again in the river of blood with his old body. But unlike before, he did not drown; instead, the blood river level was just in his ankle. It's because he was near the bank of the blood river. Andreas observed the place and saw the human organ-like ceiling.

Then Andreas set foot on the bank, where he felt the same sensation when stepping on a muscle unprotected by the skin. Well, that was the closest thing that he could compare the feeling to anything he has experienced. It has a pinkish color, and the entire area reeked a bloody stench.

“Did I die again?” Andreas spoke as he looks behind where the river he came from lays.

Then the familiar voice spoke, “You were close to dying again.” Then someone touched Andreas on his back. But before he could turn around.

“Huh!?"

Andreas woke up to his new body as Otis. There he saw the dead rat that he used his soul eater skill. Then he looks further away he saw Plaredel and Henry eating dinner. Even though a single candle only lighted the room.

“Oh! Your awake now, Otis.” Plaredel spoke after he takes a sip of ale in his mug.

“W-what, Hiss happened?”

“You should be more careful when hunting for food, Otis. Children these days would harm anything they see. We saw you behind the garden bathing in blood next to that dead rat. We also saw a bloody rock. Good thing my healing magic was enough to heal your injuries.”

“I see, then thank you, sir Plaredel.”

“Next time, Otis, be careful. However, I wanted to ask you a question.”

“What is it, sir Plaredel.”

“About your injuries, I saw you drench in blood. However, there are no signs of injuries in your body. I only found out that you were injured after I touched your head. There I found out that you have a shattered skull. So may I know-how that amount of blood came out?”

“To tell you the truth, I don't know, sir Plaredel. Hiss”

Plaredel looked at Otis with a suspicious gaze. Otis noticed this, so he immediately looks directly at Plaredel's eyes. Otis did not even blink to show Plaredel that he has not lied.

“Very well, I believe you then. Be careful next time when you hunt for food. Who knows, I might not be even here to help you anymore.”

“Thank you for your worries, sir. I will keep your advice in mind.”

After that, Otis heard his belly grumble. Then he looks at the dead rat in front of him. Hesitation arises in Otis's eyes as he looks at the dead creature.

‘Such a vile creature to think that I have to eat such thing. How have I fallen from greatness to this? But I have to endure and survive until then. I must follow what my body needs.’

Otis opened his mouth and tried to swallow the rat without chewing. Otis felt every hair of the rat as it entered his mouth. Slowly Otis pushed the rat into his body. Then he crawled towards the table's foot and used it as a support to make the rat go deeper into his stomach.

Otis or Andreas did not know how a snake would do it. But he did not want to be found out by the people staying with him. That his a snake that can not do snake-like things.

After swallowing the rat whole, Otis suddenly felt tired. Then he gathered his entire body and fell asleep under the table.

Morning happened, and Otis woke up after hearing the sounds of the rooster. Then he heard another sound. It was the sound of wooden swords clashing towards each other.

Otis crawled towards the gap of the door. However, the rat that he had eaten has not disappeared yet. So he was only able to get a peek at the two people dueling.

Swoooosh! Claaaaank!

‘Looks like Henry is training. His moves are truly average, as Plaredel said. Henry's skills are somewhat predictable. Seeing this makes me question; if Henry was truly the hero who defeated an immortal like me? But even with this performance, I still have to be careful. Children tend to go stronger as they age. Then by that saying, I also have to train, or else I would remain weak in this body.’

Otis went outside the house and trained his skill. What he used was his raise undead skill. After using his soul eater skill, Otis noticed a significant improvement in his mana. So he was able to use the talent, but only once for now. His test subject was a dead bug.

“Now, a bug returning from the dead would not cause too much of a stir. This bug will do for my first try in reanimating the dead. Something like this Beatle will be fine, it's small, and people don't care about it.”

Otis gazes at the dead bug and concentrates his stare. Then he chanted, “let this soulless body rise and abide my bidding. Raise Undead!”

A magic circle appeared on the ground where the Beatle laid dead. The dead Beatle slowly absorbed the magic circle. When the magic circle vanished, Otis suddenly felt weak. But not as fragile as before when he first tested the soul eater skill.

“Looks like I was successful, but my body is weak. However, it's not as bad as before. So it means the mana I possess increased in amount. So progress is being made.”

After saying those words, the dead Beatle started to move its legs and raise from the dead. It then crawled towards Otis and seemed to kneel before him.

‘That's right; these guys will do everything you order them to do. Maybe I can use this guy; however, for now, I'll let this guy be on standby for my plans.’

Otis continued to do this training every day. His goal was to increase his mana, as well as make his skills stronger. Slowly Otis unlocked the power he has before. It was a sign of progress as he could use his skills almost every day until the amount he could use his abilities in a day increased. But Otis kept his training in secret. Plaredel and Henry did not know of his secret training for nearly three years. So both of them had the impression that Otis was weak and useless.

Until one day, Otis revealed to them that he had acquired a skill. It was a support type of skill. This newly acquired ability can regulate mana usage. It can decrease the use of mana of a combatant who is using magic by almost twenty percent. So it was a good deal for people with low mana, or if someone will be going to a long-term combat situation.

Andreas was confused when he found about this but realized that it was the unique support magic that the snake Otis naturally has. So it was normal for him to gain, as he is now the snake Otis.

One year later, Otis grew stronger but was still far from his former self. Meanwhile, the young Hero Henry hasn't mastered the techniques that Plaredel taught him. But one day, Plaredel said his goodbye to the two even though Henry was unable to master the sword.

Then after that, Henry started to change.