“Naga, O Serpent God!”

“Naga Naga!”

“Naga Naga!” (original: Hindi)

“What are they saying?”

The gathered villagers, all prostrated in reverence, were chanting similar words in unison. Curious, I tilted my head—and the interpreter quickly leaned in to whisper quietly in my ear.

[It means ‘Naga, King of Snakes.’]

“Ahh.”

So it was a chant praising the King of Snakes.

They were repeating it over and over like a refrain. Apparently, whether in Podarlap Palace or anywhere in India, the Golden-Crowned King Serpent was universally revered as the King of Snakes.

Even without any special explanation—just based on her appearance.

‘Well, fair enough. You look at her, and no further explanation’s needed.’

In the Central Plains, we called her a spirit beast—Golden-Crowned King Serpent—but by the standards of ancient myths, the being Cheong-yu Sojeo shares her body with should be recognized as a goddess. She matches the image of Nüwa from Chinese legend almost exactly.

And yet for some reason, only in the Central Plains is she treated as an animal—her rank somewhat diminished.

Outside of the Central Plains—in India and at Podarlap Palace—she’s seen as divine or demi-divine. A Naga.

So it’s not surprising that all three cultures revered her as a god.

‘Still, with the sunset and all this atmosphere, it really does feel like a divine descent.’

As the chanting continued, the red twilight cast from the sun hanging over the mountaintops drenched the world in crimson light. It set the whole mood.

Red petals rained down as villagers scattered them into the air.

And then there was Cheong-yu Sojeo herself—who already had an intimidating, ethereal aura. That hadn’t changed even after she became the Golden-Crowned King Serpent.

Combined with this dreamlike setting, she radiated an almost supernatural mystique.

As the twilight touched her scales and suffused her form in crimson light, she lifted her head ever so slightly—and her voice echoed in my mind.

『—Sia. (They’re really... really worshipping me? I didn’t believe it...)』

It must’ve been close to sunset—time for the usual mental switch between the Golden-Crowned Serpent and Cheong-yu. Lately, even the hint of twilight was enough to bring Cheong-yu out.

『“Well... you are a god to them...”』

I was just about to reply when a sharp scream rang out from one side of the crowd.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Sānp!”

“Yeh ek sānp hai!” (original: Hindi – “It’s a snake!”)

From the rear of the crowd, people began parting like the Red Sea.

‘What the—!? Muslims!?’

My heart jolted. Could it be the Muslims had appeared after all?

Tenzin, our guide and officially ordained monk, had scouted the village beforehand and reported no sign of any such threat. But maybe something changed.

There was no reason for such commotion while a god was present—unless it was something serious.

Then I heard it—a very familiar sound, buried among the panicked Hindi and women’s screams:

—Ssshhhk!

‘Wait... that’s a snake warning call.’

I turned toward the commotion—the direction in which the crowd had split—and saw them.

Three enormous snakes slithered forward through the parted villagers.

—Ssssshh!

They hissed again, spreading their neck hoods wide as they moved. And then—gracefully—they stopped in front of Cheong-yu Sojeo.

And bowed their heads.

‘Holy—!’

Three massive Monocled Cobras had just paid homage to Cheong-yu Sojeo, their hoods flared, heads lowered in reverence.

They must have sensed her presence from the outskirts, where they likely roamed due to the abundance of small rodents nearby.

‘They’re full-grown... This is insane!’

Each was over two meters long, their iconic hoods spread wide. These were the creatures I’d been hoping to find in India—Monocled Cobras, known in Korean as Dan-angyeong Cobras.

They’re called Monocled because of the distinctive single eye-like marking that appears on their hood when flared—a trait common to their species. But they also go by another name:

Spitting Cobras.

That’s what I was here for.

These snakes don’t just bite—they spit venom. Like an angry older brother hocking loogies through clenched teeth.

They can spit venom up to three meters.

And they aim straight for the eyes.

It used to be thought that this behavior evolved to ward off larger predators, but recent studies have suggested otherwise.

According to the latest findings, spitting cobras evolved their venom-spitting specifically as a defense against humans.

Why? Because the timing of their evolutionary leap perfectly coincides with the rise of humans.

Their venom trajectory? Calibrated to human eye level.

‘Heh. Perfect. Talk about lucky. I found them as soon as I entered India.’

Sure, I wanted them for their /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ rarity and venom type—but the real reason was practical.

After Allok and Dallok were injured, I needed a substitute partner to execute the latter three strokes of the Venomous Snake Life-Seizing Hand.

Until I acquired a true spirit beast, these snakes were the perfect interim partners.

I couldn’t afford to risk harming them in close combat, but if I wore them on my arms and had them spit venom from range?

Nothing better.

No need to approach. I could neutralize enemies from afar.

Spitting cobra venom contains three-finger toxins—a powerful neurotoxin that causes searing pain on contact with the eyes.

Without rapid treatment, the venom can erode the cornea, cause ulcers, and eventually lead to perforation and secondary infection-induced blindness.

‘Perfect. These guys will serve well until I get my spirit beast.’

Grinning inwardly, I called to them.

[Come here, little ones.]

—Ssshhh! Ssshk!

They slithered over immediately and coiled themselves around my arms and waist.

And just like that, the reverence for Cheong-yu Sojeo extended to me.

“Naga. O Serpent God!”

“Naga Naga!”

Hearing those chants again—clearly aimed in my direction now—I turned to Tenzin with a baffled expression.

“W-what’s going on?”

“Naga are known to have human upper bodies and serpent lower bodies... but they can take fully human forms as well. Seeing you control snakes like that—they now believe you’re a Naga.”

“Ah...”

I should’ve been more careful. I was so happy about finding spitting cobras, I hadn’t considered how it might look.

And now I was being lumped in with Cheong-yu Sojeo as a god.

Just then, a frail old man approached with great reverence and bowed slightly.

“I am Arjun, the village chief. Since Naga speaks the Central Plains tongue... may we invite you to our temple?”

“A temple?”

“Yes, O Naga.”

To trace any signs of the Five Venoms Sect bastards, I needed to talk to the village chief.

Since this village lay directly westward from where we’d been heading, if they’d seen the locusts pass through, it meant the Five Venoms were beyond this point. If not, we’d have to check the area between the village and the mountain range—we hadn’t scouted that stretch when we circled around.

So I nodded and followed him toward a cliff at the edge of the village.

Or more precisely, a cave carved into the cliffside. When we stepped inside the large cavern, I was met with the sight of numerous stone statues.

This was clearly the temple.

The statues looked to be meticulously crafted, carved directly into the stone walls—but one thing stood out: all their faces had been smashed in.

‘What the hell? Why sculpt them so well, only to ruin the faces?’

Puzzled, I turned to the chief, who seemed to notice my expression and offered an apologetic explanation.

“It is a shame, O Naga... That was the work of the damned Muslims.”

“Ah...”

Of course. Hinduism allows for many gods and icons, including elaborate statues. But Islam forbids the creation of any representations of God or divine figures, so in both this life and my past one, I’d heard of statues being defaced or destroyed.

Even the face of the Sphinx in Egypt, they say, was destroyed for similar reasons.

As Cheong-yu Sojeo and I stepped up to the front of the temple, the villagers approached with garlands made of flowers and placed them on our heads.

And just as the garlands settled—

—Ssshhh! Sssshhh!

‘Another Spitting Cobra?’

That was my first thought.

But then the warning sound changed.

—Shhhhheh... shheeeeh!

It wasn’t the normal breathy hiss that snakes make through open glottises—it was deeper, darker, almost like a growl.

‘W-wait... this sound...!’

Chills shot down my spine.

I knew this sound. I’d heard it thousands of times in documentaries and clips.

A snake’s growl—an eerie, primal sound that fills the listener with fear.

It could only be one thing.

King. A King Cobra.

And just then, it emerged—its massive six-meter-long body slithering out from between the ruined statues at the back of the cave.

It appeared and disappeared between the flickering torchlight as it moved toward us—an enormous serpent.

A King Cobra.

‘Holy—... I think I might faint.’

This wasn’t a time for my usual dramatic “Gyaaaah!” reaction.

After the Spitting Cobras... now this.

My mind felt like it was going to short-circuit.

Six meters long, with a wide, flattened hood.

Black stripes adorned the front of its spread hood.

It was the world’s longest venomous snake, and one of the top ten in my past-life venomous creature quest.

A King Cobra—capable of killing even elephants, alongside legends like the Black Mamba and Russell’s Viper.

Its presence was overwhelming.

‘This is heaven.’

We had only just entered India—and already venomous beasts were coming to greet me.

This bachelor trip was turning out to be better than I ever imagined.

***

The air in the temple was now filled with the savory scent of curry.

The chief had prepared a meal for us.

‘Wow... real Indian curry. You can really taste the difference.’

As I savored the rich flavors, I received flustered private transmissions from Hwa-eun and Sister Seol.

[So-ryong, i-is it edible?]

[Yes, it’s delicious.]

[So-ryong, are you okay eating that?]

[Absolutely. It’s amazing.]

[Every bite floods my nose with spice... I don’t know how you’re handling this.]

I loved authentic Indian food, and had gone to specialty restaurants a few times even in my past life, so this was no problem for me.

But for them, the explosion of spices was apparently torture.

Indian cuisine can be incredibly rewarding once you get used to it—but getting used to it takes serious time and effort.

‘Is this... saffron rice? The aroma is insane.’

While I was blissfully immersed in Indian gastronomy, the others seemed to abandon the meal and shift focus to the locust swarm investigation.

“So, just to confirm—you’ve seen no sign of locust swarms in this region?”

“That is correct, O attendant of Naga.”

Everyone except for Cheong-yu Sojeo and me was referred to as our attendants, but the point was clear: no swarms had passed through this village.

“Then... have you seen any outsiders? Any Central Plains folk or suspicious individuals?”

“Please wait a moment. I will ask the villagers. Has anyone seen any Central Plains person or any suspicious individual near the village?” (translated from Hindi)

“Chief, I saw a suspicious person near the ruined Shiva temple” (translated from Hindi)

The chief turned and questioned the villagers. After some hesitation, a man shyly raised his hand and said something in Hindi.

At his words, the interpreter and Tenzin’s faces both brightened.

Tenzin turned to me and explained cheerfully:

“Oh! Someone has seen a suspicious person—near a ruined Shiva temple?”

“It’s the one northwest of here. It used to be the largest temple in the northern region, but it was destroyed over a century ago by the Muslims.”

“Sounds like that’s where we need to start.”

If the people occupying that temple turned out to be Five Venoms scum...

Well, I’d already had my fill of Indian curry—and it’d be time for them to get a taste.

A spicy Spitting Cobra special. Straight to the eyes.

Would make for a perfectly balanced roast.