《Ribbit ! I became a frog.》 1 - Swimming against fate The darkness. I am enveloped by it. Devoured. I''m carried off inside this nothingness. I dont know where. All i know, is i feel sleepy. I remember i''ve been hit by a falling scaffolding. I''ve been just in time to push a girl and her kid out of the way, but not enough for me... I fell like I''ve lost a lot of blood... it''s that bad... But if i drift away and close my eyes now, i know i will never wake up again. So i need to stay conscious. ... I, feel numbness... It isn''t good... So tired... So cold... So... N... NO ! No matters what, i will stay awake ! Stubborness is my greatest fault and greatest pride ! I will ! I will not ! I will not sleep ! I WILL NOT SLEEP ! ... -NOT SLEEP ! ...I do not know how much time i''ve been repeating this mantra to myself, but the tiredness is finally gone. Only... Everything around me is still the pitch black void from before. No light. No sensations. No sounds. Just an empty space... Perhaps i''m in comatose state ? Or, more horrible, tetraplegic ? Prisonner on my own body ? SHIT ! I need to get out ! Do something ! " - ... !" ... And surely, nothing come out when i try to yell ! " - ... !!!!!" SHIT SHIT ! I continue to yell for ten good minutes i think, until I resolve myself to start walking... Well, more like swimming my way out of here. And you know what, when you have no point of reference, it''s freaking hard to know if you''re actually moving or staying in place ! But, if i don''t do something, i will turn crazy from anguish, so i will move, i have to be moving ! Heave-ho ! ... And like that, time pass again. How much ? I dont know. I don''t feel thirsty, hungry, or tired. As practical it seem, in reality, it spell bad, really bad. I must be in a serious state, like the one you wont wake up from... Crap, surely, i''m not... ? No, no, no, i need to still have hope... If not, doing nothing mean i die, really... And now that i think about it, actually, i''m still thinking and remembering clearly everything about me, so at least my brain still work, right ? So there IS actually a possibility to wake up ! The hope exist ! Ok, so, for now ! Let''s resume swimming the fuck out of here ! Even if it''s only in a metaphorical way, and i actually do nothing, it keep my cerebral activity on track and give me a goal ! Here, in a different style, even ! The stroke ! The crawl ! Butterfly ! Frog-style swimming ! ... And, again, a unknown bunch of time passed. I think i would gain a gold medal if i was in a swimming marathon. I tried everything i remembered about differents swimming style, even the strange dolphin one i barely seen one time in a old internet video... Well, you need to pass time like this, so you can keep your sanity up, right ? Remembering old videos and replaying old movies in your head, to help you stop thinking about depressing thoughts, you know ? And, when i was remembering some old The simpsons joke... ... i spotted a little light flying away, in a corner of my vision. I instantly changed my cap, or for all i know tried to do it and crawled my way in this direction. I don''t know what is it, but it''s a damn moving thing and it''s not me ! I dont know if it''s a metamor... Meta... Well i''m too excited to think straight anymore, but it must mean a way to wake up from this black hole zone ! I will not let you escape ! TA?AUT !!The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. And that damn light-thing sure fly fast, but with all my training, i''m fly-swimming much faster ! And in a short bunch of time, i''m already on her heels, or the equivalent for her ! I''m close to it, so i can now observe it further. It''s a white light bulb, leaving behind a long light trail who look like a tail. Almost like a sper- Ho, it finally spotted me and is suddenly trying to accelerate ! But too bad, my friend, i''m still faster ! I chase her for some time until i''m able to position myself just on top of her... And i seize her with my arms. When i do it, the light instantly vanish in myself, like some ice pushed against a hot flame, and a foreign sensation begin to seize me. Then, the empty void around me begin to vanish. Yeah ! I''m waking up, finally ! I sense the breath of life again and some old sensations beginning to tickle my sense of touch. Some mild heat also start to permeate me, and I found myself wrapped in a white cocoon. It feel quite stuffed in here, but the fact that my sense are now back and kicking franckly overjoy me ! Even the sensation of being extremely feeble is pushed away in a corner of my mind, because it''s pretty normal since i must have slept for a really long time, right ? The muscles must have been atrophied from lack of exercise. I quickly try to push against this white cocoon. I need to let them know I''m awake ! For some reason, i still cant muster any strenght from my arms, so it leave me with only my head to try to push my way out instead. The sensation when touching the white membrane feel really slimy and sticky... What is that, some new medical technic ? Well, dont care, it worked, good job about that doctor bro ! Now, i need to get out ! I cant wait to see people again, after what have feel so long for me ! Finally, the cocoon broke, and i am free ! I open my eyes wide and start calling for people. But. What await me is a really, really, sad disillusion...
Welcome to the plane of ¦¤??¨]¨€¡Ì¡Ô?
Advantages of a sentient mind have been preserved. Status of the host have been adapted to be presented in a comfortable manner for the soul to understand it. Now annoncing pre-incarnation rewards. You have successfully seized the possibility to live again, while being a drifting soul ! You have successfully retained your memory and sanity withouth any decay after death ! You have successfully trained your spirit through pure stubbornness to strive and become something greater ! Permeating effects on the new host...
WHAT IS THIS ? A blue screen appeared before me the moment i opened my eyes. It''s a Windows error on the medical stuff ? I cant process what''s happening anymore !!
You have gained the title [Ancient soul] ! You have gained the title [swimming in the nether] ! You have gained the title of [Against everything, i still persist] ! You have gained the title of [Tadpole] !
What ? What is this ?
Status : normal (shocked) (just born)
Name : [no name yet] EXP : 0.0 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)
HP : 5 MP : 5 Sta : 2 Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, i still persist] [Tadpole]
Strength Stamina Dexterity Speed Intelligence Charisma Soul Magic 1 2 1 1 50 2 550 5
Skills
Tiny 1 - -
Growing 1 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - - -
- Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable*
Equipment : -
Okaaaay, everything is clear now ! The mystery resolved itself ! Haha. I''m dead. Haaaahaha. And in another world, to boot. And i''m not even human anymore... HahahahahaaaAAaaaaaaa... A little tadpole passed out and sunked at the bottom of the pond, while his brothers and sisters were trying their best to swim out of their own eggs, this day. 2 - Where is the vinaigrette ? Some time after regaining consciousness~ Behind a tiny algae who seem like a baobab for a tiny creature~ Ok, let''s summarize all that happened. First, i died. "SHIT SHIT SHIT MOTHERFUCK-" Nonono, should have seen this one coming. You cant take the debris of a collapsing scaffolding in the head withouth dying... I died, that''s all, for fuck sake... Why me... Haaaaa... What can i do... I hope my family is alright at least... Still, now that i''m able to think clearly about it, when i have been roaming around in that black space, really, a lot of time have passed... I must have died long ago... And more importantly, not on this planet... I just hope they have all lived a good life, after me... I will probably never know... Haaaa, no use to keep mourning for days about that... All is long past now... I will see later if something can be done, but first i need to survive... Sigh~ At least, i died as a hero, saving people. I could have died strangling myself with a donuts. It''s less glamourous.... Haha... I''m pathetic, right... Dying for random strangers, and not my loved ones... ... Ok, stop depressing uselessly, it will not make the problem resolve itself... Let''s focus on the situation at hand. I was about to say the second point : i''m in another world. Or plane. Or dimension, universe, whatever. Seem really silly, but looking at that... undeniable proof, it''s real. I only have to strongly think "status" :
Status : normal (perplexed) (just born)
Name : [no name yet] EXP : 0.0 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)
HP : 5 MP : 5 Sta : 2 Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, i still persist] [Tadpole]
Strenght Stamina Dexterity Speed Intelligence Charisma Soul Magic 1 2 1 1 50 2 550 5
Skills
Tiny 1 - -
Growing 1 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - - -
- Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable*
Equipment :
Yes, like that. It brings us to point three : I''m a friggin'' frog. No, not even a frog yet, i''m a tadpole. What the heck, is it because of the form of the light-thing i captured ? If it was an insect, i would be a cockroach ? A starfish ... ? Why something like that ? I was human before right ? Nothing is written on the blue screen to explain why i became a fucking frog wanabee ! "And for starters, i dont understand half of the meaning of the others informations on the status tab, where is the help ? Where is the F1 button or the hotline ?"
Limited explanation available.
Haaa ! It''s working ! I need to think "stongly" about it, and it work, hu. Yeah, because as a tadpole, underwater, it''s would be difficult to ask something out loud. Logical. "Blue guy, i would like to know what is this world and where am I."
ERROR#02 Impossible to ask about others subject than auto-diagnostic. ERROR#04 Impossible to have details about it. Missing : [Inspection skill], [map skill], [history skill], [magic sense skill], [information skill], [Medical knowledge skill], [Soul spirit-
"Yeah yeah, ok, ok, just stop spamming, it hurt my head !" I cut it short since the number of skills were just starting to pile up withouth sign of stopping anymore, giving me a headache. Sooo, guess i can only inquire about myself, huh ? What about these ERROR and whatnot ? It''s a computer speaking to me ? "Seriously, it''s a video game world or what ?"
Answer : No. This configuration appear only to people who need a presentation of their status. It use part of your brain to analyze, organize and present the information in a satisfying and easy to understand mean. Also use a predetermined template already used by sentient being of high intelligence on this plane.
"It use my brain ?!? How ? And why dont i know everything withouth having it writted inside this thing, if it''s already on my brain ?"
Answer : It''s due to the magic power your soul have been in contact when coming to this plane. Dormant parts of the soul, then the brain, have been activated. More information will be available with the skills [Magic sense] [Inspection] [Auto-diagnostic] [Biology] [Magic engineering] [Magic research] [Imprint].
"Huuuh, okay. Let''s leave that for later then. What is a skill anyways ? Like a video game, i yell the name and it launch itself ?"
Answer : Skill represents how prolofic you are in actions or knowledge, with mental, physical and magic, in a certain area of expertise. Can be simplified at the degree of professionalism on a field. Many different skills available in forms, actions, special functions and activations needed.
Okay... I would like to put my hand in my forehead to calm the headache, but i dont have hands... I will perhaps understand better with examples... "So what about the skill i have, can you describe me what they are and what they do ?"
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Answer : Innate swimming* awarded by the title [swimming in the Nether] Allow the user to swim at the maximum speed available, withouth being hindered, whatever the matter. Passive skill. Warning - The matter need to be harmless to the host or damage will ensue. Warning - The matter need to be malleable enough. Soul pouch* awarded by the title [Ancient soul] Allow the user to have access at his own soul space, but since the skill is newly imprinted in the soul, can only be used to keep objects for now. Current space : 2mm x 2mm. Immuable* awarded by the title [Against everything, i still persist] Multiply by ten the Soul attribute. Allow user to greatly resist against mind and soul skills, as well as some diseases or poisons, affecting the will of the host. Passive skill. Tiny : Allow the user to make himself more tiny to the eyes. Can be used to escape some predators, but can attract others. Growing : Allow a boost in physical growth. Passive skill.
"Okay, the immuable one is very good, but seriously for the pouch, 2 fucking millimeters square ?!? And thanks for the swimming thing, but i''m not planning on doing volcano-diving in the future yet." I calm myself again. Okay, now, i don''t need explanations for the stats : i understand this part, i''m not totally stupid yet. The last questions i have for now : "Why have I no name ? I remember perfectly my old name. And what exactly are these titles ? What do they do ?"
Answer : You have no name until you can say your name out loud by yourself. Only available to sentient beings, if not named at birth. Answer : A title is a definition of what the others beings can see when they look at you or know you further. It''s an embodiement of what you evoke in others in a instinctual level. [swimming in the nether] You have already swimmed through beyond and after, for a long, long time. What can stop you when you start ? Who would be foolish enough to chase after you ? [Ancient soul] You have the soul of someone who has lived another life, and keeped his personality. Your eyes and aura reflect that and others beings will find something mysterious about you. [Against everything, i still persist] You are stubborn, more than anything in this plane. If a moutain and you were to butt heads, the mountain would crumble to dust before you were to yield. [Tadpole] You are a little tadpole.
When others look at me, they think i''m a tadpole ? NO SHIT. At least i dont have a bunch of useless titles behind my name like some World of Warcraft character. And i have to wait until i''m able to speak to be able to name myself ? "So what about those people or things who cant speak but are intelligents enough ? Is there another method ? Hu, Nonononoo, don''t answer, i dont have time about others, i already my hands full with myself and more pressing issues." Okay, i think i''m starting to grasp more about this status thing. Now let''s look where i am exactly. I swim out from behind the big bottom leaf of the algae where i was hidden, and start looking around me. And I see... That i absolutely cant fucking see past 20 centimeters. After that, it''s only a blurred mix of colors, and even before, i must really exert myself to notice what''s happening... Tadpoles doesn''t have a good vision, especially just after been born, it was predictable, but i did not think it was this bad... Well, for the parts i can observe, i''m obviously actually under water, in what it seems a pond with a yellow stony sand on the bottom, and not much vegetation except the said algaes and some deep red tree roots coming from above... The water is clean and a small current move it, so i think we''re near a source. Around me are my "brothers and sisters", some swimming to attack the nerby algaes and gnaw at them, and some of my other bethreen are "going with the flow" voluntarily or not, deported by the current. Goodbye, siblings. Have a nice day. Diverse insects larvaes are also swimming around, but dont care about "us" and just go gnawing on another water plant when a tadpole come near them, or stay still doing... Insects things. Finally and more importantly, i didn''t spot my biggest worry ; fishs. They''re not the only danger, but it''s the most immediate one, i think. Tadpole are such a fragile prey... I wonder if there''s something weakest than us... Well, that''s all for now. Since i don''t see any immediate danger. And also, looking at my little family stuffing themselve with underwater salad made me quite hungry too. I remember, I didn''t eat yet since birth. Not like i find the food to be really appetizing, but you can''t deny the call of the growling stomach... I missed it. I slowly swim to a nearby bright green algae withouth too much people- i mean tadpole on it, and try to start munching a little, only to stop myself because i dont know where to start... I mean i have no hands, it''s quitte weird... And my mouth is actually under my head... Whyyy am i a fucking tadpole... HaaaAaa ... Well, after finding how yo position myself by looking at my siblings, i put myself on place and auto-motivate myself to have the first bite of the-not-really-appealling leaf before me. Yeah, i will throw all my anxiety on you, fucking leaf. I''m ready to attack ! If I have eated salad before, I can eat some other water Geranium too ! I''m not afraid of you ! Yahaaa ! ...Ok, perhaps i motivate myself too much here. Well. Bon appetit. Munch~ munch~ How ? It has incredibly... Yes, incredibly... no taste. It''s weird. Not good, but not bad too. And all things considered, it''s better like that, really. I silently keep munching on it until another "tadpole wave" just freshly popped out of their eggs come swarming my half-eaten leaf, resulting in me deciding to attack another plant a little away from here, since i was still hungry and i hate being in a too much crowded place. I choose to go to a younger pale green plant, on the bottom of the pond, and immediately start gnawing on it, with my only eating companion being a water snail, who look at me from another leaf in front of me. "Hum... Hello neighbour ?" It keep looking at me with the right antenna eye, while the other look behind him. Then, he retract them and the rest of his body inside the shell, with only one antenna popping out to look at me. Ok. I keep eating my salad and i get out. Message conveyed. If i''m the only one who can communicate, it will be boring really fast here. Munch~ munch~ After this excellent meal, i decide the next step : to find a more secured place than open water, in case of a predator attack for example. I rapidly opt for a protected place behind two tree roots, who do a nice little rempart against the outside and where i can easily enter from the bottom but not from the top or the rears. Excellent. Not even the current is going here, so i juste have to use minimal force to stay floating. Now, since i''m stuffed, back to inspecting myself. I have some other details i need to understand about stats i didn''t think about. I think strongly "Status !"
Status : normal (satiated) (just born)
Name : [no name yet] EXP : 5.8 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)
HP : 5 MP : 5 Sta : 1 Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, i still persist] [Tadpole]
Strenght Stamina Dexterity Speed Intelligence Charisma Soul Magic 1 2 1 1 50 2 550 5
Skills
Tiny 1 - -
Growing 1 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - - -
- Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable*
Equipment :
"Huh ? I gained experience ?!?" But for what action ? Observing ? Eating ? Freaking out a snail ? The three of them ? The only logic possibility is eating. Since i''m a newborn, it''s normal to grow quickly by eating a lot right ? Not like i could do anything with my stats. But then, what about experience, it just represent the amount of eating i need to have accumulated before evolving ? When i... *yaaawn*... finish by having all the experience required... Can i go back to being human or humanoid at least ? And what about... Pondering about that, i didn''t notice i was slowly succumbing to sleep. I yawn again as the incredible sweet drowsiness of a baby invade me. And sink me to the bottom of the pond. Remember what i said ? Yeah, no bottom in my perfectly protected place. Let''s Enjoy a little nap in open waters. 3 - Splashing around Floushhh~ floushhh~ (water sounds) I slowly wake up from my sleep, assaulted by an uncomfortable feeling. "Hmm ? What happened ? Did I- *Cough* What- *cough* the fuck, I can''t- *cough* breathe anymore !" I open my eyes and mouth wide, trying to gasp for oxygen. Where am I ? I''ve been asleep ? What am i doing half submerged ? Why can''t i breath properly ! I''m drowning !! Help !! I turn myself, manage to get my head out of the shallow water, and finally breathe some air. And by doing so ; i suffocate all the more.
You breathed a harmful substance. HP -1
"FUCK ! I forgot, the reincarnation thing ! I''m a tadpole now ! I''m aquatic ! It''s the reverse ! Turn back in the water, turn baaaack !" If I were to have limbs, I would like to flail them around, unfortunately since I dont have them anymore, I can only try to contort myself again ! At least I need my head back in the water !
You breathed a harmful substance. HP -1
I KNOW ! Holy crap ! It was, of course, easy in one way, but a pain in the ass to do it the other way around !! ...Now, now... I''m-almost-heeere... On it ! Huh ? Ho shit, the water is really too shallow here !! But where am I ? It look like a river who deverse on a waterfall from some plate rock... Ho shit, how did I came here ? I need to swim back to deeper water immediately or I''m screwed !
You breathed a harmful substance. HP -1
I move my tail with all my energy, while praying for my swimming skill to not be total bullshit. Annnd, I''m swimmling nothing, since there''s not enough water. But at least it can make me snake my way from the thin layer of water to a somewhat deeper part of the stream, right ?!
You breathed a harmful substance. HP -1
Huu, didn''t I have, like, only 5 hp ? How much I have left, now ?
ERROR04 : To display more detailed or only partial information, you need the full skill [Auto-diagnostic].
... I swear, if you were a living thing, I would beat the crap outta you. In my panic, I luckily spot a tiny indentation on the flat rock, where I should be able to fully put my head in. I twiddle my way to the tiny hole with some difficulty, then plunge inside to breath a large gulp of... Wat-air. Safe ! "Status".
Status : Injured (respiratory distress) (half a day old)
Name : [no name yet] EXP : 5.8 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)
HP : 1 MP : 5 Sta : 2 Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, i still persist] [Tadpole]
Strength Stamina Dexterity Speed Intelligence Charisma Soul Magic 1 2 1 1 50 2 550 5
Skills
Tiny 1 - -
Growing 1 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - - -
- Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable*
Equipment :
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Outch, indeed, only 1 hp left ? But I don''t feel like i''m dying, or It was nowhere enough injury to put me on this near-death state tought... Well, in any case, let''s be prudent and assume this fact from now on : if i were to drop to 0 HP, i will die. Again. Crap, I don''t want to go back to the black void again after gaining back a life ! I don''t know if I will be able to keep my sanity and memory this time around ! So, what can I do, now ? I''m trapped here ? I have to wait for my hp to come back in this shithole, for I-dont-know-how-much-time ? And before anything, which way should I go to escape... ? I decide to first try peeking a look "outside" again, to evaluate my hopeless situation. I breath in some water, then prepare to go sightseeing... The action of taking water instead of air feel really odd when I consciously think about it, but I have the feeling that if I start thinking too much about it, I will loose to something or someone... Ok... Let''s cut the crap, and do some air diving. I put my head out of the water and start observing, looking like a tiny periscope if seen from outside. In front of me is the same flattened rock, with the water who seem to fall down somewhere in the distance. Too dangerous since I dont know where it fall, or from how much height. So this way is out of the question. Turning myself to the right, it''s the rock again with the same shallow water, for I dont know how much distance, since I still can''t see shit if it''s too far. Out too. To the right of the right, I can see the way I''m logically coming from judging by the current. I can barely discern the contours of a water plant at the edge of my vision. Look like I have a chance if I go this way, but I need to crawl again for quite some time. And the last way out is the same as the way before : the rock with not-so-much water running on top and nothing behind. Not many choices, in fact. But seriously again, how the fuck did I get here in the first place ? The current is way too weak to transport me this distance away on the rock, even if i''m ridiculously small... All i can do for now i waiting, i guess. I put my head back in the water. While we''re at it, i have some questions for Blue guy. "How to gain back my lost HP ? Do I regenerate over time ? How much ?"
Answer : HP regenerate over time, depending on the Stamina stat. ERROR04 : To display more detailed or only partial information, you need the full skill [Auto-diagnostic].
... Ok. since you need a skill for everything, i will do it myself, you useless Blue. And it will help me pass time. So i waited, summoning my status at regular interval until my HP pulled back to 2 again. After that, I counted seconds, then minutes, summoning my status each 1 minute until it got back to 3, and done it again for confirmation, until it was finally back to 4. And if I may add, it''s stupidly disturbing when you dont have finger to help you counting, for fuck sake. "My HP regenerate only 1 each 20 minutes, huh... It''s... Not really fast ?" I can''t say for sure since I dont know about others creature in this world.
Information status updated. HP regen rate will now be displayed
Mmh ?? What ?!? "So, I need to do that to have information ? I need to do all the job by myself before you deign filling me up with the information I wanted to know in the first part ? Hey, you''re using my brain you said ? How can you NOT be able to do that just by yourself ?" ... No answer. Coward ! Let''s leave it at that for now. And since I''m back into shape, let''s get the fuck out of here. I wait until my HP bar is full again, then take a big gulp of water, to sprint to the pond like a madman ! Or more like crawl slowly like a worm, but, you get the idea... The fact that i was able to hold my breath made my HP stable for the time being, but since I''m not planning to stay the day tanning myself outdoor, I still hurry up. And on the way, while advancing painfully slowly, I also try to see another hole to take an emergency breather, but with no avail for the time being. And finally, when I was able to clearly see the plant I was looking before, with my watery goal behind, it was already too late : I''ve reached my limit.
You breathed a harmful substance. HP -1
Fuuuck, a hole, water, something !! It''s still too far for my tiny body ! Nooooooo !! Only a miracle can save me, now ! ... ... Nothing ? Ok. I expected that. You stingy people. I continue to try worming my way desperatly, having nothing to loose anymore. My stubborness kicking in, in the place of motivation and hopes ! I-WILL-SURVIVE ! And while I was seriously on the verge of loosing another HP, a low rumble started to be heard. Heyyyyy, can I still withdraw what I said before about heavens being stingy ? The sound rapidly became clear, while a gigantic tidal wave appeared, ready to submerge everything.* "Hoooly ! SHIT !" *Remember : he''s really tiny. Everything is from is own perception, and only engage himself. The author cannot be considered has responsible... blah blah blah... 4 - Back to the pond BrrrrrrRRLLLRRRRRRRRRPLASHPLASH~ ! (loud sound of water crashing around) The gigantic incoming wave, carrying terrifying dead tree leaves the size of a truck, brushwood and moss with her, incarnated hope and despair at the same time. Hope to not die suffocating. Despair to instead die smashed on a rock, or with a wood shard impaled in the stomach. Or another random part, I don''t really know how a tadpole body work. The only thing able to swept away all these concerns was my pure stubbornness to stay alive. Since I said I will go back to the pond alive, I will do it, whatever it take ! The tsunami was coming closer with each second, but I was prepared. Lowering my head to the ground level, stiffening my tail, I''m ready to enter the wave with minimal water resistance. The first contact with the liquid wall will definitely be the most dangerous, since most of the wood debris are dragged in front. I have to evade everything when I will be inside, while swimming my all to the big plant location, and take cover behind her until the situation calm down... Ok, that''s the plan, I can do it !... It''s coming ! Three... Two...
You breathed a harmful substance. HP -1
... You really have the worst tim-*BLUBLUBLUB ¡ã¡è* I''m luckily able to escape from the first fragments, and proceed to instantly speed up to the plant-refuge direction. In this critical moment, I can finally see the might of the special swimming skill : even with the full strength of the water currents against me, I can swim without encountering much resistance. Alas, the real problem are all the shards coming at me at full speed ! It''s a pain in the ass to evade all of them, because even if in can swim like no others, it don''t mean i have the capacity to avoid what can be considered as deathly attacks ! And it''s coming from everywhere ! I''m able to evade a bunch of wood shards coming at me by turning to the right, then dive to escape from a big slimy dead algae who would surely have dragged me back with her if touched ; but camouflaged by that, a giant-looking tree leaf was now blocking my path ! The only way out is a tiny hole in the side of the leaf, but it''s hard as hell to go here, since the leaf is starting to curl up and the hole will soon be blocked ! Shit, this leaf want to ensnare me or what ? And the water will surely go down after some time, trapping me inside ! Holy crap, I have to get out before it''s too late ! Yes ! Almost here ! Yes ! I have been able to-
You have been moderately wounded. HP -2
Argghh, I have a wooden shard in my tail ! It hurt like hell ! A fine wooden shard just pierced the leaf the instant i was reaching the hole, empaling my tail in the same way. The shard broke just after, leaving me with a foreign object in the wound ! Raaah, with a last effort I''m able to pass the leaf''s hole, and now... Almost here... The plant is in my reach ! But now swimming hurt ! And another leaf is coming ! I quickly dive, making myself tiny and glued to the ground, in hope of the incoming threat going a bit higher than me. It pay, but the leaf almost scrape me of my last HP ! After that, less debris were in view, so I quickly made my way to the vegetal shelter. The water was clearly deeper here, so it will be safe even after the water go down. Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief... After a quick inspection, i find myself a good secured spot, between a root and a rock.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. And, surely, the water level diminished quickly after that. I think something in the area act like a barrage until a certain amount of water got in, and after that, the excess water is released, until the same shit happens after some time. I would like to ascertain my theory, but sadly, I''m more concerned about my tail. Part of the wood shard is still embedded in here, and it really, really hurt. I was never fond of piercing in my last life, and this one is clearly over the top ! And to make fun of me again, I''ve no mean to extract it. Remember ? No hands. I stop moving and stay behind the plant, in fear of any movement aggravating the wound and shaving me off my last HP at the same time. And since all this strain made me quite hungry, I started to munch on a tiny algae near the root of the plant, hoping it would help me regenerate faster. Like that, twenty minute passed.
Congratulations ! You have been able to escape from a death-inducing situation. You gain 20% EXP.
Hey ! Good !
Warning ! You have a wound who can''t close withouth a special treatment. Maximum HP reduced by 1 until it''s done.
Less good. And what the heck about a special treatment needed ? You just need to pluck it out... "Status !"
Status : Injured (wounded) (half a day old)
Name : [no name yet] EXP : 31 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)
HP : 2 MP : 5 Sta : 2 Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, i still persist] [Tadpole]
Strength Stamina Dexterity Speed Intelligence Charisma Soul Magic 1 2 1 1 50 2 550 5
Skills
Tiny 1 - -
Growing 1 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - - -
- Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable*
Equipment :
Hum, I have more than the 20% XP added. Because i was eating the plant just now ? In that case, it will be absolutely better to graze peacefully from now on... Fuck the 20% XP, i will not redo that anytime soon. Also, it''s only four meals. FOUR ! It''s absolutely counterproductive ! Tranquillity and lunch are definitely the best way to level up ! I decide to wait another moment until my HP go back to 3 before moving from behind the plant. And surely, the sight who greet me after that is not the part of the pond i know. The rocky sand is clearly redder than before, and the water is clearly deeper here. The plant are bigger too. Also, more of these red trees roots are protubering from the side, making this zone look like a natural cistern. I can see only a few of my bethreen here, probably the one i''ve seen dragged up by the current before. I''m sorry for mocking you before, alright ? On the contrary, I dont spot many water insects here, and it worry me. No fish either, but they can perfectly hide inside these roots all around us. This zone in not safe... I go back to the safety of my plant-fortress for the time being. Time to devise a plan. 5 - Set of priorities Somewhere (?) in the pond, behind a root and a hard place~ The area is clear, and I''m perfectly hidden. Since it''s relatively safe for now, let''s make plans for the most pressing issues. Because if I don''t make some reasonable goals, I''m sure I will be all over the place in less time than it take to say it, and a near-death situation will occur again... This time I might not be so lucky. First, I need to find a shelter in a safe zone with a steady food source nearby. I''ve got a bad feeling where I am now, it''s too open. I need to move out quickly. Second, find a way to heal my tail. Or to have the "skill" to do that, but it would bring me to try doing things like negotiating with the Blue square, so I will limit myself to healing me the "normal way" first. Third, find how the fuck the other tadpole don''t get swept away when sleeping. This is basically everything I can think of for now... Hmmm... I can stay hidden here pretty well for a little longer, so the first goal can wait a moment. Let''s try observing the others tadpole for the time being, it can be helpful to see what they do usually. And also, it''s the less dangerous and taxing thing to do, so it''s all right with the second goal. And frankly, I''m quite tired so I would like to take a nap before moving ! I don''t know if I will need to stay awake for a long time after this, so it''s the wisest decision, right ? It''s absolutely not motivated by the fact I''m now a tiny frog larvae, barely a day old, have been trapped in a dark place for I-don''t-know-how-much-time, escaped death just one hour ago, and want to laze around, at least a little, right ?! Right. I carefully poke my head out and try to locate a "family member" doing... Tadpole things. And after some time, one of them come close enough of my position to let me observe it. For a while, the little guy move aimlessly, going back and forth from the bottom of the pond to the surface. Perhaps he is playing ? I can''t say for sure, it''s hard to read the face expressions of our kind... Well, let''s say it''s like that. After having played to his heart content, he goes to a plant not too far from mine, and for approximately another ten minutes eat a chunk of a leaf here. So far, he did not show me anything very useful... Before moving to the stem of the plant, and sticking itself vertically to it. Haaa, that''s what I wanted to know. He''s not swimming anymore, but he''s not moving from his position. I need to figure out how he did it ! I look caaarefully in every direction : right, left, top, bottom... Thanks for a 3D environment where danger can come from everywhere... Before slowly, silently, going to him. My tail still hurt, but it''s bearable now, so I can move mostly unhindered. It take me only a dozen seconds or so to reach him. My sibling is already sleeping without a care in the world, glued as he is to the plant. This guy won''t stay alive for long if he keeps doing that in the open... Well, not my problem for now, I need to stay alive first before helping others. I start to turn around him to figure out the trick, but at the same time to see if there''s anything useful to know about us. I seriously doubt it, but with the game setting magic, we can perhaps shoot water jet from our nostrils or something like that ? Yeah, kidding. I know we don''t have nostrils yet ! At first glance, except the external gills, it''s a normal tadpole, all right. Nothing special about it : spongy, semi-transparent black skin, and divers stuff I can see behind... I''m lucky the shard didn''t pierce me outside the tail, who seem to be mainly made of muscle. I don''t think I would have survived for long with a damaged organ. Approaching more closely, I can see something behind his mouth. Look like two suction cup ? It seems it''s the reason why he can held himself in place. Beside that, nothing notifiable or out of the ordinary, I think. And now, since I know what I came for, I can quickly go back to my hideout to test it ! ... Ten minutes after safely being back, I''m still trying to know how to do it. I''ve run on a problem really fast... Seriously... Where the heck is the damn muscle I need to move ?!? Gnnnn, it''s like trying to discover if you have fingers behind your chin ! What muscle do I need to use ? Gnnn, gnnn, holy shit, I still have human habits, for fuck sake ! I still manage with body parts I can relate, but Gnnnnn don''t throw new limbs at me or whatever, I don''t know where to start ! Like that, ten minutes of unsuccessful attempts where i cringe myself in almost every way, except the right one of course. My patience run thin. So I use the only method who never proved me wrong against any delicate problems, in my past life : brute force.Stolen novel; please report. And I slam myself hard, stomach first, on the rock.
You have been hurt. HP -1
Too hard, perhaps. But at least, it worked, I''m now sticking to the rock like a pro ! I would like to congratulate myself further, but with this problem out of the way... You will excuse me, I''m exhausted. The lost HP was the last nail in the coffin of my stamina for today. I can sense myself falling into sleep abnormally fast again, and I don''t have the will or the envy to resist further. *Yawn* Perhaps I became weak to sleep because I didn''t have the need for so long... ? I... We''ll see tomorrow... Good niiight...
I wake up in a dazed state. Since I don''t have others means to know how much time passed, I use "status".
Status : injured (normal) (one day old)
Name : [no name yet] EXP : 31 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)
HP : 4 ( +3 HP regen/h) MP : 5 ( ??? ) Sta : 2 ( ??? ) Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, i still persist] [Tadpole]
Strength Stamina Dexterity Speed Intelligence Charisma Soul Magic 1 2 1 1 50 2 550 5
Skills
Tiny 1 - -
Growing 1 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
-1 max HP until treatment - - - -
- Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable*
Equipment :
Ha, I slept quite a bit of time... Bluey finally updated itself with my HP regeneration now, huh ? But it didn''t update the rest... "I need to do it myself again, even if I showed you the method... ? You''re useless... Well, I just need to find a way to use MP right ? But, can I use magic for starters ? If it''s like the suction cup experiment, I fear it will be hard..." "And come to think of it too, I didn''t check what exactly the "sta" thing was doing ?"
Answer : [Sta] represent your vigor left until rest is needed. Depending on the energy used by activites, it can go down more or less quickly. If [Sta] go down to 0 and is ignored for a certain time, penalties will occurs. The [Sta] depends directly of the [Stamina] stat.
"Haaaaa, I''m sorry Blue, you''re not totally useless after all ! So it explain why I''m tired so quickly ! I have only 2 sta. It''s quite low." I will have to check this today, it will be helpful to have more endurance if I need to go far away. I need to find out how boost this stamina stat ! Perhaps with training ? Mmmmh, for now, let''s close all of these pop-ups and go eat someth-GZBRTGKMHAAAAAAAAA !##@!! When I closed all the pop-up, I was greeted by the sight of a damn snail face just in front of me !! This fucker drooled itself to my place when I was checking my status !! My gosh, I almost died from a heart attack !! I collect myself, panting, meanwhile this asshole still observe me with his two eye-tenna at almost zero distance. I shoo him away with my tail, and he start crawling in the direction of one of my plant''s leaf at a slow pace. It will be a valuable lesson for me : dont check the status if you''re not sure the zone is clear ! I check my surrounding and go to another leaf from my brother''s plant. Don''t want to see the snail''s face again. On the way, I check my sibling who is still sleeping in the same place. Great, no danger for now ! I reach my goal and quickly start eating. The leaf is unpalatable like all the others before, but beggars can''t be choosers, right ? I silently eat it while asking myself if I will be able to eat others things soon or not. I don''t remember much about frog biology... Mmmmh... It eat dead meat too, no ? While nibbling, something silently fell on my head. I looked at what it was. It was a tadpole tail. For just a second, time freezed. ... I didn''t bother to check what happened after that, I just knew I needed to start swimming away like a madman. Pure fright is an excellent motivator, ya know. 6 - Set of what ? Again, somewhere (but another somewhere), in the pond~
You have put a strain on a damaged part of your body. HP -1
Pfiouuu... That was pretty stupid on my part to run away. Especially in the wrong direction. Even being shocked doesn''t justify going full idiot, and swimming right in front of me. I''m damn lucky to be alive ! Nothing attacked me, even when I was swimming near the surface like a dumbass, and in the middle of the pond, no less ! Can''t believe it, what a moron !! Look, I have only missed covering myself in cow blood while screaming "FREE MEAL, COME HERE" to have the full bingo card and win a free tour into someone stomach ! I would love to smack myself in reproach... With my... Hands... Haaa, fuck that shit ! I will depress myself another time. For now, I need to take care of the situation at hand... I''m "again" in another part of the pond. Well, not exactly. In fact, I''m in a pond, but now I understand I was not in the original one, where I was born earlier. I''m at the "entryway" of this area, where a little stream brings the water from uphill, perhaps from my original place. Or another pond altogether. Well, there is only one way to know. And I will know it. Just, not today. Because my tail hurt like shit, I''m worn out from all the swimming, hungry... But ! As a lone blessing from all this mess... I finally found a perfect place to hide ! ... Yeah, I know it''s the third perfect one. I''m certain it''s the good one, this time. Probably. Back to the topic, I have discovered a place located just before the end of the stream, where the current is at it strongest before falling to the pool. Because of that, the water is clear here, the plant are lush, and no one is able to approach here, be it insects or others tadpoles. So, since I''m the only one who can swim unhindered here, and by sticking on a big rock from the opposite side of the flow, I can stay safe and hidden here ! Awesome, right ?! ...Except if some salmon show up to ascend the river, but it''s unlikely, since they only show up in mountains streams ? ... Come to think of it, I don''t know what is the topology here. Perhaps it''s actually a mountain ? Mmmmh, probably not, tadpoles can''t stay in cold waters, right ? The tadpole I know at last. Perhaps it is different here ? I think I''m perhaps underestimating the magic variable in this world. I often check my surrounding with my knowledge from a "normal" world, but perhaps the "normal" here is quite different with the addition of magic. Guess I can''t postpone checking seriously the ability and evolving magic mess for too much time, I need more information... But for now, let''s eat. I was interrupted while savoring my totally bland lettuce breakfast, and my poor stomach ask for a revenge. Another good point about this place, little plants are everywhere in the riverbed, and are perfectly devoid of any potential threats, or people. Except snails. These bastards are everywhere. I avoid the bunch of caravaneers slugs and slowly begin to graze at my new lovely, private, algae pasture. The plant here are mostly shorts due to the current being strong, so it''s easy to eat. Niom~niom~ And you know what, it actually has some taste ! The taste of tofu. Yeah, tofu has almost no flavor, but almost is better than not at all ! Niam~niam~ I have almost forgotten how something with savor can be so good... Niom~niom~ It was a diet without end before ! I could cry if I wasn''t already underwater Niom~niom~ Sooo good... This one has a different color, I wonder how she taste Niam~niam~ ... ... Obviously, I was carried away and ended up overeatting... Like a balloon with a tiny black twing behind, I was forced to wriggle up to my new rocky home. Fortunately, it only take a few tails stroke to come back ! Here, this corner seems confortable !
You have been hurt. HP -1
... I should really find another way to stick myself somewhere, other than crashing on it... Haaa... At least nobody''s here, the area is clear, and I''m stuffed. Time to test ! Let''s learn some magic ! It will be cool and interesting. Or at least useful later. The only problem is how to do this. I don''t think "alakazam" or any other random formula shit can work. For starter, I don''t even know how the holy molly crap I can use any "MP". Let''s do this logically methodically.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Since I would have sensed it earlier when I was tormenting myself on how to use the suckers, it''s probably not something to do with muscle... Perhaps I need to do it internally ? Like finding what part of me can do the trick, with the chkakarms or whatever ? Chrakram ? Chr... The thing with yoga. Mmmmh, Sound good for a first step, and not too tiring. Yoga it is, then. First I need to meditate, I guess ? I can skip the posture crap for obvious reasons, so I just need to empty my mind of distractions... I try relaxing myself and picture a quiet place in my mind. Seeing myself in a grassy plain in an early summer, the wind gently blowing beside me... No sounds except the wind... No one except me... Let all the stress go... All the stress... Now, I...
...After waking up. I redo the same thing, but this time, with a little less relaxation. I said it was time to Test, not to Rest. I picture myself again in a calm plain, wind, sun, etc... Nobody disturbs me. I''m the only one here... Perfect... I will now try sensing my internal equipment... Let''s start with the plumbing... This is the stomach... Yes, and this is the guts... I try to sense some energy... I roll it inside... And now I will probably need to poop, so it''s not that. Let''s concentrate... Try with all I can sense... I must have a damn thing somewhere who make magic ! I have all the time in the world... Let''s do it thoroughly... Slowly... ... ... Three hours later. Or so I think, since I still don''t have a real clock. It was a failure. Didn''t understood a thing about magic or whatever. But ! I have been able to reap an unexpected reward !
By sensing and understanding deeply how your body work, you have been able to learn the skill [Auto-diagnostic] [Auto-diagnostic] (medium) Allow a deeper understanding of the physical and mental state the host is. Information provided and accuracy are more precise with each level of expertise.
See ? But I have to admit, I''m lucky my actual body is so simple. Wouldn''t have been able to do that with a human body. I mean, I have only the basic organs stuff, my head and a tail... I realized I don''t even have a sex yet... This issue will need to be investigated later. Yes, later. Much later. I think I can understand how these skills things are obtained, now. I need to do the whole action first before Bluey save the pattern in his menu thingy. Like a program in a computer. It seem basic actions are not accounted in this, since I don''t have a "real" swimming skill for example. It''s understandable, or I would be flooded by skill like [respiration], [walking], [sleeping]... Would be messy. But I''m sure I would have maxed the sleeping skill at a world breaking speed. Huhuhu. So, let''s see our new, updated "status" !
Status : injured (normal) (one day and a half old)
Name : [no name yet] EXP : 45 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)
HP : 4 ( +3 HP regen/h) MP : 5 ( +5 MP regen/h ) Sta : 2 ( +0.5 Sta regen/h) Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, I still persist] [Tadpole]
Strength Stamina Dexterity Speed Intelligence Charisma Soul Magic 1 2 1 1 50 2 550 5
Skills
Tiny 1 - -
Growing 1 - -
Auto-diagnostic 1 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
-1 max HP until treatment (extraction) - - - -
- Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable*
Equipment : -
Hahaaa! The regeneration rate is now working everywhere ! But it''s the only new stuff for now... Hum... Ho, the treatment for the wound too. [Sta] is regenerating really slowly... I guess because of that, it mean each time I sleep, four hours pass. Useful information. And since it''s a level 1 skill, doesnt'' it have a big evolution margin ? Come to think of it, this skill was mentionned previously by Bluey, it was needed for something, but I don''t quite remember for what... For now, let''s eat, and after that, try getting a good skill again ! Woohooo~
You have unlocked the title : [Weathervane] !
... What ? 7 - Im NOT indecisive... Only absentminded ? ... So, care to explain what is this ?
[Weathervane] You have a tendency to change the object of your attention and/or objectives rather easily.
... This... For real ? Why the fuck do I have gained a new title ? And why THIS slandering title ?
Answer : A title is a definition of what the others-
I KNOW ! I ask why the holy crap did I have been afflicted with a title like that ? Do I look like so indecisive ? I mean, I have perhaps changed opinion quickly sometimes, but it was to adapt myself to the situation ! Like, you cannot continue to walk if you suddenly see a gaping hole in front of you, one you didn''t see before, right ? Right ? You don''t continue walking straight because too bad, you''ve decided to do it like this ten minute before ? It''s the normal way to act here ! Hey, answer me, Bluey ! ... ... No reply again, huh ? Coward !... And say, now that I think about it, this new title, it is not the reverse of the other one, immu-something who say I''m thick headed as a rock ?
Answer : No.
... Ok, you answered this one... Well, at least, it give me some bonuses right ? It mean it''s not totally use-
Answer : No.
-less. ... Dammit. A joke title, all right, I get the point. I''m not upset. Not even a bit ! Really. If I was not fearing to get a [paranoia]-like title as a bonus, I would be seriously thinking some asshole is trying to mess with me just for the fuck of laughing out loud about it. Let''s go back eating. And try the other idea I was thinking of. I will be more productive than wasting time on crappy shit born from a mothe-*BIIIIP* *omitted*. I get out of my rocky home and furiously slalom between the snails populace, towards a good looking purple-submarine-salad, and masticate it. Niom~niom~ The taste make me slowly forget about the title incident. Niom~niom~ Nothing better than a good meal to improve the mood ! And it will let me try that I wanted to test at the same time.Niam~niam~ I''ve been thinking, one of the main defect of my actual body is the pitiful Niom~niom~ sight I have. So if I try forcing like crazy on it, I''m sure Niom~niom~ something will happens with all these skills things ! Except for popping my eyes out of the socket, it''s perfectly safe,Niom~niom~ Just kidding. It will not happen, right ? I know I''m literally raising a flag here, but I frankly doubt it''s even possible to happen in real life. Even in a real life with magic.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! So, I promptly start by focusing on the plant I''m currently eating. I look at it and force physically with my eyes. It remind me a little of the last time I was constipated in my old life, where I was doing the same for... Hum... Well, it was the only case I pictured myself forcing on them like crazy, even if it wasn''t exactly to see something... Let''s keep going. After using the most strength I could muster, I widen my eyes to the maximum and run my pupils in all direction, to make sure my eyes are able to see everything. It will surely have some effect on the long run ! Even if it''s hard to eat while doing that and I''m being a little seasick - height of ridicule, because I''m a freshwater tadpole, you see ? Haha !... Ha... ?... Ok, this joke missed -, I still persevere, because I''m sure it''s a good idea. If it''s really like a video games and such, these skills seem to be randomly awarded when you''re doing even the dumbest thing, after all. I admit, I must look a little like a psychopath though, with eyes rolling everywhere and herbs leaking from my mouth, since I can''t really chew properly anymore. Some snails even have already retreated in their shells after seeing me... But sure thing, after only two minutes of this training, the first effect was felt. My method worked, i knew it !
You''re momentarily dizzy.
Hoooo, it''s the first time I have this type of informati- *beeeeuaaaarghhh* and in the first place, I didn''t know tadpoles where even capable to puk-*beeeeurggh*... It''s spinning like crazy~ I happily managed to stuck myself to the plant before the world started rotating randomly, so I''m not left swimming with no idea where I go~ Another discovery from this experience, it''s less painful to crash on a soft plant rather than on hard rock. Who would have imagined that... *bllleeeeurgh* Haaaa, my dinner is escaping... *beuuuhhh* ... The vertigo effect passed after one long, painful minute. I pondered about the reason my method didn''t work, while replenishing my empty stomach in the same time. Niom~niom~ It seems doing stupid things doesn''t reward you every time. I will be cautious for the newt try. So how can I get it to work ? Niom~niom~ Let''s do the same as before, but without the "crazy eye wheel" part, since it went haywire at this point. I look again, this time at a little snail on a nearby plant. Using strength in my eyes, I stare at him, looking thoroughly at every nick and cranny of his little slobbery body. I can quickly confirm it : It''s a normal snail. Dark brown stripped shell, middle brown corpse, black little eyes devoid of any sign of intelligence. He was probably on his way to go to a digestive walk, but he suddenly stood still, having noticed that I''m eying him. And start looking right back at me. ... One minute pass like this, in a staring contest, nobody breaking the gaze of the other. I stopped chewing my algae, focused as I was to not loose against him. Nobody moved at all. It was very western like, but without the herb ball passing between us or the colts hanging at our belt. Not mentioning the absence of limbs on each side. The tiny creature repositioned itself a little to face me better without taking his eyes off from me. Like that, still eyes on eyes, another two minute passed as we slowly approached each other, until we were almost at body contact. Face to face. Or whatever it is called for a tadpole and a snail. I''m not sure exactly why I''m doing that anymore, but I need to win, and it''s all that matters ! No seriously, why am I doing that ? Well, he''s weakening, so let''s finish this and think about it after. His eye-tennas are slowly retracting on themselves, under the weight of my mighty gaze. Hahaha, take that, you''re way too young to beat me in anything ! I push my invisible staring power against the snail, in an attempt to quickly finish this duel, but the snail suddenly took me by surprise when he extended his retracted eye-tennas like a spring, in each sides of my face ! And like a dumbass, I unconsciously continue to look at each eyes when they extend past my head, but... since I''m no chameleon, my eyes quickly stopped by themselves when the maximum spacing possible between right and left going in each own way was attained. A sudden headache hit me at the same time. The result was clear... ... I. lost. to a snail. ... And I still don''t know why I was doing this.