《Re: Orbis》 Chapter 1: All the way from the beginning My stamina is almost depleted and I am still bleeding heavily from my lost arms. But it seems like I lost him.. Now, where am I? I carefully observe my surroundings, but my situation remains in the dark. Ironically, because I can¡¯t see anything.. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m surprised. This is an underwater cave after all. I suppose that there are two options to finding the exit efficiently. Backtrack the same way I came from, or simply hope that there is a surface up above or further in. That being made clear, there is no way that I would ever go back out to that monstrosity.. And so, I swim upwards, slowly. I breach the surface safely, and silently peer into the abyss around me. Still, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any difference to having my eyes closed. Notification: The required experience level have been reached. Skill: [Night Vision Lv. 1], have been acquired. Suddenly, as if the water filled cave was instantly lit up I could distinguish the outlines of the dim room I had just entered. Chapter 1: All the way from the beginning Darkness. I do not know any other word more fitting for describing what I am seeing, or rather feeling, experiencing. True darkness. After a while I become aware that I also seem to lack my other senses, excluding sight. Is this a dream? If so, then I¡¯m obviously lacking in creativity, seeing how dull my dream is. I mean, no elves, dragons, or even magic - and this is supposed to be the inside of my own head? Simply unthinkable. Yet, I seem to be able to think like this clearly. A dream where I, as the dreams owner am conscious? Well, it is not exactly unheard of, but rather, isn¡¯t this extremely uncommon? Anyway or another, does this mean that I¡¯m in control of my own dream? If so, then screw reality. Suddenly I feel fired up. The power to manifest your fantasy, who wouldn¡¯t want that? But if I really am in charge, then what should I try first? .. Now I just feel stupid, having a mental conversation with myself and on top of that actually bother asking the question - simply dumb, am I? Why? Well, because the answer is obvious! Oh, did you think it was because I was having a one-man-conversation? No no, that is completely normal you know? It¡¯s not? Well, how the hell else am I going to explain to the reader what¡¯s going on inside my head?! Huh? Thats right, you just stay quiet while I continue. You see, if one would get any wish of your choice fulfilled there is only one thing that takes priority over everything else. If you call yourself a real man, that is. But you already know what I am talking about so I should not need to explain.. Well, if you by chance are not male, then you too, should be made aware of the thirst for adventure, that exists within all men''s hearts. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.Genuine romance, is what it¡¯s called. Like how a wild predator thirsts for red blood-dripping flesh, so does man for excitement, thrill even. Of course, one would wish for adventure if given the opportunity! But before jumping conclusions I should probably confirm that this really is a dream, and not some sort of drug, combined with abduction. Suddenly, right after I considered the thought, the lights turn on. Or rather, that would be an understatement. In reality, as if the thunder had struck down, the lights illuminates a huge, completely white room. Wha.. It¡¯s not a dream? Or is it that I after all do not have any control, even though I have my awareness as if awake? With teary eyes I search for the source of this blinding shine, but there does not seem to be any lamps. On a closer appraisal, I discover that there was no roof to begin with. But surely, that could not be the case. Instead, the truth should be that this sparkling white environment is very wide. This is also supported by the fact that I can not see the corners of this place either. [Your attention, please] Huh? I had been so distracted by the sudden illumination that I had failed to notice the presence of another person, some distance behind me. Then, since there is a scenario with a conscious conversation, the credibility of this being a dream is greatly reduced? Uwa.. I look behind me while at the same time processing my thoughts. Who? Why? What happened? I don¡¯t remember. [You died] A woman clad in black coldly exclaims while standing a few meters away from me. Instinctively, I start to estimate her features. The results? With long, curly brown hair, and intense blue eyes - she¡¯s beautiful. You know that pretty girl in class that practically every boy had fallen in love with at some point? This woman could very well be her older sister. Wait, what? Didn¡¯t she just say something unbelieveable? I died? Did she read my thoughts? Is this some kind of joke? Wait, that should not even be a question, of course it¡¯s a joke. A social experiment? But isn¡¯t this going a little too far for- [I didn¡¯t read your thoughts in the slightest] Wha..!? No, no, you definitely did just now. A beauty- no, a witch has abducted me! Ignoring my reaction, she continued. [I don¡¯t need to do such things with people like you. It couldn¡¯t be more obvious what you are thinking. But calling me a witch is uncalled for. Oh well, better get this started, otherwise it will take forever] [..] [As i said, you died some time ago. But, please, do not panic] The witch begged me. But the way she spoke was in no way a plea, it was an order. [You will shortly be reborn. But since I can not guarantee you a place on earth, you get three wishes to use as you see fit, as compensation. Seeing as how you already used one of them you have two left] Chapter 2: The legendary three wishes Just as I began to appraise the cave more thoroughly, my body was grabbed harshly, as if I used embrace on myself, and was forcefully separated from the wet element. I didn¡¯t have the time to think, let alone react, and before I knew it, my body was already sapped of its last strength. As one would guess, an unpleasant feeling indeed. But even though I had not had the time to counter the attack I had grasped a short glance at the foe''s body. Big. Still, I wouldn¡¯t say muscular, instead think of it as a grown man with a beer belly - ugly, strong and frightening. But it was clearly no man, at least judging by earth''s standards. Orc, was the synonym that appeared in my mind. A species known for their brute strength, accompanied with a lack of intelligence. In simple terms, it¡¯s existence is not inferiorly dangerous to a barbarian in any way. Anyhow, I will definitely take revenge. And you will know, if you don¡¯t already, that I am very much able to do so! Chapter 2: The legendary three wishes She doesn¡¯t seem to be lying. Well, who would dare to make up such a ridiculous lie to begin with? That being out of the world, how come I am not more surprised? Surely, it is not the author''s lack of talent and effort? No, now that I think about it I was a rather rational and calm guy even when I was still alive. Although I can not remember any fine details, that is who I am, or rather was, since I am going to be reincarnated soon according to the witch. She also explained that this world of hers is quite similar to a game where even status, levels and skills are the norm. Somehow, I get the feeling that this is a very well used clish¨¦, although I can not seem to remember where I have heard about it before. Continuing on, what did she say about wishes? I can seriously get anything I want x3? Isn¡¯t that a little too generous? No wait, I have to think this through. It is true that this could be extremely useful, but that depends. A normal person would probably just wish for money, fame or a happy life and be satisfied with that. However, since I''m the main character, I shouldn''t be a member of this group of "normal" people. Instead, using the resources at hand to their utmost limit, is what I should do as the main character of my own story. Then, shouldn¡¯t I just wish for more wishes? Godhood? Immortality? [Sorry to disappoint you, but it should be common sense that the first two is not allowed] Impossible huh.. Wait, she didn¡¯t mention immortality, right? [No, that is a perfectly acceptable request, are you content with that as your second wish?] If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Wha.. Why even ask the question?! Yes, sure, do it! [Then, your final wish if you please] Sure sure, huh? Final? I only used one wish so far through? [No, your first wish was adventure, was it not?] Oh, that''s right.. But isn¡¯t that a little unfair?! I didn¡¯t even know that the mythical three wishes was given to me at that point..! Oh well, when thinking about it isn''t this the perfect combination? See, when you ask people if they would want to live forever they either answer without thinking, ¡°Yes!¡± or they say that it would become boring after a couple hundred years, and so, refuses. But now, I will be guaranteed to have an adventure all the way through eternity, no? When thinking about it that way, I am kind of encouraged already! But since I only have one wish left, I should be more careful from now on anyway. Rather, especially much now since I will have to live with my choice forever. And so, I finally open my mouth. [Miss. Witch, what kind of world will I be reborn in?] Uwa.. She¡¯s glaring at me.. Is this what one would call hate at the first encounter? [Shortly said, it should be a world where the laws of magic and survival of the fittest are in control] Oh? That is surprisingly helpful. Magic and survival of the fittest.. That would mean that I too, will have to fight. But I only have two passive skills that probably have no direct use in combat. With this in mind, an offensive skill would be to prefer.. After some time I came up with an answer and satisfied with having made my third wish I closed my eyes. The blending white room with the black witch disappeared. And so, moments later, I opened my new eyes. No, that is incorrect. I tried to open my eyes. I could not. Huh? Why?! Even as a baby I should be able to see something, or at the very least open my eyes to begin with? I have read about that in a book *cough* light novel. Aa, now I kind of don¡¯t want to know how my reincarnation turned out anymore.. I have a bad feeling about this. What to say, maybe ignorance is bliss? Well, I will have to figure it out eventually so it can just as well be right now as any other time. And so, ¡°Status¡±, I call, quietly inside my mind. .. Well, that explains why I can not see anything. I simply have no eyes, do I? Chapter 3: The status window The moment I breach the barrier, the orc comes charging right at me. But I was prepared for that and calmly reserves the attack, misdirects it and counterattack - all in one motion. If I had to say, I have become rather skilled at fighting like this lately. Mostly thanks to all the experimenting I did before. But one could also say that it¡¯s because my skill level have risen considerably. The orc takes a few stumbling steps backwards, but soon finds its balance again. It seems to have learned from its mistake and takes a stance, ready for a serious battle. But I do not wait around, instead - this time I take the initiative. I concentrate my attack at a single point in an attempt to pierce its defence, make him stumble - lose his balance again. But he withstands it, and counterattacks with a strike directed at the opening, created by my seemingly reckless thrust. All according to the plan. I release my form and wash over him as if I was a liquid, swallow him. Just like how the sea consumes sailors and ship alike - whole. I am the one in charge now. Chapter 3: The status window A status window appears in my mind. Status Window: -No Name- [Living Stone Lv. 1] HP: 5/5 MP: 10/10 Strength: 2 Agility: 1 Intelligence: 100 Stamina: - Passive Skills: [Immortality] [Sleep Nullity] [Sense Nullity] [Stone Skin] Active Skills: [Lesser Mind Control Lv. 1] Titles: - .. Well, that explains why I can not see anything. I simply have no eyes, do I? Now that I think about it, I can not feel, hear or smell anything either. .. What the f*ck!? I could accept not being reborn into a human being, but then I at least expected to be a humanoid. Even a goblin would have been better than this! Such luck, why a stone of all things?! Answer: The only species with the inborn skill [Immortality] is [Living Stone]. Oh? I actually got an answer. Dumbfounded I looked through my status but could not find anything that possibly could have caused this strangeness. Why was there an answer? Answer: The system''s purpose is to notify self aware individuals about skills and their effects. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Really? Well, since I can not die, feel pain or even need to sleep judging by the names of my passive skills I should take my time to appraise my status for the time being. [Living Stone]: A living stone. Immortal, but lacks intelligence. Hmm.. There does not seem to be any downside in my case. Well, ignoring being a stone.. On the other hand, there would have been if I did not have the awareness of a human from my previous life, but then again, if I did not have that I would not know the difference. Phew, dodged that bullet.. [Immortality]: The user can not die of aging. Inborn skill. Immortality seems to be unconditional - great! I was actually worrying a bit before, but I feel kinda reassured now. On the other hand, it seems that I am not immortal in the literal sense, rather by the standards of this world. Oh well, you can''t get everything.. Actaully, it would have been a little boring being completly immortal from the very beginning wouldn''t it? And I should have a perfect camouflage anyway, so I shouldn¡¯t suffer any major danger from being attacked at the moment anyway.. [Sleep Nullity]: The user do not need to sleep and is unable to fall asleep by force. Inborn skill. [Sense Nullity]: The user can not make use of the five senses. Inborn skill. As for sleep nullity, it is a plainly useful skill. This means that I have double the amount of time being conscious- Wait, no, it does not. Is this what one would call ¡°anti-combo¡±? Thanks to my immortality the usefulness of sleep nullity is downgraded.. Oh well, I guess there is no chance that I will be caught of guard at night time, or put to sleep for that matter. Sense nullity is really bad though.. Simply a strictly terrible skill to own. [Stone Skin]: The user''s skin is as hard as stone. Inborn skill. Nice, does that mean that I take decreased physical damage? Yes, that would make sense, wouldn¡¯t it..? Whatever - I''ll leave testing my abilities for later. Now, lastly, my trump card: [Lesser Mind Control Lv. 1]: The user is able to control a lesser creature with less intelligence than the value of 20*. With this, my ridiculous existence have come to light. Yes~ My lady¡¯s and gentlemen, I am the great- ..Oh, I don¡¯t have a name yet, that''s right.. Whatever, I am the great and mighty mind controlling, immortal stone! Ha! So what if I can barely move as a stone. I do not need to move. Also, what was that about not being able to use the five senses? Hmm? Now, servants, carry me! .. Servants! Huh? It doesn''t seem to be working.. Chapter 0: Prologue (Author¡¯s message: Sorry for the disordering but this is not the fourth chapter. As you can see by the title, it''s chapter 0, the prolouge. But since this part is not really necessary for the story, you can simply skip ahead to chapter 4 if you feel like it. However, if you are reading this before any other chapter then you should just continue to chapter 1, here, instead). Chapter 0: Prologue Well, I suppose a self introduction is in place. My name is Ned, just your average highschooler with a habit of having wordless conversations with himself. In short, a lone wolf and wierdo. But please, do not misunderstand, I¡¯m not bullied or anything like that. This is just the kind of person I grew up to be. You know, all classes have them - that silent guy who sits at the back, without any seemingly outstanding trait. That someone who no one is especially familiar with. Even though I wouldn¡¯t call myself smart or being good at sports, or anything alike- on the other hand I am good at studying and have decent grades in everything - even the things that I dislike. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.And so, you may view me as a easy-going and dull person. But in fact, that is only the very surface to who I am. While everyone in my school may look at me as if this is all I amount to, they are disregarding one important fact. That is, I can transformation. On one point I can become a pirate with a unyielding appetite for adventure - sailing the seas, unbound and always in search of a new meal. Another day I change into a human soul, reincarnated into the body of a goblin - experiencing the excitement of fierce battles first hand. Perhaps, the day before that, I may have had the ide¨¢ of traveling to another world and dive into the knowledge of magic - becoming an outstanding archmage. After which I save the world from an otherwise certain doom. While the people of this world think of me as a no-good, I can become a hero in another. Magic, adventure, mythical creatures, reincarnation or transportation into other worlds. Through those fantasies I escape from the normal, boring world called earth.. Well, as I mentioned before I have the habit of talking to myself, which happen to make me unaware of my surroundings at times. A very bad habit in this case. Without it I wouldn¡¯t be lying here on the street. But even though I¡¯m probably gonna die soon, I am kind of happy. Because if there is any truth to the clich¨¦ of being run over by a truck, die, and then get reincarnated - then I could very well be headed to my life''s biggest adventure yet. A bit ironic, don¡¯t you think? Chapter 4: Adventure: START< I look around me. I stand at the rocky shore of the small pond I had surfaced from just moments ago. My senses does not feel anything close by, but I shouldn¡¯t relax. After all, that is what had gotten me killed in the first place. I¡¯m still holding my old body in my hands. Bloody and fragile. I eat it, all of it. I can¡¯t allow the smell of blood to spread, and so, I wash my face in the pool while keeping an eye at the dim tunnel behind me. Nothing, yet. My status and level didn¡¯t increase from the battle. But despite this, underneath my watchfulness, I can¡¯t help but feel overjoyed. I pick up a stone from the ground and begin to head onwards. Chapter 4: Adventure: START< I have discovered a problem. A huge weakness if you will.. Now I am just the same as any other mindless stone, except - I have a mind. The problem lies in that it doesn¡¯t seem to be anything near me to take control over. Because of this, I don¡¯t even know where I am! If I could only confirm the situation, I would be a lot calmer. But as it is now, it seems as though my mind control have quite a short range. And so, it¡¯s rendered completely useless. But since there isn¡¯t much else to do, I concentrate at feeling the presence of other lives around me. I should be able to do it. If there is anything here, that is.. And entirely correct, after some time my mind hits something hard. It seems as if I panicked too early. I press my consciousness against the surface of what seems to be a wall, and slowly transcends the bounds of the barrier keeping me out. The creature seems to have noticed, and in a hurry to get rid of me, it puts all it¡¯s being into pushing me back, out of it¡¯s mind. However, the thoughts are disoriented and unclear, so I can block the attack fairly easily. I make use of the gained momentum, and while the defender is still in shock, I pierce its defenses. .. I can feel. The cold water against my streamlined body and limbs, the current, and vibrations from prey not to far away. Amazing, I never thought I would have been so grateful for being able to feel again, but that is not all. I can see. After the darkness before I met the witch, as well as just now, I feel like I yet again have been completely blinded by the sharp light. Moreover, my vision is a little bit disorientating and very different from a humans, which merely contributes to the fluster of impressions. Yet I can still make use of sight and I soon grow accustomed to the presence of the pillars of sunshine piercing the water around me. You see, while it¡¯s not very deep down, I seem to be at the bottom of the sea. I turn my vision to the bottom and carefully watch my original body. It looks like a completely normal rock.. Imagine a stone you could find at the roadside, not to small, nor big, something that could easily be held in your hand. That is my appearance. Well, how goes the saying now again? Don¡¯t judge a book by it¡¯s cover, or maybe ¡°the inside is more important than the outside¡±? Something like that. I look at the my own status. Status Window: -No Name- [Lesser Squid Lv. 1] (Controlled) HP: 19/20 MP: 1/1 Strength: 10 Agility: 15 Intelligence: 10 Stamina: 86% Passive Skills: - Active Skills: [Swim Lv. 3] [Embrace Lv. 1] Titles: - This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Compared to my own status the values are very high, all except intelligence and MP. But that goes without saying since I have the brain capacity of a human. However it¡¯s lacking skills to the extent that it only owns two. While the first one¡¯s effect is obvious, what¡¯s the point of the second one? [Embrace]: Tightly hugs something, exerting compressive force. Inborn skill. Ah, I get it. This is the squids ¡°killer-move¡±. Well then, let¡¯s try it out while experimenting a little! Wait! Wha, it¡¯s stamina is dropping rapidly! Why? Startled I loosen the grip of the squids consciousness and it quickly begins to oppose me, desperately, fighting for oxygen. Oh.. That was rather stupid of me, wasn¡¯t it? I just supposed that even the conscious processes such as breathing would continue automatically. That is clearly not the case. Rather, I probably will have to avoid taking over at 100% in the future. That way, I should be safe from drown myself or having to worry about how to breath as a squid.. Through, even with that out of the world, this is still rather hard. Finding the balance between complete control and survival of the target I mean. After a few minutes of testing I decide to settle with 8-2 for now, since I can not go any further without risking being distracted by the squid''s body. As the day passes I hunt small fish in the surroundings, but they are not my prior objective. I¡¯m practising to move. The swim skill is extremely useful, since it even makes navigating in this three dimensional space relatively easy. I also test the limits of my mind controll. After all, it would be bad to make a devastating discovery during a battle.. Apparently, when one have gotten the control of an individual''s body it can be moved further away from the original body without losing contact. But not to far, my limit seems to be about 3 meters. Which means that I would have to carry my original body with my if I want to move further than that. Right now, I am luring at the bottom, right under a school of fish. It¡¯s time to test my new body. I patiently mark out a single silver-sparkling fish and prepare to make my move. No, observing it up close, it looks like a fry, not even worthy of being called ¡°fish¡± yet. Well, fish or fry doesn¡¯t matter, the result should be the same. I¡¯m higher up in the food chain as a squid anyway. While making full use of my swimming skill I shot forth like a torpedo right into the fish school from below. I focus on the one closest to me and while all other fry flees in panic, my prey is caught within my eighth arms. I quickly use embrace and crush the small fish''s entrails, killing it instantly. Notification: The required experience level have been reached. Individual -No Name- [Living Stone Lv. 1] has become a [Living Stone Lv. 2] Controlled individual -No Name- [Lesser Squid Lv. 1] has become a [Lesser Squid Lv. 2] .. Now that is interesting! To think that both of us gain experience from hunting. Upon till now I thought that I would have to make the squid self destruct in the future, just to level up myself. But it seems that it would be more profitable if I keep it alive. This way, it will gain experience together with me and at the same time I will become more skilled at using it. And just like that, kill two flies in one sweep. Thus, to celebrate my first kill, let the experience-grind begin! Chapter 5: Catching up to the present Chapter 5: Catching up to the present It has now been three days since I caught my first meal and I have adapted to this body completely. Upon till now, I have more or less focused on leveling up the squids skill levels, mostly because there isn¡¯t much I can do with my main body. At least not while under water. However, I am unable to work my host around the clock since it is a living being and needs its rest. Therefore I have also invented other techniques of gathering level proficiency. For example, when the squid is asleep I can simply take control over minor creatures, such as fry, and make them crush themselves between a cliff and my own body. Brutal and not very time efficient, but it works. And so, I reached level 5 and have grown to the size of a handball. Status Window: -No Name- [Living Stone Lv. 5] HP: 12/12 MP: 10/14 Strength: 6 Agility: 3 Intelligence: 110 Stamina: - Passive Skills: [Immortality] [Sleep Nullity] [Sense Nullity] [Stone Skin] Active Skills: [Lesser Mind Control Lv. 3] [MP consumption down Lv. 1] Titles: - .. Did you notice something new? Well, yes, of course my level is higher, but look at my active skills! My mind control have grown to level 3 which increases my range to seven meters. But that is not all. I also newly acquired: [MP consumption down Lv. 1]: Reduces the amount of MP required by skills. It seems as though my mind control actually uses up MP to keep in function. Which led me to acquire a related skill through repetitive use. However, I have never lost control due to lack of mana until now, which I at first thought was weird. But according to the system the reason for this is that when the MP gauge is rendered empty, the cost is instead translated into stamina. But I have no stamina. How could I? I am a rock after all.. And so, I practically have a infinite amount of MP! So as long as I don¡¯t slip on the surveillance I should be able to stay in command. On the other hand, this also means that for now, this skill is completly useless. But it''s good to know that I can gain skills by simply repeating an action. Also, my main body doesn¡¯t have much in terms of combat ability, which leads me to completly rely on the squid''s ability. And so, if my minion is to weak my chances of survival are nonexistent. Which is why I was focusing on raising my main body¡¯s low agility the first day after my arrival to this world. While it isn¡¯t very effective yet, as I gain size and more mobility I could simply roll over my enemies - is what my ide¨¢ was. But as one would expect, to move as a stone is very hard, not to mention doing it under water.. Well, another solution to me being weak is of course to raise the squid¡¯s level, which is my current priority. I grab myself with four of my arms and use embrace to get a hold on the heavy body. Then, using the other half of my limbs, I begin to move. It has become quite exhausting to move my main body since I have not only grown in size, but also in corresponding weight. However, since my level of embrace have grown even more, there isn¡¯t any major problem. I merely have to make sure that I don¡¯t damage myself by mistake. But since I have [Stone Skin] which effect is to hinder me from taking physical damage, I could forget about it and still remain undamaged for a while. I cancel embrace and let go of my grip. I have reached my destination. Spreading wide in all directions before me is a coral reef. But not very similar to whatever you picture when you read the word. No, this landscape is closer to a spectrum of colors than a rainbow ever was. Truly fitting for a world of magic - it feels fictitious and unreal. It¡¯s late afternoon, judging by the sun, and the light and shadows playfully hunt each other over the reef. There exists a multitude of corals with not only the classic colors such as green, violet or pink - but with a variety of shades that could never be found in my old world. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Well, not that I¡¯m an expert or anything.. But some even look like they themself are exerting light - almost luminous corals. But I¡¯m not here because of the beautiful scenery. This, is my hunting ground. And I¡¯m here to prey on the reefs inhabitants. What do I hunt, you wonder? Well, pretty much anything that¡¯s smaller or as big as me. Fish, crabs, seashells or the very common fry even. But even if I label myself as hunter, I still have to be carefull. Because there is always an unknown factor to my prey. And that is, magic. Some of these creatures have either inborn proficiency or have some way or another learned to use what seems to be water magic. In other words, crabs are not always wandering cans of food. For sometimes they have evolved to being full fledged tanks with long range magic.. But since I can not appraise other individuals than myself and my minion, I have no way of knowing when or where from such an attack could come. For that reason, I always cautiously approach my prey, such as this crayfish at the edge of the reef, stealthily. Meaning - from above and behind without any overexaggerated moments. But the crayfish notices the vibrations created by my numerous arms and distances itself from me quickly. Rather, it notices the hunter and it¡¯s own position as prey - and flees. Not prepared to give up that easily I kick the water - resulting in a whirlpool of sand where I had shot forward from. I catch up to my prey fast, and using one of my tentacles I pummel it to the ground. It doesn¡¯t die immediately, but we both know that the fight, if one could even call it that, is already over. I end it, impatiently, without meeting any resistance from the already half dead crayfish. After I finish my meal, I begin to look for a new one straight away. But there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything close by, inside the range of my reception. And so, I swim back to my main body and lift it using the same technique as before. However, after that I remain still. I take notice of a large silhouette traveling over the reef. Actually I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t notice it earlier since it¡¯s the only thing that¡¯s moving. Judging by the shape and size of the shadow, it¡¯s similar to a shark from earth. Adding the fact that all the inhabitants of the reef seem to have fled, I conclude that it¡¯s carnivorous as well. Meaning, I too am in danger. For now I better get out of here since I have no intention of changing my unconditionally loyal slave, Mr. Squid, any time soon. And since there is absolutely 0% chance of me winning against a foe of that size without any major loss, I slowly begin to retreat, close to the bottom so that the shark doesn¡¯t see me. But you already know how that turned out. One could even say that the rest is history.. I was discovered. Although I, personally, didn¡¯t notice him until he was ontop of me. And yes, I have decided that it was a ¡°he¡±, and I will call him Brutus from now on. Brutus tailfin swept two times and he practically flew at me. I wouldn¡¯t say that I was prepared, actually I was about to be overwhelmed by his sheer speed. But I just barely managed to avoid his open - fang coated gap in time. And while he continued onwards right by me, I desperately fought another battle. That was, fleeing as fast as possible with a weight heavy enough to represent two times my own weight. Judging by the situation, I did fairly good. But Brutus stopped his charge midway and sooner than I had hoped for, I was back at square one. The following scenario, if I was to explain it simply, was like a water-themed bullfighting. I continued to swim close to the bottom and in that regard I forced Brutus to disregard one of the many angles of attack. That way, I could sort of predict where the attack would be coming from. So even if he obviously was faster than me, if I began to dodge before the actual attack - I could avoid it. However, this required outstanding judgement and patience. Something I didn¡¯t have. Thereby my lost limbs, and weakened state in which the orc found me in. But I did good to survive until then, I thought to myself. I¡¯m still holding my old body in my hands. Bloody and fragile. I eat it, all of it. I can¡¯t allow the smell of blood to spread, and so, I wash my face in the pool while keeping an eye at the dim tunnel behind me. Nothing, yet. My status and level didn¡¯t increase from the battle. But despite this, underneath my watchfulness, I can¡¯t help but feel overjoyed. I have acquired an even more valuable thing than a level up, or even a new skill. A humanoid form. With this, I will hopefully be able to interact with humans! Because believe it or not, it gets very lonely, living as a stone at the bottom of the sea. And although I have given up on living my new life with the standards of man - my human mind still requires company. I pick up my main body where I had dropped it with my right hand, and begin to head forward, through the somewhat dark tunnel. Chapter 6: New body - new morals Chapter 6: New body - new morals Day 1: I spent the first day in the tunnel to try get a grip of the situation. But although I say ¡°first day¡± there is no way of knowing the time underground, so I don¡¯t really know. But I should be able to judge by the orc¡¯s stamina. Anyway - first of all, I inspected my newly gained status. Status Window: Zodd [Orc Lv. 4] (Controlled) HP: 37/37 MP: 1/1 Strength: 29 Agility: 9 Intelligence: 14 Stamina: 89% Passive Skills: [Hard Skin Lv. 7] Active Skills: [Night Vision Lv. 5] Titles: - Oh? A monster with a name? It¡¯s true that I called the shark-like monster from before by a name, but that was merely for the convenience sake.. This is something entirely new. What does a name have for effects? Well, going by the standards of earth, a name isn¡¯t something special and have no effects at all. But this is a world in which magic exists.. No, I shouldn¡¯t be jumping conclusions on my own since the system doesn¡¯t seem like it will answer me. Rather, I should think about this logically. Ok, the monster have a name. Which means that someone had to name it. A parent perhaps? But if that¡¯s so then that would mean that orcs are above beasts in terms of intelligence. However, I have no way of confirming my guesses so I will leave it at that. Next I prioritised to explore my surroundings. Although I didn¡¯t discover anything special in particular, I was surprised at the size of this cave. No, it couldn¡¯t be called a cave anymore. It was more of a wide tunnel. But calling it a tunnel would also be wrong since there were several other tunnels crossing my own. And as I continued to walk I came up with a more fitting name for this underground tunnel system. A labyrinth. Everywhere looked the same and even though I continued to walk in a straight line, I felt as if I was walking in circles. So to summarise my situation; I¡¯m a living stone controlling an orc named Zodd, while completely lost in a underground labyrinth. Also, I¡¯m beginning to feel hunger surge from the orcs body. While being lost doesn¡¯t bother me especially since I never knew where I was from the start - the hunger could prove to be a problem.. There is a chance that Zodd will begin to panic if he gets starved enough, and then break free from my control. If that actually happens, I would be in serious danger since my camouflage is already known by the orc. In short, unable to run away - I would die. Thus, now that I know my current abilities, my surroundings and what I have to do. I just need to find something to eat. And so, I continued to walk in the same direction as before. Only now, I had a reason to do so. I soon found what I was looking for in a crossing of two tunnels. A potential prey. A pig-faced, dirty, overweight man merely wearing an equally dirty piece of cloth to cover his crotch. Another orc. What the hell?! Do I really need to kill and eat my own kind? Well, it¡¯s not really ¡°my¡± kind but rather Zodd¡¯s. However, isn¡¯t this a little cruel? And disgusting.. No, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking like that. Yet again I am applying human standards on this world and inhabitants, even though I had decided to live my life from scratch. Right now, I myself am a monster - a former human, but no longer. If it¡¯s a life or death situation - it isn¡¯t ¡°cruel¡± to kill another monster to stay alive yourself. That is what I have decided. Thus, I chose to survive. The other orc notices me and grunts a greeting to me. Indicating that it¡¯s friendly. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.I don¡¯t bother answering, after all I hardly know how to copy that sound. Instead I observe him quietly. He turns around, now ignoring me, and takes a few steps into the pathway to the right. I can¡¯t see him anymore, and so, I hurriedly follow his path. I was never the physical guy in my previous life so I never knew how to throw a punch. But somehow with this new big body it worked out perfectly. Imagine a sumo wrestler pummeling his opponent from behind with all of his weight supporting him. Not very surprising, the orc was knocked down with just that. He fell to the ground facing downwards without being able to stop his seemingly inflated body with his hands. Quickly, I placed my hands around his thick neck and squeezed as hard as I could. Of course the orc struggled with all its might, but in it¡¯s confused state it never really had any chance of breaking loose from my grip. One could say that it¡¯s all thanks to the practise I did while I controlled the squid, or the simple fact that my hands was large enough to grasp all the way around his neck. But anyway or another, after around one minute the orc finally stopped to struggle. Notification: The required experience level have been reached. Skill: [Embrace Lv. 1], have been acquired by controlled individual Zodd [Orc Lv. 4]. Just as the orc exhaled one last time, a notification popped up before my eyes. .. It seems like living as a squid really did help me. Since I already had the knowledge of how the skill was executed, I easily acquired it by simply copying it from my memory. In other words, my loss after my fight against Zodd wasn¡¯t significant. Since the only thing that I lost was access to the squids skills. In fact, if you exclude that it took some time until I got to this point - it was a total victory! But I don¡¯t really have time to celebrate. Zodd is slowly beginning to oppose me, just as I predicted before. And I can¡¯t do anything about it right now. Sure, I have meat to still his hunger, but there still remains two problems to be solved, before I can continue. Problem 1: It¡¯s raw meat. Raw, and unappealing - to say the least. Solution: Eat or be eaten. You should have already noticed, but if I was in such a crisis, I¡¯m the kind of person who would do anything to survive. I would even commit cannibalism if necessary, just to live another day. Survival for the fittest, is what it¡¯s called. Or even the ¡°law of the jungle¡± if you prefer that. There is not really a problem here, it¡¯s just disgusting to eat uncooked meat. Not to mention what kind of meat this is. But as I said, it¡¯s not a question of however I would like to eat it or not - I need it. However, this is where problem number two comes into the picture: If I turn my back to the path behind me and only focus on what¡¯s in front of me, then I could easily be done in by another monster. Perhaps yet another orc. Actually, the ide¨¢ of that another orc would come by this place wouldn¡¯t be that weird since there already happened to be one who took this path. Also, since orcs in this world should be relatively intelligent they could very well call it¡¯s friends if it finds me, instead of stupidly attack me alone. Thinking that, I hastily look around me to see if anyone was alerted by the ground-shaking thud the orc¡¯s fall caused. The solution to this is obviously to move the corpse to a safe location where I can eat while at the same time being alert of the shadows. In other words, what I need is a height or a dead end so that I know if someone were to close in on me long before they actually get close. Kind of like how a leopard drags its caught prey up into a tree and eat it, undisturbed and safe from any rivals. While assuring myself that nothing¡¯s moving, I gripp my prey in both wrists, seperatly, and begin to drag it back the way the unlucky orc came from.