©¤©¤ BOOM!!
It sounded like a bomb exploded right next to my ear, accompanied by a powerful shockwave.
If I were human, my hearing might have been wrecked by such a loud noise.
''What the hell happened¡!?''
The next moment I saw a bright red light, I was sent flying.
From my rapidly spinning vision, I tried to gather information.
I was in the air.
It seemed that the earlier impact had launched me skyward.
''(Did those guys do this?)''
Looking down at the forest from above, I saw two gigantic beasts.
Both of them were large enough to break through the trees, and despite their enormous size, they were engaged in a swift battle at a speed that the eye could barely follow.
But what caught my eye more than them was the state of the forest.
Part of the forest was burning bright red.
Probably, the cause was one of the gigantic beasts.
It was a four-armed red ogre wreathed in flames, and the fire was spreading from where it stood.
However, strangely enough, the plants that should have been reduced to ashes were still lush with green leaves.
Every now and then, I could see green leaves through the flames.
Moreover, it seemed as if the branches were growing and the trunks were thickening even at this moment.
As I wondered about that, I began to fall.
I crashed into the forest, breaking branches as I landed.
Turkk--BAM!
I was blown away at an angle, so I was somewhat distant from the battlefield of the gigantic beasts.
Or at least, that¡¯s what I thought ©¤©¤
"RAAAAGH!!"
©¤©¤ The red ogre came rolling towards me, knocking down the trees in front of me with great force.
It must have been a skill, as the surrounding trees also started burning simultaneously.
"GRAAARRGH!"
Chasing after the path created by the red ogre, another beast appeared at tremendous speed.
If I had to describe that beast in one word, it would be a turtle carrying a forest on its back.
Its powerful four legs shook the ground with each step, and its shell was covered with numerous trees.
However, only its face was different from a turtle. It had a long neck with large fangs, and its pupils were slit like a dragon''s.
Saw-like horns ran from its forehead down to the nape of its neck.
"GRRRRRAAAARGH!"
Before the forest turtle could launch its next attack, the red ogre stood up, spitting fiery breath.
Though the red ogre was barrel-chested, there was no sense of sluggishness about it.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
The muscles visible through the gaps in the flames showed how powerful it was.
Oddly, there was something like a plant sprout growing beside its forehead horn.
"ROAAAAAR!"
The red ogre struck the ground with its fist.
Flames poured from its fist into the ground.
It must have used some kind of skill. The glowing red earth rapidly melted and solidified.
When the red ogre pulled its fist back, there was a huge club.
The club was charred black, but it had a glass-like shine.
The red ogre covered the club with flames similar to those enveloping its own body.
"GRRRR"
"GRRRUUU"
With its preparation complete, the red ogre swung the club and charged.
The forest turtle extended several vines from the forest on its back and swung them at an incredible speed to counter.
Each time the vines blurred, sharp cracking sounds rang out, and the red ogre¡¯s body jerked back.
Though the red ogre swung its club at a speed that left afterimages, it seemed unable to keep up with either attack or defense.
As the battle wore on, the flames gradually diminished, and the forest grew more vibrant.
The plants that had been blown away by the impact kept regenerating.
In a bid to break the deadlock, the red ogre made a new move.
Its form vanished, and it reappeared behind the forest turtle.
Judging by the delayed sound of an explosion, it must have used its own blast to move at high speed.
The red ogre swung the club at the forest turtle¡¯s right rear leg, but it was swatted away by the turtle''s tail.
You might think of a turtle¡¯s tail as short, but the forest turtle¡¯s tail was quite long and capable of such an attack.
With a single blow, the red ogre was sent back over ten meters, and the wind pressure alone tilted the nearby trees.
In retaliation, the red ogre unleashed a heatwave.
This was blocked by saplings that suddenly appeared in front of the forest turtle. Though they were initially the size of seedlings, they rapidly grew, possibly due to the forest turtle¡¯s power.
These trees withstood the flames.
Moreover, they extended their roots and pierced the red ogre¡¯s side.
The fire burning the forest weakened, and the greenery grew more and more lush.
''(This is the power of the King of Beasts¡!)''
I once heard from the knowledgeable Grandpa Slime that the King of Beasts had the power to control the world.
This must be it.
A struggle between worlds. A battle for environmental dominance.
A power that could alter the surrounding environment as a side effect.
''(¡¡¡¡)''
Amidst the indescribable fierce battle, on the edge of the battlefield, I shivered while activating [Block].
I didn¡¯t try to escape. I just stood there, trembling.
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
...
>> Jewel Slime has acquired the skill: [Resolute].
...
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
''Amazing¡¡!''
©¤©¤ To wield such power, it¡¯s incredible!
I was simply overwhelmed with admiration.
The fact that such immensely powerful beings existed.
And the miracle of witnessing a battle of mythical proportions up close.
My chest was filled with awe that wouldn¡¯t stop.
The urge to keep watching this scene overrode the rational decision to flee.
"RAAAAARGH!"
"GRRRUUUUHHH!"
But, regardless of my will, the battle reached its climax.
Pouring all the flames that had covered its body into the club, the red ogre made its move.
The flames turned from red to a blinding white.
On the other hand, the forest turtle opened its jaw and created a light orb in front of its mouth, using an enormous amount of mana probably.
As the mana grew stronger, the surrounding trees lost their life force but were immediately revived by the forest turtle¡¯s skill.
The trees thrived and then had their life force collected again, boosting the mana¡¯s power by several levels.
©¤©¤ Both were preparing their ultimate attacks.
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
...
>> Corrupted Pyrogolem, Lamelga has activated [Demonic Flame Burst Club].
>> Guardian of the Forest, Dwazoff has activated [Forest''s Wrath].
...
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
The light orb, imbued with immense mana, emitted a green ray, and the white-glowing club struck it head-on.
A massive shockwave erupted, blowing away the surrounding trees.
The clash between the ray and the club was intense, but in the end, the ray prevailed.
The ray that shattered the club pierced through the red ogre¡¯s body and continued far into the depths of the forest.
The red ogre, with a gaping hole from its abdomen to its chest, took one step towards the forest turtle, then collapsed before it could take a second.
Its death was inevitable.
As the red ogre died, greenery began to sprout around the epicenter.
Even amidst the fierce battle, the small sprout on the red ogre¡¯s forehead remained untouched, but that was insignificant.
I watched the departing figure of the forest turtle, as if its task was complete.
"Srlus!! (One day, I too¡!)"
I didn¡¯t have the courage to shout it out loud, but I made up my mind.
It wasn¡¯t about avoiding being hunted or proving myself to old comrades, it was just a pure, heartfelt decision.
I will level up, evolve, and someday become like them.
No, I will surpass them¡!
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
...
>> Jewel Slime has fulfilled the conditions to acquire the skill: [Foolhardiness].
>> Jewel Slime''s emotions have exceeded the threshold.
>> Unique skills are resonating.
>> [Mind Transformation] has occurred.
>> [Beast Harvest] has evolved into [Demonic Absorption].
>> Analysis results have been added to status.
...
©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤
Training and New skills
"Damn, it''s tough. My [Dissolving Liquid] can''t melt it."
After the forest turtle left, I thought I''d eat the red ogre it had left behind since I hadn''t had breakfast yet.
As expected, the red ogre''s body was too tough to dissolve. It''s obvious, really¡ªjust because it''s dead doesn''t mean its [Toughness] decreases significantly.
"Let''s find something else."
There''s no point in fixating on inedible things, so I left the red ogre before other monsters arrived. There probably aren''t many brave enough to approach after hearing such battle noises, though.
I considered lying in wait to hunt any approaching monsters, but the risk was too high in my current state, so I decided to wait for another opportunity.
The thing is...
HEALTH: 9/30
My [Health] was pretty low. My body was also noticeably smaller than usual.
"Ugh, now that I''m calming down, the pain is really hitting me..."
The aftermath of the battle had gradually worn down my [Health]. At the time, I was too excited to notice the pain, but now that I was calm, it felt like my whole body was being pierced.
Do slimes have an adrenaline-like substance in their brains? Actually, do I even have a brain?
At least I don''t seem to have skin, so wounds exposed to the ground or air don''t hurt more.
Thanks to this, even though my body was significantly smaller due to my injuries, I could still move without issue.
"Besides, it''ll heal if I leave it be."
Skill Details:
Self-Regeneration: Constantly regenerates injuries and lost parts.
It''s a skill that slimes are born with. The healing is slow, but I''d be fully recovered in about an hour or so.
I continued moving away from the battlefield, eating a few berries along the way, and stopped once my [Health] had mostly recovered.
"Alright, let''s do this!"
I psyched myself up. I''d decided to become like those giant beasts. To do that, I needed to train.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
The quickest way to get stronger is by raising my [Level]. Using the [Crushing] method, I could easily hunt weak monsters.
But that wouldn''t work against higher-level monsters. I needed more proactive offensive abilities, or I''d hit a wall eventually.
So I started training to acquire attack skills. The forest turtle had given me an idea of what kind of attack skills to aim for.
"Slime..."
I concentrated and extended a part of my light blue body, trying to make it as thin and long as possible.
A slime''s body is usually like a slightly flattened curling stone. If I don''t focus, it naturally takes that shape, which must be its natural state.
But that doesn''t mean it can''t take other shapes. The further from the flattened stone shape, the harder it is, but with effort, some transformations are possible.
Whether it''s due to my [Level] up or evolution, it''s easier to transform than before.
"Grrrr..."
I kept transforming, and eventually, I was satisfied with the result. I made a thin whip with a small bump at the tip as a weight.
Ideally, it would be like the forest turtle''s vine, but making it that thick would use up all my volume.
The whip I made, slightly thinner than a garden hose, was long enough without using too much volume.
Since I couldn''t stray far from the flattened sphere shape, half of my volume had to maintain that form, but it was still long enough to be called a whip.
"Alright, let''s start...!"
I fought to keep my body from reverting to its original shape and swung the whip.
I swung it all the way back and then struck the tree in front of me.
**Smack.**
It made a disappointing sound.
The whip just grazed the bark, not even leaving a scratch.
"Hmm, the first attempt failed."
The Jewel Slime''s body isn''t elastic like a regular slime; it''s hard. I can change its shape at will, but external forces don''t affect it much.
So if I could get the speed right, I should be able to peel off some bark. The failure was simply due to my lack of skill.
Since the Jewel Slime''s body only moves by its own will, just swinging the base like a normal whip wouldn''t move the rest.
I needed to make the base, middle, and tip move seamlessly together.
"Well, I didn''t expect to get it right on the first try."
From here on, it''s just continuous practice!
For a while, I kept swinging the whip.
I gradually got the hang of it, got used to maintaining the transformed state, and even acquired some skills.
As these changes took place, the sound of the whip changed.
**Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!**
As I swung the whip repeatedly, the satisfying sound of it hitting the trunk echoed. The whip''s speed and the time between swings improved significantly.
The scattered wood chips showed the whip''s power.
"Slime! (Not enough!)"
But I wasn''t satisfied with that.
I aimed to be the strongest! I needed to keep training.
So I continued whipping diligently. Even when the ominous sound of creaking wood echoed, I didn''t notice and kept practising.
"Whoa!"
Suddenly, I heard an ominous sound¡ª
Crunch~Boom!
I was carving away at a tree from one side, creating a large dent near the base.
It''s not hard to imagine what happens if I keep carving away at the dent.
"Yikes!"
Too absorbed in my whipping, I failed to activate [Escape] in time and got hit on the head by the falling tree.
Unnotified Information Recording Area:
Jewel Slime acquired Skill: [Flexibility Exercises].
Acquired [Skill: Whip].
Acquired [Skill: Continuous Attack].
Acquired [Skill: Concentration].
Acquired [Skill: Compact Whip].
Acquired [Skill: Consecutive Strikes].
Integrated with [Continuous Attack].
Acquired [Skill: Folly].
The goblins!
"(Phew, that was a tough experience...)"
I sighed as I crawled out from under the fallen tree. I had lost track of time during my training, but this seemed like a good point to pause and check my progress.
The training seemed to have paid off, as my list of skills had significantly increased. Let''s review each one.
First, "Indomitable Spirit" enhances my ability to stand firm, making it harder to be blown away. I had this skill even before the training and likely acquired it while observing the battles between giant beasts.
Next, "Flexibility" proves to be quite handy. It aids in controlling my body. Maintaining a whip-like form became easier midway through the training, likely due to this skill. From now on, I can transform my body more freely.
"Whip" and "Compact Whip" are skills for delivering powerful lash attacks. The latter, as the name suggests, allows for a quick strike with fewer openings, though at a reduced power.
"Focus" increases concentration on a single task, while "Rapid Strikes" enhances the power of consecutive attacks. While continuous attack opportunities are rare, like earlier, it''s uncertain how practical they will be in real combat.
"(So far, so good...)"
The problem is the last skill. Its name is quite disheartening, but I can''t ignore it. I focus my awareness on my status.
Uh, okay... Is this strong?
While the increase in all stats is powerful, the condition "during folly" is vague. Besides, for someone like me who always acts cleverly, opportunities to use this might be scarce. Hahaha.
Setting that aside, increased disease resistance is genuinely appreciated. Even slimes aren''t immune to diseases. I''ve seen comrades succumb to illnesses when I was part of a slime colony. The sight of bodies covered in spots and weakening is still chilling to recall. Though my resistance is high, having extra precautions is always beneficial.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Having reviewed my skills, I realized one more thing. ''My Unique Skill has changed.'' Perhaps it upgraded to a higher version due to frequent use. Though I hadn''t felt like I used it much since waking up yesterday, "Maximize Harvest" might have applied to the unique skill itself.
I wonder what the new effect is. Before checking, I glanced towards the bushes.
"Slrrrsh (They''ve come.)"
Whether drawn by the sound of the falling tree or just passing by coincidentally, a certain group appeared. They were bipedal, with green skin and child-sized bodies. With pointed ears, dull eyes, and exposed blackened canine teeth, they were quite distinctive.
''Goblins''
In short, they resembled the goblins from games and anime. They were a common sight in this forest, and I had fought them several times before regaining my past life''s memories. At that time, I mostly played a defensive role. Their strength was low to mid-tier. They were weak magical beasts positioned at the bottom of the ecological pyramid. Stronger than a single slime but evenly matched against two, and disadvantaged against three. Against slimes with throwing skills, they''d be at a further disadvantage.
Despite being magical beasts, they were smart enough to wield weapons. The four approaching goblins carried rusty swords, spears, axes, and knives. Their weapons were in poor condition; the sword, for example, was broken in the front. And seriously lacked the sharpness a sword would have. Likely taken from dead humans, which makes sense.
"Gegyaaa!"
The goblins charged at me, thinking I was easy prey. As I analyzed the situation, I questioned whether I should fight. Recovering my human memories made me hesitate to attack humanoid creatures. But only for a moment. I reminded myself that goblins were enemies of humans.
''Perfect, I''ll use them for a test run.''
I targeted the second-fastest goblin, the one with the sword, not the knife-wielding one. Transforming part of my body into a whip, I grabbed a stone with the tip and launched it.
"Gegya!?"
The stone hit the sword-wielding goblin squarely, causing it to fall. My throwing attack now packed quite a punch, thanks not just to the "Throwing" skill but also to my long arms and decent power. With the knife-wielding goblin slightly isolated, I struck with my whip the moment it entered range.
"Giguh!?"
The whip sliced through the air and landed a blow on the goblin''s face. The pointed weight at the tip of the whip gouged into its cheek. Flesh and blood splattered through the air. The knife-wielding goblin fell forward, scraping the ground. But it could wait for now.
"(Whip, whip!)"
I landed blows on the other goblins as they charged. One after another, they all ended up sprawled on the ground. When the knife-wielding goblin tried to get up, I quickly used "Compact Whip." It sliced into its leg, making it fall again. If any other goblin tried to stand, I attacked it too.
I kept attacking them one-sidedly, but with one against four, I was running out of hands. They gradually got closer, making it harder to use the whip effectively.
"Srrsle(Well, I can always run!)"
I slipped through the goblins'' swinging weapons and repositioned, starting the one-sided attack anew. I continued to overwhelm them in this cycle, using "Taunt" and "Alluring Glare" to keep them from escaping.
A while after the battle started, one goblin bled out and died. The whip, strengthened by "Rapid Strikes," had the power to gouge into trees. After taking multiple hits, it was inevitable that the goblin would succumb.
"(This is the end, Whip!)"
With the first goblin''s death as a signal, the others quickly followed. I finished off the last one with a powerful lash, bringing the battle to a close.
Strange Beings
Level 15, huh?
I checked my progress after defeating the four goblins. Even though I only gained four levels, it''s natural for levelling up to become harder as you go higher.
Defeating stronger enemies would speed things up, but that''s a plan for another time.
"Srrrls (This is pretty gross.)"
I ate the goblins while reviewing my status. There were no new skills, but I gained a better understanding of the ones I had.
Specifically, I realized the conditions for "Rapid Strikes" were quite lenient. The effect persisted even if I attacked other goblins or alternated between "Whip" and "Throwing."
This skill only counted how many times I attacked a target within the last minute or two. Based on the number of hits, "Rapid Strikes" boosted my attack power.
As I pondered this, I remembered something important.
''I still need to check my Unique Skill.''
With the goblins out of the way, I focused on my status.
Unique Skill Details: Demonic Absorption
- Maximizes harvest yield.
- Bonus skill: Demonic Lightning unlocked! (NEW)
Oh, new abilities! It looks like I can control lightning now. This could be a powerful new attack.
''Demonic Lightning, activate!''
A sensation of mana flowing out from within me was followed by a flash of lightning striking in front of me.
The lightning hit a goblin corpse, scorching its skin. The lighting wasn''t normal, characterized by a red colour and leaving behind sparks of fire on the corpse, though it didn''t last long!
''This is amazing! It''s like magic!''
I jumped with excitement. Not only does it have a cool name¡ªDemonic Lightning¡ªbut it also seemed usable as an attack.
The lightning was strong enough to burn goblins and was too fast for me to track. This added a powerful card to my arsenal.
''Alright, Demonic Lightning! Demonic Lightning! Demonic... huh?''If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
As I continued to incinerate the goblins with my Unique Skill, I was suddenly hit by a wave of fatigue on the fourth strike. This feeling...
~~
Mana: 2/14
~~
Out of mana! I knew running out of mana could cause fatigue, but I''d forgotten since I''d never needed to manage it before.
Damn, I can''t use my Unique Skill for a while. I shouldn''t have wasted it... or rather, this is a learning opportunity!
Now I know each lightning strike costs 3 mana, which is useful information! With that, I felt better.
''Roasting them doesn''t change the taste much.''
I mused while dissolving the scorched goblins. Next, I needed to think about weapons.
The goblins'' weapons were crude, but having them would still increase my combat effectiveness.
However, I didn''t want to carry anything too heavy as it would slow me down. After some thought, I decided to take the axe and knife.
The axe seemed the most powerful when attached to my whip, and while the knife was rusty and chipped, it was light and worth taking along.
*Srsle...* (I''m full.)
After dissolving half of the roasted goblins, I stopped eating. I had reached my limit. I left the remaining two and a half goblins as I didn''t want to attract other beasts by staying too long.
*(Alright, let''s go.)*
I extended my whip, trying to jump like Spider-Man.
"..."
I will just walk; I am no Spider-Man.
~~Non-Notified Information Log~~
...
>>Jewel Slime has acquired Skill: Transportation.
...
As I entered the underbrush, feeling my load lighten, I suddenly heard a voice behind me.
"Ah, the goblins are dead!"
A voice. Not a beast''s cry, but a series of complex, meaningful sounds. Though I didn''t understand the language much, it was undoubtedly a human voice.
Rustle, rustle. Sneak, sneak.
Placing my weapon on the ground, I moved stealthily.
---
~Anonymous Information Recording Area~
...
>> Jewel Slime has acquired [Skill: Stealth].
...
---
Before long, the place where I had fought the goblin earlier came into view. It was from around here that I heard human voices.
"Scary."
"Half-eaten. Could it be the work of the demon spawn?"
Peeking through the bushes, I saw four humans armed with weapons.
As typical for people in this world, they had vibrant hair colours like red and blue. It looked like they were discussing the goblin.
Thinking back, the way I killed it was quite gruesome, so they might think some dangerous individual was lurking around.
The corpse was grotesque even from a distance, thoroughly destroyed.
"Let''s take it home for now."
...
>> Jewel Slime has acquired [Skill: Comprehension].
...
"That¡¯s right."
"!?"
As I strained to listen to their conversation, I suddenly began to understand what they were saying.
The pronunciation was still the unfamiliar language of this world, but I could clearly grasp the nuances of their conversation.
Looking at my [Status], I saw a new [Skill] called [Comprehension]. It was likely thanks to this.
I could understand what they wanted to convey, though not what they wanted to hide. Still, in this situation, it was a useful [Skill].
From the information gleaned through [Comprehension], it seemed they were worried about who or what had left the goblin''s mutilated corpse. Probably...
Ordinary monsters wouldn¡¯t kill in such a torturous way, and if humans had done it, it was odd that they left all the materials behind. The half-melted corpse was also a source of confusion.
"So, let¡¯s just take the materials and head back."
New Enemy: Crayfish
"We''ll keep watch, so let''s get this over with."
"Do it. This might be related to the massive mana clash from this morning."
They ended their conversation and started harvesting the materials. They decided to report it but keep the materials for themselves.
¡I, too, needed to make a decision soon. Should I step out in front of the humans or not?
To be honest, I was feeling lonely. It had only been a day since I regained my memories, but being alone in the forest was pretty tough. Even though I tried to act cheerful, there was still a loneliness deep in my heart, and finding humans made that feeling stronger.
But I hesitated. Even if I stepped out, I didn''t think I could establish a friendly relationship. Besides, I can''t even speak their language.
With the [Comprehension] skill I acquired through listening, I could roughly understand their intentions. But if I couldn''t speak, I would just be targeted as a monster. Being merely targeted would be the best-case scenario. I could just escape then. The worst-case scenario would be if Jewel Slimes were known to give a lot of soul fragment experience points. I would be relentlessly hunted, and rumors might spread, drawing more humans.
I had no intention of getting killed, but I also didn''t want to kill people. I should swallow my loneliness. Yeah. That was for the best. So, I decided not to step out.
"My mana is pretty depleted. Let''s head back for today."
"No objections here."
After harvesting the materials, the humans collected the goblins'' weapons, skinned their bodies, plucked their fangs, and left. They went in the opposite direction of where I was hiding.
(¡Guess I should go too.)
Feeling somewhat reluctant, I hurried back to where I left my axe and knife. I worried they might have been taken by goblins or humans, but they were safely there.
"Su-ra-ra-ra!"
Overjoyed, I swung my beloved axe around. Since I grabbed it by the tip, the centrifugal force almost threw me off balance. I need to be careful if I plan to use it in combat.
After securing my weapons, I started exploring the forest. Thanks to the [Porter] skill, the weight of the weapons wasn''t a burden. This [Skill] reduces the weight of the items carried. Also, I acquired another new [Skill] earlier¡ª[Stealth]. It allows me to dampen my presence, including sound and smell. I''m not sure if slimes have a scent, but being able to move quietly is a big plus.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
So, I continued my exploration using [Stealth].
Sralsa? (Any prey around?)
Raising my axe, I swung it here and there. It was a good feeling while walking. Moreover, I was getting a little tired and really bored from walking. Not encountering any monsters at all was messing with my mood. I learned that when you want to find something, it''s often hard to come by.
When I say prey, I mean monsters slightly higher in level than myself. Lesser monsters are safe, but I wouldn''t mind even a mid-tier one. It''s unlikely that even a mid-tier monster could penetrate my toughness. However, small herbivorous monsters are highly alert and would quickly sense and flee even if I used [Stealth], making them impossible for me to hunt. These are the domain of high-speed monsters.
While continuing my search, I encountered a monster. Its appearance¡ª
''¡Is that a minotaur¡? Or a centaur¡?''
"Guaniiiiii!"
No, it''s something else.
''It''s huge, almost like a chimpanzee! This will be a challenging opponent!''
Standing before me was a crayfish monster, but it wasn''t just an ordinary crayfish. Its body was shaped like a centaur, with its long torso bent vertically in the middle, making its upper body resemble a human''s. Despite the human-like appearance, its entire body was covered in a reddish-brown exoskeleton, and its arms ended in pincers. Its head was at the same height as the humans I had met earlier, and its soulless black eyes glared down at me. The crayfish then raised one of its pincers.
This feels dangerous!
"Slaaash."
Whizzz
Though there was still some distance, I leapt back on instinct. My will to escape activated my skill [Escape], and I instantly moved several meters away.
Zaku!
The pincer shot out, stabbing the spot where I had just been and slashing with its sharp edges. Its sharpness was beyond natural. The released pincer was connected to its arm by something like a string, which reeled it back in to reattach to the arm.
(That was close¡!)
I muttered fearfully. Honestly, with my toughness, I would probably be unharmed, but I didn''t want to voluntarily take such a fast attack. The crayfish, glaring at me for dodging, pulled back its opposite arm. I began moving to the left with [Escape]. I dodged the second attack, but the crayfish immediately followed up. Dodge, follow-up, dodge, repeat.
(Whoa.)
As I moved clockwise, the crayfish seemed to get used to it, and its pincer approached my next spot. I leapt on instinct.
...
Jewel Slime has acquired the skill [Leap]. Jewel Slime has acquired the skill [Evade].
...
(Shit! I could have died!)
I somehow dodged that attack. Landing, I began moving counterclockwise this time. After our exchange so far, the crayfish had gotten used to my speed and aimed its pincers accurately again. But I had also become familiar with its movements. I changed direction the moment it raised its arm. The pincer stabbed into the ground two meters from me. I didn''t miss the opening.
"Slaaash."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~I tried to use AI to create the crayfish monster to my utmost capabilities, hope you can imagine from the reference ~!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will our jewel slime win??
Crayfish? Become my EXP!
I used [Compact Whip] to wrap the whip around my axe and swung it around to strike. But just before impact, my movements slowed.
"(What!?)"
Fortunately, I attacked before the pincer was retracted, but the exoskeleton covering the pincer didn''t show a scratch. Still, there was no time to be disappointed.
"(It''s probably that my [Escape] skill ended.)"
Since my [Escape] skill increases my agility only when I am escaping, it was expected for me to return to my normal stats when I was attacking. How dumb of me.
Indeed, my speed returned when I resumed dodging the attacks. With my newly acquired [Evade] skill, I easily handled the continuous pincers.
"(Alright, time to find a way to win.)"
I thought while dodging its attacks. I could counter it and defeat the crayfish. However, since my agility decreases during offence, there is a huge chance of me getting fatally wounded. The biggest obstacle in defeating the crayfish was its exoskeleton.
The exoskeleton blocked the axe I threw using my skill [Compact Whip], providing a solid defence. To win, I had to break through the exoskeleton or find a place without it.
I summarized my thoughts while dodging them and put them into action. First, I threw my axe.
"Zagua!"
The crayfish, pulling back its arm for the next attack, calmly used it to guard. The axe was deflected and stuck into a nearby tree. Thinking it had disarmed me, the crayfish intensified its attack. But my weapon wasn''t just the axe.
"Slaslasha."
...
>> Jewel Slime has acquired the skill [Slash].
...
I grabbed the knife I had brought along with the axe and slashed while dodging. The slowing of my movements due to the end of [Escape] wasn''t as scary as I expected it.
Though I couldn''t fully utilize centrifugal force due to the close distance, I gained the skill [Slash]. Checking my status frequently paid off. I continued dodging and slashing with the knife. I could feel the activation of the combo within me.
...
>> Jewel Slime has acquired the skill [Compact Slash].
...
By focusing on quick slashes, I learned the compact version, reducing the gaps in my attacks and stabilizing my cycle of dodging and attacking.
I hadn''t inflicted any wounds yet, but my combo power was steadily increasing. However, the crayfish seemed irritated by the stalemate and unveiled a new attack method.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Burrubobobo."
The crayfish spewed several bubbles from its mouth. I doubted they were just ordinary bubbles; they probably exploded on contact or something similar. The bubbles had iridescent stripes and emitted a fair amount of mana. It seemed the crayfish, valuing its mana in the monster realm, decided it couldn''t win without using it.
''Well, it''s a logical choice against a dodge-type opponent to use an area control spell.''
The bubbles spread out in a radial pattern, creating a dense area. Dodging them all would be difficult, even with my confidence in speed.
''But I''m better at defense than dodging!''
I accepted the risk of some hits and charged towards the crayfish, maximizing the effect of my combo. Naturally, I hit some bubbles, splashing them.
[Jewel slime has resisted the Poisonous Saliva!]
They didn''t explode as I had initially thought, but the plants touched by the spray melted. It seemed similar to my dissolving liquid skill.
[Jewel slime has resisted Poisonous Saliva!]
Well, acid wouldn''t harm my toughness. I broke through the bubble storm unscathed. However, something unexpected happened when my sword came in contact with the bubble.
"Susle!?(It''s melting!?)"
While I could withstand it, my weapon couldn''t. Still, the knife handle struck the crayfish''s exoskeleton, increasing my combo count.
"Guani!"
''Evade, [Compact Whip].''
The crayfish, moving its legs to close the distance and swinging its pincers, targeted me at close range. Not needing to retract made it faster.
But I had plenty of evasion skills: [Escape], [Evade], [Leap]. I dodged backwards while countering with [Compact Whip].
The crayfish kept closing in with pincers, which I dodged, maintaining just the right distance. I used [Taunt] and [Alluring Shine] to lure it into my trap, successfully positioning it.
"Zari!"
"(Leap!)"
I dodged another pincer attack by leaping and grabbing onto a tree. I quickly climbed up using [Climb], retrieving the axe I had thrown earlier. Thanks to [Carry], the added weight of the axe wasn''t a problem.
"Slaslasha (Taunt)!!"
"Guani!?"
I taunted one last time, completing my preparation. Using the tree''s flexibility, I jumped high. While airborne, I spotted the crayfish below. As I fell, I spun the axe with the whip and used my weight and fall speed.
"(©¤©¤Slash!)"
The axe embedded into the crayfish''s face. The recoil made my body bounce slightly, confirming I had shattered the exoskeleton and skull.
''Yes!''
That''s it! WAIT...Ahha uhh!!
But I underestimated the fury-driven persistence. I let my guard down after landing the [Slash], thinking I had won.
"Zaguaaa!"
''What!?''
Despite the axe in its face, the crayfish swung its pincer at me. It must have been preparing a counter or planning to chop down the tree. I wasn''t sure, but it had been charging an attack since I started climbing. The attack, likely using a skill, was much more powerful than its previous ones.
"(Guahhh©¤©¤)"
The impact launched me into the air. Damn, I didn''t expect a counterattack from that.
''Moreover, the attack pierced my defence and caused critical damage to me.''
[Health: 12/30]
...
>> Jewel Slime has increased its Soul Accumulation Level to 21.
>> Evolution is now possible.
...
Then, a surge of power welled up from deep within me. My status showed my level had increased. It seemed the crayfish''s last-ditch effort was the cause.
''Good, it''s going up.''
[Health: 15...17...19/30]
I relaxed, seeing my health increasing at a constant rate, ending the fight. Though I was still high in the air, this wasn''t as bad as being launched by the giant monster before. I had no fear of injury and landed with a thud.
"Kyahhh!"
''Oops!?''
Someone nearby had seen me fall.
First Interaction
Where I landed, there was a girl.
"Kyaaa!"
She had sky-blue hair like the midday sky and was in a state of panic. Covering her mouth with her hand she stood up, she was trembling while holding a basket, seemingly unable to continue standing as if her legs would give up at anytime.
"Si...slime..."
While I was analyzing the situation, I was also pretty confused. What should a slime do in times like this? If it were between humans, I could just apologize for startling her and explain the situation, but a slime can''t speak the human language.
I wanted to do something, but since she was really scared, approaching her would probably backfire. As I was thinking this, the girl cautiously gazed at me and then approached.
"Are you...hurt?"
She kneeled in front of me and asked while peering at me. It seemed she thought I was injured because she saw me fall from a high place and stop moving.
Then she rummaged through her basket and pulled out some medicinal herbs.
What is she thinking? I''m a magical beast, a monster that even attacks humans. Though I don''t attack because I was once human, a normal slime would spit dissolving liquid at her.
Yet, she''s approaching me so defenselessly and even offering precious medicinal herbs.
I have no idea what she''s thinking.
"These are medicinal herbs. If you eat them, your wounds will heal faster. Here, eat them."
The girl pressed the herbs towards me. While being suspicious, wondering if they might be poisoned, I decided to cautiously digest them, trusting in my skill: "Perfect Defense."
The herbs gradually dissolved inside my clear blue body. Frankly, my injuries started healing up since I reached higher levels, so the healing effect didn''t work, but I could absorb the mana contained in the herbs and felt invigorated.
"Slurp, slurp!"
"Fufu, I''m glad."
The girl smiled as she watched me hop around energetically. But seeing her, I became worried.
Will this girl do the same thing if she sees an injured magical beast again? Maybe she calculated that helping a slime would be safe even if it got violent, but it''s still dangerous.
I need to warn her properly.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
"Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp!" I frantically waved using my whip while bouncing up and down, "Surauas! Suarsa!! (Girl, you can''t! Do this to anyone again!!) "
"Are you thanking me? You''re welcome!"
She responded with a cheerful smile.
Damn it, she doesn''t understand! Even though I used gestures, she completely misunderstood.
"Slurp!"
"HUM?"
I made my body into an X shape to convey that her thinking was wrong. But it seemed people around here didn''t have a common understanding of X as incorrect.
"Good boy, good boy."
She freaking patted me like I was some kitten.
I was trying to convey my thoughts with my body, but it didn''t seem to be getting through at all.
Just then...
...
>> Jewel Slime has acquired the skill: Gesture.
...
Maybe it was a mistake to try and convey such an abstract idea without words. As I was about to think that, the girl suddenly seemed to realize something.
"Could it be, you''re saying it''s dangerous to approach carelessly?"
"Surasa! (Yes!)"
Whoa, she understood! A miracle! I guess if you convey your sincerity, your feelings can reach different species!
"You''re kind, pretty slime. Indeed, I''m weak, and it would be dangerous if I got poisoned... Yeah, I understand. I''ll be more careful next time."
"Sluraas, surala. (Be more careful next time.)"
Wait... is it due to my skill: Gesture?
"..."
Anyway, it seemed my message got through, so I was relieved.
"!"
Just then, the girl''s body suddenly trembled. She quickly stood up and slung the basket over her shoulder.
''Hum?''
Is she leaving?
"Sorry, I have to go now. It''s dangerous here, so you should leave too, Mr. Slime."
"Slar?"
Why all of a sudden? Hey wait, maybe we... can... talk?
"Goodbye."
The girl waved her hand. Apparently, waving farewell is a cultural gesture in this world too.
I transformed part of my body to resemble a hand and waved back.
...
>> Jewel Slime has acquired the skill: Communication.
...
''See you later.''
"...Huh?"
The girl turned around with wide eyes.
"...It must have been my imagination."
But she quickly hurried away. I considered following her advice and escaping myself, but then shook my head inwardly.
If it''s dangerous in the forest, it''s probably because of a magical beast. To repay the favor of receiving the medicinal herbs, I decided to buy the girl some time to escape safely.
Plus, if things went well, I might be able to level up even more.
As I was thinking this, a magical beast emerged from the underbrush, crushing it underfoot.
"Fshooo..."
"...Slar."
It was a giant bear-like magical beast. Its fur was black, absorbing all light, with two white lines crossing on its forehead.
The enormous bear, towering over an adult human, approached on all fours in the same direction the girl had fled.
Intimidated by its size compared to the trees, I thought about fleeing too, considering how much more imposing this bear was compared to any enemy I''d faced before.
It was at least a few inches taller than the crayfish earlier.
...No, I''m a slime who doesn''t forget his debts! I must stop this bear here so the girl isn''t attacked!
Besides, with my toughness, I might be able to get through this unscathed.
Hopefully, so...
...
>> Jewel Slime has activated [Foolhardiness].
...
Standing before the bear, I suddenly felt lighter. I didn''t know why, but it was convenient. With this power, I could take down this bear¡ª
...
>> Kubeima (Negate Grizzly) has activated [Claws of Death].
...
In an instant, the bear closed the distance and casually swung its arm with vicious claws. Before I knew it, I was flying through the air at high speed.
''Ouch!?''
Pain hit me before I could even process what had happened. It wasn''t just overwhelming power; there was a strange sensation as if the bear''s claws had slipped through my toughness.
Amidst the pain and sensation of floating, I thought, "I''ve been getting blown away a lot today..."
Emergency Evolution
"Slaaah!"
BANG.
I was blown away by the huge bear and landed on a rock. Thanks to the Jewel Slime''s [Toughness], I wasn''t injured, but the rock shattered instead.
However, my health vividly decreased.
''Being tossed around so casually like this, I''m going to end up with lumps...''
Rubbing the spot where I was struck, I climbed down from the rock.
The bear''s attack had a peculiar feeling as if it bypassed my hardness.
Despite the impact being less severe than stray hits from other giant beasts, the pain and reduction in [Health] were greater from the bear''s attack.
Maybe the bear has a skill that ignores a certain percentage of physical hardness.
''Sigh, my body is melting, and it''s just one thing after another.''
Deciding that I would flee without hesitation if I saw the bear again, I focused on assessing my body.
About twenty per cent of my body had dissolved into a gooey mess.
When a slime''s body takes a powerful hit ¡ª one that reduces [Health] ¡ª the cells in the affected area necrotize, causing the affected part to melt.
If twenty per cent of [HEALTH] is lost, about ten per cent of the body will necrotize. If the necrosis affects half of the body, the slime will die.
"(©¤©¤Ah, there it is.)"
While thinking such grim thoughts, I found the corpse of a familiar magical beast. Thanks to my [Directional Sense], I knew I was in the same direction I had fought the crayfish.
Although the bear''s hit was stronger, I had to walk back.
I was fortunate that other magical beasts hadn''t scavenged it. Strong magical beasts are highly nutritious and can help one grow stronger if consumed. As I devoured the crayfish with my [Digestive Fluid], I focused on my status.
In truth, after defeating the crayfish, I felt a surge of power.
''Looks like I can [Evolve].''
I have no choice, I should hurry up.
[Evolution] is the fastest way to become stronger. Since there were no enemies around, I decided to do it now.
I quickly checked the possible evolutions.
~Evolution Options~
Ruby Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
Large Jewel Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
Jewel Weapon Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
Brilliant Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
Meteor Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
~End of Evolution Options~Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
With five options available, I had plenty to choose from. I focused on each name to view their details.
~Evolution Options~
Ruby Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
- A rare species of the slime lineage.
- Its brilliantly red body repels most attacks.
- Excels in escape capabilities; average magical beasts can only catch glimpses of its red afterglow.
- Also possesses a skill to control fire.
~End of Details~
Hmm, this seems like a straightforward evolution. The ability to control fire is cool and a high point. However, I have also a concern about my demonic lightning.
Depending on the other options, this might be a good choice.
Next, let''s see...
~Evolution Options~
Large Jewel Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
- A rare species of slime.
- Its body is large, and its [Toughness] and [Resilience] are extremely high.
- Despite its large size, it excels in escape capabilities.
~End of Details~
The large type, huh? Just like Sla-Taa. Having high [Life] is appealing. It would allow me to stand my ground even against enemies like the bear that bypass [Toughness].
However, it doesn''t seem to have any other notable abilities. It doesn''t seem particularly good at direct combat either. Well, it could be a second choice.
Next up...
~Evolution Options~
Aresnal Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
- A rare species of the weapon slime that masters [Weapon Skills]. -Named after the Greek god [ARES] offering exceptional offensive and moderate defensive capabilities. -Can transform its body into various weapons and utilize [Skills] in combat.
- Has higher [Power] than regular slimes, but its true strength lies in its [Toughness]. Its body, with a hardness far surpassing iron, becomes a weapon of both offence and defence.
~End of Details~
This one is interesting. The ability to transform into various weapons and fight is quite versatile. It also boasts a high [Power] and superior [Toughness], making it a formidable combatant.
This might be my top contender for evolution.
''The axe I snatched from the goblins broke in the fight with the crayfish, but if I can turn my body into a blade or any other weapon, I won''t have to worry about my [Slash] skill going to waste.''
Thanks to my unique skills, I know a lot of [Weapon Skills], and I''ll probably keep learning more. This species that can transform into various weapons seems like a perfect fit.
Also, with my toughness, the durability of the weapon also increases.
~Evolution Options~
Brilliant Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
- A rare species of the slime lineage, known as the most beautiful of slimes.
- Lacks some flexibility but boasts unmatched [Toughness] and [Magical Resistance].
- Deceives enemies with an illusion skill.
~End of Details~
This one seems defense-oriented. It looks like its [Magical Resistance] will be just as high as its [Toughness]. The illusion skill also piques my interest.
However, for someone aiming to be the strongest, the lack of offensive capabilities is a bit of a downside. I''ll consider it as my third choice.
~Evolution Options~
Jewel Meteor Slime ¨C Beast Rank: Superior Beast
- A rare species of the slime lineage.
- Utilizes exceptional [Toughness] to hunt prey with falling attacks.
- Possesses a unique slime-falling skill and has high jumping ability. And it''s escaping qualities is comparable to other slime species.
~End of Details~
And this is the last one. It seems to have appeared because I''ve been getting knocked around a lot.
Meteor, huh? Falling like a meteor... I always thought me getting kicked my ass was like, more like a soccer ball or a home run ball, but it''s been given quite a stylish twist.
''Makes me want to choose it.''
If the jumping ability is high, it means I can launch falling attacks without having to wait in ambush on trees, right? This seems like a pretty good evolution option.
The only concern would be the vulnerability during attacks. Until now, I''ve used [Crush] with [Provocation] or [Enchanting Glow] to keep enemies in place, but it''s unclear if that will continue to work.
Strong magical beasts have high [Magical Resistance], and the effectiveness of mental skills decreases. If they have even a bit of rational thought, they''ll just dodge the falling attack and counterattack.
"(Ugh...)"
I''m torn. Each evolution path has unique appeals, and it''s hard to choose just one.
But there''s no point in hesitating forever. I stopped eating and made my decision.
''Alright, I choose you! Let''s start the [Evolution]!''
In response to my will, my body started to heat up. The heat increased more and more, making my liquid body boil and tremble. Gradually, my body grew in volume, and then©¤©¤
Aresnal Slime
~Notification Record~
...
>> Jewel Slime has begun [Evolution].
>> The species has changed to Aresnal Slime.
>> [Stats] have changed due to [Evolution].
>> New skills have been added.
...
~End of Notification Record~
©¤©¤the heat subsides. The [Evolution] is complete.
My body''s colour hasn''t changed; it''s still a translucent blue. However, my size has increased about twofold. Compared to the surrounding trees, I now look to be about the size of a car tyre, visibly larger than other slimes.
Previously, I was only as large as an overly pumped soccer ball.
Well, that''s enough about appearances. Let''s check my [Status].
After my second evolution, my [Status] looks like this:
------------------------------------------
Species: Aresnal Slime
Beast Rank: Superior Beast [B]
Soul Accumulation Level: 21
Stats:
Life: 57/80
Mana: 32/41
Strength: 45
Toughness: 818
Magical Resistance: 72
Speed: 25
Skills:
Dissolving Liquid, Self-Regeneration, Sense of Direction
Cover, Throwing, Escape
Climbing, Taunt, Crushing
Block, Feast, Perfect Defense
Instinct to Flee, Enchanting Glow, Resolve
Stretching Exercise, Whip, Concentration
Compact Whip, Combo Attack, Foolhardy
Transport, Stealth, Understanding Intent
Leap, Evasion, Slash
Compact Slash, Gesture, Communication
Weapon Body (NEW), Flowing Martial Arts (NEW), Body Repair (NEW)
Unique Skills: Earth Growth (NEW), Demonic Lightning
------------------------------------------
Wow, I''ve gotten really strong... or have I?
Before the [Evolution], my [Strength] and [Speed] were both at 17. Considering that, my [Speed] has increased, and my [Strength] has more than doubled... But my [Toughness] is so high that it''s hard to compare. I wish I had a way to check others'' [Status], but there''s no use wishing for the impossible.
"At least my digestion speed has increased."
The power of [Dissolving Liquid] depends on [Strength], so I can now easily dissolve previously tough and hard-to-dissolve crayfish. This is a definite improvement.
I should take pride in becoming stronger than my past self. I remember seeing a slogan like that in school.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
"Next is the skills. Let''s see..."
```
Skill Details:
Weapon Body: Constantly makes it easier to transform your body into weapons. When using your body as a weapon, it boosts weapon performance.
Flowing Martial Arts: Makes it easier to output [Weapon Skills]. When using [Weapon Skills], it enhances your sense of balance.
Body Repair: Consumes [Mana] to repair damage.
```
[Weapon Body] is just what I needed. It matches well with my current fighting style and seems useful. It was also the main reason I chose to become the Arsenal Slime.
"It''s a bit vague to say ''enhance weapon performance,'' but as long as it''s an enhancement, it won''t be a negative asset."
The second new [Skill] is [Flowing Martial Arts]. It''s a skill that strengthens [Weapon Skills]. [Weapon Skills] refer to skills like [Block] or [Whip] derived from weapons.
Well, I''m not actually using weapons since I activate them with my own body.
"(Slash)"
I activated a [Weapon Skill] to test its effects. After a few tries, I started to see the difference from before.
To put it simply, my body doesn''t get thrown off balance as easily. Before, when I used [Weapon Skills], I would sometimes overextend and lose balance. But with this skill, I can immediately counteract any excess force.
This must be what it means by ''easier to output.'' Adding the ''balance sense correction,'' it seems like I can now use [Weapon Skills] in rapid succession.
I also figured out a bit about [Weapon Body]''s performance. This was a side benefit of the experiment. I cut a nearby branch, and the cut was smoother than ever before.
Such smoothness can''t be achieved by just increasing [Stats]. There''s definitely an effect of increased sharpness.
And lastly, [Body Repair]. There''s not much to say about this. It''s a convenient healing skill. Since there are enemies that can penetrate my [Toughness], having an active skill like this means healing will be faster than before.
I can''t tell how effective it is just by looking at the [Status], but since my [Life] is currently low, I''ll use [Body Repair] to heal it.
''Body Repair!''
I carefully infuse the new ability with [Mana]. After healing 5 [Life], I find that my [Mana] has decreased by 10.
"Srulsra (Efficiency is one-to-two.)"
My [Life] gradually recovers on its own with [Self-Regeneration], and the [Status] doesn''t show decimals, so there might be some slight discrepancies, but this understanding should suffice for now.
''That''s about it for changes in my [Status].''
However, the benefits of [Evolution] don''t end there. My body has grown significantly as an Arsenal Slime.
Specifically, my diameter has more than doubled, meaning my volume has increased more than eightfold. This also means I have more material to use as weapons.
"Sura!(Dual-wielding!)"
Shing!!
I extend whips from both sides and form blades at their tips.
The sharpness enhanced by [Weapon Body] is like that of a Japanese sword. Well, I''ve never seen a katana, but that''s the image I have. If I swing it, it could cut through even trees in one slice...
"(Ha!)"
Snap!
...Stopped halfway.
"(...I was a bit too gentle. Slash!)"
Crack!
This time, the blade goes halfway through, but it''s still far from a clean cut.
"..."
"(...Tonight, I hunger for blood!)"
Test cuts that don''t yield [Soul Fragment Experience] are meaningless. Moreover, the sun is almost directly overhead.
''It seems the bear didn''t pursue me after all.''
I''ve just finished eating the crayfish, but perhaps due to the increased volume from the [Evolution], I''m far from full.
If possible, I want to fight that bear... bastard, how dare he hurt me?
"Sura! Slura-ra!(Bear! This debt will be paid!)"
With that, I wander the forest in search of food and experience.
A flying Prey
"Suu Slasherr!"
Hyyun hyyu!!
''Ohhhh''
This is great! I am flying! No, I am Spider-Man. Wait... I am using a hook at the end of my whip. So, am I BATMAN? No, since the hook is in the form of a scythe, it''s more like a whip-scythe man...?
"(Oh well.)"
I stop spinning the scythe and try to land on the ground... BAM!
''Owww, that hurts!''
It requires delicate timing to keep transforming it, so it''s quietly nerve-wracking. I get up from the rough ground and bounce forward in a disturbed mood.
''I couldn''t land perfectly this time either! Sigh...''
More importantly, the problem is not finding prey.
I have spotted small animal-type magical beasts a few times, but they have high detection abilities and quickly flee. They probably have some kind of escape ability. Even if I try to catch up, since I am chasing instead of escaping, my speed doesn''t increase.
With my normal agility, I couldn''t catch up with them at all even if I ran at full speed.
''Surprisingly, there''s nothing when you''re looking for it.''
Mana is dense around this part, so I should encounter something soon, but enemies aren''t appearing at all. Ah, wouldn''t it be nice if something like that "Bear" from before appears?
Speculating, my "Toughness: 818" should nullify attacks from "Superior Beasts." So to confirm whether this speculation is correct, I should check around here. By the way, the bear seemed to be above "Superior Beasts" in "Beast Rank."
Basically, "Beast Rank" increases according to the size of the body.
"(Even a goblin would be fine, come on out©¤©¤)"
©¤©¤Block!
Kikin!
"Kwii!"
Suddenly, my block automatically activated against the swooping attack of a strange bird that descended through the branches with her two crossed whips.
If only a slime''s (my) field of vision wasn''t omnidirectional, it would have been dangerous.
"Kweh!"
The attacking strange bird immediately withdrew. Hovering at branch height, it looked down at me. It looked like a beast belonging to the raptor class, like a hawk or an eagle.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
It''s about one and a half meters in length. With its wings spread, it would probably be about three meters. Could its "Beast Rank" be "Superior Beast"?
Even the claw strike from earlier, felt through "Block," was just a bit lighter than the final blow of the crab. I was surprised by the sneak attack, but maybe I''ve encountered a manageable opponent.
"Pihyow!"
"Sura!!"
We stared at each other for a while, but when the strange bird let out a high-pitched cry, it suddenly flapped its wings violently. Mixed with the sound of its wings, I heard something cutting through the air, and something burst on my body''s surface.
"Sla!"
"Something" continued to hit me consecutively. My "HEALTH" hasn''t decreased at all, but with each impact, I gradually retreated.
''It''s like a bomb, and the impact is making my head spin!''
I pinpointed the identity of the mysterious attacks. Sensationally, it''s more like a mass of air than a blade of wind. It''s squarely an "Air Bomb."
''But what should I do in this situation?''
The opponent''s attacks are ineffective, but I also have no means of attack. I can''t use "Escape-type Skills," and neither my "Whip" nor "Demonic Lighting" can reach the bird.
"(...No, wait a moment...)"
While enduring the air bomb, a single idea flashed in my mind. Once decided, I acted immediately.
First, I should leap to the left...
ZOOOM---
And then right? BAM-
''Shit!''
Once again.
Leap to the left, jump, move to the right! Yeah, as I guessed, moving in zig-zag is the solution!
''Alright, ''Escape'' and ''Evasion'' are both activated.''
I sank my consciousness inward, which once again confirmed my attempts were going smoothly. Moreover, ''Evasion'' is a skill that increases the speed of evasion actions, learned from the crab battle.
''Now, let''s go!''
And suddenly I dashed forward. Of course, towards the strange bird.
Since I was charging at the opponent, the effects of ''Escape'' and ''Evasion'' naturally remained active and expired.
''Did it work!''
To put it plainly, the plan is simple: I''m moving forward to flee.
At this time, the strange bird is airborne. By deliberately passing under it while showing no signs of offense, I manage to keep my skills activated.
If ''Escape'' and ''Evasion'' were making escape judgments based on ''moving away from the enemy,'' then this strategy would have failed. But I''m confident it will succeed.
During the recent zigzag jumps, ''Escape'' and its allies were still active even though I wasn''t moving away from the enemy.
"(Change of plan! I''ll jump over the opponent''s head and escape, ''Leap''!)"
Running while dodging the air bullet with ''Evasion,'' I closed the distance enough to leap.
However, the opponent isn''t foolish. Despite guiding the attack with ''Provocation,'' upon seeing my sudden approach, it attempts to escape into the sky.
My plan to jump over its head fails, and it seems like I''ll graze a trajectory about a meter below.
Too bad, too bad.
"Sla!"
Adapting flexibly, I move to my next manoeuvre.
Stretching out the whip that had evolved longer, I exclaim, ''Lightning Strike!''
I release lightning from the tip of my whip. The strange bird, which was about to escape, takes the lightning strike and momentarily stiffens.
"(Take this!)"
"Kwweeeee!"
Alright! I wrap the long whip around the strange bird''s ankle.
Then, with my weight added, its balance is disrupted, and the strange bird plummets.
"Su-Ra! SU-RAA!!!"
''I won''t let you escape! ''Crush,'' ''Crush,'' ''Crush!''
Immediately after the crash, I swiftly take the mount position using ''Leap,'' delivering continuous stomps.
I inflict the strange bird with my "CRUSH" skill, but the bird seems to have truly formidable toughness.
Unable to escape from the attack, the strange bird''s resistance weakens rapidly due to the combined effects of ''Continuous Attacks.''
To finish it off, I transform my body into a spiked club and slam it down. I feel my body''s sharp protrusions digging deep into the bird''s body as it finally succumbs to death.
...
Aresanl Slime''s ''Soul Accumulation Level'' has risen to 27.
...
Time to rest
Munch! Munch! Munch! Munch~
I eat the strange bird I defeated.
As the onomatopoeia "munch munch" suggests, I was currently chewing.
The reason was, the strange bird was too large.
If I simply dissolved it, it would take too long.
So, I was now chewing it down.
First, I shaped my body into a blade and cut off a part of the strange bird, then absorbed it into my body.
Then, I created two blades inside my body and cut them by sandwiching them between the blades.
This is how a slime chews. I don''t know if other slimes do it, though.
Moreover, slimes other than Rough Stone Slimes can''t transform so sharply, so it''s probably impossible for them.
...
Aresnal Slime has acquired the skill "Bite."
...
''Thanks for the meal.''
After finishing my meal, I put my hands together. Then I stretched my whips from both sides to make them look like arms.
Then I exhaled. The chewing action took quite a bit of stamina.
It''s like a full-body workout.
''¡Time to look for the next prey.''
After a short break, I stood up.
I still had plenty of mana and stamina.
Let''s level up more today.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
After several battles with the small beasts I found later, my level rose to 29.
My skills haven''t changed, but I feel my fighting style has become more refined.
I''ve gotten used to the body of an Aresnal Slime and can now continuously unleash my skills.
''I should start looking for a place to sleep.''
The crow-like birds were already cawing and were returning to their homes in the v-shape formation. Today''s hunt ends here.
''Oh, this place looks good.''
I found tree roots about the same size as where I slept yesterday.
As I tried to crawl under them, I realized something.
''I can''t fit... I grew bigger from evolution, didn''t I?''
An unexpected side effect of evolution.
Now I have to find a place to hide my body, which is as large as a truck tire.
For a moment, I thought, "Why not just sleep outside since I can''t be harmed?"
But I quickly corrected that thought.
Nocturnal beasts might gather and disturb my sleep, and if a beast that can break my defense appears, it''s the end for me.
''I need to find a good place.''
I walked around the forest.
Though, it''s more like slithering than walking.
We slimes move by dragging our bodies.
©¤©¤Oh, that place might be good.
I set my eyes on a mound. There was also a perfectly big cave under it.
Since it was getting dark, I hurried to the entrance.
"(Excuse me~)"
As soon as I entered, three goblins attacked me.
Apparently, this was their dwelling.
"Suras? (I don''t intend to fight. Can I stay for just one night?)"
"Gygya! (Dinner is here!)"
"Geee(Me, first!!"
''Well, they won''t listen.''
I tried to convey my lack of hostility through ''Communication,'' but the goblins attacked regardless. They beat me with clubs.
I thought about avoiding the fight because the smell of blood might attract other beasts, which would be troublesome.
But, eating them all after defeating them should be fine.
''Escape, Slash!''
I put some distance between myself and the goblins, who kept attacking without causing any damage, and then quickly transformed a part of my body into a blade.
Swishh---!
Goblin A was split vertically and died instantly.
''Leap, Leap''
I jumped up before the goblins could react to their comrade''s death. The cave''s ceiling was low, and my leap reached it.
I leapt again, dropping down at high speed.
With ''Crush,'' Goblin B was crushed to death without even a scream.
Without missing a beat, I swung my blade at the nearby Goblin C.
"Slash!"
Before the dumbfounded goblin could defend itself, my blade tore through its abdomen.
Its knees buckled. It would never stand again.
''Well, that''s that.''
I fought several times today, but to me, who is nearly in superior beast rank, goblins, which are ''Low Beasts,'' are no match.
I can easily defeat them like this. That''s the difference in beast rank.
After that, I devoured the goblins with ''Dissolving Liquid.''
I even dissolved the bloodstains and the ground, leaving no trace. Even a great detective wouldn''t find any evidence.
Then, I found a perfectly sized hollow at the back of the cave and fell asleep there.
ZZzzz~
An Ambitious Enemy
My name is Slata. Even though I''m a slime, I''ve evolved into a Large Bloody Slime, a type of High Beast. I am a genius, really! Born a rare species, I quickly rose to become the leader of my tribe. One day, I''ll surpass the High Beast stage and become a Mighty Beast, ruling this entire forest¡ªit¡¯s not just a dream.
Surasula! Saaalss! (Follow me, everyone! Today, we''re exploring the depths of the forest!) I declared this in front of ten carefully selected slimes. They''re weaklings compared to me, mere Minor Beasts, but they make up for it in numbers. At the very least, they can throw stones to keep enemies at bay.
We were about to set out, full of enthusiasm, but some of the slimes seemed hesitant. Sensing their unease, I decided to ask them directly.
Salsuu? (What''s wrong? If you''ve got something to say, speak up!)
Slasuke suur! Ora! Saal! (¡Slasuke said¡ The deeper parts of the forest¡ the mana is strong there. It¡¯s dangerous to get too close.)
Slasuke was a weakling who used to be part of our group until recently. Though he was a rare species, the only thing exceptional about him was his Toughness. Other than that, he was a failure, always coming up with cowardly tricks and being more of a burden than anything else.
As if that wasn''t bad enough, he constantly got in my way. Always saying things like, "There are dangerous monsters over there," or "It''s too early for us to venture there," just because he was weak, thinking the rest of us were as feeble as he was.
It''s true that we had to retreat once before, but we''ve grown stronger since then. We wouldn¡¯t make the same mistakes now. That''s why I expelled him¡ªso we could finally explore the deeper parts of the forest. But now, at a time like this...
Slasuke¡ always causing trouble. I muttered to myself.
Even though my close followers are loyal, some in the group have been infected by his cowardice. The slime that just spoke up is one of them. It seems I need to set things straight before we head deeper into the forest.
SUUUURA!!! (What? Are you telling me you''d rather listen to that cowardly weakling than to me?)
Saa-! (N-no, that''s not it¡ but¡)
Ora salla!? (Then you have no complaints, right!?)
Suuu! (Y-yes!)
No one else voiced any objections. That''s right¡ªthey should have just obeyed from the start.
Su-ORA! (Alright, let''s move out!)This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I led the way confidently. My era was about to begin.
At least, that¡¯s what I thought¡
Saaalll--! (It hurts, it hurts!)
Sula! Sala! (Calm down. The enemy''s dead. Rest, and you''ll recover.)
Tch, one of them died¡ Our first battle was a hard-fought victory. Our enemies were goblins¡ªa small group of just three.
We had eleven in our group, including me. Normally, that kind of numbers advantage would ensure an easy victory. But¡
Sura, slasa? (The goblins were stronger than usual?) One of my kin asked me.
Yes, these goblins were slightly more capable than those in our usual hunting grounds. Though still classified as Minor Beasts, their level was likely higher.
And we couldn¡¯t stop them from getting closer¡ The real reason was this.
Initially, I planned to hold off all three while the others threw stones from a distance. But the goblins'' unexpected strength caught me off guard, and during the chaos, one of them ran behind us.
My subordinates tried to counter with Dissolving Acid, but the goblin''s swinging sword killed one of them and injured the others.
Sullas! (If only Slasuke were here at a time like this©¤©¤)
ORRA? (Did you say something?)
Su-u¡ (N-no, nothing¡)
I silenced the one who started to speak with just a word. I wasn¡¯t wrong. We didn¡¯t need someone like him.
Srlsaa Suula! (Listen up, everyone. If the enemies are strong, that just means it¡¯ll be easier to raise our Soul Accumulation Level! After eating these goblins, let¡¯s move on to the next prey!)
Not long after, we found a new enemy.
Sura! (We¡¯ll do it the same way as before.)
Slaa¡ (W-wait, but those are¡ humans¡)
Or-ra? (So what?) I snapped, irritated.
Sulla srll-Slasuke! (H-humans have strong equipment. If they notice us, they¡¯ll be troublesome. Slasuke said we shouldn¡¯t attack them¡)
ORRRRA- (Shut up with the nonsense!)
Thwack¡ª!
Sllll-!! (Gyaaah!)
I shut him up with a punch.
Sulaa! (I¡¯m the leader of this group. You follow my orders without question.)
SU. (¡Understood.)
With my stern words, I strengthened the group''s resolve and charged toward the four humans. At the same time, my subordinates threw stones to distract them.
Huh, what''s this!?
What is it!?
The humans quickly took up defensive positions, but they were struggling against the barrage of stones. I kept charging, leaping toward the human who wielded a sword and shield.
Slash!
The human''s sword cut into me, but it wasn¡¯t enough to deal significant damage to my large life pool. I continued my advance, intending to use Dissolving Acid on the human.
Deflection!
Guh¡ But a sudden strong wind pushed me back. It seemed to be the ability of a smaller human behind him.
Retreat!
Just as I tried to press forward again, the humans turned and fled at full speed. Their hasty retreat was so unexpected that I forgot to chase after them.
Suura? (We couldn¡¯t take them down?)
Suu. (Hmph, it¡¯s fine. Now we know that humans aren¡¯t a threat to us.) I said this to reassure my disappointed subordinates. Slasuke had been overly afraid of humans, making us overly cautious, but it was a letdown. Wolves would have been a tougher fight.
I knew it¡ªI haven¡¯t made any mistakes. I became even more certain. Humans aren¡¯t our enemies, and if we keep training in these mana-rich depths, we¡¯ll be able to defeat other beasts too. And beyond that, a slime paradise with me at the top awaits.
Sla-Sla-Sla! I laughed out loud at the vision of future glory. The day when I become the strongest beast and rule this forest is not far off!
Water enemy
The world I was born into as a slime is filled with an energy called Mana. This was something that didn¡¯t exist on Earth. No, perhaps I simply couldn¡¯t perceive Mana in my human days. Regardless, it¡¯s an energy that doesn¡¯t exist by Earth¡¯s standards.
Mana concentration varies depending on the location. The denser the Mana, the more powerful the monsters. That¡¯s why the rule in the slime community was to never approach such areas.
(But now, I don¡¯t have a problem with it.)
Through evolution, I¡¯ve grown dramatically stronger. Since yesterday, I¡¯ve been gradually moving towards areas with higher Mana concentration, and today, I¡¯ve decided to boldly venture further.
(Slash!)
After advancing a bit, I extended my whip and swung the blade at the end of it. I caught the fallen fruit with another whip, absorbed it into my body, and began to dissolve it. (Wow, delicious!)
The white pear-like fruit was by far the most delicious thing I¡¯ve eaten since being born as a slime. First of all, it was sweet. The fruits around the slime village were mostly 99% sour or bitter, but this one was sweet like modern fruit, with just the right amount of tartness.
This is probably also due to the dense Mana. When exposed to strong Mana, the nutritional value increases, and the taste improves as well. And the herbivorous monsters that grow by eating these plants are also rich in Mana and taste better.
I knew this because, once, Slata and the others had pressured me into going to a high-Mana area. We were lucky enough to hunt one monster there, but we were soon attacked by a powerful beast, and I vowed never to enter that area again.
The reason why strong monsters gather in high-Mana zones might be because there¡¯s an abundance of delicious prey. (Hmm? This is a spring?)
I found a water source in a clearing in the forest. It was a wide spring, almost like a pond.
(Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t felt thirsty since becoming a slime.) It had become so natural that I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but neither I nor the other slimes ever sought water.
Maybe slimes don¡¯t need water, or maybe the water content in plants and blood is sufficient. (It doesn¡¯t matter, but this is a perfect spot for an ambush.)
Even if I don¡¯t need water, other monsters do. Surely, there are quite a few that come to drink. I¡¯ll sneak up and launch a surprise attack while they¡¯re distracted by drinking. If I can land a heavy first strike, the rest of the battle will be much easier. It¡¯s a flawless plan.
(Alright, this tree looks sturdy enough.)If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°Climb!¡± I climbed up a tree thicker than the others near the spring. Even though my weight increased due to evolution, this tree should be able to support me. Using Climb, I also spread my body out as much as possible to distribute the weight. With my increased power, climbing was easier than before.
After waiting a few minutes for an enemy to show up, two monsters appeared.
They resembled deer¡ªone had ominous, red-black antlers, and the other had no antlers but bore intricate patterns on its body. Judging by how they were sticking close to each other, they seemed to be a pair. They stood side by side and began drinking from the spring. This was my chance. I activated Stealth and quietly descended from the tree.
I carefully approached the deer, creating a blade at the end of my whip. At that moment... (Splash!) A huge column of water shot up. In the brief moment I was distracted, the stag¡¯s head was crushed. (What!?)
The monster that did it immediately turned to the next target. With blood dripping from its fangs, it moved with swift, efficient movements and sank its teeth into the neck of the fleeing doe. The doe let out a faint cry. It collapsed to the ground, twitched violently once, then vomited a large amount of blood and died. (It¡¯s strong...)
The beast had instantly killed the deer, which seemed to be at the level of a "Mighty Beast." Even though that beast itself is likely a "Mighty Beast," it leveraged its strengths to achieve a one-sided victory.
¡°Shurururu...¡±
The beast glared at me, trying to intimidate me. It had an elongated body. Long fangs grew from both its upper and lower jaws, which looked like they could pierce through iron. Its slick, black skin had a glossy sheen, reflecting the light. With a growl that sounded like steam escaping, it resembled a pike fish. The main difference from an Earthly pike was the third eye on its forehead.
¡°Slaah!¡±
After a brief stare-down, I lost patience and dashed forward. As if waiting for that, the pike unleashed a small whirlpool. (Perfect, Evade!) I charged straight at the approaching whirlpool, only to change my course diagonally just before impact. Using the speed boost from Evade, I rapidly closed the distance. ¡°Shuraa!¡±
But the whirlpool I thought I had dodged suddenly changed direction and continued chasing after me. It can control the whirlpool even after it¡¯s been released! But this works out well for me.
Taking advantage of being pursued, I activated Escape to accelerate even further. ¡°Shu, Shururua!¡± The pike seemed taken aback by my second burst of speed, but it quickly bared its fangs and lunged at me. Stretching its upper body from the water, it had me within range in no time.
(Block!)
I timed it perfectly and activated my defensive Weapon Skill. My body became even harder, allowing me to deflect the pike''s fanged attack without a scratch.
¡°Slash, Compact Slash, and then Slash again!¡±
After parrying its fangs, I immediately retreated into the air and unleashed a flurry of Weapon Skills. I slashed at the pike''s face, then slashed again, and just as I was about to deliver a third strike, I missed. The pike had retreated. With a splash, it dove back into the spring.
As I waited for it to reemerge, a whirlpool struck me from behind.
(Gurgle... Actually, I''m totally fine.)
Even so, I took no damage. I didn¡¯t even feel short of breath. Feeling like I was being tossed around in a washing machine, I waited for about ten seconds until the whirlpool dissipated. Yet, the pike made no moves from within the water.
It just kept watching me, gauging my actions. I waited. Like an angler, I waited. Now was the time for patience. Acting rashly would only give my opponent an opening. After what felt like twenty minutes, I began to think something was off.
(...Wait a second? Hey, come out already!)
"ORA!! SUUUL! ORA!?"
I called out several times, but the pike didn¡¯t surface from the spring. Could it be that this thing is waiting for me to leave!?
¡®Uhhh¡what a scaredy-cat.¡¯
Pike Fish? Just another EXP Bag!
¡°Dammit! Come out here!¡± I shouted at the edge of the spring. The Pike fish I was battling had escaped into the water and hadn¡¯t surfaced since.
Despite the lingering effects of my Provocation and Alluring Glow, it seemed to be lurking in the depths, watching me, but it wouldn¡¯t come any closer. These skills were hard to stack effectively.
¡°Come on, here¡¯s some bait for you.¡± I extended part of my body, shaping it into something resembling a fishing rod and line, and let it dangle in the water.
It was tricky to transform into a fishing rod since it wasn¡¯t covered by my Weapon Body skill, and the line looked more like a thick tube. Perhaps because my makeshift rod was so poorly made, the Pike fish showed no interest. The lack of real bait might have been another reason.
I considered using the deer carcass as bait, but losing it would be disastrous. After all, I planned to take that deer back with me. I¡¯d gamble on it as a last resort, but for now, I wanted to try every possible method.
"Hey, look over there! A UFO is flying by!" I turned my back, showing my rear, but there was no reaction. Then again, slimes didn¡¯t exactly have a front or back to show.
"Splash, splash." I tried dancing. But still, the Pike fish didn¡¯t come out.
...
>> Arsenal Slime has acquired the skill: Dance.
...
"Alright, next up..." I transformed part of my body into a whip and plunged it into the water. The Pike fish retreated a little, cautiously.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
The distance didn¡¯t really matter, though.
"Activate: Demonic Lightning!" I concentrated my mana at the tip of my body, converting it into lightning and releasing it. The flash of lightning illuminated the spring.
"It looks like it¡¯s working." The lightning shot straight into the Pike fish, dealing continuous damage. Its body twitched and convulsed.
I kept the lightning pouring on the struggling Pike fish as it tried to escape. I could sustain the attack by continuously expending mana, turning it into a laser beam. However, the mana consumption was severe, so I needed to keep an eye on my reserves.
When my mana dropped below 30%, I leaped backward, just in time to avoid the sharp teeth snapping at where I had been.
"Finally decided to come out, huh?"
"Shoo!" The Pike fish, perhaps realizing it was at a disadvantage, launched an attack. I moved to counter, but it retreated before I could land a blow.
Dodging its bite was a mistake. The sight of those fangs triggered a primal fear. Even though I hadn¡¯t taken damage the first time, I couldn¡¯t help but reflexively dodge.
---
>> Arsenal Slime¡¯s Soul Value Level has increased to 30.
---
As I reflected on that mistake, I leveled up. But the Pike fish wasn¡¯t dead yet. This was likely from killing other aquatic creatures in the spring.
My Unique Skill allowed me to direct the lightning to some extent, but a portion still scattered¡ªespecially in water. Feeling a bit sorry for the collateral damage, I kept my focus on the Pike fish. The lightning must have taken a toll because its bites weren¡¯t as sharp as before.
But it wasn¡¯t defeated. Its three eyes were still locked onto me.
"Juru...!" The Pike fish groaned in pain as it activated its skills, sending whirlpools and large globs of toxic purple liquid at me.
"Whoa, whoa¡whoa." I dodged, dodged, and dodged again. The Pike fish seemed more adept at close-range combat, and its ranged attacks were full of openings.
The problem now was how to counterattack. I preferred not to use any more mana, but my whip couldn¡¯t reach it from here.
As I pondered this, something caught my eye. To execute my idea, I kept dodging while adjusting my position.
"Alright, Slash!" I swung my whip-sword, slicing off part of the stag¡¯s antler. I quickly wrapped it around and pulled it toward me.
"Slash!" I immediately leaped, jumping over the oncoming whirlpools and toxic liquids, and unleashed my Unique Skill.
"Shuru!?" The Pike fish¡¯s movements slowed for a moment as the lightning struck, and I took advantage of the opening¡ª
"Throw!" ¡ªI hurled the stag¡¯s antler at it.
The sharp, ominous red antler hit the Pike fish square in the head. Maybe it was the stag¡¯s curse¡ªluckily, the sharp tip of the antler penetrated deeply.
"Juru¡" The Pike fish, now wounded, thrashed about wildly. For just an antler wound, it reacted dramatically. There was something more at play, something sinister.
"Could that antler really be cursed¡?"
After churning the water for a while, the Pike fish gradually lost strength and eventually lay motionless on the water¡¯s surface. Blood from its head flowed out, darkening the clear water with red.
...
>> Arsenal Slime¡¯s Soul Value Level has increased to 38.
...
New skill... Wait, mysterious opponent?
A surge of power from deep within me signalled the demise of the Pike Fish.
¡°Well, it¡¯s good that I managed to defeat it, but the problem is¡¡±
Looking at the Pike Fish, its body was floating near the center of the spring. I wanted to eat it, but I had no way of reaching it.
...No, if I don¡¯t have a way, I just need to learn one. With my Unique Skill, it should be possible.
¡°Alright, I¡¯ll acquire a swimming skill right here!¡±
I used to attend a swimming school in my neighborhood back in elementary school. This should be easier to obtain than other skills.
¡°Slasla.¡±
First, I did some warm-up exercises. Thanks to the Dance skill I¡¯d somehow acquired earlier, my movements were sharp.
Then, I approached the water''s edge and splashed some water onto myself. Finally, I entered the spring.
¡°Slar.¡±
I flattened my body like a kickboard and collapsed onto the water¡¯s surface.
Splash.
I sank. Buoyancy didn¡¯t do its job.
¡°Damn, I¡¯m too heavy!¡±
Panicking, I quickly returned to the shore. Phew, that was close¡ªI almost drowned¡ Wait a minute?
Now that I think about it, I didn¡¯t feel short of breath earlier. Come to think of it, I was fine when I got caught in the Pike Fish¡¯s whirlpool, too.
¡°Could it be that slimes don¡¯t need to breathe¡?¡±
Even though I am a slime, I don¡¯t fully understand my own biology. But now that I think about it, I¡¯ve never consciously tried to breathe.
Maybe¡
Splash.
Cautiously, I reentered the water. Slowly, I sank my body deeper until I was fully submerged.
I still didn¡¯t feel any shortness of breath.
I continued to stay underwater for a while, but I never felt the need for oxygen.
This seems pretty conclusive. Slimes don¡¯t need to breathe to survive.
¡°Alright, that means I can eat the Pike Fish even if I can¡¯t swim!¡±
Feeling victorious, I headed deeper into the spring. Unfortunately, the center of the spring was too deep for my whip to reach the floating Pike Fish.
Damn it¡
...
>> Aresnal Slime, has acquired the skill: Swimming.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°Ahh, swimming feels great.¡±
After that, I worked hard to acquire the Swimming skill and managed to eat both the Pike Fish and the two deer.
I was surprised that my Eating Capacity could hold three large beasts.
After finishing my meal, I¡¯m now getting some exercise¡ªspecifically swimming.
With no more threatening beasts in the spring, I can swim freely.
Incidentally, I adopted the balloon method for swimming. I turned my body into a spherical shape and filled it with air.
With the Swimming skill¡¯s boost, I can swim quite freely now.
Well, being in balloon mode does make me feel uncomfortable, like there¡¯s something foreign inside me, but I¡¯ll endure it.
¡°Alright, this should be good.¡±
After enjoying my swim, I climbed out of the water. I ended up on the opposite side of where I first fought the Pike Fish.
Since I could now move across the water, I decided to cut straight through the center of the spring. The Mana density didn¡¯t seem to change much, so I¡¯m not sure if that even mattered.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s get back to exploring.¡±
It was noon. I still had plenty of time before sunset to hunt more prey. If I¡¯m lucky, I might be able to evolve again.
With that thought in mind, I headed deeper into the forest. My goal was in the direction of denser Mana.
I was also using Stealth to be cautious, in case something like the bear from before showed up.
¡°Nothing so far¡¡±
Well, it¡¯s not like I can find prey just by walking for a bit.
The scenery in this forest is monotonous¡ªtrees, trees, bushes; more trees, herbs, and fleeing small animals. Trees, an old man, more trees¡ Wait, an old man?
¡°What the hell is an old man doing here!?¡±
I did a double check. It wasn¡¯t a mistake.
There was a real human old man wandering through the forest.
He had brown hair mixed with a lot of gray and deeply wrinkled skin. His limbs were as thin as chopsticks, looking every bit like an old man.
¡°Did he get lost¡?¡±
His clothes were just plain cloth, nothing fancy, so that¡¯s the only explanation that made sense.
Humans I¡¯ve seen in the forest usually wear armor or robes and carry swords or staffs. But this old man had none of that.
He must¡¯ve been lucky to avoid encountering any beasts so far. But if he meets one, he won¡¯t stand a chance.
And he¡¯s heading toward the denser Mana in the forest''s depths. If I don¡¯t stop him, he¡¯ll soon become some beast¡¯s prey.
¡°But revealing myself in front of people is risky¡¡±
If he sees me and spreads the word about a high-experience monster, many humans might come to hunt me.
Considering human information-gathering abilities, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they knew about Jewel Slimes.
©¤©¤That¡¯s why, the wise decision would be to leave him be.
¡°¡No, I can¡¯t just abandon someone in this situation!¡±
I shook off the weak thoughts that had surfaced in my mind.
I¡¯ve decided to become as strong as that Forest Turtle I saw that day.
Wouldn¡¯t it be ridiculous for someone with such aspirations to hesitate because of ¡°fear of being targeted by humans¡±?
Even if humans came in droves, I should be determined to kill them or¡escape unscathed!
With my resolve renewed, I moved to step out in front of the old man.
But just as I did, I stepped on a branch, making a noise. The old man turned to face me.
¡°Hoho, to think I¡¯d encounter an advanced type of Jewel Slime here. Living long sure has its perks.¡±
©¤©¤This is bad.
The moment our eyes met, every cell in my body screamed in alarm.
My body moved on instinct, initiating Flight.
Using Flight, Leap, Climb¡ I found myself using Evasion without even realizing it.
¡°Pervade Fist.¡±
It felt light.
Before I knew it, the old man had closed the distance and lightly touched me.
¡°Gah¡!?¡±
The shock hit a moment later.
It was similar to when the big bear had struck me, but much more intense.
It felt like my body was exploding from the inside as the surrounding scenery blurred away behind me.
No, it¡¯s the other way around¡ªI was being hurled at incredible speed.
¡°De-demonic lightning!¡±
In the haze of pain, I activated my Unique Skill.
To blind and deter any pursuit, I continued emitting a column of lightning.
The lightning pillar wasn¡¯t very thick, so it could be easily avoided by simply moving around it.
But even so, I needed every second I could buy, as the situation was dire.
¡°Leap, Compact Whip, Compact Whip, Leap!¡±
I jumped diagonally upward, wrapped my whip around a branch, and forcefully pulled myself forward.
Sometimes, I¡¯d cling to a trunk and then leap horizontally.
I needed speed above all else.
To flee, to put distance between us, to get away even a little faster, I used every trick I could think of.
Eventually, when my body was too exhausted to move anymore, I hid in the shadow of a tree. It was then that I realized I had long since lost the old man.
...
>> Aresnal Slime, has acquired the skill: Evasion. The skill Flight has been integrated.
~~~
Old man?
This is a story told from the perspective of an ordinary person.
Next time, we will return to the protagonist''s point of view.
---
"Hmm, seems I didn''t quite finish the job."
The old man who had unleashed a powerful blow, the "Pervade Fist," muttered quietly. Despite having let the enemy escape, there was no trace of disappointment in his voice.
And for good reason¡ªhe never intended to kill.
Had he wanted to, he could have pursued the creature or even prevented its escape. But he chose not to because he knew the magical beast in question wasn''t particularly dangerous.
The old man was well aware of the nature of a Jewel Slime, which is why he didn''t chase after it.
Jewel Slimes, when defeated, yield significant amounts of "Soul Shards" and experience.
The old man felt it was more appropriate to leave such rewards to younger adventurers rather than claim them for himself.
"Of course, if I could have taken it down, I would have," he mused.
Even so, this particular Jewel Slime was more valuable than the average one, classified as a "Mighty Beast." If possible, the old man would have defeated it. However, the slime had withstood his Weapon Skill attack.
Since it survived, he decided not to pursue it further.
"Besides, even though it''s a Jewel Slime, a ''Mighty Beast'' wouldn''t add much to my level anyway."
With a sigh of mild disappointment, the old man continued his walk deeper into the forest.
---
The forest where Aresnal slime resided was known to humans as the Great Dwozov Forest.
It was named after the legendary "Malicious Beast" Dwozov, rumored to have lived for a thousand years and ruled as its master.
However, Dwozov himself was unaware of such a name and, in reality, had not lived for nearly that long.
Adjacent to this forest lay the town of Maple. In a back alley of that town, a young girl found herself surrounded by several men.
"This is something I picked myself! Please, stop accusing me!"
"Heh, how''d a girl like you get deep into the forest alone? And aren''t you the one who''s been called useless because you can''t use magic?"
"Th-that¡¯s... I was just careful to avoid other monsters..."
"Bwahahaha! If you''re going to lie, at least make it believable! There''s no way you got those herbs without running into any monsters!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know how you got them, but we''re going to put them to good use. Now, hand ''em over!"
As the man threatened her, the blue-haired girl clutched her basket tightly.
Just as the thugs reached out to forcibly snatch it from her...
"Now, now, young man, that¡¯s enough. Can¡¯t you see the young lady is in distress?"
"Huh?"Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
The voice came from an old man.
His face wore a gentle smile, but his eyes stared directly at the men. The thugs sneered at the sight of his frail, twig-like arms.
"Hey, old man, you think you''re some kind of hero? Better stop before you hurt yourself."
"Oh, no need to worry. But how about you tell me what happened here?"
"Tch, fine."
One of the men reluctantly explained the situation.
"This girl has some valuable herbs, but she can''t even use magic. She must¡¯ve stolen them from somewhere."
"Oh? And where exactly is that ''somewhere''?"
"Huh? How should I know? We¡¯ll find out later."
"So, if this young lady picked them herself, then the real thieves here would be you, wouldn¡¯t it?"
The old man¡¯s teasing tone made the men twitch.
"Are you saying we¡¯re wrong?"
"I¡¯m saying there¡¯s a possibility you are."
"Please believe me! I didn¡¯t steal anything!"
"Indeed, there¡¯s no proof that she did."
"You damn geezer!"
*Thud!*
One of the thugs slammed the wall, cutting off the old man''s words.
"If you keep running your mouth, we¡¯ll beat you down too. So, what¡¯s it gonna be? Walk away or get pounded right here?"
"Haha, scary, scary. But I¡¯d prefer to settle this peacefully."
"If you want to get hit so badly, we¡¯ll gladly oblige!"
One of the men cracked his knuckles and stepped forward.
"Relying on violence, are we? Then I¡¯ll declare this a duel. The penalty for losing is that you leave the young lady alone."
The old man¡¯s voice echoed as waves of mana spread out from him and enveloped the thugs.
They flinched but quickly regained their composure upon realizing they felt no different.
"Hah, trying to scare us, old man? We¡¯re not falling for that!"
"Y-you should run! Don¡¯t worry about me!"
"Ha ha ha, sorry, but I¡¯ve no intention of turning my back on brats like these."
"Then I¡¯m gonna smash you to pieces!"
"Since you attacked first, the duel is now in effect."
The man threw a punch, the girl screamed, and the old man raised a hand.
His frail arm seemed far too weak to stop the incoming fist. Yet the moment the fist connected, the man¡¯s body spun wildly.
"Gah!"
He hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Inexperienced, he had never felt such pain before and could only writhe and gasp on the ground.
"You have no technique. Your body¡¯s being carried by your stats. With this level of skill, you couldn¡¯t even beat a low-level Mighty Beast."
"You bastard!"
"We¡¯ll kill you!"
"How merciless to an old man."
Two more thugs charged, but the old man easily swatted them aside, leaving only one standing near the girl.
"H-holy...! S-stay back! Move even an inch, and this girl gets it!"
"Eek!"
The last thug conjured a fireball and held it close to the girl¡¯s face.
"Oh dear, now I can¡¯t move a muscle."
"As long as you stay put, this girl won¡¯t get hurt¡ª"
"Don¡¯t you dare go back on your word. Wave Fist."
The old man clenched his fist and thrust it toward the thug. Of course, he was far out of reach.
But skills are another matter.
A shockwave shot forward and struck the thug under the chin, knocking him out and extinguishing the fireball.
"I¡¯m sorry for scaring you, but you¡¯re safe now. You won¡¯t have to worry about them anymore."
"Th-thank you so much!"
"Think nothing of it. By the way, do you know where the guild is? I just arrived and seem to have lost my way."
"Oh, I¡¯m actually headed there myself! I¡¯ll show you the way!"
"That would be most helpful."
Leaving the groaning thugs behind, the old man and the girl walked out of the alley.
---
"So, you have an ''unfavorable'' attribute as well? That¡¯s why they were giving you trouble."
"Yes, it¡¯s been so hard... Wait, you too? But you¡¯re so strong! Do you have a bad attribute too?"
"Indeed. Nearly all of my strength comes from martial arts."
"Wow, that¡¯s amazing... Oh, here we are, the guild!"
"Ah, thank you kind lady."
Led by the blue-haired girl, the old man finally reached the adventurer¡¯s guild.
"Excuse me! I¡¯d like to sell some herbs¡ªwait, the Guildmaster!?"
The girl froze as she spotted someone who shouldn¡¯t have been there. The burly Guildmaster rose from behind the reception desk and walked over.
"I-I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to be rude..."
"I¡¯m deeply grateful that you¡¯ve accepted our request to investigate."
The Guildmaster bowed deeply to the old man, startling the girl even more.
The old man nodded calmly and replied.
"No need for thanks. It¡¯s on my way, and I wouldn¡¯t mind facing a Malicious Beast. As for the mana clash, I believe it was a conflict between Malicious Beasts.¡±
¡°There were traces of a territorial dispute, but there¡¯s no need for concern¡ªthe creatures are not near the town. I also encountered a rare magical beast¡ª"
The old man continued his report, and the Guildmaster listened intently.
The girl, unable to keep up, was utterly confused.
But when there was a lull in the conversation, she managed to ask a question.
"Um, who exactly are you, sir...?"
"Oh, I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Torque."
"Wait, you mean...?"
"Perhaps you know me better as one of the Heroic Adventurers, ''War Demon.''"
A world-renowned master. An adventurer of the highest rank.
When the girl realized that the old man in front of her was such a person, she couldn¡¯t help but faint.
Training the skills!
Here¡¯s the revised version with attention to grammar, structure, clarity, and maintaining the original word count:
¡°(Is it¡gone now?)¡±
I cautiously extended the edge of my body out from between the tree roots.
Confirming that the old man was no longer pursuing me, I breathed a sigh of relief.
In moments like this, the slime body¡¯s ability to function as eyes all over was incredibly useful.
¡°(Man, that was a close call¡)¡±
As the tension eased, the strength drained from my entire body, which had been rigid.
It was akin to the human sensation of one¡¯s legs giving out.
¡°(Damn it, I was careless¡)¡±
Now that I was safe, a wave of self-reflection hit me.
In hindsight, it was only natural.
This world has [Levels] and [Skills], and those don¡¯t disappear with age.
Sure, physical abilities might decline with aging, but thanks to [Status], the weakening due to aging isn¡¯t as pronounced as it is on Earth.
But I made the mistake of judging by Earth¡¯s standards.
I must remind myself not to underestimate someone just because they¡¯re older.
¡°(Alright, enough self-pity!)¡±
There¡¯s no point in dwelling on it, so I started thinking about countermeasures for the next time we meet.
¡°(Avoiding him altogether would be the best option.)¡±
That old man¡¯s attack had penetrated my [Toughness], but it was a barehanded strike after all.
His attack range was just the length of his arm, so dodging it shouldn¡¯t be impossible.
The reason I got hit earlier was that he was incredibly fast.
He caught up with me and landed a blow even though I was in [Escape] and [Evasion] mode, meaning his [Speed] was out of the ordinary.
¡°(One solution is to level up and evolve. The other is¡)¡±
I focused my thoughts on my [Status].
A newly added, or rather upgraded, [Skill] had appeared in my [Skills] list.
~Skill Details~
Flight: Boosts speed during escape. Boosts stealth during escape.
The [Escape] skill had disappeared from my [Status] and was replaced by this new [Skill]. Its effect is an upgraded version of [Escape].
It must have evolved because I used [Escape] so frequently.
This is the other solution.
If I train my existing [Skills]¡ªspecifically [Evasion]¡ªand upgrade them to higher-tier [Skills], I should be able to better predict and dodge that old man¡¯s attacks.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Not only him but any opponents like those in the future!
¡°(Well, I¡¯ll still need to find enemies to train against.)¡±
I can¡¯t practice evasion alone.
So, I set off in the opposite direction of where the old man had been, in search of new enemies.
My [Life] was 90% recovered, and I was ready for any [Mighty Beast] that might come my way.
¡®(Oh, these guys look promising.)¡¯
What I found were werewolves¡ªbipedal, wolf-like beasts.
This pack had five members, four of whom were roughly the size of middle school students. They¡¯re probably [Low Beasts].
However, the one that appeared to be the leader was different.
It stood about two meters tall, and its physique was evident even through its fur.
Given that it¡¯s operating in this area, where the [Mana] concentration is thick, it¡¯s safe to assume this leader is a [Mighty Beast].
Time to get serious.
¡°Wrooar!¡±
¡°Raaa!¡±
The pack noticed me, and I responded with a threatening growl.
At the leader¡¯s howl, the werewolves scattered and attacked from all directions.
¡°Saaa! (Yup, nope, ha!)¡±
The first one lunged at me head-on, its claws as long as a knife coming down.
I dodged by stepping back.
Next, the second werewolf charged from an higher angle, its jaws snapping, but I sidestepped, avoiding it.
The third one tried to ambush me from hind, so I sidestepped.
Finally, the fourth one tried to circle around behind me, but I jumped over it with [Leap].
As the first one attempted to exploit my landing, I quickly jumped to the side, dodging its attack as well.
In this manner, I continued to dodge the werewolves¡¯ attacks.
Our base [Speed] should be about the same, but with my [Evasion] and occasional use of [Flight], I could easily handle multiple opponents.
Once I got the hang of dodging, I began to focus on minimizing unnecessary movements.
Don¡¯t dodge more than needed. By aiming for the bare minimum to avoid the attacks, I could conserve energy and have time for my next move.
¡°(Oops, messed that one up.)¡±
But I¡¯m no martial arts master, so mistakes were inevitable.
Sometimes, I couldn¡¯t dodge completely because the attack reached farther than I expected, or I misjudged the force needed.
Even so, the werewolves¡¯ attacks weren¡¯t causing any damage, so I continued my [Evasion] training without worry. However, perhaps they took that as me mocking them.
Their attacks started to get quite reckless.
They say that when someone gets angry, their movements become predictable. It¡¯s true.
As the battle dragged on and I got more accustomed to their movements, I could start reading their attacks. They were so desperate to land a hit that it became easy to find openings.
¡°Raaah!!¡±
But it wasn¡¯t just the werewolves I was fighting who were getting impatient.
After the leader, who had been staying in the back, let out a roar, I was hit by an invisible shockwave.
The leader kept throwing out these shockwaves from time to time.
It was incredibly annoying because they were timed to disrupt my movements without hitting the other werewolves.
So you¡¯re a support role, huh?
All that muscle for show?
¡Well, whatever.
More importantly, the leader was also giving simplified instructions to its subordinates¡ªsomething I could pick up on using [Understanding Intent]¡ªwhich brought some calm back to their movements.
¡°(That just makes for better training!)¡±
Dodging while keeping an eye on distant attacks required more focus, but it only fueled my determination.
How long did this continue? Eventually, everything around me began to slow down, and my body started moving even more effortlessly.
~Notification~
¡
>>Aresnal Slime has acquired the [Skill: Transient Flash]. [Evasion] has been integrated.
¡
~Skill Details~
Transient Flash: Boosts action speed during evasion. Constantly boosts dynamic vision.
Checking my [Status], I saw that [Evasion] had disappeared and been replaced by an upgraded [Skill].
It seems my plan to upgrade my [Skills] was successful.
Now I can finally counterattack.¡¯
I first targeted the werewolf that had attacked with its claws.
I dodged through its arm and, using the speed gained from [Transient Flash], I unleashed a [Slash] with blades extended from my body.
The Aresnal Slime has decent [Power], so I easily sliced through the enemy.
The werewolf collapsed to the ground.
The other werewolves attacked, but I weaved through their blows and quickly closed in on the leader.
The leader gathered [Mana] in its arms, strengthening its claws to counter me, but as long as it didn¡¯t hit me, that didn¡¯t matter.
I dodged by a hair¡¯s breadth and, using that momentum, swung.
The leader¡¯s head flew off.
At that point, no one else could stand against me, and the remaining werewolves were swiftly hunted down.
~Notification~
¡
>>Aresnal Slime has acquired the [Skill: Cross Counter].
>>Aresnal Slime¡¯s [Soul Value Level] has increased to 42.
¡
Blue haired girl and a blue coloured slime.
A few days had passed since I defeated the werewolves.
"Be-Byu!"
"Slash-Slash!"
Today, like any other, I was battling magical beasts and working on leveling up. I dodged the tiger beast''s fangs with my skill [Instantaneous Movement] and delivered a powerful slash as a counterattack while passing by it.
The tiger, slashed deeply from the shoulder, jumped back in a panic.
Predicting its move, I followed up with a [Slash]. Since I had already landed about ten light attacks on it, my [Consecutive Strikes] skill activated, and I succeeded in cracking the tiger''s skull.
"(Oh, did I just level up?)"
Upon checking, I saw that I had reached level 47. I could feel that I was getting closer to my next evolution.
"(I''m getting used to the new skills.)"
The slower pace of leveling up was primarily due to the increased experience points required.
But it was also because I had been taking my time with each battle. My focus had been on honing my skills.
---
Skills:
[Instantaneous Movement], [Cross Counter], [Provocation ¡ú Challenge (NEW)],
[Focus ¡ú Concentration (NEW)], [Jump ¡ú Aerial Jump (NEW)]
---
[Instantaneous Movement] is an advanced dodging skill, and [Cross Counter] increases the power of an attack by leveraging the opponent''s momentum. Both skills were unlocked during the werewolf battle.
While [Instantaneous Movement] is simple and easy to use, [Cross Counter] has been a challenge to master. Well, I¡¯m still struggling with it.
Against weaker beasts, I can brute force my way through, but when facing more powerful creatures, I need to carefully observe their movements and anticipate their actions.
Some of my other skills have also evolved. When a skill evolves, it seems to gain additional effects.
For example, [Instantaneous Movement] now constantly enhances my dynamic vision, and [Concentration] has granted me resistance to mental status effects.
[Aerial Jump] is especially surprising, as it allows me to jump in mid-air.
Currently, I can only jump up to four times within a minute, but I expect that with practice, the number of jumps will increase.
"(Thanks for the meal.)"
Having devoured the tiger, I resumed my journey through the forest. After a short while, I climbed a tree using [Climb] and didn¡¯t forget to activate [Stealth].
"(...)"
I held my breath atop the tree, stretching a part of my body to peer beyond the trees.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°¡¡±
A group of three humans was walking through the forest. I stayed still, waiting for them to pass.
I had occasionally encountered humans even before meeting the old man.
However, I¡¯ve noticed that more humans have been appearing around here lately. It¡¯s likely that the old man leaked information about me being a good source of experience points.
"(...Okay, they¡¯re gone.)"
I quietly descended from the tree. Apparently, [Climb] activates even when descending.
"(They¡¯re not thinning out at all. Maybe I should move to a different area?)"
As I walked in a different direction from the adventurers, such thoughts crossed my mind.
Maybe the humans will disappear in a couple of weeks, but so far, there¡¯s no sign of that happening.
I had planned to move into an area with denser mana after evolving once more, but it might be worth relocating before that.
The forest is vast. While humans are gathering here, other areas might be less populated.
"(Alright, decision made. Time to move.)"
Thanks to my [Sense of Direction], I knew where the human town was. I¡¯ll head in the opposite direction, moving towards an area where the mana doesn¡¯t thin out.
Swish, swish, swish...
I moved from tree to tree, from bush to bush, keeping out of sight.
In the forest, my body color already makes me stand out. Flattening myself won¡¯t be enough. I have to be as cautious as possible.
"(Phew, I¡¯ve covered a lot of distance.)"
After moving continuously in my altered form, I began to feel tired, so I took a break. I found a hollow just the right size for my body and hid inside.
As I was resting, suddenly a voice feel on my ears.
"...Could you be that slime from back then?"
"Sla?!"
I hadn¡¯t let my guard down. I had been peeking out from the edge of the hollow to keep an eye on my surroundings.
Yet, the sudden voice startled me, and I jumped up. I exited the hollow and looked around, but I couldn¡¯t find the source of the voice.
"I knew it! It¡¯s you. Over here."
The speaker stepped out from behind a tree¡ªa young girl with light blue hair, carrying a wooden basket and wearing leather armor.
She was the one who had given me medicinal herbs when I was injured by the crayfish.
"Oh, it¡¯s you. Long time no see. I was really grateful back then."
"...Huh?"
Now it was the girl¡¯s turn to be surprised. She seemed startled by the sudden voice in her head.
It¡¯s understandable, as I couldn¡¯t use [Mind Communication] the last time we met.
It¡¯s the newly evolved skill, as I kept overhearing the words and language of human adventures.
I explained to the confused girl that I was using a skill to communicate with her.
She seemed to understand and nodded, saying,
"So, it wasn¡¯t just my imagination back then¡"
"By the way, can other magical beasts talk like you?"
"I¡¯m not sure. At least, I haven¡¯t met any beasts that can talk like I do. Oh, but slimes are an exception. They can communicate even without [Mind Communication]."
"Wow, slimes can talk?"
"Well, most slimes can only manage basic communication, so it¡¯s a bit different from what you¡¯d call ''talking.''"
I could somewhat ¡°talk¡± with a rare slime named Slimey, but the conversations never made much sense since it was too muscle-headed.
"You seem to know a lot about humans. Did you used to live with them?"
"Something like that."
She seemed like a good person and was being friendly, so I found myself talking more freely, but I wasn¡¯t about to start discussing my previous life.
I didn¡¯t know if there were other reincarnators in this world, but if there were and they held a grudge against me, it would give them another reason to target me.
Being a good source of experience points was already enough fpr me to be hunted.
"By the way, aren¡¯t you supposed to defeat me? Other humans have been targeting me."
"What? No way! I¡¯m not strong enough to take down magical beasts... Besides, you¡¯re not a bad beast if you don¡¯t attack me, right?"
"That¡¯s true, but... Why did you help me back then? You couldn¡¯t have known whether I was good or bad."
"Well... I just couldn¡¯t leave you like that. You were injured."
"That¡¯s all it was? If it had been any other magical beast, they could have attacked you right after eating the herbs.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t ever try to help a magical beast again... Didn¡¯t I say that last time?"
"Hehe, yeah, you did. Or at least, that¡¯s how it felt. I¡¯ll keep that in mind."
As we were talking, the girl suddenly turned to face a completely different direction.
I feel like she had reacted this way before too.
"What¡¯s wrong?"
"Someone¡¯s being attacked... Sorry, Blue slime. I have to go. Be careful not to get hunted."
"Wait, hold on¡ª"
Without waiting for my response, the girl dashed off somewhere.
Revenge Match [1]
"Veraaah!"
"Earth Bind!... It''s no use; it¡¯s not working at all!"
"Damn, why is there a Titan[B rank in other words] Beast here of all places?!"
"Just run! If it catches up, we''re finished!"
A group of three humans was being chased by a magical beast, heading straight in our direction.
Their pursuer was a large bear¡ªthe same giant bear I had once fought, or rather, the one that had blown me away with ease.
The bear was incredibly fast. It was only a matter of time before it caught up with the humans.
"I''m going to save them¡ª"
"Wait, wait!"
"Whoa!?"
As the girl tried to leap out, I quickly wrapped my whip around her ankle and hoisted her up. I was surprised when she suddenly started running, but I soon caught up to her, my speed outpacing hers.
"What do you plan to do if you go out there? You''ll just get yourself killed."
"But if we don''t do something, those people will..."
"That¡¯ll happen whether you go out there or not."
Seeing the girl''s hesitation, I realized she wasn¡¯t that strong.
Considering I easily caught her and she¡¯s slower than me, it¡¯s hard to believe she has much power.
I firmly conveyed my intentions again.
"Listen, I¡¯ll handle that bear. You need to run. If you stay close, you might get caught in the fight."
"What?"
I gently lowered her to the ground and then leaped out of the bushes, at same time the desperate humans sprinted past me.
"Whoa, a slime!? And that color¡ªit¡¯s the one from the rumors¡ª"
"Idiot, don''t stop! Keep your eyes forward and run!"
¡°But that slime is something we must get our hands on!¡±
¡°Die by yourself, dumbfuck!¡±
¡°Ughh-if only not for the titan beast!! Wait, I am coming!¡±
The humans ran past me blabbering rubbish, the bear seemed to hot in its trial.
Not minding me at all. But I wasn¡¯t going to let it pass.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I''ll take you on, bear! Challenge, activate!"
"Graaah!"
...
The Aresnal Slime has activated the skill "Challenge"
...
The bear¡¯s red eyes locked onto me. The upgraded "Challenge" skill from ¡°Provocation¡± increases its effectiveness when used against a stronger opponent.
Thanks to that, it seems to have worked well on the bear too.
The bear stepped forward with even more force than before¡ª
"Leap!"
I instinctively jumped, and with various skill enhancements, I leapt back at bullet speed.
¡ªBoom!
The ground cracked beneath me, a gust of wind rushing past with a delay. The bear¡¯s charge and claw attack were almost too fast to see.
Clinging to a tree trunk, I regained my composure at the sight below.
"Leap!"
The moment the bear¡¯s eyes turned toward me after missing its initial strike, I kicked off the trunk. Almost simultaneously, the bear blurred, and I heard a thunderous sound from behind as it snapped the tree with a single blow.
Watching this through my slime¡¯s 360-degree vision, I felt a chill that slimes shouldn¡¯t be able to feel. Even with the "Instantaneous Movement" skill, I could barely track its movements.
"Crap, I¡¯m not going to make the landing¡ª"
This time, I had jumped in a panic, with nothing to land on. Before I could touch down, the bear had already turned around, lowering its body slightly, ready to charge.
"Mid-Air Jump!"
I quickly jumped to the side. The gust of wind brushing my body told me I had successfully evaded. I had to use one of my limited "Mid-Air Jumps," but it was necessary.
"For now, running away is the best option!"
Using "Leap" and my whip, I moved swiftly from tree to tree. The bear was chasing me, but our speed difference wasn¡¯t that great. I should have a little time to think.
First of all, I had achieved my primary goal of saving the humans. Now, I just needed to deal with this bear.
There are two options: fight and defeat it, or escape and lose it. Based on my previous encounter, fighting this bear that can bypass toughness and deal damage is extremely risky. It would be wiser to lose it.
"But, just running away without doing anything feels wrong..."
Sure, the bear is a dangerous opponent. Fighting it could very well lead to serious consequences. But, is it really okay to just run away?
I¡¯m much stronger now than when I last fought it. I¡¯ve gained enough abilities to keep evading it like this.
Even though the bear is stronger, it''s not unbeatable. Yet, if I just run away now, I can¡¯t help but feel like I¡¯ll keep running away from stronger foes forever.
It¡¯s not that I particularly care about pride or honor. If I feel like I¡¯m going to die, I¡¯ll run without hesitation.
But, I also think there are times when running away isn¡¯t an option¡ªdetermining I would lose without even trying isn¡¯t something that I should get comfortable with.
That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to run away from something I can handle.
Looking back at the current situation, the bear¡¯s rank is probably just one level above mine. Its level shouldn¡¯t be that high either. After all, it''s still in an area with low mana concentration.
If it were a fully evolved Titan Beast, it would¡¯ve gone deeper to find better prey. But since it''s still in this shallow area, it must have just recently evolved.
Though its ability to bypass my toughness makes it a big threat, our overall strength is actually quite close. It¡¯s not an opponent I can''t beat.
"Yeah, it might be worth taking on this challenge."
If it gets too dangerous, I¡¯ll run away immediately! But I¡¯ll do my best until then.
¡®I should do this shit!¡¯
And that Titan Beast¡¯s soul points are really tempting too.
Letting that greedy thought enter my mind helped ease the tension that was beginning to build. Alright! I¡¯m ready!
I had already planned out my counterattack. I gradually slowed down, letting the bear close the distance.
And when it was just the right distance away¡ªI charged headfirst into a large tree.
...
The Aresnal Slime has acquired the skill "Charge."
...
---
My body came to an abrupt stop. The bear saw this as an opportunity and continued charging without caution. The first phase of my plan was a success.
"Change of plan! I¡¯ll run past the bear and escape!"
I thought that in order to maintain my escape route.
And then, I gathered my strength.
Due to the impact of my high-speed, heavy body hitting the tree, it bent slightly. Naturally, the tree would try to return to its original position¡ª
"Leap, Charge, Cross Counter, Slash!"
¡ªUsing that force, I launched myself like a cannonball at the bear.
Emerged Victorious!
"(Leap, Charge, Cross Counter, Slash!)"
Using the newly learned "Charge," I slipped past the side of the giant bear and delivered a powerful slash.
I flew at an unprecedented speed, only stopping after crashing through a tree in front of me. The charge had been so fast that it exceeded the speed I could perceive, and the "Slash" was swung almost blindly.
I felt the hit, so there''s no need to worry about that, but I won''t know how much damage I dealt until I check.
"Vellu...!"
"Tch, I thought I could take an arm."
It seemed my attack had struck the giant bear''s right foreleg (Foreleg = arm) And the massive black arm, as thick as a log, was cut halfway through.
That injury would likely make it useless in combat, but that''s not what''s important. Even with all my skills combined, I could only inflict that much damage.
"Should I retreat...? No, I can win!"
If I aim for a vital point, there''s still a chance of victory! As I renewed my determination, the giant bear turned around.
Perhaps deeply affected by being injured by something it considered prey, its eyes burned with more rage than when it was challenged. It stood up on its hind legs, gazed at the sky, and roared.
"GUOOOORRR!!!"
"S-Slash!?"
A howling roar, carrying a physical weight, descended upon me. It must be the effect of some skill. Though I took no damage, I was pinned to the ground, unable to move.
"Damn!"
For a few seconds, while the giant bear roared and I was immobilized by the invisible pressure, it didn''t move, possibly due to the restrictions of the roaring skill.
But in its place, it was preparing an attack, gathering mana in its uninjured left foreleg. As soon as the roar subsided and I tried to escape with "Instantaneous movement," its arm swung down. Along the path of its claws, a semi-transparent slash flew through the air.
The massive slash, several meters long, was faster than the bear''s charge, and I couldn''t evade it in time.
"You bastard... Block!"
I turned part of my body into a shield, trying to block the slash with a weapon skill. Normally, I could easily withstand an attack like this, but the giant bear''s slash ignored my toughness. A cut was etched into the shield.
"Ouch!"
A sharp pain spread from the wound. The surrounding area started to dissolve. My cells were necrotizing.
When a slime''s body takes a severe attack, the damage spreads around the wound like this. This time, about ten percent of my life was drained, and I lost about five percent of my body volume. Although the physical area of the attack wasn''t large, it could still be fatal, so I needed to be careful.
"Now''s not the time for this! Leap!"
The giant bear, having unleashed its claw attack, immediately started running. The injury to its front leg had slightly reduced its speed, but its natural speed was still far superior. Having blocked the claw attack, I quickly leaped back.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
" Demonic lightning, Demonic lightning!"
I also decided to unleash my unique skill, which I had been holding back to catch it off guard. To start, I shot two bolts of lightning.
"Gruuu..."
It didn''t seem to faze the bear much. Its tough-looking fur appeared to be resistant to lightning as well. Since it seemed ineffective, I stopped using lightning. I needed to conserve mana for body repair.
"Suuuaaa..."
As I continued to evade, the giant bear began gathering mana again. Thinking it might be another claw attack, I shook my head. This time, the mana was concentrated in its hind legs.
"A skill to enhance a charge, perhaps...?"
Cautiously, I prepared to shift gears. Though I was trying not to get too far away to find a counterattack opportunity, if it was going to use a skill, the only option was to flee.
I carefully watched for the moment when the mana in its legs would peak.
"Grrr!"
"What!?"
As soon as it took a step forward, the mana in its legs flowed into the ground. The ground burst open. Before I had time to react, the earth surged upward. Struck by the earth''s fist, I was sent crashing through the branches into the sky.
"However¡.there''s no damage."
I felt no pain in my body, and my life hadn''t decreased. Now that I think about it, the roar skill didn''t cause any damage either. Why?
Maybe because it wasn''t a direct attack, the toughness-penetrating ability didn''t activate? If that''s the case, then the claw attack earlier was the only thing it could hurt me with¡well, it doesn¡¯t matter now.
What''s important is what comes next¡ªspecifically, how to deal with the giant bear preparing another claw attack on the ground.
"I could use ''Air Leap'' to escape... but this is a prime opportunity. I need to decide carefully."
Despite saying that, the time for deliberation was short, so I quickly made a decision, somewhat on the fly.
The giant bear, looking up at me through the gaps in the trees, swung one of its arms. Five claw slashes, distorting the scenery, flew toward me at high speed. The speed was unimaginable, but it was the second time, so I was a bit more used to it. Carefully gauging the slashes, I activated my ability.
"Weapon Body-Block!!!"
Although "Weapon Body" is always active, I shouted it for the sake of morale. I transformed my entire body into a shield¡ªa round shield, to be precise.
Though the round shield was flat, it was shaped somewhat like a squashed bun. Compared to swords or spears, it was closer to the slime''s basic form, reducing the strain.
The slime shield fell vertically, successfully slipping through the gaps between the slashes. It also helped so that I could adjust my position with "Air Leap."
"Air Leap!"
I returned to my usual oval shape and accelerated straight down with "Air Leap." With the added effect of gravity, I rapidly closed in on the giant bear.
"Challenge!!!"
To prevent it from escaping, I incited its aggression. Its fierce red eyes locked onto me. At this point, it was all up to fate. Extending a whip to strike the rapidly approaching bear, I sharpened the tip into a blade.
"Demonic Lightning!"
I unleashed three bolts of lightning toward its glaring eyes. Since I didn''t have much experience with precision aiming, it wasn''t perfect, but the lightning flashes should have blinded it. As the bear tried to cover its face with one arm, I entered its range.
"Crush, Barrage, Slash!"
A blow with all sorts of skill enhancements landed directly. A deep gash was carved into its still-intact left foreleg. The damage was on par with the first hit I had inflicted.
"Damn, I couldn''t finish it!"
But the attack lacked the power to kill. As I fell onto the bear''s snout, I immediately tried to leap away but hesitated.
"Wait..."
"GUROOOO!"
The bear growled and shook its head, trying to throw me off. I held on with "Unyielding" and dove into its roaring mouth. Its jaws snapped shut, teeth attempting to crush me¡ª
*clang*.
A hard sound echoed. There was no pain in my body. It seemed my gamble had paid off.
"As I thought, your skill only lets your claws penetrate toughness."
I had no proof. After I was thrown into the air and took no damage, I started to think.
Maybe this thing can only use the toughness-penetrating skill with its claws. It seemed my guess was correct, as the bear''s teeth couldn''t leave a single scratch on me.
"And now I just need to..."
I then extended my body toward the back of its throat, blocking its airway. I could hear the muffled cries of the bear, but it had no way to fight back.
At most, it could attack the part of my body sticking out of its mouth, but with its battered arm, it couldn''t do much damage.
"Dissolving Liquid, Demonic lightning, lightning!!"
And for good measure, I unleashed another attack. Since it was from the inside, it should be somewhat effective. Its struggles grew fainter and fainter.
Even with a high HP and good toughness enhancing its cardiopulmonary functions, it would eventually die if it couldn''t breathe.
I clung to its face for one, two, maybe more minutes. As I frantically used dissolving liquid and lightning, the giant bear collapsed, and several tens of seconds later, my level shot up.
Evolution Again [1]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
¡
>> Aresnal Slime has acquired the [Skill: Crashing Strike]. [Crushing] has been integrated.
>> Aresnal slime¡¯s [Soul Value Level] has increased to 56.
>> [Evolution] is now possible.
"I-I defeated it!"
Overwhelmed with joy, I crawl out of the bear''s mouth.
With this victory, I''ve grown even stronger. It looks like I can also [Evolve]!
"But first, I need to heal these wounds."
Focusing on the throbbing pain at my extremities, I notice the injuries from when the bear tried to claw me out of its mouth at the last moment.
"[Body Restoration]."
I activate a rarely used [Skill] to heal my wounds. Since my [Mana] is low, I limit the healing to essential areas only.
Then, I turn my attention back to the bear. Before someone else arrives, I need to eat it.
Ignoring the fur, I start dissolving the softer flesh inside.
"Just one bite... Whoa!"
Delicious! Each dissolved bite fills my mouth with rich flavor. The dense [Mana] completely masks the usual bloody smell of raw meat.
"Now, let''s check the [Evolution] options."
After devouring part of the bear, I shift my focus to my [Status].
~~~Evolution Options~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Fire Ruby Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Aresnal Armoury Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Earth Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Aresnal Armoury Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Jewel Smith Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Tourmaline Mind Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Diamond Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Bloodstone Beast Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Jewel Meteor Slime: Rank: Titan Beast
- Doom Opal Ooze: Rank: Titan Beast
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
There are so many options! After counting, I realize there are about twenty in total.
That''s a lot! It seems the evolution paths are determined by the [Skills] I have and the actions I''ve taken so far. Considering the time since my last [Evolution], it makes sense that more options have appeared.
Given how easily I acquire [Skills], the variety of choices is understandable.
"But, man, I have to check all of these..."
While the number of evolutions represents possibilities, the sheer quantity is overwhelming.
The [Status] display isn''t text-based but more like knowledge surfacing in my mind. It¡¯s easier than reading, but with this many options, it''s daunting.
"No! The number of evolutions represents possibilities! I''ll check them all and pick the best species!"
Motivating myself, I start reading through the evolution details.
By the time I''ve dissolved half of the bear, I''ve finished reviewing all the options. After much contemplation, I narrow it down to three.
Even though my brain feels like it might overheat from all the thinking, I''ll have take closer look at them and choose wisely.
~~~Evolution Options~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aresnal Armory Slime:
Rank: Titan Beast
- A rare type of armory slime that collects weapons and uses [Weapon Skills].
- Characterized by immense [Toughness], excellent [Resistance], and fairly high [Power].
- An oddity that, despite being a magical beast, prefers weapons and excels in using [Weapon Skills].
- Possesses a [Skill] for collecting weapons and can mimic gathered weapons in battle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First, there''s this one. It''s an upgraded version of the Aresnal Slime. It enhances my existing combat style, which is why I chose it.
Moreover, staying as a ''Aresnal¡¯ might increase the range of future [Evolution] options. Once a specific gem, like Ruby or Diamond, is chosen, I might not be able to switch to another.
If I remain as the more generic ¡®Aresnal,'' I believe the chance of encountering the ideal evolution increases.
Of course, I might just be overthinking it.
~~~Evolution Options~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Doom Opal Ooze
Rank: Titan Beast
- A rare type of Doom Ooze that spreads despair.
- Though its body isn¡¯t as flexible as a slime, it surpasses most slimes in [Stats].
- Possesses powerful acid and curse attack [Skills].
- Its grotesque yet beautiful form drives those who see it to madness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This one is a combat-specialized slime¡ªor rather, an ooze.
According to the slime community, oozes are said to be a variant of slimes that fall into darkness. Its form is rumored to change from the usual mochi shape to something more like a ghost.
This is just what slimes say, so the credibility is questionable.
Still, it sounds strong. It¡¯s likely the most powerful combat-wise among the current [Evolution] options.
A potential drawback is the part about "driving those who see it to madness." It sounds like a [Skill] that activates automatically, like [Weapon Body].
I don¡¯t want to drive humans insane, and even with other creatures, causing indiscriminate harm feels wrong.
~~~Evolution Options~~~
Revenge Slime.
Rank: Titan Beast
- A rare type of Revenge Slime that excels in counterattack [Skills].
- Its incredibly tough body stores the impact it receives, releasing it in a counterattack.
- Possesses various counterattack [Skills], effective at both close and long range.
- As its [Life] decreases, its [Stats] increase.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lastly, there¡¯s this one.
I think this evolution path appeared because I¡¯ve been using the [Cross Counter] technique. Counterattack [Skills] are powerful but have strict activation conditions.
However, given my [Toughness], I can use them without much risk, making it a good match. The concern is the lack of an offensive ability that I can initiate myself.
I want to be more aggressive, so having a proactive attack option would be ideal. Though, it could be argued that what I have now is already enough.
After much deliberation, I finish eating the bear¡¯s edible parts. After even more consideration, I finally make my decision.
"Alright, I¡¯m going to¡ª"
"Hey, isn''t that the body of a [Titan Beast]... wait, isn''t that the monster everyone¡¯s been talking about!?"
"No way, did a the Aresnal Slime defeat a [Titan Beast]? Or maybe it¡¯s the leftovers from some other monster..."
"Doesn¡¯t matter! Let¡¯s kill it before others get here!"
Damn, humans have shown up.
Looks like I¡¯ll have to put off [Evolving] and escape from this place for now¡Or should I just kill them???
V1 chapter 28: Evolution and First Battle
©¤©¤Alright, I managed to shake off the humans.
There don¡¯t seem to be any other beasts around here, so let¡¯s go ahead with the evolution.
As I choose my evolution path, the energy filling my body begins to circulate.
This is my third evolution. The heat mutating my body gets stronger each time.
My body swells, pushed by the surge of heat. The flow of inner energy revitalizes me on a cellular level.
¡«Private System Log~
¡
Aresnal Silme has begun evolution.
Species changed to Aresnal Armory Slime.
Stats updated in response to evolution.
New skills have been acquired.
¡
¡«¡«¡«¡«¡«
The evolution I chose was the Aresnal Armory Slime.
Compared to the other two options, this one had less quirks, and it seemed like it would allow me to improve my current abilities, so I chose it.
¡°(Phew, it¡¯s done.)¡±
I stretch myself upwards, as if I¡¯m doing a full-body stretch.
My body, now the size of a baby elephant, can easily reach the tree branches.
¡°(Hm¡?)¡±
That¡¯s when I notice something strange.
It feels like my body is different somehow©¤©¤.
¡°(©¤©¤Wait, I¡¯ve turned into a cube!?)¡±
Yes, my body has transformed from its usual oval-like shape into a cube.
Each side is exactly the same length, forming a perfect six-sided cube.
¡°(If I was going to turn into something like this, a little warning would have been nice¡)¡±
I grumble to myself.
Well, it looks like my shape-shifting ability is still intact, so it should be fine¡
¡°(Alright, let¡¯s take a look.)¡±
As the thrill and feeling of newfound power from my rapid growth settle down, I decide to check my status.
Species: Aresnal Armory Slime
Rank: Grand Beast
Soul Accumulation Level: 56 (UP)
Stats
Life: 457/481
Mana: 413/476
Power: 215
Toughness: 2488
Resist: 268
Speed: 163
Skills
Dissolve, Self-Healing, Sense of Direction
Cover, Throw, Climb
Block, Perfect Defense, Escape Instinct
Steadfast, Flexible Movement, Whip
Compact Whip, Combo Attack, Recklessness
Stealth, Empathy, Slash
Compact Slash, Gesture, Communication
Weapon Body, Flowing Martial Arts, Body Repair
Bite, Dance, Swimming
Escape, Swift Moment, Cross Counter
Challenge, Focus, Aerial Jump
Charge, Heavy Impact (NEW), Storage (NEW)
Transport (NEW), Weapon Storage (NEW), Replicant Form (NEW)
Glamorous Shine (NEW)
Damn, those stat boosts are insane.
Before evolving, I was just getting into the mid-100s.
Now, I¡¯ve jumped straight into the 200s in a single leap.
No wonder I feel this unstoppable surge of strength.
The stat distribution is similar to what it was before, but my mana has gone up significantly. Is that an increase in capacity, considering I¡¯m now an ¡°Armory Slime¡±?
Well, more is always better. There¡¯s no point in overthinking it, so let¡¯s move on to the skills.
Skill Details
Heavy Impact: Enhances damage when attacking with body weight. Increases falling speed.
Storage: Increases the amount of stored nutrition. Allows holding Life and Mana above maximum.
Transport: Reduces the weight of transported items and minimizes damage to items during transport.
Weapon Storage: Envelops a weapon within the body, allowing it to be stored in a separate dimension.
Replicant Form: Allows analysis and recording of weapons. Can transform body into recorded weapons.
Glamorous Shine: Increases aggressiveness of creatures targeting the skill holder. If the holder is killed, the experience gain of the killer from soul fragments is dramatically increased.
I¡¯ve gained six new skills this time around.
Though technically, Heavy Impact is an upgraded version of Crushing from the bear fight, and Storage, Transport, and Glamorous Shine have replaced Stored Food, Carry, and Alluring Light, so I guess there are only two brand new skills.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Let¡¯s check out the upgraded (?) skills first.
Heavy Impact has purely improved, making it easier to use.
The increased fall speed could come in handy too.
Storage seems to be an evolved form of Stored Food. It now allows me to store Life and Mana, which should prove useful in the future.
Transport is likely an upgrade of Carry. I might not use it often, but it¡¯s good to have.
Lastly, Glamorous Shine is an upgrade of Alluring Light. Its hate-drawing effect has intensified, and the experience gain has been boosted from ¡°substantial¡± to ¡°dramatic.¡± But that doesn¡¯t really matter to me.
I don¡¯t care about that now.
¡°(Alright, now let¡¯s look at the truly new skills.)¡±
First, Weapon Storage. With this, I can store the weapons of any beast I defeat, like goblins.
My body is sturdier, so I probably won¡¯t need to use it much, but it could come in handy for projectiles.
Being able to carry weapons and have more options is useful too. I might encounter opponents with skills that make fighting bare-handed a disadvantage.
For example, if the bear had a skill that ignored the strength of living beings, it would¡¯ve been easier to handle with a regular shield.
Now, on to Replicant Form.
This is¡ a tricky skill to evaluate. It feels a bit redundant with Weapon Body.
However, the ability to analyse weapons sounds interesting.
I pick up a nearby twig to test it out.
¡°(A twig can be a weapon for a kid, right? Replicant Form ¨C Analyze!... Oh, it actually worked.)¡±
Weapon detection is loose, I see.
Apparently, a twig is classified as a club.
¡°(Ohhh, I get it now.)¡±
Information about the twig appears in my mind. It¡¯s similar to the way I checked evolution paths.
With the analysis complete, I try the transformation function.
¡°(Replicant Form ¨C Imitate!)¡±
A part of my body transforms into a twig.
The size, surface texture, and slight curves are all replicated perfectly.
¡°(Whoa, that¡¯s impressively accurate.)¡±
It¡¯s indistinguishable from a real twig.
But as I run my hand along it, it breaks with a dry snap.
¡°(Oops.)¡±
Looks like I used too much force.
The broken twig dissolves, turning into blue liquid, similar to when my Aresnal Slime body rots away.
¡°(So it even replicates the durability¡)¡±
And once it breaks, the imitation fails, and the part I used for it dies off.
¡°(Thanks to my bigger body, the Life cost isn¡¯t too bad, but I¡¯d better not use this recklessly.)¡±
Given my current Toughness, my raw body is probably stronger than an iron weapon.
It might not be as useful as I thought¡ but I put Replicant Form aside for now and give a hop.
¡°(Alright, let¡¯s go hunting!)¡±
I¡¯m eager to test this newfound strength from my evolution.
****
While escaping from the bear, I was intentionally moving towards the part of the forest with fewer people ¡ª deeper into the woods.
As a result, the area I''m in now is thick with mana.
Feeling a strong premonition that I might encounter a formidable foe, I proceeded deeper into the forest.
"(Hmm, it¡¯s a bit hard to walk here.)"
As a Aresnal Armory Slime, I''m about the size of a small elephant.
The forest isn¡¯t so overgrown that I can¡¯t move at all, but there are plenty of obstacles, which makes it physically cramped for me.
"(Alright, let¡¯s make use of my slime traits here.)"
I shaped my body into a long, narrow rectangle snake like structure, moving forward in a serpentine motion.
Since this isn¡¯t too different from my usual cubic form, maintaining it doesn¡¯t require much energy.
After weaving through the trees for a while, I emerged into an open space.
The clearing was a gentle hill that rose higher towards the center.
"(Those fruits look delicious.)"
In the centre stood a single fruit tree, a massive tree even my evolved self-had to look up at.
Its branches were laden with vibrantly coloured fruits that looked ripe even from a distance.
It was definitely an otherworldly sight, as each branch bore fruits of different colors and shapes.
"(Alright, let¡¯s try one.)"
Due to my evolution, my stomach (or whatever I have) has expanded.
My ability to "store food" has also upgraded to "preserve," increasing my storage capacity.
This is a good chance to replenish my reserves.
"(Hmm¡ I¡¯ll go with that orange one.)"
Among the numerous fruits, I chose one that looked like a crescent-shaped banana on Earth.
However, unlike bananas, they weren¡¯t in bunches but grew individually on branches, and instead of yellow, they were orange.
They kind of looked like the Japanese snack kaki no tane.
"(Alright, let¡¯s dig in!)"
I absorbed the orange banana-like fruit, peel and all.
As it dissolved in my digestive fluids, a superb sweetness spread through me.
"(Delicious...)"
It was so good that I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The fruit¡¯s taste was incredible.
It had a taste similar to a melon, with a gentle but rich sweetness.
I finished it in no time and was about to reach out for more with a tentacle when¡ª
"(Huh¡?!)"
I realized I couldn¡¯t move.
No matter how much I tried to exert myself, I couldn¡¯t budge.
Or rather, I couldn¡¯t exert any force at all.
It felt like the numbness you get after sitting on your legs for too long.
"(Ugh!)"
Before I could think about what to do, things got worse.
Suddenly, several roots burst out from the ground and wrapped around me.
"Juwaaa..."
A vertical crack appeared on the tree¡¯s bark.
The jagged crack opened to reveal countless teeth inside the tree.
"(Could it be¡ a Treant?!)"
I searched my knowledge for clues about this enemy.
I¡¯d heard of magical beasts that mimic trees, but this was my first time encountering one.
The roots wrapped around me and started pulling me toward the Treant¡¯s mouth.
Although it couldn¡¯t swallow my entire body, part of me ended up inside its mouth.
As the crack closed and the teeth bore down, my body¡
Clang!
¡was completely unscathed.
"(Well, that figures.)"
No monster could break through my toughness level of over 2000 so easily.
The Treant kept biting down repeatedly, giving me a chance to observe the inside of its mouth.
"(It doesn¡¯t seem to have a throat. Where does it absorb its prey from?)"
A new question arose, but for now, I couldn¡¯t spot any obvious weak point.
The inside of its mouth was probably softer than the rest of its body, but¡ª
More importantly...
"(Alright, full recovery!)"
The paralysis wore off, which was far more crucial.
Thanks to my Resist skill, bolstered by Perfect Defense, I¡¯m highly resistant to status ailments. Even if I get affected, it wears off quickly.
"(Time to move. Lightning Strike!)"
"Gugigigii!"
I launched a lightning attack as my first counterstrike.
Using a significant amount of mana, I fired multiple lightning bolts.
"(And now, Hedgehog Attack!)"
Utilizing my transformation ability, I extended spears from the part of my body inside its mouth.
With my increased volume due to evolution, I exploited every gap between its teeth to stab it.
¡ªUnregistered Information Log¡ª
¡
Aresnal Armory Slime has acquired the skill Thrust.
¡
"Gyuaa!"
"(Unyielding!)"
The Treant tried to pull me off with its roots from the outside, but I used a skill to hold my ground.
Well, I wasn¡¯t really on the ground, but you get the idea.
Anyway, by combining my skills like Dissolve and Combo Attack, I continued to deal sustained damage, causing the Treant to writhe in agony.
Branches were shaking violently, as if a sudden storm had hit.
"(Oooooo!)"
I wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed, but at some point, the Treant stopped resisting, and I felt power surging within me.
My level had increased.
¡ªUnregistered Information Log¡ª
¡
Aresnal Armory Slime has leveled up to Soul Accumulation Level 62.
Aresnal Armory Slime has acquired the skill Glutton.
The skill Antibody has been acquired. Glutton has been integrated.
¡
Later, I went back to nibble on the remaining fruits to avoid wasting them, and I somehow ended up with some strange skills.
V1 chapter 29: Hobgoblins Discovered!
"(Umm...)"
I wake up and stretch.
Looking around, I can see the clearing through the gaps in the branches.
This place is on top of that treant''s body.
Even though the treant died, the large tree remained as it was.
The trunk is thick and doesn''t break under my weight, so I''ve been borrowing it as a bed.
"But I don''t think I can stay here much longer."
Seeing the leaves gradually wither, that''s what I think.
The number of fruits has also decreased drastically, but that¡¯s just because I ate them; it¡¯s unrelated to the tree withering.
¡No, maybe I can¡¯t completely say that.
If the treant were still alive, there might have been a chance the fruits would have been replenished immediately, thanks to a skill similar to my own "Self-Regeneration."
With such trivial thoughts running through my still-groggy mind, I climb down from the tree.
I also eat some nearby fruit as I go.
Thanks to the "Antibody" skill I obtained yesterday, I only feel a slight tingle.
"Alright, time to go find some more enemies... Hmm?"
As I start to head deeper into the forest, unexpected visitors appear.
At the base of the gentle slope, on the edge of the clearing, a group of six goblins appears.
"Gegyo gege gya (Take it down!)"
"Gyaa! (Roger!)"
With the "Comprehension" skill, I can understand their intentions through their cries.
Following the command of an armoured goblin, they spread out and start coming toward me.
"I¡¯ve never seen goblins with such good equipment."
I think this idly to myself.
Each of them is armed with iron weapons, and it¡¯s obvious just by looking that the quality and condition of their equipment are excellent.
On top of that, they have a good build. They must be "Long Beasts"; each goblin is about the height of a high school student.
This group of armoured, large goblins ¡ª let¡¯s call them hobgoblins ¡ª would normally be dangerous foes even for a "Behemoth."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"But that doesn''t really matter to me. Slash."
Kachink!
My whip-sword clashes with the goblin''s iron sword, producing a loud, high-pitched sound.
However, I come out as the victor of the clash.
The hobgoblin, who took a direct hit from me, gets blown away and rolls down the hill.
"Slash, slash!"
"Gyaa!?"
I grow a second whip-sword and attack them with dual strikes.
The goblins are trying to surround me, but for a slime, the concept of front and back is kind of meaningless.
My vision may blur in directions I¡¯m not focusing on, but taking a hit doesn''t actually hurt me.
Every time my whip-swords lash out, the hobgoblins scream in pain, and eventually, realizing they can¡¯t win, they stay just out of my range, watching me warily.
"If you''re not coming to me, I''ll come to you!"
"Gyaaa! (Run!)"
The hobgoblins all turn and start to run away at once.
My first target is the troublesome one in armour.
I leap forward with "Jump," and with "Air Jump," I land right on top of it.
With the additional effect of "Plunge Attack," the troublesome goblin is killed instantly.
I focus on the other hobgoblins who are scattering and escaping into the forest.
"Jump, Thrust."
The next one I target is the one that got its leg injured in the earlier fight.
I close the distance in one jump and extend my body like a spear, stabbing it. My spear pierces through the underside of its raised axe, hitting its abdomen.
"Throw."
As soon as that¡¯s done, I throw the sword I took from the armoured hobgoblin.
It flies through the air, and I successfully hit another goblin that thought it was safe as it ran through a sparse section of trees, just outside my range.
"Weapon Storage, Jump."
I put away the second axe and head towards the spot where the third goblin fell.
It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve used "Weapon Storage," but as long as I cover the weapon with my body, I can absorb it almost instantly.
This could come in handy.
"I¡¯ll be taking this one too."
I store the sword that was stuck in the third goblin as well as the spear lying at its feet, then jumped again.
Of the remaining three goblins, I¡¯ve already lost track of two, but I¡¯ve managed to keep tabs on one.
"Still, hunting down one more won¡¯t give me much, huh?"
This battle hasn¡¯t raised my level even once.
Killing a weaker "Long Beast" at this point doesn¡¯t offer much reward.
"Besides, there¡¯s something that¡¯s been bothering me a little."
I recall the weapons these hobgoblins had.
Their equipment was clearly different from that of the goblins I¡¯ve fought so far.
It might even surpass what humans carry. That¡¯s how high-quality the hobgoblins¡¯ weapons were.
After all, their weapons could hold their own against my "Slash."
Even though I just evolved, the fact that their weapons showed no significant damage after taking a direct attack from me is strange, if they¡¯re just old second hand weapons from defeated adventurers, the weapons should have shattered the instance they clashed against my body made whip-sword.
"Maybe they just happened to find them, or¡ could it be that their group has someone with a skill related to weapons?"
I have two reasons for thinking this.
First, there was the giant monster, the Red Ogre, that I once saw, which was battling the Forest Turtle.
That creature could melt the ground, quickly cool it, and create glass clubs.
If there¡¯s a skill like that, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if others exist as well.
The second reason is the unusual nature of the hobgoblins¡¯ weapons.
Initially, I thought they were all carrying iron weapons, but calling them ¡°iron weapons¡± doesn¡¯t quite capture it.
Their weapons are one hundred percent iron, from blade to handle.
Normal humans don¡¯t usually make such bizarre things.
So, I decided to let this hobgoblin go for now and have it led me to the group.
The hobgoblin is running for its life, but as a Great Beast, I can keep up with its speed even without any skill boosts.
Just to be safe, I activate "Stealth," and now I¡¯m fully prepared.
The chase is on!
V1 Chapter 30: Hobogoblins Liar [1]
(So, this is the Hobgoblin¡¯s lair, huh?)
After tailing it for a while, the Hobgoblin arrived at a certain cave.
The cave lay beneath a tall cliff, with two heavily armed Hobgoblins standing at its entrance.
Were they acting as guards?
The guards looked wary when they saw the Hobgoblin return alone.
However, after hearing its explanation, they easily let it through.
(Even guards, huh...)
I had planned to charge in head-on, but with guards watching, that¡¯s a bit hard to pull off mentally.
With my size and abilities, sneaking around is limited, but I¡¯ll try as much as I can.
(Operation start.)
For now, I moved back to create some distance.
Flattening myself, I began to move along the side.
Sneak, sneak, sneak.
Using Stealth, I wasn¡¯t easily detectable.
Once I was far enough from the guards, I approached the cliff.
I extended my whip-like appendage to the nearest crevices and applied a bit of force.
(Alright, the surface is solid. Probably.)
After confirming, I latched onto the cliff.
To distribute my weight, I made my body as flat as possible.
(Let¡¯s do this, Climbing!)
Hoping my long-used skill wouldn¡¯t fail me, I carefully climbed.
Grabbing onto protrusions or, when none were available, sharpening parts of my body like spear tips to dig into the rock.
(Phew¡ Made it to the top¡)
Reaching the open area above the cliff, I felt like sprawling out, but quickly returned to my cube-like form.
This shape is the most stable and relaxing for me.
(Time to make my move.)
After a short rest, I dangled my whip down to observe the situation below.
Then, I climbed to the spot directly above the guards, tied my whip to a nearby rock as a safety line, and slowly descended.
Whether Stealth could completely mask my Mana was a gamble.
I stayed ready to respond if detected, but no accidents occurred as I approached. I was now about three meters away.
Unhooking the safety line, I jumped down.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.Immediately, I spread my body wide to engulf the two guards.
Squelch!
The sound of splattering fluids echoed, and a red stain spread beneath me.
I had also activated Plummet Strike to accelerate my descent, which delivered significant power.
I made sure to land softly to muffle the sound; otherwise, it could¡¯ve been much louder.
...
Aresnal Armory Slimehas acquired the skill Ambush.
Acquired the skill Landing.
...
Absorbing the guards, I stored their equipment in Weapon Storage and turned toward the cave.
A short descent brought me into complete darkness, so deep it felt like I was falling into an abyss.
The passage was too narrow for two of me to walk side by side.
Though it wasn¡¯t tight enough to restrict me, it was still somewhat cramped.
Well, I can always reshape myself to fit.
(Still, wouldn¡¯t this be inconvenient for the Hobgoblins?)
Looking into the pitch-black darkness, I thought as much.
Perhaps goblin-type monsters have natural night vision or a skill for it.
Unfortunately, I lacked such an ability, so I took countermeasures.
I decided trying to acquire a skill for it could wait for another time.
(Activate: Lightning Strike - Weak.)
I used a low-power version of my Unique Skill.
A thin bolt of lightning extended from my body to the ceiling, slightly illuminating the cave.
(Let¡¯s go!)
With that, I rushed into the cave, heading deeper at a brisk pace.
Even at reduced output, I was still consuming Mana, so I couldn¡¯t waste time.
Through repeated evolution, I had learned Mana Reserve, allowing me to hold 825/900 Mana.
Still, my reserves were gradually depleting, so I wanted to resolve this quickly.
After a bit of walking, I noticed a small room-like space off to the side.
Peeking in, I saw a few Hobgoblins lounging around.
(Thrust!)
¡°Gyaaah!¡±
Before they could react to the lightning, I used a spear-like attack on the one furthest left.
Though new to me, Thrust worked perfectly in this confined space.
As the first Hobgoblin screamed its death cry, I morphed the spear into a whip-sword and swung sideways.
(Slash!)
¡°Gyaaagh!¡±
Nearly half the Hobgoblins were sliced open, while the rest were pinned against the wall.
Some weren¡¯t fatally wounded due to their positions, but most were gravely injured.
It didn¡¯t take long before the Hobgoblins in the room were wiped out.
(This room looks like... a temporary storage area?)
Looking around, I saw random monster parts and weapons scattered about.
Some Hobgoblins had been snacking on meat, supporting my guess.
Avoiding the human heads as much as possible,
I stored every weapon into Weapon Storage before leaving the room.
(Here they come.)
The screams of the room¡¯s Hobgoblins must¡¯ve been heard.
Reinforcements appeared from deeper inside.
They didn¡¯t stop at just two or three.
The reinforcements kept pouring out of the darkness.
¡°Rahh!¡±
I activated Throwing, hurling stored weapons with force, skewering two Hobgoblins at once.
(It¡¯s nice that summoning weapons takes almost no time.)
I kept throwing more weapons to push them back, though it wasn¡¯t enough to eliminate their numbers entirely.
(I¡¯ll save my two strongest skills¡ but how should I handle the rest?)
Then, inspiration struck.
This would let me efficiently move and attack at the same time.
I reshaped my body into a sphere.
¡°Charge!¡±
I hurled myself forward with great force.
My round body rolled rapidly downhill, crushing everything in its path.
¡°Gyaaagh!¡±
(Aaahhh!)
The sensation of spinning rapidly in the dark made me dizzy, but I pressed on.
¡°Salaltatat!!!!!!!¡±
V1 chapter 31: Hobogoblins Liar [2]
Thunk.
"Ugh¡ this feels awful¡"
After endlessly rolling down the slope inside the cave, I finally stopped upon colliding with a wall.
Returning from a spherical shape to my cubic form, I felt slightly dizzy, despite the fact that slimes shouldn''t have a vestibular system.
"Lightning Strike - Low."
Pulling myself together, I reactivated my [Unique Skill], which I had deactivated while rolling. Lightning surged upward toward the ceiling, illuminating my surroundings.
"Looks like... a chamber?"
Near the slope where I had collided, there was an entrance, leading into what seemed to be a large open space.
As I moved forward, I increased the power of my lightning to light up the entire chamber.
"Gobuuu!?"
¡°Goobbb!¡±
¡°Gee!!¡±
¡°Gruemme!!¡±
Holy crap, there are so many of them!
Hobgoblins appeared in the glow of the lightning, shielding their eyes with raised arms.
At a glance, there were around thirty of them, including two particularly powerful individuals whose [Mana] seemed comparable to [Beast Lords]. A rank lower than me.
"So, this is the boss room, huh?"
Judging by the layout, it seemed like this was the final area of the cave.
Of course, there''s always a chance the true leader could be out at the moment.
"Gegyo, Gigigee! (Go, you lot!)"
"Gugyaaa!"
At the command of one of the [Beast Lords], the hobgoblins charged at me en masse.
"Hmm, maybe I should tone it down a bit?"
I adjusted the power of my lightning to just enough for visibility while stepping forward to meet the goblins.
"Alright, perfect."
The leading hobgoblin thrust his spear at me.
I did nothing and allowed it to strike. The iron spear simply bounced off my surface.
"Compact Slash."
In return, I decapitated him.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Though the goblin wore a helmet, it was easy to aim for the gap between the helmet and shoulder armour at this range.
Perhaps the poorly-fitted helmet, typical for hobgoblins, made it even easier.
"Gyagyaaahh!"
Despite their comrade¡¯s gruesome end, the remaining hobgoblins showed no hesitation, charging relentlessly.
Some wore heavier armour, but it made no difference. I unleashed a series of [Weapon Skills], cutting them down one by one.
My whip swords and spear danced through the air, spilling blood in their wake.
Thanks to [Ruthless Combat Arts], I could chain [Weapon Skills] without interruption.
After this grim carnage continued for a while, the two [Beast Lords] finally made their move.
"Gyakugwaag! (You useless fools! [Steel Fist]!)"
The first to act was a hulking goblin, standing nearly three meters tall. His massive frame swelled further as his muscles bulged, pushing his armour to its limits.
"Gugeyaaaa! ([Demon Split Chop]!)"
Closing the gap in just two steps, the massive goblin launched a chop with arms as thick as logs.
Even under the effect of [Swift Moment], his strike blurred with speed.
I accepted it without resistance.
"Gyugii!? (It hurts!?)"
The impact echoed like an explosion, shattering the giant goblin''s gauntlets and sending him staggering back while clutching his hand.
The force of his attack had been too much for his own equipment to bear.
"As I thought, normal attacks won¡¯t get through my defences, even from a [Beast Lord]."
Through [Intent Interpretation], I could sense that he was using some kind of [Skill].
However, my [Toughness] makes it virtually impossible for opponents of my level to break through with brute strength.
"That all you got? [Provoke]."
"Ggguugh! (Don''t mock me!)"
The hulking goblin followed up with a roundhouse kick.
"[Swift Moment], [Slash]."
"Gyagyaaaaahhh!"
I preempted his attack, cutting into his leg with a high-speed slash.
Using [Provoke], I baited his timing to ensure my strike landed first, compensating for any speed disadvantage.
"Slice."
"Gege!? Gogo¡ Gagya..."
As the goblin staggered from the pain in his leg, I quickly enveloped him with my body.
Suppressing his struggles with [Toughness], I seeped into the gaps in his armor and unleashed [Dissolve], simultaneously using [Bite] to consume him.
"Giggyaahh! (A distraction well played!)"
The second [Beast Lord], who had remained eerily silent until now, finally made his move.
Unlike his muscular counterpart, this goblin was slender and stooped, giving off an almost elderly appearance.
Placing both hands on the ground, he unleashed a torrent of [Mana].
"Gugegogaa! ([Steel Refinement], [Shining Waves]!)"
The ground in front of him rippled, transforming into gleaming steel, which surged across the chamber like a wave.
The steel morphed into various shapes¡ªblades, spears, and jagged spikes¡ªattacking indiscriminately across the room.
The assault was so wide-ranging it even struck down the remaining hobgoblins.
A cruel act, though I wasn¡¯t exactly in a position to criticize.
"Still, I could probably dodge this with [Jump] or [Air Jump]."
Manoeuvring through the barrage of weapons, I noted that the high ceilings would make evasion relatively easy if I used my skill.
That said, I opted not to use it, saving it for emergencies.
"Gyuguyaaa! (H-help¡)"
Terrified by his inability to land a blow, the slender goblin cowered in the corner, trembling.
Unable to flee due to the chamber''s layout, he shrank against the wall.
"Lightning Strike - Max Output."
"Gigyaaaaa!"
I unleashed a concentrated bolt of lightning at the slender goblin, striking him directly.
It ignored the surrounding steel, homing in solely on the target.
"Charge!"
Without hesitation, I lunged and enveloped him, repeating the same process I used on the hulking goblin.
And thus, the battle against the goblin horde came to an end.
[The soul accumulation level of Aresnal Armoury Slime has risen to 73]
V1 CHAP32: Weaponizing Myself
(Oh, I made it. All thanks to my trusty Directional Sense.)
With the hobgoblin defeated, I made my way back to Trent Hill. Standing before the once-majestic tree, now withering and lifeless, I paused for a moment, drawing in a deep breath to steady myself.
(For now, let¡¯s check out the spoils of war.)
I started pulling out the various weapons I had obtained in the cave from my Weapon Storage. After defeating the skinny goblin, I had not only devoured the bodies of the hobgoblins but also stored the weapons they were using.
During that process, I also acquired the skill Night Vision. I assume it was because I had gathered the corpses and weapons in one place to save mana, then ate and stored them in the dark.
This Night Vision skill was a great help, as it allowed me to see to some extent even in complete darkness.
(Thanks to that, I was able to find all these.)
I muttered to myself as I began unpacking the weapons. The slope I had tumbled down earlier revealed several small chambers, similar to the one I had encountered first.
In one of these spaces, I had discovered a cache of weapons stored together and claimed them for myself. Now, I carefully laid them out, sorting each piece by its type.
(By the way, the storage capacity of Weapon Storage is amazing. Even with all this, there¡¯s still plenty of room.)
By concentrating on the skill, I could view the remaining storage capacity and examine the contents within. This feature proved invaluable, as it allowed me to keep track even if I forgot what I had stored.
Truthfully, during the frantic collection process, I had been tossing items in without much thought. Without this handy feature, managing the chaos would have been nearly impossible.
(Oh, this one looks like a human weapon.)
After pulling out swords, spears, axes, clubs, and finally a bow, I muttered to myself. The hobgoblins'' weapons were primarily made of iron, probably crafted by that skinny goblin.
However, there were also weapons seemingly made from other materials. This bow, for instance, stood out.
The bow was crafted from highly flexible wood, its grip wrapped in leather, with a string already in place.
It was unlikely that goblins had such advanced crafting skills. Since this bow was the only one of its kind, I concluded it must have been stolen from humans.
(Alright, let¡¯s start with this one. Replicant Form ¨C Analyze.)
The reason I was lining up the weapons was to use Replicant Form. The first weapon to undergo my skill test was this stolen bow, the skill Replicant Form, which I had acquired through evolution, allowed me to analyse weapons and mimic them.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!With so many weapons at my disposal now, it was the perfect opportunity to try it out.
(The analysis takes quite a bit of time, huh?)
While it didn¡¯t consume mana, the process required me to focus my consciousness.
(Hmm, I see... So that¡¯s how it works¡ª)
Gradually, pieces of information about the weapon began to come together in my mind. Once all the details aligned, the analysis was complete.
(Alright, now for the next step. Replicant Form ¨C Mimic.)
As I activated the skill, the tip of my extended whip began to shift, seamlessly transforming into the shape of a bow.
(The string even has the right tension.)
I plucked the string to test it, and a sharp twang, twang echoed through the air. To my amazement, the skill hadn¡¯t merely replicated the bow¡¯s outward shape and durability; it had flawlessly recreated even the tension of the string.
The elasticity felt so authentic that it was indistinguishable from the original. It was as though the weapon itself had been perfectly reconstructed down to its finest details.
(Still, it¡¯s odd. Even with the enhancement of Weapon Body...)
The Weapon Body skill was supposed to boost all aspects of a weapon¡¯s performance.
That should include the bowstring¡¯s tension as well.
(...Could it be that replicas are somewhat inferior?)
A hypothesis began to take shape in my mind. It was possible that the original weapon¡¯s poor quality had led to its enhancements and drawbacks canceling each other out, leaving no significant change in its performance.
While the idea was intriguing, I decided not to dwell on it for too long. Instead, I stored the bow away and turned my attention to the next weapon.
One by one, I picked up each piece, carefully analyzing its properties and functionality, determined to uncover their potential or understand their flaws.
After some time, I had finished analyzing all the weapons.
(Ughhh, I¡¯m so tired...)
I stored the sword I had just finished examining and slumped down in exhaustion.
Weapon analysis required processing a lot of information, which left my head spinning.
I extended my whip and ate some fruit from the Trent tree.
(But thanks to that, I learned a lot!)
After resting for a bit, I sprang back to my feet, fully recovered thanks to the sugar boost!
Whether or not slimes actually needed sugar remained as unclear as ever.
(It seems like the time required for analysis depends on the weapon¡¯s quality.)
That was one of the insights I had gained. The initial bow had required a significant amount of time to analyse, likely because it was a high-grade weapon.
In comparison, the iron weapons used by the hobgoblins took far less time¡ªroughly half or quarter as long as the bow. While some of the reduction in time might have been attributed to my increasing proficiency with Replicant Form, the primary determining factor seemed to be the weapon¡¯s grade.
The more advanced the weapon, the more effort and time the analysis demanded.
(Discovering that weapons can have special effects was also a big gain.)
It turned out that some weapons in this world had special abilities in addition to their physical properties.
For example, the bow that had taken the longest to analyse had a special ability: when infused with mana, its arrows were granted a wind resistance effect.
Even I, a complete amateur of archer, could understand how useful that would be. The materials used seemed to be rare, so it was likely a top-tier bow.
(Not that the goblins¡¯ equipment was entirely inferior, though.)
The iron weapons they used had been enhanced by the skinny goblin¡¯s skills. Their sharpness and durability surpassed ordinary steel weapons.
They didn¡¯t have any special effects, but their balanced, superior performance made up for it. When I tested cutting wood with one of their swords, the replica I created with Replicant Form had a sharper edge than a sword I shaped myself.
However, I suspected my original weapon had superior durability, so I would switch between them depending on the situation.
As I was pondering whether there were any other human-made weapons in my Weapon Storage, I noticed a familiar figure at the base of the hill.
"Ah! It¡¯s you, Mr. Slime!"
Standing there was the light blue-haired girl I had encountered twice before.
V1 CHAP33: Hello again, blue-haired girl!
The light-blue-haired girl emerging from the forest didn''t seem particularly dirty compared to when I saw her yesterday.
It appeared that she hadn''t spent the night in the forest after all.
"Long time no see! I''m glad to see you made it back to town safely after that."
"I''m the one who should be saying that. I was worried you might have died; you know¡ brother Slime!¡±
As we walked down the slope, that¡¯s how the conversation began. While a part of me felt guilty for making her worry, another thought surfaced in my mind¡ªa question I couldn¡¯t ignore.
"Wait¡ don''t tell me that''s why you came all the way here?"
"Well, that''s part of it. I also wanted to thank you, and I had a good idea of which direction you ran off to."
"It''s dangerous, you know!? You realize how thick the mana is around here, right? That means the beasts are stronger too!"
"It''s fine. I''m really good at moving without being seen."
Even as she spoke, my unease lingered, refusing to fade. Sensing my discomfort, the girl continued, her voice softening as she tried to reassure me.
"Really, it''s fine. I have an Attribute Skill that lets me sense where beasts are."
"An Attribute Skill¡?"
Unfamiliar with the term, I asked for clarification.
"Oh, right. Beasts don''t have Attributes, do they? Attributes are a status that only humans possess. They let us use magic or enhance our skills."
"So that''s a thing, huh¡?"
Honestly, I didn''t know much about humans since I usually ran away whenever I saw them.
Magic, huh? This world really leans into its fantasy elements.
"Wait a sec. What''s the difference between skills and magic, anyway?"
"Magic is a type of skill," she explained. "It¡¯s one of the Attribute Skills that draws on the power of an Attribute using mana. On the other hand, skills that don¡¯t require mana and are constantly active are called Traits."
She added, smiling wryly, "Though, I can''t use magic since I have a useless Attribute."
"Huh, that''s interesting. So, is the reason you always find me also thanks to one of those Traits?"
"That''s right. A lone slime is a rare sight, after all. But since you look different every time we meet, I was a bit unsure if it was really you."
"Well, I am kind of a square now."
"Yeah, I thought, ''What is this?'' at first. But when I realized you were just transforming your body, I figured you might be a slime. And as it turned out¡ you were! Plus, you''re light blue, so that gave it away."
"You¡¯re identifying me by my color?"
"Yup! You''re the only slime I''ve seen with such a beautiful color. Everyone in town is all fired up about finding the ''light-blue slime,'' too."
¡They''re fired up, huh?
I already had a hunch, but imagining an entire town celebrating the idea of hunting me down is kind of terrifying¡
"Oh, right! Speaking of your form, you''ve evolved again, haven¡¯t you? You were so small when we first met. I¡¯ve heard that evolution for beasts usually takes years, but... did your Soul Accumulation Level surge after you defeated that bear?"
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience."Yep. It took a hell of a lot of effort, but the bear was no match for me."
"That¡¯s incredible! Honestly, back then, I was about to charge in without thinking, but if I had, I would¡¯ve been killed instantly. So, thank you, brother Slime, for saving not just me, but those adventurers as well."
She bowed deeply as she spoke in a sincere tone. Having someone thank me so earnestly made me¡ a little embarrassed.
"Don''t worry about it!! I only helped because I thought I could beat that bear, and besides, I couldn¡¯t just leave people to be attacked."
"Even though you¡¯re a slime?"
"Even though I¡¯m a slime.Hum!"
"Haha, you¡¯re so strange."
She laughed for a moment but then suddenly lowered her voice, as if she remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, someone¡¯s after you, brother slime, so be careful."
"Yeah, I heard already. The townsfolk are hunting me, right? No need to worry; I¡¯m a Mighty Beast, after all."
I puffed out my chest in pride. True, if someone like that old man from before showed up, it might be a challenge, but I was stronger now. With my current abilities, I felt confident that I could easily fight people off moreover¡if I choose to escape no one can stop me.
"Don¡¯t let your guard down. This is a secret, but¡"
She leaned in to whisper, even though we were alone in the clearing.
"¡It seems that an advanced adventurer named Jaykal is after you."
"Huh¡ Adventurers are basically pros at hunting beasts, right?"
"That¡¯s right."
From what I gleaned through my Intent Interpretation, ¡°advanced adventurer¡± seemed to mean something like ¡°elite rank¡± adventures.
However, unlike regular hunter or adventures they seemed to be blessed by the heavens receiving mystic skills and powers from the moment they are born.
Her reaction confirmed that my understanding was correct.
"How strong is this advanced adventurer? Compared to the other adventurers in the forest, or maybe their level?"
"Way stronger. My town is full of adventurers, but there are only about ten advanced ones. Jaykal Sir is probably stronger than anyone you¡¯ve seen before."
"Stronger than that old man¡?"
"Huh? Yeah, I¡¯d say he could probably take on a hundred old men without breaking a sweat."
Seriously?
A hundred times stronger than that geezer is basically a natural disaster.
"I don¡¯t know his exact Soul Accumulation Level, but I¡¯ve heard advanced adventurers are usually over level 50. Jaykal often takes down Mighty Beasts and supreme beats along with his party, so you might lose if you face him."
"A party¡ that means teammates, right?"
"Exactly."
Hmm¡ If he¡¯s really a hundred times stronger than me, why would he need a party to take down Mighty Beasts?
Maybe he¡¯s just extremely cautious, or perhaps¡
"He¡¯s a tall guy with a spear. If you see him, run immediately, okay?"
"Got it."
I agreed for now, but a question lingered in my mind.
"Why are you being so nice, anyway?"
"Because I¡¯m worried about you, Susu. You helped me before, and I¡¯d be sad if you got killed."
"¡Is that really all? Wait before that- why I am suddenly Susu??"
"That¡¯s the name I gave you just now hehe¡Anyway, Jaykal is infamous for being always rough around other and having a violent behaviour. His lackeys have bullied me a few times, too. So, honestly, I just don¡¯t want him getting any stronger."
She smirked mischievously. I¡¯d thought she was just a good kid, but it turns out she has her own motives.
"The adventurers are saying you were last seen somewhere north of here¡ over that way. So, you should avoid heading in that direction."
With that, she stood up.
"Well, I¡¯ve got to go. See you, Susu."
"Yeah, see you. But don¡¯t come to a dangerous place like this again, okay?"
"Got it. Oh, and my susu, you might want to move somewhere else soon. If you stay here, you might get spotted."
"Sure thing!"
After parting ways with the girl, I considered relocating.
However, since there were still Trent fruits left, I decided to stay for a little longer. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone coming for me within a day or two, right?
¡NEXT DAY¡
"Found you at last, Arsenal armoury Slime! Your Soul Fragment XP is mine!"
Leading a group of five humans, a tall man wielding a spear appeared.
V1 CHAP34: Jaykal, Who?
"I finally found you, blue Slime! Your Soul Fragment Experience Points are mine!"
While I was in the middle of consuming a massive fruit from a withered Trent tree to fuel myself for the upcoming move, a muscular man carrying a spear suddenly appeared in the square.
Four companions accompanied him, though they all seemed visibly worn out, their exhaustion evident in their posture and expressions.
It was clear that they had been through a challenging ordeal, their weary faces telling a story of struggle.
"Finally found it..."
"The result of three days'' effort...!"
"Tch, pathetic. If you don''t train like I do, you''re bound to get exhausted from just this."
Leaving his companions at the edge of the square, the muscular man began climbing the slope alone.
"You guys stay there and watch as I level up! According to the plan, I''ll handle that one alone!"
"Understood!"
It seems like he intends to monopolize the Experience Points gained by killing me. His companions don''t seem to mind, but either way, it doesn''t matter to me.
(I have no obligation to play along with this!)
I halted my consumption of the Trent tree and quickly prepared to flee. Judging by his spear-wielding stance and confident demeanor, this man was likely Jaykal, the high-level adventurer I had heard about just yesterday.
His reputation suggested he was no ordinary fighter¡ªpossibly even stronger than the old man I had encountered before. Even if his strength didn¡¯t surpass the old man¡¯s, there was a good chance he possessed a Skill that could bypass defences entirely, making him a serious threat.
Escape is my only option.
"Don¡¯t try to run, Dark Iron Dome!"
(What?!)
I felt a surge of Mana.
Immediately after, a black iron wall rose from the hillside, completely enclosing the square. The wall curved inward, forming a shape like a massive, upside-down pot.
The sunlight was blocked, and the square was plunged into darkness.
"I¡¯m glad I saved my Mana for this. Even a Arsenal armoury Slime like you won¡¯t be able to escape now! And without Night Vision, you won¡¯t even know where I am!"
Well, I do have Night Vision.
And, if you''re charging at me loudly, your position will be revealed by your footsteps, won''t it...?
There was no trick to his loud attack that misdirected his assault.
Jaykal (probably) charged straight at me and thrust his spear.
"Whoa! Heavy Thrust!"
(That¡¯s close!)
"What?!"
I jumped nimbly to avoid it. The thrust hit a tree, leaving a huge hole in it. Not bad at all.
His running speed is about the same as a muscular goblin, so I should probably consider him a Beast King level fighter.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"Tch, this guy... can he actually see¡ª"
¡®Yeah, I can see.¡¯
"¡ª!?!"
Jaykal''s eyes widened. He was more shocked than when I dodged his attack. He took a half-step back, lowered his stance, and appeared extremely cautious.
"This voice in my head... it''s you, slime?"
¡®Yeah, that¡¯s right. So, could you lower your spear for a second?¡¯
"¡If you want to talk, I¡¯ll listen."
Jaykal loosened his stance. He hadn¡¯t dropped his guard entirely, but it didn¡¯t seem like he was going to attack right away.
¡®Thanks. Actually, I¡¯m not an evil slime. I¡¯d never attack a human. So, could you let me go this time?¡¯
"Are you asking me to believe just your words?"
¡®Yeah. It¡¯s hard to provide proof... but I want you to believe me.¡¯
I know it¡¯s a pretty unreasonable request. I was avoiding him up until now because I didn¡¯t expect to be trusted. But Jaykal gave an unexpected response.
"Fine. I¡¯ll believe you."
¡®Really!?¡¯
Now, it was my turn to be surprised. Jaykal, grinning, stepped closer to me.
(Why is he moving sneakily¡)
"Yeah, when we get back to town, I¡¯ll report that you weren¡¯t an evil slime, and that¡ª"
Suddenly, Jaykal accelerated.
"¡ªI¡¯ll report that you became my Soul Fragment Experience Points!"
¡®Oh, no!?¡¯
I barely dodged the sudden thrust from his acceleration. I had to be ready to Jump at any moment, or I might¡¯ve been hit.
Jaykal quickly followed up with more attacks, but with Teleportation and Escape, dodging was relatively easy. I even had enough time to complain.
¡®Why are you attacking me? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d believe me?!¡¯
"Heh, no one will blame me for killing a monster! I¡¯m not going to waste these great Soul Fragment Experience Points! You¡¯ll quietly be killed by me!"
¡®Stop! I¡¯ll report you to the Slime Protection Society! If I die every slime, you ever meet will try to kill you again and again until you are killed!¡¯
"I¡¯ve never heard of that! Even if these measly slimes come at me, I will just get bags and loads of experience points!"
My desperate threats were useless, and negotiations fell apart. I turned my attention to the black iron wall. I tried attacking it as I ran, but it didn¡¯t seem easy to break.
If only that wall weren¡¯t there, I could escape...
(Hmm, if I kill him, will the barrier disappear?)
It¡¯s a common trope in manga that magic disappears when the caster is killed or knocked unconscious. But when I faced a skinny goblin who controlled steel weapons, his enhancement on weapons didn¡¯t disappear when he died.
(Well, whatever. As long as he¡¯s in control of the barrier, I can¡¯t try other methods. I¡¯ll have to incapacitate him for now.)
I had decided on my course of action. Now, it was time to act.
"Tch, you¡¯re a big guy, but you¡¯re quick."
"Slash!"
I jumped strongly back.
Jaykal, determined not to let me escape, took a sharp step forward. As he did, I threw a rock I had picked up while retreating.
"Heh, I know you guys use rocks."
"(?)"
He uttered something strange, but I couldn¡¯t afford to focus on it now; my attention had to remain solely on the impending fight.
Jaykal, wielding his spear with confident precision, attempted to knock a rock out of the air, using it as both a distraction and a weapon.
Sensing the immediate threat, I swiftly activated my Air Jump and Charge abilities, closing the distance between us in an instant. With adrenaline pumping, I prepared myself to engage him directly, fully concentrating on the battle that was about to unfold.
"What!?"
Wait, does slime even has adrenaline? Haa! Man, I don¡¯t know anymore. My sudden assault caught Jaykal off guard, and he widened his eyes.
He hastily swung his spear to intercept, but that was a mistake. Although he put a lot of strength into the move, he couldn¡¯t possibly stop me with just a spear.
My Toughness was enough to overpower it.
His thrust, without any skill to overpower my defence, was easily deflected by my invisible stone like skin.
"Dammit!"
"Slaslas!"
At point-blank range, I morphed my body and enveloped him entirely. Jaykal tried to resist, but my Toughness was too much for him.
"¡ª! ¡ª...!"
Eventually, his movements ceased. He must have suffocated. At the same time, the black iron dome disappeared. My prediction was correct.
"Brother!?"
¡®You guys better take him back responsibly.¡¯
I threw Jaykal¡¯s body toward his screaming companions.
It landed on the backs of the four who had cowardly fled, cushioning the fall, so Jaykal seemed unharmed.
"Ugh, nooo!"
¡®Don¡¯t come back!¡¯
The four took Jaykal¡¯s body and retreated again. More like they ran away comically!
They had made it this far, so I figured they¡¯d probably make it back without issue. I wasn¡¯t feeling very charitable, so I waved them off with Jaykal¡¯s spear in hand as I watched them leave.
¡®If he comes at me for the second time he shouldn¡¯t expect any mercy.¡¯
V1 CHAP 35: Journey Southward
¡°(Alright, analysis complete.)¡±
I picked up the spear that Jaykal had been using and examined it.
It wasn¡¯t the spiked type club that I usually transform into, but rather a real spear with a blade-like tip extended from a long shaft, capable of both thrusting and slashing.
The heft of the weapon spoke volumes about the raw strength of its previous owner, who had wielded it with ease. The amber-colored tip of the blade, reflecting the sunlight, looked sharper than anything I had seen before.
And the ability of this spear was¡ª.
¡°(¡ªSpecialized for attacking earth?)¡±
It had a unique effect that increased the damage dealt when attacking earth or anything related to it. The spear was crafted from the claw of a certain behemoth, and it seemed to carry over a portion of the beast¡¯s original power.
¡°(But how often does one attack ¡®earth¡¯? ¡No, it seems to go beyond that.)¡±
Analyzing the details of the ability further using Replicant Form, I discovered something surprising. The spear¡¯s effect worked not just on earth itself, but on anything categorized as being ¡°of the earth.¡±
¡°(¡®Of the earth¡¯¡ That covers a pretty wide range.)¡±
To test it out, I took an iron club from my Weapon Storage and tossed it into the air. As it came down, I swung the spear at it in a single motion. The club snapped cleanly in two at the midpoint.
¡°(Wow, this thing is insane¡)¡±
I was stunned by its sheer power. Even with my strength, I couldn¡¯t replicate such a feat. The spear¡¯s earth-specialized ability was clearly at work. Since iron is mined from the ground, it seemed to fall under the ¡°of the earth¡± category.
¡°(The range of targets is vast, and the effect is overwhelming. This is one terrifying weapon. If they brought it specifically to hunt me¡ does that mean¡?)¡±
I carefully brought the tip of the spear into contact with the end of my whip. The resulting clash was far more powerful than I had expected, a forceful reminder of the weapon¡¯s devastating potential.
If an attack with this spear had landed on me, there was a real chance it could have inflicted serious damage.
The man, who I assumed to be Jaykal, might have seemed reckless at a glance, but his actions betrayed the skill and preparation of a seasoned high-ranking adventurer. He clearly wasn¡¯t someone who underestimated his opponents.
Still, a weapon that instills fear when wielded by an enemy transforms into a dependable ally when claimed for yourself. This spear, once a threat, is now a tool I could turn to my advantage.
¡°(For now, I¡¯ll use the Replicant Form to investigate the range of its effectiveness.)¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Feeling quite pleased with myself, I stored the spear away and finished dissolving the last fragment of the Trent.
~ Unregistered Information Log ~
...
Arsenal Armoury Slime has acquired the skill Dissolution Fluid. The skill is being integrated with Solvent of slime.
...
~ End of Log ~
¡°(Phew, finally done.)¡±
I had been eating non-stop since yesterday, but now it was over. Even with a high mana content, wood is still wood. It wasn¡¯t particularly tasty, so I felt exhausted after digesting the Trent tree.
For the record, I had stored a portion of its branches in Weapon Storage. Since they count as clubs, I can store them there. I figured I¡¯d eat them on a day when I couldn¡¯t find other food.
¡°(Alright, perfect time to relocate!)¡±
With a quick leap using Jump, I descended the slope in one go and headed into the forest, toward the southern direction the girl had mentioned.
Having driven off Jaskal and his group, my location was probably compromised to other adventurers as well. Moving my base of operations was a matter of urgency.
¡°(Replicant Form ¨C Mimicry)¡±
As I walked, I entertained myself by transforming my body. This time, I mimicked an arrow, selecting the best-quality one from my collection.
Suspended in the center of a cube that seemed to cut through the summer sky was a dull-colored arrow.
¡°(Weapon Storage)¡±
With a sharp prick of pain, the arrow disappeared. Since Weapon Storage can hold weapons, and mimicry via Replicant Form counts as a weapon, I could store replicated weapons as well.
¡°(Alright, let¡¯s make about ten more of these while my Life points is still in good shape.)¡±
Keeping an eye on my Life level, I continued the replication process. Detaching a weapon reduces my Life by the equivalent of its volume, but thanks to my Reserve, I could afford a little leeway.
As my body was cut off in small pieces, the excess Life quickly regenerated, reconstructing my body in no time. To make the most of my Self-Healing, this kind of work needed to be done regularly.
¡°(Man, I¡¯m glad Weapon Storage isn¡¯t limited to a set number of items.)¡±
The capacity of this skill is determined by volume¡ªthe total combined size of the stored items. It¡¯s not like the old games where you could only carry up to 99 of the same item.
¡°Piiiyuuu! Hyurururu!¡±
¡°(Oh, a bird monster?)¡±
While walking, a bird-like magical beast flew overhead. Judging by its size, it was probably classified as a large beast.
¡°(Looks like I¡¯ve found tonight¡¯s dinner.)¡±
With that thought in mind, I mimicked a bow and pulled out one of my freshly made arrows. Then, with practiced ease¡ªdespite typically using a whip¡ªI nocked the arrow.
¡°(If you think I¡¯ve just been lazing around eating, you guys on the sky are greatly mistaken.)¡±
While consuming the Trent, I had been training during breaks, and as a result, I¡¯d acquired these skills.
Skills:
- Compact Thrust
- Shoot
- Sniping
- Dissolution Fluid (NEW)
There was one skill I didn¡¯t fully understand, but no matter. Time to put them to good use.
¡°(Shoot!)¡±
The arrow I had drawn flew at an incredible speed. Thanks to the bow¡¯s abilities, it ignored air resistance and struck the bird cleanly.
¡°(Whoa, no way.)¡±
Even I was surprised by the accuracy. Though the Sniping skill provided support, my luck seemed especially good today.
¡°(Oh, there it is.)¡±
When I arrived at the bird¡¯s landing spot, I found the massive creature sprawled on the ground, its body oozing blood. Strangely, the arrow that had been embedded in its flesh was gone. In its place, a pale blue liquid trickled from the wound, pooling on the ground beneath it.
I quickly realized what had happened. Replicated weapons dissolve when subjected to extreme force. While a straightforward stab would have held up, the sheer impact of the bird¡¯s fall had been too much for the arrow to withstand, causing it to disintegrate.
I confirmed the death of the bird by poking it with the replicated spear.
¡°(Well, whatever. Dinner secured.)¡±
After quickly devouring the bird, I continued my journey southward.
V1 CHAP 36: My kin, huh? [1]
(Yawwwwn... Is it morning already?)
The night after the attack by our so-called elite hunter Jaykal, I woke up inside a cave.
This is the same cave where the hobgoblins were hiding. Since it was nearby, I decided to use it as a temporary resting spot.
(Now, which way should I go today?)
The girl suggested we head south, but I noticed the mana was denser to the west, drawing my attention in that direction.
Incidentally, the human town was situated to the east. It was the direction most people seemed to take when they returned or fled, their paths often marked by desperation or hope.
(Should I follow the girl¡¯s advice or venture into the depths for stronger foes?)
I deliberated carefully. The deeper areas, where mana was more concentrated, were home to stronger magical beasts. As a result, only a handful of humans dared to venture into such dangerous territory.
However, the presence of stronger magical beasts also implied that any humans hunting them would likely be highly skilled and powerful.
Considering Jaykal¡¯s reputation as one of the town¡¯s strongest fighters, it was safe to assume that the number of enemies as formidable as the old man would be limited. Even so, the risks were undeniable. Every step into those areas would require both caution and preparation.
(...Or is that not necessarily true?)
Come to think of it, I encountered that old man before my evolution.
I''ve grown significantly stronger since then, and perhaps his abilities are roughly on par with Jaykal¡¯s after all.
That unlockable palm strike of his was scary, but as long as I stay vigilant, it shouldn¡¯t hit me so easily.
(Alright, decision made!)
Brimming with enthusiasm, I set my course westward. With determination, I took my first confident step.
(Jump, land, jump, land...)
I bounced, bounced, and bounced some more.
Leaping into the air, landing gracefully, and using the momentum to spring upward again¡ªI repeated the cycle with precision.
By leveraging my skills and instinctively adjusting to each impact, I mimicked the bouncing motion of a superball.
This wasn¡¯t just for any show, it was a deliberate part of my training, a way to hone my abilities even while traveling.
The Landing skill played a crucial role, absorbing the force of each descent and allowing me to maintain agility and balance. Even as a hard-bodied Arsenal Armoury Slime, I could touch down with a surprising degree of flexibility, transforming every impact into an opportunity for growth.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
(Oh, a river. But this much is no problem...)
I lightly flexed my body near a stream flowing through the forest.
(Jump!)
I leapt across, clearing a gap of about five meters with ease, then landed quietly. To top it off, I transformed into a Y-shape.
Slaraslarah!!!
Pleased with my flawless jump, I gave myself a ten-out-of-ten performance review.
After progressing through the forest for a while, it was nearing lunchtime.
(Hmm, I should probably hunt something for lunch.)
Thanks to my Storage skill, I hadn¡¯t felt true hunger in quite some time.
Still, there was something about the arrival of noon that made me crave food. A lingering habit from my human days, I guess.
(If possible, I¡¯d like to face another Greater Beast soon...)
Even in this mana-rich area, Greater Beasts seemed to be rare.
So far, I¡¯d only encountered that trent and two elite hobogoblins.
Today as well, I¡¯d seen a few magical beasts, but they were all likely lower-ranked creatures. Judging by their sizes, anyway.
(Come to think of it, was that Forest Turtle an even higher rank than Greater Beasts?)
I haven¡¯t seen anything higher than Greater Beasts so far, and it seems that bodily enlargement due to evolution becomes more pronounced with higher ranks.
If so, maybe I¡¯m just one step away from my goal.
It was right as I was mulling over this that it appeared.
Fusshh...
The creature stood before me, its fur a stark white, its powerful frame balanced firmly on two legs.
Heavy, steamy breaths escaped from its nostrils, curling into the air like smoke. Its face bore a striking resemblance to a boar¡¯s, complete with thick tusks jutting out from its mouth, giving it a feral, menacing appearance.
The best way to describe it would be as an orc crossed with a wild boar¡ªa boar-orc. Its bloodshot red eyes locked onto mine, radiating intensity.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The instant it saw me, its expression changed, and its face visibly paled. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, it spun around and bolted, fleeing as fast as its legs could carry it.
(Hey, get back here!)
Buhmoooooooo?!
Panicking, I gave it a chase.
The boar-orc¡¯s reaction was understandable. Judging by its height of about two meters, it was likely a Mid-Rank Beast.
A Mid-Rank Beast wouldn¡¯t dare take on a massive blue cube¡ªpossibly a Greater Beast.
(If I use Provocation or Dazzling Lure, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll turn around to fight, but...)
For now, I decided to forego those skills and focused on catching up.
After all, honing my tracking abilities could come in handy one day.
(Damn, this Mid-Rank Beast is fast!)
I used all my abilities¡ªLeap and Dash¡ªbut the distance between us barely shrank.
Every now and then, the boar-orc would unnaturally accelerate, likely using a skill similar to my Dash.
(If that¡¯s the case... Replicant Form: Mimic! )
Part of my body transformed.
The blue material distorted and morphed into a chain sickle¡ªone of the rarer weapons I had collected from the hobgoblins.
Slaraslarah!
The metallic sound echoed in layers as the chain moved as if it had a mind of its own, latching onto a nearby tree trunk and pulling me forward.
Thanks to the acceleration provided by the chain sickle, I gradually closed the gap.
Finally, I had the boar-orc¡¯s neck within range.
(Alright, time to finish this...)
I prepared to unleash a Slash to end it.
But just before I could strike¡ª
Buhmooo?!
The boar-orc suddenly veered off course.
Up until now, it had been running almost exclusively in a straight line, but now it abruptly changed direction.
I staggered to a stop, startled, and as I prepared to pursue it again, I saw the reason why it had swerved.
What I saw left me speechless.
There, in a place where it had no business being, stood someone¡ªor rather, something¡ªcompletely unexpected.
(No way... is that you, Slao?)
It was none other than Slao, one of Slata¡¯s underlings, accompanied by a group of slimes.
V1 CHAP 37: My kin, huh? (2)
¡°(No way, you¡ Slao!?)¡±
Forgetting all about chasing the boar orc, I directed my question to the slime in front of me.
This guy had evolved into a Long Beast, but¡ there was no doubt about it.
This sheen, this color, this roundness. From every angle, it had to be Slao.
¡°(Who are you? I¡¯ve never seen a weird-looking slime like you before.)¡±
¡°(Weird-looking!?)¡±
I agree I am cube-like but I am still a slime¡No, that¡¯s not important right now.
¡°(It¡¯s me, it¡¯s me! You know, we used to hang out together back in the day.)¡±
¡°(Who¡?)¡±
¡°(Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten! We used to pick nuts together, remember!?)¡±
¡°(Slimes in a group generally pick nuts together.)¡±
Fair point.
¡°(Slasu, it¡¯s me, Slasu. You remember, don¡¯t you?)¡±
¡°(No way. Slasu was just a puny weakling. He wasn¡¯t this big. Plus, his color was gray.)¡±
¡°(Evolution is the reason You punk, I evolved! When you evolve, you grow bigger, and¡ well, sometimes your colour changes too, right¡?)¡±
I wasn¡¯t entirely confident about the last part, and my tone became weaker. Slimes don¡¯t evolve very often, so I¡¯d only ever thought about my own case. I didn¡¯t actually know if other slimes changed color when they evolved.
Then again, I¡¯ve been a Arsenal Slime ever since my evolution, so I¡¯ve always been light blue.
Maybe if I had become a Ruby Slime or something, the color would¡¯ve been different.
¡°(Anyway, forget that for now. What are you doing here? I told you not to venture into areas with dense mana.)¡±
¡°(Leveling up my Soul Value, obviously.)¡±
¡°(What? What the hell are you talking about? You¡¯re a Long Beast, so maybe you can handle it, but dragging a bunch of Lesser Beasts along¡ Are you out of your mind?)¡±
Slao had a few slimes following behind him, but they were clearly Lesser Beasts.
I¡¯d chased the boar orc quite a distance, and while we¡¯d moved out of the Grand Beast zones, this area was still dense with mana.
¡°(Sacrifices are necessary to get stronger. A slime group has plenty of members. Losing a few isn¡¯t an issue.)¡±
¡°(That¡¯s insane¡ Does Slate know about this?)¡±
¡°(Of course, this is Slate¡¯s order.)¡±
¡°¡¡¡±
I was speechless.
What the hell do they think their comrades¡¯ lives are worth¡? Ah, that fucker I shouldn¡¯t care about him¡but these slimes were clearly not the ones form my time.
¡°(Damn it, stop this nonsense right now! I¡¯ll go talk to Slate myse¡ª)¡±
Driven by righteous anger, I started shouting, but my voice trailed off. I don¡¯t know why, but I suddenly felt like it wasn¡¯t really my problem.
It must¡¯ve been because my human memories had returned¡ªI couldn¡¯t feel the same kinship with slimes as I used to.
I couldn¡¯t lump them in with other magical beasts, thanks to my time as a slime, but my sense of attachment to them had weakened, to just a fondness.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°(Slasu, you¡¯re an outcast. Outsiders shouldn¡¯t interfere.)¡±
¡°(Shut up, I don¡¯t care about you or that mother***** slate!!)¡±
¡°(Don¡¯t ever appear before me again Slasu!)¡±
Slao¡¯s forceful tone made me even angrier, and I gave a rough response. After that, Slao and his group resumed their exploration of the forest, while I hesitated about stopping them. Then, a flash of light suddenly struck from behind.
¡°Explode Cannon¡±
©¤©¤Ooooooooooon!
An overwhelming explosion shook the forest, and a dazzling shockwave swept through the area.
The ground was torn apart, and the heat wave from beyond the trees burst against my body.
¡°¡®Slaaaa!¡¯¡±
The direct hit left me unharmed, but the shockwave alone was fatal to everyone else.
The dying cries of the slimes echoed through the forest.
But in a way, they were lucky.
Those closest to me didn¡¯t even have time to scream before they perished.
¡°(Wh-what the hell is¡?)¡±
¡°Still an incredible amount of power. Think it worked?¡±
¡°Uncertain. There¡¯s a definite response for the surrounding Lesser Beasts. But I¡¯m not sure if my magic can affect a Grand Beast Arsenal Armoury Slime.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not as arrogant as usual, huh?¡±
¡°True magic practitioners understand themselves. No overconfidence, only fair evaluation.¡±
From beyond the smoke, two female voices rang out.
They looked to be in their late teens or early twenties. It seemed the attack had been their magic.
¡°S-Sla¡¡±
¡°(Hey, Slao! Are you okay!?)¡±
Right now, the identity of the attackers didn¡¯t matter¡ªsaving the survivors did.
Through the dense smoke, I rushed to the slimes. But in the end, only Slao had survived, though even he was fatally wounded.
The heat from the shockwave had burned him, leaving his body slowly disintegrating into gel-like decay.
When I¡¯d asked if he was okay earlier, it was more out of reflex than anything else.
I already knew there was no saving him.
¡°(Damn it, even though I wanted to take my revenge¡it was not by killing them---!)¡±
Even though slimes have 360-degree vision, I¡¯d been too focused on Slao and his group, and had let my guard down in other directions.
That¡¯s why I¡¯d reacted too late. If I¡¯d used Cover, I could¡¯ve protected every slime here.
To think I¡¯d just been saying I couldn¡¯t feel kinship with slimes anymore¡ªnow I wanted to punch myself for it. Watching them die like this filled me with endless regret.
¡°(I¡¯m sorry, Slao, everyone¡)¡±
¡°(Hmph¡ you¡ don¡¯t need to¡ feel bad for me¡ I¡¯m fine¡)¡±
Maybe he¡¯d sensed my guilt. Slao was kind enough to say that.
I felt even worse for making a dying slime comfort me, and I found myself looking for excuses to absolve myself of responsibility.
¡°(Why the hell are we being targeted anyway¡? Of all the creatures, why us? We¡¯ve always avoided humans to survive!)¡±
Ah, but I knew. My anger was misplaced.
Slimes kill magical beasts to live, too. The only reason we didn¡¯t attack humans was out of fear of retaliation¡ªit was a calculated decision.
It wasn¡¯t a promise or a treaty.
Besides, the main reason we were attacked was probably because I was here. The attackers must¡¯ve wanted the exp I carried.
Slao and the others were just collateral damage.
¡°(What are you saying¡? Don¡¯t lump us¡ in with weaklings like you¡ We¡¯ve attacked¡ humans¡ plenty of times¡)¡±
Wait a second.
¡°(I told you, didn¡¯t I? Never attack humans¡!)¡±
¡°(We¡ don¡¯t fear¡ humans¡)¡±
Just then, voices came through the smoke again.
¡°By the way, sis, that was awful. First time I¡¯ve heard of an adventurer getting hit by a rock-throwing slime.¡±
¡°Right? Thanks to the party leader ordering a retreat immediately, we only ended up with a bump this big.¡±
¡°That¡¯s getting off lightly¡ though I guess you wouldn¡¯t agree.¡±
¡°Totally! If there are any survivors when the smoke clears, I¡¯m gonna chop them to bits!¡±
¡°Poor visibility after use is Explode Cannon¡¯s drawback. Improvements are necessary.¡±
At that moment, the majority of Slao¡¯s body had melted away.
The remaining parts dissolved at an accelerated rate, turning completely into a gel.
That¡¯s how slimes die.
¡°¡¡¡±
A complicated feeling surged within me.
But there wasn¡¯t time to dwell on it.
After paying my farewell to the fallen slimes, I quickly fled the scene to avoid being ¡°chopped to bits¡± by the humans.
I will come back, you humans.