《Slow Progress [Snail LitRPG]》 Ch 1 - Intellect *munch*, *munch*, *munch* ¡°Yum.¡± A snail chewed its way through the petals of a small, bright white flower. Two perfectly elliptical leaves hung on either side of the flower. *ding* Partial natural treasure consumed. Result: Intellect +1 Error: Minimum intellect not reached. Analyzing stats and increasing stats to acceptable minimums Minimum intellect reached. System literacy requirement bypassed. Intuitive controls enabled The snail paused and waved its eye stalks and olfactory tentacles as it pondered. ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± The snail thought. It resumed eating. ¡°Yum.¡± *ding* Partial natural treasure consumed. Result: Intellect +1 ¡°Yum. I think I am thinking.¡± *ding* Partial natural treasure consumed. Result: Intellect +1 ¡°This plant keeps making me smarter.¡± *ding* Partial natural treasure consumed. Result: Intellect +1 ¡°Aw, the plant is gone. I ate it.¡± *ding* Natural treasure consumed. Result: Experience +100 Level up: 2 Level up: 3 The snail rested on the ground. With the snail¡¯s final bite of the flower stalk, all evidence of the flower was gone. No truncated stem or root system remained of the white flower. ¡°I wonder what levels are.¡± Wondered the snail. *ding* Level: A threshold marker that summarizes the general life experience of a System-enabled entity. Level up events are rewarded with "points" Point: A unit that may be exchanged in batches to increase "stats" or acquire "passives" or "actives" Stat: Measurement of the mind, the body, and the magical body, respectively: intellect, physique, meta-physique. Passive: A passive skill (sometimes referred to as a "trait") which is always active or activates automatically, so long as the required resource pool is not empty. Manually activating a passive to activate or increase the effect costs large amounts of health and/or mana and/or stamina Actives: A skill that is manually activated. Costs health and/or mana and/or stamina The snail retracted its eye stalks as it felt a headache form in its tiny brain. The curiosity of the snail continued to unconsciously prompt the System for explanations. *ding* Intellect: The mind''s ability to comprehend, remember, and calculate Physique: The quality of the body Meta-Physique: The quality of the magical body Health: Resource. The body''s ability to continue living. Based on physique stat Mana: Resource. The magical body''s energy reserves for magical action. Based on meta-physique stat Stamina: Resource. The body''s energy reserves for physical action. Based on physique stat. Strongly influenced by current health The snail retreated into its shell as the pain from the headache spiked. After a few minutes, the snail emerged from the shell and began to crawl towards the nearest green blur.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. An idle thought entered the snail¡¯s mind. ¡°Do I have stats?¡± The snail retreated into its shell again as a large lump of information was shoved into its tiny brain.
Name Level Experience
N/A 3 40/100
Stat Value
Health 4/5
Mana 1/1
Stamina 5/5
Intellect 4
Physique 1
Meta-physique 1
Available points 20
Passive Level Resource
Slimy 1 Stamina
Hard shell 1 Health
Tremor sense Stamina Observe your surroundings through your feet (foot). Based on intellect stat
Active Level Resource
Hide in shell 1 Stamina
¡°Ow.¡± The snail complained. Before the snail could decide to emerge again from its shell, the ground began to tremble. The vibrations through the ground told the tail of one or more large things approaching quickly. The snail did not feel good about the approach of large things. *ding* Natural passive unlocked: Danger sense The snail¡¯s mind was overcome with a sense of doom about the approaching large things. A noise of crashing and destruction vibrated through the snail¡¯s shell, increasing the sense of doom. ¡°Oh no! I want to hide! Wait, I am hiding¡­¡± The snail thought. ¡°I want to hide more!¡± The little snail crammed itself as far into its shell as it could. *ding* Passive available: Camouflage (15 points). Purchase? An idea trickled into the snail¡¯s mind: it could use ¡®points¡¯ and make itself be harder to see. ¡°Yes! I want that!¡± The snail thought. The sense of doom greatly diminished, but did not disappear. The snail held itself still in its shell as the vibrations caused it to sink a little into the ground. The crashing noise increased in volume until it shook the snail as strongly as the ground did. The commotion continued for a long time, but snails are patient by nature, and the snail did not emerge from its shell until the sense of doom was long gone. When the snail¡¯s eye stalks extended, it saw flickering red and yellow and felt heat. ¡°Fire.¡± The snail identified the hazard and navigated in the opposite direction.
The snail wandered around and ate plants all day and into the evening. A few of the plants made the snail feel like its points had increased. The snail remembered spending points so it could hide better. The snail had felt those points show up after it got more intellect. ¡°Can I get more intellect?¡± The snail pondered its memories. *ding* Intellect +1: 5 points. Purchase? The snail waved its eye stalks as it considered getting smarter. ¡°Would it be smart to get smarter? Hmm. Yes.¡± The snail chose. The snail immediately felt more aware of itself and its memories. In fact, the snail remembered that there were other stats. The snail munched on a rotten piece of fruit as it pondered a few connections it found. ¡°Health keeps me alive. Hard shell protects my health. Hide in shell protects my health even more. Physique makes Hard shell and Hide in shell better. Physique is a stat. Intellect is a stat. I spent points to get more intellect.¡± The snail waggled its olfactory tentacles in the snail equivalent of ¡°Eureka!¡±. ¡°I can spend points to get more physique and be safer! I want to do that!¡± *ding* Physique +1: 5 points. Insufficient points (3) The snail retracted its eyes in disappointment. It continued to munch on the rotten fruit. ¡°I need more points. I got some points from eating things. Did this fruit give me points?¡± The snail felt inside itself to check its points, but they had not changed. "Why do some things give me points, but others do not?¡± The snail asked, sulkily. *ding* Source of points: Natural energy, such as light from the sun or heat from the planet interior, is processed and concentrated in all living things. Some living things are superior in their ability to concentrate energy. Consuming concentrated energy converts that energy to points. As a living thing becomes saturated with energy, it must improve its processing abilities or find more concentrated sources of energy. The System may also allocate points as rewards for level ups or other accomplishments. ¡°Blah, blah, blah, light from the sun, blah, blah, blah, some things have more energy, blah, blah, blah, energy to points.¡± The snail didn¡¯t fully understand the concepts described by the System. ¡°I need to eat plants that have more energy.¡± The snail left the rotting fruit and systematically went from plant to plant, looking for one that gave a point. Ch 2 - Experience The snail flinched in surprise when a small bundle of information was shoved into its brain. *ding* Corpse: Ant (lesser) Estimated experience: 1 Absorb experience? ¡°Experience? I think I have some of that.¡± The snail thought. It thought for a long time before it remembered a connection. ¡°I remember, experience makes levels. Levels provide points. I want experience.¡± *ding* Absorbing experience. Estimated time remaining: 1s One second later, a final bit of information arrived. *ding* Experience absorbed: 1 ¡°Where is the ant?¡± The snail wondered. It waved its eye stalks around, but it didn¡¯t see an ant. The snail slid slowly around in a circle, searching. It glanced back towards the slime trail it left along the ground. A bumpy, angular thing stood out. The snail focused on the thing and learned. *ding* Natural active unlocked: Identify Identify: Ant (lesser, corpse, drained) ¡°Oh, there is the ant.¡± The snail continued onwards to climb up the nearest plant stalk. It used Identify on the plant it was climbing. *ding* Plant (worthless)
The snail found a few more ant corpses before it found a plant that gave a point. When the snail felt the new point, it stopped eating and used Identify on the plant. *ding* Plant (poor, partially eaten) ¡°Worthless gave me no points. Poor gave me a point. Good to know. I will look for ¡®poor¡¯ plants.¡± The snail finished eating the last bits of the ¡®poor¡¯ plant, but didn¡¯t get another point. With Identify, the snail evaluated and skipped plant after plant as it crept along the ground. The snail didn¡¯t find any more ant corpses, but did see some alive ants. The ants moved quickly, however, and the snail dismissed them. After a few hours of searching, the snail found a second ¡®poor¡¯ plant and got a fifth point. It immediately tried to spend points to get more physique. *ding* Physique +1: 5 points. The snail¡¯s mind reeled as it felt a huge change in its body. Without understanding how, the snail felt that it could stretch farther, flex more strongly, and eat harder food. The snail¡¯s eye stalks and olfactory tentacles retracted for a moment then re-extended. The snail could see and smell better than before. The snail hung off the side of the remains of the plant it had been eating. It was several minutes before the snail¡¯s mind adapted to the increased level of detail and sensation. ¡°Ow?¡± The snail wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the changes to its sight and smell. It was more than it had ever dealt with before, but it wasn¡¯t exactly painful. ¡°Oh well.¡± The snail finished eating the plant and got another point.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Weeks later, the snail finished eating a ¡®poor¡¯ quality plant, but didn¡¯t receive a point. Confused, the snail thought about its stats. The snail flinched from the spike of pain and stopped thinking about its stats. After a few moments to recover, the snail tried to only think about its basic stats.
Name Level Experience
N/A 3 56/100
Stat Value
Health 70/70
Mana 1/1
Stamina 70/70
Intellect 4
Physique 14
Meta-physique 1
Available points 1
¡°Ow. But not so bad.¡± The snail thought. ¡±Why didn¡¯t I get a point from this plant?¡°_ It wondered. *ding* Reminder: As a living thing becomes saturated with energy, it must improve its processing abilities or find more concentrated sources of energy. The snail didn¡¯t understand the relevance of this information. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I get a point from eating a ¡®poor¡¯ plant?¡± The snail tried hard to concentrate on the question. After a delay, a drop of information was added to the previous answer. *ding* Reminder: As a living thing becomes saturated with energy, it must improve its processing abilities or find more concentrated sources of energy. Stat point total: 20. Find energy sources of higher quality to gain additional points. ¡°Ah ha!¡± The snail cheered. ¡°I need to eat better plants._¡± The snail waved its tentacles in celebration for half a minute. When the feeling of success wore off, the snail pondered its next move. ¡±How do I find better plants? I have found mostly ¡®worthless¡¯ plants and only occasional ¡®poor¡¯ plants. I can see much better than before, maybe I can look far away.¡±_ The snail stretched out its eye stalks and looked as far away as it could. It mostly saw underbrush and thin trees. It couldn¡¯t see very far because the things it could see blocked its view. The snail pondered this new obstacle for a while. ¡°Perhaps if I eat the trees, they won¡¯t block my view any more.¡± With this hypothesis, the snail began to glide towards the nearest tree. Although the tree was below average in hight, the snail climbed for hours before it reached the top. The highest branch of the tree moved back and forth, waving in the breeze. The brightness at the top of the tree was slightly painful, so the snail retracted and extended its eye stalks periodically. It quickly became distracted from the task of eating an entire tree. The bushes and trees that had blocked its view were no longer in the way. The snail stretched out and looked as far away as it could. In every direction, a tall something blocked the snail¡¯s view. The something blocked every direction, but the closest part was near enough that the snail thought it might be made of rocks. _¡°I don¡¯t need to eat this tree.¡± The snail decided. ¡°I need to climb those rocks and find out what is beyond them.¡± The snail munched on a few leaves and some bark as the sun went down, then struck out in the direction of the rocks.
In the morning, the snail ran across a live ant. The ant and the snail hadn¡¯t seen each other and the ant was coated in snail mucus before either knew what was happening. The snail noticed the movement of the struggling ant at the edge of its mantel. The ant got its abdomen pointed at the snail and jabbed with a small stinger. ¡°Ouch!¡± The snail pulled back into its shell to hide from this attack. The snail instinctually squeezed out some foam and used Hide in shell. The snail hid in its shell for several minutes before tentatively extending its foot and eye stalks to asses the situation. The ant was glued to the side of the snail¡¯s shell. The snail looked at the struggling ant for a while before dismissing it as a threat. Natural active unlocked: Ensnare The snail briefly wondered what Ensnare did. *ding*
Active Level Resource
Hide in shell 1 Stamina
Identify 2 Stamina
Ensnare 1 Stamina
¡°I don¡¯t want to hold on to this ant.¡± The snail complained. The ant continued to struggle as the mucus holding it dried on the side of the shell. Without any way to remove it, the snail continued traveling towards the rock. Ch 3 - The Climb
The ant died before the snail reached the rocks. *ding*
Corpse: Ant (lesser) Estimated experience: 1 Absorb experience?
The snail agreed to absorb the experience. ¡°It is irritating to have a dead ant stuck to my shell, but experience is nice.¡± The snail thought. ¡°Should I try and catch more ants?¡± The snail pondered the possibility as it crept through the underbrush. The snail altered its direction to aim at the next ant it saw. The ant moved on long before the snail got close. ¡°I am not a hunter.¡± The snail decided. ¡°Maybe I will be lucky and catch ants by accident, but they are too fast for me.¡± Day by day, the snail traveled closer to the rocks. The snail was taken by surprise when it moved past the last tree and saw ground quickly rise to meet an immense rock wall. The snail tried to estimate how far up the wall went and how long it would take to climb. ¡°Maybe an entire day to climb?¡± The snail guessed. The snail ate a few of the nearby plants to make sure it would have energy and moisture enough for the trip up the rock wall. The sun had moved past its zenith when the snail began its slow creep up the rocks. The rocks were a mostly a red-brown color, but there were countless blobby patches of pale green decorating the surface. On a whim, the snail used Identify on one of the patches. *ding*
Lichen (worthless)
¡°What is lichen?¡± The snail wondered. The System did not provide an answer. The sun inexorably sank lower in the sky, and the snail regretted choosing to climb the rock wall in full sunlight. ¡°If I had waited till morning, I could have climbed in the shade.¡± The snail muttered to itself. The rock wall was uncomfortably warm and the snail had to use plenty of mucus to both grip the rock and slide over the rough volcanic stone without injury. *ding*
Slimy level up: 2
The snail felt a good deal of relief when the sun slipped below the horizon. The rock began to cool and the snail moved with less discomfort. It was already above the level of the treetops and the snail had seen that the rock wall circled all the way around the forest, as though the entire area was a wide hole in the ground. The light of dusk deepened into night, and the snail took stock of its ability to continue climbing.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. *ding* | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Stamina | 53/70 | Something struck the side of the snail¡¯s shell and nearly ripped the snail off the rock wall. The snail immediately used Hide in shell and pulled itself close to the rock. After a few minutes with no disturbance, the snail peeked out from its shell and continued moving. A second strike hit the snail, less strong than the first, but still dangerous. The snail hid again and checked its health. *ding* | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 68/70 | ¡°I¡¯m not hurt, but falling would be very bad.¡± The snail thought. ¡°Nothing attacked me when the sun was up, maybe I should wait.¡± The snail pondered for a while as it hid in its shell. It eventually decided to try climbing once more and see if the pattern of attack continued. The third strike hit the snail from below and hurt more than the previous two. The snail decided to wait until the sun rose before continuing the climb. When the sky began to lighten, the snail resumed climbing. It hadn¡¯t seen the attackers in the dark, but it kept its eyes constantly swiveling to spot danger in the daylight. Danger sense flared a warning when the snail spotted an approaching bird. The snail used Hide in shell to wait out the bird. ¡°I wonder if Camouflage only works when I hold still.¡± The snail wondered. The bird struck the shell of the snail multiple times as it tried to dislodge its meal. The bird clung to the rough stone and tried to pry the snail from the rock wall. The bird even tried perching on top of the snail for a moment but it was forced to give up and try to find other food. The snail stayed in its shell for a long time to make sure the bird was not going to return. *ding*
Hide in shell level up: 2
The snail felt thirsty. The sun was high in the sky and the rock wall was heating up again. The climb had taken longer that the snail had predicted and had held unexpected dangers. The difficulty of the climb had also increased. The snail checked its stamina. *ding* | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Stamina | 20/70 | ¡°Should I go back?¡± The snail wondered. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep climbing and I need moisture.¡± The snail paused while it considered. ¡±I don¡¯t know if I have enough stamina to make the climb back down.¡±_ The snail strained its eyes to try and see the top of the wall. It didn¡¯t see the top, but it did see a small shadow not too far away. ¡°That decides it. I¡¯ll head for that shadow. Maybe I can hide there and try climbing again at night.¡± The snail angled its ascent towards the shadow. The shadow turned out to be the edge of a small recess with a flat bottom. A small amount of sand and dust had been deposited by years of wind and rainwater. The snail was delighted to find a small plant with thick leaves anchored in the sand. The snail used Identify. *ding*
Succulent (worthless)
¡°It¡¯s not worthless to me!¡± The snail cheered as it began scraping moist plant matter into its mouth using its tongue-like radula. With the source of moisture and a place to rest, the snail decided to wait until morning to do a final push towards the top of the rock wall. Camouflage hid the stationary snail, and the afternoon and night passed without incident. Ch 4 - The Battle Morning came and found the snail driving up the rock wall at its maximum pace. The snail¡¯s stamina had fully regenerated and it was feeling optimistic. The rock wall became less even, as though giant claws had ripped up the top of the wall, leaving gouges and missing sections. The snail wall glad to travel through these defects, as that meant a fall would not be all the way to the foot of the rock wall. The moisture-rich succulent plants became more common in the cracks and flat areas where sand had built up. When the snail neared the top edge of the wall, Danger sense shouted a warning right before the snail felt a massive pain in its foot. The snail aimed one eye stalk to the rear as it retreated into its shell. A beetle had bitten down on the soft exposed snail flesh. ¡°Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!¡± The snail wailed as it tried to pull its body fully under so it could use Hide in shell. The mouthparts of the beetle sawed a rough wound in the snail¡¯s foot. The snail pushed out mucus and foam in its distress. It managed to pull free and suction to the rock wall so it could wait out this predator. The snail checked its health. *ding* | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 57/70 | The beetle¡¯s mouthparts reached under the edge of the snail¡¯s shell and bit into its flesh again. The snail screamed internally and lashed out with the only tool it had. Ensnare coated the head of the beetle with sticky mucus. The beetle struggled for a few tens of seconds before it managed to pull itself free of the snail. The snail whimpered at the pain of its injuries and checked its health again. *ding* | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 51/70 | The beetle reached under the shell again and bit into the snail. The snail could do nothing except use Ensnare again, coating the beetle¡¯s head with mucus. The beetle struggled free only to bite again after scraping off the mucus. The two creatures battled, back and forth, for several minutes that felt like hours to the snail. The beetle harried the snail, lowering its health, while the snail burned through its stamina to buy time between attacks. The snail could only hope that the beetle would give up or some larger predator would arrive and eat the beetle. The System provided another option. *ding*
Ensnare level up: 2
The next use of Ensnare coated the beetle with even more mucus, catching one of its legs in the sticky substance. The beetle scrabbled its other limbs, trying to pull free as it had done multiple times already. A second limb became stuck in the mucus coating, and the beetle alternated between pulling one way or another. The snail, exhausted and low on health, lost its grip on the rock wall.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. For an endless moment, the beetle held unto the stone with three limbs as the weight of the snail pulled down. The beetle lots its grip and the pair plummeted down, glancing off the stone once before crashing into a flat area without much sand. The glancing collision with the rock wall was the only reason the snail survived¨Cwith its greater mass, the snail would have hit first, but the collision caused a spin which moved the beetle between the snail and the stone. *ding*
Corpse: Beetle (lesser) Estimated experience: 5 Absorb experience?
The snail lay senseless and aching for a long minute before absorbing the experience from the dead beetle. The snail checked its stats. | Name | Level | Experience | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | N/A | 3 | 62/100 | | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 8/70 | | Mana | 1/1 | | Stamina | 3/70 | | Intellect | 4 | | Physique | 14 | | Meta-physique | 1 | | Available points | 1 | | Passive | Level | Resource | Description | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | Slimy | 1 | Stamina | You have slime production glands | | Hard shell | 1 | Health | your shell protects your softer parts. Based on physique stat | | Tremor sense | 1 | Stamina | Observe your surroundings through your feet (foot). Based on intellect stat | | Active | Level | Resource | Description | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | Hide in shell | 2 | Stamina | Hunker down for protection. Bonus defense based on added material and physique stat | | Identify | 2 | Stamina | Acquire and organize information about the world around you. Bonus information based on related knowledge and intellect stat | | Ensnare | 2 | Stamina | Catch and hold onto foes. Strength of snare dependent on physique stat | The mental pain from so much information was drowned out by the physical pain from the battle. The snail slowly extended its foot and pulled itself upright. When it extended its eye stalks, it saw what had happened to its attacker. The beetle lay on a bare patch of stone. Its body had burst from being crushed between the hard shell of the snail and the unyielding rock. The snail didn¡¯t spare it a second thought and began moving towards the nearest succulent plant. *ding*
Hard shell level up: 2
The snail munched on succulent leaves and rested while its health and stamina regenerated. Night fell before its health was fully restored, and the snail decided to wait until the sun was high in the sky before resuming its journey upwards. ¡°Moving at night is impossible without being attacked, and the beetle and bird both attacked during the morning while the rock wall is in shade.¡± The snail analyzed its climbing experience. ¡°Afternoon, while more hot than I like, has been the safest time to climb.¡± The snail trusted Camouflage to keep it safe and stayed still until it felt the sun beat down on its shell. When the snail extended its eye stalks again, it saw that a group of ants was dismembering the beetle and carrying chunks of it up the wall. The snail turned away from the beetle and the ants and aimed itself up the wall once more. The land beyond the rock wall came into view when the sun was low in the sky. The snail sat for several minutes, appreciating a vast green expanse. Rocky outcrops occasionally poked up through the sparse trees and thick underbrush, providing a nice contrast of color. The snail started forwards, using Identify on the plants and looking for a nice tall tree. Ch 5 - Broken The view from the first tree didn¡¯t provide the snail with any idea where to go to find higher quality plants; neither did the second, nor the third. The snail continued to travel in the general direction of the rising sun, climbing a new tree every few days. Fights with beetles occurred with a frequency that alarmed the snail, but with Ensnare at level 2, the snail could usually drive off any beetle that didn¡¯t become permanently glued to the snail¡¯s shell. On two unfortunate occasions, the snail had to emerge from its shell and drag the struggling beetle against a plant stem to glue it against the shell where it could no longer bite. The snail became quite practiced at scraping dead beetles off the side of its shell, though it usually had at least one dying passenger at any point. *ding*
Level up: 4
The Snail waved its olfactory tentacles in celebration as it finished absorbing the experience from the eighth dead beetle. A level up meant more points! *ding*
Physique +1: 5 points. Purchase? Physique +1: 5 points. Purchase?
The snail, naturally, spent all ten new points on its physique stat. ¡°If my physique stat had been any lower, I would have fallen off the rock wall or died in the fight with that first beetle.¡± The snail resolved to continue improving its physique forever. The experience from dead beetles wasn¡¯t the only rewards from the snail¡¯s travels. *ding*
Slimy level up: 3 Hide in shell level up: 3
After a few weeks traveling at a snail¡¯s pace, the snail saw something new from the top of a tree. Off to the south, something white and frothy shot into the air and fell back out of sight. Mist remained in the air and drifted slowly away. The snail pondered and wondered about what it had just seen. After a few minutes, the snail decided any change was worth investigating. On the way towards the white anomaly, the snail¡¯s Tremor sense began to inform the snail of¡­ something. The signal was faint, but the snail couldn¡¯t make any sense of what Tremor sense was telling it. ¡°It feels like something falling, but its below me? Rocks are shaking and grinding together, but it feels like its all around me.¡± The snail swung its eye stalks back and forth just in case it had missed a pile of oddly behaving rocks, but it was in an ordinary patch of forest. The snail was skimming the edge of a hole in the ground when a ground tremor shook hard enough to dislodge the snail. The snail used Hide in shell, but didn¡¯t manage to fully retract before crashing to the ground. Fortunately, the snail landed on soft green plants and was mostly unhurt. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize these plants.¡± The snail thought. It used Identify.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. *ding*
Fern (basic)
¡°Oh! A different quality of plant, is it a better quality? I hope so!¡± The snail excitedly began munching on the fronds of the nearest fern. Soon enough, it¡¯s work was rewarded with a point. The snail waved its tentacles in joy. Tremor sense continued to provide confusing information, but the snail ignored it and ate every single fern that wasn¡¯t ¡®poor¡¯ or ¡®worthless¡¯ quality. The snail took a short break from eating plants when heavy rain started crashing down into the hole.After a few days of gorging itself, the snail had earned 14 points. Combining those with its one unspent point, the snail boosted its physique by three points. *ding* | Name | Level | Experience | | ---- | ---- | ---- | | N/A | 4 | 2/200 | | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 95/95 | | Mana | 1/1 | | Stamina | 95/95 | | Intellect | 4 | | Physique | 19 | | Meta-physique | 1 | | Available points | 0 | With the supply of higher quality ferns exhausted, the snail decided to investigate a confusing nearby Tremor sense signal. It crept along the bottom of the hole, which turned out to be some sort of tunnel through the stone. The ground was pleasantly moist, and the darkness of the tunnel felt warm and safe. The ground had a slight downward slope and the snail traced a path through deposits of sand and rock chips. Eventually, the tunnel began to rise again, but the snail ran into a dead end. Tremor sense hadn¡¯t made any sense of the signal yet, but the snail realized that it felt a strong draw in the same direction that Tremor sense was leading it. ¡°What is it? I want to go to it. I don¡¯t know what it is!¡± The snail puzzled through its feelings as it sat at the dead end of the tunnel. Tremor sense brought the sense of underground falling rocks again, but before the snail could consider the information, the floor of the tunnel collapsed. Danger sense screamed the whole way down. *ding*
You have entered a pocket of high energy. Result: All regeneration rates multiplied by 2 Quest: Fix your shell. Description: Find sufficient compatible materials to repair your shell
The snail lay on a pile of broken rock. ¡°Ow.¡± The snail whimpered. It tried to extend its foot and look around, but every motion brought agony. When the snail could think again, it checked its health. *ding* | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 2/95(10) | ¡°Not good. Very bad.¡± The snail thought. It lay motionless as it waited for the pain to subside. After several hours, the snail¡¯s health had stopped increasing. *ding* | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 10/95(10) | ¡°Oh no¡­¡± The snail¡¯s disappointment felt like one of the rocks had crushed its shell all over again. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not going to get any better than this until my shell recovers.¡± The snail carefully extended its foot and eye stalks. The snail looked around at another underground tunnel. This tunnel was lit by small red and yellow lights embedded in the walls and ceiling. The snail could see all the way to a curve in the tunnel in one direction, and a pile of rubble in the other direction. With the snail equivalent of a mental shrug, the snail began to crawl down the rock pile. The snail¡¯s broken shell shifted unpleasantly as it began to move. Ch 6 - Keep Looking
At the base of the rock pile, the snail paused to think. ¡°Quest?¡± It thought. ¡°Repair my shell? I do want my shell to recover, but how does it help me to find materials?¡± The snail thought hard for several minutes. ¡°¡®Material¡¯ means ¡®stuff¡¯. I can probably use Identify to see if any stuff is good for this quest.¡± The snail looked to the nearest rock and used Identify. ding
Rock (shell compatibility: none)
¡°Hmm. Rocks won¡¯t fix my shell. I¡¯ll have to keep looking.¡± The snail looked around and headed towards the nearest non-rock it could see. The broken shell shifted as the snail ascended the curved wall of the tunnel. When it approached a glowing red light source, it used Identify again. ding
Light crystal, red (shell compatibility: none)
The snail checked the yellow light source just to be sure, but it was unsurprised to find it also had no shell compatibility. The snail returned to the tunnel floor before continuing down the tunnel because the broken shell hung uncomfortably when the snail wasn¡¯t flat on the ground. After a few hours of creeping down the tunnel, the snail encountered something living. ding
Cave isopod (lesser, neutral)
A white creature with bands of shell and a fair number of legs crept past at breakneck speed (compared to the snail). The snail recognized the shape of the isopod as one of the creatures that ate fallen leaves and lived under rotting logs. The snail didn¡¯t see any leaves nearby, so it watched the isopod curiously. A second creature suddenly flowed across the ground and attacked the isopod. The snail, startled, retreated into its shell. After a moment, it extended one eyestalk in order to use Identify. ding
Cave centipede (lesser, hostile)
The snail withdrew the eyestalk and held very still. ¡°My broken shell won¡¯t protect me much, but maybe camouflage still works.¡± The snail fervently hoped. After a time, Tremor sense detected the centipede moving away. The snail waited until it was certain the centipede was really gone before it began moving again. The empty husk of the isopod lay nearby. The snail felt an odd shiver of fear at the sight of the silent white corpse. ¡°Wait, corpse? Will this have experience I can absorb?¡± The snail paused at that thought before deciding to find out. It slowly approached the ominous remains. ding
Corpse: Cave isopod (lesser) If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.Estimated experience: 1 Absorb experience?
¡°Yes!¡± The snail gave a little cheer and waited long enough to absorb the single experience point. ¡°I wonder why the centipede didn¡¯t absorb the experience?¡± It wondered as it continued down the tunnel. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The snail began to encounter isopods more frequently. An abnormally large grouping of isopods near the tunnel wall drew the snail¡¯s attention, and, as it crept closer, its olfactory tentacles detected water. Feeling thirsty, the snail moved towards a gap in the isopod group in order to reach the water. A white patch on the ground burned the snail¡¯s underside, even through the mucus layer. ¡°Ouch!¡± The snail wailed. It drew back its head to stop touching the white stuff, but the burning continued. The snail used Identify. ding
Salt (shell compatibility: none)
The snail¡¯s thirst grew with each second. Desperate for water, the snail crept around the edge of the white patch. It slid over top of several isopods that didn¡¯t move out of the way. The snail slowly waded into the water and began sucking in as much liquid as it could. The burning sensation disappeared as soon as the snail touched the water, but the thirst continued for several minutes. When the snail could think clearly, it examined the water. ding
Mineral water (shell compatibility: poor) Absorb into shell?
¡°Huh?¡± The snail wondered. ¡°How could water fix my shell?¡± When the snail could think of no answers to its own question, it replied to the prompt. ¡°Yes, absorb.¡± A brief whirlpool formed around the snail. The snail waited, expecting to feel some sort of effect from absorbing the water. After a minute of nothing, it checked its health. ding | Stat | Value | | ---- | ---- | | Health | 9/95(*11*) | ¡°That number went up, so I guess I will recover a little more health now. Oh well, better keep looking.¡± The snail picked a path out of the ring of isopods that avoided the white patches of salt. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Beyond that first puddle of water, the tunnel became less regular. There were cracks in the floor and occasional piles of rubble. The snail spotted a few spiderwebs and some gnats around some of the larger puddles. It places where the water was near the red light sources, several patches of lush moss grew. The snail ate some of the moss, but only enough to satisfy its hunger. The isopods combed through the moss, munching at the base and slurping up things that were too small for the snail to see. Danger sense flared as the snail was about to reach across an especially wade crack in the ground. The snail quickly retreated into its broken shell and held still. Tremor sense informed the snail of something walking nearby. The thing was significantly larger than the snail and walked slowly. As the thing walked closer, Danger sense grew louder. ¡°Camouflage-camouflage-camouflage-camouflage.¡± The snail repeated a mantra of hope that the danger would pass it by. The snail had little hope that its shell would protect from an attack, so it tried to mentally prepare itself to respond with Ensnare. Tremor sense detected something else skitter nearby. The larger creature suddenly sped up to a sprint and collided with the second, smaller creature. A brief struggle followed, then both creatures were still. ding
Tremor sense level up: 2
Danger sense slowly slid back down and returned to the background noise in the snail¡¯s mind. Tremor sense could tell that the larger creature was still alive, but was doing something instead of walking. The snail cautiously extended its head and eyes to find out what it was. ding
Cave scorpion (lesser, neutral)
¡°Eeep!¡± The snail turned and crept away from the scorpion as fast as it was able. The scorpion continued to eat the centipede it had slain and ignored the snail. Ch 7 - Jump The temperature in the tunnel gradually increased. When the snail¡¯s stamina ran low, it climbed on top of a large chunk of rock that had fallen from the ceiling. The snail entered a state of torpor to recover from it¡¯s exertions. After the rest, the snail felt much better. It checked It¡¯s health. *ding*
Stat Value
Health 11/95(11)
¡°That¡¯s not much better, even though I feel better. I guess I was just tired.¡± The snail said. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡± The snail spotted something small and green embedded in the lava rock. *ding*
Olivine (shell compatibility: good). Absorb into shell?
The snail pondered the small green thing. After a few minutes, it proudly stated its conclusions. ¡°Rocks are hard. I want my shell to be hard. Absorb.¡± The small green crystal flowed across the stone and up onto the snail¡¯s shell. A wave of fatigue caused the snail¡¯s eye stalks to droop for a moment. The snail turned to look at its shell. One of the cracks had a patch of green bridging the gap between shell pieces. The snail examined the green critically. ¡°Is this going to break camouflage?¡± It worried. ¡°What¡¯s my health?¡± It asked. *ding*
Stat Value
Health 11/95(12)
¡°Maybe I can find more of those green rocks.¡± The snail decided to search the entire fallen rock and collect more green crystals. With each small crystal it absorbed, a wave of fatigue washed over it. After the ninth crystal, the snail paused its search. ¡°Why am I so tired?¡± It asked. *ding*
Stat Value
Stamina 4/95
¡°That is low.¡± The snail observed. ¡°Why would it be so low?¡± The snail thought for a minute. ¡°I guess absorbing things into my shell takes stamina.¡± The snail continued its search and found one more olivine crystal. *ding*
Olivine (shell compatibility: good). Absorb into shell? WARNING: Insufficient stamina
¡°Absorb.¡± The snail said. It felt rather groggy and didn¡¯t bother to consider the entire System message. The green crystal flowed across the rock, but the snail lost consciousness before seeing what happened.
The snail woke with a headache. ¡°Ow.¡± It said. It slowly extended its eye stalks and olfactory tentacles. It was still on top of the rock that had held the olivine crystals. The snail decided to continue down the tunnel and look for more materials for its shell. It discovered an immediate problem. ¡°I¡¯m stuck!¡± It said. It struggled for a moment but couldn¡¯t break free of whatever was holding it. There was an odd flexing and discomfort from the snail¡¯s shell. The snail turned its eye stalks back on itself to try and find the issue. On its rear left quarter, a green crystal connected the edge of its shell with the rock under its foot. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. *ding*
Olivine (shell compatibility: good). Already absorbed
¡°Absorb.¡± The snail said. Nothing happened. ¡°Absorb!¡± The snail said, more forcefully. Nothing happened. The snail checked the results of Identify again. ¡°Already absorbed? How can it be already absorbed? It¡¯s connected to my shell, but it didn¡¯t fix any of the cracks.¡± The snail complained for several minutes. When nothing continued to happen, the snail resigned itself to try and think its way out of its situation.
After two hours, the snail reflected on its failed attempts to break free. It had tried to Ensnare the green anchor without any effect. It had tried to gnaw through the green crystal, but the minuscule teeth on its radula were not hard enough to affect it and the snail could only barely reach its head that far back. The snail had tried pulling left, right, and alternating between the two. The last thing the snail tried was to Identify the rock around the olivine, but its shell compatibility had been ¡®none¡¯. The snail remained stuck. The snail watched, listless, as a centipede crawled up the nearby tunnel wall. The centipede continued to crawl up, up, up. The snail tracked it with its eye stalks until it disappeared into shadows on the ceiling. The snail stared at the spot where the centipede had disappeared for several minutes. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried going ¡®up¡¯.¡± The snail mused. The snail bunch up its foot underneath itself and pushed. Its shell shifted painfully, but the snail continued. The snail pressed its foot together harder so it could shove more strongly upward. In the moment before the snail gave up, it heard a pop and launched into the air. The snail did not arc very high, but it did fly clear of the rock and land on the tunnel floor. *ding*
Active unlocked: Jump
¡°Ow!¡± The snail slowly righted itself. ¡°Ow.¡± It said again. ¡°Ow¡­¡± It said miserably. After a few moments, the snail realized it had missed a System message. It wondered what happened. *ding*
Name Level Experience
N/A 4 3/200
Stat Value
Health 8/95(21)
Mana 1/1
Stamina 49/95
¡­ ¡°OW!¡± The snail wailed as a spike of pain accompanied too much information in the response from the System. The snail mentally shoved at the pain and stopped the flow of information. After gathering its will, the snail very carefully wondered what the last message had been about. *ding*
Active Level Resource Description
Hide in shell 3 Stamina Hunker down for protection. Bonus defense based on added material and physique stat
Identify 2 Stamina Acquire and organize information about the world around you. Bonus information based on related knowledge and intellect stat
Ensnare 2 Stamina Catch and hold onto foes. Strength of snare based on physique stat
Jump (new) 1 Stamina Launch yourself. Maximum distance based on physique stat
¡°Jump?¡± The snail said. ¡°Why would I ever want to do that?¡± The snail looked around for a target on which it could focus an exasperated glare. A dim green light shone out from a raised crack in the floor and caught the snail¡¯s eye. Since the light was in the same direction the snail had been traveling, the snail decided to investigate. The nub of olivine that hung off the side of the snail¡¯s shell scraped along the ground from time to time. The crack went deep¨Cdeeper than the snail could see. The snail considered the light for some time. ¡°Green light, green stones, stronger shell.¡± The snail said. It crept over the edge of the crack and began to descend. Ch 8 - Y Alloy Shell The snail descended through a maze of crystals. The green light came from several huge green glowing crystals. None of the crystals were compatible with its shell, so the snail kept descending deeper as it followed a subtle feeling through the maze. At one point, the snail found a small circular borehole and followed that to a large chamber with a pond in the middle. The snail immediately aimed at the nearest patch of glowing moss that grew around the pond. It munched its way through half the first patch before it even noticed that some of the moss was providing points. *ding*
Stat Value
Available points 6
¡°hmm, should I purchase some more intellect?¡± The snail wondered. ¡°Nah.¡± It decided. It finished that patch of moss and continued around the entire pond, leaving a some of the lower quality moss from each patch to repopulate. In the end, the snail gained 15 points from the moss. *ding*
Physique +1: 10 points. Purchase?
The snail happily purchased another point of Physique. With the moss taken care of, the snail looked around the chamber. Green light filtered through the crystal walls and reflected off something that sat on a small island in the middle of the pond. The snail used Identify. *ding*
Aluminum (shell compatibility: excellent). Too distant to absorb
¡°Absorb!¡± The snail mentally shouted. When nothing happened, it used Identify again and carefully considered the entire message. ¡°Aw, it¡¯s too far away. How can I get over to it?¡± It wondered. ¡°I suppose I should check this water for shell compatibility.¡± It decided. It crept up to the water to get a good look. *ding*
Water (shell compatibility: none)
Danger sense flared and caused the snail to quickly pull back to its shell. The sense faded slightly, so the snail extended an eye stalk. It spotted a pale creature drifting in the water of the pond. *ding*
Cave salamander (lesser, hostile)
¡°That thing is even bigger than the scorpion!¡± The snail wailed in fear. ¡°How am I going to get that aluminum?¡± The snail carefully backed away from the water and looked around the cavern again. Giant crystals formed the walls, floor, and ceiling, with no exists other than the borehole. Water occasionally dripped from an inverted spike on the ceiling. The snail tried hard to think of a way it could reach the island. ¡°Maybe I could jump to the island?¡± The snail wondered. ¡±I did just get an active for Jump.¡±_ The snail tried to measure the distance to the island. It moved around the pond to get to the point that was closest to the island. Gathering its strength, the Snail launched itself into the air. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. The snail popped up and backwards, landing in a patch of moss. ¡°That didn¡¯t work.¡± The snail sulked for a bit while munching on worthless moss. ¡°Maybe I should spent my last five points on intellect so I can think up a better plan.¡± The snail thought about it for a while before making the decision. *ding*
Intellect +1: 5 points. Purchase?
¡°Yes.¡± The snail elected to spend its last five points. It felt its awareness expand watched new connections form in its memories. The snail looked up at the ceiling. ¡°I know, I can fall down onto the island!¡± Exited by this new idea, the snail raced slowly towards the nearest wall. The snail moved up the wall and over to the inverted spike. It carefully gauged it¡¯s position relative to the aluminum. When it felt confident, the snail gently Jumped down. The snail immediately regretted its decision. ¡°Aaaaahhh!¡± The snail screamed in fear. It plopped into the water a short distance from the island. ¡°I¡¯m a land snail, not a water snail!¡± The snail settled unto the bottom of the pond. The snail didn¡¯t need to breath immediately, but it could feel that it needed a breath soon enough to be a problem. Danger sense drove the snail back into its shell as the salamander drifted close, attracted by the disturbance in the water. The snail very gently extended an eye stalk to track the salamander¡¯s location. When Danger sense eased up a bit, the snail slowly moved towards the island. The snail spent several minutes in a start-stop pattern, trying to avoid the salamander¡¯s attention. ¡°I need to breath soon.¡± The snail thought. ¡°The salamander isn¡¯t moving anymore¨Cit¡¯s just sitting there. Camouflage must still work underwater. Can I wait for it to leave? No. I have to try and reach the air before it reaches me.¡± The snail hesitated for a long moment before extending fully and moving as quickly as possible towards the island. ¡°I¡¯m doing it! I¡¯m going to make it!¡± The snail cheered. Right before the snail reached the edge of the water, Danger sense spiked and the salamander turned around to see the moving snail. The salamander swam and waddled towards the panicking mollusk. The salamander opened its mouth to snatch the snail and swallow it whole. The movement partially lifted the snail from the pond bottom and tipped it. With a scream of terror, the snail reacted with Ensnare. A blob of slime shot from the snail and drifted into the salamander¡¯s mouth. The salamander clamped down on the snail. *ding*
Natural active upgraded: Ensnare replaced with Slime shot level 1
The salamander spit out the snail and began to retch, trying to force water through gills clogged with snail slime. Disoriented, the snail wasted several seconds just watching before it remembered it needed to reach the air and the aluminum. It turned, exited the water, and took a new breath of air as quickly as it could. As soon as it was close enough, it selected the option to absorb the aluminum nugget. The aluminum began to glow with a white light. It appeared to melt as multiple streams flowed towards the snail¡¯s broken shell. Pale metal patched up the remaining cracks in the snail¡¯s shell. When the light faded, half of the aluminum nugget remained. *ding*
Quest complete: Fix your shell. Result: Blend materials and improve shell quality. Accept?
¡°Oh, interesting. Well, a better shell is the best thing I could have, so yes!¡± The snail accepted the quest reward. The snail felt a touch of fear as its shell heated up almost to the point of pain. It turned an eye stalk around to watch the process. Brown shell, green stone, and pale metal swirled and mixed. The shell color evened out to a pale metal, then blossomed into a pattern of light and dark that was difficult for the snail to look at. *ding*
Hard shell level up: 3 Camouflage level up: 2
When everything stopped moving around, the snail found that its metallic shell was studded with clear crystals. The snail tried using Identify on its own shell. *ding*
Quartz-studded Y alloy shell
¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± The snail said in awe. Ch 9 - The Salamander When the snail finished admiring its new shell, it remembered that something had happened with its Ensnare active. It tried to remember what had changed.
Active Level Resource Description
Hide in shell 3 Stamina Hunker down for protection. Bonus defense based on added material and physique stat
Identify 2 Stamina Acquire and organize information about the world around you. Bonus information based on related knowledge and intellect stat
Slime Shot 1 Stamina Launch a projectile of slime. Range and accuracy based on physique stat
Jump 1 Stamina Launch yourself. Maximum distance based on physique stat
¡°A new active? ¡®Slime shot¡¯¡­ I remember, I sort of threw slime into the salamander¡¯s mouth. I wonder how this active works.¡± The snail thought. It used Slime shot and splashed some slime on the ground. ¡°I thought that would go farther¡­¡± The snail thought. After some trial and error, the snail figured out how to aim the slime shot at something other than the ground. It felt a bit odd to have a lump of slime slide out from under its foot to point at a target. The snail shot a few bolts of slime out over the pond. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s pretty good! I can shoot almost to the edge of the pond!¡± The snail celebrated. The snail practiced with Slime shot until it felt tired. ¡°Oh, right. I should rest. I should also check and make sure I got all my health back.¡± The snail concentrated to get its basic stats. *ding*
Name Level Experience
N/A 4 3/200
Stat Value
Health 26/95
Mana 1/1
Stamina 8/95
Intellect 5
Physique 19
Meta-physique 1
Available points 0
¡°It¡¯s not all back, but it isn¡¯t stuck at a low number anymore. I¡¯ll just rest.¡± The snail decided. The snail climbed up on top of the remains of the aluminum nugget and rested. It watched the Salamander slowly patrol the pond. After a few hours, the snail felt that its health and stamina were both full. The snail picked a spot on the far side of the little island from the salamander and approached the water. The salamander came shooting around the island to block the snail¡¯s route across the pond. The snail turned away from the water to get a bit more distance. ¡°Grrr, that salamander still wants to eat me.¡± The snail grumbled. It studied the amphibian for a while. ¡°Did it shrink?¡± The snail wondered. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The snail made a loop along the edge of the island, but the salamander kept pace with it the entire way. ¡°Did the island shrink too?¡± The snail idly wondered. It used Slime shot a few times, but the salamander dodged the first shot and just went deeper in the water to avoid the others. ¡°I need a plan.¡± The snail decided. ¡°That salamander won¡¯t let me leave, so how can I get off this island?¡± The snail waved its eye stalks and olfactory tentacles as it pondered its situation. ¡°Maybe I can get Jump to work correctly? Probably not, I don¡¯t have room to practice. If I¡¯m in the water, I might be able to keep the salamander away with Slime shot, but it would need to open its mouth (to swallow me!) for the best shot.¡± The snail wracked its tiny brain for a plan. ¡°The salamander can¡¯t keep this up forever. I¡¯ll try and out-wait the salamander.¡± Satisfied with this simple plan, the snail moved to a safe distance from the edge of the island and waited.
The snail was hungry. It had lost track of how many hours it has waited for the Salamander to give up on eating the snail. The snail gazed longingly at the moss on the far edge of the pond. It dropped its eyes to the beast that blocked the path to tasty food. ¡°Is the salamander¡­ asleep?¡± The snail wondered. It slowly moved to the side to see if the salamander would follow. When the amphibian didn¡¯t react, the snail raced around to the far side of the island, took a deep breath, and slipped into the water. The snail crept along the bottom of the pond for several long minutes. As it crossed the halfway point, Danger sense spiked. ¡°Oh no! It woke up!¡± The snail wailed. It waved its eye stalks around, trying to locate the salamander. The salamander approached from behind at full speed. The snail used Slime shot to try and discourage the salamander, but the shots were too slow and the salamander dodged them without difficulty. As the salamander closed the distance, the snail used Hide in shell. The salamander clamped its mouth down on the snail and¡­ struggled to swallow. ¡°Why isn¡¯t it eating me?¡± The snail was panicking as it tried to think of something to do. ¡°Did it shrink so much that I¡¯m too big for it to eat? Aaaaahhh! What do I do?¡± Without any good ideas, the snail used its only movement active, Jump. The snail slammed into the top of the salamander¡¯s mouth. The force of the jump broke the salamander¡¯s bottom jaw. The salamander was momentarily stunned, but the snail was still buzzing with panic. It shot slime down the salamander¡¯s throat, once, twice! *ding*
Slime shot level up: 2
The salamander began to struggle and flounder in the water. The snail dropped to the bottom of the pond and began to crawl away. The snail kept one eye stalk turned back towards its amphibian opponent until it was safely out of the pond. When it was out of reach of the water, the snail nearly collapsed with released panic. ¡°That was horrible!¡± It complained. As the snail¡¯s mind settled down, it remembered that it was hungry, so it started munching on the moss. The remaining moss didn¡¯t give any points, but it was tasty. As it ate, it considered the salamander in the pool. It was floating motionless, no doubt trying to tempt the snail to¡­ ¡°Is the salamander dead?¡± The snail wondered. Ch 10 - Mud The snail inched closer to the water, but Danger sense remained silent. The snail shot slime at the salamander and got no reaction. After thinking about it for a few minutes, the snail slipped back into the water of the pond. It crept towards the salamander. Unfortunately, the salamander¡¯s corpse was floating a bit too high for the snail to reach. ¡°Dang it.¡± The snail thought. ¡°How can I get up¡­ oh!¡± The snail gathered itself and used Jump. It bounced off the bottom of the salamander and settled back on pond bottom. After a few more tries, the snail aimed just right and landed on top of the salamander. *ding*
Jump level up: 2
¡°Yay!¡± The snail cheered. The salamander corpse rolled over so the snail was on the bottom. ¡°Oops! That¡¯s ok.¡± *ding*
Corpse: Cave salamander (lesser). Estimated experience: 20. Absorb experience?
¡°Absorb.¡± The snail commanded. It waited as the experience trickled out of the salamander and into itself. The snail used a gentle Jump to detach from the salamander before exiting the pond for the final time. With nothing else to keep it here, the snail returned to the borehole so it could climb up and out. ¡°Did the borehole shrink too?¡± The snail wondered. ¡°Why is everything so small?¡± It complained. The snail made its way through the maze of crystals. It nearly got stuck a few times, but it managed to drag its new shell through every gap and eventually returned to the lava tube. The snail sat and enjoyed the roomy lava tube as it considered which way to go. ¡°Can¡¯t go back, gotta go forward.¡± It declared. It struck out down the lava tunnel, feeling full of confidence. Danger sense flickered for a moment, and the snail retreated into its shell as quick as it could. ¡°Eeep!¡± It squeaked it fear.
*ding*
Slime shot level up: 3
The snail mentally acknowledged the level up but kept its eyes on the centipede that had gotten too close. The creature with too many legs writhed on the tunnel floor as the slime gently held it down. The snail had been traveling for a long time. The occasional trickles of water had grown so frequent that the snail had to travel along the side of a small stream that ran down the middle of the tunnel. Up ahead, the snail could see a different color of light. The light was from an opening to the outside. The stream splashed down onto a pile of broken up stone in a small waterfall. ¡°Oh dear, how will I get down?¡± The snail wondered. It carefully crept out sideways from the waterfall before aiming straight down. ¡°Actually, this isn¡¯t hard. I don¡¯t know what I was worried about.¡± It thought. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The land below the waterfall was very different from the sparse forest the snail had come from. The trees were much bigger and their needles grew much thicker and darker. The trees were so close together that the snail couldn¡¯t see the ground below them until it got below the level of the branches. The snail reached the ground and headed straight into the forest. ¡°The ground is so moist in here, and there is moss stuff everywhere!¡± The snail rejoiced. It quickly aimed Identify at everything in sight. Sadly, everything nearby was lower than ¡®basic¡¯ quality and would provide no points. The snail slumped in disappointment, but managed to drag itself into motion after a few moments. The snail dodged slowly around foxes, deer, squirrels, and one bear as it moved deeper into the forest. The snail was already out of sight when a few large birds moved past, stalking on terrifyingly large legs. The snail spent the first night in this new forest just inside the lip of a rabbit hole, well hidden. Days passed as the snail made its way downhill, but it found no plants that would provide points.
The large rodent snuffled as it stepped over the motionless snail. It kept going for a few body lengths before it was certain it had lost the trail. The rodent made a slow loop around, trying to rediscover the snail¡¯s scent. While it was turned away, the snail moved forward as quickly as it could. The rodent started again on the trail behind the snail and snuffled along. ¡°What am I going to do? What am I going to DO?¡± The snail was panicking again and couldn¡¯t think of any alternative plan. It gripped the ground as strongly as it could as the rodent drew closer. The rodent passed the snail once more, but it paused briefly as passed over the camouflaged shell. ¡°It¡¯s going to find me!¡± The snail wailed. It tried to turn to the side and hide under a nearby fern, but the rodent returned before the snail could make the distance. The rodent sniffed at the camouflaged snail for a few seconds, then bit down on the shell. Pop! The snail used Jump and collided with the rodent¡¯s nose. The rodent recoiled as the snail bounced away under cover. The snail nearly had time to feel relief before it rolled over the side of a gully and fell several feet to land in thick mud. ¡°Oof!¡± The snail tried to get its bearings and recover from the fear of being eaten. ¡°Where am I?¡± It wondered. It tried to extend its eye stalks but they were blocked by something. It pushed harder, with its whole foot. ¡°I¡¯m stuck down in something.¡± The snail thought. It tried to push its way up through the stuff, but couldn¡¯t find a grip. The snail oozed out slime as it struggled. The snail slime was pushed under the snail and slowly lifted the snail higher. The snail managed to get one eyestalk to extend out of the hole in the mud. ¡°I really need to get out of this stuff.¡± The snail thought. The snail began to use Slime shot straight down, trying to push itself higher. It ran out of stamina and was forced to rest before its shell got fully out of the mud. *ding*
Slimy level up: 4 Slime shot level up: 4
¡°Oh good.¡± The snail thought tiredly. ¡°Glad I got that.¡± The snail watched with lifeless eyes at it almost imperceptibly sand back into the mud. The snail rested as long at felt it could, but wasn¡¯t sure it would have enough stamina to fully pull itself free. The snail strained to produce even more slime. It pulled against the suction of the mud on its shell. Its foot was on top of the mud, but the shell was still stuck. The snail used its last Slime shot, aimed underneath its shell, to try and force it upwards. With a soft shlorp, the mud came away from the shell. The snail slowly dragged itself to the side of the gully and off the mud. Ch 11 - Meadow
Once again exhausted, the snail rested a while before tucking itself under a ledge on the side of the gully. ¡°Life was easier before I ate that smart-making plant.¡± The snail complained. It stayed under the ledge until the sun set and rose again. ¡°I¡¯m not climbing back up top.¡± The snail decided. ¡°The rodent might still be up there and I can¡¯t fight it. I¡¯ll just follow this gully.¡± The snail started off, moving along the side of the gully, away from the mud. The gully continued for a significant distance before the walls of the gully fell away and the snail exited unto the edge of a boggy meadow. The forest trees stopped at the edge of the meadow as though a knife had been lazily dragged along the ground. The snail looked across the meadow with mounting interest. ¡°Look at all those plants!¡± It thought. ¡°There must be basic quality plants in there.¡± The snail felt optimistic as it pushed into the grasses, rushes, and sedge. Patches of moss dotted the ground between bunches of meadow greens. Countless small flowers in many colors hung at the tops of the plants as though they floated on a green lake. The snail watched it amazement as colorful creatures flapped lazily from flower to flower. *ding*
Butterfly (lesser, neutral)
¡°Wow, ¡®Butterfly¡¯, so pretty.¡± The snail grew distracted by the flying creatures and nearly didn¡¯t see the snake. ¡°Ah! A snake!¡± The snail yelped as it yanked itself back into its shell. The snake slithered slowly past, ignoring the camouflaged snail. The snake made almost no sound, so the snail waited an extra long time before poking out an eye to check its surroundings. ¡°I really need something better than Jump and Slime shot so I can keep creatures from trying to eat me.¡± The snail thought. ¡°Maybe some more intellect could help me think of something?¡± The snail wondered. It cast about with Identify, trying to find basic quality plants to eat for points. Further into the meadow, the snail found its first point-giving plant in days. *ding*
Soft rush (basic)
The snail laid into the nearest rush by pushing it over and eating from the tip to the base. When it finished the first rush, it hadn¡¯t gotten a single point. ¡°What? No point?¡± The snail thought, confused. ¡°Do I need to eat more than one for a point?¡± It asked. It pushed over the next rush and ate it in the same way. Again, it didn¡¯t get a point. ¡°Why am I not getting a point?¡± The snail asked, growing more desperate. ¡°Do I need to find even better quality plants? It took me forever just to find these ones!¡± The snail thought miserably. After eating a third rush, the snail stopped to think. It used Identify again on the nearest rush, to double check the plant¡¯s quality. The snail turned to the remains of the eaten rushes and used Identify on the bits it could see. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. *ding*
Rush (basic, partially eaten)
¡°Hmm, ¡®partially eaten¡¯? I¡¯ve eaten the entire thing, right down to the ground.¡± The snail moved closer to the rush it had just eaten. It noticed that the rush continued under the soil and changed to a lighter color. The snail pressed its mouth down against the buried part of the plant. It slowly pushed the soil away as it ate the buried rhizome. The rhizome branched to the size and the snail shoved meadow soil and smaller plants to the side as it munched along the pale piece of plant. When the snail reached the end of one rhizome, the snail was pleased to find it had received a point. ¡°Interesting, interesting. Sometimes the points are in only certain parts of the plants. I wonder if I could have gotten more points out of the plants back home if I knew about eating the parts under the ground.¡± The snail thought as it went back to follow another buried rhizome. *ding*
Natural active unlocked: Dig
The snail paused and considered this new active. ¡°Yes, an active to help me dig will be very good, now that I will be digging up all the good plants.¡± It decided. With Dig, the snail¡¯s progress sped up on the patch of basic rushes. When the snail finished the last rhizome in the bunch, it had received 7 points. The snail sat and waved its tentacles in happiness for a while. ¡°Should I buy another point in intellect? I thought it might help me defend against larger creatures.¡± The snail watched a wispy cloud drift through sky as it pondered its next action. ¡°Hmm. Alright, I¡¯ll do it!¡± It decided. *ding*
Intellect +1: 5 points. Purchase?
¡°Yes.¡± The snail felt its mind expand a bit. The sensation was not as strong as the last few times. Unconcerned, the snail thought long and hard about what it could do the next time some rodent followed its trail and tried to eat it. The snail strained its mind trying to imagine anything that might help. It gave up after a few minutes. ¡°Hmph. I guess intellect is a waste of points.¡± The snail grumbled to itself and began to move, hunting for more point-giving plants.
On the snail¡¯s second day in the meadow, it noticed that it was being followed by the snake. The snake didn¡¯t approach¨Cit just lay nearby and watched as the snail dug up more rhizomes. Danger sense was oddly silent about the whole situation, but the snail kept a wary eye stalk on the snake anyway. Identify gave a slightly odd result, but the snail didn¡¯t have a second snake for comparison and just shrugged it off. *ding*
Viper (hostile)
As the snail pushed soil off a particularly juicy looking rhizome, it disturbed a fat earthworm. The worm flopped around, apparently surprised to suddenly be above ground. The snail barely had time to react before the snake lunged forward and bit down on the worm¡¯s body. The snail used Hide in shell and only got a split-second look at the snake¡¯s mouth. Something seemed off about the way the snake moved and how it held the worm in its jaws. The snail didn¡¯t emerge from its shell until Tremor sense was certain the snake had move away. ¡°Why isn¡¯t Danger sense doing anything about this snake?¡± The snail grumbled. It resumed digging and munching on rhizomes. The snail quickly learned to pull back and use Hide in shell any time it disturbed a worm while digging, because the snake darted in and slurped up the worm every time.