《Muckmancer》 Chapter 1: Enter Muckmancer Charlotte¡¯s eyelids fluttered slightly as a grogginess settled in her skull. Sounds of gentle waves and a soft humming caressed her ears. She rubbed her nose, stretching her body out from the restful nap. Her eyes opened and were greeted by a dark sky covered with twinkling stars behind an especially large full moon. While rubbing her sore back, she looked around her. An ominous purple fog hovered over a dark sludge-like water that failed to reflect the beautifully speckled sky. A sudden wind sent wisps of yellow-white in front of her face. She instinctively tucked the silky smooth hair behind an ear and caught a stubborn strand. This isn''t my hair. She looked down at the unfamiliar clothes she was wearing. Her toes wiggled in white socks that hugged her thighs. She smoothed the long sleeves of the white dress and straightened the red sash around her waist that matched her red shoes. Last thing I remember, I was sitting in my room playing games and then¡­ nothing? That can¡¯t be right. What about my hard-earned investment account? My apartment I never bothered to furnish? She slumped in defeat but only momentarily. The humming at the front of the wooden boat brought her out of her dark musings. A figure hiding under a ragged cloak stood perfectly balanced on the bow as if it were a part of it. A white boney grip held a long pole that went into the dark water, pushing the two of them along. White letters formed above its head. [Skeleton Ferryman - Level 1] A s-skeleton?! Eek! Is this the River Styx? Am I dead? ¡°E-excuse me, kind ferryman sir, where are you taking me?¡± It lifted a bony finger and pointed ahead of them. She leaned slightly over but could only see the same ominous fog. Charlotte shrugged, not seeing where it was pointing. She assumed they''d get to their destination eventually. She looked back to the ferryman and felt uncomfortable in its company but wasn''t sure how to go about her situation yet. A flashing in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she focused on it. It enlarged into a transparent window that bombarded her vision. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Error! Intrud¡ªNew user detected Randomized class selected Status screen now available Hey! Were you going to call me an intruder? How rude. The notifications were replaced by another window. Name: Charlotte Age: 18 Class: Muckmancer Level: 0 Skills: Identify Spells: Make-a-muck How does it know how old I was¡ªam? Levels? Class? I read too many light novels and played too many games to know what¡¯s going on. Maybe. Let¡¯s not dwell on the facts too much and jump right into it. Identify: Self-explanatory. Do you really need a description to know what this is? Oh¡­ I got the snarky system. Great. Anyway! So I¡¯m a Muckmancer. Make-a-muck: Create a slime to do your bidding. Slimes level up with caster. What kind of slimes? I hope that they¡¯re the cute slimes and not the other kind¡­ heh¡­ heh¡­ I don¡¯t have a staff or a wand so it might be innate magic? Time to give it a whirl! Charlotte giggled awkwardly and held out her hand to the middle of the boat. ¡°Make-a-muck!¡± Something was pulled out of her. The sensation trailed down her arm and out of her palm. A blue marble emerged from her skin and landed on the floor with a plop. It grew with each beat of her heart, wobbling in place like pudding. If she held her arms out in a circle, its final form would fit perfectly inside. Simply drawn eyes blinked at her. It yawned as if just waking up from a nap. Something fluttered in her heart and she put a hand to her chest. It¡¯s so cute! But that came out of me, right? Does that technically make this thing my baby?! I should have been more careful since I¡¯m on a boat. What if it had been a super boss slime?! She squealed and scooped the newborn into her arms. It squished against her and she rubbed her cheeks on its smooth and warm surface. It let out cute yips and pips from the affection, its cheeks slightly blushing. How could something like this exist! It reminds me of the game I played when I was little: Slime Crossing. Its cuteness is unrivaled! The best of the best! Award winning slime! Hearts replaced Charlotte¡¯s eyes and she wanted to spread the news of her newborn. She held it out in each hand and it let out another pip. Oof. Super-effective! Charlotte calmed down and placed the slime on her lap: its rightful lap-throne. ¡°You need a name.¡± She thought of a specific ranger who kicked bad guys¡¯ butts with super martial prowess and corny acting. ¡°Alright, I will call you: Muck Norris.¡± The slime pipped in approval. White lettering appeared above its body(head?). [Muck Norris - Level 0] ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to name them all as creatively as you but since you were created first, you get a cool name.¡± She looked to the silent ferryman who dared ignore the birth of her sweet baby coming into this dreary world. She wanted to tell the world and had to start somewhere. ¡°Mr. Ferryman! Look at my sweet Muck Norris. Isn¡¯t it the cutest?!¡± Charlotte wanted to make friendly chit-chat but the ferryman continued to ignore her. Her mouth split into a feral grin. How dare he! Charlotte puffed her cheeks out angrily. She lifted the newborn above her head and it let out a questionable yelp. ¡±LOOK AT ITTTTT!¡± She threw the shocked Muck Norris at the ferryman and it bumped into the cloaked figure with a boof. The ferryman sprawled forward wildly into the water like a silly cartoon character. It splashed around pathetically until its body sank into the waters. The poke vanished as well. Oops? Chapter 2: Muck 鈥楨m Up Another ferryman quickly reappeared at the front of the still-moving boat. It continued rowing as if nothing happened to its predecessor. Muck Norris was confused from the ferryman spawning right above it. It yipped angrily, causing the cloak to shift violently from its attempt to escape. ¡°Get off my baby!¡± Charlotte stood and shoved the new ferryman into the water. The same from before, it fell pathetically and drowned in the dark waters. She snatched her slime up just as another cloaked figure winked into existence. Argh! I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. All those main characters seem to know exactly what¡¯s going on but it¡¯s more confusing than it seems. My head hurts just thinking about it. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s EXP but maybe I¡¯ll know if I keep killing this defenseless ferryman. She leaned over and looked toward where they were going. They must have been getting closer since there was a dark coastline breaking through the fog. ¡°Time to relieve some pent up stress.¡± Charlotte set the slime down and stood directly behind the ferryman. She shifted her body sideways, lifted her leg, and shot it out with a ¡°hiyah!¡± The ferryman fell into the water just as the two before it. She brought her leg back and repeated the kicks over and over again until she was worn out. She opened the window and looked at the cookies awaiting her. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Level: 1 Skills: Identify, Extradimensional Storage Spells: Make-a-muck She pumped a fist in the air. Woohoo! Level 1! I got a new skill? Extradimensional Storage: An infinite space. Time will stop for objects that are inside of it. Can be used at any time. Cannot hold living things. Living things? Probably wouldn¡¯t work on undead or skeletons since something inside them is technically living, right? Something inside the space caught her attention and she inspected it. Money? Why is there so much gold? Did it bring my money along?! She silently thanked whatever was responsible for bringing it along. After all, it was her most prized possession in her last life. So this world uses gold, silver, copper system, huh? Better than the crappy paper money the states used. She summoned two more slimes and they all plopped out of her hand onto the boat. They were similar in size to Muck Norris. [Slime - Level 1] They come out the same level as me just like the description said. Now Muck Norris has siblings to keep it company while mama''s working. She turned back to the ferryman, cracking her knuckles and stretching her neck. Alright! Let¡¯s level for them and so I can live an easy life! Not sure how long this will work but it sure does feel good to work out this body! The kick faltered as a realization dawned on her. Am I making babies so I don¡¯t have to work hard like those insanely large families who make their kids do most of the labor from a young age?! She shook her head and focused on the task before her, ignoring their innocent looks jabbing into the back of her head. No! I¡¯m just thinking of our safety first! Overleveling in games was always my top priority! ¡°HORHORHORHORHOR!!¡± She roared. A maniacal laugh echoed across the dark waters. Chapter 3: Land Ho! After an hour of alternating both legs and running herself ragged, Charlotte melted onto the comfortable pile of squishy slimes that grew over the last hour. Charlotte opened her status sheet again. All that work and only level 3? Makes sense since the ferryman is only level 1. No new skills either. The fog they had been drifting in suddenly split open and gave way to a clearing. A short beach curved up into a path that led further up. It would have been perfect except for the child-sized figures that were scavenging around. One of the creatures noticed her boat and soon the others gathered around where they would wash ashore. Are those crabs? They''re huge! More like monster crabs. Her grin split her face as she stood up. Time to put the kids to work. ¡°Swim ashore and wipe those crabs out!¡± She pointed toward the beach. The slimes yipped in unison. Muck Norris was the first into the water, the rest trailing after. They swiftly swam toward the beach and she couldn¡¯t help but think of how they looked like sea lions getting ready to invade a beach of pathetic loungers who dared invade their territory. The sludge-like water beaded off of the surface of the slimes. The crabs stood their ground on the beach instead of coming in after them, pacing slightly and waddling back when the waters got closer. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The first slime made it to the sand, not a trace of black sludge on it. She considered going in herself but the slimes were made differently so she quickly plucked that idea out. Who knows what that water will do to my skin. No thanks. The crabs slashed the slimes with their clawed limbs but failed to penetrate the surface of the invading blobs. They slid off and some attempted to pierce but failed. A slime opened its mouth and in the crab went. The crab was broken down into nothingness. Each slime had consumed quite a few crabs. I bet those crabs would be tasty grilled over a fire. She wiped the drool from her mouth. It was a one-sided slaughter. Charlotte was proud of the fighting prowess her children had hidden from her for so long(an hour). I wouldn''t want to be on the receiving end. Heh. Heh. I guess my one spell is handy afterall. Crime fighting slimes is all this muckmancer needs! The fighting was over in minutes and her boat made it to shore. Charlotte hopped off, landing with a plop on the crunchy sand. She quickly strode to the dry part of the sand to avoid water potentially staining her shoes. The ferryman flipped the boat around with ease. It took off in the direction they came without a word, still humming like it was some madman. She waved after it, ¡°Thanks for the lovely chit-chat.¡± Not. She stuck her tongue out at the ferryman and looked around at the slimes. They slid along the shifting sands, Muck Norris leading them to their master. ¡°Good job, everybody!¡± She smiled, praising and petting each of them as they rubbed against her legs. Just before Charlotte was thinking of what to do now that they made it to land, notifications bombarded her vision. Congratulations traveler! Quest feature unlocked! Chapter 4: Abandoned Village Quests? That sounds exciting but I want to look around first. Figure out where I am. There was a thin opening in the prickly bushes. It looked like it led deeper into the forest. It was an overgrown path and dark except for the glowing flowers and drifting spores. She made sure all the slimes were by her. They all filed into the tunnel and down the path, carefully shuffling along. They were surrounded by beautiful flowers and vines. She tried not to touch the glowing flora in case it had negative effects. The soft sand eventually turned to dirt. The path was narrow and they were all single file. Chirps from birds were peaceful and above them perched on a sturdy vine was a white and blue bird. I haven¡¯t even looked in the mirror yet! I¡¯m not even sure what I look like. Another thing to add to my list. Charlotte paused and felt around her body, the slimes all plopped together and watched their master grope herself. She stretched her face and sighed in relief. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Everything feels normal. This definitely isn¡¯t my body so did I really die on Earth? It¡¯s my body now so loser¡¯s weepers or whatever the saying goes. They continued on and the path grew wider, stretching into a clearing. There was a wooden archway that looked like it would break any second. It connected to a tall pole. A simple flag flapped in the breeze. A low stone wall of misshaped rounded rocks was covered in moss and overgrown weeds. It wrapped around the village. There were sticks lying around and rocks missing from the wall that had been left in the ferns and tall grass. A main road led to the other side of the village. Buildings sat on either side looking in with doors hanging off hinges and windows broken, webs filling the empty spaces. Uhh. Is there going to be a giant monster spider I have to worry about? Charlotte stopped at the first building and looked in just as a gust of wind blew. The slam of a door nearly startled her out of her shoes. She let out a squeak of fright and squatted down, curling into a ball and holding her arms over her head. Her slimes surrounded her defensively, looking around for danger. "G-g-g-ghost???" She whispered, slowly looking back over her shoulder with wide, startled eyes. Chapter 5: Muck Norris Vs. Horned Rabbits Nope-nope-nope! Ghosts are the worst at introducing your empty plot of land, those games always lead to turning dead bodies into hamburgers to feed to unwitting townspeople who have way too many fetch quests! Several seconds passed and nothing appeared or made further noises other than the flapping of the flag. Nobody is coming out to greet me. It¡¯s safe to assume this place is deserted. Charlotte pet her slimes, silently thanking them for protecting her. She went to the first building that didn¡¯t look like it would cave in on her. She stepped up the creaky steps. The house had a single, large room with a curtain separating the thin bed and common area. A dusty woodstove sat in the middle with cut wood stacked sloppily next to it. An old, dirty pack hung on the back of a chair pushed to a table. She inspected it and fortunately it had no mold or holes. The kitchen had a single counter nook with a large bowl she assumed was the sink. She looked through a small window to see the overgrown garden in the backyard. Pewter cups and bowls were in the lower cabinets and she used a long wooden spoon to fend off the cobwebs. She stuffed one cup and bowl into her pack after dusting them off with a dirty linen cloth she found on the table. She cinched the bag and was about to leave but a sheathed knife hanging by the doorway caught her eye. It would probably be best to have something to protect myself. There might be monsters or kidnappers with tattoos who only use gangsign to communicate. I doubt they''d understand my ninjutsu hand signs but then again, they might think I''m their new boss and try to adopt me. She chuckled at the crazy thought. I''m sure the spiders or ghosts won''t be needing any of this stuff anyway. She nodded to herself approvingly and took it from the wall, unsheathing it. It¡¯s not bad but needs sharpening. Some of the slimes followed her into the building and were looking around curiously. She put the knife in the bag for now and gave the room another lookover. Can we make this village our own or keep looking? What if whoever was here before comes back and kills us? Charlotte grabbed a pewter cup and wiped the thick dust off of it. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Nobody¡¯s been here for quite some time. There¡¯s plenty of space for all of us and I¡¯ll be making more slimes. This would make a good base but it needs some TLC. She went outside and rounded up the slimes, looking at each of them in turn. ¡°Do you all want to live here? We can make it a lovely home.¡± Muck Norris let out a pip and the rest joined in merrily. It was decided. ¡°Good! Now go forth and clean the village. Make it suitable for your Mucklord.¡± She laughed like an evil boss and clapped her hands once. In unison, they all pipped, taking off in their own directions like animals from a specific singing movie with cleaning animals that seem to know exactly what to do. She watched them scatter around, Muck Norris staying by her side. ¡°Come with me to find a river or something. We¡¯re this close to the ocean but I need something¡­cleaner.¡± She led the way to the opposite end. The slimes were scooting stuff around with their bodies and picking up stones with their mouths to place back on the stone wall. She beamed at their helpfulness. This place will look great in no time! Charlotte and Muck Norris left the village and found themselves in a thick forest that twisted with brambles with strange berries on them. ¡°A stable food source?¡± She grabbed one, squishing it between her fingers. She rubbed the goop on the back of her hand while they trotted along. She kept her ears alert for running water. My skin¡¯s not reacting to the berries. They might be okay then. She licked the back of her hand and waited another moment. The path disappeared under an overgrown patch of thick vines that hung from the wide trees. She plopped the berry into her mouth. A growling caused Charlotte to look back at Muck Norris but it wasn¡¯t coming from her slime. She looked around and this time heard another growl from within the nearest brambles. A tiny rabbit no more than a foot long, bounced out. Two horns stuck out of its head. Its mouth curled back, revealing sharp canines. She read the horrifying letters above the rabid monster. [Horned Rabbit - Level 2] Charlotte trembled. This dull knife is nothing compared to those massive fangs. They¡¯re as long as my hands! I¡¯m not ready to fight! What if this thing one shots me?! It hopped to them and she fell back on her butt, scooting away. It hopped again and she turned tail and ran. ¡°I never want to see another one of those ever again!¡± Muck Norris adventures #1 Muck Norris watched its master run. A shadowed figure¡ªnot quite as tall as its master¡ªcaught its attention as it emerged from the ground. The figure rose slowly and stumbled clumsily toward the village. The slime ignored it and turned its attention back to the rabbit. Master. Command. Two tentacles shot out, instantly breaking the distance. They gripped the horns and consumed the thrashing beast in its gooey mouth and chomped down viciously. Another growl came from the brambles. And then another. Muck Norris turned its beady black eyes toward the monsters. Dozens of rabbits appeared, seeking vengeance. Never. See. Again. Chapter 6: Muckmancer Pulls Some Weeds Charlotte made it back to the village and collapsed to the ground on hands and knees, the slimes on this end of the village slid up to her. Concern written on their faces. She took a deep breath and smiled at her slimes to let them know she was unharmed. That was a close one. It would have gobbled me up in one bite! No adventures for me, no way. It''s the farm life for this girl and that''s that. We¡¯ll build this village up and tear down the forest for more room eventually. I can come up with some filter for the ocean water. She turned back and noticed Muck Norris wasn¡¯t there. She looked around and it was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Muck Norris! Where are you?¡± Panic laced her voice and her face blanched. Thoughts of the beast tearing apart her baby were quickly replaced with fantasies of her eldest slime defeating yet another crook. Muck Norris is out there alone¡ªhopefully still alive. Here I am moping about and wasting my day one. Day one is the most crucial in any farm simulator. I didn''t receive any free seeds or basic tools so I''m behind on my max-min goals! Her eyes fell to the stone wall, targeting the weeds that threatened her existence. The disruptions of the beautiful craftsmanship that made up this glorious wall. She shimmied over and plucked one of the weeds. It was a faded green with brown crunchy leaves and a dark shriveled, thorny flower similar to a thistle. Identify revealed they were harmless but nothing more than that. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. They just look like weeds to me. I¡¯ll make a pile for now and experiment with them later. Charlotte''s hands blurred as she pulled them out, a pile forming behind her as she cleansed the wall of its blemishes. After some time, she stood and wiped the sweat from her brow with a dirty hand. A smudge was smeared across her forehead and she let out a deep, satisfied sigh. A bath sounds nice¡­ But whew man, I could do that all day. She looked over at the two piles of weeds that were up to her knees and she fist pumped the air with a victorious smile. About three meters of the wall was spotless. Just as she delivered the killing blow on the final weed, a notification distracted her. What? A level up from pulling weeds? That doesn¡¯t sound right but I¡¯ll take the freebie. No, that¡¯s not right. Levels are shared between slimes and myself. Did Muck Norris somehow survive triumphantly and is fighting its way home? She looked north and then summoned more slimes, sending them to work with the rest in the village. We¡¯ll await your victorious return, Lone Ranger! Charlotte plucked more weeds and tossed them into the pile. The sky seemed to be lightening and she yawned from all the events that had transpired. With all of my slimes around, I feel pretty safe. I hope Muck Norris comes home soon. She left her pile of weeds and went into the first house she found the knife at. The mess was slightly better and the slimes shoved the broken items into the corner. She didn¡¯t bother starting the fireplace since the temperature didn¡¯t feel too bad. Charlotte looked at her filthy dress, pulled it off and shook it outside the house. The dust didn¡¯t fall off so she slipped it back over her head. Everything is filthy anyway. She laid down on the disheveled bed. Tomorrow I will find water. Dreams took her. Chapter 7: Glimpses Of A Dream Charlotte appeared in a familiar room. She watched a young woman who sat in a dark room with her knees folded on a rolling computer chair. A large fluffy blanket was wrapped around her and she wore cute pajamas with slimes printed on them. Huge glasses reflected the bright light from her monitor screen as she clattered away on the keyboard and mouse. ¡°Yes! A moon slime. Now I can feed it the cat poop and create better fertilizer for my kitslimes!¡± A mound of untamed brown hair swooshed back and forth when she pushed herself away from the desk, spinning the chair around happily with arms spread wide. ¡°Now I just need to go find a rocky roller and bring it hom¡ª¡± A pounding on the door spooked her out of the chair, the pink headphones clattered to the ground. Her hand had knocked over the glass of water and landed through the casing of the big flashing computer sitting on the floor. The screen flickered and went black. The component hissed and sputtered with shock. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Her jaw dropped and her heart quickened. ¡°Dad¡¯s last gift to me¡­ it¡¯s ruined.¡± ¡°Dammit, Charlie! Are you still playing that blasted game? It¡¯s three in the morning! Go to bed already! You have an interview in a few hours! I wish your father never bought you Crime Crossing. You''re not a kid anymore! Are you even listening to me?! And I asked you to stop rolling arou¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Slime Crossing, Mom!¡± She yelled back at the door, tears pattering onto the floor. The pounding continued as the young woman slumped to the ground in defeat. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than get a job. But now I need to get this fixed.¡± The young woman mumbled to herself. And it won¡¯t be cheap. All of a sudden, the room rumbled violently. The monitor fell forward and the young woman scrambled away. She ran to the door but when she turned the knob, fire consumed them both. . . . Charlotte jolted upright from the bed and she heard a scream. ¡°Help!¡±