Clarifications:
-"Person Talking"-
-(Person Thinking)-
-
[Skills or Magic]
(JC: Author's Notes)
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Let's start
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The path from the underground lake to the surface took the form of a single path. With a few steps, I climbed the path. Even the places where the light didn't reach were perfectly visible with [Magic Perception].
Now I moved as if I were walking normally, but I could also run. I didn't tire either, but because I had no reason to rush, I moved at a moderate pace.
A short time later, a giant door appeared before my eyes.
A human made the interior structure of the cave; nothing strange about that. But that's because this development is common in those RPGs. It's normal to have a door in front of the boss room.
-(So... How should I open it?)- I began to think while looking at the door in front of me. -(Should I cut it with a [Water Blade]?)-
When I thought that...
*Gigigiiii!*
With a creaking sound, the door opened.
A little nervous that it was a Monster, I did something embarrassing.
I turned into a Steel Slime... It was really embarrassing, even though no one saw me!
-
-(Don't laugh, Ddraig!)-
I hid by the side of the road and observed the situation.
-"It finally opened, huh. The lock came undone and the doors rusted..."-
-"Hey, that's to be expected. Didn't they say no one's broken in here for three hundred years?"-
-"Not officially, at least. But more importantly, are we really going to be okay? We're not going to be attacked all of a sudden, are we?"-
-"Gahahaha! Don't worry. He may have been unmatched three hundred years ago, but times have changed. I mean, he's not just a big lizard! I've subjugated Basilisks myself. Leave it to me!"-
-"About that, I've been wondering for a while, but that's a lie, isn't it? Basilisks are ranked B+, right? Subjugating just one would be impossible for Cabal-san, wouldn't it?"-
-"Fool! I'm a B-rank myself! They're big lizards; there's no problem at all!"-
-"Well, Okay, I understand, then... Could you please not let your guard down? Well, if it comes to that, I'll escape using forced retreat."-
-"Guys, I understand the degree of your friendship, so please rest assured? You're dissipating my [Stealth] Skill."-
Somehow, a boisterous trio had entered. Composed of two men and a woman.
-(I wonder... Why do I understand their words?)-
<
-(I understand. I can understand them, but I won't be able to speak to them.)-
I honestly doubt they speak Japanese or any other language from my world. I would have no choice but to learn their language. It won't be difficult. I've learned to speak more than five different languages. Also, with the help of the [Great Sage] Skill and the [Prodigy] Skill, learning to speak their language will be very easy.
Well, let's postpone that matter for now.
-(Now, what should I do?)-
This dilemma is worse than the last one, "how to open the door."
I don't know what they came here for... But they seem to be adventurers.
-(Did they come looking for treasure and stuff?)-
They're the first humans I've encountered in this world. I want to go and greet them.
But... If I appear as a Slime Monster, who then transforms into a human...
I'd definitely be killed…
It'll have to wait for now. Meeting humans will have to wait until I learn more about this world. For now, I'll observe the situation in hiding.
After the thin man did something, the three of them's appearance faded. But I can still see them.
-(He called this... [Stealth]?)- Probably some kind of Skill. -(Is he just trying to sneak a peek? What an outrageous guy... Does he even know why they came here?)-
I should probably get to know him later.
When the three of them had finally left, I started moving again. Nothing to worry about. It's not like I'm going to meet people yet.
I'll move while checking every step. As people always say, "Haste makes waste."
Leaving these matters for later, I quickly passed through the door in case the three of them returned. Just beyond the gates, the path diverged and became quite complex.
I took advantage of the situation and returned to my normal form.
-(Burr~, I won't transform into a Steel Slime again,)- I thought with an internal shudder, then looked at the new path in front of me. -(I wonder which path leads to the surface?)-
Even if I think about it, there's no way I'll know.
I chose a path and headed down.
.....
.....
...
....
.....
*Chirori Chiro!*
Our eyes met....
-(Hmm?!)-
Before my eyes, there was a gigantic, ominous-looking snake, jet-black with spiny scales, tough skin, and an appearance that made the snakes of my world seem positively adorable.
-(Okay... Let's try to move away)-
-
-(Don't interfere!)-
*Kisha-!*
They threatened me.
No good. "I won't let you go!" Or that's what I'd probably say if I could hear it.
-(You know what?! If you want a fight, you'll have a fight!)-
I quickly drew Kuroma and stood in front of the giant snake. But even so... You have to be determined to die if you want to fight this beast.
But after seeing it clearly and comparing it to the mighty Veldora, the giant snake no longer seemed very threatening or frightening.
After calming down, I began calmly observing the snake. The snake seems to have let its guard down, thinking I was so scared I couldn't move. It's probably plotting how it's going to eat me.
With a twitch, the snake lunged at me.
-(Oh well, let's not hold back...)-
Just inches away from biting my face, I quickly dodged it by spinning around it, then...
*Swiiiiiiing!*
Slicing its neck with a single slash.
*Zuban!! Hyuuuun, dosu. Gorogoro... zun*
-"Haha, I did it!"-
-
-"Yeah, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought."-
-(Was the snake weak, or have I become stronger?)- After thinking about that, I shrugged. -(Meh~, never mind. The important thing is that I stay alive.)-
Now, about this snake. -(If I eat it and analyze it, would I steal its Skills?)-
In the end, I decided to give it a try.
The result...
<
<
In the end, I was able to completely steal its Skills...
-(As always, [Predator] is amazing!)-
But I put my internal celebration aside. It was time to look at the Skills.
First, there's the Intrinsic Skill [Heat Detection], which gives me the ability to see nearby heat sources. Furthermore, camouflage-related Skills are nullified.
As for the Intrinsic Skill [Poison Breath], it gives me the ability to release a powerful, corrosive, toxic breath. It fires out in a 120-degree radius for a distance of seven meters.
Along with these two Skills, I could also mimic the snake.
The poison's main effect seems to be corrosive damage; damage to both equipment and flesh. -(It would be quite effective against normal adventurers, huh?)-
It seems the snake was dangerous in the end... Although with the Magic of this world, it could only be an easy victory.
And so I spent some time analyzing the Skills of this snake I had just defeated. The more cards in my hand, the better.
The results:
1. Imitating the black snake by increasing my body size.
2. The Skills I had just obtained could be invoked without having to mimic the snake's form, though their performance might suffer as a result.
To go into more detail:
1. I could break down and store the monsters I consumed with [Predator] in my [Stomach]. I had used [Predator] on my own body to repair damage, and this provided some spare cells to help with that, in other words.
2. "Intrinsic Skills" seemed to be Skills exclusive to a certain type of monster. However, to use Intrinsic Skills, I needed to take the form of the monster in question, or else I wouldn't be able to tame them every time. I could still use them partially, however, and some Skills, like [Heat Detection], seemed to work well in both cases.
Putting it all together: [Predator] is incredibly cool. I couldn't wait to find other useful Skills with this thing.
....
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...
....
.....
Three days had passed after my battle with the snake. I was still in the cave. I couldn't feel heat or cold or anything, but from what I knew, it was pretty chilly in here.
I had yet to see a single ray of sunlight, but my vision was still working fine in the dark. However, some anxiety was starting to creep into my head... I mean, technically I knew it wasn't possible, but I couldn't help but consider it.
-"... I'm not lost, right?"-
-(No. I couldn't be, right?)- I'll be fine. It was probably just a really long walk. Although not knowing the exact path made me a little nervous. -(Was there any way I could get help with that?)-
<
-"Pfft..."-
I laughed at myself.
-(Are you kidding me?! If I had something like that, why didn't you tell me before?!)-
Of course, I immediately chose [YES].
I examined the map that flashed in my mind.
-(Am I reading this right? It seems I've been circling the same area over and over again...)-
-
-"I don't know how to defend myself against that..."-
Not knowing how to defend myself against that, I continued on my walk... This time going the right way.
-(Note to self: From now on, use [Great Sage] more efficiently)-
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...
....
.....
Following the map in my brain, I delved into a section of the cave I'd never bothered to attempt before. There, I was greeted by a sight that had completely eluded me for the past three days.
-"Hehehe. I guess I was lost after all. Struck down like this... This must be one hell of a cave... That's why I got lost in the first place."-
-
-(You stay out of it!)-
I must have gotten closer to the entrance, into the open air. Moss and weeds were starting to appear on the walls and floor. And I didn't know where the sun was, but the light, dim as it was, was starting to make its way inside. Which meant it was daytime.
Along the way, I had a few other monster encounters. To be exact:
A centipede monster ("Evil Centipede", Rank B+).
A large spider ("Black Spider", Rank B).
A vampire bat ("Giant Bat", Rank C+).
A large lizard with shells ("Armorsaurus", Rank B-).
A giant chameleon ("Killer Chameleon", Rank B-)
However, no more of those black snakes. Maybe that was the only one.
They were all quite strong. Not that I'm one to talk, given that just using Kuroma, a few [Water Blades], and some [Lightning] was enough to end a battle by itself.
But the bat boy dodged my blades long enough for me to get a few bites in, and my attacks simply bounced off the lizard boy's body if I didn't hit him at the right angle.
Not all of them would go down easily. The centipede concealed itself enough to attack me from behind, but between [Magic Perception] and [Heat Detection], it had its sights set on my surroundings, so I was fully prepared. A [Water Blade] launched behind me was all it took to end that encounter.
Back to the monsters. Another was the chameleon, who was able to camouflage himself in his surroundings. But this chameleon's fighting style was disgusting! It uses its long tongue to strike while hiding.
I was lucky enough to grab its tongue, much to my chagrin, and send an electric current through it with [Lightning Manipulation] and kill it.
-(Burr~, I'm never doing that again)-
Therefore, when the black spider appeared, I decided not to waste time like I had with the previous monsters and go all out. I fired five [Water Blades] at once, thrusting deep into its thorax. That quick thought alone made that fight last much less than the previous ones.
Between this and that, I managed to absorb quite a few monsters in this cave. Let's review the Skills I acquired.
Black Snake: [Poison Breath] and [Heat Detection].
Centipede: [Paralyzing Breath].
Big Spider: [Sticky Thread] and [Steel Thread].
Vampire Bat: [Vampirism] and [Ultrasonic Wave].
Shell Lizard: [Body Armor].
Giant Chameleon: [Camouflage].
Every time you get a new toy, you want to use it, right? Same here. So I took advantage of [Great Sage] to research all the Skills I'd picked up.
Basically, I won't be using the snake's [Poison Breath]. In fact, I transformed so I could test it against the lizard, and... Well. All that armor was no good against the Armorsaurus. It literally melted into a puddle of goo before my eyes. The most disgusting thing I'd ever seen, all those organs and chunks of flesh all over the place.
I had to spray another round of mist to break down the remaining chewable parts.
Truly, this breath was too great a force to be reckoned with. I didn't want to use it too much, if possible. [Heat Detection], however, was incredible. Almost every living creature emits heat. Combining this with [Magic Perception] meant it was nearly impossible to ambush me. There was no telling what kind of Magic or Special Abilities I'd run into once I started dealing with humans or high-level intelligent monsters, so I couldn't afford to let my guard down.
Next up, the centipede. I barely wanted to mimic that guy, how he looked and all; and that said, he had nothing against insects in general. His breath had roughly the same range as the black snake, and his form was roughly the same size as well.
As I figured, trying to use it in my normal form limited the range to only about a meter. It could be useful for a surprise attack, I suppose.
The lizard armor, as I mentioned, offered no resistance to [Poison Breath]. I couldn't expect much from it. Besides, I already had Physical Attack Resistance, so there wasn't much point. Using it in my normal form just made my outer surface a bit harder. It gave my body a nice black metallic sheen; whatever it was that did to me must have changed the way light reacted to my surface.
However, I didn't want to test how I took damage with it, so its effect remained a mystery. Still, that little extra tint might help scare my enemies into submission.
Absorbing those three. The real meat, so to speak, lay in the other three. They were damn fascinating.
First, the spider. Who wouldn't want to imitate that famous superhero who does all things spidery? Shooting webs from his hands powerful enough to let him swing across skyscrapers, and all that?
[Sticky Thread], apparently, was originally intended to allow the user to encase their prey in webs, rendering them immobile.
As for [Steel Thread], I'm guessing this is meant to block your enemy's attack. The spider uses it to help it create an effective web. So I pulled out a thread and lashed it at a tree.
*Whoosh! Snap!*
And immediately cut through the trunk...
With [Magic Perception], I could tell that this [Steel Thread] would be extremely difficult for the human eye to detect. If I worked with it a bit, I bet it could make a decent weapon. I spent a bit of time doing exactly that in case it came in handy later.
Next, the bat. To be honest, out of this whole zoo, I had the highest expectations for the bat.
But, I mean, jeez, [Vampirism]. If it hits, you could use 70% of your target's Skills for a limited period of time.
Unfortunately, it was useless. [Predator] was much more effective. Talk about a precipitous drop in quality. And what's the point of sucking someone's blood when you can analyze their data instead?
I'll throw that aside...
[Ultrasonic Wave], on the other hand, piqued my interest. This Skill had the effect of confusing your enemies or making them lose consciousness, but it was originally used for echolocation. Like the bats on my home planet, you could use these sound waves to determine exactly where you and other objects were positioned.
And last but not least, the chameleon.
[Camouflage] allowed me to hide in the environment around me. Just like the chameleons on Earth. Build, shape, color—everything could mimic the Skill. A useful Skill for concealment, unless you have the [Magic Perception] and [Heat Detection] Skills.
-(I bet that pervert would kill to have this Skill)-
The funny thing about all this Monster and Skill stuff is that I gained two types of Resistances during the fights.
How was that possible?
It was thanks to the Unique Skill [Prodigy].
During the fight against the Centipede, before my attack finished it off, it was able to attack me with its [Paralyzing Breath], but it only lasted a few seconds, before I got a notification...
<
And so it was with other Monsters...
In the fight against the Vampire Bat, I gained Resistance to Ultrasonic Waves after being attacked with its Skill [Ultrasonic Waves].
Officially. The Skill [Prodigy] is also OP.
Looking back, I had acquired a bunch of Skills in fairly short order as I wandered around, continuing my research while searching for the exit.
And though it took a while, I finally made it. The outside. The first time I got to enjoy the sunlight of this world.
And then...
-"Kyuu~"-
A wail of pain sounded in front of me.
-"Is someone or something hurt? A monster, perhaps?"-
After taking a few steps outside, I could see a small, jet-black puppy lying injured on the ground.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!
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Author's Notes
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Please note that this story is mostly centered around Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken and another novel that you may recognize. Please also note that Rimuru is completely replaced by my own character (Yukimaru). You are warned.
Disclaimers:
The character or story mentioned from an anime, or novel, does not belong to me. Instead, it belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi (High School DxD), Fuse, Mitz Vah (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken) and Patora Fuyuhara (Isekai wa Smartphone to Tomo ni)
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Upcoming chapters (Spoilers):
Chapter 7- The Cub and the Goblin Village
Chapter 8- Battle in the Goblin Village
Chapter 9- Evolution and Travel Preparations