Here's the extra chapter for reaching 200 collections.
Unwanted Omens
"I must say, this place is really interesting," Joe remarked as he examined the spear in his hand with curiosity. His fingers traced the horn tip, testing its sharpness with an absent-minded gesture.
Meanwhile, Dean walked a few steps behind Alfred and Joe, clearly uncomfortable with the weapon he had been given. His eyes moved from side to side, scanning the surroundings as if searching for something that would convince him more than a simple spear. It didn't take him long to find it: a long, straight branch with a firm texture.
He stepped closer and tested it with both hands, checking its flexibility. After a few seconds, he nodded, satisfied.
Alfred, who had been watching him in silence, immediately understood what he intended to do. Without a word, he handed Dean an improvised hatchet"a sharpened stone securely tied to a short wooden handle. Dean accepted the tool with a grateful nod and, with precise movements, began peeling the bark from the branch. The stone blade scraped the wood as he rotated it carefully, polishing it until it was completely clean. Each cut was steady, as if he had done this many times before.
"String or leather?" he asked once he finished, without taking his eyes off his project.
Alfred rummaged in his improvised bag and pulled out a thick strip of leather coiled like a rope. He tossed it to him without a word.
Dean caught it and examined it attentively, stretching it firmly between his hands to test its strength. Once he was satisfied, he tied one end securely to the branch. Then he leaned down, using the weight of his body to bend the wood, shaping it into the curved form he needed. He tied the other end with a reinforced knot, creating a primitive but sturdy bow.
"Ooh. Looks good," Joe commented with interest as he watched. "Now you'll have to find some arrows."
Dean simply slung the bow over his back and nodded seriously. He knew he would come across smaller branches along the way to craft his projectiles.
They didn't have to walk much further before their first enemies appeared: three horned rabbits emerging from the underbrush with aggressive movements and eyes gleaming with wild mana.
"They're tough… and if they hit us head-on with those horns, they could kill us in a single strike," Alfred explained calmly while he twirled the spear in his hand. His voice showed no nervousness, but neither did it underestimate the threat. He said nothing more; he knew there was no need.
The three rabbits lunged at them all at once.
Joe stepped forward and planted his feet firmly. He held the spear with both hands, pointing the tip downward as the first rabbit charged straight for his stomach. When the creature was mid-jump, Joe brought the spear down in a sharp motion, stabbing it forcefully in the back. The impact echoed through the clearing. Before the rabbit could react, he kicked it violently, sending it tumbling to the side.
Without giving it a chance to recover, Joe lifted the spear over his shoulder and hurled it with precision. The point pierced the creature's abdomen with a dull crunch. Wasting no time, he ran over, yanked the weapon free, and began delivering rapid, merciless thrusts. Each strike landed on its legs, gradually weakening it. By the fifth stab, the rabbit could barely move, left completely defenseless.
Alfred, meanwhile, held his spear with flawless technique. He recalled the combo he had taught Loli and the others and began to execute it. His spear rose in a broad arc, struck the rabbit square in the chest, then swept down in a swift spin. Each attack kicked up small clouds of dust as the creature tried to back away. But Alfred gave it no chance, chaining precise thrusts one after another, pushing it back step by step until the final blow left it motionless.
Dean fought in a completely different style. He dodged each lunge with short, sideways steps, letting the rabbit's charge slide past his side. Then he took advantage of the opening, striking quickly, using his spear as if it were a dagger. During one of the clashes, the branch that held the horn tip snapped partially, leaving the weapon even shorter"practically a sharpened horn knife. Even so, Dean didn't lose his composure. The magical enhancement remained intact on the tip, so he kept dodging calmly and counterattacking with precise stabs. He managed up to three cuts in each exchange, methodically wearing down his enemy's stamina.
In less than two minutes, all three rabbits lay motionless on the grass.
"This is fun… but it's still too easy," Joe remarked as he inspected the rabbit corpse he had just finished off. His spear, stained with dark blood, caught a faint glimmer of light filtering through the leaves.
"Let's gather the materials. We can sell them and buy better equipment for the lady," Alfred suggested in his usual calm tone, wiping his spear with a coarse rag.
Dean nodded silently. Joe shrugged, as if he couldn't care less, and together they began collecting the horns, hides, and crystallized mana fragments the rabbits had dropped.
Once the work was done, the three adventurers ventured deeper into the forest, ready for their next hunt.
…
Around three in the afternoon in Drunai, Joe, Dean, and Alfred returned to the settlement. Behind them came Edward as well, accompanied by his small army of slimes advancing in a neat line like a personal escort.
Joe and Dean had reached level 6 in just three hours, a pace that surpassed any other player so far. But it wasn't only because of the number of horned rabbits they had slain; their real advantage was the combat experience none of the others possessed.
When Sig and Bert saw them arriving, they exchanged a sober look. It was clear that bringing Dean and Joe together had been the best decision they had made since arriving in this world.
Meanwhile, Edward had accomplished something that made everyone hold their breath in astonishment: on just his second day hunting, he had already reached level 10. Bert and the others felt, even if they didn't want to admit it, that everything they'd done up to that point had been little more than wasting time. Even so, they kept telling themselves that their slow progress was because they'd dedicated themselves to other tasks besides hunting, and they also didn't have weapons enhanced with special upgrades. Those small advantages doubled the damage and made a massive difference.
It took them ten minutes to bring down a single rabbit; Joe and Dean, only five. On top of that, the two had a discipline in combat that the rest simply couldn't match.
"Um… Can I ask something?" Edward broke the silence, his gaze fixed on the floating interface in front of him. "I have three evolution options… or something called 'Return to Spirit.' According to this, it resets all my evolutions and leaves me with just enough experience to unlock the first one again."
"What exactly do you want to know?" Bert asked, a bit confused by the question.
"Honestly, I don't know anything about games… I don't even fully understand what I am now. So I was hoping you could give me some advice. These are my three evolution options," Edward explained, before listing the options that appeared in front of him.
Devourer Slime – Rank 1
"Devourer Slime Rank 1"
[Rank 1 – Rare Rarity]
Type: Devouring Creature
Class: Slime
Defense: High
Damage: Moderate
Durability: Very High
Abilities:
• Enhanced Digestion – Quickly dissolves materials, absorbing nutrients that temporarily increase its size.
• Acidic Mucus – Secretes an acid that reduces the enemy's defense on contact.
Description:
An evolution that reinforces its natural abilities and increases its stable size up to one meter in diameter, giving it a more intimidating appearance and greater pressure over its prey.
Echo Devourer Slime
"Echo Devourer Slime"
[Rank 1 – Rare Rarity]
Type: Devouring Creature
Class: Replicating Slime
Defense: Medium
Damage: Moderate
Durability: High
Abilities:
• Echo Division – When taking damage, it releases fragments that transform into smaller replicas with part of its stats.
• Voracious Resonance – If its clones attack the same target, total damage increases by 20%.
Description:
After evolving, its body grows to about one meter in diameter, storing enough biomass to spawn several clones without immediately weakening itself.
Parasitic Devourer Slime
"Parasitic Devourer Slime"
[Rank 1 – Rare Rarity]
Type: Devouring/Parasitic Creature
Class: Infectious Slime
Defense: Low
Damage: Moderate
Durability: Medium
Abilities:
• Cloning Infection – Can attach to a target and generate tiny internal clones that slowly consume it.
• Stealth Devourer – If it remains motionless, it camouflages itself and doubles its digestion speed when ambushing prey.
Description:
The increase in mass from this evolution allows it to expand up to nearly one meter in diameter, making it easier to completely envelop small or medium-sized human prey.
"All three sound very interesting… but the first one seems to be a direct upgrade of your current race," Bert analyzed seriously, folding his arms. "The second is clearly focused on your clones. And the third… well, it sounds pretty terrifying."
"Yeah… To be honest, I don't want to see something getting eaten from the inside out… especially if it's by green slime," Edward muttered with an uncomfortable look.
"Well, then it's simple. The first one seems geared toward lowering the enemy's defense and withstanding more damage. The second increases your potential damage and strengthens your clones. If you plan to keep hunting alone, I'd recommend the second one. But if you want to be part of a team, the first is the safer choice," Bert concluded calmly.
"I see… that makes sense," Edward replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he turned to look at his clones, which were lined up waiting. "Then… I'll go with the second one."
Without any further hesitation, he selected the evolution. Instantly, a green glow began to envelop him. His body slowly grew larger, and the viscous mass that used to drip like liquid became denser and more compact, covered by a translucent layer that made the contours of his gelatinous form more distinct.
───────────────────────────────
STATUS PANEL
───────────────────────────────
Name: Edward
Level: 10
Race Level: 1
Race: Replicating Slime (Low Mid Tier, Physical Type, Rare Race)
Title: Unstable Form
───────────────────────────────
STATS
───────────────────────────────
Health: 280
Mana: 60
Damage: 4
Defense: 13
Strength: 10
Endurance: 21
Intelligence: 8
Speed: 16
Dexterity: 6
Luck: 5 (fixed)
───────────────────────────────
ABILITIES
───────────────────────────────
• Echo Division – Level 1
• Voracious Resonance – Level 1
• Near-Perfect Form
• Enhanced Devourer
• Non-Physical Body
───────────────────────────────
EQUIPMENT
───────────────────────────────
• Horned Rabbit Spear (+2 Damage)
• Wolf Hide Leather Vest (+10 Defense, +1 Endurance)
───────────────────────────────
PROFESSIONS
───────────────────────────────
None
───────────────────────────────
AVAILABLE TITLES
───────────────────────────────
– Otherworldly Player
– Unstable Form
– Silent Devourer
Skill Details:
🌠 Echo Division – Level 1
Type: Passive / Defense
EXP to Lv. 2: 1,000
Effect: When taking damage, the body splits into replicas with 30% of its size and stats.
🌠 Voracious Resonance – Level 1
Type: Passive / Offense
EXP to Lv. 2: 1,000
Effect: If two or more clones attack the same target, the total damage dealt increases by 20%.
🌠 Near-Perfect Form
Type: Transformation
Effect: Allows the user to take on an almost perfect humanoid gelatinous form with solid interaction with tools and weapons. Grants no combat bonuses.
🌠 Enhanced Devourer
Type: Active
Effect: When devouring objects, the user duplicates itself. Created copies have 30% of the base stats and last 40 minutes or until destroyed. Can maintain up to 400 clones.
🌠 Non-Physical Body
Type: Passive
Effect: Completely immune to non-magical physical damage. Only affected by magical damage or attacks with special properties.
"Did you guys notice none of its abilities have cooldowns?" Sig commented curiously, looking over the list.
"Well… they're all passives, so that makes sense," Bert replied with a shrug.
"The second player with a level 1 race," Loli said with a small, satisfied smile, remembering that until now, she had been the only one.
"Ugh… and he joined three days after we did," Sig complained, pressing a hand to her forehead in resignation.
"It's not like we're that far behind," Bert added, glancing at his own progress bar. Both he and Sig were level 8 and hadn't gone out hunting in the past few days.
"Alright, now we're ready," Bert finally said, a faint glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "We've prepared several bombs that will help us, and it looks like we finally know what our enemies are. We just need Lua to get back so we can ask if she knows anything about these fire ants… and buy the talismans. Then we can start our battle."
"Were you looking for me?"
The voice came out of nowhere behind them, making all of them jump in surprise.
"Damn it! You really need to stop doing that!" Sig exclaimed, pressing a hand to his chest as he tried to steady his breathing.
"What?" Lua asked, genuinely confused.
"Never mind," Bert said quickly, shaking his head to clear it. "Lua, we've figured out what we're up against. They're called 'fire ants.'"
"…Mmm. I see." Lua tilted her head slightly, her expression completely neutral. "You're doomed."
Without another word, she turned and walked toward her small shop.
The players stood there frozen in place, feeling that maybe their enthusiasm had been a little premature.