Syl: Chapter 41 - 50 (Patreon)

Chapter 41: Tests and Preparations

Sitting in my abode, I began thinking of ways to test the [Sub-Core]. I was currently in my elf form to train my mimicry skills and [Mana Sight]. Since Beta was at capacity, continuously withdrawing slime mass, I'd only use Alpha for these experiments. I pulled a rock from my storage and held it in my hand.

"Okay, Alpha. If something is going to hit me, I want you to catch it with a [Pseudopod]."

I threw the rock upwards and let gravity do its job. Before the rock could hit my head, a small tendril emerged from the back of my head to catch it.

"Perfect. Override that order, and now, if a threat is going to hit me, then use a [Pseudopod] to catch or deflect it."

I repeated the rock toss and this time, there was no tendril to catch it, so the rock harmlessly bounced off my head. To test the boundaries of the order, I formed a dagger in one hand and used it to stab my other hand. There was no defensive reaction, so I upgraded the dagger to a sword and aimed it at my core. This time, a tendril emerged and grabbed my wrist.

"Good job, Alpha. So you're smart enough to know what a real threat is."

I'd definitely be setting an order to defend from any real threats. But first, I had to spend my [Defy Death] before bed. Either I was growing used to harming myself, or the extra level of [Enhanced Willpower] was helping me go against my emotions.

<You've taken critical damage. [Defy Death] has been activated.>

Still not enough for level up, unfortunately, I dragged myself to bed feeling the pain in my core.

<Proficiency gained. [Sub-Core Beta LV 1] improved to [Sub-Core Beta LV 2].>

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Circulation LV 3] improved to [Mana Circulation LV 4].>

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Well LV 1] improved to [Mana Well LV 2].>

I woke up to an unexpected amount of notifications. I had figured [Mana Circulation] would level up soon since it came with [Mana Reinforcement], but it seemed to have slowed down recently since I was struggling to expend large amounts of mana. [Mana Well] took forever to level up, and I was unsure what method would improve its experience gain. Most surprising was that Beta had already gained a level, truly showing the power of receiving donated experience from Alpha.

'Good job getting your junior up to scratch, Alpha.'

I used my entire allocation of [Slime Conversion] immediately, which was enough to offset my daily slime loss but not enough for the repairs on my core. Hopefully, that will be resolved in the next level or two. I visited Yuzz to fetch my repaired goblin outfit. Sadly, my secret request wasn't ready yet, and as I predicted, they had the badger carcasses from the farm waiting for me to harvest. At least it was extra food.

I wasn't sure what to do with my badger parts yet. I'd likely trade them for something useful, but at the moment, it seemed like they had more parts than crafters. I was going to head to the training ground when I ran into Garz. It looked like it was time to hunt the bear matriarch.

We assembled outside Krutz's hut, where the goblins discussed the plans. We would form an elite party to take on the matriarch, while other smaller parties would avoid her and deal with any other bears. We would be setting up an ambush outside her lair and luring her out or waiting for her to return.

<Krutz [Chieftain] has invited you to join a party. Accept?>

'Yes'

<You have joined a party; 6/6 members.

Krutz, Borz, Nez, Caz, Garz, Syl.>

I finally discovered the name of the bodyguard, Borz. Nez was one of the goblins I frequently sparred with, and he was one of the few goblins who knew how to use a shield. Caz was one of my bow tutors, and she would be joining Garz as our ranged support. I wasn't sure what Krutz would be fighting with, but he returned from his hut holding a small scepter topped with a skull. I gave it a peek with [Mana Sight], and it had a black aura of mana.

Even a few builders were coming with us, and they would set up some traps for us to trigger if we got the opportunity and run away when the fighting started. The battle plan seemed for Nez and Borz to keep the matriarch occupied while Caz and Garz peppered it with arrows. Garz mentioned my stealth skills, and when I brought up my [Sneak Attack], they rapidly agreed for me to attack from behind and then behave somewhat as a free agent. When I asked what Krutz would be doing, he mentioned being able to weaken enemies, and his best ability would be to slow everything about the bear. I wasn't sure what that meant, but it filled the other goblins with confidence, so it must have been good.

Unfortunately, Krutz had been too busy to have given much thought to my skill choices, so I was browsing through my profiles to see if I could find anything. The profiles were great, but they only showed me naturally occurring skills without outside influence. This meant that the human, goblin, and elf profiles were horrible compared to monster profiles in terms of skills, as monsters would gain skills from their evolution, which was considered natural.

The Blade Wolf still held another interesting skill, [Sever Strike], which was an active use skill allowing me to focus intense cutting energy into a single powerful blow and even project that cut outwards at higher levels. The skill sounded useful, but at first level, it would only add some extra cutting power, so it felt more like a long-term investment.

The Venom Barbed Badger had an active skill called [Rage], which would let me ignore all pain and gain strength at the cost of losing thought and reason. It sounded too risky for me.

I decided to hold back on my skill points. Nothing screamed at me like [Evasion] had, and I was confident I could unlock skills like [Burrowing] myself. Hilariously, the only skill from the blue slime profile was [Jumping]. Perhaps the bear would have some interesting skills, or Krutz would give me a suggestion.

As the default sneaking expert, it was my job to check the cave out. I snuck in carefully and spotted one cub currently sleeping. I exited the cave and informed the goblins. They quickly got to work setting up some spikes made from wood and other various traps. Crafting traps wasn't my thing, so I chatted with Caz and Nez.

One of the scout groups came running in a panic. The matriarch had been spotted and was returning. I wondered what an evolved bear would look like, as the wolf and badger were quite distinct, whereas the boar had seemed simple by comparison.

The goblins positioned behind the various spikes and traps on the ground, bows drawn and ready. I snuck off to the side, readying my ambush once the conflict had begun, hopefully landing a good [Sneak Attack].

"Too bad I can't drop down with four greatswords this time," I muttered.

I planned on using a spear with paralysis and a dagger with Bloodrot. I hoped detonating a few spearheads inside of the bear would distribute the paralysis poison, while I knew the Bloodrot worked better with cuts and open wounds.

As if announcing her arrival, I could feel tremors in the ground. How big was this damn bear? The goblins tensed. The bear that emerged seemed to want to mock my previous assessment of the badger as the biggest creature I'd seen. She was perhaps three or even four times larger than the bears I had fought in the cave. Unlike other evolved monsters, there wasn't a unique tail, oversized fangs, or poisonous claws. Instead, she had what looked like rocky protrusions growing amongst her fur and forming almost a shell of rock over her limbs.

"She's evolved again!" I heard Krutz shout.

The announcement shook through the goblins, but with their Chief to guide them, they seemed to have a determined resolve.

'So this will be my first double-evolved monster. I can't wait to taste the profile.'

As if answering my thoughts, my mind tickled.

Worthy.

Chapter 42: Earthshaker

When the bear roared, the ground shook as if answering her rage. Nez raised his shield, which flashed with light and immediately drew the attention of the matriarch. The goblins on the outskirts fired arrows at the two bears trailing behind to pull them away from the fight. Krutz raised his skull scepter, which swelled in dark glowing mist.

"[Condemnation of Sloth]!" He shouted, and the dark mist flung itself at the bear and clung to it like a miasma. The effects were immediately noticeable, as she was in midstride towards Nez and suddenly was moving in slow motion.

Caz and Garz fired single powerful shots rather than a hail of arrows, which caused their bows to creak from the strain. They had to aim carefully, as any arrows hitting the rocky carapace seemed to bounce off harmlessly.

Despite moving slower, she barreled through the spikes and traps. Before joining the melee fight, I did some sniping of my own from stealth. The combo of sticky acid and paralysis was my ammo of choice, and while I didn't think my shots could penetrate her defense, I hoped the slime would seep into the cracks and deliver the poison. I kept firing until her entire back was coated in bright purple slime, and I expected the extra visibility would warn the goblins not to touch it.

<Proficiency gained. [Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 2] improved to [Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 3].>

<Proficiency gained. [Ranged Weapon Proficiency (Lesser) LV 1] improved to [Ranged Weapon Proficiency (Lesser) LV 2].>

I could already tell my [Apex Hunter] emblem was doing good work. By this point, the bear had engaged with Nez and Borz. To my disbelief, Nez did not dodge the bear's claw attacks and instead parried the blow by slamming his shield against the claws, causing the shield to flash when they collided. Not to be outdone, Borz twirled his spear like a baton and thrust it deep into the bear, blood splattering to the ground when he yanked it out.

When I arrived at the back of the bear, I could hear the acid fizzing away as it tried to melt through the flesh. I lunged with my spear to pierce deep into the bear's rear, finding a small spot of flesh not covered in the rocky carapace. Then I detonated the spearhead, reformed it, and stabbed again. The matriarch roared in pain, and once again, I could feel the ground tremoring. I started slashing at any gaps I could find with my dagger, replacing her normal blood with blackened rot.

I wondered if it was possible to paralyze such a large monster. I wasn't sure if it had poison resistance like the badger or just a natural resistance from evolution, levels, or something like vitality. I was internally debating swapping to only using Bloodrot since I could visibly see it having an effect when the matriarch had enough of our onesided attacks and decided to up the ante.

The earth rumbled, and when she roared, it erupted. The ground around her exploded into a shrapnel of rocks and dirt. Other than slightly losing my balance, I was unaffected, and it didn't even trigger Alpha's defense protocol, so I kept up my attack. The goblins were not so lucky, and Nez took a blow from a bear paw that sent him tumbling across the ground. Thankfully, there was no death notification, and he seemed to be slowly standing back up.

"Was that earth magic!?" Krutz shouted, then pointed his skull scepter at the bear, "[Agony]!"

Black sparks arced across the bear's body, and it roared in discomfort. I activated [Mana Sight] and saw the bear glowing in a brown aura while Krutz's was black. The bear's aura flashed a deeper brown while it slammed its paw to the ground. A stalagmite erupted from the earth towards Borz, and he tried to dodge to the side but took a grievous wound to his torso.

It looked like the slow debuff did not affect the earth powers wielded by the matriarch, and she was using less claw and more rock now. Luckily, she had no direct line of sight to me, so when she turned, I followed along and kept backstabbing. She roared and fired another batch of rocky shrapnel, which I ignored and countered by firing a large [Slime Burst] to recoat her entire back.

Nez rejoined the fight and tried to catch the bear's attention so she would stop spinning around and get to me. I must have poked the bear too many times, and it wanted me gone. Its aura grew to a massive size, and I sensed imminent danger. I formed two pseudopods, grappled with the bear, and slingshotted myself onto its back.

"Something big is coming!" I shouted a warning.

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Sight LV 1] improved to [Mana Sight LV 2].>

Nez seemed to take my warning seriously and backed off with his shield raised. Borz decided he knew better; rather than retreating, he started to stab rapidly at the bear, which had now begun to roar and stand on her hind legs. I was thankful goblins didn't use footwear and simply activated [Adhesive Slime] to keep my grip on its back, trying to find gaps in the rocky shell to stab at. The ground resonated with its roar, and multiple spires of earth erupted in a ring.

<Party member Borz has died.>

One of the rocky spikes had emerged directly under Borz, skewering him. Nez looked horrified and was probably very grateful he retreated. The matriarch, however, was not done. She slammed both paws to the ground, and the rocky spires shattered into multiple shards and flew directly forward from her.

While my normal vision couldn't see through the back of my fake head, [Mana Sight] could, and each shard was visible thanks to the contained earth mana. Either the bear didn't care if it hit itself, or it knew I was on its back and wanted to include me in its spray of shards. Alpha reacted before even I was aware, already triggering a defensive reaction. Two tendrils formed and mimicked two shields, and I heard the shards shattering against them.

<Proficiency gained. [Shapeshifting Mimicry LV 3] improved to [Shapeshifting Mimicry LV 4].>

<Proficiency gained. [Chroma Shift LV 2] improved to [Chroma Shift LV MAX].>

While I was glad [Chroma Shift] got that final level, I couldn't believe that [Shapeshifting Mimicry] was such a perfectionist that it even took the effort to color an emergency defense correctly. I didn't have the luxury to think of a new trait to mimic in the fight, so I quickly upgraded my existing combo of enhanced strength, dexterity, and agility to four.

I kept stabbing and detonating spears in any gaps I spotted on the bear. I really hoped the paralysis would take hold. The bear thrashed wildly, desperately trying to get me off its back. The goblins did not look good after taking the brunt of the rock shards, and Krutz was now firing black energy bolts at the bear from his skull scepter.

Caz scored a critical hit and landed a direct shot into one of the bear's eyes. Meanwhile, Garz had stopped shooting, and it looked like he was trying to extract Nez from the fight, whose legs were shredded by rock shards. With another roar, the bear flung a boulder created from the earth towards Nez and Garz, then another at Krutz. Krutz easily dodged and countered with another black energy bolt, but Nez could not move, and Garz had to abandon him and dodge to the side.

<Party member Nez has died.>

After detonating one more spear, I abandoned it for another Bloodrot dagger and started running along the back of the bear and cutting wherever possible. I ran up to the back of its head and made cut upon cut, blackened blood leaking out of the creature.

I could see it powering up with another surge of earth mana, and I worried for Garz, who was now the only member on the frontline. I was about to abandon my disguise and go full tentacle slime monstrosity when the bear suddenly stopped moving. It collapsed to the ground, but there was no notification, so it was still alive. The buildup of earth mana released another burst of dust and gravel all around, Garz taking the brunt of it but not taking any life-threatening injuries.

Krutz was panting heavily, barely holding onto his skull scepter, and his black aura looked like a sputtering candle. Garz looked like he had been to hell and back, covered in dirt, cuts and bruises, and the blood of Nez. Caz looked surprisingly fine, only taking some minor cuts and scrapes. The goblins all stared at the unmoving bear with relief and confusion. I hopped off its back and approached its head.

"I'm going to finish it off from the inside." I declared and thrust a fist inside the bear's mouth before anyone could respond.

The bear tried to growl at me, but all that came out was a gurgle, and I could see the hatred in its remaining eye. I poured slime mass down its throat and told both Alpha and Beta to go wild. Both sub-cores immediately took control over portions of slime inside the creature, and I could sense them making all sorts of tools to cut, puncture, and spread the Bloodrot acidic slime.

<Proficiency gained. [Sneak Attack LV 3] improved to [Sneak Attack LV 4].>

I was hoping for Beta to get another level, but the matriarch didn't have enough life left in it to hold out that long. The goblins looked like they wanted answers from me, but most were too tired to complain. Krutz's mana was dangerously low, from my visual estimation.

<Greater Earthshaker Bear LV 2 defeated. Experience gained.>

<You have met the requirement for [Apex Hunter].>

<2 Skill Points are now available.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 13.>

<1 Trait Points are now available.>

All of the goblin's eyes suddenly went wide. They likely had all received their own notifications as well. There wasn't much left of the bear between the Bloodrot and acid, but [Dissection] wanted the rocky carapace. I put it in the back of my mind and frowned at the notifications I had received. Why did I only gain a single level despite my [Apex Hunter] emblem? I would have expected two or even three levels from this fight. Something smelled wrong, and it wasn't the rotting bear.

Chapter 43: Choices

<Profile [Bear] updated.>

<Proficiency gained. [Consuming Osmosis LV 3] improved to [Consuming Osmosis LV 4].>

The bear profile told me that the matriarch was originally a Greater Bear and then further evolved into a Greater Earthshaker Bear. I could assume that if I picked another mutation evolution, I'd get something extra appended to my race. The 'Greater' evolution seemed awful if I compared it to the options I had available for my first evolution, and if I had to summarize it, it just made her 'more bear' like adding two bears together. I wondered if that was what happened if you failed to meet any other evolution conditions.

I didn't see any poison resistance trait or skill in her profile, but she had [Enhanced Vitality 6], so either that or her race levels were the source of her resistance to my paralysis. She had [Digging LV 5] and lived in a cave, so maybe that was enough to trigger the evolution condition. Speaking of evolutions, I assumed the Badger received its evolution from its habit of eating poisonous slime. I wondered what new evolution options I'd have.

Earthshaker gave her the traits [Mana Circulation], [Earthen Carapace], and the skill [Earth Magic]. I now had two skill points, and magic sounded like a good choice with my currently stupid amount of mana.

<Skill [Earth Magic] requires Earth Affinity.>

"Bullshit... First Wind and now Earth. Do I even have an affinity?" I mumbled to myself.

I was brought back to reality when Caz approached me and patted me on the back.

"Good job," she said with a grin. "I don't know what you did, but that bear is super dead."

I nodded and looked around. A large group of goblins was carrying the two bear carcasses back to the village while another pair was transporting the remaining cub. It also seemed like Krutz and Garz had already left. Nobody was approaching the bear's corpse, which was still leaking black blood.

"Did you get a lot of experience from that fight?" I asked.

"I got two class levels. I don't think anyone expected the matriarch to have evolved again." Caz answered, and I had to hide my frustration.

"So, what are you planning on spending your skill points on?"

"I have enough to increase [Power Shot] now."

We chatted a bit, and I even got Caz to share the skill description. It felt like the ranged equivalent of [Sever Strike], and I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it, but at least I had another option available. I hoped it would be compatible with [Slime Shot], but I wasn't willing to risk it until I had a more stable source of skill points. I told Caz I was going to harvest the bear and I'd return later. She nodded and left with a wave.

<No remaining Party Members in range. Party has been disbanded.>

Engulfing it in slime resulted in a quick harvest. Other than the rocky carapace that [Dissection] ranted about, the claws were the only other thing worthwhile that wasn't ruined.

<Proficiency gained. [Core Storage LV 4] improved to [Core Storage LV 5].>

I slowly walked back to the cave, giving myself time to think. Garz had been distant since the battle with the humans, and it felt like Krutz was intentionally hiding something. He seemed almost reluctant to show me any skills and left without saying anything. However, my greatest source of distrust was only gaining a single level from a double-evolved monster while meeting the condition for [Apex Hunter].

I had not thought of a trait to purchase by the time I got home, and I quietly went through my practice routine. Nobody came to visit, so I proceeded with my horrible before-bed routine.

<You've taken critical damage. [Defy Death] has been activated.>

<Proficiency gained. [Defy Death LV 1] improved to [Defy Death LV 2].>

I was relieved to finally get a level in it, which meant I had another extra safety net. Although I didn't dare risk trying it out now, what if the added use wasn't immediate and I died right now? That would be a difficult conversation to have with Gramps. I crawled into my hole and went to bed.

I spent my early morning examining my gains from the fight. I still wasn't sure what to spend my points on, and part of me wanted to grab another [Sub-Core]. I experimented with the final level of [Chroma Shift] by changing my core color, and while I felt an immense attachment to my crimson-red, I did understand this had benefits. By changing my core transparency and color to match my slime, I could effectively hide my core from the naked eye. I was sure some skills or traits could get around it, but it was a nice safety net.

I could also change the color of both Alpha and Beta. I tried to think of a unique core color to apply to them both and settled on giving Alpha the honey-yellow color of the green slime I first encountered and giving Beta the apple-green of the purple slime. It's maybe not the most original idea, but I was a mimic slime.

'Actually, if I change my slime and core color to match the green and purple slime, would that count for mimicry?' I explored the idea by changing my core color and slime to match both slimes. I didn't get any notifications, so I could only hope it gave me some experience.

I headed to see Yuzz, and as expected, she was hyper-excited to see me. The first order of business was her showing my brand-new outfit. I went into the other room and shifted into an elf. Yuzz was laughing at my clothing struggles. I had only recently gotten used to clothing my stubby goblin form, so the elongated elf form with its long limbs made things difficult.

"If you struggle with clothes so much, you should consider getting the [Equipment Swap] skill." She mentioned.

"The what skill?" I asked with surprise.

"[Equipment Swap], I got it for free with my Tailor class, but it's worthless unless you have a dimension storage." She explained and held out her palm to display the skill for me.

<[Equipment Swap]

Create a link between a designated dimensional storage, allowing equipment to be stored directly and withdrawn.

You can save an equipment loadout and rapidly swap between them.

Never be caught with your pants down again.

This skill has no levels.>

I wanted this skill. I immediately tried to purchase it.

<Skill [Equipment Swap] obtained. Skill Points remaining 1.>

"Yes! Bloody hell, I was almost expecting a Tailoring Affinity required or some nonsense." I cheered and gave Yuzz a big hug. She seemed confused being hugged by a half-naked elf but was soon smiling along with me.

I deposited all my clothes into my storage and then activated the skill. A strange-looking screen popped up in front of me, asking me to fill various 'equipment slots', I started selecting clothes, and it even prevented me from choosing my goblin clothes.

"I see you're making an outfit." Yuzz laughed at me, poking at the air, "That's the only part of the skill I can use without a storage bag."

I nodded while finishing my selections and selected the 'equip' button. It asked me if I wanted to save the outfit, and I selected 'yes'. Then, there was a brief flash of light, and suddenly, I was in my new outfit. Yuzz was clapping excitedly.

"I always wondered what actually using it would do. I need to get myself a storage bag."

"If I find one, I'll be sure to give it to you."

The outfit was similar to my goblin outfit but with large amounts of bear pelt rather than the scarce patches. The iconic part was the cloak, which included a hood this time, although Yuzz needed to make holes in it for the elf's ears to poke through.

I used her room to change back to a goblin and set up a new outfit. Then I swapped to an elf and back to a goblin, with full outfit swaps between each transformation.

"I think I love this skill," I told Yuzz and gave her another hug, this time goblin-sized.

I thanked her and gave her three of the harvested badgers as thanks for her work and for giving me her skill. Shortly after I left, I ran into Garz, who told me Krutz was looking for me. I nodded and followed along. Garz did not look well and ignored all my attempts at small talk.

When I saw Krutz, however, he greeted me with a friendly smile and welcomed me into his hut. Worthy. At this point, it was clear that was the equipped effect of [Apex Hunter].

'Wait... When I spoke with him after the badgers, I don't think he triggered my emblem.' I thought, 'Which means after one fight, he's now above or equal to me... That does not feel right.'

"So Syl, are you ready to finally get your class?" Krutz responded with a smile.

"You unlocked the ability?" I questioned, hiding my suspicion with a winning smile.

<Proficiency gained. [Acting LV 1] improved to [Acting LV 2].>

"Yes, I have. I'm sure you're very excited. It will only take a moment. You will receive a notification like a party request. When you accept it, it will allow me to guide you into selecting a class." He explained and held out his hand.

I wanted to believe him. Everything had been friendly before now. I took his hand, which initiated a black glow between our grasp, and Krutz gave a reassuring smile.

"Make sure you accept it. Otherwise, you won't get a class." He repeated, and then a prompt appeared.

<Krutz [Chieftain] demands your subordination.

Do you accept?>

My memory immediately flashes back to Sylthaeryn. This felt similar, yet different. With her, it felt like a partnership between us, while this felt entirely onesided. I had only one answer.

'NO!'

Chapter 44: Duplicity

<You have rejected Krutz [Chieftain].>

<Krutz [Chieftain] attempts to enforce his will upon you.>

<You successfully resist [Subjugation].>

I pull my hand away and glare at him. I did not sense any immediate open hostility, and Krutz gave me a sad, almost apologetic smile.

I mentally tell Alpha to defend against anything and Beta to counterattack any hostilities. Meanwhile, I start secretly withdrawing slime mass and releasing a transparent-white vapor of sleep poison. If my doubts were wrong, I could potentially dodge questions about them getting sleepy, but Bloodrot or paralysis poison was likely a point of no return.

"I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, Krutz, but you just tried to enslave me. I've had that tried before."

Krutz sighed and shook his head, "If you were my subordinate, I could give you a class."

"No." My response was immediate. I refused to risk being a mind puppet.

"The humans are coming. My scout spotted them this morning—over twenty of them," he continued.

"I don't see why that means I must become your slave."

"I plan to leave. The tribe is doomed, like my previous one." He continued and slammed a fist against his table, "But I will survive. Continue to grow until I can exterminate them all."

"And you thought you'd take me along?"

"Yes, and a small party of the highest levels. The humans will think they killed us all with the sacrifice of the tribe here. Then we wait for the world to spawn new goblins and take over the tribe, just like I did before."

His words felt... Oddly convincing? He had planned this out, and there was some logic behind it.

<Proficiency gained. [Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 1] improved to [Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 2].>

'Wait, what?' I questioned as suddenly a fog lifted from my mind.

I activated [Mana Sight] and saw that Krutz was emitting his dark mana, and a small portion was floating toward me.

'Has Krutz been influencing my mind? Is this the first time, or has he done it before?' The thought horrified me, and I had no idea such subtle influence was possible.

"If you wanted me to join you, why didn't you say so rather than try to enslave me?"

"You're very powerful, Syl. I'm not entirely sure what type of monster you really are, but we've all witnessed your strength. I wanted reassurance that I wouldn't be your next meal like the badgers, bears, humans, or Tarz."

I had to admit I had been on an eating spree. Perhaps it was my slime instincts, or my intense desire to survive that gave me the goal to seek strength. Out of everything Krutz mentioned, the only one that really struck me was the mention of Tarz. I had killed her out of pure greed to get a new profile. I could have eaten a corpse for the profile, but I didn't. I saw her just as another monster to eat. I had to push back; this wasn't the time for an existential crisis.

"Is that why you stole experience from me?" I asked, and the question seemed to surprise him.

"I did no such thing. Who told you that?"

"I've defeated a similar monster. It was slightly weaker than the Earthshaker and gave me vastly more levels."

This seemed to shock him greatly. Perhaps he had underestimated me and didn't think I had taken on evolved monsters already. I saw him trying to think and stifled a yawn with his hand. I felt my mind clearing up more, his influence further fading.

<Proficiency gained. [Enhanced Willpower LV 2] improved to [Enhanced Willpower LV 3].>

I wanted to laugh, as my emblem considered this a battle against an apex monster and was giving me bonus experience. I activated [Slime Conversion] to take advantage of the free experience offered.

<Proficiency gained. [Slime Conversion LV 1] improved to [Slime Conversion LV 2].>

"If you want me to trust you, why don't you show me a useful skill to purchase? You said you'd give me advice. What about how to use magic?" I asked.

Krutz actually scowled at my suggestion. His finger began nervously tapping against the table. Suddenly, I picked up an aura of mana from behind me, and Alpha reacted by forming two shields. There was a burst as an arrow pierced through the shields, and my head exploded. Alpha and Beta had retreated themselves into my torso. When my head rapidly reformed, Krutz looked stunned. I turned to see the source of the [Power Shot] arrow - Garz had his bow drawn.

"I guess negotiations have failed," I uttered sadly.

"If you refuse to submit as my pet, then I have no use for you. I'll add your essence to my own." Krutz spat, "Guards, kill it!"

The sudden personality flip was startling. Where was the goblin chief who seemed willing to talk and trade ideas, or was that all fake to lead to this moment where he could try to dominate my mind? Krutz was looking towards the backroom door, waiting for his guards, but they wouldn't come. [Mana Sight] could see behind the door and showed me their bodies collapsed to the floor.

"Why join him, Garz? He wants to abandon the goblins and run away. I thought we were friends," I asked the goblin, who stared at me with hatred.

"Friends?!" Garz spat, "You kill Tarz. Kill Woz. Then you wear Tarz skin. Other goblins all say Tarz come back strong. Better. Everyone praise new Tarz. But that not truth. You, not Tarz!"

I wasn't sure who Woz was, but his words hurt. I hadn't thought much about how I had stolen Tarz's identity; it had eaten at Garz's mind. I could guess that Krutz had influenced Garz's mind at least a little, maybe pushed him off the fence, but there were raw feelings behind his words.

'Alpha, Beta... Please, don't kill Garz. Sleep poison only for him.' I commanded mentally.

At this point, Krutz was getting a bit frantic. He pulled out his skull scepter and kicked open the door, revealing all the unconscious guards.

"You! What did you do?" he shrieked while waving his scepter around, black mana gathering. "Fine, I don't need these weaklings to kill you myself. [Condemnation of Sloth]!"

<You successfully resist [Slow].>

"Huh..." I responded aloud, genuinely surprised.

Meanwhile, Beta wouldn't let an attack against me go unpunished. Beta formed and controlled two tendril spears aimed at stabbing Krutz. He raised his scepter and formed a black disc that deflected one of the spears, but the other scraped across his torso.

Garz was firing arrows, which were easily blocked or appropriately ignored by Alpha, who had also taken control of two pseudopods to do the task. He'd need time to fire another [Power Shot], but this was a difficult task without support to give him the uninterrupted charge time. Alpha stuck to defense as ordered but would try to slam a tendril into Garz to force him to dodge and abandon his shot.

<Proficiency gained. [Sub-Core Beta LV 2] improved to [Sub-Core Beta LV 3].>

I kept dispersing sleep gas and hoped Garz would fall asleep soon. Levels must have determined resistance, and Garz and Krutz were the two highest-leveled goblins. I fired a burst of sticky sleep slime at Garz, which he failed to dodge, coating him in the goo. I could hopefully put him out of my mind to deal with Krutz, and I trusted in Alpha to stop Garz if he tried anything before succumbing to sleep.

<Proficiency gained. [Poison Slime LV 3] improved to [Poison Slime LV 4].>

Krutz was struggling to dodge Beta's tendrils. Clearly, he was not a frontline fighter and had neglected his [Evasion] training. He fired a black bolt of energy at me, but I dodged to the side. Being able to see the mana building up helped my predictions. Krutz was not pleased with my dodging and changed strategy. I could see the immense amount of blackened mana building up.

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Sight LV 2] improved to [Mana Sight LV 3].>

"[Agony]!" He shrieked.

Unimaginable pain suddenly wracked through my body, putting even my [Defy Death] training to shame. Black sparks danced across my skin and through my core. While I was distracted by the pain, he fired a black bolt at me, exploding a large portion of my goblin body. The destroyed slime flaked away into black specks.

With that amount of explosive damage, I couldn't risk such a small form. I was initially worried his magic might be able to pierce through me like that green slime, but it seemed his spells had differing rules and properties.

I deposited what remained of my outfit thanks to [Equipment Swap] and swiftly abandoned my goblin form, swelling to a size that dominated almost the entire room. Thanks to my translucency, I could now see my entire surroundings. Garz was finally unconscious, so I mentally told Beta to avoid drowning him in slime. I had made sure all three of us were transparent and matching the color of my slime, gotta make it hard to spot our glowing weak points.

"A slime? A bloody slime!? What mockery is this?" Krutz had lost it and was cackling as he spammed black bolts against my swelling size, "[Condemnation of Sloth]!"

<Failed to resist [Slow].>

I felt the movement and manipulation of my slime slow down to a crawl, which made me unable to simply overwhelm him. Each time I attempted to grab him with tendrils, he would hit me with another [Agony] spell and halt me in my tracks, then he'd continue blasting away at me. He was blasting slime while backed up against the wall with rapidly depleting mana, and I knew he'd run dry or succumb to the sleep poison.

<Proficiency gained. [Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 2] improved to [Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 3].>

At least I was gaining experience from this. While on the last dregs of his mana and on the verge of passing out, he reached out with a blackened hand.

"Submit! Submit! Submit!" He screamed frantically till his last breath when he collapsed to the ground.

<You successfully resist [Subjugation].>

<You successfully resist [Subjugation].>

<You successfully resist [Subjugation].>

I picked up his unconscious body, and I had a brief thought of sparing him before pulling him into my slime. I could forgive Garz, or at least leave him alive and go our separate ways, but I would not forgive someone trying to take over my mind. I made sure to exclude all of his equipment before I turned on the acid.

<Hobgoblin LV 6 Warlock LV 15 defeated. Experience gained.>

<You have met the requirements for [Apex Hunter].>

<2 Skill Points are now available.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 14.>

<2 Trait Points are now available.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 15.>

<3 Trait Points are now available.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 16.>

<4 Trait Points are now available.>

<Profile [Goblin] updated.>

<Emblem Usurped: [Chieftain].>

<Error. You do not meet the requirements. Emblem Lost.>

'And he said Chieftain was a class, but it was an emblem... Was anything he told me even true?'

Chapter 45: Farewell

'Now what.' I asked myself.

I wasn't sure what to do or what I could even do. The goblins had lost their Chief even before I killed him since he planned to abandon them. I wanted to help them, but Garz's words still cut deep. Perhaps I could help them escape and then leave. If I left, I'm sure Garz could step up and be the new Chief since he was now the strongest remaining goblin.

I was surprised nobody had come to investigate the commotion. Did Krutz maybe order the goblins not to be around? It'd probably be bad for his image if they witnessed him killing Tarz, who had become a hero among the goblins who didn't know the truth. I felt sick, and thoughts of forever banning my Tarz form came to mind.

I needed to talk to Garz. I turned into my elf form and equipped my gear, then walked over to the sleeping guards and gave them another dosing of sleep gas.

<Skill experience requirement met, but prerequisite skill [Identify] is missing.

Skill will be revealed and obtained with [Identify].>

'Well, gee, thanks... But none of my profiles have [Identify], and Krutz took his secrets to the grave.'

I took away Garz's weapons and bound him with a tendril, making sure to gag him since I figured he might scream when he woke up. I withdrew some water from my storage to splash his face, but he was out cold. While waiting for him to wake up, I started investigating the items I took from Krutz. I found his storage bag and turned it inside out, as Garz had shown me before, and out popped a mindboggling amount of food and a few bits of jewelry.

I deposited the food in the bag and added the rest of my badger pelts and claws. I disarmed the sleeping guards and threw their weapons into the bags as well. I planned to give this to Yuzz with the intention that the supplies would help the escapees. I wasn't sure what the jewelry was, but I refused to blindly put it on after the last one caused a notification.

I tried swinging Krutz's creepy skull scepter, but it didn't do anything, and I couldn't make it emit the black mana. I started to deposit everything until I reached the storage bag, which refused to go in.

"I guess if this was possible, you could have infinite space if you just kept putting storage bags in storage bags."

I looked over the hobgoblin profile and could see why they preferred focusing on classes, as they only gained [Thick Skin] and [Enhanced Claws]. I had four trait points to spend now, and while I was worrying about how I'd negotiate with Garz, I recalled a trait I had completely disregarded.

<[Enhanced Charisma]

Increases your charisma and social presence per trait level.>

I hoped this would help me convince him, and it likely would synergize with my [Acting].

<Trait [Enhanced Charisma LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 3.>

I was getting a bit worried that Garz was still unconscious, so I kept poking him and dousing him with water. Finally, he started to stir. He tried to groan, and I could feel him trying to move in his restraints. The fear in his eyes when they flickered open, and he saw his situation was rather haunting.

"Garz... I'm sorry." I started, his eyes widened with confusion, "I'm Syl... I forgot you've never seen this form, but I don't want to be Tarz anymore."

He tried to struggle, and I saw the anger adding to the fear.

"Look. I'm sorry. I'll leave you and the goblins, but Krutz is dead, and the goblins need a leader. I don't know if he was telling the truth or not about the humans coming, but if they are, then you need to escape."

Garz was still frowning but gave a reluctant nod. I ungagged him but kept him restrained; trust was in short supply.

"Humans coming was true." He responded.

"Then you need to escape. Maybe you can go into the badger tunnels? I killed the evolved badger, so it should be safe—or at least safer than taking on the humans."

"The humans will search. Until they find goblins." He responded, "If... Some stay. Fight. Maybe humans think they killed?"

"Would they be willing to sacrifice themselves?"

"If Chief asked. They would." He responded with determination, which then seemed to fade when he recalled that the Chief was dead.

I knew the solution, but part of me hated it.

"I could turn into Krutz."

"Might work. But..." He agreed but was looking very disturbed. Maybe he was concerned that if I turned into Krutz, I'd follow them and stick around.

"What if Krutz, me, stays behind with some of the warriors? I could fight the humans and pretend to die." I suggested, taking out his skull scepter, "If I left this behind, the humans might think they got him."

Garz seemed lost in thought until he finally broke the silence with a simple question, "Why do this for us?"

"It's probably a stupid reason, but you were the first to talk to me. Even if you secretly hated me, I don't want you to die. Also, I don't want Yuzz to die."

Garz gave a small laugh, "You right. Very stupid reason. But okay."

We hashed out a bit more details, and then I finally let him go. We would make an emergency announcement, and I'd ask for volunteers while designating Garz as the new leader. Garz said to expect a lot of goblins to volunteer as they all deeply respected Krutz. Honestly, I felt bitter about that, as he was willing to abandon all of them, and now I was turning him into a hero.

Garz would assemble the meeting, giving me time to say goodbye to Yuzz. Unfortunately, this meant I needed to turn back into Tarz. I waited for Garz to leave so he wouldn't see and headed to her hut.

I gave her an abridged version of the situation and told her I was volunteering to stay behind. I left out the part about turning into Krutz. I also gave her the storage bag and instructions.

"You don't have to volunteer. You could come with us. Don't waste your talent."

I laughed, hoping to reassure her, "I said I'm staying, but I have no intention of dying. Maybe we will meet again, and you'll be a master crafter."

We parted with a hug, and I left, but not before witnessing her start stuffing her new bag. I entered my little home for the final time, shifting to Krutz and equipping his outfit. I also unequipped my [Apex Hunter] emblem and mentally focused on [Identity Block] to block everything.

Everyone gathered, and we explained the plan, telling the goblins to grab what equipment and food they could and immediately start retreating to the tunnel. A small squad formed with Garz and Caz to head into the badger tunnel first to ensure it was still safe. Then, we called for volunteers to delay the humans. Garz was right. We had far too many volunteers and were forced to turn down enough to protect the civilians.

<Proficiency gained. [Enhanced Charisma LV 1] improved to [Enhanced Charisma LV 2].>

<Proficiency gained. [Acting LV 2] improved to [Acting LV 3].>

I couldn't believe my conversation with Garz, and this little speech was enough to gain a level. Then again, over two hundred goblins probably listened to my every word. What did Krutz do to gain this degree of loyalty? My parting with Garz was just a simple nod; he wanted nothing further to do with me.

I had a lot of points I could have spent, but I was unsure what to buy. I was tempted to grab another [Sub-Core] but held back when I remembered the slime mass it expended to create it.

Once everyone was inside the tunnel, I used my "Chieftain Magic" to collapse the entrance with a burst of acid. Our scout, who was supposed to return already, had missed the deadline and was most likely dead. Which meant the humans were close. We all took our positions.

'I better make it out of this alive, or Gramps will kill me.'

Chapter 46: Acting

The air was tense, but the goblins talked about how many humans they would take down. Remembering how the sniper could kill a goblin with a single arrow made me wonder if they had ever fought anything stronger than a bear. At least they had courage, even if it was foolish.

'Although I guess I'm also a fool for sticking around.'

I looked over the mimicked traits available from the hobgoblin profile. I needed to focus on survival, so I picked out [Thick Skin], [Enhanced Agility], and [Enhanced Vitality] since they would be two levels higher than my own trait. I still had a spare slot but struggled to find an all-around defensive option. I did find two defensive traits, [Fire Resistance] and [Earth Resistance], available to the hobgoblin. Did that mean they had a natural inclination to those elements or something else? I decided I'd keep the mimic slot open, and if I saw rocks or flames thrown about, I'd grab it.

My decision came sooner than I expected, as the archers on the palisade screamed an alarm before the entire wall became ruined in multiple fiery explosions.

'Why did it have to be magic...' I cried mentally, as my [Mana Sight] could see the vivid red aura, 'Alpha, Beta, focus entirely on keeping us alive, please.' I felt them coordinating together using [Slime Density] and [Mana Reinforcement] to the absolute maximum.

As they entered the cave, I knew it was time to put on a show.

Moments earlier...

"We've found their lair. It looks like they've claimed a cave and dug in. They even have a crude wall," Whitney explained. She was a rogue class who specialized in scouting and disarming traps.

"Nothing a good fireball can't solve," Dewi replied with a smirk. He was one of the few mages in the raid and focused on his love of pyromancy.

"I wish you'd take this seriously. They've already killed four adventurers." Whitney sighed, shaking her head.

"I still think Old Tom is paranoid. Sam was cocky and probably fell into an ambush or something." Dewi answered stubbornly.

"Kathryn had a good head on her shoulders. She'd keep him in check." Whitney pointed out.

Their conversation was interrupted when the raid leader approached. Roderick was a hulk of a man with a massive tower shield strapped to his back and an enchanted flail at his waist. He was one of the highest leveled and highest ranked in a small guild like this and would likely retire and become the Guild Master eventually.

"Right, everyone. We are going to start our assault. We suspect there might be a high-level goblin shaman or even multiple magic goblins. Make sure no monsters get out of this cave alive." Roderick spoke with authority

"Should we look for any hostages or prisoners?" One of the random adventurers asked.

"Yes, but their guild tags went dead, so any survivors are highly unlikely," Roderick replied.

The group nodded and drew their weapons. As they approached, the goblins on the wall started shooting arrows that failed to make the distance.

The two mages opened up with two fireball spells. The balls of burning mana crashed into the palisade with explosive force, and the crude defense burst into fiery splinters. Once the wall and its occupants were confirmed destroyed, the mages snuffed the flames out, and the heavily armored adventurers led the charge into the cave, shields raised.

They entered the cave, and what met them was a small army of goblins ready to fight. Standing behind them was a hobgoblin holding a skull scepter with a menacing aura.

"Foolish humans! You dare to invade our home?" The hobgoblin declared, but the adventurers chuckled at the audacity of such a creature.

<[Identify] has been blocked.>

"It blocked my [Identify]!" Whitney shouted.

"Mine too!" Another joined in.

"Can anyone read it?" Roderick demanded.

"I sense a ton of mana! He's covered in the stuff!" Dewi shouted, not entirely believing his [Mana Sight].

Shocked murmurs ran through all the adventurers present. The hobgoblin seemed to take delight in their fear and started to cackle.

"Yes! Have you foolish humans realized your mistake? Leave now or suffer my wrath!" It threatened and raised its hand, forming a large dark purple sphere in its palm while it waved the skull scepter around as if trying to conduct an orchestra.

The casters seemed aghast. None of them had seen whatever spell this was, and it looked horrifying, especially the density of the mana contained in the large sphere. So much mana, so quickly and without any incantation - it was unheard of.

"Ha! As if any true adventurer would back down from a challenge!" Roderick bellowed with a hearty chuckle.

"I've been bored of grinding undead. Time to finally get a real workout!" Kurt chuckled while flourishing his two shortswords.

"Think of how much experience we will get!" Dewi shouted.

Roars suddenly erupted from the adventurers, filled with newfound courage and determination. The hobgoblin seemed surprised at their sudden tenacity for a brief moment before an arrow struck it and bounced harmlessly off its head. The surprise became anger before the adventurers could react to the absurdity of the arrow failing to wound the hobgoblin.

"So be it. [Rain of Corruption]!" It shouted, and the purple sphere burst and rained down on the entire entrance of the cave.

Shields raised, bubbles of protective magic formed, cloaks drawn to cover faces, and the adventurers charged forward to crush the opposition. When the purple goop rained on the adventurers, it melted into any exposed flesh, and the wounds festered into a horrific black sludge. The adventurers less accustomed to pain screamed in agony, and healers immediately began to blanket everyone in holy auras.

"What the hell is this? It's like it's fighting against healing." Evan, one of the healers, questioned.

"Sounds like Bloodrot..." Another answered

"Abominable..." Evan muttered.

Meanwhile, the battle began, and another fireball detonated amongst the goblins while arrows started flying from both sides. Other than the hobgoblin, the rest were not putting up much of a fight and were going down just like any regular goblin.

One of the front liners broke through the goblin wall to fight the hobgoblin directly, hoping to disrupt any spell casts with the potential to earn some personal glory.

"Face me!" He screamed with flying spittle and swung a two-handed maul at the hobgoblin. The hobgoblin calmly sidestepped the blow and thrust an open palm forward.

"[Lance of Decay]!" The hobgoblin shouted its dreadful spell and a purple spear suddenly burst out of his palm.

The warrior tried to smash the spell-formed weapon with his hammer, but defying belief, it somehow dodged his strike and pierced into his side. After gouging into his side, the spell detonated and covered him. He dropped his maul in pain and struggled to grab a healing potion from his pouch. The hobgoblin picked up the hammer and seemed to deposit it inside his cloak while muttering something about a collection.

The strategy soon changed to mop up the remaining stragglers so a group effort could focus on the hobgoblin, as it was too strong individually but would fall to a coordinated group effort.

"Enough! You shall all perish!" It shouted and started to form another ball of purple while twirling its skull scepter again.

"Focus fire!"

"Kill it!"

"Don't let it cast that!"

The adventurers screamed various other shouts. The healers would be unable to get through another outbreak of that Bloodrot spell. Both mages drew deep into their mana wells and launched a massive fireball. The combined detonation quaked the cave, and everyone felt the heat. Some adventurers took collateral damage.

"You'll never claim my essence! Never!" It shrieked from within the fiery inferno, followed by other hellish screams, and the remaining goblins cried out in horror.

There seemed to be no further attacks from the hobgoblin, and the adventurers systematically began culling the goblins. The healers cast spells until they were drained of mana and potions, but unfortunately, some casualties were claimed by the fiendish poison. When the flames finally died, what remained in the crater were burnt scraps and an almost cremated skull scepter. The ground bubbled with the purple sludge that slowly ate into the ground. Nobody dared approach it, as they could see bones melting into the purple sludge and knew it somehow contained the insidious Bloodrot.

"Is it dead?" Someone asked.

"I don't think I got a notification," Dewi answered.

"Did it kill itself to deny us the experience?" Eliza asked. She was the other mage who contributed to the fiery explosions.

"That's a level of hatred I didn't think possible," Dewi replied with a whistle.

"I mean, just playing demon's advocate, we did invade their cave. It even told us to leave before attacking." Whitney retorted.

"Yeah, but imagine letting that thing live and get stronger." Eliza pointed out.

"Bloodrot... If it got stronger and cast that spell over a village or city." Evan replied, his voice shaking.

"How many casualties?" Whitney asked, seeing the horror in Evan's eyes.

"Five..." Evan replied dejectedly, "Four were too low level and could barely resist the poison. Alek died challenging the hobgoblin directly."

"Shit... Didn't he just get his first advanced job? What a waste." Dewi replied, shaking his head.

"Spellbreaker. He probably thought he was invincible against a mage." Whitney answered.

"Spread out and search," Roderick suddenly commanded, "Healers and Mages rest and recover your mana."

They ransacked the cavern as they searched. There were a few ambushes from surviving goblins who screamed bloody murder for the death of their Chieftain, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with. There was no sign of the hobgoblin other than the remnants of its scepter. It looked like it was truly dead.

"Roderick!" Whitney shouted and came running up.

"What is it?"

"Kurt found a prisoner."

"One of the four?" He asked, feeling a bit hopeful.

"No, that's the strange thing... It's an elf girl."

"An elf?" Roderick asked, scratching his chin.

"Didn't I hear about an elf coming to the city a week or two ago? Then she recently disappeared." Dewi asked.

"You're right. I recall the Guild Master freaking out and wondering if she was going to join the guild." Roderick commented.

"Well, you better go save her before she drowns in Kurt's drool." Whitney responded, "Poor girl looks like hell. Evan, we might need a healer."

Evan stood up with a firm nod, "I've recovered enough mana; show me."

Roderick sighed and followed. Dewi also tagged along after chugging a mana potion.

"I've never met an elf before. This should be exciting." Dewi chuckled.

"If you behave like Kurt when you see her, I'll personally stab you," Whitney warned.

Roderick just sighed and hoped this elf wasn't going to cause trouble.

Chapter 47: Improv

'Ugh! Why couldn't they just run away? Did I ham up the act too much?' I screamed internally as the adventurers seemed to laugh at my threats.

<Proficiency gained. [Identity Block LV 3] improved to [Identity Block LV 4].>

I was so relieved when they failed to identify me, and I thought it would add to the threat, especially when they screamed about my mana levels. They rallied together even when I created my fake spell and hoped to intimidate them with the raw mana level. Either [Acting] was working overtime, or maybe the mages weren't so knowledgeable as they seemed to think it was a spell, despite just being a slimeball combo.

They even fired at me while I was doing my evil speech, the nerve! I panicked at that, but neither Alpha nor Beta reacted, and I had to hold back my relief when it harmlessly bounced off my "mana barrier". Did they think I wasn't even worth using [Power Shot] on? I used [Slime Burst] and gave it some scary-sounding name, taking inspiration from the rather evil-sounding spell names that Krutz himself had.

<Proficiency gained. [Slime Burst LV 3] improved to [Slime Burst LV 4].>

One of the humans rushed up to challenge me. I thought this might have been the end for me, but perhaps he overestimated his capabilities as he could easily dodge with [Evasion] and [Enhanced Agility]. Keeping up my act, I disguised an acidic poison slime spear as another spell and gave it another cringe-inducing name. It did far more damage than I expected, and he fell. I yoinked his weapon and deposited it. If I survived this, I'd gladly eat it and add it to my profile collection.

<Human LV 3 Scout LV 5 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Human LV 2 Scout LV 6 defeated. Experience gained.>

'Wow. Shit. Maybe I shouldn't have used Bloodrot. After how much the bear resisted Bloodrot, I didn't expect it to be this effective.'

<Skill [??? LV 0] has become [Affliction Mastery LV 1]>

'A new skill? No time to read it, unfortunately.'

<Human LV 4 Spellbreaker LV 2 defeated. Experience gained.>

'Looks like the potion wasn't enough to save him... Quite an intimidating class name. I guess he thought he'd stop my spells directly?'

I sensed them starting to ignore me and slaughter the goblins, as they likely wanted to deal with me last as a group effort. I couldn't allow this, as I needed them occupied, at least partially, to make my escape. I threatened them with another ball of slime, and it caused absolute panic among the adventurers.

'I guess the aftermath of my fake spell has unnerved them.'

They all screamed for someone to stop me, and that was when I saw two blazing red mana auras erupting across the battlefield. Having seen the explosions of fire and smoke from previous fireballs, I quickly decided that this might make the perfect opportunity for "Krutz" to fall.

<Human LV 3 Warrior LV 7 defeated. Experience gained.>

I braced for the impact and prayed to Gramps that I had stacked my defenses high enough to survive. They collided with me, and I felt Alpha and Beta immediately withdrawing slime mass from my reserves to regenerate my defenses as they burnt away in the intense heat. I dropped the skull scepter and ripped off the burning remains of Krutz's outfit.

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Reinforcement LV 4] improved to [Mana Reinforcement LV 5].>

<Human LV 4 Warrior LV 9 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 17.>

<4 Trait Points are now available.>

'Shit. Won't they realize I'm still alive if they don't get a kill notification?' I suddenly thought and then hastily gave my last performance, screaming profanities mixed with death cries and ranting about essence. I hoped it was dramatic enough. I even screamed while morphing my throat to give a horrific melting, gurgling death rattle.

<Proficiency gained. [Acting LV 3] improved to [Acting LV 4].>

I dropped a portion of my acid poison sphere on the ground to make it a little more believable. Maybe they'd see the bones melting of the other dead goblins caught in the blast. I reclaimed the rest, as I desperately needed slime mass, and kicked off [Slime Conversion].

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Circulation LV 4] improved to [Mana Circulation LV 5].>

Despite covering myself in layers and layers of defensive slime, I could feel my core taking damage from the intense heat.

'Shit. Shit. Shit. I thought I'd be fine as long as I kept regenerating my outer layer!'

I cycled my waste water from my storage to try to cool down, but it almost instantly turned to steam. Even when I escaped the raging inferno and sneaked away, my core still took persistent damage. I began to deposit the superheated slime in storage while withdrawing from my reserves. Despite being away from the inferno, using all my water, swapping out my slime, and everything else I could think of, I still received a notification that terrified me.

<You've taken critical damage. [Defy Death] has been activated.>

<Proficiency gained. [Enhanced Vitality LV 2] improved to [Enhanced Vitality LV 3].>

<Proficiency gained. [Core Refinement LV 4] improved to [Core Refinement LV 5].>

I dreaded the second notification and my last line of emergency defense, but thankfully, it never came. I felt awful, and I never expected my core boiling alive in my own slime to be one of my near-death experiences. Everything hurt. I crawled into one of the huts and had to decide what to do.

'I could just melt down and hopefully find a cave or something... Or perhaps I could use this situation to get into the city. The goblins had some information, but clearly, the humans had more. If I don't get more knowledge, I worry about what will be used against me in the future. Maybe I can even get a class?'

'My immediate thought is to turn into a simple blue slime. Perhaps the humans would take me back to the field? But I don't know what my profile would say. I don't think I can fake my levels, and if they see a high-level blue slime, then who knows what they will think. Worst case scenario, they see my evolution, and then the jig is up.'

I considered turning into one of the four humans, but what if they knew them and asked questions? I'd be unable to answer or replicate their knowledge. I had to act quickly. I turned into Syl and habitually auto-equipped my clothes.

'No, these are too good. I need to look like a prisoner.'

I deposited my clothes again and then threw myself to the ground, covering myself in the dirt. With my usual outer defenses disabled, I hoped to add some scratches and bruises. This plan did not work until I dedicated some mental processing to allow injuries to be mimicked. Thankfully, [Shapeshifting Mimicry] seemed up to the task and perfectly replicated some nasty-looking injuries. I rapidly searched my inventory for something to wear. I pulled out my goblin cloak, tore it a bit, and put it on. It barely covered me, which was likely suitable for a prisoner, and I was glad I lacked the shame of nudity.

I used some tendrils to bind my limbs with some cloth and rope that I found inside the hut, and finally, I gagged myself. I hoped my [Acting] skill would be up to the task as I could hear the adventurers roaming around. I quickly scrambled through the profile for traits to mimic, hoping to help my situation. I first looked at the starting traits available to me.

<[Elven Glamour]

As a mystical race with a unique history and enshrouded in mystery, non-elves are affected by a minor charm condition when interacting with an elf.

The charm success rate scales with trait level but is always restricted to minor effects, such as making the elf seem more presentable, their words more enticing, and their appearance more attractive.>

'Gramps... Ugh...'

<[Elven Reflexes]

Elves are deeply in tune with their body and naturally highly agile and dexterous.

Improves reaction speed, agility, and dexterity scaling with trait level.

Prohibits the traits [Enhanced Vitality] or [Enhanced Strength].>

'A better version of [Enhanced Agility]? Do they stack? I'm sure my [Evasion] skill will be happy. It's my first time seeing a trait forbidding another trait, but I can still mimic the trait despite owning [Enhanced Vitality]. Seems like a loophole, although once again, I'm denied my [Enhanced Strength].'

<[Nature Commune]

As the guardians of nature and to represent their heritage, all elves can communicate with plants and non-magical animals.

The level of understanding and the willingness to offer aid is based on trait level.>

'Hey, plants, can you save me? No thanks.'

[Ageless] and [Lowlight Vision] could be easily ignored, as I had the superior [Dark Vision], and I wasn't sure if slimes even could die of old age. I wished my elf profile was complete, and I looked at one of the only unique traits I could see.

<[Elven Marksmanship]

One of the chosen paths, the elven archer, is to be feared, and their talent with a bow is unparalleled.

Bows will receive a proficiency bonus to accuracy and damage based on trait level.

This trait can be activated to mark any visible weak points, and ranged attacks against them will inflict bonus damage based on trait level.>

'Oh! This is similar to that thing the Blade Wolf could do, except with added bow stuff. I have a spare slot, so why not?'

I wondered what other unique and starting traits I was missing out on. My final trait selection was [Elven Glamour], [Elven Reflexes], [Elven Marksmanship], and [Mana Well]. My own [Mana Well] was still struggling to gain any levels, so maybe I could give it an artificial boost like I did with [Mana Sight].

I debated grabbing another [Sub-Core], but I dared not risk the slime mass I needed to repair my suffering core and defend myself. I wasn't even sure if I could safely withdraw the boiling slime mass stored away during my frantic attempts to stay alive.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a commotion outside, and with what sounded like a kick, the door splintered, and a man and woman entered. The man held two swords at the ready while the woman held a knife edge between her fingers. I put on my best look of fear, which was actually pretty accurate at this stage - I was taking a massive risk. I quickly warned Alpha and Beta against any attack and to focus purely on internal defense.

'Time for an encore performance, I hope you're up to the task [Acting].'

Chapter 48: An Elf

"Holy shit, is that an elf?" He asked and almost immediately dropped his guard.

"How the hell did goblins capture an elf?" she asked, lowering her arm but keeping the weapon ready.

"That hobgoblin, most likely. That thing was unnaturally strong."

I made a muffled noise and wriggled in my bonds.

"Easy now..." The woman responded and gave me an investigative look, "Her name's Syl... No class... Odd? Race, Elf, Level... 27!?"

"Fuck... That's almost three ascensions!" The man cursed, "Is that how elves raise themselves? All trait points? I can't even imagine surviving without my class levels. Maybe that's why she got captured?"

'What the hell is an ascension?' I wondered to myself.

"Maybe... I'm going to get Roderick. Don't untie her till we get back." The girl continued and reached into her pouch and pulled out a blanket, which she draped over me to cover up the almost-nudity, "And you better not touch her either... I can see you drooling."

"Hey! I'm an asshole, not a rapist!"

"Good. Keep it that way."

She gave him a slap over the head before exiting. He shook his head, sighing, and sheathed his blades before sitting on the ground.

"Sorry about that. Hopefully, we can untie you soon, maybe even get you a heal spell or potion."

'Ugh! Potions! I had a healing potion! Why didn't I drink it instead of sitting here with my seared core?'

"I'm Kurt. She said your name was Syl, right?"

I nodded.

"You really have no class?"

Nod.

"Man, that must suck."

Nod.

"Was it by choice?"

Shake.

"That's fucked up. Maybe you could join one of the guilds and get one."

My eyes widened in shock, and he seemed to notice my interest.

"Oh yeah, the Adventurer's Guild is pretty great," Kurt said with a big grin, "If you do join, make sure you get Tabitha to register you. She's great, and I owe her one."

"I'm hoping to make it big and leave this town one day. Soon, everyone will know the name Dual Blade Kurt!"

'Oh Gods.'

"Although I said Tabby's great, don't bet with her. She's a nasty gambler."

'Right...'

"So I was on a goblin hunt weeks ago, and I was exploring the forest the other day and found..."

'This guy doesn't stop talking.' I thought to myself as his voice started to turn into white noise.

In an effort to keep my sanity, I looked over my new skill.

<[Affliction Mastery LV 1]

Negative status effects are easier to apply, have a longer duration, and are harder to cleanse, scaling with skill level.>

'Wow, now that is a massive upgrade. I did gain this mid-battle. I wonder if it applied retroactively, and that was why those adventurers fell.'

"So I grew up here, a real gutter rat, earned my first sword doing the old mana farm..."

"Kurt, are you telling her your entire life story?" The girl suddenly interjected and grabbed my rapidly fading focus.

"Whitney, don't be a bitch. Syl here is a great listener. I think she wants to be an adventurer."

"An elf adventurer, now that's a rarity." Another voice suddenly interrupted. I looked to the entrance to see a burly man with a massive shield that my profile collection coveted. "They rarely leave their glades. Hell, some rural backwaters think they're a myth; no offense, missy."

Another smaller man pushed through with a frown, "Are you seriously talking around a bound and injured person?" He forced his way to my side and knelt with an apologetic and reassuring smile. A golden aura appeared around his person that I could recognize as healing magic.

"Gods... What did they do to you? How are you even alive? Your life force is so low you're on the verge of death." He muttered in horror and enshrouded me in the mana, and I felt my core rapidly healing.

That scared me; he could sense my life, but it only told him my condition and hid my true form. I mentally praised my evolution trait for such a thorough disguise. Also, he confirmed my condition was really bad, I did trigger [Defy Death] after all, but apparently, I had barely recovered at all since that fiasco.

'Wait. Shit! [Shapeshifting Mimicry] heal my fake wounds! Slowly!' I panicked mentally. I'd likely need to dedicate a [Sub-Core] to handling fake injuries in the future so I don't forget.

"Whitney, untie her and get her some clothes... I understand caution, but this is beyond cruelty. She could have very well died while you all casually talked."

I felt a bit shell-shocked by the current situation, as I didn't expect this level of treatment. While in my goblin form, I met immediate hatred. But now they were even healing me, and thanks to [Mana Sight], I could tell this Evan person was literally using the last dregs of his mana.

"Right... Sorry, Evan." Whitney said, walking over to remove my bonds.

I made no movement at all, still very cautious that I'd end up skewered by one of these adventurers. When Evan's healing ended, he pulled out an old robe from a pouch and handed it to Whitney. "It won't fit nicely, but it's better than the alternatives." He said and then ushered everyone else out of the room.

The giant man laughed as he left, "Kurt when you join a permanent group, remember not to anger the healer."

"Sorry... I didn't know." Whitney said while undoing my bindings and helping me put on the robe, "On the outside, it didn't look so bad at the time... Sorry."

"...thank you..." I responded, hoping it was the best meek and fearful impression I could make. The robe was ill-fitting, too large, and yet too short, leaving a large portion of my legs bare. This made me realize how much taller elves were than the other races I'd encountered so far.

Whitney handed me a canteen, "Water... I have some jerky too if you'd like." she pulled out another small wrapping of cured meat.

I chugged the water greedily, hopefully giving a good act, "...thank you... Food too, please..."

She handed me the package with a soft and sad smile. I ate the meat and was pleased with the small amount of slime mass it generated. I was glad I practiced fake eating with the goblins. Eventually, the rest of the group reentered, and another new face was in the group, although I recognized him as one of the fire mages. My core felt uncomfortably warm.

"Holy shit, it really is an elf." He said, looking up at me, "Wow, you're tall."

"Dewi, keep it in your pants." The large man interrupted.

"Sorry, Roderick. I'm just fascinated. This is one of the legacy races." Dewi said apologetically before his jaw hit the floor, and he started babbling incoherently while covering his eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Kurt said, slapping him on the back.

"Mana..." Dewi spluttered out.

"I don't have a potion if you're dry," Kurt responded.

"No! Her mana is off the charts!" Dewi corrected, "I know history says elves are masters of the arcane, but this is ridiculous."

I instinctively backed away a little, which caused Dewi to eat a backhand from Whitney.

Roderick cleared his throat, which caused the others to hush up, "So Syl, I'd rather not leave an unarmed lass out here. Would you be willing to come back to town with us?"

"...yes... I don't want to stay here."

"And unless Kurt was talking crap, he said you expressed interest in joining the guild?"

I nodded, maybe a little too excitedly. Would I finally be getting a class? Was it that simple? The previous wounds of betrayal were still fresh, and I almost didn't want to hope.

"See, I told you. Tabby is gonna be so excited." Kurt chuckled.

Roderick cleared his throat again, trying to remain professional, "Well, if Dewi wasn't overreacting, I'm sure the guild would be happy to have a promising recruit such as yourself. Now, let's get out of this dreaded cave."

I nodded and followed the group. Evan checked up on me again and seemed relieved I was no longer at death's door. I thanked him profusely, but he acted like it was nothing. If only he knew how much slime mass he had saved me, I could easily buy two [Sub-Cores] with the savings.

They formed an almost protective perimeter around me as they escorted me out of the cave. I gave a last glance at the destroyed remains of the tribe; I hoped the rest were safe in the deeper caves. There were a lot of curious whispers and chatter amongst the other adventurers, and the exoticness of an elf was the undeniable cause. Some of them even made suggestive comments and leered until Whitney flourished a knife.

'Maybe I shouldn't have picked [Elven Glamour]...' I thought bitterly, but the damage was already done.

"We'll assemble camp nearby, spend the night here, and then head home in the morning," Roderick declared, and the rest of the group nodded. "Missy, I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions."

'Oh no, get ready for round three [Acting]!'

Chapter 49: Camp Stew

The adventurers gathered around a large backpack and started pulling out camping supplies. I was surprised to see storage bags were so common, considering the entire goblin tribe had only two, and I wondered how the large backpack compared to my own [Core Storage].

Roderick pulled out a large pot and placed it on a stand, then Dewi placed some wood under it and ignited it with a small burst of fire mana. Evan did a small incantation, and water slowly trickled into the pot. Roderick started pulling ingredients from a much smaller, higher-quality bag and placing them in the pot.

"I hope you don't mind me cooking while we chat. I like to keep my hands busy," Roderick asked, to which I gave a simple nod.

"So, missy, my first question is, why did the goblins keep you alive? Capturing prisoners alive is a rarity for them, and if they do take prisoners, they usually give in to the temptation of a meal and essence, as they call it."

I was glad it was a simple question, and I had already thought of a plausible half-truth, "Yes... I have a rare [Dissection] ability and used it to negotiate."

"Oh? Would you mind showing me?"

"It's a secret of my race, but I don't mind offering you my services as thanks for the rescue. Just without any prying eyes."

"Ah. I can understand wanting to keep secrecy. The guild does respect our privacy rights, after all. Once the tents are up, perhaps you can use one."

"Gladly. Although I must warn you, it doesn't leave much meat behind, only the valuable parts."

Roderick laughed heartily before replying, "Well, that shouldn't be a problem, missy. Not many people eat monster meat in the first place unless they are absolutely desperate."

Roderick continued to stir the contents of his pot while adding a few extra ingredients and then breaking out some powders. It was a surreal sight, a giant man joyfully hunched over a cooking pot. After doing a taste test, he finally resumed his questioning.

"You gained a lot of levels without a class. Was that intentional?"

"I was never given the opportunity for a class."

"Bugger me, you elves are weird, no offense. How did you even kill anything?"

"A lot of racial traits, and I have proficiency with a bow."

"Racial traits, hey? Us humans aren't so lucky in that regard." He scratched his beard in thought, "I'm sure we can wrangle you up a bow for the journey tomorrow. I'd love to see what a classless archer can do."

I nodded. I was glad things seemed to be going smoothly. I avoided any lies, and everything I said was technically the truth. Eventually, everyone gathered around, as the campsite was ready, and it was time to eat. It seemed the humans separated into groups of up to six individuals, which I guessed was due to the party size limit.

Roderick portioned out a serving for Dewi, Whitney, Evan, Kurt, himself, and me. It seemed his group was taking custody of me for now. I gladly ate the meal, as I'd take any opportunity to replenish even a minuscule amount of slime mass. I was glad I had become quite good at fake eating through my interactions with the goblins, although I hated the monotony of pretending to chew.

The meal discussion was about the goblins and the success of their emergency quest. It sounded like they were terrified of my Krutz performance and disgusted by his use of Bloodrot. I made a mental note to keep that poison hidden. I had to hide my surprise when I overheard this quest started due to blue slimes going missing.

'Is this whole thing my fault? I mean, they tried to eat me first. I'll never forget that blue slime with the rose-red core...'

When it seemed like their discussion about the goblins was nearing its end, I asked a question burning in my mind, "Um... Has anyone ever tried making peace with the goblins? Since they also have [Universal Language]..."

The silence was deafening, immediately making me regret my question and wondering if I had broached a sensitive subject. Had I given myself away, was this the end?

Evan finally broke the silence, "It has been tried before, not just with goblins, but with the other monstrous races too. But..."

"It's always ended in disaster." Roderick bluntly answered.

"Monsters evolve, and the theory is it's an addictive feeling, better than the best drugs, mind magic, or brothel money can buy. Because of this, they have an instinct to seek their next evolution." Dewi explained, "There's been some repeatable success with trying to civilize them, but problems start creeping in once they reach their first evolution, and they start showing far too much ambition or aggression. After the second evolution, if they survive that long, it basically devolves into a survival of the fittest mentality."

'...is that going to happen to me?' The thought terrified me, and I needed to ask Gramps about it. I assumed I was only three levels away from my next evolution, and I had been eagerly looking forward to it, but now I had a newfound dread. I must have been partially wearing my feelings as Evan gave me a reassuring pat on my shoulder.

"I'm guessing you met one or two friendly goblins despite being a prisoner. I'm sorry, but it's been tried countless times and always ends in tragedy."

It seems they were worried about me because none of them pointed out that even if I made goblin friends, they were likely dead from their perspective. I did secretly hope that Yuzz wouldn't evolve. Roderick took a social cue to change the subject and distract me from the somber mood. It seems my potential adventurer's guild application was the subject.

When Roderick relayed some of the information I told him earlier, some of his party suggested I look into an archery-related class if I had enough bow skills to reach my current level classless. Dewi nearly spat out his food at the suggestion.

"No, no, no. I don't care if you've got some innate archery skills. With your mana, if you don't pick a mage class, I think I'd cry."

"Or if you have the talent of healing, think of all the lives you could save." Evan pointed out.

I already wanted to use magic but was rejected by Earth and presumably Air, "Can I even use magic? What if I don't have the affinity?"

"Nonsense. Everyone has at least one affinity, and the guild can check for you during your assessment. Although it'll only show the basic affinities, you'd need to go to a capital city for a more thorough evaluation." Evan replied, "Even if for some reason you didn't, you could use your third ascension to pick out an affinity."

'Ascension?' There was that word again. I wanted to ask about it but held back my curiosity for now.

"Bah. You mages and your spells. All you need is a good sword or two." Kurt replied, pointing to the blades on his back.

"Well, first things first, I want to see her [Dissection] skills Roderick mentioned," Whitney replied.

"Ugh... Don't mention that skill, and please do the work far away from me..." Kurt replied, looking like he was about to lose his stew.

After we finished dinner, Roderick pulled out a folding table from the large backpack and handed it to Kurt, who took it to one of the tents. Meanwhile, Roderick pulled out two mangled-looking wolf corpses wrapped together in a strange sheet.

Whitney frowned at the stench, "We've gotta invest in a harvest bag next."

"Yeah, but they cost a fortune to freeze the contents." Roderick sighed, placing them on the table while Kurt fled from the scene.

'Huh... Is my [Core Storage] secretly worth a fortune?' I had never dealt with rot and decay at all, usually eating things immediately on the spot.

"Claws, fangs, what's left of the fur... Do you want anything else? Bones?" I asked, inspecting the wolves.

"No, we don't need the bones. I'm surprised you're offering to have a go at the fur."

They left me some tools, various-sized knives, and strange-looking blades and wished me good luck before closing the tent behind them. I had to resist the urge to eat the tools and add to my profile collection.

I waited a bit, ensuring that nobody was secretly peeking at me, and then formed a ball of slime in my palm, giving it a transparent white appearance. I enveloped the carcasses with it and quickly harvested it. I was relieved that despite the unfresh state, they still gave me slime mass, albeit reduced. I placed the various parts in separate piles and then waited.

'If I leave too early, it might be completely unbelievable, although I have no idea what an appropriate time for [Dissection] usually takes...'

I sighed deeply and tried to consolidate my thoughts and feelings.

'It's strange. They seem genuinely friendly. I don't know if that's just because I'm an elf or if that is their nature. This adventurers guild thing sounds interesting, and I'd finally get a class. Am I being naive and stupid?'

'I just hope I'm not walking into another trap... I don't think my sanity could handle it. If that happens, I might willingly give in to that evolution craving they mentioned. Assuming I even have a choice in that matter... It can't be as simple as evolving and suddenly losing my mind immediately, right? The worst part is I'd need to evolve in the first place to get an answer from Gramps.'

I sighed, thinking enough time had passed, and left the tent. Whitney was the first to notice me and came over.

"You can't be done already, surely?"

'Shit.' I cursed mentally and gave a nod.

Whitney peeked into the tent and saw all the pristine materials displayed on the table. Her jaw practically hit the floor.

"Am I being pranked?" She questioned while looking over the materials.

The rest of the group noticed the commotion and came to investigate.

"Lass, I can see why you wanted to keep this a secret..." Roderick muttered while closely examining the fur, "I thought you were joking about harvesting the fur..."

Evan whistled, very impressed with the results.

"If this is an elf thing and not a you thing, I can understand why nobody wants to mess with the Elven Kingdom." Dewi stated, "Imagine how much materials you'd get from something like a dragon."

Kurt had gone pale as he stared at the materials. He did seem squeamish around the corpse earlier, too.

"Have you ever harvested boars before?" He asked, stammering a little.

"Yes, I've harvested many boars, even some in this forest," I replied honestly.

"Fuck."

Chapter 50: Back to the Beginning

Dewi immediately pointed an accusatory finger at Kurt, "Your mysterious benefactor!"

"What's this now?" Whitney asked.

"No-" Kurt tried to stop Dewi, but it was too late.

"Kurt here found a bunch of boar hides mysteriously left behind in the forest, all perfectly harvested."

"Oh. I wondered what happened to those." I commented, remembering my first tree home. It felt like ages ago, before even my first evolution.

"I waited around! I didn't see anyone or anything for hours, so I figured it was abandoned. There were no tracks either." Kurt tried to defend himself.

"I don't mind. I only did it for the skill training. Plus, you rescued me." I replied earnestly, as I didn't care about a few boar leathers. I might have been a little peeved back then, but it felt like a pittance compared to the stuff in my storage now.

Kurt looked relieved until Whitney spoke up, "Syl. You're terrible with money, aren't you?"

'Am I? I know what money is, but I was a noble in my past life, likely with a silver spoon in my mouth... Is that influencing me? Or is it because I'm a monster? I care more about slime mass and experience than money...'

When I didn't respond and seemed far too lost in thought for a simple question, Whitney groaned, "Talk about a culture clash... If those were monster boars and harvested even half as good as these wolves you did, those were worth a good amount of coin."

Kurt turned pale again until Dewi threw him a lifeline, "How about Kurt pays her inn fees for a week while she settles in as an adventurer?"

"That sounds reasonable. Don't you agree, Kurt?" Roderick added, giving Kurt a hefty pat on the back. Kurt nodded frantically.

With that resolved, we started getting ready for bed, and they organized a sentry rotation, excluding me. I found out my sleeping arrangement would be sharing Whitney's tent.

I panicked, as I'd be leaving myself horribly vulnerable by not sleeping in a hole, not to mention that when I slept, my form would melt. I gave Alpha and Beta orders to work together to upkeep my form and to wake me up if anything threatened me or if the form failed. I hoped that would be enough, and I found myself experiencing my first case of insomnia. Too bad I couldn't use sleep poison on myself like that giant badger.

<Proficiency gained. [Sub-Core Alpha LV 3] improved to [Sub-Core Alpha LV 4].>

<Proficiency gained. [Sub-Core Beta LV 3] improved to [Sub-Core Beta LV 4].>

Despite all my worries, I woke up unattacked, and my form was stable. I hated that my first thought was wondering if they didn't attack me to lure me into a false sense of security. At least Alpha and Beta showed the fruits of their labor, and after activating [Slime Conversion], I felt like I had enough slime mass to add a third [Sub-Core].

<Would you like to improve an existing [Sub-Core] or create a new one?>

'New.'

<Trait [Sub-Core Gamma LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 3.>

<Would you like [Sub-Core Gamma] to join the [Sub-Core] experience link?>

'Yes.'

<[Sub-Core Gamma] integrated into [Sub-Core] experience link.

[Sub-Core Gamma] will receive donated experience from [Sub-Core Alpha] and [Sub-Core Beta] until level equilibrium.>

'Welcome to the team, Gamma. Start withdrawing slime mass, and Beta will store it. Just avoid the superheated slime at all costs.'

Perhaps I could turn it into a weapon somehow because it would certainly add an extra punch to my [Slime Burst]. I also set Alpha the task of reacting and creating injuries. Hopefully, it would be enough, but at least this way, I wouldn't risk forgetting about it in the heat of the moment.

I was alone in the tent, and I could overhear Dewi and Evan chatting in the camp. They were discussing the battle yesterday and the hobgoblin. One part in particular got my attention.

"Mana siphoning?" Evan asked.

"It'd explain his strength and her terrible condition," Dewi replied.

"As if I needed another reason to hate that hobgoblin..."

When I exited the tent, I noticed Dewi and Evan sitting casually around the campfire. They seemed to be enjoying some drinks while chatting. Dewi was the one to spot me and beckoned me over.

"Syl, just the person we were looking for." Dewi said cheerfully, "Maybe you can help us with a mystery. Elves are born with [Mana Sight], right?"

I nodded, unsure where this questioning was going.

"Great. Did you ever see black mana coming from the hobgoblin, and was any used on you?"

Krutz had black mana and used it on me, so I had no trouble answering truthfully, "Yes. He did."

"Warlock..." Evan muttered.

"Or Necromancer, just to be pedantic, but considering there was no undead, yes."

"Thanks, Syl. I'm really sorry for what you went through..." Evan said, looking quite disturbed. Looks like Krutz's reputation was becoming even more infamous.

They again showed me unexpected kindness and gave me some of their breakfast—crackers and dried fruits. Unfortunately, the benefit for me was so minuscule that the act of fake eating felt like a detriment—but the thought counts, right?

Before we left, I was handed a bow and quiver from Roderick, "Just in case, plus we'd love to see what else you can do."

I thanked him and hoped I wouldn't disappoint, as I'd lean heavily on [Elven Marksmanship]. It looked like we were one of the last groups leaving; some had even traveled through the night. While traveling, we did encounter some wolves, to which Roderick pulled out his massive tower shield and immediately drew their attention.

"I got their attention. Feel free to shoot them." Roderick said casually.

I drew the bow and activated [Elven Marksmanship], which marked their eyes and throats. I pulled back on the bow and fired an arrow, scoring a direct hit to the throat. The wolf went limp and collapsed.

<Wolf LV 3 defeated. Experience gained.>

"Nice shot!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Mind taking care of the rest? Cleaning this shield is a pain when Kurt does it." Roderick said, easily blocking the wolves. They were still entirely focused on him as I fired another arrow, going for the neck again. It was another clean kill. I felt like showing off for my final shot and went for a bullseye into the wolf's eye. It hit the mark and promptly fell.

<Wolf LV 2 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Wolf LV 3 defeated. Experience gained.>

"[Sneak Attack]?" Whitney asked me, and when I nodded, she grinned, "Makes sense. Combines very well with a bow."

"No! Don't you tempt her away from the path of a mage!" Dewi scowled, "Also, doesn't [Sneak Attack] work with magic too?"

Whitney twirled her hair while thinking, probably reading the skill description, "Maybe... It just says attacks." she said and displayed the skill.

<[Sneak Attack]

Adds bonus damage to attacks on unaware or defenseless targets, scaling with skill level.

This bonus damage partially ignores most forms of mitigation and resistance if executed from stealth.>

"Sneak attack fireball..." Dewi mumbled, "Ugh, I don't want to risk the skill point. When you become a mage, please confirm this for me."

I nodded while Roderick had finished wrapping the three corpses into the sheet and dropping them into the bag.

After putting his shield away, he gave me a thumbs up and asked, "What level were they?"

"Highest was three."

"Fresh spawns, then. With all the deaths, there will likely be a lot of activity in the forest."

'So Krutz wasn't lying all the time...'

We continued our journey, and Whitney demonstrated her own [Sneak Attack] by throwing a knife directly between the eyes. It almost turned into a little competition among the adventurers. Kurt did a flashy cross-slash with his two swords. Dewi burnt one to an absolute crisp. Even Roderick killed one by smashing it with his shield, crushing its entire head. It was strangely fun, and their cheerful camaraderie was infectious.

"So, Syl, what plans do you have for your next ascension?" Evan asked.

"Ascension?" I questioned.

"It's not a human-only thing, right?" Kurt asked.

"Maybe elves call it something else." Dewi pointed out.

"Every ten race levels, you get access to a one-time special purchase, usually something like an affinity." Evan explained, "Supposedly, the Gods gave us this to compete with monster evolutions, but..."

"They're kinda shit." Kurt interrupted, "That's why we put all our experience towards our class."

"Unless you're a mage, in which case you might want an ascension or two to fill out your elemental repertoire," Dewi pointed out.

'None of this was in the human or elf profiles... Shit...'

"I'd want another elemental affinity," I replied, hoping it was the safe answer.

"As to be expected for our future master of the arcane. I hope you'll tell the Mages Guild in the capital that Dewi started you on your journey of magical mastery."

"I can't tell if you're serious, or you just want to butter her up and hope to get into her pants..." Whitney said, running her finger across a knife threateningly.

"Probably both," Kurt said with a smirk, causing the group to laugh, except for Whitney, who gave both a backhand.

We eventually reached the forest clearing, and I could see the walls in the distance. Everyone visibly relaxed when they saw the familiar walls. I felt very conflicted when I walked past the blue slimes. I was back again, and this time, entering the town.

"Crazy that this all started because of missing slimes," Whitney remarked.

"That's our main economy you're talking about," Kurt said, to which she scoffed.

"And our main source of mana potions," Dewi added.

"I'm Glad I'm not a mage, then. You won't catch me drinking sewer potions," Whitney said, shaking her head.

"You do know active skills use mana. Right?" Roderick pointed out.

"Then I guess it's a pure passive loadout for me." She countered.

"Tabby had nearly the same response. Is it a girl thing to hate slimes?" Kurt asked, then turned to me, "Syl?"

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question, "No, I don't hate slimes—except maybe green ones."

"Once you're a mage, you'll love them. They are free experience! One little spell, and they go pop!" Dewi smiled, although it looked rather sinister to me. I internally shuddered.

We reached the gate to which the guards greeted the returning group. Roderick explained my situation and paid my entry fee for me. I stuck closely to the group when we entered, not wanting to get lost.

"First, we will head to the guild to hand in our report. And get Syl registered, assuming you were serious about joining? Seriously, no pressure. You could easily get a job as a dissector." Roderick said.

"I'd like to join and finally get a class. And even without Dewi's insistence, I've been interested in magic."

"Great answer!" Dewi and Kurt said together.

"Once you're registered, we'll show you to one of the best inns in town, where Kurt will pay for your first week's stay." Roderick continued, "I'll add a second week if you butcher these wolves for us and a portion of the money from selling them."

Whitney added, "I'll help you get some clothes with that since you have no money sense."

I thanked them all and genuinely smiled. I was dumbfounded at how friendly they were being.

Maybe Roderick sensed my true feelings because he added, "When you're part of the adventurers guild, we're all like family, and we look out for our own."