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If you're getting this email/notification again, I fucked up. There was a missing 2,000 words in chapter one. If this is your first time seeing this email, check this out and give me thoughts :)

As said in the earlier announcement for Melas and Tian, I started a new serial. You guys get to see the preview. Enjoy the first 3 chaps of Overpowered Magic Goo: Violet Arc 1

Synopsis:

Where the heck am I? Why is everything so dark? Did I die?

Am I in... hell?

Oh, no— I'm just trapped in a dark, dank cave filled with dangerous monsters in another world with Skills and Levels. Also, my body is made out of some purple goo now, and I don't know the way out to the surface. 

Well, anyways, I'm starving. Is there anything to eat? 

Genre: Comedy, Action, LitRPG

OMG 1

“Mm, Daisy, stop it. That feels weird—”

I woke up with a wet feeling pressing against my face. Was it water? No, that wasn’t right. My body was already drenched, and this wet feeling was icky and sticky and—

My eyes snapped open, and I jerked up. I stared at the creature that’d been licking me. “You… you’re not a german shepherd.” I received a croak in return.

The creature that’d been licking me looked like a bloated toad, except about the size of a pomeranian. It also had six beady eyes instead of just two cute round ones, and to make things worse, each of its six irises somehow looked in different directions.

“Ribbit,” it said and hopped away.

“What the heck is that? Why am I in a cave?”

I raised my hand to wipe off the goo on my face. Except… I didn’t even have a hand.

“Uhm, what?”

I wanted to pull myself up from the ground to take a look at myself because I felt a distinct lack of any hands by my sides, but I found that my body was almost sticking to the rock and dirt. It took a bit of struggling until I finally wriggled myself free from the greedy claws of the… floor.

There was a plop, and the world around me spun. I found myself rolling towards a lake. The world tumbled around me as sharp bits of rocks poked my side. It wasn’t very painful, just uncomfortable, which made it even worse. I rolled to a halt right before falling into the body of water and slowly regained my orientation.

I looked around in a daze. “Ugh, that was close, I almost got my clothes wet—”

And finally, I caught sight of myself in the reflection of the water surface. It was clear— the water. Crystal, actually. I could see the white sand bed about six feet below the lake. But also, what I looked like was clear.

A blob of icky goo. Like someone had taken a ball of mud and dipped it in some purple paint. Except, it was me.

But… but… that couldn’t be right, right? That couldn’t possibly be me! I shook my head, rejecting reality, and the purple blob shook her head too.

It was real. I really was that weird thing I saw reflected on the water. I… I… I…

What the heck was I?

The question was answered as an image popped up in front of me.

Name: Violet [Level 1]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 100
Arcane Essence: 100/100
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]

I jolted back. “What?” The blue box as it stayed fixed in the center of my vision. “This thing… am I in a video game?”

Then I noticed what it said at the top. That wasn’t right; it called me Violet even though that wasn’t my name. My name was… Stacy! Right?

It took me a second, but I remembered my name. Honestly, I should’ve recalled my name faster since it was, you know, my name. But, like, I felt weird and woozy, alright? Here I was in a new body and in a dark cavern (I hadn’t addressed it yet, but I would soon) and the last thing I remembered was cramming for an exam. Of course I’d be a bit confused!

Also, what even was I? An… Arcslime? Was that some kind of slime? I tried to get a better look at myself, but the blue box was blocking the way.

“Get out of the way! I’m trying to look at myself!”

I tried to swipe it away even though I didn’t have arms. It disappeared the moment I spoke, but as I tried to reach for it, my entire body shook. I wobbled. Trembled. An odd sensation washed over me like I was thrust into deep waters and was involuntarily thrashing about to swim back to the surface.

Then something protruded from my body. I saw what happened from the reflection on the lake: the side of the purple blob (which was me) stretched out like a piece of purple rope. It was a kind of appendage— sort of like a pseudopod. Although, if I had to describe its shape, it was more similar to a tendril or a…

“A tentacle! Wait… oh my god, am I in a hentai?”

I was either in a video game or in a hentai. Or it could be even worse— a video game hentai!

It was all so surreal: I was an Arcslime called Violet in a dark cavern standing next to a six-eyed toad. I could only think of two scenarios that would lead me to this situation.

The first scenario was that I somehow hit my head and suffered a concussion while studying late at night. Everything I was experiencing was just fever dream induced by all the meds they pumped into my body and I was going to wake up any time soon in a hospital bed surrounded by my friends and family.

Either that, or I was dead, and this was my next life.

Or even worse… this was hell.

I searched for the pools of lava and tried listening for the screams of tortured souls.

“Nah. Not a single tell-tale sign of hell. The floor isn't even made out of limestone!”

Considering the fact that I wasn’t awake from a coma yet, I was going to assume I was still dead. I took in the cavern around me, staring at the six-eyed toad.

“Well, this is my life now, I guess?”

“Ribbit.”

“Right, I guess I should figure out how to move first.” After all, I was pretty much a ball of purple muck. Moving would be pretty difficult, right?

As it turned out, I didn’t even need to drag myself forward. I thought I’d need to use a tendril to sluggishly crawl around, but my body just seemed to glide in any direction I wanted to go. I could even jump!

“Woah, this is weird,” I said as I bounced along the edges of the lake.

“Ribbit,” the six-eyed toad croaked. It was standing a little bit nearer to me than the last time I saw it.

“I bet I can jump higher than you.” It hopped closer as I continued bouncing. “Yep, I definitely jumped higher than you— wait, can you even understand me?” I paused, and another, even more unsettling question settled in. “Actually, how am I even talking?”

This time, the six-eyed toad responded by licking me in the face.

“Hey— that tickles!” I drew back, laughing as its long tongue shot out once more to lick me. “Stop it,” I giggled. “Stop… it… owowowow!”

I yelped as the uncomfortable feeling was replaced by a sharp, stinging pain. I instantly leapt back, narrowing my eyes at the six-eyed toad.

“What… are you?”

[Toxic Toad - Level 3 (Combat Power: 60)]

A small box overlaid itself over the creature in my vision.

“How did I do that?” I blinked.

Except, I didn’t have eyes, so I wasn’t even sure how I was blinking. But this wasn’t the time to question the complexities of how I was talking and blinking with neither eyes nor a mouth.

This Toxic Toad was dangerous. It licked its lips as a green liquid dripped from its tongue. Was that what had hurt me just now? Also, were those tiny little barbs on the surface of its tongue?

I backed up slowly. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you,” I gave it a warning, “but I’m not going to die again this soon into my new life.”

Truth be told, I wasn’t even sure how I was going to back up that warning. However, one thing I noticed earlier was that I had a higher Combat Power than it had. I would beat it in a fight. Somehow.

…

Oh, who was I kidding? I was a slime! How was I supposed to beat that six-eyed frog? Heck, it was bigger than me! (Even if just barely.)

The Toxic Toad hopped once. “Ribbit,” it threatened.

“Stay back, I’m warning you!”

“Ribbit,” it said menacingly.

“I said—”

“Ribbit,” it decided, and leapt towards me as its tongue hung out of its mouth, ready to lick me.

“Eek!” I threw myself to the side, fully expecting it to pounce on me.

To my surprise, I found myself standing six feet to the left of the Toxic Toad when it finally landed. Its six eyes blinked one after another in confusion, before turning to face me. A vicious grin spread across my face. Or at least, I’d like to think so.

“Seems like you messed with the wrong blob, pal.”

“Ribbit.”

“Too late for apologies!” I yelled as I hurled myself at the Toxic Toad with all my might.

I barreled through the air with the force of a cannonball all the while bracing myself for the impact. It tried to hop out of the way, but it was too slow. I struck it down mid-air, knocking to the very fringes of the lake.

The clash echoed in the cave, sending ripples over the still water’s surface. The ground shook from the intensity of the battle as the Toxic Toad pulled its bloodied body up—

Oh, who was I kidding? It was a battle between a frog and a blob. It wasn’t very epic.

But I felt invigorated. It was like I was an action hero facing down the bad guy during the climax of a film. And while the Toxic Toad didn’t look like it was on the cusp of death, it certainly looked like it’d been hurt from the attack.

“That’s right! Want some more?”

It got back to its feet and opened its mouth. Its tongue lashed out like a whip. I flattened my body, ducking under the attack.

“God, you’re supposed to run away when I say that! You’re not actually supposed to want some more!”

I bounced around the Toxic Toad before slamming myself onto its back. It let out a wheezing noise, before I used its rubbery body to rebound into the air and crash back down onto it.

“Take this! And this! And this!”

I battered the Toxic Toad, managing to avoid all of its counter attacks, slowly wearing it down. After a few minutes passed, I found myself growing both tired and hungry, for whatever reason.

“Are you finally done?”

“R-ribbit…” it gasped, and collapsed.

“Finally, it’s over,” I sighed in relief (metaphorically) before collapsing too. In that instant, a screen popped up over the Toxic Toad’s body.

You have defeated a [Toxic Toad - Level 3 (Combat Power: 60)!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

You have advanced to Level 2!
- Arcane Essence +20

This flood of notifications filled my vision and I quickly dismissed them— somehow. It was a mental thing. I wanted them to go away, and they vanished. It took me a moment to process them, then I straightened (which, in the case of being made out of goo, I became less blob-like and more ball-like.)

“That was… wait, how do I see that thing again— the thing that appeared earlier and showed me information about myself?”

Just by thinking about it, it appeared.

Name: Violet [Level 2]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 120
Arcane Essence: 110/120
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]

“Ok… so, I’m Level 2 now? And I’m stronger, too.” I tried to parse this information. “But why’s my Arcane Essence only 110 out of 120? Wait, is it because I accidentally used that [Appraisal] thingy on the Toxic Toad? It does use 10 Arcane Essence…”

Trailing off, my musing was interrupted by a rumbling of the stomach. My stomach. Although, I didn’t have a stomach. I imagined the sound a hungry stomach made because I was that hungry. Then I glanced over to the side.

I stared at the dead Toxic Toad. My stomach metaphorically rumbled once more. And a thought crossed my mind.

“I’ve always wondered what frog legs tasted like.”

* * *

“Ewwww.”

I watched as the Toxic Toad was slowly consumed by my sludge-like body. The purple goo wasn’t really transparent— just mostly translucent. Still, it felt weird watching bits of a (formerly) living being dissolving at my touch.

Well, it wasn’t my touch, per se; I had to focus and kind of squeeze it to ‘eat’ the Toxic Toad. Overall, it was a very weird experience, and the frog legs definitely didn’t taste like chicken. It was filling, though.

You have replenished 10 Arcane Essence!

I jerked back at the sudden popup.

“Alright… so I’m going to have to get used to that, aren’t I?”

So, by eating the Toxic Toad, I replenished my lost Arcane Essence, and I was only missing 10 Arcane Essence earlier, which meant I was back to full, right?

Name: Violet [Level 2]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 120
Arcane Essence: 120/120
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]

A quick look at my details confirmed that fact. I stared at the blue box for a bit longer— my eyes hovering over my name. It was kind of odd. That wasn’t my name— at least, it hadn’t been my name in my previous life— yet I didn’t feel like it was unusual to be called Violet. Weird. Maybe it was because my brain still felt fuzzy since I just woke up. My memories as Stacy were a bit of a mess, right now.

I dismissed the blue box, turning to face the rest of the cavern. Because— and to address the elephant in the room— I’d been in a dark, dank cave this whole time. And it wasn’t even a tiny cubby hole. I took it in. The sheer scale of it.

I was sitting right in the middle of an expansive, desolate cave chamber riddled only with rocks and stone and dirt. Its ceiling stood a thousand feet over me, dangerous, sharp stalactites stabbing down from above, some of them reaching nearly a hundred feet in length. The rest of the cavern spread out far beyond what I could see, disappearing into a void of darkness, as if swallowed by the gluttonous beasts hiding within its veil, and reeking of the permeating musky stench of a—

Oh my god, it was boring.

It was a cave. It was dark. That was about it.

I made my way away from the lake, trying to put together a general plan of action. First of all, I had to get a good grasp of the situation: I was a little blob trapped in a cave in a world with weird creatures. Monsters, even. I had special abilities called Skills (like in a video game) that used something called Arcane Essence which I could regain from killing said monsters or gain from leveling up (like… in a video game.)

That was all fine and dandy. I understood that much. Right now, I guess I’d try to get to safety. First, find a way out of this cave, then maybe I could find my way to a city. It’d be a bit difficult trying to convince anyone that I was actually a Human in this body, but I’d have to try.

Wait a minute… did this world even have humans?

My rumination was cut off when I rounded around a rather large stalagmite.

“Ribbit.”

“Ribbit.”

“Ribbit.”

I was greeted by a cacophony of croaks. A hundred eyes turned to face me as I stopped face-to-face with a dozen Toxic Toads. I (metaphorically) whistled.

“Oh, wow, that’s a lot of you.” I stared at them as they just stood there. “So, uhm, how about you guys move along and there won’t be any trouble—”

They leapt at me as I made a break for it. I bounced away, occasionally glancing back as a few of the Toxic Toads kept up with me. I used [Appraisal] on the closest ones, since apparently I didn’t have any other Skills that were worthwhile.

“Missed me— you’re Level 3. And you’re Level 2. And you’re… ouch! That hurt!”

I lashed out at a Toxic Toad as it hopped on my back and gave me a violent, terrible, and ferocious lick. A large pseudopod protruded from my body, whipping out and knocking the monster back.

“Didn’t know I could do that with that. Neat.” I admired my appendage for a fraction of a second before I took off once more, bouncing up and down as vigorously as I could as I was chased by a bunch of annoying frogs.

They probably would’ve caught up with me if they hadn’t drawn the attention of other monsters. One of the higher-leveled Toxic Toads croaked as it hopped ahead of me to bar my path— only to be snapped up by the jaws of a giant centipede.

Me and my flock of frogs halted to stare at the humongous creature. It was the size of a car!

[Centis - Level 16 (Combat Power: 260)]

“So, who wants to deal with that?” I glanced back at the cross-eyed toads. “Not it!”

They scattered. The Centis gave chase to the numerous, slower targets as I slipped away— quite literally— down a side passageway.

“Safe at last!”

* * *

Unfortunately, I wasn’t safe, even after escaping the Toxic Toad. There were a myriad of other monsters milling about in the tunnel, although they were less numerous so I actually stood a chance.

Name: Violet [Level 2]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 120
Arcane Essence: 70/120
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]

Despite having used up a significant chunk of my Arcane Essence earlier, I didn’t feel like my Combat Power had gone down. I was moving as quickly as before, and I wasn’t any weaker. I did feel slightly winded, but it was almost like some other part of me was missing, rather than any kind of physical exhaustion.

Anyways, it didn’t take long for me to regain my Arcane Essence from fending off all the monsters trying to eat me. I also leveled quite a few times, too.

“Why are you trying to eat me, anyways? I’m a blob of purple goo!” I smacked the brown creature hard over and over again with one tendril as another tendril latched onto its left antenna. I could make multiple appendages, which was convenient, as it allowed me to do this.

I whipped the monster over and over again until it finally stopped moving.

You have defeated a [Grubby Roach - Level 7 (Combat Power: 100)]!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

Everytime I killed a monster, I’d absorb some of their so-called ‘Physical Essence.’ And if I gained enough Physical Essence, I’d advance to the next level.

You have defeated a [Mushroom Critter - Level 5 (Combat Power: 100)]!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

You have advanced to Level 5!
- Arcane Essence +20

“Why is a walking mushroom as strong as a giant cockroach?” I wondered aloud as I consumed their bodies, replenishing my Arcane Essence. “Like, wasn’t the giant cockroach higher-leveled?”

One thing I observed was that levels didn’t necessarily correspond with the Combat Power. I did notice that when I encountered the Toxic Toad back at the lake, but I wasn’t sure if that was an anomaly or not.

Each time I leveled, I only gained 20 Arcane Essence, which would increase my Combat Power by the same amount. However, it didn’t regain the Arcane Essence I’d used in battle. That was only achieved by eating my downed foes.

You have replenished 20 Arcane Essence!

You have replenished 10 Arcane Essence!

Name: Violet [Level 5]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 180
Arcane Essence: 160/180
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]

“You know, cockroach actually tastes quite good together with mushroom. I’d even smack my lips if I still had any!”

I was starting to think that I was being a tiny bit too nonchalant about everything that was going on. It was probably a coping mechanism. But everything had been coming at me nonstop since I woke up— heck, I could hear the rumbling of another monster making its way down the tunnel right now.

It was a good thing I had [Appraisal]. I knew which monsters I could pick a fight with and survive, and which monsters I’d better stay away from or I’d soon be waking up in another world again.

Maybe if that happened I’d be something more humanoid and less liquid-y.

I pressed myself against the wall— like, I literally flattened myself against the wall— as I waited for the monster that was causing the entire tunnel to shake to pass. It was big, so it probably meant it wasn’t a monster I should be fighting.

[Ravinecrawler - Level 31 (Combat Power: 920)]

A long, undulating millipede-like monster crawled its way past me, taking up nearly half of the passageway with its size. Bigger than a truck you’d see on the highway. Fortunately, that meant little ole’ me was too small for it to notice. Or maybe that was because it had no eyes.

Either way, it passed without issue, and I let out a mental sigh of relief.

“That could’ve been dangerous—”

Then, the wall behind me burst open, and I yelped. I found myself staring at a snout-like face. A badger the size of a person. It clawed its way through the wall as I backed up in a panic.

“Oh my god— where the heck did you come from?!”

“Oh, this is my home,” it said, casually striding forward. “I live here.”

“Wait, you can talk?” I stared at it in disbelief.

“Yep. You’re kind of breaking and entering right now.”

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to intrude— I was just trying to find my way to a city… or anywhere that’s safe.”

“A city, huh?” It took a slow step towards me. “I don’t know about any city, but I think you can find a village if you take the left exit out of this tunnel.”

“Really? Thank you so much!” I exclaimed, ready to take my leave. “Now, if you’ll excuse me—” I paused when I noticed that he was looming over me. “Uhm…”

I tried to scooch my way around it.

“If you’ll excuse me…”

It blocked my path again.

“I’m just trying to—”

I looked up at the badger and noticed that its face had darkened. It fixed me with a hungry look, and I shifted uncomfortably.

[Earthen Siren - Level 10 (Combat Power: 200)]

“So… do you eat people?” I asked hesitantly.

“Oh, no, god no,” it said in a disgusted voice. “Yeah, I’m vegan.”

“A vegan monster.”

“Yep.”

“That sounds perfectly reasonable.” I tried to squeeze my way past the Earthen Siren once again as it proudly nodded. “Now, if you’ll pardon me—”

And it swiped one of its terrible claws at me. I barely hopped out of the way.

“You lied!” I yelled as it continued its attack.

“I’m not going to eat you!” it protested, bringing its maw down at me.

“Yeah? Well, why are you trying to kill me then?” I circled around the Earthen Siren as it bared its fangs at me.

“I’m just going to absorb your Physical Essence. Now, stop moving so I can kill you.”

“Mmm, nope I think I’ll do the opposite of that.” I bounced off the wall and threw myself at its head.

It recoiled as I ricocheted around it, occasionally striking it with my body. Unfortunately, the Earthen Siren was a lot more durable than even the Mushroom Critter. I crashed against the monster’s back, but this time braced itself for the attack. It stumbled a single step forward before grinning.

“Uh-oh.”

I tried to hop off the Earthen Siren, but it grabbed me and picked up with ease. It licked its lips as I struggled to break free.

“Time to eat.”

“You said you wouldn’t eat me! Liar!”

My body shifted and a tendril reached out to cling onto its back. It grunted, pulling harder to get me free from its body. I held on with everything I could, but it was stronger than me. I found my appendage being stretched thinner and thinner until…

It snapped. Literally. It broke like a rubber band and whipped the Earthen Siren at a rapid speed. It yelped, dropping me and clutching the scar on its back. “Ah— what the fuck, man?”

I leapt onto its face before it could pick itself back up. Another appendage grew from my body, and I slapped the Earthen Siren across the face.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire!” Each word accentuated a slap. The monster reeled back before I pushed myself off it, leaping onto the wall before throwing myself back at it with all my might. I smashed onto its face, hard. “Now, sit there and think about what you did!”

The Earthen Siren crumpled to the floor as words flashed over its body.

You have defeated an [Earthen Siren - Level 10 (Combat Power: 200)]!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

You have advanced to Level 6!
- Arcane Essence +20
- Skill [Arc Shot] gained!

I landed, standing still as my body wobbled for a moment.

“Oh, it’s dead.”

OMG 2

“Oops.”

Was I a murderer now? Did I just kill a man? Or… badger man. Giant monster badger man?

Well, first of all, it was self-defense. I was pretty sure that normally, even after considering such an argument, I’d still feel pretty guilty about it. However, the Earthen Siren was a monster! It was like an animal… even if it could talk.

I had gone hunting before with my Dad. Or was it with my friend’s Dad? Or just my friends? My head was still fuzzy, reeling from the surreality of my situation. Whatever it was, I had killed animals before, so killing a monster that was lying to me and trying to eat me didn’t weigh too heavily on my conscience. I felt kind of bad, yes. Maybe it really did have a family— maybe I’d really been intruding in its home.

But that didn’t stop me from gobbling the Earthen Siren up!

“Wasting food is like robbing from the poor and hungry… or something. I dedicate this meal to all the poor kids in Africa who can’t eat. Nom!”

You have replenished 40 Arcane Essence!

Name: Violet [Level 6]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 200
Arcane Essence: 200/200
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]
[Arc Shot - 20 Arcane Essence]

Oh, also, I had leveled up after killing the Earthen Siren. And more importantly, I gained a new Skill.

[Arc Shot]. I got it after defeating the Earthen Siren. But it only cost 20 Arcane Essence, so it probably wasn’t anything that amazing. Probably just barely better than [Appraisal].

How was I even supposed to use the Skill, anyways? For [Appraisal], I just kind of thought about it. Did I do the same thing here too—

The instant I thought about using [Arc Shot], my body reacted. Something built up within me before launching out.

I stared as a piece of my own purple body shot out like a bullet. It struck the tunnel’s wall. The stone broke. A smoking hole was left where it hit.

“That is… wow.” I gaped at the Skill’s effects. “My body’s a gun!”

It left a decent, bullet-sized hole in the cave wall, so it had to be pretty effective in battle. It fired a part of me— a tiny globule of purple goo. However, it didn’t take away any of my actual body.

It was like… magic!

Although, everything in this world had been magical so far. Heck, I was pretty sure this ‘Arcane Essence’ I had contained some sort of magical properties. Even my entire body itself had to be magical, right? I was a blob that could talk. That definitely didn’t align with anything I’d learn in science class.

“Talking monsters, magic body. Now, what else am I going to encounter today?”

I continued down the tunnel, my liquid-like body smoothly sliding across the rocky floor.

“Hm, the Earthen Siren said that there was a village further down in this direction.”

The question was— was it lying? I couldn’t trust it. Not after it lied about being vegan. Oh, and also because it was a monster that tried to kill me. But more importantly, it was cheating on its dietary choices. That was truly an egregious lie.

But without anywhere else to go, I decided to at least investigate if there really was a village here. I proceeded with caution, getting into a few fights that I couldn’t avoid.

I passed by a patch of mushrooms growing out of the ground that grew into a giant mushroom man— like some kind of inflatable balloon animal.

“Hello?”

It didn’t speak, unlike the Earthen Siren. So, I didn’t waste any time trying to talk with it and dealt with it quickly. Its slow lumbering movements were easy to dodge, and I just had to employ my usual trick of becoming a bouncy ball and it was quickly over.

There were also giant lizards, giant spiders, and giant worms. Everything was giant in this world. Why couldn’t there be a regular-sized spider that just had super strength, huh?

You have defeated a [Mushroom Critter - Level 6 (Combat Power: 110)]!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

You have defeated a [Scything Spider - Level 10 (Combat Power: 163)]!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

You have defeated a [Xellyn Larva - Level 12 (Combat Power: 190)]!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

…

You have advanced to Level 7!
- Arcane Essence +20

I didn’t gain any new Skills from these encounters. Something about what I did to defeat the Earthen Siren led to acquiring [Arc Shot]. Perhaps it was when my appendage violently snapped in two and whipped the back of the monster? Or it could've been something else entirely— like passing a threshold of Physical Essence absorbed?

Truth be told, I didn’t know, and I probably wasn’t going to find out until I met someone. And eventually, I did meet… someone?

I exited the tunnel and entered a large cavernous zone— one that expanded in all directions into tunnels or smaller chambers. The slow sounds of dripping water echoed in the background as I took in the scene littered with stalactites and stalagmites.

Such a vast space— I’d have thought it would be teeming with monsters. But I scarcely saw any movement here. At least, compared to where I’d first woken up.

Bioluminescent moss carpeted parts of the floor and wallpapered streaks along the walls of the cavern, although it didn’t exactly let me see better. One thing I was realizing now was that I could actually see just fine in the dark. Like, without any aid whatsoever.

That kind of made sense and did not at the same time. Since I was a blob (magical blob, yes, but still a blob) of purple goo, didn’t that mean I shouldn’t be able to see at all? I’d understand if I had something like ultrasound vision? Or did I have eyes hidden beneath my gooey exterior? Could it really be ascribed to just magic?

My rumination was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek. I thought it belonged to a monster at first, but as I cast my gaze (still confused by how it worked, by the way) to the source of the screaming, I noticed it belonged to humanoid-looking individuals.

There were four of them total, located just in a clearing of stalagmites up ahead. Two of them were ashen-skinned and beady-eyed with pointed ears, standing at just over six foot tall. The other two were green-skinned and far shorter than the first two figures— three to four foot tall at most.

They were in the middle of a discussion.

“Fools!” the first ashen-skinned man said. “You shouldn’t have strayed so close to the Diregloom Caves. What if your screaming had attracted monsters, huh?”

So, they could talk. Although, if they didn’t want to attract the attention of monsters, they shouldn’t have been shouting.

“I-I’m so sorry, sir,” the taller green-skinned figure said in a soft voice. “My child ran off on her own and I—”

“Silence!” The ashn-skinned man slapped him.

I paused as I snuck closer. These were… people? At least, I thought they were people. Sure, a common indicator of whether a person was actually a person and not a monster would typically be speech, but after encountering the Earthen Siren, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

And I especially wasn’t so sure if those ashen-skinned dudes were people, considering how they were acting.

“Your daughter has endangered all our lives. We’ll have to take her in for some… punishment.”

“No, please—”

They roughly pulled the smaller green figure towards them as the green man struggled. I didn’t like what I was seeing. It ruffled some jimmies. I really wanted to intervene, since this looked like a clear abuse of power, like officers making a false arrest, but I wasn’t sure if I could even do anything about it yet. Only when I was close enough to finally use [Appraisal] on them, did I make a decision.

[Dark Elf - Level 13 (Combat Power: 185)]

[Dark Elf - Level 8 (Combat Power: 140)]

[Goblin - Level 3 (Combat Power: 50)]

[Goblin - Level 7 (Combat Power: 120)]

The first thought I had was, Elves? They don’t look anything like the Elves I see in movies, followed by, And Goblins, too? I took a good look at their faces. Yeah, crooked nose, pretty ugly… definitely Goblins.

Finally, my mind focused on the issue at hand. Hmm, I think I can take them. The first Dark Elf was close to my Combat Power, but I’d taken out multiple monsters with similar Combat Powers just earlier, so I knew I could take him and his friend alone. I couldn’t just stand idly by as they took the green man’s daughter from him to imprison her. Or even worse— to rape her.

With my mind made up, I emerged from the shadows and confronted those two bastards.

“Hey you!” I called out as the two Dark Elves separated the father from his daughter. “Leave them…”

“Please, she’s all I have—”

“Let go of me, idiot!”

“Daddy!”

“I said leave them alon—” I started.

“Dency, pull him from behind. No, not me— him, you moron!”

“Sorry, boss.”

“And how many times did I tell you to call me ‘partner’? We’re equals in this relationship, remember?”

“Yes, boss.”

“Uhm…”

I stared as the struggle continued, and my heroic cry was totally ignored. I tried to clear my throat to catch their attention, except I didn’t have a throat. I was just making sounds with my not-mouth that resembled the clearing of a throat.

They still ignored me.

“I’ve had enough!” The first Dark Elf raised a curved blade at the Goblin father.

No— I reacted as he swung the blade down. A small appendage protruded from my body as I activated my new Skill.

[Arc Shot]. Just like before, a globule of purple goo zipped out of my body and at the target. I aimed for the Dark Elf’s blade. A warning shot. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very good at aiming.

“Ah, FUCKKKKKKKKKK!” the first Dark Elf screamed as he dropped his weapon, clutching at his forearm.

“Oops— I mean, uhm, yeah! Take that! I told you to leave them alone!”

The first Dark Elf rolled on the ground, screaming a multitude of curses. The Goblin father covered his daughter’s ears, and I gave him an approving nod. Good dad.

“Are you alright, boss?” Dency, the second Dark Elf, rushed to the first Dark Elf’s side.

“Does it look like I’m alright?!”

I stared at the bleeding right arm of the first Dark Elf. “You are kind of all right, yeah.”

“You!” He glared at me, getting back to his feet. “Do you not know who I—” Blinking, he finally got a proper look at me. “A slime?”

“Excuse me, I have a name, thank you very much.” Although, did I introduce myself as Violet or Stacy, here? “Also, weren’t you about to introduce yourself?”

“Are you telling me that a pathetic little slime thinks it can threaten me?”

“Aren’t you going to question how it’s talking, boss?” Dency asked, shifting uncomfortably.

“Oh, you’re still new here, Dency. There are monsters out there in the Diregloom Caves that can play tricks on your mind. Ignore its words. It’s nothing but a distraction.” The first Dark Elf— who still hadn’t given me a name to work with— picked up his sword with his uninjured hand. “Also, I’m not your boss, I’m your partner.”

“Right, sorry boss.”

“Hey, did you just call me a monster?” I raised an angry appendage. “I’ll have you know that I’m a person. P-e-r-s-o-n. Person.”

The first Dark Elf (who should seriously introduce himself so I don’t have to keep calling him the first Dark Elf) strode forward, flipping his blade around with a wicked grin. I backed up as he spoke casually.

“You’re still new here, Dency. Come, watch, let me show you how it’s done.”

He loomed over me and brought his blade up. The Goblins flinched as the blade was swung. Dency intently stared at the demonstration playing out before him, taking notes. And I fired a second [Arc Shot].

There was a thud. The lifeless body of the first Dark Elf crumpled to the ground as I quizzically lowered my appendage.

“Uhm, did he think I was just going to let that happen? He did realize I shot his hand off just a minute ago, right?” I glanced between the wide-eyed Goblins and the horrified Dency. “Right?”

You have defeated a [Dark Elf - Level 13 (Combat Power: 185)]!

You have absorbed their Physical Essence!

You have advanced to Level 8!
- Arcane Essence +20

OMG 3

You have defeated a [Dark Elf - Level 13 (Combat Power: 185)]!

You have absorbed its Physical Essence!

You have advanced to Level 8!
- Arcane Essence +20

Name: Violet [Level 8]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 240
Arcane Essence: 160/240
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]
[Arc Shot - 20 Arcane Essence]

“Like, seriously, he literally just walked up to me,” I continued, still puzzled. “He not only closed the distance so I could aim better, but he actually thought I was just going to stand here as he tried to cut me in half. Is he alright in the head?”

I stared at the fallen body of the Dark Elf— at the sizzling hole my [Arc Shot] left in between his eyes.

“I mean— was he alright in the head?” I corrected myself.

“Nenifru!” Dency, the other Dark Elf, screamed, running over to the corpse.

“Oh, so that was his name.”

Well, it was too late for introductions now that he was… dead. Also, I seemed to be taking this in quite casually. I just murdered a guy— like, for real for real. He wasn’t even a monster like that dastardly Earthen Siren.

And yet, I felt… only a little bit guilty. Perhaps it was because he didn’t even look Human— despite his humanoid shape— but I didn’t think that I rationally did something wrong. He was a bad guy. However, even if he was bad, I should’ve still felt some semblance of… shock?

Maybe this went beyond just coping and disbelief— maybe something was really wrong with my head. I mean, I didn’t (supposedly) have hormones as an Arcslime. That could’ve been related.

I stared at Dency as he picked up Nenifru’s blade. Dual wielding a pair of curved swords, the remaining Dark Elf turned a hateful gaze to me.

“You monster!” he spat. “I will not let you get away with this. As a soldier of the Dark Empire, it is my duty to deliver justice and rid you off the face of the world.”

“Deliver justice? You were trying to kill and rape two innocent Goblins. Heck, you literally just said you worked for the Dark Empire! You’re, like, the complete opposite of justice.”

“Die!” Dency lunged at me, swinging his twin blades one after the other.

I hopped over the attack and sent an [Arc Shot] for his head. He ducked under the globule of purple goo, pivoting around as I bounced away from him to gain some distance,

“Seriously, how can you possibly say I’m the bad guy here? Are you stupid or something?”

“Silence, monster!” He charged as he screamed.

“Oh, I get it. You really are an idiot. Let me just—”

I watched him draw closer with each step. When he reached me, I leapt back to a nearby stalagmite and threw myself off it at his head. I bounced back and forth, ping ponging between the rock and his hard head.

“Help. You. With. That!” Each word punctuated a hit to the Dark Elf’s head.

He stumbled back, grasping at his bleeding forehead. Steadying himself, he clenched his jaw and wiped the blood off his face. “I can’t lose. Not like this. Not after all I’ve been through. Everything I’ve strived to protect.”

I stared at him. “Wait a minute—”

“I’ve given far too much to go down here. For my comrade— the one you killed with your cruel and merciless hands. I will not lose. I will avenge him.”

“Is he…?”

“I will slay you, monster!” Dency finished, raising his blades.

“He’s really giving a heroic speech, isn’t he?” It seemed like giving him a concussion only made things worse. “Seriously, take a hint and take your leave, already.”

The Dark Elf sprinted full speed at me, uttering a war cry. Sighing internally, I finally decided to put an end to it there and then. No more messing around. I threw myself at him, whipping out with an appendage as he slashed for me.

We passed each other, both coming to a halt, holding our poses for a moment. Then Dency stood up, snickering.

“It seems I w— urgkh!” He fell, coughing out blood. The blades clattered on the stone floor as the Dark Elf collapsed. “I’m sorry. I failed you. I’ll be right behind you… my friend…”

I watched as Dency bled out, a single arm stretched out and grasping for his dead companion.

“...ok.”

You have defeated a [Dark Elf - Level 8 (Combat Power: 140)]!

You have absorbed their Physical Essence!

The screen popped up over Dency’s body, marking his death. A voice drew my attention. I turned to the two members of the audience— the Goblins who I’d helped.

“Y-you…” The Goblin father stared at me, at a loss for words.

“You killed them,” a smaller voice said. It was the daughter. The little girl Goblin who’d nearly been snatched away by the Dark Elves. Her eyes were wide, and she couldn’t take her gaze away from their corpses.

“Don’t worry.” I waved an appendage dismissively. “They’ll be fine.”

“They’re dead,” the Goblin father said.

“And they’ll be alive soon enough.”

It was not like anything bad happened to you when you died. You would just be reborn in another world. Right?

The two Goblins exchanged confused glances. I just slid up to them, putting on my best voice possible.

“So, anyways, now that I’ve helped you two, can you do me a favor?”

They must’ve been just overflowing with gratitude to shower me with right now. After all, I was the adorable purple blob thing that just saved their lives.

I was their cute little hero!

* * *

It was a monster.

A terrible monster that would wreak destruction unseen.

Fissyah knew that this was where she’d draw her last breath. After five years of living, she was finally going to die at the hands of this deceiver. It took the form of a weak Slime, yet it had disposed of Dency and Nenifru with ease.

What was more, the way it moved was unnatural. When standing still, the monster was like a simple mixture of a discolored mauve liquid. A kind of mud that stuck together. But when it crawled forward, it was like it was being split into a thousand threads, and they'd stick out, pulling the monster forward like webbed parts. When its surface was disturbed, vein-like ripples would spread throughout its body. And even with no eyes, it could detect Fissyah without a problem.

Its faceless gaze snapped towards her, and she flinched, moving behind her Papa.

“So…” it said, breaking the moment of silence. A piece of its body protruded out like a deformed arm without a hand. “Wait, first, are you going to…?” It gestured at the corpses of the two Dark Elves.

Papa took a step forward, shielding the girl. “What is it that you want?”

“Oh, I was just asking if you wanted to… you know?”

Was this a trick? Some kind of mind game from the monster? Fissyah didn’t know. She opened her mouth to speak, but Papa stopped her. He deliberately chose his words as he replied.

“We are not aware of your intentions, creature of the dark. Please, we humbly request you to elucidate our feeble minds on what you desire of us.”

“Uh…huh.” It made a weird sound. “Well, I was just wondering if you wanted the bodies. ‘Cause if not, I’ll be taking them.”

Fissyah’s spine prickled as the monster moved to the corpses. Was it a Necromancer? It was going to claim the bodies of the dead for its own. It had to be a Necromancer. The girl had heard tales of such vile fiends— what they were capable of. If it really was a Necromancer, she couldn’t let it defile the dead. She had to stop it.

Against her better judgment, FIssyah spoke. She moved forward, speaking in a soft voice.

“What are you going to do with it?”

“Hmm?” The monster slowly craned its body to face the girl.

She steeled herself. “I-I…” Papa gripped her hand tightly, shaking his head, but she continued anyways. “I asked what you were going to do with it?”

“Oh, well, this is kind of embarrassing, but the fight earlier left me starving. Like, god— you don’t know how hungry I get.” It happily crawled over Dency’s corpse, its body spreading thin and wide. “So, I’m going to eat them.”

Fissyah blinked, and the monster enveloped the body entirely. She watched as Dency’s flesh dissolved under the Slime’s touch. Gradually. Eaten away, in front of the girl’s very eyes. She wanted to turn away, but she couldn’t. It was like she’d been paralyzed by a Basilisk. Forced to watch in horror as the monster ate both Dark Elves.

* * *

“Yeah, you probably don’t want to watch this. Oh my god, this is actually pretty embarrassing. Where are my manners?”

I felt my face burning red after I finished my meal and restored some Arcane Essence. It was a good thing I was purple so they probably couldn’t see me blushing. The Dark Elves had been wearing some light armor and other parts which I couldn’t consume, so I had to sort of inconspicuously slide those things out of my body before returning to the two Goblins.

“So, where was I again?”

The pair exchanged uncomfortable glances, although neither said anything. Yeah, I definitely made it awkward by pigging out in front of them. And they looked kind of disgusted, too.

“I take it you guys are vegan, then.”

“V-vegan?” the Goblin father asked, confused.

“Uhm, nothing— maybe forget you saw anything,” I suggested, and they both nodded hurriedly. “Look, I need your help,” I tried to change the subject.

“H-how may we serve you, creature of the dark?” The Goblin father bowed deep as he spoke.

These Goblins spoke kind of weird, but I wasn’t going to judge them for it. It was probably a dialect or something.

“Do you guys live around this area?” I asked, hopeful.

The Goblin father hesitated. “O-our village. It’s ten miles away from here. We didn’t mean to stray too close to the Diregloom Caves, creature of the dark. We assure you.”

“Oh, cool! So you do live around here. Can you take me to your village, then?”

He shifted slightly. His daughter glanced up at him, wide-eyed. But he continued, “If I may ask, creature of the dark, why exactly are you planning on visiting our village?”

I could tell he was a little bit hesitant. After seeing me gorge on the Dark Elves, I would be too if I was in his shoes. He definitely didn’t want me to strip his pantry bare. I tried to reassure him.

“I won’t be staying for long, alright? Don’t worry. I’m just looking to crash at your village for a bit then I’ll move on.”

The Goblin girl’s jaw dropped. “You’re going to crash our village?”

“No, no, no. I’m going to crash at your village.” Silly little girl. She got it mixed up. How cute.

“You—” she started, but her father spoke over her.

“I will take you there, creature of the dark.”

I brightened. “Really? Thank you so much!”

“But I must request of you one thing,” he said, meeting my gaze.

“Uhm, sure, why not?” I didn’t mind doing him a favor. As long as it was within my abilities, I would try my best to carry it out. “What do you need?”

“I will take you to my village. But, please, whatever you do, just ensure no harm befalls my daughter.”

He wanted me to protect the Goblin girl? She seemed like a bit of a troublemaker so he probably wanted me to keep her safe and stop her from getting herself caught by a Dark Elf again. That didn’t sound like it was too hard.

“Sure. Why not?”

With that settled, the Goblin father lowered his daughter’s head as he bowed. “I thank you for your generosity, creature of the dark. I shall now uphold my end of the bargain.”

“Of course! And by the way, what are your names?”

“Creature of the dark, I am but called Szen in my village. And my daughter is called Fissyah.”

I nodded. “Well, Szen, Fissyah, you don’t have to be so formal with me.”

“Then how may we refer to you?” Szen asked, still keeping a respectful tone.

“Oh, uhm, Sta— no.” For some reason, that didn’t feel right. I shook my head and said my new name, “Violet. You can call me Violet.”

Author's Note:

Leave your first impressions in the comments down below! Thanks for reading :)