Chapter 29: Mental Housekeeping

Chapter 29: Mental Housekeeping

My sleep was unpleasant, filled with dark thoughts that clouded my mind. Imagining having my body forcibly seized against my will was a terrifying thought, and I suddenly regretted not purchasing [Enhanced Willpower]. The death of Sylthaeryn clearly affected me despite our very brief encounter, and I wondered if it was from our impromptu bond being torn apart. I didn't mind killing to survive, and if someone tried to kill me, I wouldn't hesitate to end them - I was a monster now, and I needed to endure. But giving her the benefit of the doubt, I assumed Sylthaeryn was innocent, up until she forced me to execute her before the poison or wounds could - it was a mercy kill, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I tried opening the bag I received, but it was locked or some magical equivalent. I recalled her dominating my mind, causing a moment of anger where I tried to melt the bag to see its contents, but it could fully resist even my most potent [Acid Slime]. I equipped my [Apex Hunter] emblem and looked at my latest status menu.

I felt a nagging in the back of my mind as I saw how my trait list had ballooned out of control. I started trying to rearrange and reorder my traits, and to my surprise, they did. I wondered if I could categorize them. Gazing at all my slime-related traits, I mentally grouped them as "Slime", and they popped together into a category. I repeated this process a few times until I was satisfied.

Name: Syl [Apex Hunter]

Race: Mimic Slime (Blue) LV 5

Class: -

Status: Healthy

Mana: Overflowing

Emblems:

[Experiment]

[Apex Hunter]*

[Elven Legacy]

Traits:

Slime:

[Mana Slime LV MAX]

[Acid Slime LV 4]

[Adhesive Slime]

[Pseudopod LV 4]

[Slime Density LV 4]

[Slime Shot LV 3]

[Shape Slime LV 4]

Core:

[Core Refinement LV 4]

[Core Storage LV 4]

[Sub-Core LV 2]

[Consuming Osmosis LV 3]

While each race or species may have its own language or another form of communication, this is a common language shared amongst all sapient life.>

'So everyone can speak universal, but universal doesn't let you understand everything... I wonder why I didn't start off with this skill. I am sapient, so perhaps an oversight?'

I wasn't sure what the unknown skill could be and hoped it was advantageous, which reminded me that I needed to unlock [Slime Burst].

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Violently explode slime mass in a pressurized burst that can coat a large area in slime.

The area affected, maximum volume detonated, and burst delay reduction scale with trait level.

Compatible with other slime traits.>

Recalling the trait description, which seemed easier now, the first thing that came to mind was combining [Slime Density] and [Slime Shot]. I enlarged a pseudopod and positioned it at a distance from me, then fired a few compressed slime bullets at it, which hit the target and promptly reabsorbed. I tried using [Slime Shot] without any compression, but it was like a weak water hose and did not have much distance.

Then, I tried compressing, firing the bullet, and finally initiating a decompression before it emerged. It took some trial and error, especially in the timing of the decompression, but eventually, a discharge of slime erupted from my form. I tried it a few more times, getting better at the timing, and then checked my status menu.

Happy to confirm I was on the right track, I finally shifted into my wolf form and continued my journey toward the cliff. If I could successfully use my partial trait in combat, I figured that would push it over the edge to unlock.

Eventually, I caught a feral scent mixed with some blood and headed in that direction, making sure to stealth as I approached. What I discovered was a bear monster fighting three wolves. I maneuvered to pincer the bear between myself and the wolves, and that is when I lunged for the bear's neck. I had equipped [Enhanced Fangs] and reinforced them with mana when I decided to enter combat, wanting to give it a test.

My wolf form's jaw ripped out a good chunk of flesh, thanks to my double-empowered fangs and further boosted by [Sneak Attack]. The bear roared in pain and tried to reach behind its neck for me, but I was warned by [Evasion] and kicked off to leap away while firing my partial slime burst. Under combat pressure, it didn't come out spectacularly, but a large amount of acidic slime still managed to coat the bear, causing it to let out a guttural roar as its flesh began to melt.

The wolves noticed my presence and let out what felt like happy barks as if directing me to assist them with taking down the bear.

'Wait, because the wolves think I'm a wolf, it earned me experience towards [Identity Block]? My false profile must be pretty decent. I guess it did also fool Sylthaeryn...'

The bear had itself in a pain-induced rage and was swinging wildly, one of its claws gutted through a wolf. The remaining two wolves attempted to go for its hind legs, but their fangs lacked the potency. I created a tendril from my back, sending it right near the bear's head, and fired a point-blank burst of slime into its face, hoping to blind it. Its thrashing took out the other two wolves and even a nearby tree in collateral damage. Meanwhile, I had created another tendril and fired a double burst directly at its head.

With my trait finally unlocked, it was time to end this fight. The bear was blinded and just flailing now, so I sneaked low and dove at its leg with my fangs ready to rip and tear. I tore through its leg, then dodged an incoming blow thanks to [Evasion] again. I snuck around and went for its remaining hind leg from a different angle, landing a solid blow that sent the bear tumbling to the ground.

Seeing my skill increase made me realize that perhaps all my attacks met the criteria while it was blinded and unaware. I decided to finish off the bear by shaping four rapiers enhanced with mana, and not to be outdone, even copied the exact form of a fancy blade I had seen previously. The four blades pierced through the bear, two of which landed devastating blows to its jugular.

When I approached the corpse, I received a brutal scolding from [Dissection], as the pelt was highly valuable, and I had melted a lot of it with my indiscriminate bursts of slime. I claimed its fang and claws and whatever was salvageable of the pelt and ate the rest - including the wolves.

I wanted to find another bear to complete the profile, perhaps one that would satisfy [Apex Hunter], so I could gain another skill point. I started sniffing the air and ground, hoping to find traces of the bear's smell and began following what I assumed was the bear's trail.

'I was wondering what the skill would be. I guess I have been using this super nose a lot lately.'

Aids directly in discovering and following tracks or trails while using an enhanced sense.

Accuracy, prediction, and tracking period scale with skill level.>

'Sounds good, alright. Let's try to find some more bears.' I thought feeling determined.