Pierrot: This is a news report from Wakayama Prefecture. The corpse of an identified Pierrot had been found without a suicide note. The police are investigating this as a homicide by a certain Clown.
Clown: No they arenāt! And you arenāt dead!
Pierrot: You killjoy. I thought this might be an interesting way to start.
Clown: Well, itās not. Donāt be deceiving our readers like that. If we even have anyā¦
Pierrot: Alright, how about this one? Waking up one morning, Pierrot has suddenly realized that she had started to change into a cockroach. What a shocking Metamorph*sis!
Clown: Weāll get shut down due to plagiarism! And why Kafka?!
Pierrot: Well, you knowā¦ giant cockroach, Rimuru being afraid of cockroaches.. thought it might be a good setting.
Clown: *Sigh* What am I going to do with you?
Pierrot: Have my words inspire you to tell some crappy joke?
Clown: Right! Speaking of bugs, have you heard this one? There was this guy who had a pet centipede. One day, he said, āgo get the paper, and make it snappy!ā Half an hour later, he goes outside, sees the centipede and says, ādidnāt I say to make it snappyā? The centipede replies, āI had to put on my shoes!ā
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Empowerment Arc
Chapter 08 ā The Power in my Hands
Itās been a while since I last walked under the sun.
Not like Iām a vampire whoād melt or get hurt under the sun, though.
Presently, using my monster instincts, I can sense such perilous conduct.
However, Iāll often do it even if I know itās dangerous.
Nothing to laugh about.
Really have to better my self-awareness.
The cave seems to be in the middle of some forest.
The entrance lay at the base of what you could call a small mountain or a big hill.
Sticking out from among tall trees, the hill can be seen from afar.
Regardless of description, itās the only place from which you can see the sun. The forest is dim in comparison.
Has that magic circle feel to it.
āA wise man keeps away from dangerā, as they say.
And so, I quickly left that place behind.
Since the moment I left the cave, some time had passed.
The sun has begun to dip towards the horizon.
Seems like I left the cave exactly at noon.
Youād be surprised how much I want to align my biological clock with the sun.
The moment I thought that, it naturally changed.
Was it really so simpleā¦?
Right now, itās 4 oāclock in the evening.
Itās time for dinner, but sadly I donāt need food.
I could eat, but since I donāt taste anything, itās pretty wasteful.
With thoughts of food, I remembered.
The monsters I ate in the cave.
Though I got my hands on new powers, I have yet to put them to use.
Black serpent [Heat Detection, Noxious Breath]
Centipede monster [Paralysis Breath]
Big spider [Sticky Thread, Steel Thread]
Vampire Bat [Vampirism, Ultrasound Waves]
Carapace Lizard [Body Armor]
The black serpentās [Noxious Breath], for example, I canāt use at all.
Honestly, when the Carapace Lizard appeared, I had used it.
And as a resultā¦
As if it werenāt armored at all!
The lizard had dissolved before my eyes.
An extremely gruesome sight. Even remembering makes me want to puke.
And thatās why I avoid it.
If, letās say, adventurers had chanced upon this snake, theyād probably be annihilated before they could even cast a spell.
Hmm? If I were hit by it?
I hadnāt given it any thought, nor do I want to.
Letās just say, thank goodness I shot first!
To be hit by such a dangerous breathā¦ would be bad.
But wait, that isnāt something that I want to remember.
Since seeing scrambled organs and bloody remains of lizards is rather unpleasantāat least for me, I decided to completely forget about [Noxious Breath].Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā As for what would happen when used as a slime?
The radius decreases by at least one half.
If transformed the breath spreads out for about 7~10 meters, without mimicking that is reduced to only one meter.
Anyways, would you want to see your opponent melt before you?Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Therefore, this skill Iāve sealed away.
On the other hand, [Heat Detection] is simply wonderful.
Living things radiate heat.
If combined with [Magic Perception], no attack can go unnoticed.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā However, since humans and upper class monsters may possess some special skills or magic, this is no reason to let my guard down.
Next, about the centipede.
Not going to mimic this oneābecause of appearance.
The paralysis breath functions the same as the serpentās one. The range is no different, as well.
And as I expected, the range decreases to a one meter when used as a slime.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā But, it just might be a good skill to use during ambush.
Or so Iād like to say, but if I had to fight an enemy that close, Iād be better off transforming or running. Anything else would result in inevitable defeat.
The lizard.
It was absorbed after being completely melted by my noxious breath. As such, restoring the body had proved impossible.
Anyways, having physical attack resistance kind of makes transforming pointless.
So I tried to use [Body Armor] while a slime.
My face hardened.
As youād find in some MMOs, I had become a metal slime.
My previously light blue body had changed color to a bluish silver metallic one.
However, as I didnāt try receiving damage, I donāt know how good it actually is.
I did gain a pretty color option as a result, though.
Maybe Iāll use it to surprise some enemy.
Thatās the extent of these three speciesā powers.
The problem is the remaining two.
They hold very interesting powers.
You wonder whatās amusing about them?
First, the spider.
Right, you all know about the hero who possesses spider powers, right?
*Hyui!* He shoots out thread from his wrists, leaping from building to building.
That famous guy.
[Sticky Thread] is intended to trap your enemies and prevent them from moving.
However, if I were to use it, could I reproduce his movements?
Quickly, I put it to the test.
Aiming at a large treeā¦
*Hyui! ā¦ Buraaaaanā¦.
Umm, let me explain [Steel Thread].
[Sticky Thread]? Whatās that? Donāt know anything about a skill that hangs you up on a tree.
And so, about [Steel Thread].
It is intended to be used to defend against enemy attacks.
Or when making a nest, it can be used to increase your advantage (build a maze).
But what I tried was to make one thin thread and whip it at a tree.
*Pyun! Buchin.*
It easily cut through.
And, thereās also that.
While I can see it pretty easy with my [Magic Perception], itās actually very hard to see with a naked eye.
With practice, it might become a dependable weapon.
Iāll practice with it later.
And last upāthe bat.
I expected the most from these skills.
[Vampirism] skill? By sucking the targetās blood I can temporarily gain its abilities.
Not a skill to worry about.
I mean, [Predator] is simply better. Would it be too presumptuous to consider [Vampirism] its degraded version?
And I donāt really want to suck blood.
So after learning all I could about it, I neglected [Vampirism].
Rather, the skill that caught my interest was [Ultrasound Waves].
More than bewildering the enemy or causing him to faint, the skill can also pinpoint oneās location.
In my original world, bats got around using the same ability.
But donāt miss the main point. These are essentially vocal cords!
By itself, the skillās nothing special.
So my next step became creating the organ necessary for using these sound waves.
Luckily, I didnāt have to create it from mere imagination and could instead reproduce it based on the bat I had absorbed.
With this, I might finally be able to speak.
Tired and exhausted, I continued working through the night without an ounce of sleep!
ā¦ Not that I need anyā¦
Three days and three nights of constant research, and behold the results!!!
ćtAke mE To yOuR LeAdeR!ć
Success!
As for how it soundsāhave you ever spoken right in front of a fan, that distorted voice? Yeah, thatās how it is.
The rest can be fixed with minor adjustments.
While calming my excitement, I carefully started adjustments.
However, I canāt seem to use [Ultrasound Waves].
I could have sworn I could shoot out sound wavesā¦
I was going to call it Sonic Blaster or Sonic Busterā¦
Canāt I use those?
ļ¼ļ¼Solution. From skill [Ultrasound Waves], skill [Supreme Vibrations] can be derived. However, it cannot be currently acquired. ļ¼ļ¼
Derive, huh? Probably need to have the skill evolve first.
So I lack enough information to successfully derive the next skill.
Shameā¦ it would have been nice to have a skill that when fired would resonate with the target and destroy it.
To be frank, if I donāt get it myself, how can I expect to be able to use it?
Seems like Iām a pretty greedy slime.
Having many abilities is, without question, a good thing. But, I see no need to hurry.
I should just be satisfied with having restored my voice.
And so, while trying out various things, I continued down this path.
Without any direction in mind.
But my goal, I felt, was a good one.
Somewhere beyond the forest, there is a city with some nice people with whom I could talkā¦
In any case, these days have been pretty peaceful.
In the caves, I was frequently beset by monsters, but since coming out here, I have yet to fight one.
Just this one time: while I was practicing speaking, I was attacked by wolves.
ćAā?ć
I seem to have threatened them with my voice alone.
ćKyaiiiiiiiiin!!!ć
And they ran away with a miserable whimper.
Larger than the largest breed of dogs, with a body length of more than two meters, and a whole pack of themā¦
What to say? Scared of some lowly slimeā¦ how pathetic.
As for me, I had no desire to fight.
Although I could acquire a sense of smell as a resultā¦
That thought piqued my interest, so I kept an eye out; but no wolves were in sight.
Actually, there was no monster within a hundred meters of me.
Hmm? Somehow, itās like they are fearing meā¦?
Why?
Yep, definitely, I can sense their fear.
Having confirmed that, I felt a group of monsters approaching.
Before my eyes, a group of 30 human-like monsters stumbled before me.
Small bodies.
Crude equipment.
Covered in a thin layer of dirt, their expression lacked intelligence.
But, not completely barbaric. There were also a few who wore swords, spears, stone axes, and bows.
My grey matter (brain cells) quickly saw through to their true identity!
The famous monsters that will attack adventurers! Yes, Goblins!!!
How stereotypical.
And the ones they attack are weak monstersā¦ so myself?
But hey, to come with 30 people against a single slimeā¦ thatās too much!
However, somehow I feel no fear.
My instincts refuse to fear them.
Many of their swords had rusted, and their armor is thin. Some have stitched together some rotting cloth.
Compare: the lizard covered in thousands of hard scales; the spider with feet like sharpened blades.
The I who have endured those battles, cannot imagine suffering at the hands of these goblins.
And in worst case scenario, Iāll just mimic the serpent and take out a few.
As I was thinking these things, one of them stepped forward ā probably the leader ā opened his mouth.
ćGuga. O strong oneā¦ Does You, have any business, up ahead?ć
Huh, goblins can talk.
I wonder if they can use any of [Magic Perception]ā¦
ā¦ and did they just call me 'strong oneā?
First surround me armed with weapons, and then politely ask a questionā¦ what a bunch.
I was amused.
In any case, it doesnāt look like they will attack right away.
Will my words reach them? I guess I just have to try.