Chapter 24—Level 10
[ Ding! Slime#47 has been cursed! ]
[ Curse — Unholy Eldritch Contamination — 1% ]
Slime#47 had witnessed the Eldritch for the second time. With his willmuch stronger now, he even had the courage to scold the octopus Eldritch behind his back.
"Idiot, you made me waste an entire loop," he muttered furiously.
He wasn't sure if his loops had a limit, but he didn't want to waste a single one without gaining something.
He opened his status for clarification of his soul condition.
[ Ding! Opening Status! ]
[ Status: Physical Death
Soul: Alive {Eldritch Contamination — 1%} ]
"Same… as before," he whispered, though his eyes sparkledlike he'd won a lottery. He wanted that golden bath again.
The light had been so soothing — he'd never forgotten the feeling for a second.
[ Ding! Searching for the optimal solution! ]
[ Solution found! ]
[ Proceeding to cast 'Holy Light of Purification'! ]
The moment he glanced at the new notification, he grinned.
A beam of golden rays descended upon him.
'So good,' he mused as the warm light flowed through him. All his nervousness, frustration, and despair from failing in so many loops melted away.
He felt renewed—as freshas he had been in his first loop, his mental state restored completely.
He clicked—Y—to start a new timeline.
[ Ding! Starting Timeline 78521452224.23! ]
[ Reincarnating Slime#47! ]
[ Ding! Trait — Eternal Mastery {Mythic} — activated! ]
[ Locking Skills—Acid Fist {Lv.Max}; Evade {Lv.Max}; Human Tongue {Lv.1}; Demon Tongue {Lv.Max}; Fireball {Lv.Max}; Mana Shield {Lv.Max}; Meditation {Lv.Max}; Iron Body {Lv.Max} ]
[ Locking Masteries—Fist Mastery Tier 1; Fire Magic Rune Tier 1: 25% Proficiency carried over! ]
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Timeline 78521452224.23...
After repeating the same steps as the last loop.
Under the blood-red moon that illuminated the world, Slime#47 stood before the magic sigil, taking a deep breath.
'I got this,' he cheered himself.
"I, a lowly slime, do call thee—O Moon God Korthu'Zaal! Lend me power, and I shall serve!" he recited, following Elder Slime's guidance after throwing a part of his jelly body.
Boom!
The ground trembled as the grotesque octopus appeared once again. Its cold alien voice echoed through his mind, "I grant my power to you—in exchange for your eternal servitude."
A beam of crimson light descended from the sky.
'Same warmth…' he mused, feeling the energy swell inside him again.
[ Ding! You have leveled up! ]
He instantly stopped pouring mana into the sigil—but the Eldritch power inside him keptthe ritual going on its own.
[ Ding! You have leveled up! ]
[ Ding! You have leveled up! ]
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Soon, the energy was exhausted, and the ritual ended.
[ Ding! You have leveled up to Lv.10! ]
[ Ding! You have unlocked Classes! ]
[ Ding! You have evolved from Slime ★ to Slime ★★! ]
[ Ding! You have unlocked Skill Appraise {Common}! ]
[ Ding! Strength, Perception, and Wisdom increased from G- to G. ]
[ Ding! You have unlocked Aura Power and Mana Power stats! ]
[ Ding! You have gained a Title! ]
'It's a frenzy…' he blinked as a flood of notificationsflashed before him.
He closed them all for now, deciding to check them later.
When he looked up, the Eldritch was still in front of him.
"Not bad. You know when to stop. You will make a fine pawn," the octopus said, appreciating before vanishing.
[ Ding! You have been contaminated by the Eldritch aura! ]
[ Ding! You have been cursed! ]
[ Curse—Unholy Eldritch Contamination—1% ]
"Tch." He clicked his tongue in irritation. There was no choice but to keep gaining power through these unholy means.
Everything returned to normal as he opened his eyes under the crimson moonlight—the air once again warm.
"Good, you survived," Elder Slime said, approaching him. "But remember—if you lose your will, you'll become a puppetto that unholy creature."
"Yes…" Young slime responded and wanted to say something, but—Whoosh!—the magic circle sizzled and vanished in smoke before he could continue.
Wob!—old slime bouncing to his sleeping spot, yawning.
'Appraise,' he said internally, turning his focus toward the elder.
[ —Status—
Name: Slime#1 (Temporary)
Race: Slime ★
Class: N/A
Titles: Elder Slime, Slime Mentor, ????, ???
Level: 4 ]
'Not bad… but I can't see a few titles. Traits and stats are hidden,' he mused with a small grin.
Finally, he'd unlockedthe Appraise skill, a basic necessity in every isekai story.
It had taken him over twenty loops just to get it.
He remembered when Elder Slime had told him about it during language lessons, when he'd inquired about it.
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"Child, living beings don't have knowledge of everything," the old slime said with a deep sigh. "Even I can't claim to know everything. If there had been a skill that could reveal all information about anything, don't you think everyone would rely on it? Then any fool could just pick an object, use that skill, and know its entiredetails instantly."
"Then skills like that don't exist?" Slime#47 asked bitterly. 'Yeah, if they did, I could just pick herbs and instantly find the cure for any disease… shows how messed up some anime worlds are.'
"There is something indeed—Appraisal skill. It's a gift from the Voice of the World, but it's different from what you expected. It only gives basic information about living beings and only them—because that knowledge is important for survival," Elder Slime explained. "The World cares for its children."
"Voice of the World…" The young slime tilted his body dubiously.
"Later," Elder Slime waved his hand dismissively.
------
[ —Skills—
—Appraisal Lv.Max {Common}—
—Provides information on race, title, level, and class.
—Note: Appraisal works only when the user can see the target.
—Consumes no energy {Gift from the Voice of the World.} ]
'No cost? Good,' the young slime wobbled in delight. Having suffered from low energy reserves for so long, he was thrilled that this skill required nothing to use.
[ —Stats—
—Aura Power: G
—Strength of aura within your body.
—Mana Power: G
—Strength of mana within your body. ]
'So they define the power of energy… Like G Aura Power means ten damage and ten defense, while G+ means a hundred of each,' he thought as realization dawned.
He checked his status again—his stats had all risen to minimum G, even the newly unlocked ones.
[ —Status—
Name
Slime#47 (Temporary)
Race: Slime ★★
Class: N/A
Traits: Eternal Mastery, Viscous Body, Amorphous Being
Titles: Unholy Moon God's Minion
Level: 10
Strength: G
Endurance: G
Will: F-
Wisdom: G
Dexterity: G
Perception: G
Agility: G+
Vitality: G+
Aura Power: G
Mana Power: G ]
'Minion… of that weird tentacle monster?' Slime#47 wanted to smash the panel just for displaying that title.
[ —Titles—
—Unholy Moon God's Minion {Common}—
— Granted to those who form a contract with the unholy moon god Korthu'Zaal and become tainted by his aura
—Can gain power from Korthu'Zaal
—Bound to Korthu'Zaal ]
He sighed, glaring at the red moons above.
'Fine… if being your minion helps me kill my enemies, I'll take it,' he thought coldly, determined to use even a curse as a weapon.
"Fireball," he activated the magic rune as a basketball-sized flame sphere manifested in the air.
Boom!
He threw it at the wooden fence—Gzz!—A transparent barrier flared up on the surface, blocking the spell.
Crack! Crack!
Ripples spread across the barrier, and small cracksbegan to expand from the point of impact.
'Two… three,' he estimated. 'Yeah—I can use Fireball three times now.'
"Fireball, Fireball!" He cast the spell twice in a row.
Crack!—Gzz!
The cracks on the barrier spread wider until—finally—a small holeappeared.
But—Thud! Thud!—before he could feel the joy of success, heavy footsteps echoed nearby.
"Stop—someone's coming," Elder Slime warned, sounding nervous.
He was happy that the young slime had almost broken the barrier, but the slime farm owner was rushing over.
"7g%^V!" the rough man yelled, scanning the whole field.
Seeing only cute, harmless slimes, he spat on the ground and scowled, "^^&gfvV."
He left the field, brows knitted together in suspicion.
'Damn… he really can sense when the barrier's broken,' the young slime thought, his eyes twitching. He realized he'd have to defeat them head-on and escape that way.
But—"This still isn't enough to beat those soldiers," he muttered, calculating his current power.
End of the chapter.
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