5 Chapter 5: A Capture
Notice: Monster Infestations in Western Forest this Season
Higher-than average monster counts have been observed in the Western Forest this Autumn. While the vast majority pose relatively minor risk, a few more dangerous varieties have been observed. Travellers are advised to leave by other directions if possible.
Dangerous Monsters:
Possessed Weapons
Minor Orc
Needle Hare
Meanwhile, we are proud to announce that slime infestations have been reduced by 10%. Note that slimes pose virtually no threat to humans, and if encountered, can be easily destroyed by breaking their core. One copper piece can be obtained from the Guard Force Offices per destroyed slime core turned in.
Lithallin Guard Forces
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Katsumi crumpled the paper in his hands, and dropped it on the forest floor as he continued walking deeper into the forest. That poster had told him everything he needed, from what he needed to avoid, to his first target.
Katsumi knew he was stepping into dangerous territory by going deeper into the forest, alone and with no protection. However, he was the only bait he had. He could feel a slight pang of hunger now.
Ah well, I haven't eaten in… I dunno how long. Later.
Something moved in the corner of his vision.
Katsumi instinctively dodged back, just in time to see a purple, gelatinous mass hurtle past him. A slime.
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Monster Encyclopedia Vol. 1
Slime
One of the weakest monsters in existence, slimes are usually used as training fodder for new fighters.
It is literally impossible for anything except a solo party to be defeated by slimes, unless they are swarmed. This is since slimes have only two basic patterns: they leap at prey, and then proceed to try and engulf it. In this process, it is quite simple for someone else to target and destroy the core of the slime.
Slimes come in a variety of hues. Slimes of all colors have been documented before, and the color seems to have some bearing on what properties the slime has. Red slimes digest faster, orange slimes move faster, yellow slimes can emit a small amount of light, green slimes tend to be more fluid, blue slimes are stickier, and purple slimes have the ability to slightly harden their surfaces.
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The slime landed with a plop. It shuddered for a moment, before leaping again at Katsumi.
Perfect.
Katsumi began running in a zigzag pattern. He didn't want to get hit, but he needed it to follow him. The simplistic behavior of the slime made this incredibly easy. It was like baiting a mob in a game.
After a few minutes, Katsumi could already begin to see the lights of the capital. He was close to the circle.
However, he had overestimated how much more his body could handle. He had been beaten and abandoned in the rain, and hadn't eaten in god knows how long. He was in terrible shape, and all that kept him going was the adrenaline.
As such, he tripped.
Katsumi immediately tried to scramble upright, but it was too late. The slime jumped at him, and he felt goo hit his lower back, knocking him back down.
Katsumi tried to get back onto his feet, but the slime was beginning to engulf his legs. He got a few more stumbles forward before his lower half was completely immobilized.
It was a checkmate. The slime could begin to slowly engulf him. Katsumi could already feel his skin faintly tingling due to the digestion. He was still a few dozen meters away from his circle.
This is why the tamer class is weak, huh? I guess I'll be dying here, then. Sorry mom and dad, your son is useless.
Something didn't sit right with him about that statement. Something…
He wasn't useless. He just didn't have power yet. So he needed to get power.
Katsumi began crawling. He still had his arms. It was a race against time. He could feel the slime crawling up his back.
Twenty meters.
A tendril of the slime reached his shoulders.
Nine meters.
The slime began crawling up his arm.
Five meters.
The slime completely encased his upper torso.
Three meters.
He could no longer move his right arm.
Two meters.
The slime started slowing down his left arm. Katsumi was out of time.
I'm not giving up yet!
Katsumi felt his last strength well up within him. One last push was all he could muster…
With that strength, Katsumi changed tactics: He rolled.
Zero meters.
His hand touched the circle, and a dull purple glow lit up the dark forest.
The slime stopped, and seemingly responding to Katsumi's wishes, receded from his body.
Hirai Katsumi had finally caught a monster.
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Now that he finally had some time, Katsumi finally rested. He had controlled the slime to climb the nearby trees and retrieve fruit for him.
Katsumi could directly control the motion of the slime telepathically, or he could give it simple orders like going to a certain location or attacking a larger object. He couldn't give any more complex commands, though.
Must be since a slime doesn't have much higher thinking.
After a bit of experimentation, Katsumi had also found out that he could "see" from the slime's view. It appeared that the slime had a rudimentary form of heat vision. Katsumi could see a white, blurry object below "him" in the slime's vision: himself.
The translucent purple slime plopped down from the tree as Katsumi willed it to, then spewed out a few apples it had embedded in himself onto its surface. Katsumi grabbed one and bit down.
"I should give you a name, I guess."
The slime silently jiggled.
"I suppose I'll call you Purple."
Now that Katsumi was feeling better, there was something that he wanted to try. His [Enhance] skill.
How do I even use this?
Katsumi hesitantly put his hand on the surface of Purple. As he expected, he could pump in his stamina. The purple light that Katsumi was slowly growing used to shined once more.
I see. So that's how it works. Interesting.
In a way that he couldn't describe in words, Katsumi instinctively understood what his [Enhance] could do. By pouring in more stamina, he could choose to permanently upgrade certain aspects of the monster he was using the skill on.
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Type: Slime
Variant: Purple
Current Mass: 15kg
Aspects:
Viscosity: 5
Speed: 5
Digestion Speed: 5
Glow: 0
Stickiness: 5
Hardening: 10
Range: 3
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Katsumi poured as much stamina as he could without blacking out into hardening. As the purple glow faded, Katsumi made the slime use its hardening.
Under his palm, the slime's surface hardened until it was around the strength of a metal sheet.
Katsumi smiled. He could work with this.
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Hardening: 10 → 22
