New Invention!

Jason stared in awe at the lines of text floating ethereally before his eyes, a digital manifestation of a concept all too familiar yet astonishingly real. The words "[Storage and recycling functions are enabled]" blinked back at him, alongside a list that detailed his current inventory: a Soul Crystal and a Carrion Demonic Stone, each with their own valuation in copper coins and tagged as recyclable. It was as if the myriad of games from his past lives had coalesced into this singular, surreal experience. Excitement surged through him, a spark of curiosity igniting into a flame.

With a thought more experimental than confident, Jason focused on the soul crystal, intending to recycle it. The panel responded promptly: "[Recovered, Copper Coins +2]." The crystal vanished from his inventory, replaced by two shiny copper coins. He stretched out his palm, and the coins materialized into his grasp, their cool metal a tangible proof of magic at work. "Am I really conjuring money out of thin air?" he wondered aloud, a mix of disbelief and thrill in his voice.

The copper coins disappeared with another thought, returning to the ethereal storage space. Experimenting further, Jason's equipment began to vanish into the panel one by one: the spear, the meteor hammer, even the hat perched atop his head. Not everything, however, turned into copper coins. The panel was selective, marking some items as non-recyclable.

"What use do magic stones and coins have for the likes of skeletons?" Jason mused, his gaze drifting across the desolate battlefield strewn with remains. It dawned on him that this game-like system harbored untapped potential, reminiscent of the mechanics in the games of his previous lives where loot could forge and upgrade equipment.

Unperturbed by the panel's discernment between recyclable and non-recyclable items, Jason saw value in everything. With a renewed sense of purpose, he gathered the remains of skeleton monsters and rotting corpses, though the panel deemed them non-recyclable. "Tsk, can't these be recycled too?" he grumbled with a hint of jest. "Skeletons could be made into specimens, and corpses into fertilizer!"

This realization sparked a thought in Jason. The panel, despite its apparent limitations, was not fully understood. Its potential was yet to be fully explored, and he was just at the beginning of unraveling its mysteries. With a determined grin, he resolved to delve deeper into this newfound power, convinced that even the unrecyclable could hold untold value. "Unlike me, I see the use in everything," he affirmed, his voice a blend of resolve and anticipation for the adventures that lay ahead.

Jason stroked his chin thoughtfully, a spark of ingenuity lighting up his eyes. With a clear vision in mind, he immediately set to work, pulling the corpses of two monsters from his magical storage space. His first task was to fashion a makeshift weapon from the remains of a skeleton monster. Carefully, he stripped the creature of its trousers, crafted from a material both robust and durable, and using the sharp tip of his spear, he cut out a rectangular piece of cloth no larger than his palm.

With precision, Jason used the spear to puncture two holes at either end of the cloth, threading through ropes he had woven from the tough, flexible vines of iron wire. His next step was to secure a long, thick thigh bone from the skeleton, tying one end of a rope to it. This innovative crafting resulted in a rudimentary but significantly enhanced sling.

Jason tested his creation, loading a stone into the cloth pouch, grasping the thigh bone and the rope, and spinning it to gather momentum. Upon release, the stone hurled through the air, capable of reaching distances up to a hundred meters. Not only could this weapon potentially down dead birds in flight, outmatching their fiery range, but it was also tailor-made for hunting the more terrestrial threat of slow-moving flesh slimes.

The real challenge lay in combating slimes, creatures notoriously resistant to physical harm. The solution? Crafting specialized ammunition. From his pocket, Jason withdrew a handful of dead poisonous demon bees, a trophy from his daring venture into the Poison Demon Bee Nest the previous night. His mission had been clear: to concoct a venomous revenge against a particularly large flesh slime.

Suppressing his revulsion, Jason extracted the intestines from a rotting corpse, stuffing them with the bee carcasses to create potent "capsules" of biochemical ammunition. Although the system deemed his casted shells non-recyclable, Jason felt a surge of satisfaction at his handiwork.

Equipped with his unconventional weapon, Jason ventured into the domain of the slimes. His target, the same colossal slime that had bested him the day before, lounged atop a tree, seemingly unsuspecting. Jason knew well the creature's limitations; despite its formidable size and acid spit, it was slow and its reach limited.

Positioning himself at a safe distance, Jason loaded one of his crafted shells into the sling's pouch. He swung the improvised weapon above his head, building up speed and momentum. The slime, oblivious and massive, presented an easy target. With a final, forceful swing, Jason released the rope, sending the toxic payload hurtling towards the unsuspecting slime.

Under the relentless force of the centrifugal spin, Jason's makeshift ammunition—the casing shell—hurtled through the air, landing squarely on the grotesque, eroded pink flesh of the colossal slime. The creature, noticing the unexpected delivery, extended a tentacle, its movements hinting at curiosity, and enveloped the shell as if discerning its scent before consuming it whole in a single, eager gulp.

"Take that, you monstrosity," Jason muttered under his breath, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Ever the indiscriminate eater, aren't you? Never thought twice about the detritus accompanying your meals, did you?" Watching the slime ingest the poisoned bait with gusto, Jason wasted no time, launching the rest of his deadly payload.

"Feast on this, my unwary diner," he taunted from a safe distance, his voice barely more than a whisper lost in the wind, as shell after shell met its mark.

The slime, in its oblivious ravenous state, accepted each offering without discernment, eagerly scooping up any that missed their initial target. It consumed over twenty of Jason's lethal "cannonballs," each bite sealing its fate further.

After its meal, the slime's attention shifted to Jason, but not with aggression. It gestured towards its maw with a tentacle, a silent plea for more. Jason's heart raced, but he knew the tide of battle had turned. "Looking for seconds? I'm afraid you won't quite stomach them," he quipped to himself, watching closely.

Moments later, the slime's body convulsed violently. The toxic payload had been unleashed within its digestive tract, the venom from the demon bees wreaking havoc. "Did you think you were invincible?" Jason couldn't help but laugh as he observed the slime's distress, its body secreting acid in a desperate attempt to rid itself of the poison, ultimately collapsing from the tree in a heap.

"Your gluttony was your downfall," Jason exclaimed, his voice echoing with triumph as the slime writhed in agony before succumbing, its body expelling a dark torrent as life ebbed away.

As the slime lay defeated, a cold, invigorating energy surged into Jason's body, a tangible reward for his victory. Ethereal text appeared before him, detailing his gains: experience points, agility increase, and an evolution of his skeletal minion from level 4 to a more formidable level 5 soldier. The rewards were more substantial than before, marking significant progress in his journey.

The text outlined new abilities and improvements: Night Vision, granting sight in the darkest conditions; Perpetual Movement, ensuring endless stamina; and Martial Arts, offering the potential for mastering various combat techniques across five levels of proficiency.

Jason stood there, absorbing the information, a sense of achievement and anticipation filling him. "With every battle, I grow stronger," he thought, gazing at the lifeless form of the slime. "This world, with all its dangers, also holds the keys to power and survival. And I am just getting started."