Start of the Trip

Selecting Liquid Body, I feel my body heating up. At first it was alright just a little warm but soon it got uncomfortable. Then I dropped onto the ground trying my hardest not to start screaming at feeling my flesh melt off my body.

Thankfully the pain only lasted for a few minutes as verified by the sun not having moved from where it was previously.

Standing up I open my stats and see that I now had the Racial trait Liquid Body just like my slime. Though my race is now 'Human?' but I don't really care. The only problem would be if someone checked my status though hopefully, I could get a skill to prevent that and soon.

Opening my stats again I place my four stat points into Agility before summoning my slime.

Looking at it jumping around me I can't help but find it cute. Now whether this is me or a result of the skill I don't really care. I could now feel a connection to it. Nothing strong or strange just the general direction it was in and the fact it was alive.

Whatever the system is can alter my body so it wouldn't be surprising it could do the same with my mentality. It's not like despite knowing this I won't be using it as that would just be stupid.

Turning my attention back to my slime I begin thinking of names for it. Its small, green and looks like a blob.

Using my vast intelligence, I soon realize the perfect name for it.

"From now on your name will be Jellybean." When the slime hears me somehow it freezes mid hop before glowing in a golden light.

When the light fades nothing seems different on the outside, so I open its status. Looking at them I instantly see what changed. All of Jellybean's stats increased by five while its name tab changed to show Jellybean.

Its stats must have increased since its no longer just a typical monster but a named one. Accepting this as the reason I decided to get to work.

For now, my goal is to get Jellybean to level – 9 so I can have enough Skill Points to upgrade Integration. That was another thing I learned from Mike. Skills were leveled and learned using Skill Points. The higher the tier the more they cost to buy and level. After wards each level would increase the price by the base cost.

For instance, a Tier A skill would cost six Skill points to level up to level – 2 while it would cost twelve to get it to level – 3 and so on. Though skills that work together could increase the level of each other. For instance, having water manipulation could increase the level of water-based water skills.

Walking back towards the lake I tell Jellybean to kill the slimes that are on land. Hearing my order, it stretches a tentacle out its top which nods before it starts hopping towards its former family and friends.

Once it nears one it forms a tentacle that shoots inside it. Grabbing hold of its core it crushes it while still inside its body.

Releasing a laugh, I begin helping it. Running to the closest slime I stick my hand inside it. Grabbing hold of the core I pull my hand back out.

The skin on my hand is missing though and while it hurts, compared to what I felt when I got Liquid Body this is nothing.

Taking the core over to Jellybean I extend my hand towards it.

Seeing the core on my palm it grabs it before shattering it. Smiling I reach towards one of the puddles that used to be a slime.

Once my hand touched it the liquid began moving upwards covering my hand. Moments later it changed from green to my skin tone and now my hand looked like it always has.

Even the HP I had lost regenerated. That is what made me pause. If even my HP regened using liquid, then if I could learn a magic skill that causes it to rain, I could theoretically never die in battle.

As long as I don't get one-shot. There goes my plan on getting the core trait from Jellybean.

Two and a half hours later I decide to stop as the only remaining slimes are those swimming in the lake.

I wasn't crazy enough to experience constantly being melted and rendered whole by jumping into it. I don't even know if I could out heal the acid lake.

Recalling Jellybean, it turned into a streak of light that disappeared in seconds. Despite being unsummoned I could still feel it.

Beginning my walk back to the town I look at the harvest we had. Unfortunately, we only hit level – 6 but that was still good considering we were only killing low level slimes.

Like myself Jellybean received two stat points per level but no Skill Points.

I placed one of its stat points in Strength, three in Mind and two in Luck. I plan on raising all its stats to ten first simply to quell my slight OCD.

As for my stat points I placed them all into Agility placing it at a solid twenty.

My walk back was uneventful aside from the occasional weird looking bird chilling in a tree.

Once back I go to Mikes house and knock. The door was answered by a small boy around eight years old. He looks at me with curiously. He's a cute kid if a little dirty.

"Who is it, Max?" I hear May call from within the house.

"I don't know Ma." Calls back Max which was fallowed by hurried footsteps.

Seeing me a look of relieve flashes on her face before welcoming me in. looking at her son looking at me curiously, she quickly explains who I am.

"This is the one your dad and I told you about." She said and I could practically see the excitement about to shoot out of his face.

"Really! You're the strong man my dads' friends with?" Hearing him I give Mary a look to which she responds by chuckling lightly.

"Yeah, I guess I am. Though I'm not that strong yet." I say to which he nods and out of the corner of my eye I can see Mary release a sigh.

Connecting the dots, I find the answer to why she seemed relieved I'll be strong soon and already have some level of strength.

The journey to the Dark Forest won't be as peaceful as the one to get here. Especially now that my presence won't dissuade monsters from attacking.

I noticed it on my way to the lake. Any bird that saw me would immediately fly away in terror if some of them almost falling out of the trees was anything to go by. On the way back however, they didn't.

The conclusion I arrived at was that now that I don't have an Integration slot, they don't fear me seeing as that's the only thing different about me that could have caused it.

Hopefully what monsters we do encounter were weak enough for us to kill. Though nothing would be better than reaching level nine.

While waiting for night to arrive I begin wondering if even those really strong monsters would run away or if it only applied to those, I had a chance of killing.

Once the sun set, we ate dinner, so we had the energy to travel all night.

With our meals consumed I step outside to see if there was anyone still outside. Not seeing anyone I open the house door and we begin loading their belongings.

It didn't take long as they didn't have much. Some clothing, dishware and a few other belongings which included their money.

Once everything was loaded May and Max climb into the back while Mike and I climb into the front.

Wasting no time, we depart form the town. Once outside it I see Mike turn his head one last time before looking forwards with new resolve in his eyes.

We've been on the road for about fifteen minutes when Mike reaches under the dashboard and pulls out a sheathed sword. He looks at it for a few seconds before handing it to me.

Looking him in the eyes I see that he's decided to trust me with their safety. Nodding I grab the sword and examine it.

It looks like your standard sword anyone could get their hands on if they had the money to pay a blacksmith. I had seen a few of them strapped to people while walking in and out of town earlier today.

Carefully standing I put on the leather belt fastening it to my waist.

With that our journey continues peacefully though all good things never last.

It was slightly past Midnight when we begin hearing wolf howls. While I get tense Mike tells me its not as bad as it seems. Asking him to explain he does.

He tells me that there were more than two wolfs howling so they weren't monsters but normal animals. He tells me that once a wolf does become a monster, they become even more territorial and would only share their land with their mate and children when they're young.

Any other wolf including their children when they get older are chased away or killed if they don't head their warning.

Finished with his explanation he stops the carriage and goes into the back. Letting out a sigh I get off and await the wolf pack to come.

It didn't take long before seven wolfs appear to the right of the carriage. With sword already drawn I turn to them.

Six of them reach around my waist while one of them seems to be around my belly button. This one's fur is also a darker shade of grey compared to its packmates.

Seconds after first contact the leader makes a howl and the one in front lunges at me.

Not wasting time, I summon Jellybean in front of its open jaw. Having felt something in its mouth it bites down though it quickly opens it and begins howling in pain.

Jellybean raps some tentacle around its snout, so it doesn't fall and begins shooting acid down its throat.

All it takes is two shots for the wolf to die falling onto the ground with its neck and stomach corroding away revealing its insides.

The rest of the pack seemed to be shocked by the appearance of a monster that they only come back to once they see their packmate on the ground dead with a portion of its body missing.

The leader gives a howl and the rest lunge at us.

Thanks to having dumped all my stat points into agility I was much faster than them. Easily following their movement, I run at the closest one and cut off its front two legs while it was midair before rolling to the side avoiding the other one that pounced towards where I was.

Having quickly taken one of them out the leader howls and one of the two that had gone after Jellybean comes to join them in taking me out.

It was Four against me though I try my best not to panic and remain focused.

With plan in mind, I lunge at the one to the left.

Seeing a repeat of what happened previously the one next to it pounces at where it believes I'll be though in that split second, I unsummon Jellybean and resummon it in the way of the pouncing wolf causing it to drop to the ground when it feels its insides melting.

While I cut the front limbs of one wolf Jellybean melts the other leaving us in a three v two.

Seeing its pack dying left and right the leader howls before turning to run soon followed by its two remaining pack mates.

Letting out a beath I didn't know I was holding I tell Jellybean to kill the two incapacitated wolfs. With that out of the way I unsummon it and knock on the side of the carriage while saying all clear.

Climbing onto the driver's seat of the carriage I hear shuffling and a sword being sheaved before I see Mike come out from behind the curtains.

Nodding at me he gets in his seat and we're back on the road with him not even questioning why the dead wolves are half melted.