In Another World as Black Ooze

'Ugh... seriously?'

The young man—or rather, the slime—grumbled as he caught sight of his reflection in a tiny puddle of water.

In that murky reflection, he saw exactly what he'd turned into: a small, fist-sized blob of pitch-black goo. His body was almost liquid, constantly shifting like oil on water, rippling and stretching with every little movement.

There were no eyes, no mouth, no real features—just an amorphous blob of dark slime that wobbled whenever he tried to move.

The blackness of his form seemed to drink in the light around him, making him almost disappear into the shadows. If someone walked by, they probably wouldn't even notice him unless they were paying attention.

He let out what could only be described as a mental sigh. Of all the things to reincarnate as, this was what he got? A slime? A basic slime? Maybe he'd racked up too much bad karma in his last life to deserve anything cooler.

'Great. Just great.' He muttered to himself, though no sound came out.

'Guess I'm not exactly hero material.'

Still, he tried to find the silver lining. Slimes weren't all bad, right? Rimuru Tempest became crazy strong as a slime. Then again, Rimuru was the protagonist. Everyone else? They were probably toast before the story even got going.

He glanced—or rather, sensed—his surroundings. The area felt… different. The air was thick with mana, almost buzzing with it, and even without eyes, he could "see" everything around him clearly. Trees, rocks, the faint glow of mushrooms growing on a nearby log. It was like his senses were dialed up to eleven.

'Alright, system? Cheat? Golden finger? Magic voice in my head? You wanna show up now?' He asked, half-joking, half-hopeful.

He waited.

Nothing.

Figures. The cheat powers usually went to the main character, and clearly, that wasn't him. Just his luck.

With another mental sigh, he turned his focus back to his surroundings. He wasn't sure what kind of world this was, but judging by the mana-heavy atmosphere, it was definitely one where magic and monsters were a thing. That was… something, at least.

Then he noticed it—a dead bat, lying a few feet away. The moment he did, a strange hunger clawed at him, sharp and relentless. Without thinking, he started wobbling toward it, his gooey body jiggling awkwardly with every "step".

He stopped just short of the bat.

It looked gross. Small, with scraggly fur and shriveled wings folded tight against its body. Eating it sounded disgusting. But that hunger—it gnawed at him, impossible to ignore.

'Alright, let's get this over with.' He thought, bracing himself. Without any further hesitation, he engulfed the bat with his gooey body, absorbing it completely.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as he'd imagined.

'Huh, not bad at all!' The black slime's thoughts practically buzzed as he devoured the bat. It was weird—he didn't have a mouth, taste buds, or anything close to that, but somehow, he could sense the flavor. And surprisingly? The bat was… good.

As the bat's body dissolved into him, a sudden voice echoed in his mind.

[Common Skill [Echolocation] has been acquired.]

[Common Skill [Paralysis Poison] has been acquired.]

[Trait [Enhanced Hearing] has been acquired.]

"Whoa! What's this? Wait, I can talk now?!" The slime's voice came out loud and clear, startling him. He'd tried speaking earlier and nothing happened, but now, his words echoed in the quiet surroundings.

It was his voice, too—the same one he'd had in his previous life. That made it feel strangely normal.

'It must be because of that new skill, Echolocation.'

He tested his voice again, muttering, "Hello?"

Yep, same voice.

But as exciting as that was, what really caught his attention was the mysterious voice in his head. It sounded familiar. Really familiar.

His excitement grew as he remembered where he'd heard something like this before—Tensura. It was unmistakable.

"Great Sage?" He asked, half-joking but secretly hopeful.

Nothing.

He waited a few more seconds, but the silence made it clear: no Great Sage. Just the Voice of the World.

"Still… could I really be in Tensura?" His mind raced as the possibility hit him like a truck (again). If this was the world of Tensura, then things were about to get way more interesting.

But excitement quickly gave way to caution. If this really was Tensura, it wasn't just some cool magical world filled with amazing adventures. It was also insanely dangerous.

Demon Lords, True Dragons, True Heroes—none of them were people, or rather beings, he could mess with. And that was just the big names. Angels, Demons, monsters of all shapes and sizes—yeah, this world didn't go easy on weaklings.

"I need to play this smart." He muttered, trying to reel in his excitement. Sure, the possibilities were endless, but in a world like this, stepping out of line even once could get him wiped out faster than he could fart.

"Status?" He tried again, his voice carrying a mix of hope and impatience. This time, it worked. A black, semi-transparent window flickered into existence in front of him, floating in midair like something straight out of a game.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Name: -

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True Name: -

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Level: 2/100

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Race: Slime (Black Ooze)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Ultimate Skill: -

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Unique Skill: -

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Extra Skill: [Absorption], [Self-Regeneration], [Metamorphosis], [Mana Perception], [Memory Reading]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Common Skill: [Dissolve], [Body-Fluid Control], [Stomach], [Echolocation], [Paralysis Poison]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Resist Skill: [Poison Resistance], [Physical Damage Reduction]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Trait: [Enhanced Hearing]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Item: -

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"Looks… alright, I guess." He muttered, his eyes—well, metaphorical eyes—scanning the list. The blank name sections caught his attention immediately. He didn't have a name yet, but he wasn't too bothered by it. Using his old name felt... off. This was a new start, and he wanted a name that reflected that.

His gaze drifted to the array of skills. For a slime, it wasn't bad at all. Actually, it was pretty impressive. Maybe this "Black Ooze" variation came with a power boost.

He focused on the Resist Skills for a moment, recalling how they usually worked in the stories he'd read. There were tiers: Reduction, Tolerance, Resistance, Immunity, and Nullification. Reduction shaved off 25% of the damage, Tolerance handled 50%, Resistance cut out 75%, Immunity blocked 90%, and Nullification straight-up denied 100%. Pretty straightforward.

"Poison Resistance and Physical Damage Reduction, huh? Not great, but it's a start." He mumbled, already thinking about how to upgrade them.

Just as he was about to close the window, his train of thought derailed. A rush of memories poured into his mind, fast and overwhelming, but not painful. It felt like watching a movie on fast-forward—everything blurring together, yet somehow making sense.

"Whoa, what is this?" He whispered, his body wobbling slightly as he tried to process the flood of information. It wasn't from his past life, and it definitely wasn't his own experience.

It felt... foreign, like he was peeking into someone else's story.

'Interesting.' He thought, piecing it together. It had to be his [Memory Reading] skill, the one that let him absorb the memories of anything he devoured.

And that [Absorption] skill? It reminded him of Rou's ability in Re:Monster, only better. Not only did it make his meals oddly satisfying, but it also handed him the skills and memories of whatever he ate.

Since the bat was just a simple creature, all he got was [Echolocation]. The [Paralysis Poison], though—that was a pleasant surprise. From the bat's memories, he realized it had been stung by some kind of venomous insect before dying. That must've been why he got the bonus skill.

'So, I can gain skills and memories by eating things? That's... insanely useful.' He thought, already planning how to make the most of it.

The bat's memories revealed something else: this cave wasn't exactly teeming with monsters. Instead, it was home to regular, albeit dangerous, creatures. Poisonous insects, bats, rats, and the occasional lizard.

'No monsters, just creepy crawlies. What a letdown.' He thought with a sigh. On top of that, it seemed humans hadn't stepped foot in this cave for years. The cave was tucked away on a mountain, and the nearest human settlement was a small farming village at the mountain's base.

'A quiet, boring place. Could be worse, I guess.' At least there weren't any immediate threats, but the lack of strong monsters meant fewer opportunities to gain interesting abilities.

With nothing else to do and no competition around, he decided to explore the cave. If nothing else, he could "clean up" the place. After devouring that bat, his body had grown to roughly its size, making it easier to move around. He slithered through the cave, absorbing whatever crossed his path—more bats, venomous bugs, even a few lizards.

'Might as well use this time to get stronger.' He thought, feeling a slight thrill with each new meal. His body grew little by little, and while it wasn't anything drastic, it was progress.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Four hours later, the cave was spotless. Not a single creature remained. His efforts had paid off, though. Devouring the lizards had earned him a couple of handy new Common Skills: [Aquatic Movement], which let him glide effortlessly through water, and [Thermal Regulation], which kept his body's humidity in sync with the environment.

His [Paralysis Poison] had leveled up from all the poisonous insects he'd devoured. Now, it was far more potent. And on top of that, his size had increased to that of a medium-sized dog, thanks to the feast of bats and lizards he'd been munching on.

'Not bad, not bad at all.' He thought, feeling his body stretch and expand a little more with each meal. It was oddly satisfying to feel himself grow stronger.

As he explored deeper into the cave, something unexpected caught his attention. This place had once been a mithril mine. After the veins ran dry, it had been abandoned, which explained why no humans had ventured in for years.

'Makes sense.' He thought, slithering past rusted tools and broken carts. Then, he stumbled across something shiny—a chunk of mithril left behind. Without hesitation, he absorbed it.

He had a theory: if living creatures could pass on skills through his [Absorption], maybe non-living things could, too.

And he was right.

Two new Extra Skills appeared: [Mineral Coating] and [Mana Conduit]. [Mineral Coating] let him cover his body with any mineral he consumed, enhancing his defense. Meanwhile, [Mana Conduit] allowed him to absorb ambient mana and store it in his body. The amount of mana he could hold depended on his internal size.

'My mana capacity isn't much right now.' He noted, glancing at his still-growing form. 'But that Mineral Coating... it's a game-changer.'

Mithril was famously both incredibly durable and lighter than steel. With his new coating, his defense had shot through the roof.

When the bat's memories told him there were no monsters in the cave, it wasn't lying. But they hadn't been the full picture. Venturing deeper, he discovered something the bat couldn't have seen—vengeful spirits, drifting aimlessly in the shadows.

The bat hadn't noticed them because it lacked [Mana Perception], but he didn't have that limitation. The eerie, translucent figures floated around silently, giving the area a haunted vibe.

'So, this is what was hiding here.' He thought, observing them curiously.

On impulse, he decided to try absorbing one. To his surprise, it worked. Thanks to [Mana Conduit], he could devour creatures made entirely of spiritual energy.

'Now that is useful.' He mused as three new skills popped up.

First was an Extra Skill called [Fear Eater], which let him grow stronger by absorbing the fear of his enemies. Then there was [Ghost Cry], a Common Skill that could instill fear in others.

But the real gem was [Astral Form], an Extra Skill that let him shift into a spectral state, making him immune to physical attacks. The downside? Mana-based attacks could still hurt him.

After thoroughly "cleaning" the cave, he figured it was time to leave and explore the world beyond. He still wasn't sure where he was—this world's power system felt closer to Re:Monster than Tensura, leaving him a bit confused about what to expect.

'I'm not ready to take on anything crazy yet.' He thought, slithering toward the entrance. 'But I'm way stronger than when I first got here.'

The sunlight streaming into the cave felt almost blinding after so much time in the dark. At the entrance, a group of wild dogs prowled around, scavenging for food.

They weren't organized, just hungry loners drawn to the abandoned mine. With no humans nearby, they ran unchecked, occasionally sneaking into the nearby village to snatch livestock—cows, pigs, chickens, whatever they could find.

"Taking them head-on might be tough." He muttered, eyeing the dogs. They were spread out, blocking the way forward. Turning back wasn't an option, but charging straight at them wasn't smart either.

As he watched, one of the dogs wandered into the cave, sniffing around. Maybe it was looking for lizards to hunt. Either way, it was his chance. He quickly hid behind a nearby rock, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.