On my first foray back into the neighboring cave, I soon discovered something different.

You’ve killed a Small Cave Centipede!

Experience limit reached. Stockpiling at a reduced rate.

It seemed likely, but I discovered I couldn't increase my level any further. While I thought it a safe assumption this 'level cap' would change after evolving, I still disliked the unknown. The only upside being my little hunts wouldn't go entirely to waste, it seemed. Whatever 'stockpiling at a reduced rate' implied.

I'd apparently been incapacitated longer than expected. Or the rate these damn bugs were repopulating was increasing. Perhaps they were coming from outside this room? I doubted a centipede could grow from an inch to five overnight, but this world's logic wasn't my strong suit. Not at all.

Seriously though. If I ever saw several of these in my old condo, I think I'd file a petition requesting the landlord burn the entire building down and condemn it. Or more realistically, send in a pest control company. These things were even bigger up close, more so when you're their size.

Using my Magic Sensory skill, I couldn't exactly see colors in this dark cave. Shapes were still a little fuzzy. I could only imagine how grotesque these bugs looked in direct sunlight.

Well, I didn't want to think about it too much. They were lunch now. If anything, their ugly appearance made it easier to exterminate them. If I had to slaughter a bunch of cute puppies to survive, even I would feel guilty.

... I swear I didn't just wonder about what a dog would taste like compared to these bugs. Christ, I need to get back to civilization somehow.

I continued my patrol around the cave, relying on my physical body for any smaller centipedes, while I'd fall back on my Slime Bullet to ambush spiders lying in wait. My aim had improved, so coupled with Sneak Attack I was generally able to take them out in one go.

Still, it was a bit wasteful to drain MP while keeping my HP full. I had to be economical with my methods of execution. Don't want to run out of 'bug spray,' so to speak. Besides that, I had run into a problem. ...

Attribute increase!

Dexterity - 10 → 11

I was running out of bugs.

Normally I wouldn't equate the fact that there were no spiders in my 'house' as a problem, but this was becoming distressing. I'd killed and used Devour on 9 centipedes and 4 spiders and the only thing I'd gotten for my efforts was a Strength and Vitality increase, along with two Dexterity.

While I figured that it was easier to absorb and gain attributes from whatever my 'food' specialized in, I dreaded thinking about how many bugs I'd have to eat to get some much-needed Wisdom or Intelligence. Not to mention the fact I hadn't gotten any new skills from them.

Perhaps if I were able to level my Devour skill, the chances of success would increase? I certainly hoped so.

That raised the question of how this level and skill system worked. I hated not understanding the mechanisms behind such things. Relying on my gut and speculation was something I tried to avoid if at all possible. I wanted mathematical reports and visual charts, not vague ... feelings. Ugh.

My sense of time was also becoming a minor issue. Thankfully I wasn't completely blind in this dark cave, otherwise, the isolation factor would have severely affected my mental state by now. Having only a rough approximation of time and no one to talk to was going to wear me down. It didn't help that I couldn't 'speak' per se either.

"Pthhhk."

Yes, quite.

While I wasn't exactly a socialite previously, the lack of interaction was bothering me. At the very least, I needed to get some sunlight within a few days. Staying in such a state of high alert for any enemies was going to wear me down.

Well, at least I could always go back and relax in my 'bath'. Not having music was bothersome, but at least I could hum songs to myself. There was a strong itch to listen to some piano or violin. Really wish this place had Wi-Fi.

Gah, I need to stop torturing myself. Focus.

As such, I decided to make an attempt at chartering more of this cave system. I had no clue if it was merely a small cave or an incredibly large underground network. If I were miles underground, that cooo~ould be a slight issue.

I'd have to steel myself for such an eventuality.

Making my way counter-clockwise in the cave, I returned to the area where numerous bats were perched. The ratty little bastards were still hanging from the ceiling, gently swiveling around at the slightest of noise. Some appeared to be asleep.

I'd devised a plan recently. While the bats didn't look exceptionally fearsome, I couldn't be sure they were complete pushovers like 'Earth-bats'. They could have some weird type of ability for all I knew.

What I feared the most was them descending should I strike and swarming all over me. If they had some vicious fangs or, Gods forbid, some kind of unknown poison or slime-sucking then I might be in danger. As such, I decided to carve a small ledge nearby to retreat into. A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself.

And by carve, I meant slowly dissolve and eat the stone wall, smoothing it and getting rid of the minor debris.

It was a slow process, akin to watching paint dry. I contemplated my life for a long while, trying to convince myself that eating bats was a good idea. I mean, they should taste like chicken or something, right? It'd be nice to have some teriyaki sauce or spicy ranch, but beggars can't be choosers.

Ah, but I was getting ahead of myself.

The bats were roughly 8 feet above ground, perched on the ceiling. I was about 10 feet away, so I'd need to fire a Slime Bullet about 13 feet. I wasn't too confident in hitting such a small target, but given the fact they were clumped up in places, I figured I should be able to hit at least one. Right?

I'd completed my little nook and could squeeze into it rather easily. As soon as I fired, I'd retreat if necessary.

I mentally sighed.

Well, here goes nothing...

—Slime Bullet!

There was a small whistling noise followed by a light crack! One of the bats was indeed struck and fell from the ceiling rather ungracefully. I quickly tensed as a cacophony of screeches spewed forth from the bats. They'd realized they were under attack.

I was ready to flee backward should they approach. Rather than head my way, it seemed they were able to pinpoint the direction of the attack and decided to escape. Other than an injured bat making noise on the ground, I was soon alone.

I'd apparently crippled its wing, as it was crawling aimlessly and trying to locate where it would be struck from next. I slowly closed the distance and readied another Slime Bullet.

It was strange then, that rather than the blue tint my vision normally took on, the walls began to look a bit more orange.

I heard a noise, the shuffling of feet.

Fuck!

Something was coming this way. Something with a light source!

I quickly abandoned all thought of my tasty morsel. While I would fight a colony of bats if forced, there was no telling what was coming this way. If it had light, then it must be intelligent. A human? In this cave?

I hadn't planned for this.

I'd never moved so quickly before. In a flash, I was inside my tiny little hole. I barely had line-of-sight of the bat since the entrance point I'd made was barely an inch in diameter and mostly flat. I listened as the footsteps approached.

The bat had been retreating from me previously, but now it was inching closer, attempting and failing to take flight with one working wing.

You little shit! Stay away from me! You're going to give us both away!

It was hypocritical of me, I knew. But I whole-heartedly hoped that bat stayed as far from me as freakin' possible.

The light grew brighter, causing a weird overlap in my vision. Apparently, I had some form of sight other than my Magic Sensory, and the sudden introduction of actual light was messing me up. It burned, forcing me to divert my focus.

The steps grew closer, then stopped.

"Arr? Ya-haa!"

The pitch was neutral yet odd, almost guttural. There was a quick shuffling and light swish, followed by squeaks of protest. Unfortunately, they didn't last long. A sickening crunch! was heard, followed shortly thereafter by the sound of a few droplets hitting the floor. Blood, I imagine.

More noises came forth, what I surmised was garbled enjoyment and the tearing of flesh. My body began to heat up, as realization dawned upon me.

That thing stole my fucking food! You-!

Ah. No, calm down. It's just a bat. It's not like someone snatched a Prime-grade steak from you. Calm down, bide your time, it's okay.

But I wanted to eat it! What if it had a useful ability!?

That's true. The bats might not return to their roost, or take a while to do so.

Yeah, good point, self.

It's decided. I'm going to murder whatever that thing is.

Anxiety was building up in me. Logically I knew I was safe, but for that thing to be mere feet away caused me unease. I didn't dare look out while it had that light.

After a short moment, it seemed to have finished eating its pilfered goods. It advanced past me, going further into my hunting ground. The sound of footsteps stopped for a moment, whatever the beast was returning and passing me by a moment later.

As the light began to recede, I quietly took a peek out. What I saw surprised me.

There was some sort of ... emaciated lizard-creature. It had a tail that swished back and forth with each step, clawed feet and toes with 4 pointed digits each. Its legs were digitigrade, similar to a wolf or other animal. Small horns were atop its head and it was cloaked in something vaguely resembling a shirt or tunic. It stood roughly three feet high.

I sat there noiselessly as it departed, the small torch it carried in its hand taken with it. The light was receding and that blue tint returned to the caves.

I wasn't alone.

It really shouldn't have been surprising, but it was a revelation nonetheless. I was no longer the top hunter around here.

I began to formulate ways to defend myself and counterattack against such a beast. My body may be resistant to its claws, but there was still an enormous size difference. The center of my mass seemed to have a weak point, so should it pierce me there I have little doubt I'd perish. But it didn't appear to be armed with anything. Why was that?

A plan was forming.

The beast obviously couldn't see perfectly in the dark, else it wouldn't have brought that torch. And like most mammals, it would sleep or let down its guard eventually. The question became, was it alone? Were there more of those things further ahead?

I stalked quietly behind it. Should it quickly turn and sense me, I was at least confident in my ability to flee. That would raise problems in the future, but at least my life should be secure.

No, I had a good opportunity before me. This thing would taste much, much better than a thin little bat.

Silently along the floor, I rolled and kept my distance. It would appear this cave had a few corridors. I wasn't entirely sure where it was leading me.

Should the distance be too far, I would abandon my revenge and plan for now. I didn't know the layout of the cave and was risking being sandwiched between foes the further I traveled. I kept a mental note of possible hiding spots behind rocks and stalagmites jutting from the ground.

But it would appear luck was on my side. While every 'step' and second was nerve-wracking, we did not travel far. I estimated it at 150 feet.

My senses were on high alert. I heard my target stop moving, the telltale shuffling of feet had halted. Noises came forth. At first, the tone was similar to what I'd heard from the beast prior. But there was a second, ever-so-slightly higher in pitch.

There were more than one of these things here.

Do I retreat?

I scanned my surroundings. It was dark. If that monster passed through here, it was rather unlikely there'd be any enemies such as centipedes or spiders. The lizard-beast would have likely killed them or been attacked. There might be things skulking in the shadows outside their reach, waiting. For the most part, the floor path it had traveled should be devoid of life.

It had turned right at an intersection. I decided this was a good spot to camp out and see if any more of those things passed. I gathered up some dirt from the floor, engulfing and floating it inside my body just like the spring water. It took a slight bit of effort.

Normally when I rolled across the floor, I would separate from the dirt after passing. I'd never noted any trails left behind. Thankfully I'm not a slug.

I made way behind a few stalagmites, quickly carving a small divot into the rock and floating the dirt above me as a thin layer of camouflage. I didn't know what color my flesh was, but this should do.

As fate would have it, the lizard-beast never turned back around. Was that their base up ahead? I wanted to make 'retreat points' into the walls. Small enough holes fit only for mice and slimes.

It took only a few moments to create an extremely basic hiding spot, after which I advanced and began another. This one was much harder to discern, very similar to the one I'd created near the bats. It almost took me an estimated 30 minutes, of which I was surprised nothing had passed by me.

That said, I was starting to feel a bit bloated from all the stone I'd been dissolving. Small traces of my digging could be seen by the discerning eye, but I'd made an attempt to flatten the sediment discreetly outside the hole, shaping it as naturally as possible.

After I'd created two safe spots, I moved further down the tunnel in the direction I'd last seen that lizard. I didn't get far when I saw something that struck me as unusual.

There were makeshift pickaxes up against a wall, along with a shoddy wooden table and a ... mine cart? Metal box?

I didn't like it. If these belonged to those lizards, they were more of a threat than I'd initially assumed. If they were capable of creating fire, using some form of speech, and mining ores then they were a sentient race.

I bounded a corner, keeping close to a wall. There was a light noise coming from down this hallway, and the rock looked like it had been excavated rather than formed naturally. That was when I noticed the doors.

Little tiny wooden doors, bolted into the rock itself. They were of poor quality and would serve only to stall anything that wanted in. I sat there a moment, trying to decide if I should turn back or not. That was when I realized what that faint noise I heard was.

It was snoring.

A devilish grin formed inside my mind. I might get revenge sooner than expected.

I crept closer to the first door on my right, confirming there was a tenant inside. No doubt, I heard it peacefully snoozing away.

While these doors would likely keep most intruders out, their poor construction meant they didn't line up with the walls very well. It was easy to slide in and reform on the opposite side.

The room itself was unimpressive. There was some sort of fur on the floor acting as a bed for its resident and master. I'd found myself a new tentative meal.

I surveyed the room, before deciding on a plan of action. I needed a quick retreat should things go south. That said, I began dutifully carving another hiding spot into a corner of the room, close to the base of the fur rug. A small hole would be least noticeable there.

While I labored, my company continued snoozing without a care. Excitement began building up in me.

I peered over my companion, so utterly unaware. While I wasn't entirely sure if this was the one that had stolen my earlier meal, I still took comfort in what I was about to do. There was no remorse to be had given my situation. It wasn't human, and they'd stolen from me. I didn't have the leisure of morals and law.

Had I sweat glands, I'm sure they'd be working overtime given the exertion I was applying. My body was straining from my heightened concentration. I'd never controlled multiple things at once like this.

Two tendrils were formed, along with a set of fangs. To the utmost limit, I began packing them full of Necrotic and Paralytic toxin. It was a cocktail designed specifically for my friend here, and I'd hoped the beast wouldn't have some sort of bizarre resistance to such a thing.

This was a small, calculated risk I was willing to take.

The fangs plunged into exposed throat and through a surprisingly fragile layer of scales, quickly pumping out the mix of toxin. Simultaneously I gripped one tendril around its throat, attempting to stifle any noise. The lizard-thing was startled awake, groggily attempting to cry out and yelp at my sudden attack. That's what the second tendril was for.

I jammed a piece of myself down its throat the instant its mouth opened. There was little more than an awkward squeak that escaped its scaley maw. I wasn't done.

I'd devoted a fair amount of mass to the second tendril because it was completely necessary for what I was about to do.

—Slime Bullet!

Its eyes went wide and its jaw clenched down at the violation of its innards.

You have taken slashing damage! -2HP

There was feeble resistance, but I was surprised at how easily its throat was crushed, arms soon falling limply to the side. Its attempts to claw my grip away from its neck were largely ineffective. Blood had begun pouring from a slowly forming hole in its neck, pooling into the matted fur below. The venom was doing its job long after it had died.

You’ve killed a Lesser Kobold!

Experience limit reached. Stockpiling at a reduced rate.

Ah. How invigorating.

There's little more satisfying than a plan's execution falling precisely into place. And I think I could confidently say that had gone splendidly.

There had been nearly no noise. In truth, I was prepared to abandon my plan the instant it made a racket. I would sacrifice part of my body mass and flee while it was groggy and attempting to get up. It would still have to contend with the venom in its throat, so I doubted it would give chase if I were noticed, let alone be able to converse with its brethren.

Worst case scenario I would be spotted while fleeing, but it was dark in the hall and they'd need to grab a torch first. Their response time was an unknown variable, but I'd apparently worried for nothing.

You're mine now.

I started at the head, enveloping its body and using my Devour skill on it. Much like when I was wounded and out-sized by the Huntsman spider, this process took much longer than normal.

It was also admittedly rather grotesque. I wished I could turn off my Magic Sensory and abstain from the sight, but I tried to imagine it was like preparing a fresh cut of meat.

The idea of a lizard—or rather, a Kobold's insides being incorporated into my own flesh wasn't an exciting prospect. But I was surprised by the rich and flavorful taste as it slowly turned to liquid. I could feel my body growing, plumping up from less than a foot in diameter to just over.

I'd realized I was a bit short-sighted. I wouldn't fit in one of my hiding spots now without discarding the mass. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that.

Skill increased!

Sneak Attack Lvl.2 → Lvl.3 Skill unlocked! Attribute increase!

Tough Hide Lvl.1 Acquired!

Strength - 10 → 11

Vitality - 16 → 17

Dexterity - 11 → 12

Hmhmhmm. I wasn't mistaken in hunting this foe. While it would have been a largely different scenario had I fought it head-on, taking advantage of its weak points while it was defenseless produced much more favorable results.

After I finished the Kobold off, I decided to gobble up the blood-stained fur and clean the area, before fleeing back outward.

This little skirmish had taught me much about how to hunt these 'Kobold' creatures.

Status Menu Name : n/a , Deathwarded Race : Tiny Slime Level : 10 (MAX) HP : 45/45 (+2.8/hour) Stamina : 29/34 MP : 11/16 (+0.55/hour) Strength : 11 Vitality : 17 Intelligence : 8 Wisdom : 7 (+5) Dexterity : 12 Luck : 30 (+5) Status : Over-satiated (Speed and Dexterity reduced by 12%)

Ah.

Apparently, I could eat too much. This raised more questions about my biology, but I'd have to ponder them another time. I quietly slinked back towards my base. Those Kobolds would likely be on high alert once one of their own vanished, but I couldn't fathom any way they'd be able to trace the crime back to me.

I'd even covered my little 'slime hole' up, so should they examine the room it would be quite literally empty. It was as if their friend vanished without a trace. I imagine it'd make for quite the puzzle.

A shame I couldn't have left the fur mat there. It would have contributed to the illusion that he'd disappeared without a trace. I doubted there was any reason he would both disappear AND take a ratty fur with him. Well, the door was still latched from the inside at least.

That said, I'm fairly certain it was a male Kobold. It had that after all. ...

Unpleasant thoughts swam around my head, but I pushed them back down.

This wasn't something that would be spoken of in the future. Assuming I ever spoke.

On my way back, I noticed the bats were beginning to return. The previous few-dozen had turned into three or four. Stragglers that didn't get the memo, perhaps? I ignored them for now. I'd conduct a bat hunt another day.

I went back into my base to Meditate and recover, keeping an eye on my status and that 'Over-satiated' ... debuff.

Was that the right term? I hadn't touched an MMO in years, for good reason.

Screw it. I'm calling it a debuff. A very real and uncomfortable debuff. Hngh.

Whatever the case, I had a sinking suspicion in the coming days I would be eradicating more than a few of these Kobolds. I'd have to make preparations, create a few 'slime tunnels' and contingencies.

It was a funny thought, a small Slime snacking on beasts multiple times its size. If all monsters had human-like intelligence, that would be rather ... worrisome. I only hoped my future endeavors went as smoothly as this one.

For some reason, I wasn't optimistic at that thought.

Map.