The life of most Kobolds was rather difficult.

Poor working conditions, high job turnover, less than stellar employment benefits, and the complete lack of any form of retirement package. While there were usually exceptions to any rule, Kalh'tak was not one of them.

This particular Kobold stood at a staggering 44 inches, and as such was half a head taller than most of the other male Kobolds in their group. His job prospects were beginning to look a bit better and he secretly harbored hope that he would be the next to evolve in their group.

He'd had his eyes on the group's leader, Shamaness Byuin, after all.

—He was madly in love with her.

The pattern of her scales and the way they overlapped. The width of her hips, always teasing him and suggesting how fertile she may be. He even admired her leadership and considered her by and far the most intelligent Kobold he'd ever met, ... though his life experience was admittedly rather limited.

While her intellectual superiority was somewhat intimidating to him, he still respected her nonetheless and hoped to one day pin her beneath him and have her birth his clutch. Were Kalh'tak a more poetic lizard he would surely write sonnets and ballads extolling her virtue and beauty.

Unfortunately, Kalh'tak was only a Lesser Kobold. Some days it was hard enough for him to remember which color of shiny rocks they were trying to find. The best he could manage to describe Byuin was as follows. 'Shaksas narr mara kal!'

Loose and less crude translation: "I want to mate with the fine, independent woman in possession of such a 'phat' tail."

Quite so.

It didn't help that those ugly spiders kept ruining Byuin's plans. She was obviously agitated throughout the day, so his attempts to woo her were going disastrously. There was something mystical about the cave they'd come to reside in. All the Kobolds felt stronger, needed less food, their minds felt a bit sharper.

Well, the same applied to the spiders that had lived here before their arrival. The icky, nasty things tasted horrible and kept trying to kill Kalh'tak's group. They'd also succeeded a few times. Were it not for Byuin's magic, the spider poison would have claimed many more.

What was more bothersome is that one of the group, an annoying Kobold by the name of Fal'sant, disappeared the other night. Kalh'tak didn't think much of it at the time. He assumed Fal'sant had wandered outside to relieve himself and was eaten. Or perhaps Fal'sant was dumb enough to climb down the stairs despite being told not to. His sense of direction did seem rather terrible if Kalh'tak did say so himself. It was certainly possible.

Losing a member was a shame, but it happened often enough. No one really liked Fal'sant as he was too scrawny and did bad work. Made for a good punching bag whenever someone got angry, at least. One of the young would rise to take his place sooner or later.

That was the consensus among their small tribe. No one thought much about his disappearance. Or at least that was the case until Byuin looked into the matter.

Kalh'tak was a bit confused as to why she was upset. She just called Kalh'tak a 'dan'kroff shlorr' and tried to explain something he didn't quite follow. Something about Fal'sant's disappearance not making sense and she kept motioning to the wooden door. Now, in his own opinion that is, Kalh'tak thought it made perfect sense. Fal'sant was stupid and weak, so he probably died. Why think about it more?

Kalh'tak began to get a bit jealous and his tail was twitching back and forth as he listened to her. Perhaps Byuin harbored feelings for Fal'sant? No, that couldn't be it. She was smart and would never want to mate with a weakling like Fal'sant. Whatever the case, if Fal'sant had disappeared it didn't matter anymore. Good riddance to a pest.

Kalh'tak tried to think more about what Byuin had said. It wouldn't do to remain ignorant for the rest of his life, especially if he wanted to increase his future prospects. Even if he did think she was talking the crazy lizard-woman talk. He needed to become more intelligent, increase his judgment and common sense. Byuin was still too smart for him, which was mildly frustrating. He would build his brain, just like his muscles.

Kalh'tak once heard the best way to improve at something is to practice it. Thus, he returned to his room to think more on ways to push Byuin down beneath him and have her become his partner so those dreams might come to fruition. He may be able to physically overpower her, but her magics were too much for Kalh'tak. He would continue lifting rocks and beating things up until he could beat her magics too. Perhaps he could even gift her a shiny rock should he find another. She seemed fond of them.

Yes, a very good plan. Kalh'tak was proud of how much brain work he had done in such a short period of time.

As he drifted off to sleep, he fantasized about waking up a changed lizard. Who knew what tomorrow would bring? His growth had been great ever since coming here and he would continue to do his best. Pink thoughts continued to float around in his head as he began to fall asleep. He felt that drastic changes were in store for him soon. His consciousness dimmed as he began to fall into a much-needed and deep sleep.

... ... ...

Sneak Attack! You have been bitten! Critical piercing damage! -15HP

You have been afflicted with Necrotic Venom!

You have been afflicted with Paralytic Venom!

You have been poisoned!

Your throat has been crushed! -9HP

You are suffering from Asphyxiation!

A sharp pain ran through Kalh'tak's muddled thoughts as he attempted to spring awake. He was being assaulted!

Was someone jealous of Kalh'tak? He filled with fury, attempting to bellow out at the intruder before he would claw them into pieces. Before he could, something invaded his throat.

You have taken internal damage! -35HP

You are bleeding!

In reaction to the pain, he fiercely bit down. The probing stopped, but his throat was filled with some sort of cool liquid. Panic began to rise in Kalh'tak's heart. Now that he was jolted awake, he was beginning to realize just how much pain he was in. It was so severe it was threatening to render him unconscious.

The grip around his throat was like a vice, which he tried in vain to claw at. Whatever was attacking him only tightened its grip, causing the blood and pressure in his head to build. He couldn't think. It was dark. The thing around his neck was soft and pliable, yet the powerful claws he was so proud of seemed to have little effect on it.

He wanted to cry in agony but lacked the ability to clear his lungs in such a short period of time. His chest heaved in an attempt to take in fresh air and expel whatever was lodged in his throat. There was a wet schlop! noise. Sharp pain immediately radiated from his face. He was struck once, then once more with greater force.

You have taken piercing damage! -9HP

You have been blinded!

You have taken critical piercing damage! -41HP

You have been blinded!

Kalh'tak froze. A sharp pain had cut into both his eyes. A weak groan attempted to escape from his mouth, but he lacked the ability to make a sound. He couldn't feel anything anymore. His thoughts had come to a halt the moment his brain had been pierced. A sliver of regret formed in his mind, before that too vanished without a trace.

You have died!

Whew. That went better than expected.

I was a bit afraid to attack one of the larger Kobolds. This one seemed to pose a much higher threat than the previous one I'd eaten. I hadn't fully expected it to struggle even after I'd repeated my previous actions. It was good I managed to improvise and stab it in the eye with a rock I'd used Devour on to sharpen.

Yes, I was evolving in another way. I'd managed to make a primitive tool. Haha! Take that you shitty cave system! Perhaps next I would conquer fire and ascend into the Stone Age? Well, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Lugging the makeshift knife in with me had proven a good choice despite the discomfort having it inside me brought about. It was better than the time I had to leave a bunch of dirt and rocks in me, I guess. At least this just felt like a weird void in my stomach instead of a diluted unwellness.

My work wasn't over so I began to dig into my new, fleshy acquisition. I felt a little bad for this Kobold since it hadn't exactly wronged me per se, ... but that notion was quickly dispelled when I began to munch its limbs.

Ohh, this one tastes so good.

Mmph. Just the right amount of meat and fat. A shame I couldn't tenderize or season it a bit. Ahh, I miss having pork chops and steak for dinner. A few potatoes, some carrots and caramelized onions, a side of rice and soy sauce. Maybe some fried asparagus wrapped in pancetta, some gelato for dessert.

I'd watched numerous cooking shows and despite it being a pain to cook for just one person, still did so frequently. I rather enjoyed food in most of its forms, so now apparently this included lizard meat. Life sure is funny sometimes. I wonder if I'll ever get to cook again?

Still, I was almost disappointed that I'd dug a hiding spot for nothing as none of the Kobolds seemed to so much as stir. This was in a way comforting that they didn't appear to have any detection spells or ways to know the instant one of their own died. While I couldn't write it off entirely, I began to feel a bit more confident and relaxed.

I kept my thoughts off the visuals and focused on the taste. The two were at odds with each other, and I preferred to imagine I was eating a delicacy rather than lizard viscera and blood. It wasn't as if I could throw up from nausea, but the mental disgust would take root and ruin my feeling of accomplishment and taste.

Skill increased!

Slime Bullet Lvl.2 → Lvl.3 Attribute increase!

Strength - 11 → 12

Vitality - 17 → 18

Wisdom - 7 → 8

Of which, I was indeed feeling rather good about. It had been a long time coming, but seeing that single point of Wisdom gave me hope. I was worried these Kobolds had an unusually low Wisdom stat and that was perhaps why I hadn't gotten any the first time. Seems I just needed to eat more of them.

Your sacrifice shall not be in vain, Sir Lizard. I will forever remember you as 'Kobold B'. Thank you for your contribution. Hmhmhmm.

I rolled my eyes over my status menu before deciding on my next course of action.

Status Menu Name : n/a , Deathwarded Race : Tiny Slime Level : 10 (MAX) HP : 42/48 (+3.0/hour) Stamina : 31/36 MP : 19/22 (+0.75/hour) Strength : 12 Vitality : 18 Intelligence : 11 Wisdom : 8 (+5) Dexterity : 13 Luck : 30 (+5) Status : Over-satiated (Speed and Dexterity reduced by 13%)

I wasn't planning on stopping here but instead chose to take the time to create another network of tunnels. I'd link their bedrooms together and move between them freely, ambushing them the moment they slept. While it was a risk that they may discover the exits, my plans needed to be accelerated regardless.

I'd taken a brief look down their hallway and counted 6 shoddy, wooden doors. The hallway had turned into a corner after that and appeared to be leading upward. While it wasn't a safe assumption, I figured there were at least 5 more Kobolds including that strange one I'd stalked upon in that altar room.

Digging another tunnel took me roughly an hour, which I knew was a good use of time. I'd stalked outside their living quarters and noticed I never saw more than a few Kobolds. This had gone on for the better part of an entire day. It was extremely dull, but I'd gathered a lot of information and had a general idea of their numbers.

Unless that tunnel going up lead to a larger colony of Kobolds, my situation was still manageable. I didn't dare assume that yet, but I was beginning to see a bit of 'light at the end of the tunnel'.

The next room over was home to yet another sleeping Kobold. Surprisingly, I could tell that this was one of the assumed females I'd seen walking around. There was a wooden desk in this room with a lit candle. Something to keep the boogey-Slime away, perhaps? Strange.

I did hear a light snoring noise from my hiding spot, so decided to proceed. There was less hesitation after having done this twice already. I would repeat my previous actions and hope no noise leaked out.

Rolling up to the lizard, I readied my fangs and the small rock knife. A slight alteration to my plan this time, I would lead in with a stab to the Kobold's eyes while simultaneously pumping veno—

Dim light was reflecting off a pair of beady, yellow eyes.

The female Kobold threw a fur blanket at me, shrieking in a Gods awful pitch.

Shit! You fucking cunt! Why are you even awake at this hour!? Shouldn't you be halfway through sleeping!?

My vision was momentarily disturbed, as I felt a thin knife stab into my flesh.

You have taken slashing damage! -7HP

I needed to secure an escape.

I spat the toxin I had started to build up at the lizardwoman's face, before making a wild dash out toward my escape route. I didn't even have time to see if it had hit.

The next few minutes were chaos in my mind. I heard a loud clambering as I escaped out of their living confines and into the three-corridor hall. As I was turning the corner, the 'leader Kobold' exited in a fury from her room. Her nostrils flared as she sniffed the air. Time seemed to slow down as I briefly locked 'eyes' with her, all while fleeing at my top speed.

"Hret kyahk shliss!"

I didn't stop. I heard the sounds of scale-on-stone behind me, giving pursuit. I'd only a few steps further to go until I'd reach the torch near my hunting ground's entrance.

A bright light appeared behind me, followed by a small explosion.

You have taken fire elemental damage! Critical weakness! -27HP

You have been burned! Recovery inhibited.

Pain!

"Fllktht!"

Pain radiated out my body. It was as if a thousand fire ants had decided to bite into my flesh, gnawing and tearing. Compared to the agony of my Mana vent training it may have been overshadowed, but the abruptness almost made my head go white for a second. A second I couldn't afford.

The instant I'd neared the light, I'd been shot by a spell. A small bit of rationality that remained in my mind told me to veer left and enter my secondary exit. All I had to do was pray another shot wouldn't follow within the few seconds it'd take me.

This had proven the correct choice.

I hid mid-tunnel as I heard hissing and guttural shrieks echo off the cave walls. For now, it appeared I was safe. Whatever that meant.

Status Menu Name : n/a , Deathwarded Race : Tiny Slime Level : 10 (MAX) HP : 11/48 (+1.7/hour) Stamina : 23/36 MP : 20/22 (+0.75/hour) Strength : 12 Vitality : 18 Intelligence : 11 Wisdom : 8 (+5) Dexterity : 13 Luck : 30 (+5) Status : Over-satiated (Speed and Dexterity reduced by 11%) , Burned (HP Regeneration reduced by 32%, 7 hours and 38 minutes remain.)

For a brief moment, I began cursing that damn lizard. Profanities flew through my mind with the speed of a fighter jet. I was going to rip her into the tiniest shreds and Devour her until nothing remained.

After a few seconds, I regained my calm. They would search for me. They would realize I'd eaten another of theirs. They would likely be on high alert for several hours. And so I was forced to wait in this stuffed tunnel.

They'd nearly gotten me again. Whether that magician Kobold was skilled with magic, I couldn't tell. She was generous enough to confirm one of my suspicions—I was weak to fire. 'Critical weakness'.

Fucking lovely. All the confidence I'd built up was now drenched like a wet newspaper. My mood worsened.

I slowly attempted to peel off the burnt flesh in hopes that would rid myself of these two status effects. This proved to be possible but had I not had extra mass I likely would've fallen under the 'Weakened' effect. A small mercy.

My Stamina was nearing half, so I needed to eat something whenever able. My HP was slowly recovering, but having to stay fully on guard in this constricted and dark hallway was taking a toll on my nerves. Every patter! from a stray waterdrop or shuffle of feet was setting me off.

I reviewed my situation. My primary concern was how my stealthy approach had been seen through. These Kobolds ... Hmm.

They can't see well in the dark. If I were a humanoid creature that lived primarily in tunnels ... I would probably have exceedingly good ears. Perhaps the one female Kobold that stabbed me had heard a light noise from her neighbor and stirred? Or maybe the sound of stone shifting, though it was rather quiet. Either was plausible.

Something else bothered me. That magician Kobold had flared her nostrils and seemed to 'sniff' me out. While I no longer had the luxury of smell, that doesn't mean they don't. Do I exude a certain odor? Was that what gave me away? Realization dawned on me.

Fuck! I hadn't thought of that! Why hadn't I thought of that!? I just fucking did it again, didn't I? I underestimated them and overestimated my ability to flee unscathed!

Of course they're easy to strangle and stab to death in the dark while they're alone and asleep. That doesn't mean they're fucking morons who can't use their noses though!

My anger had shifted from these damn lizards to myself. Really, 'human intelligence' huh? Someone give me a fucking Darwin award already. Christ!

I continued to stew in silence for what felt like an eternity. The commotion had died down long ago and my HP was now full. I figured I should at least be able to get back home. There didn't appear to be anything waiting for me on the other side, so I was banking on them only knowing where I'd 'entered' and not where the 'exits' are. If they'd found my exit, I'd have to dig another way towards home and perhaps collapse this tunnel, wasting the effort.

Luck was on my side it seemed. Funny though. There didn't appear to be any more torches or Kobolds in the main cave.

In the dark, I hunted two more centipedes before returning home. My Stamina had filled up at the new addition of bug meat. Rather than charge back out there, I figured it best to stay here and evaluate my options. The chances of them finding this cave were small, ... unless a fantasy world had drills or dynamite. I doubted some short lizards could get through this wall in good time with some half-rusted pickaxes, even if they knew which wall to dig into.

No, I needed to kill that fire-wielding Kobold. I'd slowly been working on a defensive mineral shell around my 'body', but it was only about a quarter done. It was difficult to stab me, so unless they had some crossbows or ... guns to shoot my center I'd likely be fine. If these lizards had guns, I don't think I'd even be mad anymore if I died. I'd just tell God to get a better sense of humor.

If I could complete that and assassinate the fire-bitch, I would be far less worried. She could effectively kill me with two of those Fireballs or whatever had hit me. Since they now knew of my existence, it wasn't a bad idea to form means to fight them head-on.

My options were limited, but I'd decided on a plan of action. I shot several Slime Bullets at the wall, attempting to train my accuracy. Once my MP was nearly depleted, I would enter near the Mana vent and then absorb the Mana while Meditating. This would slowly refill my MP and then the cycle would begin anew. After a few trips, I'd gotten an increase in Intelligence from absorbing all the Mana-rich water.

After an estimated three hours I'd noticed a few things. My accuracy was increasing at longer distances. Even the force behind the shot seemed to be more potent. Perhaps not enough to be fatal to more than a small bug or animal, but every gain was vital. Getting blasted in the face by this would surely stun even a Kobold for a short moment.

After another ten hours I'd gotten another notification. It would seem my attribute gains from this Mana vent were diminishing, huh? No matter. I'd met my goal, anything more was a nice bonus.

Attribute increase!

Intelligence - 11 → 13

After firing something like another three dozen Slime Bullets I'd gotten a third notification. I'd now been able to fire accurately at half the length of my cave, roughly 20 feet. I read the third notification.

Skill increased!

Slime Bullet Lvl.3 → Lvl.4

Slime Bullet has developed the 'Long-range' and 'Multi-Shot' options.

It was the most beautiful thing I'd seen. I'd kiss these damn green boxes if I could. Like a child who'd just gotten a new toy, I eagerly attempted to read my Slime Bullet skill in hopes it would tell me more.

Slime Bullet Lvl.4 - Active - 3 MP

Basic skill possessed by the Slime race. Shoots a glob of mass at target location or enemy. Higher levels of proficiency will increase accuracy, velocity, and general ability use.

Long-range Shot - 6MP - Doubles effective distance with a moderate increase in velocity and damage. Higher levels will increase bonuses.

Multi-Shot - 2MP/Bullet - Extremely short-range burst that fires a maximum of (1+(SkillLevel/2)) bullets, rounded up. Higher levels will increase damage potential.

This changes things.

I knew that increasing my Skill level would help with accuracy and damage. My aim was to be able to shoot a Kobold dead in the face from 20 or so feet. Instead, I'd gotten something much more deadly. The only downside to either of these abilities were their costs.

I'd spent the last day staring at a wall, lobbing Slime Bullets like I was a baseball pitcher going out of her mind. Measuring, calculating arcs and angles, trying to determine impact force. What really killed me was trying to calculate time and worrying I wasn't progressing fast enough.

This was worth it.

After making another trip out, I noticed there were now torches within my hunting ground. Centipedes had disappeared under rocks, while the spiders were hiding in nooks and crannies in the ceiling. The cave was remarkably more lit, but still absent of any Kobolds.

Would I outgrow them in time? I managed to snag two more centipedes to fill my belly, as they both attempted to flee in vain. I stabbed down into them both before retreating out to the cave hallway to see if more torches had gone up there.

They had.

My greatest ally in this fight, the dark, had effectively been stolen from me. But that was fine.

There was just one more Kobold I needed to kill before I'd feel more at ease. It was time to blow my newfound load into that fire-bitch's head. A slimegun blast for a fireball as they say, eh? Despite not having a mouth, I swear my flesh opened in a wide grin.

Oh, I'm sure she's going to taste absolutely magical.

I returned and began my preparations.

Map.