[Centis - Level 25 (Combat Power: 633)]

[Centis - Level 16 (Combat Power: 391)]

…

I was surrounded by a dozen Centese. They skittered around me, mandibles clacking as they tried to bite off more of my body. One of them— a large Centis— had already cut off one of my appendages. That wasn’t too bad, however. What was worse was that these monsters stopped me from getting to Fissyah.

“No!” I shouted as the girl was smashed against the rock wall.

A group of Centese got to her, grabbing her with their mandibles before thrashing her around.

I needed to get to her as soon as possible— get around the large Centis and its smaller counterparts that circled me. I fired as few [Arc Shots] out as I could, trying to keep them back while preserving at least half of my Arcane Essence, but they were fast and difficult to hit. Those that I struck usually needed only one hit to go down, except for the stupid large Centis!

It was the strongest of the group. It was stronger than even me!

[Centis - Level 27 (Combat Power: 724)]

I crashed into its side, pummeling it with a set of blunt-sided pseudopods. The shell cracked, and I slowly pried it off— but the large Centis slammed me into the ground. I literally went flat. Pancake flat.

Grousing, I tried to peel myself off the ground… only for the scissoring mouth of the large Centis to crash into me. It snipped off a rather large chunk of my body. About a quarter of me went flying in the opposite direction, landing right next to Fissyah.

I looked up past the skittering large Centis to see the limp body of the girl. She’d fallen unconscious and was no longer able to defend herself from a group of encroaching Centese. My everything hurt— it really did. Losing that much of my body was painful.

Yet, I still got up. Even with the phantom feeling of my body being whole, I bounced over the large Centis as it came at me. I leapt off its head to propel myself forward, moving to save Fissyah. A dozen Centese skittered around me as I narrowly avoided their attacks.

“I will not let you harm her—”

And a smaller Centis caught me. It wrapped its body around me, keeping me back as it squeezed tight. Everything went numb. It hurt. My detached body was in immense pain, just as I was. I wanted to pass out.

But right before I could lose consciousness, I spotted a Centis entangled around Fissyah, snarling. No— I needed to get to her. I had to get to her. Even if I couldn’t move, I had to move.

A surge of strength ran through me. I reached for Fissyah, and I felt my detached body twitch. I twisted my current body, ripping it in half to escape the clutches of the Centis that had been coiled around me. I slid up its body and struck it in its head. Once, twice—

And as it fell, I felt my detached bodyparts move. The one closest to Fissyah sprang out, smothering the Centis that had been about to finish her off. It moved, even when separate from my body. It ricocheted off it, taking out Centis after Centis on its own.

What is this…? But I already knew what it was.

You have defeated a [Centis - Level 16 (Combat Power: 375)]!

You have absorbed its Physical essence!

You have advanced to Level 18!

- Arcane Essence +40

- Skill [Detached Body Manipulation] gained!

A Skill. A new Skill. It took sacrifice to learn. I had to tear myself in two just to get it. And activating it cost me 40 Arcane Essence, dropping me just below the halfway point of my total Arcane Essence. But it saved our lives.

I sped for Fissyah as the large Centis and its lackeys tried to stop me. My mind flickered to another disembodied part: the limb that had been snapped off. It whipped out, striking the large Centis from behind. It distracted them long enough for me to get to Fissyah myself, quickly finishing off the last of the monsters that had been there.

I landed on the Gremlin as my limb flew straight back to me. My last bodypart— the one I had forcefully torn off— moved as well. It had been quickly consuming the smaller Centis that I had killed, before sliding over to me.

You have replenished 80 Arcane Essence!

You have also replenished 40 Arcane Essence due to [Improved Absorption]!

With that, I was back above half of my total Arcane Essence. My body reformed, and I coated the unconscious girl’s body. The Centis stopped as a ripple ran over us. Our aura changed. Even if they were monsters, they could tell something was different now. When I stood up, I was no longer a blob of magical goo. I had a body with light purple hair that fell down to my lower back.

[Arc Symbiosis].

Name: Violet [Level 18] (Host: Fissyah)

Species: Arcslime

Combat Power: 670 (+370)

Arcane Essence: 10/670

Skills:

[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]

[Arc Shot - 20 Arcane Essence]

[Detached Body Manipulation - 40 Arcane Essence]

Passive Skills:

[Arcane Restoration - You restore 10 Arcane Essence for every ten minutes of rest.]

[Improved Absorption - You replenish an additional 50% of Arcane Essence from consuming bodies.]

[Morph Shape - Your body can take on complex shapes.]

Special Skills:

[Arc Symbiosis: Fissyah - 50% of Total Arcane Essence]

Titles:

[Destroyer of Fort Erkaed - Arcane Essence +50]

A voice echoed in the back of my head, barely conscious. “V-Violet…?”

“You’re awake?” I smiled. Having a face really did feel weird after having none for so long. “Good. I’m almost out of Arcane Essence, so I’ll need your help.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” She was confused, having just woken back up.

“The Centese had their fun with us.”

Tendrils came out from behind my shoulders as I faced the monsters.

“But now it’s our turn,” I said and dashed forward.

The giant centipedes let out a cacophony of screeches. Like the chittering of sick birds. They charged me, led by the large Centis. I didn’t stop, even against their numbers.

“Keep the others back— we’re going for the big one!” I yelled, leaping into the air.

“Got it!” Fissyah’s flames wrapped around us like a fiery cyclone, spewing from our tendrils at the smaller monsters.

I soared straight for the large Centis, pointing one arm at its armored head as I raised another and balled it into a fist. Even without saying a word, Fissyah knew what to do.

“[Arcane Flameshot]!”

The projectile cracked the shell of the large Centis, burning a hole straight into its flesh. It shrieked in pain, but I wasn’t done with it. I swung for the broken armor, shattering it and crushing its head with a single punch.

The large Centis fell, dead.

You have defeated a [Centis - Level 27 (Combat Power: 724)]!

You have absorbed its Physical essence!

You have advanced to Level 19!

- Arcane Essence +40

You have advanced to Level 20!

- Arcane Essence +40

I landed on top of the corpse of the large Centis, panting heavily. The remaining Centese gathered stared at me for a moment, then at their dead leader. It clued them in enough. They scattered, fleeing further down the tunnel instead of fighting me.

“That’s right, you better run!” I shook a fist at them.

There was no point giving chase. That hadn’t been an easy battle at all; it was only thanks to our level ups during the battle, along with [Arc Symbiosis] bringing our total Combat Power to over a thousand, were we able to win.

Well, would we even have won if they stayed and continued fighting? I was too exhausted and nearly out of Arcane Essence. I guess I just should just be grateful that they went running.

I began to refuel my Arcane Essence by consuming the large Centis’ corpse. Eating with a mouth was far more difficult than eating with my body, so I did it slowly as I addressed Fissyah.

“Are you alright? That was a close one, whew.”

“It really was,” she said in my head. “I thought I was going to die.”

“Mmm…” I replied, still munching on the large Centis.

“Uh, Violet.”

“Yes?” I asked between bites.

“Are you not going to try cooking it?” the Gremlin asked as she made a sound of disgust.

“Why would I?”

“Won’t it taste better?”

“It tastes great as it is now!” I said simply.

“That’s…”

I could hear the girl gagging in my head, and I just shrugged. “But didn’t you say Rioke tasted good? We ate him raw, too.”

“I enjoyed eating him. I didn’t think he tasted good at all!”

“Oh.”

Well, it wasn’t my fault she didn’t know what tasted good or bad. I happily finished up my meal and stretched. It didn’t take me that long to eat through the entirety of the large Centis.

You have replenished 200 Arcane Essence!

You have also replenished 100 Arcane Essence due to [Improved Absorption]!

“Delicious…” I smacked my lips together.

I had a whole buffet laid out for me with the dozen-or-so dead Centis lying on the ground. But before I could dig in, I felt the ground shaking. It jolted violently— far more than it did earlier. My eyes widened as I had a thought.

If the Earthen Sirens were fleeing from the Centese, then was it possible that the Centese were fleeing from something else?

Well, the answer was yes. A giant worm with hundreds of legs bore its way through the tunnel. It literally tore the tunnel open with its sheer size alone. It had no eyes, and thousands of razor-sharp teeth.

[Ravinecrawler - Level 39 (Combat Power: 1720)]

There was no point in asking any questions this time. No debate. We didn’t stand a chance against the Ravinecrawler, even with [Arc Symbiosis]. I ran for it, screaming at Fissyah to use her magic to hold it off. Her flames washed off the tough skin of the Ravinecrawler, leaving no mark on its skin. It was like water splashing off a rock surface.

It barreled its way through the tunnel, too large to even fit. It broke the stalactites and stalagmites on the floor and ceiling, the cracks echoing down after us. It didn’t snarl or screech like the Centis. It moved with a deep, resounding quiet. The sounds of the destruction it wrought was all that I could hear.

I glanced back once, watching as it drew closer and closer. The only thing that slowed it was a desperate flurry of [Arc Shots] combined with Fissyah’s own [Arcane Flameshot]. Which— by the way, sounded really cool.

Not that any of our attacks did anything.

The Ravinecrawler groaned as it swallowed out salvo of magical projectiles. It shifted slightly, slowing as we caught sight of a light up ahead: at the end of the tunnel.

Hopefully, it wasn’t a metaphor for what was to come.

I exploded out the other side, leaping into the air as the Ravinecrawler burst out after me. A bright cave chamber expanded around me. One that spread out far and wide. Crystals hung from the ceiling, and lichen painted the walls. I took in this sight for what felt like an eternity compounded into a single instant.

Reality resumed. A hundred foot fall awaited me as I tossed and tumbled and turned on my way to the ground. I slammed my tendrils against the vertical slope, but upon me, the Ravinecrawler gaping maw fell.

I let go of the wall, tucking and rolling at the final drop. Behind me, the Ravinecrawler crashed into the earth. There was no pause. No reprieve. The ground quaked as its blade-like teeth encroached on me. Into the abyss, I stared at certain death.

And there was a flash.

A bright blue light shot out, barraging the Ravinecrawler from the side. My eyes grew wide as the giant monster was ripped apart by the flurry of explosions.

“How…?”

My answer appeared before me. Landing atop the carcass of the Ravinecrawler was a dark-skinned figure. One with gray hair and red eyes. So familiar, yet so different.

It was a Gremlin. The person Fissyah and I had been searching for.

Oblec.

[Gremlin - Level 62 (Combat Power: 3970)]