Day 8

The Abbe’s condition has marginally improved but he still reeling under the exhaustion and fever…caused by his exhaustion? I hope it is nothing serious.

As much as I like the Abbe...the old man gets tired way too easily. He isn't very helpful either. The moment I ask him anything about this world, he cribs about being too tired or something or the other and avoids the subject altogether. It's bugging me, either he doesn't know anything about this world which I know is untrue, so the fact is he doesn't want to share it with me.

It is still too early to say I trust him...but it is too early to want to know everything about the game. I think I can take this time to just strengthen myself surviving day to day. What is important is not rushing to accomplish everything but to accomplish everything one by one - my new found motto.

***

I am sitting in my hole, whilst the top covered by the curtain.

I hope he recovers fast…my condition is terrible…while being in my hole is better than being outside…for me this is still too hot.

Just when I began lamenting what a waste of a day this was turning out to be…

Resistance to heat increased (Lvl 3) – 23%

New stat: Sweat

Sweat: You begin sweating salted water when exposed to hot temperatures! Sweating will help you cool down! You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat, and it rises spontaneously. Depending on your actions, especially if you are exposed to hot climates often then sweating will increase.

New stat: Cool Down

Cool Down: Sweating will help you cool down when exposed to hot temperatures! Cool down determines how quickly you cool down to normal body temperature! You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat, and it rises spontaneously. Depending on your actions, especially if you are exposed to hot climates often then cool down effects will increase.

Moisture Retention levelled up! – Level 6

New stat: Moisture absorption

Moisture absorption: You can absorb back your sweat and maintain hydrated levels! You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat, and it rises spontaneously. Depending on your actions, especially if you are exposed to hot climates often then moisture absorption efficiency will increase.

This isn’t something to be smug about …. I just evolved from slime to a sweaty slime. Nonetheless, I am grateful. The hot weather doesn’t seem to be so hot and my water levels aren’t falling as fast as they were before….I think I can hold up till night time in my hole at this rate…

Now that some of my worries had lessened, I decided I have more room to try out stuff.

Although I can’t exercise in this tiny hole, I could try practicing shape manipulation a.k.a. the memory blob.

I begin with focusing on my slime arm. I try to recreate it to look like my right dwarf hand.

My first attempt I managed to split my tentacle like arm into two parts. No fingers. No palm. Just more tentacles.

Attempt two; I managed to split two into four.

Attempt three; I managed to split four into eight….okay I exceeded the number of fingers dwarves have by two (dwarves have six fingers in this world).

Each attempt has taken great effort, pain, groaning and twenty minutes. Splitting slime is like literally tearing your real hand....or at least that is how my mind feels it. Every time I do it, searing pain shoots through the newly formed tentacles - I find it amazing how I feel pain even though I don't have nerves. I am certain this isn't phantom pain but more to do with the properties of being a slime....similar to how I know where a bit of me is when I leave it behind; I can feel it.

Attempt four; somehow I managed to combine tentacle 4 and tentacle 6.

If splitting my tentacle felt like ripping my hand in two (which if you try…is painful as f*ck), joining it felt like fusing two arms into one.

Attempt five; tentacle 3 combined with tentacle 8.

It’s taken about two hours…but I have finally managed to split my slime arm into six parts.

Now the difficult bit….giving it shape.

Unfortunately, that was the maximum extent of my ability. No matter how much I tried I couldn’t form the shape of a palm…I didn’t feel discouraged since ….

Resistance to heat increased (Lvl 3) – 56%

Sweat has increased by 1.

Cool down has increased by 1.

Moisture Retention levelled up! – Level 7

Moisture Absorption levelled up! – Level 2

Memory blob levelled up! – Level 6

Sitting in a hole has probably been one of my more productive days.

Night 8

The Abbe has finally recovered his strength; recovered being that he can sit up for now. He still can barely stand up.

I come out of my hole and greet him.

He simply nods in acknowledgement.

I want to ask him more about magic but he seems to be lost in his own world.

I think it’s best to leave him alone.

After doing some stretches, I begin again tonight’s hunting session

Gustav has once again left before me…not that I care, I feel more confident of myself after facing a desert worm.

With my memory blob levelled up, I find it easier to walk and find myself walking greater distances. Ideally slimes don’t walk…and I don’t have to strain myself to walk…but ideally speaking slimes aren’t allowed in human towns…

I search high and I search low although I can’t see them, I know my senses are becoming sharper….

New stat: Tracking

Tracking: You can now see previously unseen tracks or hidden signs in ground! You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat, and it rises spontaneously. Depending on your actions, this stat will increase.

Rather convenient, I would say. Although, I now have tracking, the improvement in my hunting pace is negligible.

I am doing something wrong….I re-collect my hunting lesson with Gustav… “Blood Thirst…”

I need to focus on my fighting spirit….

Reduce it…

Reduce it…

Think of fluffy nice things…

Love is in the air….

Think pink…

Lower it…

New stat: Blood Thirst

Blood Thirst: You can choose to intimidate weaker monsters with just your presence. You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat, and it rises spontaneously. Depending on your action, especially if you fight for a long time, or often confront kill monsters stronger than your current level.

This game feels like a rip-off. If I vaguely recollect…there was a stat called “Fighting Spirit” in Royal Road….and it had the same effects….

I am not complaining just stating facts. I happy with whatever new and additional stats I get…I am after all a slime monster….the weakest creature in any game…

The blood thirst stat was super helpful; combined with stealth my presence simply vanished.

This meant creatures which were in hiding before finally came out into the open.

Even though nothing about me changed physically….I could finally see the natural fauna of this ecology….

I only see insects….no rats….no worms…just insects….

Either my presence can only be vanished to the level that it can fool merely insects or I still need to learn how to hunt.

I returned back to camp; with my mouth stuffed with insects

Gustav was sleeping beside two grilled desert rats.

As I walked past him, he woke up and pushed them towards me.

Did he just offer me food?

Is it an offering of thanks? friendship? or acknowledgement of my Alpha-ness?

I open my mouth and a swarm of insects fly out.

*Crap, I forgot I had them in there...*

Gustav is glaring at me angrily, he kicks the rats into the sand and walks away.

***

The next day, we resumed our journey....for some strange reason neither Maylon or Gustav were speaking to me.