Newb felt different. It was as if it was floating around in an expansion of nothingness. There was no light, no wind. Now that it thought about it, this felt almost exactly like when the slime had spent time in that “cold, unfeeling place” after it had been slain all that time ago. Wait… Did I die again!? There was a slight chance that the slime had panicked, but it would never admit it. After all, what kind of hero panics when faced with the unknown?

After its ‘certainly-not-panicking” episode, the rational jello went through what it knew. First, it wasn’t losing any memories of its experiences. All of it was there, from the moment it made its escape plan to its inevitable fight with something that would haunt its theoretical dreams for the rest of its life.

Second, it never received the dreaded notification telling it that it had failed in the most direct manner ever: You have died. Since that notification was nowhere to be seen, that meant that it was most likely not dead. Besides, the foreboding message that had stated that it would not respawn ever again seemed to back up that theory.

Third, it wasn’t entirely in darkness this time. There was a little bit of light in the distance, shining down upon a blurry picture. It tried to pull itself closer, concentrating on the image with all its willpower. And it was rewarded for its efforts. Something seemed to give way and the image gradually cleared up, revealing two figures, walking through an all too familiar crater. The bodies of the unfortunate creatures were still there, but since that area was outside of a dungeon, that might be a thing… Maybe the slime should inquire about this phenomenon from its resident spirit?

The two figures were looking around, seemingly looking for something. One was tall, with dark-blue hair, light-blue eyes and what looked like a crossed battle scar on his face. He was dressed in some type of Adven gear, dark browns and greens with a black cloak, and carried a large blade on his back. There was also a look to him that Newb did not like… Almost like a hungry predator looking for its next meal.

The other figure was not as tall, nor wide as the first. She was also a female. She had red hair, and blue eyes that were like gemstones. She was dressed in a tan travel cloak, wearing the light colored garb of some kind of spell caster underneath. She had a long stick in her hand, crooked on the top. She took a deep, steadying breath as she looked around at the devastation. There was also something about her that drew Newb’s attention, but it could not put its blob on what it could be.

“More monsters… Do you think that this creature is after people as well?” The girl asked the man. The sound coming from this image was slightly distorted, which made the slime suspicious.

“I am certain that it is.” The man answered, only glancing in her direction for a moment.

“But how can you know that for sure? Surely this monster is not a murderous creature out for blood? It could be just defending itself.” She pointedly looked up at the sky, in the general direction of her companion. It appeared to be an attempt to avoid looking at the corpses.

The man drew in a deep breath, looking a little discontent at this line of questioning, but the girl did not seem to notice. “Look. We were sent to do a job, and that is what we are going to do. The sooner that we find this abomination, the better chance that we have at saving the lives of the people in your kingdom, my lady.”

“But, given all the witness accounts, and looking at its current path, it seems that it has not even harmed anything outside of other monsters. How do we know it isn’t different from other monsters? Maybe, just maybe -” She was not able to finish her sentence on account of the slightly raised voice of the hunter that approached her.

“Monsters do not show compassion. They do not feel a single thing for anything other than the need to feed or breed. The sooner that you realize this, Princess,” the man reached her but did not touch her, “the more likely you are to survive being an adventurer. Or is that still not your goal?”

The girl scowled at the man. “It is. But there has to be more to adventuring than slaughtering monsters for the sport of it.” With that, she headed off in the direction that Newb itself had gone when it left that area. At that moment, the vision started to fade away.

As the image disappeared, the curious slime noticed something else. As the man watched her walk away for a moment, it saw something about him that stirred up anger within it. The way that this hunter looked at his companion, in a cold, almost hungry, manner, was a look that this monster knew all too well. It was the same look that almost all the Advens had given it when they had come to slay it…

Newb groaned as it began to awaken. Its whole body was throbbing in pain, and was sluggish in response. As to what had caused such uncomfortable feelings, it was apparent that it was still feeling the effects of its run in with the Nightcaller that would have killed it, were it not for the quick thinking on its partner’s part.

“Newb! You’re awake!” Aylia’s overjoyed voice rang out through its head, and the slime winced. “Oh, sorry… I didn’t… mean… I had thought I almost lost you! Do you know how much danger you were in because you passed out in a dungeon?”

“Ok! Ok. I get it… The plan did not go off as smoothly as we would have liked, but I’m alive, and so are you… in a way.”

Aylia chuckled a little bit between sobs of relief that echoed through the slime’s mind. Newb did feel a little bad about worrying her this time, but there was not anything that it could have done. This was the best possible outcome that could have happened, given what could have happened. It then decided to address the various notifications in its mind, while Aylia finished whatever it was that she was doing. Some things just did not make sense about the spirit’s situation, and the ignorant slime chose to continue on in ignorance about it.

--- Congratulations, you are the victor! You have received the following:

- You have gained the following Skills:

- Break Enchantment

- Persuasion

- The following Skills have been improved:

- Iron Will has improved from Inept to Untrained. Resolve +3. A Skill boost is available.

- Persuasion has improved from Inept to Untrained. Allure +1, Voice +2. A Skill boost is available.

- You have gained Drain Resistance. Drain has improved to the 3rd Degree.

- Toughness has improved from Amatuer to Novice. Vigor +3. Damage Resistance has improved to 27.5%. A Skill boost is now available.

- You have gained the following Talents:

- Balance the Scales. Soul +1, Grit and Resolve +2.

- Talkative. Luck +1, Voice +4.

- The Talent, Gutsy, has improved to Courageous. Grit +3, Resolve +2.

- Congratulations! Your bond with the Spirit entity, Aylia, has improved from 1 to 3. You can now receive updates about their Level and Trait acquisitions. You can also track their growth.

- Congratulations! You are now a Level 17 Slime. Might and Intelligence +4, Vigor and Soul +8.

- The following have been boosted by Unlimited Potential:

- Might, Vigor, Awareness, Willpower, Caliber, Allure, Voice, and Soul +2, Agility and Resolve +4, Luck +16

- Break Enchantment, Body Manipulation, Dodge, and Stealth have received additional SP.

- The following Skills have been improved:

- Break Enchantment has improved from Inept to Untrained. Intelligence +1, Willpower +2. A Skill boost is available.

- Stealth has improved from Amatuer to Novice. Finesse +3, Agility +1. A Skill boost is available.

- To the Victor go the Spoils! You have obtained Purge the Corrupted [1]. Because you are not in the service to a Pantheon, you cannot receive a divine boon. Compensating...

- Congratulations! You are now a Level 1 Ronin. Might, Finesse, and Agility +2, Vigor +4. You do not have a Specialty available to you. Compensating…

- Congratulations! You have obtained the Ability, Convergence.

--- Notice! Because you also have the Skills, Augment, Energy Absorption, and Energy Expulsion, Convergence has combined the three Skills into the enhanced Skill, Energy Manipulation. All previous gains will be retained. Calculating…

- Congratulations! Energy Manipulation has improved from Inept to Novice. Intelligence, Caliber, and Resolve +8, Willpower +16. A Skill boost is now available.

--- Notice! Because you also have the Skills, Mighty Blow and Stealth Attack, Convergence has combined the two skills into the enhanced Skill, Enhance Strike. All previous gains will be retained. Calculating…

- Congratulations! Enhance Strike has improved from Inept to Amatuer. Allure +3, Finesse and Agility +6, Might +15.

--- The Spirit, Aylia, has increased in Level from 5 to 8. They have acquired the Trait, Spell Release.

--- You are no longer suffering from Mana Burn. Your locked Skills have been released. Your Spells are now accessible.

What the little slime was confronted with was a long list of everything that was granted to it. There was also a surprised gasp from the Spirit. Assuming that the notification about Aylia granted her something as well, it decided that it would be beneficial to ask her.

“Is everything ok?” While it tried to sound concerned, its tone may have come out as excited.

“It’s just… well… I received notifications just now, saying that I have a high enough Bond with my host.” She went quiet, likely reading over the rest of her notifications. “Not only can I see notifications again, but you are also notified about my growth! That’s awesome!”

Having just heard that there was nothing that benefited it directly, Newb attempted to not sound disappointed in its response. “Oh. That’s neat. Good for you.” It supposed that not every notification would boost its stats.

“Are you… are you sad?” She was flabbergasted. “Don’t you realize what this means? It means that there are less secrets between us! That’s a good thing… right? Unless it just tells you when I gain levels?”

“It’s good that you are receiving notifications again. That makes me happy for you. I am not sad… just a little disappointed. And I can see traits you gain as well.” It sighed. “What does your new Trait do?”

“I’m glad you asked. This trait allows me to cast a few of my old spells for our benefit.” She sounded happy. “This means that I can finally assist you in a better way! Then we can both have a higher chance of survival!”

“That is good!” There was genuine happiness in its voice this time. That meant that the Spirit wasn’t just answering questions and along for the ride. This expanded all of its options for survival. “Which spells do you have?”

“I have four inner Spells; Boost, Rejuvenation, Shield, and Telepathy. I also have two outer Spells; Shield Other and Telekinesis. I think you should be able to pull them up as part of the new Bond that we have.” Aylia explained excitedly. “Why don’t you try it?”

The slime thought on that for a moment, then pulled up its own stats.

**

Name: Newb

Species: Slime, Æther

Cores: Ronin

Age: 1 month

Power Level: 18 (17-S, 1-R) (1%; 0%)

Life: 451/451

Mana: 243/243

Physical F:

- Might: 68

- Finesse: 32

- Agility: 37

- Vigor: 78

- Grit: 24

Mental F:

- Intelligence: 48

- Awareness: 16

- Willpower: 39

- Caliber: 34

- Resolve: 47

Bonus:

- Allure: 16

- Voice: 13

- Luck: 53

- Soul: 39

Souls (1/1):

Aylia, Spirit of Light (3) - Lvl 8

Abilities:

Ætherial Slime Body

Unlimited Potential

Æther Awakened

Voracity

Minor Regeneration

Soul Vessel

Analyze

Convergence

Skills:

Break Enchantment - Untrained [+] (10%)

Body Manipulation - Amatuer (70%)

- Evader

Cache (6/15) - Amatuer (25%)

- Store Anything

Dodge - Amatuer (52%)

- Improved Reaction

Energy Manipulation (ES) - Novice [+] (0%)

- Brawler

- Healer

- Enhance

Enhance Strike (ES) - Amatuer (0%)

- One Punch

- Faint Attack

Iron Will - Untrained [+] (85%)

Persuasion - Untrained [+] (15%)

Resistance - Amatuer (4/5, 0/1 Moderate)

- Conductive

Stealth - Novice [+] (11%)

- Hidden One

Toughness - Novice [+] (36%)

- Physically Tough (27.5% damage ignored)

Resistances:

Heat, Minor I

Sonic, Minor III

Acid, Minor II

Drain, Minor III

Talents:

Lucky

Courageous

Collateral Damage

Soloist

Energy to Æther

Dweomer

Balance the Scales

Talkative

Spells:

Inner:

- Invisibility

- Minor Rejuvenation

Outer:

- Air Propulsion

- Magic Missile (5)

- Shockwave

Spoils:

Slayer - Slaavich

Purge the Corrupted [1]

**

Ronin

“I shall wander as myself, in service to no one.”

As a warrior of ideals that serves neither country nor power, Ronins spend their days serving as their own heart dictates.

Convergence

“Let my powers align…”

Your powers have been tuned to your own rhythm.

You are now able to combine lesser Skills into enhanced Skills.

This will apply to all past and future Skills you have and will obtain.

Break Enchantment

“No more enchantment.”

You have learned the fine art of breaking apart that which can cause both harm and good.

You can now attempt to break any enchantment placed upon yourself or others.

You must be in physical contact with others to break an enchantment placed upon them.

You are currently Untrained in this Skill. 450 SP remain until you increase in Mastery.

-- You man now choose one of the following boosts:

- Stable Mind: Increases one’s understanding of any curse that is inflicted upon them.

- Diagnosis: Improves one’s understanding of a curse placed upon another.

--- Congratulations! You have acquired the Skill boost, Stable Mind. Resolve +1.

Energy Manipulation

“Breathe in, breathe out, and anything in between.”

Your understanding of Energy has improved to the point that you are capable of manipulating it in a variety of ways.

This Skill enables you to learn all sorts of Spells, and perform other tasks using the medium of Energy.

You are currently able to Augment, Absorb, and Expulse Energy.

Any other Energy related Skill will immediately be superseded by this Skill.

You are currently Novice in this Skill. 50,000 SP remain until you increase in Mastery.

This is an Enhanced Skill.

-- You may now choose three of the following boosts:

- Blaster: Increases one’s chances of mastering a long-range attack spell.

- Bolster: Increases one’s chances of mastering a power-up spell.

- Copycat: Allows one to cast a duplicate of another spell within 1 minute that they have been targeted with.

- Counterspell: Grants one the ability to attempt to counter magic cast against them.

- Empower: Allows one to infuse additional Mana up to twice the cost into their spells to increase their strength.

- Extend: Allows the uses of Essence to last for a longer time.

- Infuse: Allows one to increase the power of the Augment Skill.

- Quicken: Allows one to manipulate Energy at a faster rate.

- Twin Cast: Allows one to cast a duplicated spell immediately after the original at an increased cost.

--- Congratulations, you have acquired the following Skill boosts:

- Counterspell, Resolve +2.

- Empower, Caliber +2.

- Twin Cast, Intelligence +2.

Enhance Strike

“A little bit more ‘umph’.”

You have increased your understanding of the fine art of improving your strikes in one way or another.

This Skill encompasses any lesser Skill that augments or enhances your own physical attacks.

You currently know ‘Mighty Blow’ and ‘Stealth Attack’.

Any other physical attack related Skill will be immediately superseded by this Skill.

You are currently Amatuer in this Skill. 5,000 SP remain until you increase in Mastery.

This is an Enhanced Skill.

-- Iron Will has the following boosts available. You may now select one:

- Steele Trap: One’s mind becomes more capable at fending off a mental strike.

- Mental Awareness: One becomes more sensitive to the flow of all types of energy.

--- Congratulations, you have acquired the Skill boost, Mental Awareness. Awareness +1.

Persuasion

“It’s all a matter of ethos, pathos, and logos.”

The fine art of persuasion is now within your grasp.

By reading the social queues and using them to your advantage, you have a better chance at convincing others to see your side of the situation.

You are currently Untrained in this skill. 450 SP remain until you increase in Mastery.

-- You may now choose one of the following boosts:

- Likable: Increases one’s likability to others.

- Cunning: Increases one’s capacity to spot an opportunity.

--- Congratulations, you have acquired the Skill boost, Likable. Allure +1.

-- Stealth has the following boosts available. You may now select one:

- From the Shadows: Increases one’s damage when attacking from a hidden state.

- Hide in Plain Sight: Allows one a greater range of unlikely hiding places.

- Quiet One: Increase one’s ability to move quietly.

--- Congratulations, you have acquired the Skill boost, Hide in Plain Sight. Finesse +1, Intelligence +1.

-- Toughness has the following boosts available. You may now select one:

- Diehard: Allows one a single chance to survive a strike that would normally kill them.

- Elasticity: Enables one to become better able at dispersing an impact, decreasing the damage from blunt strikes by an additional half.

- Extra Padding: Increases one’s Life force.

--- Congratulations, you have acquired the Skill boost, Elasticity. Finesse +1, Vigor +1.

Balance the Scales

“The larger they are, the harder they fall.”

Being able to topple an opponent much stronger than you has its benefits.

And you have done just that.

Talkative

“I can do this all day.”

Who knew that using so many words in such a short time could have such a great reward?

Apparently you did. And you could probably keep talking even if you died…

Purge the Corrupted

“In with the good, and out with the bad.”

In this world, there are many creatures that have been corrupted by power.

Those in service to the higher powers are sent to slay them.

You have found and slain such creatures, even though you serve no such power.

And you have been compensated for your efforts.

Number Slain - 1

Well that was an improvement. Now time to see what Aylia has… Actually, I should probably check my surroundings to make sure I’m still safe, the cautious jelly thought. Though maybe since my body still aches, Aylia herself can keep a lookout for anything? Wait… how is she able to see anything anyways? I didn’t think she had the ability to do that.

“Can you see anything around us?” the slime inquired.

She was thoughtful for a moment, then responded, “I can’t see in the manner that you can at the moment. I can sort of sense minds with my spell that are able to be connected with. When you activate your own sight ability, then I can see exactly like you. It’s a perk of our Bond, I think.”

It sighed, then proceeded to activate its Æther Awakened Ability. When that was done, it took a look around it, noticing that it was in a pit of some sort. There were these strange cords bundled up around it, unmoving. It was also darker than it had expected around it, with walls rising up to a shimmering ceiling. The ceiling reminded it of the Dungeon Heart back in the Dungeon of Newb.

“I think that we landed in the pool that the Nightcaller was previously living in,” the spirit provided helpfully. “This means we are most likely safe for the time being.”

“Ok. Keep a lookout for anything that may be harmful to us while I look through your Stats.” The spirit agreed with Newb’s request and it set about focusing on its bond with the tenant. It was rewarded for its efforts.

**

Name: Aylia Zenth

Species: Spirit

Spirit Level: 8 (17%)

Mana: 515/515

Soul: 190/190

Mental:

- Intelligence: 125

- Awareness: 52

- Willpower: 78

- Caliber: 109

- Resolve: 32

Bonus:

- Voice: 15

- Soul: 79

Link Traits:

Scan

Vessel

Connected Soul

Spell Release

Spells:

Inner

- Boost

- Rejuvenation

- Shield

- Telepathy

- Outer

- Shield Other

- Telekinesis

**

It tried to pull up what each Trait and Spell did, but nothing happened. It put forth its best effort, straining its mind to accomplish what it wanted, and still nothing happened. Maybe its Bond was not strong enough yet with Aylia? Or maybe it will never be able to see the descriptions of her Stats? Newb just didn’t know. However, there was one thing that did bother it about the Spirit’s Stats…

“How the heck do you have an Intelligence of 125 at Level 8!?”

“Oh. That is left over from when I was alive.” The spirit responded calmly.

“I see… does that mean that if you become a Spirit after you die, you keep your Attributes?” The inexperienced monster saw this as an opportunity to learn about what it was like to be a spirit.

“Well…” Aylia began, “Your cores become locked and you lose all your physical Attributes because you no longer have a body… but you keep everything else. All your Abilities, Skills, and Talents are hidden as well. And until just a few moments ago, I didn’t have access to my spells.”

The slime felt sorry for the spirit. Losing the body seems to impact an individual a lot. “That’s not fun at all. Does it all return if you somehow return to your body?”

The spirit was silent for a moment. "I don't know… but the odds of actually coming back to life are very low. I personally do not know of any way to do so."

Feeling that this line of questioning might make the situation worse, it decided to change topics. “Hey Aylia. Could you help me go over my Ability choices again?”

She agreed and Newb pulled up its list.

--- You may choose one new ability from the following list:

- Increased Vitality

- Increased Soul

- Soul Link

- Ravager

- Overcharge

- Survivor

Survivor

“I will survive. I’m stayin’ alive.”

Requirements: Survive an attack from Massive Damage.

You have proven that you are capable of surviving, even when facing foes much stronger than yourself.

You will retain 1 life from any given attack once per day.

Your resistance to extreme environments has also improved, cutting the amount of damage you would receive from these circumstances in half.

“It seems like there are less options than I was expecting…” The slime complained. It was used to seeing at least two new options each time an ability was available. Maybe now would be a good time to gain a little understanding about leveling?

“That would probably be because you don’t qualify for any additional Abilities.” Aylia supplied.

Newb was confused for a moment. “I don’t qualify…?”

“Oh right… You haven’t received the same training as most adventurers.” The spirit was silent for a moment, but the slime felt a little proud that it had been considered a ‘normal’ adventurer for a moment. “I forget that sometimes… Most Abilities that you will have available to you will depend on two things: what you are and what you have. If you are a Warrior, for example, you will usually have Abilities related to attacking and weapons. On the other hand-”

“Blob.” The student suddenly interjected.

There was a moment of stunned silence, then, “What?”

“It’s not on the other hand, it’s on the other blob.” It said matter of factly.

“It’s… wha… oh!” There was a slight smacking sound. “Of course it’s blob. What was I thinking…” She sighed. “Anyway, on the other blob, if you were a Mage. most of your Abilities would be magic based. Since you are a spell-slinging slime, with a few other tricks you have, your Abilities will be based on what you are capable of. Some Abilities will require other Abilities to obtain, while others will have additional requirements. That Survivor Ability requires you to have lived through an attack that deals Massive Damage. I’m guessing that you achieved that when you survived the attack from that Nightcaller.”

The slime nodded to itself. “Got it… So does that mean that this Survivor Ability is special?”

She was quiet for a moment before responding. “You could say that.”

“Well, in that case-”

--- Congratulations! You have acquired the new Ability: Survivor.

Now, it was time for it to get on the move, before those Advens it saw caught up to it…