I almost felt insulted by how easily the now-named Sage and Nightshade, Green and Indigo no longer, accepted a very vague explanation of my previous life.
“He wrote the world-spanning epics and has now transitioned to become a powerful spiritual leader,” Nightshade came to a ridiculous conclusion after my rambling trailed off. “Indeed, such a role suits your temperament. Loyal, dedicated, focused… little brother Tallum, I am glad to call you family.”
My thoughts, curse this horrible mind of mine, remained stuck in one place: Really…? We all reincarnated…?
Sage at least had a much more reasonable reaction. Strangely, her skepticism actually made me feel better. “You… wrote? I mean, culture is important, but surely you had servants or lesser thralls to handle this…”
Indeed, I was just a common web serial author, one who barely managed to achieve any sort of lasting fame. My sister died and I doubled down on writing, but what I produced was twisted and hollow. Meanwhile, you are a firefox princess and he was a demon king who lived to an old age with an entire world stuck under his thumb…
How the hell did I end up a part of this trio?!
Ah, when I assumed they were fools I needed to be responsible for, I was completely off base… if anything, all I did was provide the perspective of a weakling; they were so used to being powerhouses in their previous lives that the transition to tiny ooze included some hiccups.
Your Skill (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom has grown to Level 4.
At least you, System, keep me honest…
The conversation about my past must have finished at some point because a cheery Sage and glum Nightshade bid me adieu and wandered to their own business. Princess and former Maou business, leaving me alone for my mundane human confusion.
I set the turtle shell for processing later and stomped about in a daze. I gulped down swampflies to build my Anima back up. I sat and stared at the buzzing mass of little insects, my mind reevaluating the past with a new lens to view my fellow Chimera Cores’ prior behaviors. She had always behaved like a capricious princess and he stubbornly had been trying to build up the power of his body.
My whole understanding of this second life shattered.
But also, My body quivered in trepidation, but it wasn’t all panic I felt. A new one of my feelings had arrived: one of relief. Also, they might not need help, but both of their previous lives ended in betrayal. They might have glossed over it, but I’m sure it was a huge emotional blow. Right now, perhaps more than anything else…
They just want loyalty. A second life built upon reliable relationships.
Who would be a more perfect candidate to soothe their troubled hearts than I, Tallum the leisurely real estate developer?!?
A hexspider walked up to my side and prodded me; I felt through the bond what they wanted. Due to the help of the hexspiders and my mind still whirling through shifting thoughts, I didn’t even think much about activating my Blessing for the hexspiders. They gathered up the drops of sweat, which erupted from my body like I was a mountain waterfall swelling after a storm. My huge increase in Mana meant the amount was so much the hex spiderlings couldn’t even gather it all before it seeped into the ground. I wandered away, accepting the +3 proficiency without thinking about it much.
It’s not what I expected… but perhaps I’m precisely where I need to be. I went to bed early, needing a mental break.
When I woke, I felt a bit better. At the very least, I reflected on my actions this last week. Just like me, they wanted bonds they could rely on. A strange sense of relief filled my new body. Maybe… in this life, I can live leisurely… while also investing in relationships that matter. I am not alone. Our pasts… don’t matter that much.
Besides, based on the description of the Species we are, there is some danger of the foundation of our existence failing. Because I became an Experimental Chimera Core, that chance is higher… but I also have Basic Array Knowledge. I can learn about the methods that animate our existence. If I can figure out how to improve these arrays…
I moved outside the stump and viewed the new days. I appreciated that my companions had slept outside, giving me space to process this new information in peace. I went again to the swampfly farm and gulped down more.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
Your Skill (Species) Absorb Anima has grown to Level 23.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
Your Skill (Temp) Mana Feed has triggered! Restoring 10 Health and 5 Mana over the next 30 seconds.
Your Skill (Temp) Mana Feed has grown to Level 11.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
…
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Your Skill (Species) Absorb Anima has grown to Level 24.
The process of eating flies became dull. Tragically, I didn’t get any Levels for my Healing Tongue from eating, which would have helped pass the time. So I could only sit and eat, although I once more activated my Dribble Invigorating Liquid and earned two more proficiency.
In the end, I received the message I had been waiting for at 250 Anima.
You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +1.
Warning, you have absorbed over 250 Anima! You are unable to handle the excess energy. 1 Anima dissipates.
So the First Growth Threshold is Level 10 and before that, we are limited at 100 Anima, and the next is Level 25 with the limit of 250 Anima. I nodded to myself. Then I turned to my next idea for improvement. The notifications mention us all possessing these arrays at our core. I might not have any arrays I can practice with, but perhaps I can examine myself…
My mongoose eye swiveled around. With the increased acuity of evolved energy sonar plus Detection and Mana Sensitivity, I could detect the beating ‘heart’ of my existence. An invisible pattern of Mana flowing in a repeated circuit, replicated across all of my ooze. So I focused on that one area, comparing the information provided with my eye and the energy sonar-
A pattern began to glow in my awareness, a field of energy unfolding until I could witness blooming flowers of Mana that wrapped their roots together and created a convoluted labyrinth of energy pathways-
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 2.
Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 3.
Your Skill (Species) Basic Array Knowledge has grown to Level 2.
Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 3.
Your Skill (Earned) Foolish Grit has grown to Level 5.
Several hours later, perhaps around noon, I woke up. My consciousness felt bleary. …did I seriously pass out just from a self-examination?
Well, let’s take these things slowly. Figuring out any latent problems with Sage and Nightshade is top priority, but I need to balance that with losing half my day… And gah, the resulting headache…
I flexed and stretched my body to work out any stiffness. Then I headed to the mud beach to check on my bricks.
“These two bricks… are the first stepping stones to become a real estate mogul,” I solemnly informed the apathetic mudbeach. To the South, crayfish clicked their claws. To the North, a few toads blinked at me and closed their eyes to return to their naps.
I shrugged at their indifference. Being unmolested would just hasten the construction process.
My companions’ strange history reveal aside, this was current life. And I was taking steps forward, to prevent more regret; I had two usable bricks. With my plentiful new turtle Strength, I lifted them above my head and danced.
Sure, the sides of the bricks needed to be shaved down with my Serrated Forelegs, but such a process was easy. I happily set the dried mud bricks to the side and worked on expanding my operation. With the Levels in Inferior Body Manipulation I had earned messing around with my new Interstitial Body Structure, I could fashion a larger and more stable reed base.
Your Skill (Earned) Inferior Body Manipulation has grown to Level 21.
Yes… each Level makes it easier… hum, actually, should I change my methods? It seems I only increase in the Interstitial Body Structure if the flesh has to regrow… this seems like a painful path, let’s wait until tomorrow. I made four more mud bricks and left them to dry in the sun.
Moving with a suspicious eye and my energy sonar constantly searching the reeds, I traveled back to that strange mud clearing where I had discovered (and perhaps freed?) the duck. I started with a vigilant examination, but I couldn’t find any traces of strange Mana circles. For several minutes I just observed the clearing.
It was almost a relief when a serpent slithered out of the reeds, examined the area, saw me, flicked its tongue at me, and then turned away.
Okay, so at least the monsters aren’t avoiding this place… this… shouldn’t it be a great location?
After setting the mud bricks down, I thought about the turtle shell. In the end, I only had one idea, but it wasn’t very fun. With a mental prodding, the hex spiderlings dragged it down to the new construction site. I methodically scratched down around the edges of the swirl pattern tiles on the shell… and then I took the turtle legs and stomped down with the full force of 8 Strength. It took about an hour, but I snapped off the first piece I wanted.
I pressed it into the soft ground, pleased with my first tile. Yes… like this, we will grow into a proper home. Tomorrow I should adventure around in a wider area and find more Level-appropriate enemies… but for now, let's just savor the feeling of building a home for us Chimera Cores…
By the nighttime, I had activated my Blessing and gained +1 Proficiency, gained 2 Levels in Inferior Body Manipulation from my activities, and produced five more turtle shell tiles. Sage arrived in a splash of mud, excited talking about the fire-breathing bird she had found, which she intended to kill and absorb the ability to breathe fire. I wished her the best of luck, wondering what Level this being was. Nightshade came back later, dragging the body of a baby crocodile. Unfortunately for him, the head had become too damaged in the fight to become his next arm.
Sage used a tail to pat Nightshade’s back and comfort him. “I too, have similar troubles; certain avian tails have a great deal of appeal to me… but their hollow bones and light bodies make it difficult to subdue them without marring their feathers.”
Despite the realization I didn’t need to protect my companions, hearing of their exploits was difficult. I shook my head and turned away. Seriously… comparing myself to you two only brings grief.
At the very least, now an obvious explanation presented itself; they were both used to fantasy worlds. If anything, it was impressive how well I had been keeping up with my companions. I kept my attitude positive and resisted the urge to succumb to bitterness. I went to bed feeling content. And perhaps for that reason, I had a dream.
It was a bird’s eye view of the marshes where I lived. I floated above the sluggish river with its tributaries and mud banks, happy to float along and appreciate the view. Then the view zoomed abruptly closer, showing the water flowing along.
Then the zoom-in happened again, to show a stretch of river that looked very familiar, despite the fact I had only seen it from the ground.
A split second later the perspective shifted over, moving slightly away from the familiar crescent of the mud beach… to the unmistakable sight of a certain mud clearing and some turtle shell tiles sitting on the ground next to it.
Suddenly, I was suffused with the certainty that monsters would soon be coming to visit. The strongest monsters in the area would be drawn to this clearing. I started down at the clearing, transfixed by my certainty.
My heart quivered. Ah… if they come… I just hope that no one will die…
You have heard the words of Tallum Frost, my chosen representative. I, the Kami To and Fro the River Wanders, call all of my supplicants to this location for a discussion regarding expansion into the surrounding Kami Zones, while they remain in hibernation.
On the day of the meeting, on the seventh morning from this one, from dawn until dusk, none in my entire domain may die. Let it be so.
Eh?
I woke up.
A notification popped up in front of me.
For earning the favor of your Kami, +1 Proficiency to your Blessing!
Your Kami views your behavior with pride! Your (???) Blessing Dribble Invigorating Liquid is transforming!
A Mundane Achievement: For improving your Blessing, +1 Mana.
You have gained the Blessing (???) Seep Blessed Oils 0/150!
Almost immediately, Nightshade poked his many heads into the stump. “Little brother Tallum, to think you have become the chosen of our regional Kami! A strange sort of god, but one definitely in possession of power. For the next week before this historic summit occurs, let us grow in personal strength. We do not wish to be bullied by the surrounding monsters.”
Eh? Wait a second.
What?