To be honest, I didn’t do much of the catering work. For a while, I waffled back and forth about the morality of capturing animals and wrapping them in spidersilk to keep them docile until I slaughtered them after sundown but decided it was a little… cruel to do so.

Also… dragging a bunch of bound crayfish behind me is not at all leisurely.

Besides, I had the spiderlings to do the dirty work! Animals seemed a bit too much, but I had other options. I told them about the location of the strawberries and cranberries, told them to gather some, and then found a lonely spot in the reeds to think.

Because a lot of information had come up at the meeting. That I had freed the duck with its head stuck in the muck and started this. Even the Kami appeared to have monster instincts, nudging us toward conflict with one another to ‘sharpen’ ourselves. That we were about to very purposefully expand the territory of our Kami, before any of the surrounding Kami’s were powerful enough to stop it.

Honestly, my head began to spin a bit when I thought about it. My impressions came too quickly for me to parse apart.

And of course, while I was feeling overwhelmed, I felt the machine in the back of my mind stir. It proudly offered itself as a tool to solve my problems.

I almost wanted to smile. That’s just it. You are not good at this, Machine. Because I don’t need more efficient methods. I need to decide… what I want to do.

I remembered how lost I felt after Mimi’s funeral. When I stopped letting myself feel and withdrew from the real world. When it was too painful to examine the thorny nettles wrapped around my heart. So now-

I closed my eyes: Don’t overthink. Just… Tallum. What do you want?

To my surprise, the answer came immediately. The memory rose with perfect clarity. It was after the three of born-again-siblings had defeated the Domesticated Hex Spider. Triumphant, we had used our jelly bodies to jiggle and wiggle the night away.

I couldn’t help but lampoon inwardly. A little blood spattered… but that’s acceptable. We are monsters. Okay, yes, I want to have a space for those moments to happen. I want-

“A home,” I said out loud.

After saying it, I felt like the method to create a home unveiled itself before me, fully formed. It would take some hard work, but the foundation for a leisurely lifestyle had been laid, albeit unwittingly. And suddenly, I understood how to make use of the Feast time later tonight.

Truly… my previous humanity is the true cheat skill…! I have a whole world’s history to mine for the thoroughfares between chaos and comfort. Ah, if only I remembered more from my Intro to Economics Class…

I lay in the sun, comfortable and warm, and began to think my way through the particulars. At least in this, the machine could provide some humming guidance.

Your Skill (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom has grown to Level 25(+7).

…

Your Skill (Earned) Monster’s Wisdom has grown to Level 25(+8).

Oh, System, feeling generous today? You must really like these thoughts. Ehehe. Definitely, you are just shy about your positive feelings for me.

…

…

Really, nothing?

I thought more vigorously, expanding the scope of my plans.

…

…

…

Tch, so petty…

I called over some spiderlings to set the other half of my plans in motion. Then, because I had some spare time and couldn’t try and Level, I worked on some Skills as the sun slid across the sky. I started by forming my body into a more humanoid form and engaging in some wind sprints, up and down the muddy beach.

Your Skill (Temp) Inferior Adrenaline Rush has grown to Level 9.

…honestly, it didn’t help me much, although I did receive another notification when I slipped in some mud and caught myself.

Your Skill (Earned) Body Manipulation has grown to Level 25(+1).

Tsk, I wrote extremely long arcs about training! How come I have no actual idea how to train… I stared blankly at the ground for a time. Then, with no good ideas popping into my head, I decided to just brute force the issue.

My body parts began to engage in separate activities. My crayfish mucker claws flipped over huge pancakes of mud while I used my bloodsoaked left fang to carve my interstitial flesh. When I lost a bit too much Health in that manner, I used my weak secretions to create a weak healing effect and rubbed it on myself.

I became a stubborn shonen hero. After ten minutes of this, I had the genius idea to create one of those cliche training locations by sculpting a dozen pillars of mud. My plan was to train by hopping from one to another… but as I clambered up on top of the first one, it collapsed beneath me.

I hadn’t let it dry long enough in the sun.

On my way down, my panicked flailing cracked the surrounding pillars, which fell like dominos and destroyed the rest.

“Let’s not overcomplicate our first training montage,” I muttered to myself. I resumed my wild stacked activities.

Your Skill (Temp) Dig has grown to Level 17.

Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 2.

Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 3.

Your Skill (Species) Interstitial Body Structure has grown to Level 13

Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 4.

Ah, early Levels are so easy to earn… ce la vie. But I’m honestly losing Health a bit too fast… lets give recovering some time to kick in… Make some nonsense arrays…

Your Skill (Species) Lesser Array Knowledge has grown to Level 5.

Your Skill (Earned) Mana Sensitivity has grown to Level 22.

Your Skill (Species) Lesser Array Knowledge has grown to Level 6.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Soon, several little cages of Mana dotted the beach around the ruins of my mud pillars. They made invisible and useless little barriers that stretched up a short distance from their nodes. Definitely, I appreciated a method of improving my Skills that didn’t involve me unconscious for several hours afterward.

For the first time in a while, my instincts twitched; because of the mandate on protecting life, I hadn’t absorbed any Anima all day. I ignored that; especially because looking at these little cages finally gave me some training inspiration.

I created a few more purposefully in a zig-zag pattern. Then, still in my humanoid form, I began sprinting back and forth around them in agility drills. I even put the last stretch through my pillar graveyard, so I could awkwardly vault over the debris.

Your Skill (Temp) Inferior Adrenaline Rush has grown to Level 10.

Your Skill (Earned) Body Manipulation has grown to Level 25(+2).

…as it turned out, the vigorous activity only made my instincts more growl-y. For the first time of my new life, I felt the familiar specter of hunger settle across me. I didn’t spend Anima to move around, but obviously I used up energy. Which meant my animating array became more and more concerned with devouring life to sustain itself.

Hah, even after reincarnation, I am a hangry man…

My Health had returned though, so I did a little bit more flesh carving to distract myself. The sun continued to drift through the sky, causing the light in the wetlands to grow soft and bruised. I kept training, suppressing my instincts.

Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 5.

Your Skill (Species) Interstitial Body Structure has grown to Level 14.

Your Skill (Temp) Weak Secretions has grown to Level 6.

I felt a ping through my Mana Core-- the spiderlings had finished all of the missions I had given them and wanted to check the outcome. I peered up at the sun; it wasn’t yet sundown, but would be soon. If I headed back and spent some time in discussion with the spiderlings, I should be a little bit early for the feast.

I wandered a bit, not exactly remembering the direction I had fled from the meeting in order to have some time to think. Very soon, I pushed through reeds and arrived at a mud beach-- and waiting on the beach an ugly little worm rolled over and blinked at me.

Mudsucker Spawn Lvl 6

My instincts pinged at the edible bit of life in front of me. More than pinged, they rumbled; after a day of training in the hot (probably?) sun, my animating array had grown restless. The volume of my instincts had been turned up. I almost laughed, as my instincts scrabbled for my attention. My hunger demanded attention-

But I held a monstrous grief in my chest for weeks, after Mimi died. I thought. Compared to that... being a bit peckish isn't much at all.

Plus, my instincts were the furthest thing from being a gourmet. All I felt was disgust toward the sheen of slimy on the mudsucker's body. I stuck my Digging Claws into the ground right in front of it and then flipped a huge chunk of mud and the ugly thing into the water. Uwah. I give crayfish a hard time, but at least they have sleek shells. Damn, if these meetings become more regular, will Mookt bring all its ugly extended family to visit?

Blaaaah. How are they both fish and worm at the same time…

Sure, they probably have Anima… but…

Just no… I might be a monster, but I have self-respect…

Once I had the river on my right, I followed it to the Southwest to the area of my stump. The spiderlings were already waiting for me with several items in tow. They proffered the wolven silk sashes I had requested first. I took one in my squirrel hands and held it up. The material possessed not the least bit of stickiness, which was nice.

I pulled and prodded the ‘purse’ with my hands. The spidersilk felt quite pleasant to handle and had a bit of elasticity, which was nice. I nodded in satisfaction. “These are excellent. And you have enough for everyone? Good. Alright next. Show me the coins.”

Other spiderlings shuffled forward and showed me their prize. While I still recommended they find a better way to filter the water or whatever and not produce the coal-like substance studded little inert energy gemstones, I had asked the spiderlings to see if they could condense the stuff into little disc shapes to create a basic currency. I plucked up a few examples. To the current me, they felt rather large: almost half the size of my hand. But we Chimera Cores were the smallest of the monsters here, so probably the size would work.

Ehehe. And unlike with coins made of metal, no one will be able to imitate this creation method… After all, even I don’t know the process these weirdos use!

I dropped one on the ground and stamped on it a little. The coin didn’t deform. I nodded in satisfaction. “How many can you make by tonight?”

The spiderlings conferred and returned a vague range between 20 and 50. I felt a little bit of disappointment, my dreams of an economy stalled out as soon as they were seeded, but I supposed it wasn’t a bad total. Besides, too much too soon would just create inflation (I think?). I praised them and spiderlings looked up at me expectantly.

Some inner part of me withered.

Uwahh… this is just… the gifts I’ve been g-g-given. There is no shame in using my assets.

I activated Seep Blessed Oils, realizing as I did so that I had completely forgotten to feel disappointed about the seeming mundanity of my new Blessing, Spray Mud. I decided I could put off my inner rant for now, focusing on one issue at a time.

With my growing Mana Pool, I created more and more liquid upon activation. Not only was my skin beaded with the oils, but I was slick with it. Several beads lingered on my various limbs after most of the liquid had run down and pooled on the mud beneath me, refusing to seep down and lingering in its glittering form for all to see.

The spiderlings ran forward and began to grab the drops. Half they would take for themselves and their experiments (I kept reminding myself that the oils apparently were an integral part of the coin forging process. My execrations figuratively fueled the economy), while the other half were split between a few small turtle shells the spiderlings provided.

These baby turtle shells were definitely not ethically sourced. RIP, local turtle population…

It was a strange feeling after providing the oils in the first place, but I shyly turned away from the spiderlings to allow my Interstitial Body Structure to part. The spidersilk purses were fine for coins, but I didn’t want to waste any of this liquid. So I stored it directly within my malleable flesh.

Armed with my preparations, I continued back to the temple. By now, the sun had touched the edge of the horizon, meaning the promise of peace would soon pass. I felt a flicker of nervousness; would we three Chimera Cores be able to survive if all the monsters decided to turn against us…?

Even Level 24 Mookt alone might be a threat.

As the day died around us, with the reeds and river whispering, I forced myself to straighten. We are strong. Nightshade, Sage, and I… no matter what threats come our way, we will endure somehow.

“If they act friendly, we will be friendly. If they ambush us, we will fight and slaughter them!” Despite their small size, it felt pleasant to raise and clench my squirrel fists. “If that proves impossible… we will flee! But not before we make them all pay!”

“Well said, brother,” Nightshade rolled forward out of the nearby reeds with a booming laugh. “If we are met with plots and treachery, we will rain retribution down on them for a thousand years! If we currently lack power, we will bide our time and plot their doom. A delayed doom is not the same as salvation.”

Ah, Nightshade. You need to stop planting so many villain flags. I scolded Detection inwardly for not warning me of a listening party but waved a tentacle at Nightshade. “Nightshade. I trust everything has remained peaceful in my absence?”

“Not at all!” Nightshade said cheerily. “That old owl vanished almost immediately. The Venom Mantis faded into the reeds. So Mookt and the otterlings have been sniping at each other for hours. As soon as the sun sets, I expect-”

Kreeeeee!

A horrible screech cut through the night. The surrounding reeds rustled as a huge impact echoed out. Nightshade released another booming laugh, as though this development was a merry one.

I took several steps forward, then paused and turned my attention inward. Detection! You useless son! What’s the point of raising you so diligently, if you don’t even-

“As expected, the Kami’s chosen possesses uncommon discernment.”

Your Skill (Earned) Detection has grown to Level 17.

While I froze at the unexpected voice, the mud in front of me bulged and rose. Violala the Venom Mantis High Leader, with a hat made of mud and wearing a ghillie suit, straightened from her hiding place. A casual gesture with one of her sleek forelegs split open the suit and she stepped out. She offered me an elaborate bow. “Very few have managed to see through my disguises. You… I will not rest until I have you fooled, Chosen Tallum.”

“Keh, the ambitions of a minor figure,” Nightshade took this opportunity to cut in, while I was still trying to process exactly how useless Detection was. “You will never be able to fool Tallum’s eyes. It was one of the first body parts he absorbed, you know. And before even the first growth Threshold, Tallum orchestrated our escape from human captivity, sneaking between monstrous guardians and the holy crusades of humanity.”

Violala tapped her legs together in a motion akin to clapping. “Indeed?”

Wait a second, Finally, my thoughts caught up. My face crumpled. Why the hell are you planting these flags now for ME Nightshade?!