Robin filled his lungs as deeply as he could, holding the breath. He released it slowly, trying to focus on the act of breathing.

Okay, so… I’m officially a mutant. I think… Start with the worst ones. He willed one of the mutation notifications to appear.

Mutation (Head) Acquired! Resplendent Ommatidium You have grown hexagonal ommatidium in the fovea region of your eyes. As long as any amount of light is present, you can see with perfect clarity. +2 Perception

...okay, that really didn’t help explain what ommatidium are, but I can see in the dark now, so that’s pretty good, I guess. I wonder how small of a light counts? Would a single LED attached to a watch battery work?

He felt a little reassured after reading the notification, and called up the next immediately.

Mutation Acquired: Gelatinous Aposematism Your skin, flesh, and blood now have a minor degree of Dissolution Slime metaresonance. Slimes are less likely to attack you. Your skin, flesh, and blood are slightly more acidic. While not enough to deal contact, it does render you less palatable to predators. +1 CON

Definitely can’t complain about more CON. The others seem… not quite useless, but very situational. He looked at the blue section of slime-flesh on his leg and gave it a poke. It was a little bit stiffer than it had been, but it still felt like slime. I guess that could be worse…

Robin opened the next mutation notification, not realizing he was holding his breath.

Mutation (Right Arm) Chance! Mutation chance failed.

Robin let out his breath in a surprised burst. Oh mother of Yoshi, thank you thank thank you! He opened the next, and found it was the same. He opened the rest of the mutation notifications excitedly, and found that they had all failed; only the notifications that had said “Mutation Acquired” had actually given him a mutation.

He slumped back, suddenly feeling like he had just been freed from the bottom of the pile he was resting on. He let out a deep sigh.

“I’m not a super mutant, Opal! Just the normal kind.” There was no response from Opal, but he had not been expecting one.

Robin called up the trait notification.

Trait Acquired! Flexibility Your skin, muscle, and bones have become more malleable and flexible. +2 AGI

Robin frowned. That was vague. More flexible? The AGI bonus is nice, though. That puts me near the maximum, I think. Next up is the level up! He focused on the notification, scanning it quickly.

You have become a Blue Entomage (Level 5)! +1 BODY, +1 WILL, +2 SP

He nodded at the bonuses. He resolved to check his SP after the notifications; it had been a while since he had spent any, and he had probably earned some from defeating the slime.

Alright! Finally! Saved the best for last… Robin opened the Slay the Slime quest completion notification, already anticipating mountains of SP and treasure.

Slay the Slime Quest Complete! You have slain the Dissolution Slime before it could become a Primal-level threat! Rewards: Slime Slayer title, Potion of Slime Command, Ring of Gelatinous Blood, Purified Titanium Slime Core

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A new notification popped up as soon as he finished reading, and he allowed it to spread to full size.

Slime Slayer You have fought an Epic-level slime in a one-on-one battle and emerged victorious, though not unchanged. Damage you deal to slimes has a chance to be resistant to regeneration. Slimes are easier for you to damage, while they find you harder to wound. +20% Damage to slimes, -20% Damage from slimes, +2 AURA

Not bad. It is kind of... well, entirely specialized against slimes, but the AURA bonus puts me really close to twenty, and I bet that that is the limit. Kinda sad that it didn’t give me any SP, but… meh. Huh?

Robin was startled by another notification that appeared, but disappeared without him willing it to do anything. He only had time to read the name of the title and the first sentence before it vanished, replaced by another.

Universal Slayer You have earned more Slayer Titles than anyone else on your planet! Your Slayer Titles now apply to -

You have lost the title “Universal Slayer.”

...What!? I only had it for a second!

Robin huffed to himself, angrily checking his surroundings to see if he could see any of the items that the apparently-named Dissolution Slime had dropped. He hadn’t seen anything at all that looked like a potion, ring, or slime core. He paused for a moment, then grabbed the Aliquam Pack, reaching into it searchingly. I wonder if they went into my gear automatically, because they were from a quest and not a drop. Robin focused on the idea of a ring, and felt something small and metallic move into his hand. Yes! I was scared it was going to be under the elevator wreckage…

Robin used his Identify skill before he had fully pulled his hand out of the pack.

Ring of Gelatinous Blood (UnR) This ring was shaped from the naturally-forming rings of a slime core, and carries with it the nonsolid essence of a slime. The blood of the wearer of the Ring of Gelatinous Blood becomes thicker and more viscous. The wearer is immune to bleeding, though forceful removal of blood through other means can still occur. The thickened blood does not cause adverse health effects.

Robin slipped the ring on, looking at it for the first time as he did. It was made out of what looked like very old, verdigrised silver. It was comfortable enough, if just a little bit big. He didn't feel any different after putting it on, he noted thankfully.

He dipped his hand back into the back and withdrew the Purified Titanium Slime Core. It was both heavier than he expected it to be and surprisingly light for a hunk of metal. Identify only showed him the name, making it a component-type item. It’s Epic in rarity, though, which might make better items when I use it. I don’t think I need to bother with the Potion of Slime Command, that seems pretty obvious. And now the really fun part…

Robin opened up his menu, intent on spending his SP.

STR 20 AGI 18 + CON 16 + BODY 19 + INT 22 WILL 21 AURA 19 + LOOKS 10 + PHYSDEF 6 + MENTDEF 2 + ENERDEF 1 + SPEED 5 RECOV 10 + REGEN 2 + PHYSTAM 70 + MENSTAM 86 + MANA 10 + RUN 7 + SWIM 4 + LEAP 5 + SP 20

Robin’s jaw dropped, his mind racing. He knew he had acquired a fair bit, but twenty!?