Author's note: Soo...welp, I didn't know how to progress this little part very well so I had to improvise. XD Either way, today I might upload more on Nysa's side. I got the inspiration for the next few chapters on the fae, plus hit a roadblock with Inas anyways. ^^;

Also, I forgot to upload it. >_>;;; but that's besides the point.

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Inas POV

I was humming a small song as I wandered around in the forest of slimes. I did not know the name of the place, but I decided to call it like this anyways! It is not like somebody could correct me in this form, right? Right?

Either way, I kept moving, exploring the place, although wherever I walked to, the forest seemed...dead, almost. There was little to no movement in the surroundings in the last few minutes. I even felt tempted to scream, is anybody there? But yet...I lacked vocal cords. Maybe.

I could already feel steps coming, although I couldn't help but assume I was hidden. I lacked any way to see the surroundings...and the only thing I noticed, was that these steps were much lighter than the boy's. Maybe it was somebody who was actually skilled? 

Then I felt it. A shiver in my spine, as the man took a step towards me, and then froze. I could try fighting him, but yet...my instincts told me otherwise. Whoever was there, was skilled enough to kill me in a few seconds. It wasn't just the pressure: the being was staying still, and not yelling or anything like that.

W-well, it might not be too late to beg! I tried to reform my body, into the human shape as much as I could, and tried to wave at the source of the sound! Maybe if I show some intelligence, I'll be safe, right?

Hunter POV

'Where did that kid go...' I thought to myself, as I searched for the kid of the village's chef. He was always a rebellious, yet curious one. It reminded me of when I was a kid, if I wasn't saved by the old hunter that day, I am sure I'd become just a meal for the local bear.

It was a few hours already ever since the kid had gone missing. I even searched him on the blueberry tree, where he always hid, but I couldn't find anything...anything other than the tracks of the predator who ate that kid. I felt angry, of course: Lil' Bryan had a good heart, even if he was troublesome to deal with.

But the thing that had digested him...it was a slime it seemed. It made sense, since I couldn't even find the boy's bones. I could see the race, simply by one single fact: there was a path without any grass. One where the slime came from, and another, somewhat moister, was where the slime had gone to. Since it was just one single slime, it wasn't dangerous enough for me to alert the village. I could handle this on my own.

And so, I followed the trail for a few minutes, only to find the dark-green slime, slowly oozing through the forest. I remembered what my teacher said: Slimes hunt by sensing movements. Meaning, the best way to hunt them back, was to not move at all. I took one step forward anyways, mainly to get in an aiming position, to shoot at the slime.

The slime seemingly had sensed this single step, and froze. I could feel it nearly staring into my soul...good thing it had no eyes, otherwise I might've feel bad about killing it. But yet, something unexpected happen.

The slime began to shake slightly, almost as if there was something inside of it struggling, and a few moments later, a young girl came out of the slime, waving at me. I've...I've heard legends of a slime taking a human form, but such beings were extremely rare. Maybe it wasn't like that, since the girl was starting to be swallowed by the slime again, slowly melting. That girl...probably was the slime's next victim.

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I've failed saving the boy, I should do something about this at least, right? I could shoot the core from my location, but the slightest error, and I'd be the one killing the girl instead. Deciding to throw caution aside, I decided to do something. Something that could only be considered dumb: I ran forward, and attempted to grab the only part of the girl that remained outside of the slime: her arm.

But yet, her arm simply melted, slipping through my fingers. Did I...did I fail?

Inas POV

W-what was that?! I simply made a human form, and the thing dashed towards me? W-what is up with that reaction?! Deciding to risk it, I oozed as fast as I could from him...before making my 'head' come out of the body again. He didn't react. Maybe it was because I was too far away... I slowly oozed back towards him, and made the 'head' appear again, this time even faster than before. 

Shapeshifting skill has leveled up!

Right, not now. I am testing the aggro range. Right...mid-range is not angering the creature. I came even closer to it, just as close as I was before, when 'it' grabbed my arm, and popped my head out. No reaction. Was...was that noise just a hallucination?No it can't be. I then decided to repeat that motion again, until I got a reaction out of that.

Hunter POV

...that is the weirdest slime...I've ever seen... How the hell am I suppose to explain to the village chef? That I had to deal with a slime who ate his kid, and that slime is like this? No it can't be...it looked too harmless. "You're a weird one, aren't you?" I said, petting the humanoid head. It even looked a bit cute.

The slime seemed to shake a bit at my words, but it was probably happy...or so I thought, as I saw the color of the slime change into red, and it began to jump up and down. I took a few steps back, both scared, and concerned for my own safety, although seconds later, the slime jumped towards me. I barely had the time to let out the loudest scream in my life, as it pounced on my face, and everything had gone black.

Inas POV

Don't call me weird! Don't call me weird! I'm not weird, I am a PERFECTLY NORMAL girl! I'm just curious, alright?! I'm not doing anything stupid, I just want to get a human shape fast and quick, but for that I need to learn human habits! A slime trying to learn is not a weird sight, do you understand?! Do you understand, you ignorant idiot?! I am the best example of a perfectly normal player who wants to achieve the leaderboard!

I raged. I raged at my habits, I raged at the hunter, I raged at the fact I couldn't talk, but mostly, I just raged.

And by the time I came back to my senses, the hunter was already absorbed.

By killing a known hunter in a nearby village, your infamy has risen by 100! But since there was no witnesses, it was only raised by 20!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

...Well, I think I'm not going to be friendly to anybody any time soon due to my infamy... but at least I got a few more levels! Who knew gaining levels was so easy in this game! But at the same time...who knew what was the level of the hunter. Ranged classes are extremely fragile, and I just caught one before he could react...what a stupid fool he was. Oh well, more tasty XP for me!