(Oh, I made it. All thanks to my trusty Directional Sense.)

With the hobgoblin defeated, I made my way back to Trent Hill. Standing before the once-majestic tree, now withering and lifeless, I paused for a moment, drawing in a deep breath to steady myself.

(For now, let’s check out the spoils of war.)

I started pulling out the various weapons I had obtained in the cave from my Weapon Storage. After defeating the skinny goblin, I had not only devoured the bodies of the hobgoblins but also stored the weapons they were using.

During that process, I also acquired the skill Night Vision. I assume it was because I had gathered the corpses and weapons in one place to save mana, then ate and stored them in the dark.

This Night Vision skill was a great help, as it allowed me to see to some extent even in complete darkness.

(Thanks to that, I was able to find all these.)

I muttered to myself as I began unpacking the weapons. The slope I had tumbled down earlier revealed several small chambers, similar to the one I had encountered first.

In one of these spaces, I had discovered a cache of weapons stored together and claimed them for myself. Now, I carefully laid them out, sorting each piece by its type.

(By the way, the storage capacity of Weapon Storage is amazing. Even with all this, there’s still plenty of room.)

By concentrating on the skill, I could view the remaining storage capacity and examine the contents within. This feature proved invaluable, as it allowed me to keep track even if I forgot what I had stored.

Truthfully, during the frantic collection process, I had been tossing items in without much thought. Without this handy feature, managing the chaos would have been nearly impossible.

(Oh, this one looks like a human weapon.)

After pulling out swords, spears, axes, clubs, and finally a bow, I muttered to myself. The hobgoblins' weapons were primarily made of iron, probably crafted by that skinny goblin.

However, there were also weapons seemingly made from other materials. This bow, for instance, stood out.

The bow was crafted from highly flexible wood, its grip wrapped in leather, with a string already in place.

It was unlikely that goblins had such advanced crafting skills. Since this bow was the only one of its kind, I concluded it must have been stolen from humans.

(Alright, let’s start with this one. Replicant Form – Analyze.)

The reason I was lining up the weapons was to use Replicant Form. The first weapon to undergo my skill test was this stolen bow, the skill Replicant Form, which I had acquired through evolution, allowed me to analyse weapons and mimic them.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

With so many weapons at my disposal now, it was the perfect opportunity to try it out.

(The analysis takes quite a bit of time, huh?)

While it didn’t consume mana, the process required me to focus my consciousness.

(Hmm, I see... So that’s how it works—)

Gradually, pieces of information about the weapon began to come together in my mind. Once all the details aligned, the analysis was complete.

(Alright, now for the next step. Replicant Form – Mimic.)

As I activated the skill, the tip of my extended whip began to shift, seamlessly transforming into the shape of a bow.

(The string even has the right tension.)

I plucked the string to test it, and a sharp twang, twang echoed through the air. To my amazement, the skill hadn’t merely replicated the bow’s outward shape and durability; it had flawlessly recreated even the tension of the string.

The elasticity felt so authentic that it was indistinguishable from the original. It was as though the weapon itself had been perfectly reconstructed down to its finest details.

(Still, it’s odd. Even with the enhancement of Weapon Body...)

The Weapon Body skill was supposed to boost all aspects of a weapon’s performance.

That should include the bowstring’s tension as well.

(...Could it be that replicas are somewhat inferior?)

A hypothesis began to take shape in my mind. It was possible that the original weapon’s poor quality had led to its enhancements and drawbacks canceling each other out, leaving no significant change in its performance.

While the idea was intriguing, I decided not to dwell on it for too long. Instead, I stored the bow away and turned my attention to the next weapon.

One by one, I picked up each piece, carefully analyzing its properties and functionality, determined to uncover their potential or understand their flaws.

----------------------------------------

After some time, I had finished analyzing all the weapons.

(Ughhh, I’m so tired...)

I stored the sword I had just finished examining and slumped down in exhaustion.

Weapon analysis required processing a lot of information, which left my head spinning.

I extended my whip and ate some fruit from the Trent tree.

(But thanks to that, I learned a lot!)

After resting for a bit, I sprang back to my feet, fully recovered thanks to the sugar boost!

Whether or not slimes actually needed sugar remained as unclear as ever.

(It seems like the time required for analysis depends on the weapon’s quality.)

That was one of the insights I had gained. The initial bow had required a significant amount of time to analyse, likely because it was a high-grade weapon.

In comparison, the iron weapons used by the hobgoblins took far less time—roughly half or quarter as long as the bow. While some of the reduction in time might have been attributed to my increasing proficiency with Replicant Form, the primary determining factor seemed to be the weapon’s grade.

The more advanced the weapon, the more effort and time the analysis demanded.

(Discovering that weapons can have special effects was also a big gain.)

It turned out that some weapons in this world had special abilities in addition to their physical properties.

For example, the bow that had taken the longest to analyse had a special ability: when infused with mana, its arrows were granted a wind resistance effect.

Even I, a complete amateur of archer, could understand how useful that would be. The materials used seemed to be rare, so it was likely a top-tier bow.

(Not that the goblins’ equipment was entirely inferior, though.)

The iron weapons they used had been enhanced by the skinny goblin’s skills. Their sharpness and durability surpassed ordinary steel weapons.

They didn’t have any special effects, but their balanced, superior performance made up for it. When I tested cutting wood with one of their swords, the replica I created with Replicant Form had a sharper edge than a sword I shaped myself.

However, I suspected my original weapon had superior durability, so I would switch between them depending on the situation.

As I was pondering whether there were any other human-made weapons in my Weapon Storage, I noticed a familiar figure at the base of the hill.

"Ah! It’s you, Mr. Slime!"

Standing there was the light blue-haired girl I had encountered twice before.