All but rubbing my hands together in glee, taking stock of the absolute mountain of Impurities before me, I get to digesting. Not even poor flavour is going to dampen my mood right now!
[Organism detected. [Initial]Profile: Vine Parasite unlocked.]
[This monster will sequester itself away from danger beneath the surface and steal the nutrients from other plants using its long, vein-like vines until it grows big enough to use them to secure prey. Unsuited to direct confrontation, its central bulb is a substantial weak point, if it can be found.]
I study the profile for my opponent as I eat. Speak for yourself! That thing packed a mean punch, I'd like to see you write this again after being slapped upside the head David!
Sorry, that was uncalled for. I'm still riding the high from beating my first opponent but that's no excuse. I apologise, Mr. Attenborough.
But seriously, I was right about Impurities galore! It takes ages, I'm barely done with part of the outer bulb, but I've already gotten three Impurities. Three!
Actually, now that I think about it, there's a mutation that I’ve been wanting to get which should help this go faster! Opening up the menu, I look for one of the mutations I've been most curious about.
[Digestive Molecules +1: Improve rate of digestion and damage dealt to matter inside the body]
Mhmm, that'll definitely speed up the process! Actually, we're loaded right now, let's spend big! This will both improve my ability to eat faster and give me a new damage option, a twofer!
[Mutate Digestive Molecules to +2, consuming 3 Impurities?]
Feeling the pleasant little fizzle I wiggle a bit, the sensation much stronger when going from no mutation straight to +2.
Once the process is complete I see a noticeable increase in the speed of my consumption. It's still not fast but I'll be here for a couple hours now instead of five or six.
----------------------------------------
Turns out I was a bit optimistic. I ended up spending hours eating, mutating and exercising to get through everything. I honestly have no clue how I managed to consume it all. Even depleting what I ate to mutate, the Parasite was the size of a house! I shouldn't be able to physically fit that kind of mass in my body...
Yet, the vines that were out of my reach dangling from the walls and the dissolved tops of its roots are all that is left of the massive plant monster. The rest has either been converted into Impurities or fills my now bloated form.
Another thing I discovered very early on in the feast is that eating replenishes my HP! Checking out my stats while eating after the fight I saw the numbers slowly tick up as I consumed more and more monster mass. And it looks like I was right about my size corresponding to my hit points, the mass growing back at a rate equal to my current percentage of max hit points.
Rolling in a circle around the monster's heart, I'm still reeling at the bounty I secured by taking it down. Ten Impurities! I feel like a king, no, an overlord!
My skills haven't missed out on the love either. Pound gained two whole levels and Soften went all the way up to level four! In fact, I think I may have initially underestimated the skill's potential. I lost five hit points from a blow that spread out most of its power on the area around me, only to take four from a dedicated strike when I really pushed the skill and my capabilities to their limits.
Granted, the Parasite's outer wall giving way meant I was pushed inside the monster rather than squished against its side... eh, it's still impressive!
Looking at my resources again reminds me I have Skill Points to spend! The fact that I'm only getting them from level ups so far is slightly limiting, but I can't imagine I'll want to stop getting stronger. So long as I'm careful with how I spend them I should be fine.
[Available Skills: Engulf - 1 SP: Impart instinctive knowledge of how to manipulate density and movements when trapping something within your body]
Oh. Right, I only have the one option. Well, I'm not going to let that sudden stall in momentum bring me down from my high!
[Spend 1 Skill Point to purchase Skill: Engulf?]
Yes indeed!
[You have successfully purchased Skill: Engulf]
I'm not exactly sure how effective this is going to be at my size, but the sooner I start levelling skills the better. I don't want to uhm and ahh over whether or not something is going to be useful, discover it could've been useful, then spend ages making it useful. That’s just a waste of time!
I observe the results of my efforts, unable to help the giddiness bubbling away within me.
Name: Luke
Species: Baby Blue Slime
Level: 3
Hit Points - 15
Mana - 5
Physicality: 8
Fortitude: 8
Thought: 24
Intent: 19
Skills: Pound [Lv.3], Soften [Lv.4], Bounce [Lv.2], Stealth [Lv.3], Engulf [Lv.1]
Mutations: Mana Receptors +3 , Digestive Molecules +2 , Motive Molecules +2 , Membrane +1
Skill Points: 1
Impurities: 0
Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Ten Impurities spent and I've almost got +2's across the board, even with my investment bringing Mana Receptors up to +3! My membrane is lagging behind a little but I need to rush improving my vision. Who knows, if I mutate it enough maybe I’ll be able to see even better than I could as a human!
…I wonder if I could stand up to some of the other monsters around here as I am now? I've been operating under the assumption I'll be splattered like a rotten tomato the first time a monster so much as breathes on me, but the fact that I survived this recent fight goes to show I'm sturdier than I thought I was. My upgraded mutations will undoubtedly go a long way towards improving both my survivability and general combat ability going forward.
Hm. Best not to rush into things, I should take the time to get used to my new upgrades before thinking about hitting the mean tunnels of the First Atrium, if that’s where even I am.
Yeah, I deserve a rest. I may only have been reborn a little over a day ago, but I've been going hard pretty much the whole time. I haven't slept a wink!
Before that, though, I need to figure out what's up with this thing.
I finish yet another circuit, crawling around the object before me. The heart I pulled- read: ate -out of the core of the monster isn't what I expected. I thought it would be some kind of fibrous plant muscle, maybe it'd even have a few glowy vibes.
Instead it's a smooth, faceted sphere about a third my size made of some kind of rock. Poking it, I get a notification, the same one that caught me off guard when I first made contact with the object upon removing it from the monster's carcass.
[Mana Heart detected. No corresponding Mana Heart located within host. Consume provided material to catalyse creation of host Mana Heart?]
[WARNING!!: Catalysing a Mana Heart via this process will result in the formation of an Imperfect Mana Heart and may limit growth potential until reinforced.]
I've read it before, but I read it again anyway, looking for any tidbit or morsel of information I might have missed. From the sound of it, I can consume this Mana Heart to make a Mana Heart of my own? It doesn't tell me what the benefits of having one are- Mr. Attenborough is mum on the subject when I ask -but they're probably good with a cool name like ‘Mana Heart’.
The warning is the part that sticks out to me as holding the most information. It mentions 'catalysing...via this process', which leads me to assume this isn't the only way to get one of these Mana Heart things, and the fact that I'd end up with an Imperfect one doesn't sit well with me. I have no idea what ‘reinforcing’ it entails, or even how to go about now.
No. This reeks of a shortcut, a cheap and nasty hack job that'll give me a temporary boost in power at the cost of future growth. I'm not about that life. No matter how much I've been harping on about how abysmal my situation is I can't in good conscience shoot myself in the foot by doing this.
I'd rather wait and find out how to get one from the system later. I don't want my potential growth stunted, I'm already in a disadvantageous position as it is!
Dismissing the prompt, I roll myself over the funky rock, ferrying it down the sloped beach and into the water, resting it against the wall by the exit. Hopefully I can figure out how to get myself one of these rock things soon, or I'm going to have to stash it here long term. There's no way I'm getting it out through that tiny crack in the wall.
Back up on the beach, I look around the basically empty cave. The silt and dirt beach was only a little bigger than the monster itself, the other half of the cave taken up by the water through which I entered.
Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better home.
I work my way into the silt and dirt, the soil a shockingly comfortable yet cool arrangement. It's helps that I don't have to worry about feeling dirty, grime just kind of... slides off my body.
Settling down for my first nap as a slime, I welcome unconsciousness almost immediately.
----------------------------------------
Well, that was weird.
It seems I don't so much sleep as become inactive, remaining mildly aware of what's going on around me, while my mind just sort of... drifts. I would have thought being aware yet unmoving would be abysmally boring but, actually, I found it to be rather soothing.
Up and at 'em!
I'm well rested and keen to test out my newly improved skills and mutations! Sheathing my trusty scarab blade, I squeeze my way outside in record time now that I don't have to worry about keeping quiet. Popping out the other side, I crawl up out of the shallow pool and onto the grass, the much larger verdant cavern spread out before me.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Despite knowing this micro-jungle is probably relatively small, only about the size of the gymnasium in the rec centre I showered at when I couldn't pay the water bill, my short stature, the thick foliage, and the height of the trees make it impossible to see anything but plants as far as the metaphorical eye can see.
The only way I can tell I’m even still underground is the rocky roof above, and even that is festooned with dangling vines, upside down ferns, and creeping lichen.
Pausing on the short stretch of grass by the stream, I take a moment to evaluate how my body feels on more solid footing. The upgrade to the membrane is vaguely noticeable, it’s just a touch thicker, but the real changes are felt in my Motive and Digestive Molecules.
The best way to describe it is that my body feels greased, the motion and responsiveness of my slime smoother and easier to co-ordinate thanks to the +2 Motive Molecules. Crawling around in figure eights, I feel like a freshly serviced car ready to be taken out onto the road.
Who knows, maybe if I keep mutating them I’ll end up being able to go so fast I can drift around corners...
As for the worker force behind my gastronomic superiority, I dissolve my underside membrane and let my Digestive Molecules go to town on the grass. I'm startled when it only takes a few moments for the grass to start breaking down, particles breaking off and fizzing slightly like a block of ice dropped into a glass of coke.
In only a handful of seconds the patch I'm sitting on has been dissolved down to the dirt, the last bit of slightly denser root completely absorbed by my body.
Woah! I know it's only grass but damn, that was fast! I've seriously got to test the amount of damage my digestion can output on something like a monster. If it’s this effective, then maybe I don’t need to rely on Pound as my only form of attack!
Taking a moment to check in with myself, it seems like I didn’t so much eat the grass as just break it down, infinitesimal particles of the stuff floating along the currents generated within my body. Not seeing much use for them, I simply set the Digestive Molecules to finish the job, which making short work of the residue.
Practically vibrating with excitement, I force myself to calm down and get my stealth on, slipping silently into the undergrowth.
Regardless of my recent explosive growth, I have to remember I'm still operating on a truly monstrous scale, heh. I can't afford for my metaphorical head to get too big, I won that last fight because I had time to prepare and took advantage of a glaring weakness. I doubt, no, I'm certain I won't continue to be that lucky.
So I take it slow, straining my Mana sense for any sign of movement or activity. I doubt I'll see much, plants aren't known for their wild athleticism, so I'll need to watch closely. Very, very closely....
Suddenly, one of the numerous crystal clusters I've seen throughout the cavern starts doing... something. Pulling up and swiftly tucking myself inside a patch of tall grass, I observe the Mana thickening and swirling around the tall cluster of crystal-shaped light poking out of a dense screen of ferns and vines beside a nearby tree.
In only a few seconds the Mana is so thick it's practically dripping off multiple points and facets, orders of magnitude greater in purity and density than the Mana Heart I pulled from the Vine Parasite. I watch in fascination as the gathered Mana concentrates itself into a single droplet hanging from the topmost point of the main crystal, a perfect teardrop composed of pure energy and… life.
Its size unchanged despite the metric fuck-ton of Mana packed into it, the droplet separates from the crystal's tip and falls to the ground below with all the grace and raw potential of an angel carrying a missile down from Heaven.
I wince as it hits the grass, sure that much concentrated Mana must be volatile as all hell. Instead, an oddly calm surge of Mana spills out in a wave to the right briefly, locking onto and forming a whirlpool around a seemingly random section of bare grass.
My confusion is soon replaced by awe as I watch the Mana pool and condense again, only this time, the pure light looks like it's being moulded and shaped by some invisible force. Definition is coaxed out of the shapeless blob of energy, the light-show fading away to reveal a fern of a similar size as me, with only two broad leaves at the end of a thick stem.
Watching the fern closely, I’m certain its leaves are twitching, the shiver of movement akin to a newborn grasping for the sky. Is the ground immediately around it shifting slightly? I can't tell from here, curse these limited senses!
Still, I'm pretty sure I know what just happened. So, that cluster of crystals is how the Dungeon spawns monsters? Flashy.
…Who am I kidding! That was absurdly impressive, Attenborough, were you watching that?! I don’t know if you’ve got a Dungeon documentary in the works, but can't get much better material than the literal miracle of life I just witnessed!
A dark, fearful part of my psyche tells me I should go over there and take the monster's levels and Impurities. It's a newborn, basically free resources.
Choke-slamming that degenerate aspect of myself into the depths of my mind and kicking it in the shins for good measure, I leave the little guy be. There’s a minor chance it could one day grow to be a threat to me, but I'm not about to trample all over the beauty of the event I just witnessed.
Call it naivete but I think there should be sanctity to life, especially when a creature’s entire being can be measured in levels and Impurities. I'm not about to let myself be killed, I'll do what I need to in order to survive, and I won't shed a tear for creatures out for my blood from the get go...
That little fern? It may be a monster, but it hasn't done anything to me yet, nor will it be able to if I have anything to say about it. Not to mention, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel some degree of attachment to it, having been the only being present to witness its birth from the Mana of the Dungeon. Almost like I’m its godfather.
Killing it would leave a bad taste in my mouth, so I crawl away without a second thought, looking for something else to hunt.
----------------------------------------
Oh come on! Not my blade, I need that!
Watching on helplessly while my only weapon is tossed into the maw of some sort of toothy rafflesia, my molecules finally manage to eat through the vine I’m latched onto, me and the excess vine the extends past me where I’m wrapped around the tentacle falling to the ground as the last fibres holding it together dissolve.
Eyeing the smarmy floral abomination rooted a good sprint away, I glance at my current hit points. Twelve out of fifteen isn't bad, though I'd be in a much better position if it hadn't caught me off guard in the first place.
I'd been sneaking along, quiet as a mouse, when I caught sight of a collection of vines strangling a flowering shrub. Settling in to watch at safe distance, I didn't pay enough attention to my surroundings to notice I wasn't the only observer. I only just had time to reflexively activate Soften before being lashed and wrapped in vines from behind, forced to leave the blade behind in it’s clutches when slipping free to avoid getting eaten along with it.
I may like to think I have three hundred and sixty degrees of vision but I can't remain aware of all that sensory information indefinitely, trying to split my attention like that ends up giving me whatever my equivalent for a headache is after only ten seconds or so.
Have at ye! How'd you like that I crow, wobbling on the spot as I grandstand, the dissolved stump of a tentacle slithering back to cover the twitching petals of the main body. Taste the wrath of my consumptive superiority!
Apparently it doesn't appreciate my taunting- or its just got an aggressive personality, who's to say -because it sends another one of its three remaining tentacles, each one as thick as a forearm, lashing towards me.
Before today, I might have panicked at the speed with which the tentacle-like vine streaks towards me. But I'm a whole new slime, my body primed and reinforced to give me a fighting chance in this savage environment, and this vine isn't as swift as the ones I had to dodge when fighting the Vine Parasite.
Making sure to maintain my soft, fluid defence, I melt beneath the vine as it swipes through the space my centre mass just vacated, stretching my body down and out like a plate before reeling it all back together in a move reminiscent of those slime filled bouncy balls I used to play with as a child.
Latching onto the still extended tentacle, I utilise my newly purchased skill; Engulf! A perfect bit of synergy with my upgraded Digestive Molecules.
Spreading my mass over as much surface area as I can, I hold on for dear life while the monster wildly flails it's now slime-weighted appendage. I've eaten the section I'm Engulfing to almost half it's original width when it finally gets the idea to slam it's tentacle into the ground, and me along with it.
You think you've bested me? HA! This is what I was waiting for!
The g-forces of the sudden acceleration trying to pry me off the vine, I help them along. Making myself as soft as possible, I release my grip on the vine and throw myself off the side, on a rapid collision course with the ground.
Readying myself, I let my body splatter, the +1 Membrane I'd almost forgotten about unexpectedly holding my form together, preventing any damage from the risky manoeuvre.
Neat!
My body stretched to the limit, I pull the mass back together with all my strength, sending me shooting off the ground directly for the plant monster's main body.
[Bounce has reached Level 3]
If I could wear a grin right now, I'm sure it would certifiably be manic.
Pound! My mass slams into one of the fleshy petals surrounding the toothy maw, crippling it, viscous plant fluid oozing down the outside of my membrane. Not about to wait for the monster to recover and attack me with it's vines, I slip around the underside of the thick petals and plaster myself against the unprotected bulk of the plant's trunk-like stem.
I took two damage from that impact, unwilling to sacrifice the hurt a good Pound at that speed could do. My gamble seems to have paid off, the flower appears to have taken a far heavier hit than I did, its mangled petal twitch slightly and getting in the way of the vines snapping about like vipers in an effort to reach me.
I have to re-evaluate that assessment, however, when the first tentacle I ate through, now a bit shorter than the rest, snakes along the ground and yanks me off the monster and out from under cover.
Caught off guard again, I don't have a chance to slip away before I'm grabbed by the two undamaged tentacles, the pair of them coiling around me and squeezing in an attempt to pop me like a grape.
Are you, perhaps... an idiot?
I don't even bother resisting. It's not easy to ensure no part of my membrane gets snagged in the press of plant fibres, but I manage to slip from the tentacles' grasp like warm honey sliding off a hot spoon. Oozing down one of the tentacles, I Engulf it, this time making it much harder for the monster flower to dislodge me by securing myself as close to the base of the appendage as possible.
I take a couple more points of damage, the vine slapping me into the ground, but it just can't muster the same level of force it was able to further away from its body without more leverage.
What I didn't plan for is the monster realising that its tentacles weren't doing the job. Suddenly finding myself suspended above the gnashing, toothy maw sat smack in the middle of its petals, I admit I may have allowed myself to get a little overconfident.
Hojeeze! I've barely eaten through the outer layer of plant fibre, but I'm forced to let go or risk being trapped inside the encroaching petals. Not that it's a flawless trap now, I guess, glancing at the rather obvious gap created by the petal mangled by my Bounce-empowered Pound.
I stand up to blunt attacks well enough, I note nervously, eyeing the pearly whites that look far too unnatural on flora of any kind, in my opinion...
Even so, I don't want to test my luck against something so sharp. My membrane would likely puncture with ease and then that's me, done. It may not have been spelled out to me, but I know instinctively that if my membrane gets broken I'm in a very bad spot.
Focusing up, I take advantage of the fact it has yet to lower its petals back into place, Pounding directly into the section of its main body I started eating through previously. The wounded plant lets loose a sound that could easily be mistaken for a teakettle hissing in aggravation, fluid oozing from the broken tissue.
Wait, these plants can speak, or make noise- whatever -but I'm stuck being mute? How is that fair!?
Easily dodging the next few attacks sent whipping my way, my opponent's movements sluggish from all the damage I've been piling up on it. Righteous indignation fuelling my attacks, I Pound into the monster's body, focusing the punishment on the wound in its side when I can get a clean shot in through the warding vines.
[Congratulations, you have defeated a Level 3 Toothed Corpse Flower]
[You have received XP]
It eventually goes down, slack vines and a steadily growing puddle of viscous fluid heralding the notification.
Damn, what a tough bugger! Its main body was around three times my size so it's to be expected, but still, I'd appreciate it if the dungeon would take my feelings into account and throw me a bone.
Despite my complaining, I'm secretly pleased with how the fight turned out. I only lost around a third of my hit points and managed to keep my opponent on the back foot for the majority of the exchange.
[Organism detected. [Initial]Profile: Toothed Corpse Flower unlocked.]
[A carnivorous predator that prefers to ambush its prey, uses its tentacles to trap prey and finish them with its teeth.]
Ah! There you are! Breaking through into the creature's stomach, I locate my briefly stolen scarab blade. Of course, it's accompanied by a puddle of unidentifiable muck, but we ignore that.
Thanks to my mutation it only takes me a few minutes to eat through the whole thing, netting myself a cool two Impurities. It may not stack up against my last haul, but I shouldn't have to face something like that again any time soon.
At least, I hope not. I thought was gonna die fighting that thing! I'm happy to take it easy for a little while, thank you very much!
Health restored, resources secured, and blade sheathed, I resume my trek through the cavern, wondering what I'll run into next.
Turns out, not much of anything.
Even with my upgraded Mana Receptors, I can't tell a plant monster apart from its non-monster compatriots unless it actually does something. And nothing is biting, literally or figuratively.
I guess I shouldn't really be expecting intrinsically immobile creatures to give away their position willy nilly, but apart from dangling myself around suspicious looking trees as bait, which I am not doing, I don't know how I'm going to locate monsters from which to farm XP and resources.
You know, if my luck so far is anything to go by, it wouldn't surprise me if there aren't even any monsters nearb-
[Stealth has reached Level 4]
ARE YOU ACTUALLY SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?!