Chapter 5: Catching up to the present  

It has now been three days since I caught my first meal and I have adapted to this body completely. 

Upon till now, I have more or less focused on leveling up the squids skill levels, mostly because there isn’t much I can do with my main body. At least not while under water.

However, I am unable to work my host around the clock since it is a living being and needs its rest. Therefore I have also invented other techniques of gathering level proficiency. For example, when the squid is asleep I can simply take control over minor creatures, such as fry, and make them crush themselves between a cliff and my own body. Brutal and not very time efficient, but it works.

And so, I reached level 5 and have grown to the size of a handball.

Status Window:

-No Name- [Living Stone Lv. 5]

HP: 12/12

MP: 10/14

Strength: 6

Agility: 3

Intelligence: 110

Stamina: -

Passive Skills:

[Immortality] [Sleep Nullity] [Sense Nullity] [Stone Skin]

Active Skills:

[Lesser Mind Control Lv. 3] [MP consumption down Lv. 1]

Titles:

-

.. Did you notice something new? Well, yes, of course my level is higher, but look at my active skills! 

My mind control have grown to level 3 which increases my range to seven meters. But that is not all. I also newly acquired:

[MP consumption down Lv. 1]:

Reduces the amount of MP required by skills.

It seems as though my mind control actually uses up MP to keep in function. Which led me to acquire a related skill through repetitive use. However, I have never lost control due to lack of mana until now, which I at first thought was weird.

But according to the system the reason for this is that when the MP gauge is rendered empty, the cost is instead translated into stamina. But I have no stamina. How could I?

I am a rock after all.. And so, I practically have a infinite amount of MP!

So as long as I don’t slip on the surveillance I should be able to stay in command.

On the other hand, this also means that for now, this skill is completly useless. But it's good to know that I can gain skills by simply repeating an action.

Also, my main body doesn’t have much in terms of combat ability, which leads me to completly rely on the squid's ability. And so, if my minion is to weak my chances of survival are nonexistent.

Which is why I was focusing on raising my main body’s low agility the first day after my arrival to this world.

While it isn’t very effective yet, as I gain size and more mobility I could simply roll over my enemies - is what my ideá was.

But as one would expect, to move as a stone is very hard, not to mention doing it under water..

Well, another solution to me being weak is of course to raise the squid’s level, which is my current priority.

I grab myself with four of my arms and use embrace to get a hold on the heavy body. Then, using the other half of my limbs, I begin to move.

It has become quite exhausting to move my main body since I have not only grown in size, but also in corresponding weight. However, since my level of embrace have grown even more, there isn’t any major problem. I merely have to make sure that I don’t damage myself by mistake. But since I have [Stone Skin] which effect is to hinder me from taking physical damage, I could forget about it and still remain undamaged for a while.

I cancel embrace and let go of my grip. I have reached my destination.

Spreading wide in all directions before me is a coral reef. But not very similar to whatever you picture when you read the word.

No, this landscape is closer to a spectrum of colors than a rainbow ever was. Truly fitting for a world of magic - it feels fictitious and unreal.

It’s late afternoon, judging by the sun, and the light and shadows playfully hunt each other over the reef.

There exists a multitude of corals with not only the classic colors such as green, violet or pink - but with a variety of shades that could never be found in my old world.

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Well, not that I’m an expert or anything..

But some even look like they themself are exerting light - almost luminous corals.

But I’m not here because of the beautiful scenery.

This, is my hunting ground. And I’m here to prey on the reefs inhabitants.

What do I hunt, you wonder?

Well, pretty much anything that’s smaller or as big as me. Fish, crabs, seashells or the very common fry even.

But even if I label myself as hunter, I still have to be carefull. Because there is always an unknown factor to my prey. And that is, magic. Some of these creatures have either inborn proficiency or have some way or another learned to use what seems to be water magic.

In other words, crabs are not always wandering cans of food. For sometimes they have evolved to being full fledged tanks with long range magic..

But since I can not appraise other individuals than myself and my minion, I have no way of knowing when or where from such an attack could come.

For that reason, I always cautiously approach my prey, such as this crayfish at the edge of the reef, stealthily. Meaning - from above and behind without any overexaggerated moments.

But the crayfish notices the vibrations created by my numerous arms and distances itself from me quickly. Rather, it notices the hunter and it’s own position as prey - and flees.

Not prepared to give up that easily I kick the water - resulting in a whirlpool of sand where I had shot forward from. I catch up to my prey fast, and using one of my tentacles I pummel it to the ground.

It doesn’t die immediately, but we both know that the fight, if one could even call it that, is already over.

I end it, impatiently, without meeting any resistance from the already half dead crayfish.

After I finish my meal, I begin to look for a new one straight away. But there doesn’t seem to be anything close by, inside the range of my reception.

And so, I swim back to my main body and lift it using the same technique as before. However, after that I remain still.

I take notice of a large silhouette traveling over the reef. Actually I can’t believe I didn’t notice it earlier since it’s the only thing that’s moving.

Judging by the shape and size of the shadow, it’s similar to a shark from earth. Adding the fact that all the inhabitants of the reef seem to have fled, I conclude that it’s carnivorous as well. Meaning, I too am in danger.

For now I better get out of here since I have no intention of changing my unconditionally loyal slave, Mr. Squid, any time soon.

And since there is absolutely 0% chance of me winning against a foe of that size without any major loss, I slowly begin to retreat, close to the bottom so that the shark doesn’t see me.

But you already know how that turned out. One could even say that the rest is history..

I was discovered. Although I, personally, didn’t notice him until he was ontop of me. And yes, I have decided that it was a “he”, and I will call him Brutus from now on.

Brutus tailfin swept two times and he practically flew at me. I wouldn’t say that I was prepared, actually I was about to be overwhelmed by his sheer speed. But I just barely managed to avoid his open - fang coated gap in time.

And while he continued onwards right by me, I desperately fought another battle. That was, fleeing as fast as possible with a weight heavy enough to represent two times my own weight.

Judging by the situation, I did fairly good.

But Brutus stopped his charge midway and sooner than I had hoped for, I was back at square one.

The following scenario, if I was to explain it simply, was like a water-themed bullfighting.

I continued to swim close to the bottom and in that regard I forced Brutus to disregard one of the many angles of attack. That way, I could sort of predict where the attack would be coming from.

So even if he obviously was faster than me, if I began to dodge before the actual attack - I could avoid it. However, this required outstanding judgement and patience. Something I didn’t have.

Thereby my lost limbs, and weakened state in which the orc found me in.

But I did good to survive until then, I thought to myself.

I’m still holding my old body in my hands. Bloody and fragile. I eat it, all of it. I can’t allow the smell of blood to spread, and so, I wash my face in the pool while keeping an eye at the dim tunnel behind me. Nothing, yet.

My status and level didn’t increase from the battle. But despite this, underneath my watchfulness, I can’t help but feel overjoyed. I have acquired an even more valuable thing than a level up, or even a new skill. A humanoid form.

With this, I will hopefully be able to interact with humans!

Because believe it or not, it gets very lonely, living as a stone at the bottom of the sea. And although I have given up on living my new life with the standards of man - my human mind still requires company.

I pick up my main body where I had dropped it with my right hand, and begin to head forward, through the somewhat dark tunnel.