Following the river for two days I am kind of getting tired. There is nothing to do here, avoid some danger I sense in the distance, look for something to eat and walk and walk and walk. Still after the first hour I just cut my feeling of boredom and everything is fine. Heh. I even taught myself to fish. As well as you can anyway with a hand-made fishing pole and fruit I felt appropriate as improvised bait. That was how people before modern materials fished or with spears so I was doing fine. I had an all you can eat fish buffet.
In the two days I learned three things. The first one being fishing with the boredom turned way down is relaxing as fuck. The second is that nobody's perfect including me. So I found my first biological flaw. Even if the Incubus race were biological geniuses they are not heaven defying, but I feel like if they had a few more millennia they would have figured it out.
My flaw being my normal mana training sucks. Usually an Incubus or any race for that matter can train their mana capabilities. There are a few ways. Them being using your mana continuously like muscles, circulating your mana so that it flows more naturally in your body and so that you can intake more, training your body so that you are a better vessel for mana, purifying it so that you can have more magical power for the same amount and even meditating.
I tried them all and the only one that showed results is purifying my mana. That being said for that biological sacrifice there of course was an enormous boon. This boon being that my natural ability to devour emotions has been made to be at least ten times more efficient. They made a little retrogression going back to the roots. The conclusion being - I have to find myself women to devour.
The third thing I found out is interesting to say the least. Essentially what it etails is my fiddling with my emotions has produced a happy-go-lucky and childish personality. I guess I should have expected that. Dampening all negative emotions will do that to a person.
Still it doesn’t hinder me at all and doesn’t change my core personality, which is more passive and observing one. It would be more appropriate to call it being in put in a childish mood.And it fits perfectly with my outer appearance so I shall not meddle with it for now. It feels nice to find joy in almost everything but if I find any demerit I shall fix it as soon as I can.
So sitting under the sun I have plopped my fishing pole in the ‘already something more like a river than a creek’ and was smiling from ear to ear. The reason of my enormous smile was not the fishing however, as fun and relaxing it can be. The reason for my smile was that I will finally meet a person. As for what person exactly I am not sure.
As I haven’t technically met them I can only imagine who they are. So being deep in the forest full with monsters I just hope it’s something like a fiery hot elven huntress, a big breasted elven huntress or an elegant looking elven huntress. The difference between those you ask. Well in reality nothing but a different part of the same fruit can bring different tastes but I mean random encounter in the forest has to be an elf right?
I found the presence about a thousand meters away and when I did my first thought was to go meet it. But I rethought and felt it was better to let it come closer first.I could feel it move in my direction so I will scout it out to find if it there is any danger.
Locking all my feelers on her I follow her a she comes closer and closer. At little more than two hundred meters she suddenly stopped. I could feel her search for something and then I notice something locking on to me. At first I was surprised and sensed around to see what was locking on to me but when I figured it out I could only sigh because of my stupidity.
I was so absorbed in monitoring her that I totally forgot to hide my presence or to at least mask it. What was I even thinking? That I was the only creature with any senses. Of course she will have some way to sense presences from a distance being a presumed huntress. Well too late , I can only regret now.
She stopped for a moment but then just changed direction towards me and continued on. Guess she wants to meet up too. I don’t feel any bad intentions. So I decided to make good impression so I sit on a nearby stump and get out my fishing rod and start fishing.
So here I am grinning like an idiot imagining my first meeting with a person from another world. This is going to be soo cool. I take my hood off. It has become a habit of being always on because it protects me from the sun glare. I also added a small heat resistance on all my equipment , just enough to keep me comfortable. That was the best I could do until I expand my mana capacity.
I wonder what her reaction is going to be. I mean she is about to meet what is coined ‘Perfect Being’ so it's going to be something special. I can just imagine her shock and wonder. After that she’s just gonna fall on her knees and thank the gods for the blessing they have given her. Mmm. Do I sound narcis-
“Hey.”
Oh already behind me. I was so lost in thought that I forgot all about it. I even froze up a little. So embarrassing. But wait I feel something wrong. What could it be? I still feel no hostility or any kind of danger. So what could it be?
“Hey. You don’t have to be scared I mean no harm.”
“ W-wh-whaat?”
Turning around with a fast twist I stare with shock. I-I-I’m not scared. I’m *sneakily unblocks anger* angry! What the fuck is this shit! I guess it's my fault for assuming but still. What the fuck! Shouldn’t events follow a template here and send my way a beautiful elven huntress or even send a naked goddess flying into the river or something like that! I know there is 50/50 chance that it was a male. But a Male! For fucks sake I’m bonafide Incubus here shouldn't I be a whirlpool for females! *turns of anger*
Ugh. I feel like it’s healthy to vent but obsessive anger is bad. Looking towards the man who called me I feel defeat for some reason. I feel like crying even though I have locked most depressive feeling away.
“Hey now no need to cry as I said I won’t hurt you. What happened? Are you lost? Where are your parents?”
Uh? He’s still here? Yeah, what did I expect anyway? For him to magically disappear and be replaced by a beautiful female? I guess I should douse my hopes. No matter how magical this world is, this is not happening. But did I really look like I was going to cry? I guess. Haaaah
Anyway looking at the man I note two things. The first being, I was right. HE is an elf, and HE is a hunter. I mean what the fucks with that. The most important factor is wrong. I feel like it was more probable to get all three right than not. Of course that is incorrect as adding any condition lowers the chances it would come true but still I would like to believe it is so.
The second being that he looks genuinely concerned. I guess I can’t blame him for not being a female but that does not mean I will forgive him. Shesh. What am I doing even? Let’s just progress with my disappointing but important first meeting.
“I’m not scared. Just little surprised is all. I thought I was all alone.”
“Oh, that so? Anyway kid, why are here alone? You didn’t answer my questions.”
“What’s with calling me kid anyway? I am twenty years old. As for why I am alone , I have always been alone. As long as I can remember anyway.”
Mister elf here was surprised a little, but seeing my face anyone would be. But counter surprising me he recovered quickly and acted normal and asked his questions. Well the fact that my face is forcing you to thinks ‘It’s beautiful but it’s a male’ would do that for a fellow male. That is if he doesn’t have different tendencies.
That being said , a little bossy isn’t he? Like it obligatory to answer any question he asks. Well he does have an authoritative face and look in his late thirties. For an elf I would expect that to be old. There was a little inconsistency in my answer. Like how do I know age if I was always alone or even the language. The real answer would be because I reincarnated and thanks to the memory crystal but I will just muddle it with 'I can’t remember from where but I know stuff'.
Feeling suspicion for a second then letting it go. Apparently he came to the same conclusion. Who wouldn’t believe a face like me. I just noticed but I have been using the natural ability of all Incubus [Empathy]. The only thing I can say about it is that is very useful. Feeling the fluctuation of the mood in someone is an enormous help with communication. And it is just in its beginning stages. After that is emotion control, mind reading and even mind control. As I don’t know how they advance or how long it will take to have them I will leave it for the moment.
“Oh twenty? Whatever the case. Be it twenty be hundred you are still a kid to me. Short lived races. So sensitive about their ages. Anyway what are you? A fairy? With that face I mean but no you don’t have the ears for it, they are curved but are short. A halfling I guess.”
“Ugh. race? I don’t know. All I know that I may be some kind of demon but if you say I’m a halfling, I am one. That being said who are you old man? What are you doing here?”
“Old man?! I am still in my three thousands. Disrespectful brat. This is why young ones these days .. .. .”
Did he just say that the short-lived races are sensitive about age. He’s not stopping. Still got two pieces of useful information. First I look closest to halflings if not more beautiful. The second demons are not hated , that is if this is a normal reaction to the notification that I may be a demon.Will he finish soon?
“and you should always be respe-”
“Sir, could you please answer my question?”
“Ah? Uhh. Yes, yes , of course as should be obvious I am hunting. Now for me to ask. How did you survive here being so weak?”
Well it really is obvious that you are hunting but I meant more in the nature is this your job or something. But what does he mean weak? Can he sense my mana capacity or something. But this should not be the only thing that define strength. I mean I did sense him more than four times before he did.
“You don’t look convinced.”
“Mmm. I have looked out for myself alright till now and I did hunt the wolves that are on my back at the moment.”
“Yeah the wolves. Looks like normal beast. Haven’t even started accumulating mana. I guess even you would be able to kill them. Oh you can enchant. You’re gonna need it if you want to survive with so little mana. But you still don’t look convinced. You want me to just show you?”
So it was like that. But I feel that even if they were mana beast or whatever they are called, I would still have won. To show me? Oh I get it. He wants to literally show me that I am weak. Ok. I get battle ready and nod. Surprised by just a change of expression. Old man you’re still inexperienced.
Just I thought that he disappeared. Not really, but moved super fast to my left side. He may be fast by I could just barely follow. He is somewhat stronger than me but I have been here not even full three days in this world. It is to be expected.
The old man shows another amazed expression but then became a little serious and this time he literally disappeared. I could not follow at all. The next moment I was on the ground eating mud with my hands held behind my back. Felt some of my organs being damaged but in the next moment I felt them heal. I guess this time he overestimated me.
But what was the healing. It for sure was not the old man. A spark of information flows to my head and I find the answer. Biological geniuses I tell you. Guess what the Incubus race did after they found out it was possible to integrate spells in their biology. They did it again with every healing and regeneration spell they could find and the natural ability resulting from it may start weak but it’s theorized that It has no limit to growth. Meaning that if you advance enough you could become a true immortal. That however has not been proven.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
This was a major factor in their assuredness of safety. Before this major evolution the incubus race were pure hedonists. Bring pleasure to myself and to all those around me. That was their way of life but after the change, they began to be hunted as an unlimited source of health potions. They lived many years of misery and this is also the reason they started their own country and an empire and buried the fact that their fluids were beneficial to others under mountain of corpses and seas of blood.
I may heal fast but that does not mean it doesn’t hurt. This fucking old man. You were the one that said I was weak in the first place, hold back god damn it. But I assume he held plenty back because if he didn’t I feel like I would have been smashed like a pancake.
“Oh sorry brat. You surprised me a little there. You have some skill after all. I thought that with that puny body you could do nothing and I almost don’t feel your mana pulse.”
“Pfft. Yeah thanks for the life lesson but spitting blood for no reason is not nice.”
“A-a-ahaha. Yeah sorry. How about this. As an apology I shall teach you some stuff and guide you to the nearest town. That is where it look like you are headed anyway.”
Spitting the last of the blood in my mouth and looking at awkwardly laughing old man I nod my head and agree. It would bring me no harm to learn a thing or two about hunting and getting a guide on top of that is plenty acceptable. He told me some information that scared me half to death. Evidently the nearest town is five days away and if I had continued to follow the river it would have been two weeks because the river bends.
Well next four days were fruitful if I do say so myself. Four days because I had to split with old man. Says he misses his wife and daughters. I learned a lot this four days but the main part being about [Primal Instincts].
[Primal Instincts] is a skill that unlocks every possible instinct for you. Instinct mainly being information that your subconscious collect and sends as a feeling to your conscious mind.
So without information the subconscious even if wants can’t send signals to help. I didn’t really get it so I just demanded at least a semi easy analogy and it responded. What a dependable skill.
So what it told me is to imagine a pool. This pool being any skill or ability I have. The water in the pool is my proficiency with it. A faucet that comes out somewhere near the pool this is your talent. The further away it is the worse your talent is and the more time it would take you to transport the water. And last is your means of transporting the water this is your information on the given subject or the guidance you are given.
What I have been doing from the beginning was just letting the faucet on as it was just few steps away and letting it flow in every direction. Of course some would get in the pool. At most I have been using a cup to transport some of the water. But when the old man taught me it’s like I was given a hose to directly dump the water in the pool.
As for more untalented people. It would depend on how untalented they are and how good the teachers is. The better the teacher the longer the hose. But even if it doesn’t reach the pool you still bring your water source closer.
The old man taught me a lot of things. The main being, how to hunt , to shoot a bow, how to skin an animal properly and something important - how to hide my mana pulse. This is how the old man found my presence in the first time. So even if I wanted to hide I would not have know what to hide from. He said that it takes the most talented at least a week to learn to do it. I did it in two hours, but I kept it quiet and told him that I would try after we have parted as I had much to learn from him.
I kept how much I had progressed on the down-low for the old man. I didn’t want him having a heart attack. So he thought I had progressed roughly a month worth of practice but in reality it was closer to a year. But that wasn’t all I had dried his three thousand year head of all his knowledge that I may need so that I can progress smoothly for years to come. He was so amazed of how much I progressed that he had no time with being annoyed from a day and night interrogation.
The first thing I aim to do after parting with old man is make a bow. He told me how after I said to him that I have a crafting skill. Apparently they have knowledge of skills in this world but cases that where people heard a voice announced it was rare. The only reason the elf knew of such a thing was because he was so old. Even though he would say the he is still in his prime.
The bow making didn’t take long with magic and my skills. Finding an appropriate wood I left to my instincts as for the bow-string I used a tendon of a magical beast I killed. I only chose the design , which was a plain short bow without much curves just the main one.
I enchanted with whatever I could. But the main ones being toughness up , flexibility up and agility up so that it shoots arrows faster. How the last one works I am not entirely sure. So I finally completed my bow. As I had used the old man's bow till now it my first bow.
“ So this is my bow now. I finally have my own bow. Stingy old man wouldn't give his.”
Before I finished my words I felt something like bowstring snap in me. Then I didn’t just touch the bow , I felt it. I literally felt every single piece of the bow every single crease in the wood.
So it was like this. How stupid am I? I have been wondering how to use my unique skill [You Are Mine!] but I never thought it was this simple. Just claim ownership of the item. Of course. Of course.
There is more however. It is not just feeling a connection to your owned item. There is something big about this skill. Something enormous about it. I can even call it endless as I don’t see an end. It is of course the storage where you can put your claimed items.
I always felt that storage or item box or something is mandatory for a cheat character , so I was little disappointed when I didn’t find one on myself. I even created myself a backpack to use. Looking at my backpack ‘ I shall never forget you . You served a purpose.’
Anyway for the storage in is endless as far as I can tell. Maybe it isn’t but it is ginormous. As for what you can put in there? You have but one limitation. You have to claim it as yours.
So putting my bow inside. I feel it even more clearly and I can even control it however I wish. I am able to dismantle it in a blink. Not that there is much to do. Just remove the bowstring. Still.
I was worried about arrows but with this storage is not a problem. Now all that's left is to make them. Wait a minute. Perfect control of items inside the storage? I jump up a go to an appropriate tree as fast as I can. Chopping it down took some time.
“Now then. This tree is mine.”
I feel it. Okay now drawing it in inside. I imagine what I want to do but It’s now working out all that well. I don’t have clear image. So I take a block of wood out of the storage. Then I go to a big boulder , this time I try to claim it mentally. It works perfectly fine. Why it didn’t for my clothes I have no idea, now it works. Maybe it was something like the first time it has to be verbal kind of deals. Getting the big boulder in my personal space and getting out a little chunk I get to work.
Making a pristine arrow took a bit of time. Strange thing. Before I made the arrow both materials were claimed as mine but the finished product was not. After finishing it I draw in into my personal space. Then I start. It’s working somehow. I'm making arrows in the personal space but it's just a little faster than me doing it on hand. Looks like the finished product is inferior as well.
Ugh. Can’t I somehow connect [Primal Instinct] with this it would work thousand times bett- BOOM! What ?! Why am I on all fours. Everything's spinning. I feel like barfing.
Took me five minutes to come to myself. What had happened was that [Primal Instinct] really connected to [You are Mine!]. All it needed was a permission. That being the case I was overwhelmed. Connecting skills takes a toll on you apparently. I didn’t feel it with the crafting skills but this is a unique skill and a unique skill after all.
So when I look into my personal space. I see materials flying everything and making arrows. So It works even without any input from me. I just need to wish it and it would be made. But I feel this only works on something I would like to mass produce. Like arrows.
If I make a custom armor I feel it is better to do it by hand as I sense that my crafting skills are not just for decoration. Although I am not 100% sure what they do. It's like they give bonus stats if this was a game.
More than half the materials have been used in ten minutes. I stop for now as I want to do something that's gonna take all my focus. I’m gonna do a mass enchantment. So I get ready. I should have enough mana and being in my personal space there has to be some conservation of mana. But that is most likely lying to myself
Anyway. Concentrate. Toughness up. I just want the arrow to not break easy. I have made them sharp enough but if it breaks on impact it’s useless. So I start pouring my mana into the arrows and pouring and pouring.sucsess .. . is gess . may hav no thout this thr------.
Footnote: [NOTICE: Here I shall put interesting information that :I have either missed to mention or is not obvious and is asked about] - When I write [feel] or any synonyms of this word, do note that it is most likely hinting that he is using [Primal Instincts].
I have failed to mention that not all of the memory crystal is processed. That is made so that I can have breathing space and not lock myself out if I want to add something to the story. Whatever it may be.
For the Character looks you can just look up Tensei Shitara Slime's mc and replace the needed features. I may suck as describing things but I'm OK at drawing so in a few days I may draw a cover
P.S.: This is where I shall do my ramblings. Still this was a fucking long chapter. I even thought of not doing one today couse I feel like I’ve been socked and under my right It hurts like a mother fucker. But I still wrote it even if I started at 1 am and finished 10 am. I’m a slow writer. I wasn’t even distracted by anything. For the op junkies that feel that I made him super weak. I can only say start reading in 10 to 15 chaps remember what I said about his talent. Well that is if it goes on how I plan it . I mean by now he should have had at least two girls and have been in town for a week. So If somebody asks “When the fuck is he gonna go in town already” my answer would be “ I don’t fucking know I’m as clueless as you on what's gonna happen except a major spoiler for a midpoint not even the finale.” . So yeah I may be guilty of refreshing to the latest updates and expecting my story to update itself :D.
Funny fact about me: I wanted to make the whole chapter about fishing to have my revenge on the little guys because every time I went fishing i caught nothing. I just sat there all day next to my fishing poll and waited. Nothing happened. The worst thing is five meters besides me there was little boys just leaving their poll hanging and just coming over and pulling fishes as big as their arms. Even worse I can't blame in on the bait cause I used their bait. So yeah. I don't like sweet water fish anyway. Nowadays the only fish I can intake in sushi. Spoiled much. Because of that I haven't eaten fish in more than a year. Don't have money for sushi :D