I sat in silence.

There was a light crackle from the half-extinguished fire. While having a roof over our heads was welcome, there was still a chill to the air. Reggie had come back inside at one point and covered Amalia in a rough, wool blanket. He then went to sleep himself.

It was bothersome not being able to communicate with him freely without the aid of Amalia. I suppose I'd just have to make up for it when she woke. Not being able to have my questions answered was causing me to become impatient, yet I could do little aside from pass the time. And so, I did just that.

A faint snoring resonated off the wooden walls. It would seem I was now the only one awake. While it could be said this Slime body didn't seem to require sleep, not doing so still caused tension to build up in my mind and resulted in sluggishness and fatigue.

At the same time, I was beginning to realize how inadequate my Skills were currently. I needed to work overtime. My pace wasn't good enough. Sleep could wait.

I continued meditating and using both my Rejuvenation and Detoxification Skills on Amalia throughout the night. It was frustrating, but I didn't seem to be making any further progress. The more I looked and immersed myself into her body, the more I realized how little I understood about this 'magic' nonsense and the human form.

I delved as deep as I could below her skin, trying to search out answers. There was a pressure building up in my Core before it finally exploded, like a dam bursting.

Realization hit me. There was no point in proceeding further.

Skill increased!

Rejuvenation Lvl.1 → Lvl.2

Detoxification Lvl.1 → Lvl.2

Whatever this was, I couldn't heal it.

Rejuvenation acted on the body's own ability to heal injury and accelerated such a process. If the body was incapable of thwarting this disease, then there was ultimately no use. Regarding Detoxification, I simply lacked the finesse. If I were able to increase my prowess and knowledge further, it might be possible. But now, ...

There was too large a chasm. I couldn't even fathom how I'd bridge this gap.

How vexing.

With a huff, I decided to retire from this pointless endeavor for the night. Amalia seemed to be in ... acceptable health. For now, it didn't feel like I'd make more progress in her recovery nor did she seem like she'd worsen. Over-work or over-practice would diminish results, so I decided to switch away from practicing Rejuvenation and Detoxification.

Several hours had already passed.

Quietly, I worked my way out from underneath the girl's shaggy mane. There was one thing I wanted to practice that had been bothering me lately. Namely, my ability to control and shape my body. I'd felt like I'd been upon the cusp of some sort of breakthrough lately and wanted to hammer that in while the iron was hot, so to speak.

If nothing else, my reaction time would increase. My neglect had created the feeling of my progress lagging behind in this area. While I'd had great success during my incredibly taxing 'Slime Bullet practice', some Skills just didn't seem to 'click' as easily as that one had.

In gamer lingo, it seemed I couldn't 'power-level' all of my Skills just by using them repeatedly non-stop. Only some of them. Perhaps over-practice with Slime Bullet was why going from level 3 to 4 took exponentially longer than 2 to 3? Or was that just normal the higher the level got? I wasn't sure.

Regardless, I spent most of the night reforming my body and attempting to make various shapes and motions. This went on for hours more. By the end of things, if I had sweat glands, then I'm sure I'd be a mess. Tiresome.

I took a moment to reflect on my current situation. I'd joked numerous times in the past about how much more I could get done if I didn't need to sleep. Realizing that half-serious remark was an odd feeling. While I doubted I could mentally go entirely without sleep, it seemed like a few hours light rest per night was within reach. If I managed to eliminate even that, then ...

Hmm. Do normal Slimes have some sort of 'hibernation mode'? It made sense in a way if they were normally under attack and needed to keep semi-aware at all times. I suppose if I ever meet another sentient Slime, I'd have to ask that question. Doubt that'll happen though.

Dawn's light shone through the shabby little wooden windows. After a short while, Amalia began to stir. Looking at her sleeping form on the hammock made my Slime curl when I thought about the lack of back support. Better than sleeping on the floor? Barely.

As she rubbed her eyes and yawned, I decided to speak up.

"Did you sleep well?"

She seemed startled for a moment, looking around before spotting me.

"Y-Yes, I did. Did you?"

Seriously, how do you manage to stutter telepathically?

"I don't need much sleep. I spent the night examining your body instead."

"You wh- you what!?"

Her eyes bulged. In hindsight, perhaps my wording was a bit strange. Isn't it also her fault for jumping to weird conclusions? Kids these days ...

"You're still sick. I was trying to treat you but whatever illness you have is beyond me. I'll keep examining you while you're asleep and try to monitor your body. If I practice more, I should be able to fix you."

Probably.

Mentally adding that last part only to myself, she seemed much less alarmed. At the same time, shouldn't she be more worried that she has some unknown illness? I know I'd be freaking out internally.

... Ah, I just realized how abysmal my bedside manner is. I need to work on my delivery.

I added 'public speaking lessons' to my to-do list. If I was going to act like I knew what I was talking about, I needed to level up my Bullshitting Skill. Considerably.

Hnnh, why are people so hard to deal with? If only they were as simple as numbers and logic. I hate predicting how they'll react or having to adjust plans based on someone's emotional state.

Well, I'm being a bit of a hypocrite so I'll ignore that for now.

I looked at my sleepy little companion. It didn't seem wise to keep intruding on Reggie, plus that illness in her bloodstream was bothering me. I hoped a town might have more capable medical staff or knowledge. There was also the problem of finding a reliable source of Level Ups. Still needed to make sure no one tried killing me, too.

Dungeons existed, so I wanted to find another one to explore. Or a good place in the wild teeming with easy-to-kill beasts. A village of lightly defended humans or humanoids might be a good option to soak up Exp, so long as it didn't bite me in the ass later, but that was a major if and I wasn't particularly inclined to go on a murder spree.

Doubly so now that Amalia was present. I needed to show her my good side, after all!

... Or rather, I needed to 'create' a good side to show her. I think I had an 'okay' side at best. Making 'friends' and playing nice is hard. Ugh.

"So do you feel better? Ready to continue traveling to this 'Berrios' place?"

She continued rubbing her eyes and face. As she coughed lightly, my magical perception clearly picked up the glob of snot threatening to run out her nose.

It was becoming apparent that manners and hygiene were a fleeting fantasy in this world. My stomach roiled as she replied.

"I do feel better, actually. We should head west along the side path, arrive at the main road and then travel south. It shouldn't be much further."

She was saying something important, but my attention was elsewhere. I hopped up onto the hammock, pulling myself up and onto her lap.

"Amalia, please hold still for a moment. Hold a deep breath and do not be alarmed. I'm cleaning your nose."

I looked up as she tilted her head sideways. The snot, too, jiggled at me.

Shortly after shoving a Slime tendril up the girl's nose and cleaning out her nasal passages, I sat back on her lap, gripped tightly by her slender hands. As disgusting as it was, I felt relieved.

"Why did you do that!? You could have warned me! I thought you were trying to suffocate me!"

Turning the Link off crossed my mind, but getting yelled at by a small child didn't bother me much. I'd let her vent her anger. Not having a snotty little Royal Guard was worth it.

"I did warn you very clearly though. Besides, it wasn't like I hurt you. If anything you should thank me for cleaning you up! You can breathe better now, right?"

"Who cares about stuff like that!? You're so weird! And no, I can't breathe better now. It's like you put some kind of strange perfume in my nose!"

Do I have a certain smell? Perfume? They have that here? That's somewhat unexpected.

"Oh, so you know what perfume is?"

"Of course I do!" she beamed, "My Father bought me a small bottle once on my 8th birthday!"

Watching her puff up her chest confused me. What bizarre mannerisms. Why are you so proud of that? I judged that perhaps such a simple luxury was more extravagant than anticipated. This worried me. It was good if she had low standards, but at the same time ... Ugh.

If this entire world is lacking in basic hygiene, I think I'll go mad.

I tried to clear my thoughts before replying.

"I'm very glad for you. Now, why don't you tell me more about this Berrios place? We need to discuss numerous things before arriving..."

I telepathically chatted with Amalia on various topics, including a bit about herself and goals, knighthood, geography, average living conditions and the like. While extremely helpful, it painted a dim picture for this world.

Things like running water and irrigation systems existed, but we were essentially out in the boonies, so to speak. Such amenities were scarce out here. From what I could gather, you're either nobility or living in basic housing. With snot in your nose.

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This won't do. No, nonono, not at all. I'm not living in a house with a bunch of snot-nosed Royal Guards. There will be standards set. There will be beds. There will be toilets. I'll make a damn sewage system myself if I need to!

... Hopefully with magic. Cause I didn't know shit about sewage plumbing or engineering. Pun intended.

I sighed, "Why is this world so primitive? Don't you people have magic and whatnot? How do you live in such poor conditions? I'd be amazed if people live past 50 years, let alone 100."

If there were a sturdy wall, I'd smack myself off it.

Amalia interrupted my mental complaining, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked, lazily directing my attention back to her.

"Why do you keep talking about such strange things? You ask incredibly difficult questions on topics no one normally thinks about, then in the next breath display absolutely no common sense. How do you know so much and so little at the same time?"

Huh. Didn't expect that one to come out of her mouth.

"That's ..."

"Rather than a monster, you act more like those scholars and historians Father would converse with. How old are you? Are you from another land? Did you travel here from afar? Why has no one heard of monsters like you before?"

"I'm, uh ..."

Shit. Why is she looking at me like that? When did she get so sharp? While I wasn't planning on hiding my origins, now I'm a bit worried there's something I'm not aware of. Did other people like me exist in this world? Was there some sort of taboo or stigma with people from other worlds, or whatever?

Ahh, this is problematic. When in doubt, deflect!

"Aren't you being a bit forward? There are certain things I'd rather not talk about. While I don't mind telling you once we get to know each other better, my past is ... saddening and I don't want to bring such thoughts up if it can be helped. I hope you'll forgive me."

Perfect! Make her feel unsure, play the sympathy card and state I'll answer at a later time. Hmhmhmm! That way I can learn more before opening my big mouth.

"Th-That's ... I'm sorry, you're right. The things you've said made me curious and I was out of line. I apologize, Rozalin."

"O-Oh. Well, as long as you understand, it's fine." I nodded.

Damn. Now I feel kinda bad for some reason. When did I turn into a slick con artist that manipulates little girls? Next, I'll be stealing her candy and getting a police task force after me for some child slavery ring.

As potentially lucrative as that may be, I'm gonna have to put an age and height requirement on future Royal Guards.

Reggie's shuffling interrupted my already sidetracked thoughts. Seems ape-man slept enough. He has risen!

We all ate a small breakfast of some brick-like bread and more meat. Reggie gave us some direction, telling us which path to follow and where it would lead. The thought of staying longer quickly disappeared. He wasn't tossing us out, but the topic of staying just didn't pop up.

No, we'd be on our own again.

Huh. 'We'. Gonna have to get used to that one.

Amalia and I discussed our plan of action and then set off. Before leaving, Reggie gifted me with a large helping of Thunderbear scraps. As I looked at the remains laying on a table in his rear shack, I felt a bit queasy. That wasn't enough of a deterrent, as once I put the grotesque scenery out of mind and focused on possible gains, I began salivating.

Heheh, this is gonna be good.

–Devour!

Skill unlocked!

Lesser Vitality Lvl.1 Acquired!

Attribute increase!

Strength - 25 → 27

Vitality - 33 → 35

Intelligence - 28 → 29

Wisdom - 21 → 22

Dexterity - 27 → 28

Mmphf! This is-!

Gods, that is some freakin' tasty bear! Crackling with flavor, with a hint of rough gaminess. The way it melts in your slime, leaving behind a warm, full sensation! Ohh, yeah~ This is good stuff.

I quickly eyed the new Skill description while wallowing in the meaty flavor.

Lesser Vitality Lvl.1 - Passive

Increases effect of the Vitality Attribute by 5% + (1%*Skill Level).

That's ... both bland and disappointing. Seriously, where's the Thunderbolt attack? I want to shoot lightning at mine enemies! Fry all present before me to a toasty crisp! Do some neat light shows!

Or something like that. Was I expecting too much? I feel so cheated after nearly getting zapped to death.

Ehhh, whatever.

After examining my newly acquired Skill, I turned around to find Amalia and Reggie looking at me with disgusted looks on their face. Reggie seemed mildly off put, while Amalia looked like she was going to lose her lunch.

"What? Haven't you seen a Slime eat before?"

"If that's how you eat, please don't do that in front of me anymore," she replied weakly.

"If it bothers you that much, I'll try to refrain?"

I mentally sighed at my Royal Guard's weak constitution but figured it was understandable. She was still a work in progress. Watching a bear's head and whatnot dissolve in front of your very eyes was rather ... morbid.

"Putting that aside, tell Reggie thank you for the assistance and we wish him well. We'll try to return the favor in the future."

The three of us chatted for a bit longer before departing. There was a woodland path Reggie suggested we use. After we made some distance from his house, I forced myself under Amalia's clothing despite some weak protests.

Part of the reason we'd been attacked initially by that Thunderbear was because I had been poking my head out. I'd rather not take my chances a second time.

The weather was beginning to warm up, and after a short while, we stumbled upon what was apparently the 'main road' leading into Berrios. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed.

"So Amalia, you seem hesitant that they'll let you become a Knight for some reason. Is there a reason? You should have more confidence."

Truly, I meant what I said. Doubting yourself was counter-productive. I knew that ... very well.

"That's ... the thing is, legally ... I'm not officially a citizen of Brita."

"You shouldn't let such a minor thin– excuse me, can you repeat that? You cut out."

I nearly slipped off her torso out of shock. The heck!?

I'm traveling with ... a refugee?

"There is a loophole in the law. My mother fell short of citizenship, and I'm not officially a citizen of Brita until my 16th birthday. If they scrutinize my application too much, I'm afraid ..."

She grit her teeth and stared downward while walking.

Alarm bells were now going off in my head. There were signs previously, but didn't this technically mean she could be deported? Or ... how would her stateless status apply here? I didn't know the laws of this land. This was an important bit of information! Hey, seriously!

"O-Oh. Well, I'm sure with me here we'll be able to figure something out regardless. They can't kick you out of the country or anything, can they?" I asked hesitantly.

"No, but it also means I'm not eligible for any state benefits and can't own land or property in cities, among other things. Applying for work is also ..."

Ah, fuck. This is a problem.

I'd planned on having all our finances done through Amalia's name for now. While it sounded like there was an issue with her inheritance, I didn't realize just how deep this ran. Shit! Just another thing I'm going to have to figure out.

I spoke a few more words of comfort as my mind kept trying to evaluate how this would alter my plans. Granted, my plans were pretty shaky as-is but this was just fueling the inferno.

"Well, there's nothing to be done about that now. We'll figure it out. Besides, your citizenship is official when you turn 16, yes? I'm sure there are things you can do until then. Let's just focus on getting to Berrios."

With a sigh and turbulent mind, we continued our journey South. Occasionally we'd stop and take a break. I helped Amalia hunt one of those strange horn-rabbit things. While I was curious if anything would happen if I Devoured it, she seemed to need food much more than I needed a potential stat point or new Skill of questionable usefulness.

Next time, little rabbit ... you will become my dinner. I swear it.

A shame I wasn't able to find another, but the journey was relatively lacking in excitement. Just the way I liked it.

There were a few caravans passing us both ways, at which point Amalia normally bowed towards them then made way off the road. More than a few armored guards and coaches sent derisive glances her way. Something felt ... odd about those scenes. It made me want to eat their entire cargo in the dead of night.

Ah, there's my pettiness acting up. A perceived slight of my pooch is causing such a reaction? Interesting.

Still, I'm certain such a nightly expedition would prove extremely lucrative. Perhaps I'll sneak off while Amalia is asleep one night and get up to a little mischief. If I have to act like a goody two shoes all the time, I'm going to miss a lot of good opportunities.

Well, thoughts for later.

Amalia and I spent the afternoon and evening getting more acquainted. I discovered that the mental notifications I'd become so used to were considered 'Divine messages' from the Gods or some silliness. Personally, I was just going to keep calling them the mighty green boxes. It felt more agreeable. Right, even.

At least the boxes wouldn't lie to me. Even if they did try to turn my brain into mush. That one was kind of my fault, in retrospect.

It would appear that Amalia was supposed to be rather competent for her age. That thought floored me. She went into more depth on the whole 'level' bits and said it was normal for a child to remain level 1 up until their teenage years. A 'right of adulthood' or something. She was only level 5.

This was alarming. When I asked what the average level for humans was, she told me it was only around 10 or so. While this was an enormous relief, I objected and asked why people didn't train their level more. She replied something along the lines of as follows.

"Why would you, though? That's what the military, magicians and the like are for. Getting Divine messages is hard. There's no point risking your life. The Gods will see to things naturally."

I wanted to smack her in the face. Perhaps my worldview was twisted, but why wouldn't you want to inflate your numbers? On Earth, money was essentially power. Here, attributes were king. You could never have enough money, so why settle for such little power?

There was one chord she struck with that reply. 'Why risk your life'?

This was extremely true. I doubted they could recover from injuries like I could. I was also beginning to suspect there was something abnormal about my growth rate compared to normal humans. While it appeared exceptions existed and there were many stronger people than I, such an abrupt rise seemed odd. I'd have to use Amalia as my training dummy and have her report any 'Divine messages' to me so I could analyze them.

We spoke more on monsters and the like, as she informed me about Dungeons in this world. Apparently, they did indeed serve as a breeding ground for monsters, and more importantly numerous materials that bolstered the economy. Dungeons were like a double-edged sword that required fine maintenance.

It was a shame that her knowledge wasn't boundless, so I soon found I'd tapped her well dry on the subject. Once I started asking more in-depth questions, she began giving vague answers, then those turned into 'I don't know's and head-scratchers.

Well, she's pretty smart for a kid. ... I guess.

I'll have to raise my evaluation of her a bit more. Seems being a Knight Captain's daughter has some education perks.

In turn, she asked me a few more questions about myself. I wasn't quite sure how to reply, so I simply told her I didn't know where I was from, but it was surely far away.

One question stuck in my mind. One that I didn't know how to respond to. I simply stayed silent.

"Do you ever feel really alone, Rozalin?"

... Why are you asking me such questions? Does it matter? I don't think so.

The back and forth chattering was taxing. Being so vocal wasn't something I'd normally do. A shame I couldn't just look all this information up online on a convenient Wiki or whatnot. Thankfully, after making large strides distance-wise it was nearly night and she seemed rather exhausted.

Being a good Samaritan fell upon me. Rather than let her sleep out in the chilly night air, I found a nearby hillside and created a makeshift cave, then gathered numerous leaves off a nearby tree to act as a blanket. After cutting out a round section of wood from an unfortunate tree, I'd created a shabby door.

While I was doing this, she went nearby and gathered some strange purple berries she insisted were edible. While I had mild doubts about her judgment, food was food. I could keep an eye on her body to make sure she wasn't poisoned, so I just dismissed the concerns.

After 'tucking her into bed', I tried monitoring her body a bit more and applying healing. Nothing of note happened, though my understanding was deepening. Rejuvenation and Detoxification seemed to be becoming more natural to use. I'll keep chipping away at it.

After several hours of that, I'd worked more on my bodily control, only to receive a nice boost.

Skill increased!

Amorphous Lvl.2 → Lvl.3

I'd keep collecting these Skills and level ups. They'd be worth something, someday.

I didn't know what awaited the two of us when we arrived in Berrios. Perhaps Amalia would be shunned entirely and we'd end up in the wilds. Perhaps all my plans and thoughts would turn to dust.

Whatever the case, I wanted to be ready. Failure wasn't an option.

As I lay down in our little cave, strands of moonlight leaked inward and illuminated the bed of leaves. My little wolf-girl was sound asleep, amidst a bed of dirt and plants and all manner of things that shouldn't compose a bed.

I wasn't satisfied with this. I needed to do better.