Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 11: Observing Humans

Episode 11: Observing Humans

Rustle, rustle. Sneaking quietly, I set my weapons down and moved silently.

―――Non-Notification Information Recording Zone―――――――――――――

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>> Fuwa Katsu {Jewel Slime} has acquired the [Skill: Escape].

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Soon, I could see the place where I fought the goblins earlier. The human voices I heard were coming from around here.

“ကြောက်စရာကောင်းပါတယ်”  

“တစ်ဝက် စားရသည်။ နတ်ဆိုးသန္ဓေသား၏ လုပ်ငန်းဖြစ်သည်။？”

I peeked out from the underbrush and saw four humans with weapons. They had brightly colored hair, typical for people in this world, such as red and blue. It seemed they were discussing the goblins they had surrounded.

Reflecting on it calmly, my methods of killing were quite grotesque, so they might think a dangerous entity was involved. The corpses were grotesque from a distance, literally reduced to nothing.

“အခုတော့ အိမ်ကို ယူသွားကြရအောင်。”

―――Non-Notification Information Recording Zone―――――――――――――

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>> Fuwa Katsu {Jewel Slime} has acquired the [Skill: Understanding Intent].

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As I listened to their conversation, I suddenly started to understand what they were saying. The pronunciation was still in an unfamiliar language, but I could clearly grasp the nuances of their communication.

Looking at my |Status|, I saw that I had acquired the [Skill: Understanding Intent]. It was probably due to this skill that I could now understand their intentions. I could only discern what they were trying to convey, not any hidden intentions, but it was useful in the current situation.

According to the information from [Understanding Intent], they seemed concerned about who was responsible for the grotesque goblin corpses. They were discussing how ordinary monsters wouldn’t be defeated in such a manner. It was odd that the materials were left intact if it was humans who killed them.

The partially melted corpses were also causing confusion.

“──So, let’s just take the materials and head home.”

“We’ll keep an eye out for any threats while you finish up quickly.”

“Make sure to do it fast. It might be related to this morning’s explosive |Mana| surge.”

They wrapped up their conversation and started stripping the materials from the goblins. It seemed they decided to just report back and take the materials. 

…I had to decide soon whether to confront them or not.

—Honestly, I felt a longing for human contact. Although only a day had passed since I regained my memories, being alone in the forest had been quite tough. Even though I tried to act cheerful, there was a loneliness deep down. Finding humans intensified that feeling.

However, I held back. I didn’t think I could build a friendly relationship with them.

“(Besides, I can’t speak the language.)”

With [Understanding Intent], I could somewhat grasp what the other party was intending. But without the ability to speak, I’d just be targeted as a monster.

It would be better if I was only targeted. I could escape then. The worst-case scenario would be if the Jewel Slime was known as a monster with valuable <Soul Fragments>. I’d be pursued relentlessly, and rumors might spread, bringing more humans after me.

I wasn’t willing to be silently killed, but I didn’t want to kill humans either. I needed to suppress my longing for contact.

So, I decided not to reveal myself.

“Since |Mana| is also somewhat depleted, it’s probably best to return for today, right?”

“““No objections.”””

The humans collected the materials and retrieved the goblins’ weapons before leaving in the opposite direction from where I was hiding.

“(…I should go too.)”

Shaking off some lingering regrets, I quickly returned to where I had left the axe and knife. I worried they might have been taken by the goblins or humans. Fortunately, they were still there.

“Sla-la-la-la!”

Feeling relieved, I swung the beloved axe around happily. Since I had grabbed it with the whip, the centrifugal force almost threw me off balance. It would be something to be cautious of in battle.

After re-strapping the weapons, I began my stroll through the forest.

Thanks to [Transport], the weight of the weapons isn’t a problem. This [Skill] reduces the load from carried items during transportation. 

Oh, and speaking of [Skills], I just acquired a new one. It’s [Stealth]. It apparently reduces the presence of sounds and smells.

I’m not sure if slimes have a smell, but being able to be silent is a bonus.

So, I activated [Stealth] and continued my search.

“(No prey around here.)”

Swinging the axe and pretending to be a demon, I couldn’t find any monsters and was getting a bit off-kilter.

I learned that when you really want to find something, it often eludes you. 

By the way, when I say prey, I’m aiming for a monster with a slightly higher <Level> than mine. 

It would be nice to find a Lesser Beast, but even a Greater Beast would be fine at this point. 

It’s probably difficult for a Greater Beast to penetrate my |Toughness|, so that should be okay.

Incidentally, herbivorous small beasts are very cautious and will detect and flee even if I use [Stealth], so I can’t hunt them. They are usually handled by monsters with high |Speed|.

While continuing my search in this manner, a single monster appeared. Its appearance was—

“(…Huh, a crayfish…? No, a centaur…?）”

—It had a strange appearance, as if a crayfish and a centaur were combined.