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 35: An Unexpected Encounter

Episode 37: An Unexpected Encounter

“(Yawn… Is it morning already?)”

The morning after Jascal (temporary) attacked.

I woke up inside the cave.

This is the cave where the Hobgoblins were hiding.

I used it as a resting place since it was nearby.

“(Which way should I go today?)”

The girl suggested heading south, but the |Mana| is denser to the west.

By the way, the human town seems to be to the east. When people are leaving or fleeing, they’re all heading that way.

“(Should I follow that child’s advice or head into the depths in search of strong foes…?)”

I pondered deeply.

The deeper areas with dense |Mana| have stronger magical beasts, and only a limited number of humans can venture there.

But if the magical beasts are strong, it means the humans hunting them are also strong.

I’m sure it’s just a needless worry since Jascal seems to be one of the top fighters in town, but it would be dangerous to meet someone like that old man.

“(…Or maybe not?)”

Thinking back, I encountered that old man before my {Evolution}.

I’ve become much stronger since then, so it’s possible that old man’s strength was about the same as Jascal’s.

That defensive-ignoring palm strike is scary, but as long as I stay alert, it shouldn’t be easy to hit me.

“(Alright, it’s decided then.)”

With high spirits, I set my course west.

I took a strong first step.

—

“([Jump], [Landing, [Jump], [Landing], —)”

Bounce, bounce, bounce.

Jump, land smoothly, and use the rebound to jump again.

By adapting to the [Skill] effects and impacts, I achieved a super-ball-like motion.

This training started because I wanted to improve my skills even while moving.

The [Landing] skill absorbs impact upon landing, allowing for flexible landings even with the tough body of a Jewel Armory Slime.

“(Oh, a river. But it’s just this small…)”

I lightly bounced on the edge of a small stream flowing through the forest.

“([Jump]!)”

I jumped. Easily clearing a distance of about five meters, and then landed quietly with [Landing]. I finished by transforming into a Y-shape.

“Slaa-sla.”

I praised my excellent jump, which would score a perfect ten.

I continued through the forest in this manner.

Lunchtime was approaching.

“(Hmm, I should probably catch something for lunch soon.)”

Thanks to [Storage], I haven’t felt hungry for a while, but I still get the urge to eat around lunchtime.

It’s a remnant from when I was human.

“(I’d like to fight a Grand Beast soon…)”

Even in areas with dense |Mana|, Grand Beasts seem to be rare.

So far, I’ve only encountered a Treant and two higher-level goblins.

Today, I saw a few magical beasts, but they were all below Greater Beast level. Probably.

The Beast Rank can only be roughly estimated from their size, so I can’t be certain.

“(Speaking of which, was that Forest Turtle one rank above Grand Beasts?)”

I haven’t seen anything above Grand Beasts, and the body enlargement due to {Evolution} becomes more pronounced as the Beast Rank increases.

Maybe I’m just one step away from my target.

At that moment, it appeared.

“Fwoooo…”

Its fur was white. It stood on two legs, exhaling rough, steamy breaths.

Its face resembled a pig, but thick tusks were visible at the corners of its mouth.

It was a pig-like monster, an orc version of a boar.

The Boar Orc, upon seeing me with its bloodshot eyes, immediately backed away. Its face turned pale.

Then, it turned on its heels and fled.

“(Wait up!)”

“Bmooouuuu!?!”

I hurriedly chased after it.

The Boar Orc’s reaction was somewhat expected. With its height of about two meters, it’s a Greater Beast.

Naturally, It’s rare to find a Greater Beast standing off against a giant, light-blue cube that could be a Grand Beast.

“(Hmm, if I use [Challenge] or [Bewitching Gleam], it would come towards me…)”

However, I decided to catch up without using those.

Improving my tracking ability might be useful someday.

“(Whoa, it’s fast for a Greater Beast!)”

Using [Jump] and [Charge] to the fullest, I chased after it, but the distance didn’t close easily. The Boar Orc occasionally accelerated unnaturally.

When that happens, it always runs straight, so it might have a skill similar to my [Charge].

“(Then I’ll use [Replicant Form: Mimic]!)”

Part of my body changes shape. The light blue distorts, and a chain sickle emerges.

It’s a rare weapon I had only one of in the Hobgoblin collection.

“Sla-Slaa.”

The sound of metal scraping echoed in multiple layers.

The chain moved as if it had a mind of its own, and the sickle hooked onto the tree trunk. The chain then pulled my body, accelerating me.

With the weapon mimicked by the [Replicant Form], I could move it freely as long as it was connected to me.

Although I can only move the adjustable parts and can’t bend the blade’s shape, it’s still an extremely useful ability.

It can be used as a convenient weapon. More importantly, it doesn’t tire me out.

Slimes cannot transform into shapes too different from their base form—Jewel Armory Slime would be a cube—and they get tired gradually while transforming.

But with [Replicant Form: Mimic], these limitations can be ignored.

Though I don’t use it to avoid accidentally breaking it, it’s even possible to turn my entire body into a weapon.

Now, back to the topic.

Accelerated by the chain sickle, I gradually closed the distance with the Boar Orc and finally got its neck within range.

“(Alright, let’s finish it—)”

I prepared to strike with [Slash] to take the life of the Boar Orc showing its back.

Or at least, I was about to.

“Bmooou!?!”

But just before, the Boar Orc changed direction.

It had been moving almost straight until now, but suddenly it started to move diagonally.

Caught off guard, I stumbled to a stop and immediately tried to follow the Boar Orc, only to see the reason for its sudden change in direction.

I was dumbfounded.

There was someone who shouldn’t be here.

“(No way, you… Sla-suke!?)”

Sla-o, one of Sla-ta’s minions who had exiled me, was standing there with other Slimes.