The Whispering Woods outside the capital of Vaeloria were supposed to be a low-level training ground. Dappled sunlight filtered through the thick canopy of ancient oak trees, illuminating patches of vibrant green moss and trickling streams. It was the picture-perfect setting for a fantasy RPG's starting zone.
But right now, the clearing was painted in violence.
CRACK!
A jagged bolt of black lightning tore through the air, completely obliterating a shrieking green goblin. The creature didn’t even have time to swing its rusty club before it was vaporized, leaving only a scorched crater in the dirt and a scattering of low-level copper coins.
Tatsuya Minato stood in the center of the carnage, his oversized hoodie flapping violently against the localized wind pressure of his magic. He wasn't holding a sword or a staff. He was just using his bare hands, weaving devastating combinations of Thunder and Dark magic.
"More," Tatsuya whispered, his grey eyes wide and completely devoid of his usual lethargy. "Spawn faster."
He was actively testing his Ultimate Skill: [Unstoppable Frenzy] (Level S). The System description stated it disabled all pain receptors and converted physical trauma into pure, unadulterated adrenaline and combat euphoria. The result was terrifying. A second goblin had managed to nick Tatsuya's cheek with a crude flint dagger a moment ago. Instead of flinching, Tatsuya had simply grabbed the goblin by the face and channeled raw dark electricity through its skull.
Another wave of monsters spawned from the tree line—three Rank E Slimes and two Rank D Hobgoblins.
Tatsuya didn't evade. He lunged forward. Splashes of dark crimson splattered across his pale face and stained his grey hair as he ripped through the monsters with terrifying efficiency. He didn't blink. He didn't breathe heavy. Slowly, the blood-spattered face of the quiet, anti-social gamer twisted into a wide, manic smile.
At the edge of the clearing, seven high school students huddled together, trembling.
They were Tatsuya's assigned group, but they had absolutely no idea what to do. The traditional knights of Vaeloria had told them to "train their holy gifts," but the reality of killing living creatures had paralyzed most of them. They had followed Tatsuya, hoping the top-ten student would have a plan.
Instead, they were watching a massacre.
"He's... he's insane," muttered one of the boys, gripping his pristine, unused iron sword until his knuckles turned white. "He's actually enjoying this."
"We have to stop him. He’s going to exhaust his MP," a girl named Rina stepped forward. Unlike the others, Rina’s [Hidden] skill hadn't changed her outward appearance entirely, but it had turned her hair a soft, glowing gold, matching her new status as a high-tier Healer.
"Rina-chan, don't! Leave him alone!" another girl hissed, grabbing her arm.
But Rina pulled away. She stepped into the clearing, her boots crunching on the scorched earth. "Minato-kun! That's enough! You've cleared the zone. You need to rest!"
Tatsuya froze. The black electricity dancing across his fingertips fizzled out. He turned his head slowly, his grey eyes locking onto Rina. The manic smile remained plastered on his face, contrasting horribly with the dead, cold look in his eyes.
Rina took another step closer, reaching a hand out. "Minato-kun... what is wrong with you? Look at yourself."
Before her fingers could brush his hoodie, Tatsuya’s arm snapped out. He shoved her hard in the chest.
Rina gasped, stumbling backward and falling into the dirt.
"Don't touch me," Tatsuya said, his voice dropping to a terrifying, guttural whisper. The manic smile finally vanished, replaced by an expression of absolute disgust. "You pathetic NPCs are disturbing my grind."
"Hey!" The boy with the iron sword finally found his courage, stepping out of the tree line alongside the others to help Rina up. "What is your problem, Tatsuya?! We're in this together! She was just worried about you!"
"Yeah! You're acting like a psychopath!" another girl yelled.
Tatsuya didn't argue. He didn't defend himself. He simply raised his right hand.
Instantly, the ambient temperature in the clearing plummeted. A thick, suffocating aura of pure dark magic erupted from Tatsuya's body, swirling around him like a localized hurricane. The pressure was so intense that the remaining students were physically pushed back, choking on the sheer density of his mana.
"Listen to me very carefully," Tatsuya said, his voice cutting through the roaring wind of his own magic. "This isn't a school trip. This is a survival game. You are dead weight. If you follow me again, if you dare to disturb my leveling route one more time..."
The black lightning flared in his eyes.
"...I will eliminate you with no mercy. Am I understood?"
The group was paralyzed with terror. The boys dropped their weapons. Two of the girls started screaming, entirely overwhelmed by the killing intent rolling off their classmate.
Only Rina didn't look away. She stood up, brushing the dirt off her skirt, her golden eyes reflecting the dark magic. She wasn't shocked, and she wasn't scaring. She just looked incredibly sad.
Tatsuya clicked his tongue, dismissing his magic. He turned his back on them, pulling his headphones up over his ears, and walked deeper into the Whispering Woods.
Location: The Outland - Floor 100
In the crushing darkness of the SSS-Class Dungeon, there was no sunlight, no trees, and no screaming classmates. There was only the sound of Kyouya Kusanagi squelching across the cold stone floor.
Squish. Squelch. Slap.
"This locomotion method is highly inefficient," Kyouya complained mentally, trying to figure out how to move his viscous, dark-violet slime body faster without accidentally spreading himself too thin.
"Your baseline Agility is 50. Stop complaining and optimize your mass distribution," the sharp, feminine voice of his AI retorted in his mind. "Also, stop wandering aimlessly. I have detected an optimal biomass deposit forty meters to your left. Alter your trajectory."
Kyouya mentally sighed and shifted his internal gravity, sliding toward the coordinates. He was starving. A Slime didn't feel hunger in its stomach—mostly because he didn't have one anymore—but he felt a deep, systemic depletion of his cellular energy.
As he slithered around a massive stalagmite, his [Night Vision] illuminated a horrific sight.
Lying against the cavern wall was a massive, dead creature. It looked like a Minotaur, but its fur was completely black, and its muscular body was covered in thick, bone-like armor plating.
[Target Identified: Armored Abyssal Minotaur]
[Rank: A | Status: Deceased]
"Consume it," the AI commanded.
"Are you out of your digital mind?" Kyouya scoffed, his slime body jiggling in protest. "It's a giant, rotting cow-man. Do you remember what happened the last time I ate raw monster meat? I threw up my own dignity and lost my humanity. The taste alone will kill me."
"Correction: I have fully integrated with your nervous system," the AI stated smoothly. "I can temporarily sever the neural pathways responsible for your gustatory perception. In layman's terms: I can turn off your taste buds."
Kyouya paused. "Wait. Really? You can do that?"
"I am an infinity-class cognitive construct born from your latent genius. Of course I can. Now, ingest the biomass before a scavenger finds us."
"That is actually incredibly cool," Kyouya admitted.
With his reservations gone, Kyouya slid forward. He activated his [Changing Size (Level C)] skill. His dark violet body rapidly began to expand, stretching and thinning out like a massive, translucent blanket. He crawled up the side of the massive Minotaur, enveloping its torso, then its limbs, until he had completely encased the Rank A corpse in a thin layer of acidic slime.
"Activating [Absorbing]. Taste receptors offline," Kyouya thought.
The digestion process was rapid. The acidic properties of his slime form began breaking down the Minotaur's armor, muscle, and bone into pure energy. It felt incredibly satisfying, like standing under a warm shower after freezing in the snow.
Suddenly, a blinding, searing pain ripped through Kyouya's entire liquid structure.
It felt like someone had injected liquid nitrogen mixed with battery acid directly into his core. His slime body bubbled violently, his dark violet hue flashing a sickly, toxic green.
[WARNING: Lethal Toxin Detected in Biomass.]
[HP: 15/15 ➔ 7/15]
"GAAAH!" Kyouya mentally screamed, his mass convulsing. "AI! What the hell is this?! I thought you said it was optimal!"
"The Minotaur did not die of old age, Kyouya," the AI replied, her voice entirely calm despite his agony. "It was killed by a highly concentrated, localized neurotoxin. Likely a bite from an S-Class Arachnid."
"And you let me eat it?!"
"Calculated risk," the AI said coldly. "In this environment, you will eventually encounter venomous entities. To survive, you must force your genetic code to adapt. An eye for an eye, Kyouya. To conquer poison, you must ingest it."
Kyouya wanted to scream at her, to blame her for putting him through this agonizing torture. But his [INT: ∞] processed the logic flawlessly. She was right. It was a brutal, ruthless strategy, but it was the only way to survive the abyss.
[HP: 7/15 ➔ 3/15. Toxin reaching critical density.]
"Come on..." Kyouya forced his core to stabilize, fighting the dissolving effects of the venom. "Analyze it. Break it down. Assimilate!"
[Analyzing Toxin Structure... 100%]
[Antibodies synthesized. Genetic sequence updated.]
[Skill Acquired: Poison Resistance (Level B)]
The burning stopped instantly.
A massive surge of pure, refined energy flooded Kyouya's system as the rest of the Rank A Minotaur was fully digested. The blue System screens began popping up in rapid succession, illuminating the dark void of his mind.
[Experience threshold exceeded.]
[Level Up: 5 ➔ 21]
[HP: 30/30 | SP: 60 | MP: 60]
[STR: 25 | AGI: 85]
[Biomass criteria met. New Shape-shifting template unlocked: Lesser Armored Minotaur (Rank C)]
Kyouya collapsed his stretched form, pulling himself back into a condensed, dark violet puddle on the floor. The massive corpse was entirely gone.
"I did it," Kyouya let out a mental breath of relief. His HP was doubled. His Agility was significantly higher. He now had a Rank C physical form he could switch to if he needed raw strength. "Okay. This is working. If we keep doing this—finding dead high-rank monsters and absorbing them—I can power-level out of the lower ranks without even fighting."
For the first time since falling into the abyss, Kyouya felt a genuine spark of hope.
"Nope," the AI stated bluntly, shattering his relief.
Kyouya blinked his non-existent eyes. "Excuse me? What do you mean, 'nope'?"
"Your power-leveling strategy is mathematically sound, but environmentally flawed," the AI explained, a hint of dark amusement in her digital voice. "Did you think a Rank A Abyssal Minotaur simply died and was left here by accident? Apex predators do not abandon their kills."
The ground beneath Kyouya suddenly began to vibrate.
"The S-Class entity that poisoned the Minotaur merely left it to tenderize," the AI concluded cheerfully. "And it has returned for dinner."
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