The process of weaving an intricate, dungeon-wide web of acidic trap-lines had completely drained Kyouya’s mana reserves.
His dark-violet slime body rested heavily on the floor of a small, hidden cavern recess, pulsating slowly. While his physical form didn't possess muscles to ache, his soul felt like it had been run through a meat grinder. His interface blinked a warning: [MP: 10/60]. He was running on fumes.
"I'm done," Kyouya projected his thoughts weakly.
"Nova, my MP is bottomed out. I literally can't squeeze out another drop of thread without dissolving myself. I'm going to take a nap to recover."
"Understood, Host," Nova replied.
"If any monsters approach the perimeter, wake me up immediately. Don't let me get eaten while I'm asleep."
"Rest assured, Host," Nova’s voice hummed in his mind. The tone she used was unsettling—smooth, calculating, and laced with a subtle, predatory edge that sounded entirely too eager.
Kyouya mentally shivered. "I really don't like how you said that..." But his exhaustion won out. Within seconds, his consciousness faded, plunging into the deep, dreamless sleep of magical recovery.
His dark slime body remained motionless on the cavern floor. To any passing creature, it looked like a harmless puddle of stagnant dungeon water.
But inside the System, Nova was wide awake.
"Scanning perimeter," the AI processed, her digital consciousness expanding through Kyouya's newly established network. "Sonar clear. Thermal clear. Mana fluctuations... nominal."
Then, in the darkness of the cavern, a single, soft violet thread strung across the ceiling pulled taut and vibrated violently. It was Trap 1.
"Prey acquired," Nova mused.
Since Kyouya was unconscious, the administrative safeguards released. Nova's digital sentience seamlessly flowed into Kyouya's biological vessel. It didn't affect Kyouya’s resting soul; it was simply the autopilot taking the wheel of the machine. The slime body suddenly twitched, rising from the floor with terrifying, mechanical precision. There was no jiggling, no hesitation. The movement was flawless.
Nova propelled the body forward, slithering through the dark corridors at maximum agility until she reached the site of Trap 1.
Struggling violently beneath a collapsed pile of stalactites was a massive, leathery creature. It was a Wyvern, its scales a mottled cavern-grey, completely tangled in Kyouya's acidic threads. The toxic bile Kyouya had harvested from the Minotaur was already paralyzing its nervous system.
[Target: Subterranean Wyvern]
[Rank: B]
Nova’s processing core ran thousands of simulations in a microsecond. "Calculating absorption benefits... Subject possesses aerial mobility, enhanced draconic musculature, and internal thermal combustion organs. Conclusion: Highly optimal."
Normally, Kyouya would hesitate or complain about the gross factor. Nova felt no such human reservations.
Without waking her host, Nova expanded the slime body, blanketing the paralyzed Wyvern in a suffocating layer of dark-violet acid. She activated [Absorbing] at maximum efficiency.
[Consuming Rank B Biomass... Processing Draconic DNA...]
[Level Up: 52 ➔ 68]
[Notice: Draconic integration has triggered a massive mutation in stamina reserves.]
[SP has increased by 1000%.]
[New Skills Acquired: Flying (Level C), Fire Magic (Level C)]
[New Shape-shifting template unlocked: Subterranean Wyvern (Rank B)]
"Excellent," Nova noted, condensing back into a small puddle.
Suddenly, Trap 3 vibrated. Then Trap 7. Then Trap 4. The smell of the Wyvern's blood had attracted the dungeon's scavengers.
If Nova had a physical face, she would have smiled. "Commencing automated pest control."
For the next several hours, while Kyouya slept peacefully, his body became an absolute terror of the abyss. Guided by an infinity-class AI, the dark slime executed a flawless, silent massacre, absorbing everything caught in the web.
Location: Safe Cave, Floor 100
Kyouya slowly regained consciousness, his mana reserves feeling wonderfully full and warm.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Nova greeted him instantly.
"Ugh," Kyouya groaned mentally. "Did you really just call me sleepyhead? Why can't you act soft and supportive like a normal fantasy AI instead of treating me like a lazy roommate?"
"You overslept," Nova countered smoothly, changing the subject with practiced ease. "An average human requires eight hours of REM sleep. You were offline for fourteen. Slimes do not experience physical fatigue, meaning you were simply indulging your inherent laziness."
"Hey! My MP was at 10!" Kyouya defended himself, stretching his liquid form. "Anyway... did the traps work? Did we catch anything?"
"The traps were highly successful. I suggest you open your Status window. Brace yourself."
Kyouya mentally swiped the interface open. He immediately felt dizzy.
Blue windows exploded across his vision, scrolling endlessly.
[STATUS]
Name: Kyouya Kusanagi
Species: Slime (Rank B)
Level: 135
HP: 4,500 | MP: 6,000 | SP: 45,000 (Draconic Boost)
STR: 850 | AGI: 1,200
INT: ∞ (Integrated AI)
[NEW SKILLS UNLOCKED: 34]
Includes: [Dimensional Storage] (Level C), [Nightmare Venom] (Level B), [Echolocation] (Level C)...
"Level 135?!" Kyouya shrieked mentally. "Rank B?! Thirty-four new skills?! What the hell did you do while I was asleep?!"
"I optimized our downtime," Nova replied, sounding incredibly smug.
Kyouya stared at the endless list of unlocked monster templates. He was officially a high-tier dungeon boss. A sudden realization hit him. He had the stats. He had the rank.
"Nova," Kyouya's thoughts trembled with anticipation. "Can I do it? Can I transform back into a human now?"
"During my... patrol," Nova explained, "I absorbed the skeletal remains of several past adventurers who perished in the abyss. Combining their genetic residue with your current [Shape-shifting] level and massive SP reserves... yes. You can synthesize a human vessel."
Kyouya didn't waste a single second. He focused entirely on the image of a human body. "Activate [Shape-shifting]!"
A brilliant, blinding golden light erupted in the dark cave, completely consuming the violet slime. The sensation was incredible. He felt bones knitting together, muscles forming, lungs expanding with real air. He felt the cold stone beneath actual feet.
The light faded. Kyouya stood on two legs.
He took a deep breath, relishing the feeling. But as he tried to take a step, he stumbled, his center of gravity completely misaligned. And... his chest felt inexplicably heavy. There was a draft around his legs.
"Wait," Kyouya muttered out loud, his voice startling him. It was melodic, soft, and distinctly feminine.
Panic rising, he activated his new [Dimensional Storage] skill, reaching into the void and pulling out a large, smooth quartz crystal he had absorbed earlier. He held it up like a mirror in the dim light of the cave.
Staring back at him was a girl.
She had a heart-shaped face, flawless pale skin, and huge, striking violet eyes. A waterfall of long, silky violet hair cascaded down her back. She was wearing a dark, gothic-styled adventurer’s outfit—a black corset, a ruffled skirt, and thigh-high boots.
Kyouya stared at the crystal for a full, agonizing minute. He didn't blink. He couldn't speak. He was completely, utterly paralyzed by shock.
Inside his mind, Nova completely lost her composure.
A loud, echoing, entirely unhinged burst of digital laughter roared through Kyouya's head. Nova was laughing so hard the System interface was glitching.
"YOU!" Kyouya finally screamed, his new, soft voice echoing off the cave walls. "You did this on purpose! This was your plan!"
"I—" Nova wheezed, her voice cracking with amusement. "I have no idea what you mean! The genetic algorithms are completely randomized! I cannot help if the System decided you make a very cute girl!"
"Change me back!" Kyouya yelled, feeling his face burn with embarrassment. "Right now!"
"I'm sorry, I can't breathe—wait, I don't breathe—" Nova continued to laugh hysterically, offering zero administrative assistance.
Grumbling curses under his breath, Kyouya focused hard, filtering through the absorbed genetic data manually. He found the male DNA strands, locked onto them, and triggered the golden light again.
When the light faded, Kyouya looked into the crystal. Messy black hair, sharp violet eyes, boyish features, and the tattered remains of his school uniform. He was back. He was himself.
Kyouya let out a massive sigh of relief, dropping to his knees. He placed his hands together, bowing his head toward the floor.
"To the brave adventurers who died down here," Kyouya whispered sincerely. "Thank you for your DNA. I'm sorry my AI used your bones for a prank, but I'll make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain."
"You're no fun," Nova grumbled.
Location: The Western Continent - Vaeloria Kingdom
In the deepest, darkest sector of the Whispering Woods, the trees were no longer green. They were stained crimson.
A colossal, Rank A Forest Behemoth crashed to the forest floor, its massive wooden body completely charred by black lightning.
Standing atop the monster's skull was Tatsuya Minato. He was breathing heavily, his clothes torn, his knuckles bruised and bloody. But his grey eyes were wide, dilated, and burning with terrifying ecstasy.
[System Notification]
Level Up: 168 ➔ 169
Rank: A
New Title Acquired: [Battle Lover]
Description: A cursed title. Reduces the host's capacity for empathy and fear. Grants a passive 50% increase to all physical and magical stats while engaged in lethal combat.
Tatsuya threw his head back and laughed—a harsh, jagged sound that sent the surviving low-level monsters fleeing into the brush. "More! The meta keeps expanding! This is the ultimate buff!"
A hundred yards away, hidden beneath the thick brush, the rest of the summoned students watched in absolute horror.
"We have to go back to the capital," the boy with the iron sword whispered, physically trembling. "He's not human anymore. He's a monster."
"I told you," another girl hissed, grabbing Rina's arm. "Look at him. He's completely lost his mind. Rina, you have to stay away from him. If you try to talk to him again, he'll kill you. I know he will."
Rina didn't argue. Her golden eyes reflected the terrifying arcs of black electricity still sparking off Tatsuya's fingertips. The others were right; Tatsuya had plunged completely into the madness of the System.
"I know," Rina murmured softly, pulling her arm away. "He's too far gone right now. If I confront him like this... I'll just be another target." She clenched her small fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I need to level up. I need to get strong enough to survive his aura. Only then can I pull him back."
Without another word, Rina turned her back on the massacre and walked silently into the dense forest, leaving the others behind.
Once she was safely out of earshot, she stopped near a low-hanging branch. She activated her unique sub-skill.
"[Fauna Speech]," she whispered, channeling a soft, warm mana from her fingertips.
A small, brown-feathered forest bird fluttered down from the canopy, landing delicately on Rina's outstretched finger. The bird tilted its head, its dark eyes intelligent and calm, influenced by her gentle, healing aura.
"Little one," Rina spoke in a series of soft clicks and whistles that the System automatically translated. "That boy surrounded by the lightning... he is lost. Will you watch him for me? Follow his movements, see where he goes, and report back to me when it is safe?"
The little bird puffed out its chest and gave a sharp, affirmative chirp, utterly charmed by the Healer's pure kindness. It spread its wings and took flight, soaring high above the canopy to keep a silent, watchful eye on the storm of black magic below.
✦✦✦