Syl

Chapter 11: Hunting Patrol

I woke up feeling pretty miserable after having a string of easy successes, but against a real monster like that giant frog, I couldn't do anything but be its meal. Grabbing two of the mightiest-looking tusks, I decided to head towards the pond again and patrol the perimeter amongst the trees, picking off any wildlife heading for a drink so that I could replenish my reserve slime mass.

For the first day, I used my usual tree ambush, which proved its recurring success by effortlessly taking out multiple deer. I left their bones in a pile with a few bits of meat in the hopes of possibly attracting animals with levels.

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While safely amongst the trees, I tried to scout the pond but could not spot the frog monster. For my final task, I created a second tree hole, an appropriate distance from the bone pile and not directly at the pond border. I constructed my second home shockingly fast, thanks to all the trait levels I had gained since the original - not to mention having full-sized tusks.

With the extra time before sleep, I decided to try practicing my [Shape Slime] by focusing on creating new constructs for that bonus experience. At first, I tried to copy things from my memory, starting easy with creating the shape of a tusk, then I moved on to the complex antler horns the jackalope had. I stared intensely at a neighboring tree, hoping to sculpt it, starting at the base of the trunk and working my way up. I molded the trunk first and then worked on the branches, which was tricky as I had never split a single pseudopod into so many mini-tendrils - it was like rapidly growing a small slime tree on my pseudopod. For leaves, I could only add childish blobs at the ends of the branches, as my current [Shape Slime] level could not make fine details like that yet.

The next day, after cleaning my slime of impurities by watering my new tree home, I headed towards the bone pile. No animals yet, but it had attracted plenty of ants, so I resumed patrolling the perimeter. Today was looking to be a bust on the hunting front until the bulkiest boar I had ever seen started to meander toward the pond.

I followed cautiously, hiding my presence as I grappled from branch to branch. I was directly above the mighty boar, and it appeared none the wiser. The boar had a nearly black hide instead of the various shades of brown I was used to, and its two massive tusks were jaw-droppingly impressive.

Gramps even told me what a good job I was doing being a sneaky slime, but I had a terrible premonition the more I looked at the sheer girth of this boar.

'I don't think I can lift this thing...'

'But if I jumped onto its back, I don't think it could hit me, and then I could suffocate it.'

Feeling committed to the risk, I shot a grappling tendril toward the back of the boar, and moments before it made contact, I flung my core to follow. A terrifying squeal of pure fury and rage flooded the quiet forest. The boar went ballistic when my heavy, wet slime smacked across its back, and it started to charge around in circles in an attempt to dislodge me - but I had grappled on tight with a tendril under its belly and spreading out my surface area along it's back. Feeling secure, I snaked my remaining two tendrils towards its head as the boar rammed into a tree and nearly uprooted it.

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'Holy shit! This thing is strong!'

Initial attempts to get into its throat were unsuccessful, as it had enough strength to bite through my tendrils. I focused one tendril on protecting the other by flooding it with maximum-density slime from my [Core Storage] and wedged it between the teeth. With the created gap, my second tendril dived into the mouth and down the throat, where I promptly expanded the tip into a seal by sending it a generous dosage of slime mass.

The boar became even wilder as it thrashed frantically and slammed into tree after tree. It tried to let out its wail but couldn't because of its blocked throat - I swear I could feel bubbles in my slime from the attempted scream. I could feel its jaw trying, with all its might, to crunch through my wedge, and I desperately focused my effort on sending slime and density to reinforce it.

I watched as the life in this fearsome beast was draining and its movements becoming slower. As if in defiance, I felt it try to roar again while its skin started to take on a red tint, and in a burst of sudden speed, it gave one last mighty charge. It slammed against a tree, uprooting it entirely, collapsing under its own weight, and a few moments later - I got my notification.

'Rage Boar!? And it was only level 1, but I still leveled up? I really wish Gramps would explain non-trait things to me.'

I was shocked but was eager to dig into my meal as I prepared my usual harvest procedure. I felt my [Dissection] skill screaming at me to take those tusks, so I focused my efforts on grabbing those ASAP. I extracted the first tusk successfully and was about to proceed with the next, but was interrupted when I saw a green shape approaching.

I took a defensive position on top of the boar, which was still too large to carry even though I had managed to dissolve some of its insides. I ensured the tusk was safe inside a slime pocket and produced my three pseudopods in anticipation. As it approached, I recognized what it was.

'It's a green slime! I wonder if it's like a cousin or distant relative?'

The slime was a lime-green, and its core was honey-yellow. I was surprised to see a slime out here and not on the human farm, but even stranger was the path of dirt devoid of any grass trailing behind where the slime moved. I waved a tendril, but the green slime ignored me, and I knew it wanted to steal my food just like my blue brethren.

I extended a tendril to slap the slime away, but as my tendril came into contact with the green slime, it dissolved completely. I stared in horror, as I had never seen any of the blue slimes so effortlessly melt something. I grabbed a branch and a rock and threw both at the green slime - they instantly melted away. I didn't know what to do, as I couldn't stop this green menace, and I grappled to a tree branch when it reached the boar.

'That's my food, you bastard! I worked hard to defeat that thing!' I mentally shouted as I shook a tentacle at it.

Then I witnessed the most absurd sight ever; the green slime simply 'walked' through the boar as if wading through water. With each movement forward, green slime swelled in size, and the boar was disappearing rapidly. I thought of stabbing its core with my prized tusk to stop it, then watched as it ate the remaining tusk without any trouble.

No boar left, not even a single bone, gone in mere moments, and an oversized green slime was the only thing remaining. I could swear it was staring at me next.

'What the hell. How is that fair?'