Ryouma Takebayashi isolated himself within the Forest of Gana, training in the arts of both magic and close combat. Three years later, it was time to—
—Eat.
Leaving the forest was the last thing in his mind.
"Today's breakfast is really delicious…" [Ryouma]
Ryouma's once shabby cave was now bigger and safer. By using earth magic, he was able to make more space within the cave, and by setting up a barrier by the entrance, Ryouma was able to make the cave much safer. The cave was also now furnished with furniture made from earth magic.
As for food, Ryouma got it from the forest. Thanks to the knowledge the gods had given him and the neutral magic, 'Identify', Ryouma could easily pick out what was edible and what was not.
Yet despite living such an uncomfortable lifestyle out here in the middle of nowhere, where one had to hunt or forage to procure food and none of the convenience of a functioning society was present, Ryouma had never once thought of leaving the forest; instead, he spent his days doing hobbies that he had no time for back in his previous life.
One particular hobby Ryouma had grown fond of was 'Slime' research.
At first, Ryouma just wanted to try out the branch of magic known as Familiar Magic, so he caught a slime from the forest. For half a year, he raised it as a pet, then suddenly, on one fine morning, he woke up to see that the slime had changed colors. At first, he thought it was sick, but after using 'Monster Identify', one of the spells under the branch of Familiar Magic, he found out that the slime had evolved into a sticky slime.
From then on, Ryouma became deeply interested in why the slime evolved, so he spent his days observing the slimes. The first thing Ryouma understood was that the wild slimes were at the bottom of the food chain.
The slimes had no power to prey on other creatures, so they had no choice but to live like a pauper and get by what little they had. Ryouma's own slime, however, lived like a king, as he would feed it green caterpillars everyday, ensuring that it was always full.
Incidentally, the green caterpillars themselves had the ability to spit out sticky threads made from their own bodily fluids. Because of that Ryouma hypothesized that a green caterpillar diet might have caused the evolution. To test his hypothesis, Ryouma caught a new batch of slimes and fed them green caterpillars everyday.
2 months later, the slimes all evolved into sticky slimes; however, it still wasn't clear whether it was simple nourishment or the green caterpillar diet that caused the sticky slime evolution, so to clarify things, Ryouma caught a new batch of slimes and fed them something different. In the end, the second batch of slimes all evolved into a different slime.
From here on, Ryouma's interest in the slimes grew deeper and deeper, until eventually, Ryouma had a staggering number of slimes. After catching and trying out various diets on the slimes, Ryouma's current ooze of slimes had turned into this:
Slime x13
A monster that can be found anywhere. It is considered the weakest monster. It is omnivorous and its body has an average diameter of 20 centimeters. Its jelly-like body houses a nucleus, which when destroyed, kills the slime. Upon death, the slime's body vanishes into nothingness. it is a mysterious creature, to say the least.
Skills:
Digest Lv2
Absorb Lv3
Split Lv1
Sticky Slime x153
Physically, the sticky slime is no bigger than a normal slime, but it is able to produce a highly adhesive liquid within its body. It can spit out this liquid or use it to trap other beasts to prey on them.
Skills:
Sticky Liquid Lv4
Hardening Liquid Lv1
String Shot Lv1
Digest Lv3
Absorb Lv3
Split Lv3
At fist, sticky slime only knew Sticky Liquid, Digest, Absorb, and Split. It wasn't until later that it learned Hardening Liquid and Jump. Because of that Ryouma learned that monsters were able to acquire skills through maturity or training.
As for String Shot, when Ryouma found out through his experiments that he could mix hardening liquid and sticky liquid together, he had the slimes mix them within their body. When they succeeded, they learned the skill, String Shot.
Acid Slime x100
An evolution resulting from the need to digest food that is difficult to digest, such as the bones of beasts. This slime variation has a powerful digestive system. Their current numbers are a byproduct of Ryouma's research and reproduction through Split.
Skills:
Produce Acid Lv3
Acid Resistance Lv3
Jump Lv1
Digest Lv4
Absorb Lv3
Split Lv2
Poison Slime x188
An evolution resulting from the constant consumption of poisonous herbs. A lot of slimes die during the process, but those that survive, evolve to become poison slimes. Their current numbers are a result of Split.
Skills:
Produce Poison Lv3
Poison Resistance Lv3
Produce Paralyzing Agent Lv3
Jump Lv1
Digest Lv3
Absorb Lv3
Split Lv3
Cleaner Slime x11
Slimes frequently drink water, but there are some who prefer to drink the water from Ryouma's bath. Thinking it wouldn't harm them, Ryouma allowed these slimes to drink as they pleased. In the end, they evolved into cleaner slimes.
Skills:
Clean Lv4
Deodorize Lv6
Deodorizing Liquid Lv4
Disease Resistance Lv5
Poison Resistance Lv5
Jump Lv1
Digest Lv3
Absorb Lv3
Split Lv1
Scavenger Slimes x457
Ryouma wasn't happy with the fumes coming out from the toilet and the garbage inside the cave, so when he remembered how some slimes showed interest toward rotting corpses, he caught a new batch of slimes and threw them at the toilet and the garbage. As a result, the slimes evolved into scavenger slimes. These slimes eat garbage and turn them into fertilizer. A special trait of this variation is that they are able to reproduce more rapidly compared to other variants.
Skills:
Disease Resistance Lv5
Poison Resistance Lv5
Lead Belly Lv5
Clean Lv6
Deodorize Lv6
Deodorizing Liquid Lv4
Stench Lv4
Produce Fertilizer Lv3
Jump Lv1
Digest Lv6
Absorb Lv3
Split Lv6
As Ryouma was getting into his slime research, he decided to put an emphasis on properly rearing the slimes, causing him to only have so many variations, but as a result, their total numbers broke past 900. Ryouma had always been good at simple but repetitive tasks, so with no one to stop him, Ryouma just kept on going and going, and in the end, the slimes ended up where they are today.
That kind of lifestyle had a healing effect on Ryouma's tired soul, and despite sometimes happening upon some bandit or large beast, which Ryouma promptly took care of with his own strength and his staggering ooze of slimes, Ryouma was able to live happily.
It was in this way that Ryouma passed his days, forever and ever…
Chapter 1 part2
Or at least Ryouma might have had if not for a change that occurred one day. While hunting in the forest, Ryouma came across four people dressed in armor.
(That's a rare sight… Their equipment are all the same, so they're probably not bandits… I think this is my first time seeing people other than bandit. It seems like someone is hurt.)
As Ryouma watched the group of men from the thickets, he noted that one of the five men had bandages on and was being carried.
"U, Uu…" [???]
"Stay with me, Hyuzu!" [???]
"Camil, how's your magic?" [???]
"Sorry, it hasn't recovered yet…" [Camil]
(They seem to be in pretty bad shape… They don't look like bandits. I should at least give them a place to rest. Even if they do turn out to be the bandits, I think I'll be fine.)
Ryouma stood up from the thickets and was about to call out to them when it suddenly occurred to him.
(How am I suppose to call out to them? Good day? No, that kind of cheerful greeting doesn't fit the situation. Hey, you bastards! …No, that would just make them wary. What am I going to do!?)
Ryouma thought of helping, but after three years with no human contact, Ryouma was at a lost what to say, and he found himself standing still. Because of that the group of men noticed him before he could say anything.
"Who goes there!?" [???]
"Wait. [???]
The man at the forefront of the group immediately pointed his sword at Ryouma, but the man behind him stopped him and stepped forward.
"Sorry for suddenly pointing a sword at you. By the way… what is a child like you doing out here? This isn't a place for children. Are you lost?" [???]
The man asked, but Ryouma couldn't respond well.
"I was, hunting." [Ryouma]
"Hunting? You?" [Important-looking Man man]
Ryouma nodded faster than he could speak.
"I think this forest is a bit too dangerous, but… Was there something you wanted with us?" [Important-looking Man man]
Ryouma pointed to the injured person.
"There's someone, injured" [Ryouma]
And then he offered his leather bag with one of his hands. Unfortunately, the other man was wary of Ryouma, and he stepped out to protect the man Ryouma was talking to.
Ryouma finally realized his blunder. Keeping his leather bag by his waist much like the knife by his waist must have alerted the man, so Ryouma jumped back to get some distance and took out a medicine to show that he had no ill will.
"…Is that medicine?" [Swordsman]
The sword-wielding man asked, to which Ryouma nodded.
"Medicine, for… the injured." [Ryouma]
"You'd let us use that?" [Swordsman]
"Hurry." [Ryouma]
The group of men looked at each other for a moment, then the man named Camil cautiously accepted Ryouma's medicine. When they noted that the injured person's countenance had turned for the better, their caution toward Ryouma finally lessened.
"Thank you. This should keep Hyuzu up for a while longer." [Important-looking Man man]
"How about, rest, resting, at my house? (This is pathetic.)" [Ryouma]
Though it took awhile, Ryouma successfully managed to say the words and invite the people to his house. It would take them quite a while to reach Ryouma's place, however, due to the injured person with the group of armored men.
"Why is a child like that in a place like this?" [Important-looking Man]
"He's obviously still very young…" [Swordsman]
(Well, I am an 11 year-old child. It's only natural for people to be suspicious to see a child out here deep in the forest. It's not a good feeling though. I'd appreciate it if they could stop being so suspicious already. Hmm… How about I try talking with them a bit?
On second thought, I probably shouldn't. I have the background the gods gave me, but with my poor speaking skills, I might end up just digging my own grave.)
"Is there really somewhere we can rest out here?" [Swordsman]
"I don't know, but the potion he gave did work, so at the very least, he doesn't seem to be hostile." [Important-looking Man]
"Hunters are known to make a safe place for themselves in the forest. There might be a camp out here or something." [???]
(Exactly. As long as you don't attack me first, I won't hurt you. Speaking of which, how about collecting the spoils from the traps along the way? That way I'll also be able to feed that injured person. If I do that much, a decent person would surely not attack me, right?)
Ryouma suddenly stopped and called his sticky slimes over through the familiar contract. The people following him was alerted at that, however, and they asked.
"What's wrong?" [Important-looking Man]
"Trap… Caught some prey… Will come soon." [Ryouma]
Ryouma nonchalantly said as he looked at the man that asked that question.
(This person is probably the most important one. Everyone else seems to listen to him and the other people look like guards.)
As Ryouma was thinking that, the grasses shook, and then a sticky slime came out with a dead horn rabbit. Unfortunately, the people with him didn't know that it was Ryouma's slime, and the important-looking man drew his sword.
(Stop!)
Immediately, Ryouma jumped in front of the man and picked up the slime and the dead rabbit.
"…Is that slime your familiar?" [Important-looking Man]
The important-looking man seems to have picked up that the slime was Ryouma's familiar. Ryouma vehemently nodded at the man, and the man sheathed his sword.
"Sorry, I didn't know it was your familiar."
(As long as we've cleared it up, it's all good. I should have been more specific.)
Slimes were monsters, after all, so it was only natural that they would be wary when they saw one out here in the forest. Ryouma hid the slime and the dead rabbit in his bag, and then they started moving again.
"This sure brings me back. My first familiar was also a slime." [Important-looking Man]
"…Tamer?" [Ryouma]
"Former tamer. After my monster stopped being able to fight, I haven't formed a new contract since. I had a red horse and a blizzard ape." [Important-looking Man]
"…Strong?… (I'm asking because I have no idea what those are…)" [Ryouma]
"I come from a long line of tamers, so I've been taught from a young age. Unfortunately, I'm not that good at magic. I'm quite confident in my sword arm, though." [Important-looking Man]
(A family of tamers and a group of armed men for escorts, he must be a noble. If not, then at least someone influential with plenty of money or someone similar. Calm down, me. This country is supposed to be relatively lenient when it comes to the difference between noble and commoner. The gods specifically picked this country out for me, after all.
And they also haven't reacted negatively to my behavior so far, so it should be fine. Right, I should just treat him like I did my bosses during parties when they would tell me not to mind rank… I still feel nervous, though.)
Though somewhat panicking, Ryouma continued along, picking up the captured prey as they made their way, until eventually, Ryouma and the group of men finally arrived at his cave.