บท 3: 03. Johnson is Gone
Although I only gained a skill, I'm still happy. Let me explain a little bit.
Biologically, I'm a slime. However, after absorbing ants, a spider, and an eagle, I could freely mimic some part of the body of those I absorbed. For example, with my slime body, I could form a pair of eagle wings and become a flying slime. So, even with my slime body, I could also use the eagle eye, the best and sharpest eyesight in the animal kingdom, and spot and focus on prey up to 2 miles away. This was the effect of the Predator sub-skill, Mimicry.
A week had passed.
From the way I see, at least so far, I concluded that I'm still on Earth. However, there was a huge difference.
I found a village, though I only saw the village from afar thanks to the eagle eye, I felt I was traveling to the past after seeing that village. The design of each building in that village resembled Japanese architecture in the past. Although there was electricity, I couldn't hear something like a television or radio. Or perhaps, only certain households had a television or radio, so I couldn't find any in that village.
How could I hear something like that even when I didn't step into that village? Well, thanks to [Vibration Sense] and [Ultrasonic Wave], I could hear something from afar as well.
Except for that, I absorbed a lot of things this week: animals, insects, plants, and even minerals.
Well, I converted most of the skills I acquired into my power, or the essence of my power, I guess. I kept some skills useful to me, such as [Camouflage], which I got from a chameleon. Additionally, [Soundwave Perception], obtained from a bat, combined with [Air Current Sense] progressed into [Ultrasonic Wave].
A few days ago, when I explored a nearby mountain, I absorbed a lot of minerals and accidentally gained a resistance, [Heat Resistance]. Surprised by this, I decided to analyze the minerals I absorbed. After that, although I didn't know the names, I understood that the ore and iron sand I absorbed from that mountain contained sunlight energy, allowing me to gain [Heat Resistance].
Anyway, I immediately activated my [Camouflage] skill, and in that instant, my body blended into the surroundings. Approaching the village to gather information, I discovered that, as expected, the buildings featured Japanese architecture, and the villagers spoke Japanese. Regret set in as I wished I had learned Japanese during my human days. Fortunately, my exposure to anime from my old man's SSDs helped me understand Japanese to some extent.
'Since I'm in Japan, I'll try to learn from their conversation,' I thought. Surprisingly, I quickly picked up Japanese, even if it was just basic conversation. Reflecting on this, I realized I couldn't have achieved this much as a human.
Could it be because of my skills?
I had no idea, but I was glad I could learn Japanese in such a short time. More importantly, based on the information I gathered, I'm certain that I'm not in my original world anymore.
Afterward, I resumed my travels, not encountering anything extraordinary. I decided to hunt some animals or anything else while waiting for the [World Travel] cooldown.
However, that thought only lingered briefly. While on my journey, I heard a lady's scream. Assuming she might have been kidnapped by a bandit, I dashed toward the source of the scream. Upon my arrival, shock overcame me as I witnessed the reason for the lady's distress. Unfortunately, I was too late, as she already lay on the ground with blood beneath her.
Beside the lady was another figure, or I'd say, a hideous creature that caused her injuries. Though I could faintly hear her heartbeat, indicating she hadn't died yet. At that moment, I expelled water from my mouth—a water blast created with my [Water Current Control] skill. The intention was to keep the creature away from the injured lady.
After blasting away that creature, I immediately checked on the lady. However...
'Her injuries... I'm afraid I couldn't save her.'
The wound in her stomach was too deep, and I could even see her organs, provoking an inner feeling of frustration as if I could form an angry slime expression.
More importantly, was that creature an Oni? I had seen something similar in a certain anime. Yet, I wondered if the creature was the same as depicted in the anime.
Initially, I thought it was unlikely, but when I recalled that I was reincarnated as a slime in another world, I began to consider that anything was possible.
Or perhaps, there existed a reality where Oni truly existed. Given my [World Travel] skill, I pondered the possibility that I was in a different universe, or even the omniverse.
"Oi oi! Who the hell is disturbing my meal?" The oni's face looked enraged, but upon seeing my appearance, it got dumbfounded. "Huh?"
"What? Never seen a slime before?"
"It can talk?"
"I should be the one saying that!" After my retort, I released my [Sticky Thread] to bind it. However, it narrowly dodged the attack.
"What was that? What are you?" the Oni inquired. Yet, I remained silent.
My situation was precarious. As a former human, fighting with a monster body felt alien to me. Moreover, the Oni turned out to be a bit stronger than I expected.
Why did I come here again? Oh, right. I just assumed a lady was kidnapped by some bandits. I didn't expect it to be an Oni. I acted on instinct, not because I wanted to be a hero, okay? There was an inherent drive within me to save a person, even though I was late.
"Since you don't want to answer! Then, just die already!" The Oni dashed at me.
Unexpectedly, my response was, "Ah, you said it. A cannon fodder's line!"
The Oni ignored my remark and swung its arm, aiming to finish me off with its sharp fingernails.
'Chance!'
"[Exoskeleton Armour]"
Clank!
The sharp fingernails clashed against my armor, making it bounce back. I wouldn't let this chance slip away, so I used my [Sticky Thread] to wrap its body. Before it had a chance to break free from the cocoon made of my thread, I utilized my Unique Skill.
"[Predator]"
My amorphous body started to envelop the cocoon. After a short time, the cocoon vanished inside my stomach. Upon digesting it, I sensed that my strength had increased somewhat. It felt akin to gaining exp points in an RPG game after defeating a creature.
[Fast Self-Regeneration] successfully acquired.
[Combined with the previously acquired Self-Regeneration, the skill has progressed to High-Speed Regeneration].
'Oh! It seems this creature can heal itself. Fortunately, I have [Predator]. Else, it would be troublesome. Lucky me.'
Then, I gazed at the young lady in her critical condition. Tears welled up in her eyes, conveying a plea not to meet her end just yet.
She didn't seem to notice that I'm a slime. So, I spoke to her, "I can't save you. But, I might be able to grant your wish."
"Pl..ease… I…just…want to see…my family…for the…last time…"
Her voice was feeble, yet I could discern her words even in her stuttering.
"You will pass away shortly. Therefore, I can't bring you alive to your family."
"Is…that…so? Unfortunate…"
"But, I can fulfill your wish if you merely desire a final glimpse of them. However, the cost is substantial."
"Please…!"
The young lady appeared indifferent to my proposition, likely due to her imminent demise. Or perhaps, she remained oblivious to the fact that I was a monster capable of swallowing her.
Well, since she consented to my offer, I promptly used my [Predator] on her. Thanks to my Analysis, I could extract her soul and store it in my Stomach. With her soul preserved, so was her consciousness.
Yay! I can transform into a human! Hey, even though I presented the offer when she had no alternative or her awareness was hazy, this is her choice nonetheless. So, you can't blame me.
Some time after I stored her soul inside my sub-skill, Stomach, her consciousness gradually rekindled.
"Eh, where am I?"
"You're in my stomach, young lady!" I responded, not entirely fluent in Japanese. I even used the word "stomach" in English.
I said something like this, 'Kimi wa ore no stomach imasu, ojō-chan.'
'Well, screw it! Don't blame me, guys! I've just started to learn recently.'
"Err, you are? Did I die?"
"Me?" Hmmm, do I have to tell her my real name? I guess I shouldn't. Let's use an alias.
"Ore wa Aruna desu. Sō, kimigashinda physically, shikashi ore wa kimi no soul…Ano…kimi no tamashī o tasukete kimete, saigo ni saigo, kimi no kazoku o mitemoraemashita, kono oretachi no yakusoku no tōri. Kimi wa oretachi no yakusoku o oboete imasu ka?"
(I'm Aruna. And yes, you died physically, but I decided to save your…erm…your soul, and let you see your family for the last time as per our agreement. Did you remember your agreement?)
I did my best to say that in Japanese. I was a little embarrassed after saying that. I didn't know if she understood my unreliable speech. After all, I'm not fluent in Japanese. But, I hope she did.
"I see. I died, huh? But, I can't remember if I made that agreement. In the first place, how did you talk to me? I don't see you anywhere."
"Err. You didn't seem to be shocked that you died. If you don't believe me, I can show you the image when I made an offer to you." I was somewhat puzzled by her lack of reaction.
"No need. I knew I would die the moment I met the Oni. So, it doesn't matter whether I made an agreement or not."
"I see. So, that was an Oni, huh? As for how I could talk to you, you can say I used telepathy. Since you're in my stomach, I can converse with you anytime."
"By the way, I've been wanting to ask for a while. You said I'm in your stomach right now. What do you mean? What sorcery did you use to talk to me even after I died? Or, are you an Oni too? But, you seemed unfamiliar with the Oni," the lady asked me.
Well, something like this might be unbelievable for me too when I was still a Hunter, let alone an ordinary girl.
"I'm not an Oni. I'm a slime." But then, I wondered if people in this era knew about slime. "Do you know what slime is?"
"What is it?"
"You can say that slime is a monster. If you still don't understand, let me show you my appearance." Then, I projected an image inside my stomach, based on my memory when I saw my reflection on the water surface.
"Eh… What is that? Is that the so-called slime? Isn't it cute? And you can talk as well. Ah, I can't be surprised anymore after I die."
"Yep, that's me. By the way, I wanted to say thanks to you. Also, what should I call you?"
"You can call me Sayu." Sayu seemed eager to speak more, but I interrupted her.
"Sayunara?"
"It's not! Sayu! Just Sayu!"
"Okay, Just Sayu."
"..."
I chuckled and then said, "Alright, alright. Actually, thanks to your body, I can transform into a human now. With that, I can approach your home without sneaking around."
Since she had died, I didn't need to worry about her leaking my secret.
"Transform into a human? Because of my body?" Sayu asked.
"Yep. You can say that I'm a monster who can mimic living things I've eaten. I can transform into a spider, eagle, bat, etc. And since I can transform into a human form just now, that means your body is the first human body I've eaten."
"You ate my body?" She shrieked.
"I can basically consume anything. But, I only consumed your body based on our agreement. I didn't force you."
"Yeah, but you took advantage of me."
"Can't be helped, right? I also want to be human. But, I can't just consume humans at will..." After a short pause, I continued, "Well, let's get going. Tell me the direction of your home. I'll show you the outside through my vision."
"Okay. Somehow, a lot of weird things popped up one after another after I died. Sigh."
In fact, my conversation with her wasn't that smooth due to the language barrier. However, she somehow understood everything I conveyed. Despite not knowing some Japanese words, I grasped the essence of what she said, allowing our conversation to flow normally.
On the way to Sayu's home, I transformed into a human. As for the clothes, I analyzed the kimono I absorbed alongside Sayu's body and recreated it using my thread. I examined my lower body, then suddenly kneeled as I felt a loss of strength.
'My John-son is gone!' :'(
I didn't even have a gender to begin with. Judging by my height, I could tell that I'm short and my silver-blue hair reaching below my shoulders. Since tonight appeared to be a full moon, I reflected on my appearance in the water nearby.
'What the… I'm so cute… A beautiful boy? Or a handsome girl? Hell, I can't even tell the difference!'
My appearance is a blend of female and male traits. Given that I have no gender, whether I appear handsome, cute, or beautiful doesn't matter.
Oddly, considering I consumed Sayu's body, should my human form resemble hers? From my perspective, though, it didn't seem to be the case. The only trait I got from her was my eyebrows. How is that possible? And my red eyes, how unusual. Can't complain, though. My eyes are so pretty.
By the way, I inquired with Sayu about the current era. It appears to be called the Taisho period or something. I don't know the specific year. After a few questions, I was surprised to learn that the current Earth was already in the 19th century. The reason for my surprise was the backward state of technology.
After hearing Sayu's story, I concluded that the Oni were responsible for the technological decline, not the people.
'The Oni, early 19th century, the decline in technology. If there's a demon slayer organization, does that mean…'
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