ONE WEEK AGO

The earth shook as the stalactites hanging from the ceiling rattled like alarm bells. Kazil muttered an incantation, and a ritual circle glowed. At its center, a small pool of liquid jolted.

A piece of a soul. Untainted. That’s all I need.

Kazil closed his eyes, reaching into another universe. A blue planet, very much unlike this world. It was like tugging a single piece of loose thread from the sleeve of a shirt— or taking a snip of hair from an unknowing girl. He wove it into the body, infusing it with life.

The ritual circle dimmed. The transparent liquid pulsed gently as he picked it up, somehow maintaining its spherical shape. It was barely larger than an infant. He could see it filling with color, turning to a translucent purple as its body lolled back. The soft thrumming of water was all that filled the room for a moment.

“It’s done,” he whispered.

And the barrier collapsed. An explosion resounded. The entrance to Kazil’s lair was blown open. He hurriedly ran to the small stream that cut through the cavern. Running a hand over the sleeping creature one last time, he placed it back down on an open piece of parchment.

“Go, Violet,” Kazil said. “Live, child. Your species cannot be driven to extinction. Not again.”

He watched as the runes inscribed on the scroll glowed brightly, overcome by powerful magic, before the body disappeared. The parchment burned up, leaving nothing behind but ash. Behind him, his pursuers appeared. Three of them, dressed in a black armor, melded with splashes of a dark crimson. They wore an emblem on each of their chests. Golden roots of a glorious tree.

“Where is it?” the first Dark Elf asked.

“The Onyx Vanguard, Zoreth,” Kazil greeted him. “You’re too late. The ritual is complete, and the subject has escaped. Tell your God King that you’ve failed.”

Zoreth crossed his arms. “Hrmph, if you think we’ll be leaving this place empty-handed, Necromancer, you are very much mistaken.”

“Yes,” the second man said, nodding. “Because we’ll be taking you with us.”

“That’s right. We’ll—” Zoreth started.

But the second man continued. “And when we capture you, you’ll wish we killed you instead.”

“Right, and—”

“Since we’ll be torturing you for information.”

“Uh, yes, Brim.” Zoreth stared at his companion. “Anyway—”

“For information about the ritual that only you know.”

Zoreth pursed his lips. He waited for Brim to continue. When Brim said nothing, Zoreth opened his mouth. “W—”

“The ritual which brought an Arcslime back to life.”

“...”

“Because you are a Necromancer, and Arcslimes are evil!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Zoreth sighed. “Just do your job already, Brim.”

Kazil spread his arms wide as a black energy permeated around him. “You will not be taking me today!” he bellowed.

And they took him that day.

* * *

PRESENT DAY

“I have absolutely no idea,” I said as Fissyah and Gort gaped.

The girl took a step forward. “What do you mean you have no idea? You just… suddenly woke up in another world?”

I raised an appendage, correcting her. “I suddenly woke up in another world as a Slime, yes.”

“You mean to say you weren’t a Slime in your world?” Gort ran a hand through his scraggly beard.

“Yeah.”

“Interesting,” he said, placing a hand on his chin. “Then what were you before… this?”

“I was a Human. A young woman— about twenty years old, maybe? Honestly, I can’t really remember the exact details.” Whenever I tried to recall specifics, my head would hurt. So, it was all really just broad strokes of information. “I think I had blonde hair, too. And my favorite kind of drink was a pumpkin spice latte! Also, I had a dog named Daisy and… wait, maybe she was my roommate’s…”

It felt like I should know these things, but I just didn’t. Everything was muddled together into a mix of if’s and maybe’s.

Gort furrowed his brows. “A Human, huh?”

“Yeah, do you have Humans in this world too?”

“No. This is the first time I’ve heard of the word.”

I stared at him. “Why did you say it like, ‘A Human, huh?’, then?”

“It is an interesting word. Human. I’d be interested in seeing what one looks like.” He shook his head. “This is a lot you’re telling us, Violet. Too much at once, I’d say.” He chuckled, although it was clear he meant it.

“Wait, Chieftain,” Fissyah protested, speaking for the first time in a while. “You can’t seriously just believe her, can you?”

“Why not? Does she have a reason to lie?” Gort glanced over at me, then turned to the girl.

“N-no, it’s just…”

“It’s a lot to take in, yes.” He hobbled over to her and placed a hand on her head. “But she helped save both you and your uncle. And she protected this village, too. After doing all that, do you really not trust her?”

Her eyes widened. “I-I—” She bit her lower lip and hung her head. “Y-you’re right. I’m sorry, Violet.”

“Oh, it’s fine! I don’t really take offense to that. I wouldn’t trust me too if I was in your shoes.”

For whatever reason, that only made the girl avert her gaze. Gort patted her on the head.

“Now, Fissyah, run along. I’m sure your father wouldn’t want you to leave his sight after all that’s happened today.”

“R-right.” She started out of the hut, but he stopped her.

“But before you go,” the Goblin Chieftain said, raising a finger to his lips, “do not tell anyone of what you heard just now.”

“Wait, do we really need to keep it a secret?” I asked, puzzled. “I don’t mind if others find out. It won’t really impact me, you know?”

Gort nodded. “Perhaps that is the case. But we don’t want to spread unnecessary rumors, do we?”

“Is it really any more outlandish than seeing a talking Slime kill a bunch of Dark Elf soldiers trying to cause a fuss?”

“We do not want to add fuel to the fire.” He held Fissyah’s gaze. “If word of this spreads far enough and reaches the God King himself, then he may send his troops to apprehend Violet. You do not want to repay her kindness with such a punishment, do you, Fissyah?”

“No,” she said, pursing her lips.

He smiled. “I trust that you’ll keep your word.” With that, he ushered her out of the hut, leaving only me in the room with him.

I gave him a curious look. “Why would this God King come after me just because I’m from another world?”

“God King Chare is a selfish and whimsical man,” Gort explained, sitting back down and picking up his spilt bowl. “If he hears of a monster killing a few of his men, he wouldn’t particularly care. But if he hears of a monster from another world killing his men, then his interest would be piqued. Whatever you do, you do not want to draw his attention or ire.”

“Is he really that dangerous?”

A melancholic expression passed through the Goblin Chieftain’s face. He lowered the bowl, speaking in a low voice.

“Yes.”

“Well, I better stay clear of him then, shouldn’t I?” I laughed, shaking my head (body). “Ohhhhh, who am I kidding. He’s going to find out about me anyways, isn’t he?”.

That just meant that I had to leave these caves as soon as possible. But Gort had never even seen the sun. He wouldn’t know where to begin searching.

“I may not be much help for you, Violet,” he said, filling his bowl with more stew. “But I can at least answer your questions. After all, I’m sure you have many, don’t you?”

“I do!” I nodded eagerly.

“Well, let’s hear it. Do you wish to know more about the Roots of Drasel? About the Dark Empire? What about the different species that live in the Hollowdark?” He waited as I thought about it for a moment.

“Alright,” I finally said, “first question—”

I gestured at his bowl.

“What does that taste like?”

* * *

I forgot, I couldn’t consume liquids. I could only absorb the chunky bits of the stew, and that tasted horrible. Well, other than finding out that I probably could never drink pumpkin spice latte again, I also learned a myriad of other things.

For example, while I was special in having [Appraisal] as a Skill, everyone else could see the same screens and popups I saw. Although, what exactly they saw differed, with each individual having their own flourish to it to match them as a person.

And backtracking to Skills, I was also quite special in having two Skills even after hitting Level 10. They’d gain one or two Passive Skills once they reached that threshold, just like me, but regular, active Skills like Ebsu’s [Power Strike] or my [Arc Shot]? Those were hard to learn.

“So, when you hit Level 10, everyone gets a big boost?” I asked to confirm.

“You unlock a new threshold of power, yes,” Gort said.

“And that’s how you guys become… Hobgoblins?”

“No.” He picked up his bowl. “Only a few select species are able to undergo evolutions. We Goblins are one of them. And an evolution can occur at any moment, as long as certain criteria are met.”

“And what is this criteria for Goblins?”

“To become a Hobgoblin, you have to focus mostly on your [Power] over all else. You see, we Goblins are a… weaker race. Our abilities are naturally lesser than that of others. But if a Goblin grows in strength and evolves to a Hobgoblin, we can even overpower Orcs of the same level.”

Wait, so you can just workout a little bit as a Goblin and suddenly you’re Mr Olympia? That seemed kind of unfair. But useful.

I wondered if Arcslimes could evolve— not that I’d even know what criteria was necessary to hit. By the sounds of it, the criteria were often very arbitrary. The only reason Goblins knew how to evolve into Hobgoblins was because it was long-since recorded in history.

When I used [Appraisal] on Gort earlier, I saw him only as a Goblin. He had his reasons, but he wasn’t keen on becoming anything but a regular Goblin.

Also, on the topic of [Appraisal], while it let me see someone’s basic Status, it wouldn’t allow me to see their full Status with Skills and Passive Skills and more. Such a thing was possible with certain artifacts— tools that were enchanted with magic to create a specific effect.

“Magic?” I asked, deep in thought. “So, magic is really a thing here.”

“Ah, you mentioned that it didn’t exist in yours, didn’t you?” Gort said as he slurped on his stew.

“It exists… only in concept. Like, there are games and movies where they exist. But they don’t actually exist in reality, you know?”

“No, I really don’t know.”

It was a really long conversation— a clash of two worlds, honestly. Gort was interested in learning more about my world, too.

“A world where only a single species of people exist? That sounds like paradise.”

“Well, you’d think that, but you see… Humans are idiots.” I couldn’t explain it any more succinctly than that.

“All peoples of all species have their faults. Truly. If one species were infallible, then they’d be worshipped as gods.”

“I guess…” I trailed off. “So, are there gods in this world?”

“We all have our own… guardian deities. Religions. Beliefs. Or at least, we used to, until the Dark Empire was formed. But there is only one true God in this world.”

Wait, if there was only one true God, what were the other gods? Fake gods?

“Drasel,” Gort said, glancing out of his hut. “That which gives us life. That which gives us magic and power. The ability to fend off against monsters and protect our loved ones.”

He stood up and spread his arms wide.

“The World Tree.”

I watched as he reverently cast his gaze up… at the ceiling.

“It is the very foundation of Yige,” he continued. (Yige was apparently the name of this world.) “All souls come from It and will return to It in death. The levels you are bestowed upon your birth is proof of Its blessing. It forms the underlying system of this world: the Words of Drasel.”

“Neat,” I said.

The Goblin Chieftain shook his head.

“Perhaps it is hard for you to understand. As a monster, you are partially made of magic. It is your essence to have the arcane within you. But for us, such things are out of our grasp. We are unable to conjure fire from our hearts alone. Instead, we draw from what’s around us. The mana that pervades the air. With it, even if we aren’t magical creatures, we can even create… magic.”

He held up a hand, and flames burst into existence at his palm. I watched as the flickering fire danced for a moment, before he snuffed it out.

“That is all thanks to Drasel. Our God.” He bowed his head, and I stared.

“Neat!” I repeated myself.

It was odd to know that there really was such a thing as a God, and it was literally just a tree. If I used [Appraisal] on it… or It, or whatever, would I just get, [World Tree - It is a tree that is of the world,] or something stupid as well?

I grew annoyed just from that imaginary scenario. Fortunately, when I pulled up my Status, I saw that my wasted Arcane Essence from earlier had been restored thanks to [Arcane Restoration].

 

Name: Violet [Level 10]
Species: Arcslime
Combat Power: 300
Arcane Essence: 300/300
Skills:
[Appraisal - 10 Arcane Essence]
[Arc Shot - 20 Arcane Essence]
Passive Skills:
[Arcane Restoration - You restore 10 Arcane Essence for every ten minutes of rest.]
[Improved Absorption - You replenish an additional 50% of Arcane Essence from consuming bodies.]
[Morph Shape - Your body can take on complex shapes.]

 

Gort wrapped up the discussion by giving me advice on how to proceed. I wanted to leave the Hollowdark— this underground place— and while he couldn’t help me with that, he knew how to navigate the Dark Empire.

“I believe it would be best for you to keep a low profile from now on, Violet,” the Goblin Chieftain said with a hand on his chin. “Whatever you want to do, you don’t want God King Chare to discover your existence. I will ensure that word of you never leaves this village, but you cannot be certain that others will be so kind.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I have [Morph Shape] now, don’t I?” I beamed. “I can disguise myself so no one will know that I’m a Slime!”

“Really? That is quite amazing, Violet.”

“Yeah, just watch—” I wriggled my body around, changing it so that it would take the figure of a Goblin. I stretched to about three four in height and began to refine my shape— only to collapse onto myself.

Gort frowned. “I don’t know about you, but you don’t look anything like a Goblin to me.”

“I noticed!”

Why? I frantically tried to take the shape of a Goblin again, and this time, I was successful. But the moment I took a step, my body blobbified itself again. [Morph Shape] says it can take on complex shapes! Although, it didn’t mention anything about how complex or how long it could be maintained…

Sighing, I gave up for now and turned to the amused Gort. “I’ll figure it out next time.”

He smiled. “You don’t need to leave right now, Violet. Know that you are welcome to stay in Korukh for as long as you want, and that we will welcome you as a guest whenever you wish to return.”

“Thank you, Gort.” I was genuinely grateful for all the help he gave me. “But I don’t think I’ll be staying for long.”

I hopped out of his hut, waving goodbye and considering my options. I didn’t think there really was a reason for me to stay here any longer, but I also didn’t have a destination in mind. I wanted to maybe ask around— speak with Dyrx or Szen. Maybe they might’ve known something the Goblin Chieftain didn’t.

But the village was… empty. No— it was emptying. I watched as Goblins yawned and headed back into their huts. Was it already nighttime? That was fast. Everyone was going to sleep, but it felt like they’d just been up and working no more than an hour ago.

I didn’t feel sleepy, either. Although, I hadn’t felt like falling asleep since I’d woken up at that lake. And I’d been awake for, like, a whole day straight! Maybe it was longer than that, but again, it didn’t feel like much time had passed.

I lazily slid around the village as everyone went to sleep. Well, that delays my plans to leave as soon as possible.

I returned to Gort’s hut to wait out the ‘night’, but he was sleeping too!

“Maybe I should just leave now,” I murmured as I brought myself to the edge of Korukh. “I mean, it’s not like Dyrx, meathead Mr Olympia, would know more than the wise village Chieftain, right?”

I paused right outside of the village, weighing my options. However, my mind couldn’t help but stray to other topics.

So, this world doesn’t have Humans… I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. There were Elves, Dwarfs, Gnomes, Beastkin, and a whole lot of other races in the overworld. But no Humans.

“I wonder if regular Elves really were unparalleled beauties?” I could imagine it. He’d have a slender figure, long hair, and gorgeous eyes. Staring into those gems would be like staring into the ocean, a whirlpool of—

“Violet!” a voice called out, interrupting my daydream.

“Wha— did I fall asleep?” I sputtered as I jolted in surprise.

Nope, I was still awake. Just lost in thought.

I glanced around, before my gaze landed on the small figure. A Goblin that was tinier than all the others. A little girl.

“Fissyah?” I stared at her as she took a step towards me.

She took in a deep breath and placed a hand on her chest.

“Please, I need your help,” she said. “Or the village will be destroyed.”