On the plain between the Twilight City and the Holy City, a battle that the wanderers call a Raid is taking place. The [Sun Eater] can devour all forms of energy such as magic and aura, so the most effective strategy is to use divine power. The focus of the battle is centred around the Old Paladins who was petrified in time.
The Raid has one winning conditions that is to hold the creature down until the banishment spell is ready. The objective isn't too difficult with the creature's lack of intelligence and the strength of the paladins. but there is also a separate timer for reasons unknown.
Hidden within the chaotic battlefield is a cocoon of swirling colours centred around violet and rust. Anyone familiar with the colours can tell it is the Pandemonium Slime Lily, undergoing metamorphosis.
'I wish to live.'
That was my first set of coherent thought.
Slimes are not born with sentience, and they don't naturally gain sentience in their life. Their intelligence caps at the level of 3 year old human no matter how experienced and emotionally developed they are. One exception to this is to break into the Legend rank, by reaching level 10 in a skill.
Of the ten levels of each skill, level 1 to 5 is the White Rank, level 6 to 8 is the Elite Rank, level 9 is the Master Rank and level 10 is the Legend Rank.
Realistically, level 8 is the peak for mortals. White Rank is a process of learning the basics while training and conditioning ones body for their future path. Knights and warriors will train their body to be more suited to wield their weapon in the way they want, while mages attune their body to the elements and increase their affinity with mana. It is a stage where the theory of brute force reigns supreme. Improving basic stats shows greater result than technique.
Elites are those who has trained their body to the limit and will have little to gain by continuing. It is the stage where techniques are introduced in earnest, and they will study techniques and spells and hone them to the extreme. Before they are only exposed to the basics of martial arts or spell casting, now they delve into the depths and competes with the mastery over their power.
After this point there is no realistic ways to get stronger. Having trained the body to the limit and honed the techniques to the extreme, what's required to enter the next stage is a powerful sense of 'self'. Master is a bridging rank to the Legend rank. By collating all of one's life experiences, they find who they are, who they want to be, forms a powerful conviction and ignites their soul.
Therefore, becoming a Legend needs a clear answer to oneself. The answer will be unique to each person and only those who finds it can draw power from their soul. This is also why no matter what race you are, becoming a legend will brings you a clear cognition of the world.
But unlike a normal case, I am also undergoing a metamorphoses. It can be considered a form of evolution, but it is more of an event to redefine my own existence as I gain sentience. It is the grace of the Gods for races that cannot make their own choices up to this point. It is an event for me to decide my future path.
[Erase Soul Contract?]
At this point… I can break free from the Soul Contract binding me.
I had never though deeply about my life, I never had the ability to do so. But now I am reminiscing everything that happened since my birth.
I was born a normal slime in the forest condensed from mana, wandering only with only touch and a faint sense of mana, not knowing where I'm going. Like any monsters born this way, I only had the instinct to eat and survive. That is until I accidentally bumped into a terrifying monster. He did not have as much mana as some entities I've seen, but when I look closer, it was impossibly refined. Looking into that mana was like staring into an abyss of stars, swallowed by its depth.
Submission was the only options. Even though I didn't know what was happening, I accepted everything without resistance for the sake of surviving.
That's how a lowly slime contracted with a Sage. All for the sake of surviving.
Then… should I continue the relationship?
His time started moving, and he has not much left. Is there any point in staying with him?
… No matter how hard I think, there is none.
I should leave him considering my survival. He has many enemies beyond my league, and I will be a target as his contracted. Leave him and hide myself, like how I hid under his basement for centuries doing menial tasks. He can no longer protect me, I will be exposed to the world. Just hide away like how I use to, living a slow and peaceful life.
Splitting my mass, building a dungeon, I learned many skills under his service, they can surely do me well.
…But then won't I just continue being a slime? Like how I was 600 years ago, weak and helpless. Running away from the slightest hint of threat.
I am certainly not weak anymore, yet I am not the only one that can now reach Legend rank, the suppressed level is now gone and more and more people will rise to power.
I could not tell then, but now I can tell, what I felt when the contract was formed was… relief.
Both his, and mine.
It is scary not being able to see the world. But it is also scary not being able to rely on anyone. In comparison dying might not be too bad, he taught me a world exists after death after all.
Ahhh. This is such a bad idea. He won't be living much longer, so isn't this contradictory? But I suppose that means I've finally become a part of this world. A world full of foolish people.
With my thoughts settling, I say my vow, words empowered by my soul.
"My name is Tekke Lily."
[Soul Contract Retained]
"Servant of the Sage of Primordial Night."
[Soul Contract Empowered]
"I will dedicate this soul to the one who opened my world and taught me the joy of companionship!"
[Metamorphoses Complete]
A crack formed in the darkness, revealing light. I step into the world and look at the Sun Eater, an entity which I ate a part of and turned me into taboo. The entity that my master could not find a way to kill.
"My first service shall be to wash away the shame of his past."
He hates that void creature after all. He will be happy to see it dead rather than banished.
Within the Goblin City, illuminated by the rising sun and lights from the surfacing magic circle…
- My name is Tekke Lily
- Servant of the Sage of Primordial Night
-I will dedicate this soul to the one who opened my world and taught me the joy of companionship!
The voice traversed thousands of miles and reached his soul.
How soothing. And what an idiot.
"Welcome to the world of fools."
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Name: Tekke Lily
Race: Cosmic Slime
Species: Shoggoth
Class: Primal Horror
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