Chapter 2: Talent Awakened
Kai's heart raced as he stared at the elongated shadow on the ground. His body tensed, ready for the impending danger. In a blur of motion, a dark figure burst from the bushes, lunging straight at him.
Without thinking, Kai's body moved on its own. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the attacker. Surprised by his own quick reflexes, Kai regained his composure and turned to face his assailant.
His eyes widened. It wasn't human—it was a creature straight out of a fantasy book. A bipedal rabbit with a gleaming copper horn protruding from its head stood before him, its sharp claws glinting in the fading light.
"A Fleethorn," Kai whispered, recognizing the monster from his research on local wildlife.
The creature's red eyes locked onto Kai, its muscles coiled and ready to strike. Kai's mind raced, recalling the information he'd read:
*Fleethorn: Rabbit-sized, bipedal, with sharp claws and a small horn. Aggressive, territorial, and often found in packs. Known for their speed and agility, they frequently ambush unsuspecting travelers in forested areas.*
Before Kai could formulate a plan, the Fleethorn pounced again. In a flash, Kai pulled out the pocket knife he'd brought for protection. With uncanny reflexes, he parried the creature's claws, sending it stumbling backward.
But the victory was short-lived. The force of the impact sent the knife flying from Kai's grip, leaving him defenseless.
"No!" Kai exclaimed, watching his only weapon disappear into the underbrush.
*Crap,* Kai thought, his heart pounding. Without his only weapon, he knew he had to run. There was no way he could take on this monster barehanded.
Kai bolted through the trees, zigzagging between trunks in hopes of losing his pursuer. To his surprise, he found himself maintaining a swift pace without tiring. It seemed his stamina had somehow improved overnight.
"How am I not exhausted yet?" Kai muttered to himself as he ran.
Just as he started to feel confident about outrunning the Fleethorn, Kai heard a whoosh of air behind him. He turned his head, only to see the creature midair, its horn aimed straight at his back.
Time seemed to slow. Kai's face paled as he realized there was no way to dodge. *This is it,* he thought, bracing for the impact.
But the pain never came.
Kai opened his eyes, bewildered. He looked down at his chest, where the Fleethorn's horn should have pierced him. Instead, he saw a hole in his shirt, and where his flesh should have been, there was a strange, blue, gelatinous substance.
"What the—" Kai gasped, watching in amazement as the gooey material quickly closed the gap, returning to the appearance of normal human skin.
He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, as if he'd just run a marathon. Suddenly, a flood of information surged into Kai's mind. Knowledge he shouldn't have possessed filled his thoughts, as if it had always been there.
"Slime abilities?" Kai muttered, staring at his hands in disbelief. "I have the characteristics of a slime?"
The Fleethorn, equally surprised by the failed attack, stood a few paces away. Its red eyes glinted dangerously as it prepared for another assault.
This time, instead of running, Kai faced the creature head-on. As the Fleethorn charged, Kai stretched out his right hand. In an instant, his arm transformed into a translucent blue tentacle, wrapping around the startled monster.
"Whoa!" Kai exclaimed, shocked by his own transformation.
The Fleethorn let out a high-pitched squeal, struggling against Kai's grip. But Kai felt a primal urge coursing through him—an instinct to consume.
Without hesitation, Kai's gelatinous form enveloped the Fleethorn. The creature's struggles weakened as Kai's body broke it down with an innate acidic property he didn't know he possessed.
A warm sensation spread through Kai's body as he absorbed the Fleethorn. He felt his senses sharpen and his strength increase slightly.
"Did I just get stronger?" Kai wondered aloud, examining his now-normal-looking arm. "This is incredible... and terrifying."
Questions swirled in Kai's mind, but he pushed them aside for the moment. He needed to get back to his shelter on the mountaintop. Although he'd survived this encounter, he wasn't confident about facing multiple Fleethorns at once.
As Kai made his way back to his worn-down hut, he realized how late it had gotten. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten to buy food. Strangely, despite the day's events, he still felt energized.
Even so, Kai decided to call it a night. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but feel that this was just the beginning of his adventures in this new world.
The next morning, Kai dedicated himself to exploring his newfound abilities. He stood in front of a cracked mirror he'd found in the hut, examining his reflection closely.
"Okay, let's see what I can do," Kai said to himself, taking a deep breath.
He focused on his right arm, willing it to change. Slowly, his skin began to shimmer, taking on a translucent blue hue. Within seconds, his entire arm had transformed into a gelatinous tentacle.
"Incredible," Kai breathed, watching as the tentacle moved at his command. He noticed that while in this form, he could stretch his limb far beyond its normal length.
Next, Kai attempted to transform his entire body. He closed his eyes, concentrating hard. His skin tingled all over, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a blue, humanoid figure made entirely of slime staring back at him from the mirror.
"I look like something out of a sci-fi movie," Kai chuckled, admiring his new form. However, he quickly realized that while he could transform into a slime-like being, he couldn't become a full blob like the slimes in fantasy games and novels.
Curious about his regenerative abilities, Kai cautiously experimented. He transformed his left hand into slime and used his right hand to cut off a small portion. To his amazement, the missing part quickly regenerated.
"So I can heal myself," Kai mused, "but it takes energy... or Luminia, as this new knowledge in my head calls it."
As he continued to explore his powers, Kai discovered that he could alter his slime form in various ways. He could create simple shapes like spikes or shields, and even change his color slightly, though blue remained the dominant hue.
"I wonder if I can use this for camouflage," Kai pondered, trying to match the color of the wooden wall. He managed to achieve a bluish-brown tone, but perfect mimicry seemed beyond his current abilities.
But the most intriguing discovery was his new ability to temporarily boost his speed, similar to the Fleethorn's explosive bursts. Kai realized this power must have come from devouring the creature.
"So I can gain abilities from what I absorb?" Kai said to himself, his mind racing with possibilities. "But what are the limits? And is it safe to absorb just anything?"
Curious about the extent of his devouring ability, Kai spent the morning experimenting on small insects around his hut. While he felt a slight warmth each time he absorbed one, he didn't gain any new abilities.
"Looks like I need to absorb something more substantial to gain noticeable abilities," Kai concluded. "But I should be careful. Who knows what might happen if I absorb the wrong thing."
As he practiced, Kai also discovered that he could extrude a sticky, rope-like substance from his body when in slime form. "This could be useful for climbing or catching things," he mused, swinging the slime rope around like a lasso.
After his morning of experimentation, Kai decided it was time to return to Tuatha Town. He needed to find a way to survive in this world, and he had a plan forming in his mind.
Back in town, Kai used the last of his coins to buy a cheap set of clothes and some dried rations. Now penniless but determined, he stood before an imposing three-story building. A large sign above the entrance read:
***Questseekers Union!***
Kai recalled what he'd learned about this organization from Elder Edgar and the books in the library. The Questseekers Union was an open group where adventurers, travelers, and mercenaries could join to take on quests, issue their own, or purchase valuable information.
This branch in Tuatha Town was just one of many spread across the land.