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***
A scrambling sound was heard from behind me, making me turn around, I was ready to chop down any intruder, but there was no one behind me. The room was empty, just like before, but...
'Master?' two slimes crawled towards me, climbing up my legs to my chest.
A rectangular passageway appeared before my eyes, where there had been a flat wall there was now a passageway with a faint light coming from it. The sisters excitedly pressed their bodies against me, forcing my attention to them. With a sigh of calm, I ran my hand over their... bodies.
'Nothing, it's just unexpected. You did good, Ram, Rem.'
The praise was accepted, and the girls gurgled with joy, curling around my chest. I, on the other hand, stared at the new passage and took a step forward.
'Master, what's that thing?' - Rem reminded me of her surprise delivery from the mimic.
'Indeed, I completely forgot about the surprise!' - I marvelled, stopping on the spot and unclenching my palm.
In my hand was a simple round locket without any designs on a thin metal chain. It looked so pale that it wasn't worthy of being called treasure.
'A trinket, nothing worthwhile...' - I waved it away.
'Hmm? Master, but it gives off mana!' - Ram exclaimed.
'Mana, you say?' - Again I examined the trinket with a new look. Hmm... the magical gaze showed nothing, nor did the astral gaze. That leaves evaluation, then.
'Evaluation!'
Medallion of the Night
Strength - 77%
Quality - normal
Material - dark wood
Value - normal
Enchantment: Night Vision
Indeed... except its value is highly questionable. Maybe for some people it would be a good purchase, but for me, being able to see in the dark as if it were daytime, it was worthless. However, since it has enchantment on it, it can be sold in the future. The locket went into the ring and I praised my sisters for their ingenuity, to which they hugged me and nearly choked me with their sudden strength. Air became scarce, though I didn't need it. But from the surprise and the fact that I was breathing out of habit, a spasm of coughing seized me.
The sisters immediately jerked their bodies away as if they had been burned and fell to the ground.
'Awawa! Master! P-excuse me!'
'I'm sorry, master! Rem didn't mean to hurt master!' - They said in unison as they pressed their bodies against my legs and began apologising frantically, fountaining emotions of remorse.
- Finally, coughing and patting myself on the chest, I grabbed them both and lifted them to the level of my head. The sisters fell silent, preparing for something. I noted to myself that they were light. Actually, I had no need to scold them, and they were already blaming themselves.
'It's okay, but you should clench me less roughly... with your outgrowths, okay?' - I said softly, returning them to my chest.
They said with surprise and some hope:
'Y-you're not angry? Master...' - I nodded mentally, conveying confidence in my choice. The sisters cautiously pressed themselves against me, wrapping their outgrowth - tentacles - around my back and chest, and afterwards both of them said with relief:
'Please take care of us, master!'
In response, I stroked them both and threw an appraisal.
Ram is a magical slime
Danger Level - Medium
Attitude towards you: Love, Affection, Leader, Wants to get closer, Favourite yummy treats
Relationship to Rem: Sibling, Affection, Junior.
Jump-5, Metamorphosis-8, Digestion-7, Omnivore-7, Absorption-16, Physical Damage Resistance-7, Magic Damage Resistance-5, Healing-5
Monster's progression to a new evolution is 45%.
Strength - C
Dexterity - B+
Stamina - S+
Intelligence - B++
Rem is a magical slime.
Danger Level - Medium
Attitude towards you: Love, Affection, Leader, Admiration, Favourite Tasty.
Attitude towards Ram: Mate, Obedience, Elder.
Leap-5, Metamorphosis-7, Digestion-8, Omnivore-9, Absorption-13, Physical Damage Resistance-8, Magic Damage Resistance-4
Monster's progression to the new evolution is 44%.
Strength - C
Dexterity - A+
Stamina - S+
Intelligence - B++
Noting to myself their increased strength and 'favourite goodie', I put on some of my armour and moved towards the new passage, and stopped, peering ahead. Ahead was a long corridor three metres wide that ended with a turn in the sides. And its walls... were clearly man-made, apart from the roots on the walls and ceiling, everything looked strange - I looked round them, noticing the pale stones with a method of fixing them that I didn't understand. The stone lay differently, and the seams themselves were almost imperceptible.
Actually, the new path was unexpected, but not so shocking. I was even glad that the trap was just a mimic, but I didn't touch the pedestal and wanted to get out of this room as soon as possible, but there was a new passage, but there was no door.
I could, of course, try to get out through the gap, where I came from, I even looked there and noticed a big spider and heard the stomping of paws, as well as the sounds of hissing. Which completely discouraged all desire to climb in, like some kamikaze with a shahid's belt.
By the way, there's no spiders' shahids. Which means that I won't get any more experience, and it took me a long time to gain it. I looked around the room, but I didn't see anything. It was dangerous to check with my hands.
Well, there was nothing left for me to do but to go into the unknown. But first, it's worth clarifying something to my sisters.
'Ram, Rem, you can't touch the goodie now, you're obedient girls, right?' - I said with a smile, stepping over the threshold into a new passage.
'Master! Your words are inviolable to us!' - sang out Ram with eagerness and pride.
'Of course, master! Your goody-goody must build up her strength! Otherwise, Ram couldn't taste anything at all!'
'Rem!' - Ram resented, to which her sister giggled merrily.....
'That's okay, I'm glad you're worried...'
'H-master! We love you! - They enthusiastically huddled together again.
***
The passage was small and soon I peered round the corner and saw two branches in different directions. One led further ahead, the other to the right. There were no enemies nearby, but I kept my sword drawn, even though I was walking relaxed, like a newcomer eager to discover something new. I was partly that, but what set me apart from the novice was my readiness to attack. Although there was no sign of the latter, it was all too suspicious.
Given the slight downward curvature of the path, which played so much on my sense of balance, I walked lower and lower. I'm not sure what depth I'm at right now, but the air here isn't stale....
Which is weird. Maybe there's a ventilation system in here, but I didn't see it. Well, it doesn't matter.
Hmm... which way should I go? Turn round to the side, or further forward? Considering that danger could be waiting for me there and there, I didn't have much choice. For a second I even had the urge to go back to the cleft, but....
Like magic, the passage disappeared! Yes, yes, when I went back, I didn't see the passage. There was a flat wall! I even evaluated it, just in case.
Wall
Strength - 98%
Quality - normal
Material - stone
Value - ordinary.
No, I wasn't scared of the danger, and even... a bit glad, because where there is danger, there is experience and reward, but I had to check everything, and I did, fully convinced that this was a labyrinth or a dungeon. Whatever you want to call it.
Actually, I checked the other walls as well, but they weren't particularly different from the previous wall. Somewhere there was a different material, somewhere there was a different quality and value. As a matter of fact, nothing unusual, apart from that magical wall-door.
'Ram, Rem, you were talking about the smell of mana, can you smell anything?' - I asked the sisters before choosing a direction. I could have chosen it myself, but I wasn't alone.
The girls hesitated a moment.
'I'm sorry master, but we can't feel normally when we're around you. You drown out everything... sorry. But if you want, we can check!' - Ram replied animatedly.
'Master! I can test it! Give me a chance and you won't regret it!' - Ram squealed with anticipation.
'Hmmm...good, then climb on your shoulders and hold on tight. Warn me of anything suspicious!'
When I took off my armour, the girls cheerfully climbed up the sides of my shoulders. And if you put it that way, I looked like a three-headed man. Hopefully I wouldn't regret it.
'Feel anything?' - I asked, peering down the two aisles.
To which Ram mournfully uttered:
'I am sorry, Master, but even so you are drowning out my sense of smell. All around us... walls and all, more I know not...'
'Nothing, and what you said is enough.'
The girls hesitated. So did I. One could, of course, let one of them scout ahead, but I didn't want to risk it. Besides, I remembered how the passage to the hidden room had disappeared. What if it's the same here? I wasn't sure I could break through the wall without causing a possible collapse.
While I was thinking about it, Rem ran her tentacle along the wall and shuddered.
'Master, would you allow me to check the front passage?'
'I can't let you take that risk, but did you feel something?' - I glanced forward doubtfully, not noticing nothing of the sort. Just a normal passageway that wrapped round to the side.
'I'm not sure, but maybe there are living things in there.'
О! That's something already.
'If there's someone alive in there, let's look in there. By the way, can you fight with your offshoot?'
To which the sisters confidently demonstrated to me that they could by quickly waving their tenacles in front of my face, and then showed me the very striking element of their weapon, the pointed end of the tenacles.
'Master! Our abilities are capable of many things! If your enemies come near you, they will make a hole!' - Rem declared solemnly, almost proudly.