'What WAS that? Why did it~' My thoughts were cut off as the memories of my last iteration set in. 'I died. I died within minutes of my new life! And I was completely defenseless to do anything about it.' The reality of the situation finally came to the forefront of my mind. I wasn't in some game, if I hadn't been placed into the infant body of some time godling I would have ceased to exist right then and there, that would have been it, and that realization placed a generous amount of fear into me. My panic was, however, cut short by another system message which I hadn't anticipated.
[Quest System unlocked!]
[New Quest!]
[Escape the Barbaric Existence!]
Concentrating on it brought up further information:
A Barbaric Excuse for a Living Being is trying to end your path to glory before it can even begin! What a rude fellow that is! Escape or slay the enemy and be rewarded for your ingenuity, your future depends on it.
Quest completion reward: Exp, [HIDDEN]
Penalty for failure: Death
'It used my insult in the quest description? But that was from the last life. How did it know? The description of the Eyes said that they even killed a god to keep their secrets, is the System above that?' I would have loved to ponder on the significance of this further, or even what the hidden quest reward was, but my survival was on a bit of a time limit.
I immediately got to work worming my way towards what I believed was the opposite side from which the goblin came last time, inching forward with all the speed my blobby body can propel me forward. Once again, I noticed slight parts of my body protruding outwards in the direction I was trying to move, giving me an idea that I believed was instrumental to my survival. Using most of the willpower available to me I willed the protrusion downwards, attempting to speed up my movement by pulling me forward. Initially, I failed because of how slippery I apparently was, but by investing more willpower into it I managed to shape it almost into a very poor imitation of a shovel or spoon, which gave me just enough grip to pull myself forward at a bit of a faster pace than wriggling around hopelessly.
Sadly, this epiphany came a bit too late, as the goblin made it halfway towards me before I noticed its ungodly screech that was an insult to nature itself, followed by another stab of the rusty dagger directly into the core of my being.
'Just… Half a meter more would have done it…'
'What WAS that? Why~' My memories came to me, making me immediately give up on all thoughts and will my blobby appendages into the shape I had conjured up earlier; it came easier to me now, and looked quite a bit better as well. The quest notification appeared again as well, but I willed it away as I moved with a purpose. 'Come on! Come on! Just… Gotta… Get… To THOSE GODFORSAKEN BUSHES!' Keeping the shape of my appendages was difficult, but the idea of that goblin slicing me in half once again kept me just furious enough to move on. 'A goblin! I was killed twice by the traditional level one enemy of every single game, novel and manga I have ever read! I should have sliced him in half with my mere thoughts or something for fuck's sake!'
Just as I made it into the bushes I got three notifications from the system.
[New Skill learned! Shaping 1]
[Quest Completed!]
[Level Up!]
Behind me I heard the goblin briefly looking around the clearing, grunting thrice and disappearing back into the bushes from where it came from. 'Not a very bright fellow, considering he couldn't even recognize the marks I have no doubt left on the ground as I rushed to my little hidey hole here.' But that worked out quite in my favor, and the violet leaves surrounding me gave me just enough peace of mind to investigate the notifications I got moments before.
"Status."
Name: Blobby
Level: 1
Active Title: None
Stats:
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 2
Constitution: 3
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 1
Available Points: 5
Available skills:
Slot 1: [Ouroboros 1]
Slot 2: [Shaping 1]
Slot 3: [Empty]
…
Slot 10: [Empty]
Unused skills:
None
Racial Traits:
Innate potential
'It dropped the "formerly Bobby" part of it, curious.' "I presume I can spend those points on my stats?" 'I definitely need some dexterity, I can barely move as is, even with my little shovel trick. I never liked the trope of unused skill points, so I will obviously spend them very soon. Still, I should investigate the rest of the new additions first,'
[You presume correctly. Would you like to spend them now?]
"Just a moment, show me that shaping skill, and explain why there are only ten spots while you're at it please." The text immediately changed, showing a helpful explanation in its now familiar blue hue.
[Everyone can have ten skills actively equipped and in use, any excess is moved to the available skills section. Skills cannot be switched out in the middle of combat.]
This was followed by the explanation of the shaping skill, reading the following:
Shaping 1 allows you to manipulate your body in ways which would be impossible for other lifeforms. Making shapes, weapons or limbs is all within your abilities so long as you have the skill and willpower to see it through! Note: Shaping uses up your own body and has limited volume to work with.
Level 1 feature: Basic Shaping
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
'That note makes it seem a bit more dangerous than I previously assumed. I better not shape myself to death or something.' Now that I had investigated my newfound Skill, as well as had found out about the limit of available skills I can use at one time it added another layer to consider prior to investing my points. 'I wonder whether Intelligence or Wisdom will improve my Shaping? Or does that fall within Dexterity as well? Then again, it might be entirely removed from that altogether, it did say something about willpower, which wasn't a stat to invent into. Still, I think Dexterity is my best bet for now, although…'
"System, invest four points into Dexterity and one into Constitution." 'Better safe than sorry, I want this life to last a bit longer than another dozen minutes if possible.' I immediately felt different as the power of the increased stats suffused me, I felt faster, I just knew deep down that something about me was different now, and I would make good use of that.
With my points spent, my skills gained and my first quest completed, I made the decision to move on to find my next goal. I shaped another shovel-like appendage, noting that it was much easier now than it had been before, and dragged myself out of the bush. I made sure it was in the direction opposite which I came from, and just three or four drags of it revealed me towards the world, as well as the burning village right in front of me.
'Wait, what?' My question was only met with an arrow headed right for my direction.