Chapter Three: First Hunt – Terror in the Abyss
The forest was alive—and it wanted him dead.
Shadows twisted unnaturally. Roots writhed like snakes beneath his body. Every sound carried intent: a snap of a branch, a low growl, the faintest hiss of breath.
Kelly—a small, translucent blue slime—felt the eyes before he saw them. They were everywhere: dozens of glimmering orbs in the mist, tracking his slightest movement.
He trembled… not from weakness, but understanding.
If I make one mistake, I die.
The Predator Emerges
The first predator was not large. But it was cunning. Its fur shimmered faintly with arcane runes, glowing like embers.
It crouched low. Muscles coiled. Eyes glowed a burning green.
Kelly froze. The forest seemed to hold its breath. Then the predator lunged.
Fang first aimed for Kelly's soft side. Kelly barely shifted, instinct guiding him. Part of his body hardened. Part flowed like liquid around the strike. The predator's runes flared. Kelly felt an energy surge against him. Not pain, but a pressure that threatened to warp his body.
This is different… he thought. Magic. It's alive.
Panic and Experimentation
The predator attacked again, faster, smarter this time. Its magical energy pulsed, forming a thin barrier around its claws, letting it strike without harm. Kelly's spikes barely grazed it.
Fear surged—cold, sharp, and raw. His slime quivered.
I can't die here. I won't.
He experimented on instinct:
Flattened and stretched along the ground like water. Split his mass into smaller tendrils, testing each strike independently. Absorbed traces of magical energy from the predator's barrier, feeling them flow through him.
The predator hissed, startled. Its attacks grew erratic—Kelly had disrupted its rhythm.
Yes… I can do this.
The Wolf Emerges
Kelly pressed further. He wrapped part of his body around the predator, pulling essence and structure into himself.
The predator screamed—not in pain, but in terror, as if it understood its form was being rewritten. Its arcane runes pulsed violently, magic flaring wildly.
Kelly's slimy body contorted, pulsing with golden divine energy. Slowly, the predator's limbs and fur reshaped. Muscles and bone twisted, magical energy coalescing into a new form.
When it was done, the predator was gone. In its place: a wolf.
Eyes glowing with faint mana, capable of detecting energy traces. Fur patterned with shimmering runes, a faint hum of magic resonates in the air. Agile, cunning, dangerous—but all under Kelly's influence.
The wolf circled him warily, sniffing, observing. Kelly exhaled—he had survived, but the terror lingered.
Horrors of the Forest
Then came the others. Shadows of larger predators moved unseen. Shapes twisted unnaturally in the mist.
A massive serpent-like creature, scales glinting with faint, corrupted light, slid silently across the roots, its fangs dripping venom that smelled like decay. Tiny, spider-like hunters skittered from trees, their eyes reflecting a strange, red glow that made Kelly's core pulse faster. Trees themselves seemed alive, roots reaching, twisting, threatening to trap any small movement.
Every creature, magical or mundane, acted in perfect coordination, as if the forest itself were conspiring to kill him.
Fear gripped him.
I am small. I am weak. I am prey.
And yet, instinct whispered:
Adapt. Absorb. Transform.
Kelly's slime pulsed, spikes hardening, body shifting constantly. Every attack taught him something. Every brush of claw or fang forced him to change. His form flickered between liquid, solid, and jagged spikes, his golden divine aura flaring in warning.
Gate Disturbance Intensifies
From above, faint light pulsed. The Gate, once distant, shimmered violently. The forest itself responded:
Predators became more aggressive and more erratic. Minor magical distortions warped roots and mist, creating illusions. Creatures mutated slightly—extra claws, glowing eyes, ethereal wings—signs of corruption seeping in.
Kelly felt the pulse in his slimy body. Something is coming.
The wolf growled, sensing danger. Kelly mirrored it—his instincts screaming. The forest was no longer just alive. It was a predator itself.
Aftermath of the Hunt
By the time the night fell fully, Kelly had survived:
One predator was absorbed and transformed into a magical wolf companion. Countless minor attackers evaded, fleeing after testing him. The forest itself had tested him relentlessly, leaving marks and scratches on his body, which he absorbed instinctively.
He floated on a moss-covered root, exhausted. Fear still coursed through him, but he understood something crucial:
Fear was information. Danger was training. Adaptation was power.
And above all, realized:
In the Monster Continent, nothing waits for weakness. Not even the forest.