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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Became a Tentacle Monster (3)
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"Gah!"
"Kyaa! O-Oppa...! What do we do!? Are you okay!?"
Drip, drip—
The man, slapped across the cheek by the Blunt Tentacle, flew slightly into the air as if struck by an iron hammer before crashing to the ground.
As he collapsed, he spat out several bloody teeth. The woman, clearly not expecting him to go down so easily, looked bewildered but supported him with a worried expression.
Whoa, that's brutal...
I was genuinely impressed by the power I'd just unleashed.
The Blunt Tentacle I'd gained at level 8 was a fearsome weapon in its own right.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Blunt Tentacle: A basic attack-form tentacle. The tip features an extremely hard striking mass. Possesses 1.1x muscle strength stat.
At the end of the tentacle extending from my body was a blunt, hammer-like mass, rock-hard and larger than an average adult man's fist.
More like two fists put together?
Honestly, when I first read the Blunt Tentacle's description, I'd thought that since it boosted stats anyway, it might as well be 1.5x. But seeing the man's reaction now, 1.1x seemed plenty.
He was completely out of it.
"Urgh... You monster bastard."
Huff, huff—
With the woman's help, the man barely staggered to his feet. He spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and took several deep breaths.
"O-Oppa... Let's just run away. Yeah? We can't beat it. Later, we can ask unnie to hunt it for us. Okay?"
"No. Hoo, that was just me letting my guard down. Heh heh, I can win. Just need to land one stab."
"Oppa..."
The woman pleaded desperately, even adding a nasal whine, but the man ignored her completely.
Hmm.
His pride as a man?
Or did he really believe that?
Ignoring her suggestion to flee, he shook off her arm and lunged at me with his knife again.
But there was no initial ferocity in his movements.
I can see it.
His legs, trembling slightly from exhaustion. Eyes rippling with fear, utterly unlike before.
And fingertips that looked spirited but clearly lacked confidence.
The man was afraid now. I could read it perfectly. Was the Detection Tentacle capable of picking up such minute tremors and emotions?
Or maybe this was just an innate ability of a Tentacle Monster.
I could truly sense the prey's state of mind.
"Raaah!"
The man let out a guttural roar.
I moved my entire body.
Adrenaline surged again. Power flooded my form. I wriggled across the ground, charging swiftly at the man.
Whoosh—!
He swung his knife blindly—it was nothing more.
I dodged it by a hair's breadth, using the momentum to precisely strike his leg this time.
Thwack—!
"Grk...!"
Not even the calf—just a direct hit to the shinbone. The pain had to be excruciating.
As his face twisted in agony, I spun the Blunt Tentacle and smashed his opposite knee.
Crack—!
"Gaaah!"
The man staggered and dropped to one knee.
He tried swinging his knife as he fell, desperately aiming for me, but it didn't come close to my range.
Land a solid hit, then retreat quickly. Wait for his breathing to falter, then strike again.
The Goddess had said she'd personally crafted this Tentacle Monster body for top performance. It wasn't an empty boast.
Every step of the fight unspooled perfectly in my mind.
A few more hits, and it's over.
Especially if I targeted the head—two strikes would end him for sure.
That would complete the hunt.
Wait... what?
End him?
The phrase echoed in my head, flashing the word 'murder' across my thoughts.
Me?
Killing a human?
Would that make me a murderer?
The doubts surfaced, but they vanished just as quickly.
No helping it.
If I was to keep living as a Tentacle Monster, clashes with humans were inevitable.
Until I spotted these two, I'd planned to live peacefully. But this incident drove the point home.
Seeing them freak out at my appearance, then draw a knife with clear killing intent...
Humans and I could never mix.
Especially when their murderous aura ignited my instincts, filling me with the urge to rip them apart. I knew this wouldn't be the last conflict.
I could spare him now.
Let them go, flee back into the forest.
It might resolve peacefully this time, but there was no guarantee the next foes would be this manageable.
Eventually, constant clashes would force me to kill.
Could I hesitate then, when it mattered most?
Besides, their conversation alone was dangerous.
The woman had said to him:
— O-Oppa... Let's just run away. Yeah? We can't beat it. Later, we can ask unnie to hunt it for us. Okay?
Unnie and hunting.
Their earlier talk mentioned an unnie too. She'd called her an 'adventurer'.
So this world the Goddess sent me to... it's probably like the previous game.
I'd been about to play a Tzukkur game when I got pulled here.
That game was the sequel—I'd earned play access as a tester by breaking the highest achievement score in the prequel.
The prequel was a yuri adventure starring a busty, stunning lesbian adventurer protagonist. She forms her own adventurer clan, grows stronger, and eventually assembles the ultimate yuri party to adventure across the world.
The illustrations were top-tier, the H-scenes steamy—it was a huge hit.
But the difficulty was hellish.
In games like that, losing a single battle meant getting ravaged by monsters or other adventurers/bandits routinely.
And in the prequel, the protagonist was a lesbian virgin fetishist. For the true ending, not only her but all 20+ women in her yuri party clan had to stay virgins—no losses allowed, ever.
Then it capped off with a 25P orgy.
What a satisfying game...
No, focus—not the time.
Anyway, those 'adventurers' from the prequel.
They traveled the world, delved into dungeons, took on quests.
Living for combat, even the weakest had strength beyond ordinary folk.
The prequel world and this one might share no links, but I had a strong hunch they did.
Why else give a Tentacle Monster body to someone who'd maxed the prequel achievements?
Because I understood the prequel world, I could adapt to this similar one.
That had to be the Goddess's reasoning.
The prequel had adventurers skilled in tracking and detection too.
Letting these two go was too risky.
If the woman's adventurer sister learned my appearance and traits, my existence would spread, and I'd be hunted down.
Murder was unavoidable.
To survive, I had to kill them.
"Hah, hah... Fuck... How is a goddamn slime this strong..."
"I-It might not even be a slime, oppa..."
"Hah, true. Never seen purple before. Thought they were all yellow or green..."
"It's not about the color..."
On Earth, purple slimes were common alongside yellow and green, but these two apparently hadn't seen one.
The prequel didn't have them either. My suspicions solidified.
While they chatted, I steadied myself and charged again. Decision made—I wanted this quick.
"O-Oppa! It's charging again!"
"Tch...! I see it!"
Swoosh—!
The man was definitely a total novice—no real fight experience. His swings were clumsy, no thrusting attacks at all.
Not that it would've mattered.
I leaped, whipping the Blunt Tentacle to shatter his ribs.
Crack—!
"Urghhh!"
"O-Oppaa!!"
The woman reached out in despair.
But she just watches?
Her screaming helplessly while her oppa got wrecked was almost funny, but it worked in my favor.
As I broke his ribs, I slammed his solar plexus hard, making breathing impossible.
"Hngk...!"
Then, as his mouth gaped in shock, tremors wracking him, I swiftly struck his ankle for a combo.
I toppled him and mounted his chest.
And the finale.
"W-Wai...!"
Slam—!
He realized what was coming, eyes wide with terror, but I felt no hesitation.
I swung the Blunt Tentacle full force into his temple.
"..."
That was it.
Focus faded from his eyes. Whites rolled up, strength drained from his body.
Foam bubbled from his mouth as he went limp.
Just to be sure, one more on the other side.
Thud—!
"..."
He stayed silent. Instinct told me he was dead.
...Death is so hollow.
Alive and talking moments ago, but two hard Blunt Tentacle strikes to the temple, and he was gone.
And surprisingly... nothing.
I'd braced for shock at killing someone. But no emotions stirred.
With him dead, the battle instincts faded too.
Now my original reason dominated over the Tentacle Monster's urges. Yet feeling nothing... was I always this cold?
No.
Just days ago, I was a normal human. Being this rational in crisis was ironic enough.
Maybe the influence wasn't limited to fights—I was already changing daily.
Poor guy.
Still, I felt pity. Gazing at him, I silently wished him a happier next life, then slithered off his body and across the ground.
That was when it happened.
Splash—!
"Y-You... You bastard monster...!"
Tears streaming, the woman dumped her scalding stew over me.
She trembled violently.
"What did you do to my oppa...! What did you do to him, you monster!!"
Thud—!
Thwack—!
Sobbing uncontrollably, face a wreck, she battered me with the hot pot.
I was startled. I'd assumed she'd freeze in panic after his death.
But it was too late for her.
She should've attacked while he was alive—or fled during the fight.
Her response was the worst. The pot swings barely scratched me.
Yet I couldn't move.
Her attacks that strong?
No...
There was another reason.
Slurp, sluuuurp—
Ah... this taste...?
The stew she'd poured.
It coated my body entirely, and some splashed into the protruding Digestion Tentacle.
I unintentionally sampled the stew, and my mind exploded with cosmic bliss.
Holy shit.
Fuck, this is insane... so goddamn delicious?
Worlds apart from grass.
The boiling heat didn't faze me.
No pain receptors on a Tentacle Monster body—no agony from full-force blows or slashes.
Some minor burns, sure, but my nutrient-rich body regenerated instantly.
My core was key.
As long as the core held, I wouldn't die. At level 5, Fluid Body and Core upgraded to store excess nutrients in the core.
Stock up normally, and even repeated dismemberment in emergencies could regenerate from the core.
"Why my oppa! Why him! Sob, hngh!"
Thud, thwack—!
She kept swinging the pot.
Whatever. I savored the stew drenching me.
She'd spilled a nearby sandwich too—I extended a tentacle and took a bite.
Mmm.
So tasty.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Consumed food containing high nutrition sufficiently!✨ LEVEL UP! ✨Lv 8 → Lv 9
+ All Stats slightly increased
Eh?
Lost in the heavenly feast, messages I'd not seen since yesterday suddenly filled my vision.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Consumed food containing high nutrition sufficiently!✨ LEVEL UP! ✨Lv 9 → Lv 10
+ All Stats slightly increased
No way—two levels at once?
How huge was the nutrition gap between grass and this stew?
Jackpot, I thought, devouring more stew and sandwich voraciously when another message appeared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Skill 'Evolving Tentacles' has two new tentacle types added.
Ooh?
I perked up my Detection Tentacle as I read the final message.