.
Roooaar!
Ichiro's sudden appearance from the thicket surprised Peter. The wolf turned ferocious was about to pounce on the weak-looking slime.
"Stop, Ichiro!" Peter yelled desperately at his wolf. At the same time he already took action before he could even think.
The moment he laid his sight on that slime he have decided to try to tame it just like most if not every Japanese isekai novel's main characters.
In desperation, he jumped on the green slime, intending to protect it from Ichiro's cruel claws.
When Peter did that, both creatures in front of him were dumbstruck.
Ichiro tried to stop the momentum of his attack but it was too late.
"Ouch!" Ichiro's master, Peter, hissed.
The pungent smell of blood spread through the air.
The wolf saw the warm liquid flowing down his own claws and his master's back. Ichiro was filled with fear and worry at the mistake he had just committed. The wolf turned pale and trembled. It growled weakly.
Peter, on the other hand was in a dangerous situation.
That wasn't because Ichiro accidentally injured him. That was because the slime was startled.
In the slime's terror at the pouncing wolf, it was not in the right frame of mind to see what the real situation was. Out of panic, the small and light green slime thought that the person before him was the wolf's accomplice. As it charged and seemed to scream in anger, the slime panicked even more. It thought Peter have an evil intentions. The difference in their sizes terrified it even more. It was intimidated. That is why it instinctively did a cruel thing out of desperation.
The slime made its soft body spread out to cover the head of the person coming to its rescue whom it had mistakenly thought of as the danger, as its defense mechanism.
Peter began to have trouble breathing as it blocked his airways. Out of breath, he struggled. Peter tried to pull the slime off his entire head. This act only made the slime's panic even worse.
Seeing his master in danger, Ichiro was alarmed. Instinctively, the wolf acted in what he thought was the appropriate action to save his master. Ichiro attacked the slime with his sharp claws.
Peter's horrifying screams inside the slime made Ichiro halt his actions. The sound of his master's voice told the wolf that he had done something wrong. Now, all he could do was growl threateningly in a deep voice while the slime continued to constrict its master's poor head.
Meanwhile, with no one attacking the light green slime, it simply regenerated the part of its slimy body that was ripped by the wolf's claw with a speed that was visible to the naked eye.
The slime almost lost its little life to Ichiro's scratching attack. It was just lucky enough to be able to dodge the attack, barely avoiding the destruction of its core. A core of a slime can be compared to the heart of a human. When a human's heart is severely damaged, it means certain death. It was so afraid for its dear life that it clung to the human to tighten its hold even more.
Opposite to the slime, Peter was starting to black out as the supply of air in his body ran out.
"Is this all my second life amount to? Am I about to die a second time? This quick?"
"Damn you goddess for giving me false hopes." these dark thought suddenly emerged on Peter's mind while he was in the brink of death.
"No! I can't blame her for my own fault." his thought process had slowed down because of the lacking supply of oxygen. His heart was having a hard time pumping oxygen-rich blood that were being delivered by the blood vessels to every corner of his body including his brain.
"No! No! No! Don't give up. Don't waste your 2nd chance given by the goddess. Think!" Peter shouted loudly on his own mind, reigniting his fighting spirit.
Peter gambled. It wasn't like he had any other choice. He lifted his hands that felt anxiously heavy. His first try was a failure. He's feeling too weak. It fell even before it reached halfway through. He put his everything at the second try. He succeeded. With trembling hands, he reached for his head. He gently placed both hands on the slime's body that felt like jelly. He carefully stroked the body of the panicking creature. He repeatedly caressed the soft slime.
"It's okay. No one will hurt you anymore." that's the message he was trying to convey without putting words into his mouth with each caress he gave to the slime's body. To his surprise, his sincerity paid off. With his every gentle touch, he felt the tension in its jelly-like body loosening up. The softness that was tightly wrapping on his head was beginning to relax little by little.
"I survived." Peter weakly moved his lips. That was the only words his almost depleted energy can muster. After that, he completely blacked out.
Peter wasn't sure if he was just imagining it, but it felt like he heard a voice before he completely lost his consciousness.
"Title passionate tamer has been acquired!"
...
"Aarg!" groaned Peter as he woke up from his sleep. He held his still aching head as he slowly opened his eyes. Peter closed his eyes, dazzled by the brightness of the sky.
He tilted his head and tried to open his eyes again.
He heard a rustling sound on the side. Peter was surprised with what he saw. Next to him, Ichiro and the light green slime were watching him side by side. Miraculously, they weren't fighting.
"Sorry. It seems I've made you worry guys" he said softly to the two.
Peter laughed to himself. He talked to the two even though he wasn't sure they would understand him, but he was shocked by the next action the two took. Ichiro and the slime pounced on him after he talked to them. Peter couldn't help but be scared by their action. A wolf that was also three feet tall and a wild slime that had almost killed him moments ago. Peter tried to stand up but he was powerless against the combined forces of these two. He fell back on the warm ground of the woodland when Ichiro and the slime ram onto him.
The wolf licked him in the face excitedly. His face was completely drenched.It was wet from Ichiro's relentless licking. While the wolf was busy licking him in the face, the slime was on Peter's chest. It was moving back and forth and doing actions that will made you think it was giving him chest massage. He find its action extremely cute.
Oh! It seems like it was already tired.
He didn't know whether to cry or laugh by the actions of the two. He's laughing at Ichiro acting like a domesticated dog rather than a wolf. He's confused because of the strange action of the slime. As far as he remembered, this light green slime was a wild slime rather than a tamed one. That's why he was confused with this tiny creature's little antics.
"How am I supposed to get up?" he said shaking his head. He couldn't think of anything but to let the two excited creatures calm down first. He just hope he wouldn't have to wait for too long.
While lying down, with both hands outstretched on either side, Peter decide to check his status board. He have a strong feeling that the voice he heard inside his head earlier was not just a figment of his imagination but rather something really good have transpired when he was about to lose his consciousness based on how this adorable tiny light green slime was acting.
His hunch was indeed right.
A new title have appeared just below the first title he have acquired from the very start.
...
Title : Master of the Livelihood Dungeon!
Title : Passionate Tamer (New!)
...
Peter clicked on the title 'Passionate Tamer' and the hidden explanation emerged.
...
Title : Passionate Tamer (New!)
- A title granted on a person with unconditional compassion for animals and monsters. It let's the title holder easily tame animals and monsters. More effective on infants and creatures facing predicament and/or with unstable emotion.
Secret function
- It shows animals and monsters nearby with favorability with the title holder.
...
"Hmm?" his attention was caught by the secret function of the new title, Passionate Tamer. Based on the secret function explanation, it can reveal the creatures with favorable impression with the holder. He tried to do some things he knew people on isekai activate secret skills.Peter became excited. It really revealed the exact number of the creatures with favorability with him nearby. Peter clenched his fists. His chest pounded rapidly to the unexpected windfall out of an almost disastrous encounter. He couldn't stop himself from grinning until his grin became a laughter. A laughter so boisterous that it stopped Ichiro & the slime off their tracks out of shock.
After calming down, Peter got up. He saw that the light green slime and Ichiro also already calmed down. He smiled wryly as he saw the two took a few step backs warily when he made eye contact with both of them. Peter scratched the the tip of his nose.
"I think they both thought I was crazy." Peter whispered.
Peter walked to resume picking fruits that he used as an excuse for the family of Richard.
Ichiro followed him but was maintaining a certain distance. The slime was on top of the wolf.
...
Name : none
Race : Regeneration Slime (infant)
Gender : genderless
Age : 10 days
Lifespan : 5-50 years
Stats.
Strength : E-
Resilience : E-
Agility : E-
Spirit : E-
Abilities :
Self-regeneration (passive)
- Recovers a tenth of the user's health per second.
...
"Eh?" it's the first time he have seen this kind of low stats. As far as he knew, the value of stats was flat. For example, E on all four type of stats. No negative ones.
"But on second thought, I see too few samples of an individual's stat to draw some conclusions right away." he nodded to himself.
Few is an understatement.
He have seen only two statuses as of the moment. His and Ichiro's stats.
"One or two is not really that different." - Peter.
On the positive note he have discovered one encouraging information. There was an even lower stats than him who have all of his stats at flat E. Before this, he wasn't sure how strong or weak he was compared to the inhabitants of this world. He was worried because based on the light novels he had read under the game-elements sub-genre, E's stats were on the weaker side. He was even more worried when he realized that he was a little weaker than Ichiro, according to their statuses.
"What is this shitty emotion I am feeling? Self-pity? Because I was consoled by the fact that a slime, usually considered as the weakest monster in web novels is weaker than me? And the worse thing is that its a baby slime and I'm an adult!" His face darkened, shoulders hunched.
It seems like the logic of web novel universe with slime being the weakest creature also applied in this new world.
Peter gave himself a slap on both sides of his face.
Ichiro and the slime were surprised by how loud Peter slapped himself.
"You shouldn't be discouraged Peter. So what if you're very weak in this world standard? Isn't it how things work in games? You start as a newbie. A weakling. There's only one answer. Get stronger." he successfully motivated himself.
Peter didn't notice that the two following him behind backed even further away from him with doubt in their eyes. The two exchanged worried glances.
After calming himself down, Peter chose that it was the right time to test his appraisal ability.
He started to appraise everything.
...
Magical Fountain of Life
- Source of the Magical Water of Life.
...
Master's lodge
- Peter Bulalakaw's house inside the Livelihood Dungeon!
...
Banana Tree
- Five more months to bear fruits.
...Weeds
- Wild grasses inside the Livelihood Dungeon!
...
Soil
- A lump of soil inside the Livelihood Dungeon!
...
Corn seeds
- 30 days to ripen.
...
He took out the fruits he picked from the woodland besides the Village of the Beginnings from a his bag.
...
Pomegranates
...
Red Currants
...
Quince
...
Citrus
...
Apricot
...
Peaches
...
Cheries
...
Raspberries
...
Strawberries
...
"My suspicion was right. Appraisal only works on things outside the dungeon if you brought them here inside."
Earlier in the woodlands, he tried appraising the fruits he picked and on the Regeneration Slime as well but the appraisal was not responding at all. The opposite thing happened when he used appraisal on Ichiro. That's why he was now a hundred percent convinced by what the real meaning of 'only capable of appraising things and beings inside the Livelihood Dungeon.'
...
Sub-abilities :
Appraisal
- Only capable of appraising things and beings inside the Livelihood Dungeon!
- Only capable of appraising things and beings considered as possession of the Livelihood Dungeon!
...
From what he can understood about the first rule, anything inside the dungeon can be appraised with or without being considered a possession of the dungeon or him.
On the second rule, it meant to say that it was possible to appraise everything considered the possession of the Livelihood Dungeon or him who is the owner of the dungeon even if they were outside. Like with Ichiro, he's an official companion/pet/family of Peter because of the Crest of Friendship which is a part of the system of the Livelihood Dungeon!
"Peach explanation was on-point." he confirmed.
For Peter, he won't just blindly believe what anyone said to him even how close they were to him unless he confirmed it with his own eyes.
The dungeon master's line of sight fell on the slime with a somehow different race listed. It's most likely a slime variant. It was the first time he have seen one, a Regeneration Slime.
He wanted that passive ability, but for now, he can only look at it without being able to use it for himself.
He stared at the Regeneration Slime.
He used the sleeve of his upper garment to remove the drool on his mouth.
Oh! He didn't want to eat it. What he wanted was that delicious passive that let's you recover ten percent of your total health per second. The Regeneration Slime was having goosebumps all over its body while was being stared at for too long.
For now, he needed to earn some Livelihood Points so he can purchase a Crest of Friendship that was required to help him made an animal or monster an official companion. If he wanted that appetizing passive ability he needed to make the Regeneration Slime an official nakama.
He double-checked the Master Shop where the available abilities he could learn were, of course that was by purchasing it using Master Points.
The only available ability was Ichiro's Cockroach's Tenacity.
At this point he can only be called an idiot if he still didn't get that only by making someone an official companion can he possibly copy their abilities, and not just by being a friendly creature.
When Peter saw the passive ability possessed by the Regeneration Slime, something clicked within him. He knew in his heart what sort of build he was going to go for.
He wanted to be a tank. No. Scratch that. Actually,if possible, he wanted to be a tanky mage, or more accurately, a tanky support mage.
As someone who love reading fantasy, RPG-esque sort of novels, he always wanted to learn how to use magic if given the chance but was feeling conflicted. As someone from a sort of peaceful world such as Earth(?), he might wanted to learn magic but he didn't want to commit any murder or massacre, after all, he is no psycho. He's a peace-loving person who just enjoy novels.
"Peaceful, heh?" sarcastically laughed Peter by what he just thought of.
"Well, compared to the medieval times or earlier periods or the times when the world wars are going on, the Earth I lived in was kinda peaceful. I'm lucky I'm not born yet at the time of Martial Law where the killings were done in an abashed way as if people's lives in general are not important at all. Even the time where I lived in was not totally peaceful. Evilness is still running rampant. At least I'm lucky enough to be born in my homeland. Well, at least I'm not born in the Middle East or any corners of the world where all they must have thought of was wars, conflicts and violence. Thinking about it now, I'm one lucky bastard. All the more the reason why I don't want to be a killer even if I am now in another world that morality might not be the norm according to the goddess." Peter, without really talking to anyone but thin air said with a grin.
"Come here, Ichiro, slime." he turned his attention to the two besides him.
He started to play together with the two excited creatures.
...