Cleaned version <11 6/2015="">

Finalized <11 2/2015="">

03. The First Monster of the Family

Synopsis of the previous chapter:

The incident about being beaten up and becoming distrustful of humans.

Chapter 3.

"...That's right, humans are nothing but trash."

I was awoken by the sound of my own voice.

I was in a dark place. It appeared to be a small cave.

I can’t recall anything from before I had fallen asleep. What in the world have I been doing?

With a heavy head, I got up.

And for the first time, I noticed a presence other than my own.

"U-uwa."

Beside me was a monster that we called ‘Slime’.

"... Aa!?"

With that, I recalled everything.

Screaming “Hiih!”, I covered my head and crouched down.

Although, it goes without saying that such a reflexive response was completely meaningless.

Keeping still, I awaited my destruction――or not? I unintentionally raised my head.

"...?"

No matter how long I waited, there were no signs of the Slime approaching to attack me.

And yet, that shouldn’t be the case.

For some reason, the Slime continued to stand still at that place.

There's no way it didn't notice me, right?

"Why..."

While speaking, I lowered my arms from my head and noticed another important thing.

“Eh? I… still have my arm?”

If my memory serves me right, before I fainted, my arm should have been digested by the Slime that is right before my eyes.

I would've been lucky to get away with just a serious injury; in fact, it was the kind of situation where it wouldn't be strange to have lost an entire arm.

However, my hand is still attached. All my fingers freely moved as I willed.

On the contrary, even my lesser injuries are gone.

It’s not only my arm.

Not a single one of the injuries that had caused dull pain throughout my body remained.

"Why..."

As if to answer to my query, the Slime moved closer to me.

I just knew—somehow—that it wasn't hostile.

...Really, I wonder why.

In fact, I was even convinced of it.

In the first place, if the Slime right in front of me had wanted to, it could’ve probably melted my entire body while I was unconscious――is the theory I came up with, but that wasn’t the fundamental reason why I had judged the Slime in front of me to be unhostile.

On a more instinctive level, I was convinced ‘This isn’t an enemy’.

"Hn?"

While I was perplexed by my inexplicable conviction, the Slime extended several tentacles towards me.

The tentacles touched my knee. It felt smoother than I thought it would, although a slight pain shot through my knee. Perhaps I sc.r.a.ped it when I curled into a ball and covered my head in a panic earlier; my knee had a slight graze on it.

A small, white light was emitted at the tips of the tentacles that gently brushed my knee.

"!?"

The light depicted a complex geometrical pattern.

It was called a magic circle; even I, who had lived in this world for the past one month, know that. The reason being those people with cheat abilities had used them.

The light of the magic reveals its attribute. White is ‘Light’. It specializes in exorcism and recovery.

When the tentacle s.h.i.+ned, my injury was healed completely.

Now that it has come to this, even I can read the situation.

“By any chance… Did you help me?”

I ask, but there’s no reply. Obviously. The other party is a monster after all. But no matter how one thought about it, this one is my ally.

It being my ally was another baseless conviction.

Receiving the various hints given so far, finally, my mind started to comprehend the current situation.

“...Aa, I see.”

Like letting out a sigh, those words escaped unwittingly.

“This is my cheat ability?”

Of the one thousand people who were transferred into this other world, three hundred had awakened to their cheat abilities.

The haves and have-nots. I had wondered about what the difference was. Jeez, now I understand that those thoughts had been off the mark.

The seven hundred students probably just hadn’t realized what their own powers were.

Just like me.

Sequestering oneself in a safe place makes it impossible to become aware of something like a [Turn Monsters into Family Ability].

“...This is perfect for me.”

In this world into which we were too suddenly thrust into, I, injured and about to die, was forced to realize that power is necessary for the sake of survival.

I am now independent, only my own power was necessary.

After all, this is because humans can’t be trusted. Those guys will betray you. I came to know that. Even the cla.s.smates who had sat next to me broke my ribs and laughed scornfully at me.

I will survive on my own.

This was a power meant for that.

I can’t trust human companions, but a Family of Monsters… Then strangely, I was able to accept it without any unpleasant feelings. My instincts have told me that even doing so is okay.

It’s a bizarre thing. But for me, that was natural.

“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

I stroked the Slime’s body. Its smooth surface was comfortable.

“Let’s see… You probably need a name.”

Looking at its jelly-like appearance, I immediately named it.

“Your name is Lily.”

For some reason or another, I gave it a girl’s name.

If you thought about it normally, it would be unbelievable to give a feminine name to such a creature that doesn’t appear to have a clear gender. So perhaps, my cheat ability might have judged that ‘this one is actually a female’.

At any rate.

“From here on, I’ll be counting on you. In order for me to survive, please lend me your strength.”

Despite not being able to trust humans, for me to say such a thing to a monster... It appears as if somewhere, a vital part of me as a human being has been broken.

However, that doesn’t matter. If it means that I can survive, then nothing else matters.

Thus, I obtained power.