04. The Outside of the Cave

Synopsis of the previous chapter:

It feels like the Slime looked at me with eyes that seemed to say that it wants to be my comrade, but our Slime doesn’t have any eyeb.a.l.l.s, it must be my imagination after all.

Chapter 4.

The power I gained---- I guess it is good, but still I cannot help but recognize that the current situation is very severe.

It is the third day, and I haven’t eaten satisfactory food.

My injuries were healed, and I’m glad that I am not falling over from physical exhaustion, but at this rate, bit by bit, I will slowly and softly die.

“Hey, Lily. If I can’t guarantee water and food, what should I do?”

To my question, a feeling of “Yes” was returned.

…I see, this is convenient. Because of this world with magic, a magical path might have been built. Thus, our Master and servant relations.h.i.+p has been established.

But, I wonder what made it.

Because of the situation, the question was thrown around, I think reverting it might be impossible, but this is a pleasant miscalculation.

“Well then, go prepare as soon as possible”

When I asked, joyfully she gave her “Consent”.

And then, the tip of one stretched tentacle s.h.i.+ned a blue light.

“Eh?”

Water was poured all over my head and dripped from my bangs inside of the cave.

“...”

Water was poured all over my head dripped from my bangs inside of the cave.

Lily shook her semi-liquid body. Her appearance was full of pride.

“Okay. You’ve done well, Lily”

Her good intentions were no mistake.

But, a little time is necessary for us to understand each other.

　　　＊＊＊

*Aachooo*

I was stuffing myself with a skewer of a whole, roasted lizard as I warmed my body by a bonfire.

My wet clothes were drying.

While doing an escort mission, my good partner brought lumber for the firewood, a lizard and some small animals.

My stomach was stuffed. And I had access to water any time I wanted.

Even so, we must next think about our future.

“What should we do first?”

Mumbling, I must first think about ways to ensure my own safety.

In this situation, along with the monsters, the students that came with me to this strange world are potential enemies.

Lily is an outstanding monster.  She is good at magic.  Her forte seems to be water and wind magic, a slime using magic is extraordinary.  I’ve never heard of such story before.

However, Lily was not a strong monster.

Inside this forest, comparing only combat abilities, she seems to be at a low rank.

Although it does not mean that Lily is just a small fry monster.

She was able to grasp the path—I started calling her a girl—though by its nature, Lily is a being called Mimic Slime.

It is unique, this ability to mimic.

Lily is capable of transforming into what she eats.

I accidentally asked what she could do, and I was surprised when she transformed into a lizard.

I can say that, by itself, the usage of such a unique ability as a combat ability wasn’t very high.

Lily is perfect.

However, I would say that making use of this ability is pretty hard.

If a monster with high combat capability is eaten, she can mimic it. But for that, you would have to defeat monsters stronger than her.

It’s a dilemma.

Although, this was the case before she became my familiar.

After she became my familiar, there were more options.

“All right, Lily. After this I will go gather more familiars. Please lend me your power.”

I will increase my family. Then enhance our battle capability.

Let's go in this direction for the time being.

Only one will fight while protecting me, but if there’s another monster familiar, either one can guard. The simple increase in the force, more than anything, to join forces in order to defeat monsters, the increase of the actual battle strength of Lily by tying them together will be big.

It was inferior, if considering battle capability, compared to other cheat abilities.

It was because, before running away from the colony, the monsters in this forest were a breeze to the cheat ability users.

My direct combat capability depends in the end on the monster that follows me.

Thinking about it, I was quite insecure with my combat power.

It’s quality is compensated by the number in it.

Combat power was urgently needed.

It does not mean that I’m not uneasy. But, I had to do it.

“Don’t worry. I’ll not be beaten so easily.”

Reading the anxiety inside my heart, Lily approached me with her 2 meter large body, and I stroked her smooth surface with my hand.

From the path that was made, some of my emotions pa.s.sed to her, and then her worried feelings came to me.

By becoming my familiar, Lily seems to be seriously thinking about me.

Even if this consciousness were created because of my cheat ability, I was happy.

Warm feelings filled my chest.

Seems like I’m not alone.

I’m not with my human kouhai.

By the way, those guys were extreme, and I didn’t know what they were thinking.

“It’s time to remain in obscurity for a while”

For now it’s good to move from place to place, anyway, we need to gather our strength.

“The problem is…… When against a monster, I don’t know whether or not my cheat ability is active, I’m not quite sure.”

About the cheat ability that I got, I think that not every student who was transferred to this strange world immediately grasped their ability.

Even me.

Because of this, there’s no way for Lily and I not to feel uneasy.

I don’t have confidence, so to speak, in whether or not I’ll be able to tame a monster that I encounter; in short, I don’t have the confidence to know how well it will go.

“Although, there’s no future for us if we stay in this bear hole.”

To some extent, it is necessary to move.

　　　＊＊＊

Upon taking Lily out of the cave, the disagreeable smell of the forest entered my nose.

It was a scent that I didn’t experience for one month, and for the last few days I had forgotten this scent. It was because my nose had become useless due to the nosebleed that closed it.

We started to look around our surroundings.

I was inside a small cave in a small hill that was open in the mountain side. The trees around here were dense, and it had a poor view. In other words, it was a hard place to find.

We searched the surrounding woods carefully.

“...There it is.”

One hour had pa.s.sed since we began the search. We found a monster.

It was a life-sized wooden doll that has been wandering around in the woods.

It was a monster we called a Magical Puppet. You can say it was a common monster in this forest.

The Magical Puppet had the ability to create weapons. Each of them was equipped with  wooden weapons and armour. Although they were all made of wood, they were surprisingly st.u.r.dier than iron, because they had been enhanced by magic.

This type of weapon was, in fact, also the main weapon of cheat ability users that were transferred to this parallel world.

The main problem of the cheat ability users was obtaining weapons. I don’t want to fight monsters with bare hands forever, but there’s no route to get weapons.

When you defeat the enemy monster in video games, you might have even been able to get a weapon in the rare drop, but this is the real world. Such things don’t happen at your convenience.

But, if skilfully defeated, we could get the weapons the Magical Puppets are using. As a result, the hunting forces were exhausted from gathering the weapons from the Magical Puppets around the colony.

It’s survival.

“It’s a good sign.”

I clapped the body of Lily who is next to me.

“We can get weapons.”

The Magical Puppet was equipped with a buckler and a spear. Now, Lily and I were unarmed. I don’t know if Lily is able to use weapons, but it doesn’t hurt to have some.

After that, the question is whether or not it can become a familiar.

First of all, just to be sure, I have to carefully plan what do in this battle in my mind.

First, we will walk around in the direction of the Magical Puppet.

He came across the place from before; I would say it was luck. Even if he doesn’t become my familiar, we can defend against its surprise attacks.

If you consider a fight, you should act based on a careful plan, but I don’t have such skill, luckily or unluckily, there was little room at hand for creating a plan

I can do this, I made a firm resolution.

I was strongly clenching my molars, feeling of fear was pressing me down.

…So. Let’s start the strategy.

“Hey, you there! Look this way!”

I appeared from where I was hidden and attracted its attention with a loud voice.

The Magic Puppet turned to me.

“―sk.”

At that moment, I realize.

It’s useless.

My senses said that ‘It will not obey me’.

The moment I glanced at its figure I got a bad feeling. Ah, d.a.m.n it. Over there was scenes my senses should believe.

With this, I can’t avoid a fight.

The Magical Puppet started to fiercely run.

“...*clench*”

This is intense.

I realized I’m absolutely no match to my opponent in a fight, and became afraid.

I grind my molars in fear. The power to do so, maybe, is what people call trust.

“Lily!”

From the side of the leaping Magical Puppet came a flying water bullet, which hit it.

A block of wood broke. One arm was flying in the air.

The water bullets that came from the brush kept flying from the huge, hidden body of Lily.

Lily can’t move fast because she belongs to the slime family of monsters, but stopping enemy with a surprise attack was not difficult.

The semi-liquid body leaned toward the wooden body of the Magical Puppet.

*Creak Creak* The wounds on the Magical Puppet squeaked.

“Yes, take that!”

Or so, I praised in joy, but it was not that simple.

The Magical Puppet, using the spear that wasn’t dislodged from the magical attack, stabbed Lily in the body.

“Ahh!?”

Stabbing through, the tip was stuck in her transparent flesh. Liquid was leaving her, Lily’s pain was transmitted through our connection, marking my consciousness with an unpleasant feeling.

“Lily!”

Two, three times. The spear was digging further into Lily’s body. While being held down, she was unable to use magic, so Lily was attacked many times.  Each time, bloodlike bodily fluid spew from her body.

Of course, Lily was not strong.

Her tentacles were trying to interfere with the Magical Puppet’s arm, but the edge of the spear was pierced into her body. Little by little, the body of the Magical Puppet was attacked by the digestive juices.  But, the situation is unpredictable.

I should not be watching this.

“d.a.m.n you! Quickly drop dead!”

To the two monsters’ entangled bodies, I raised my voice while running.

To me, Lily is my only battle strength. To lose it, I can’t go beyond here.--From a rational view, to losing her as my partner, it filled me with genuine fear.

I don’t want to be alone anymore.

I can’t bear loneliness.

Lily brought down the curtain of despair that was given from the loss of my failed life, she is my last hope..

I can’t risk losing this.

“Aaahhhhh!”

I grabbed onto the spear that was hurting Lily.

Lily’s power and my poor physical ability.

With these two together, finally, we stopped the movements of the spear.

If the pre-emptive attack didn’t finish his arm, now might be possible. There was still luck. Whether or not we could use this luck was up to us.

“You, you… die, die, dieee!”

I loudly kicked the head of the Magical Puppet.

d.a.m.n it. It’s useless. There’s no way I can damage it in this situation.

Lily’s digestive fluids were, little by little, wounding the Magical Puppet. If we could keep this balance, it would be our victory.

But, can we really keep this balance…?

A wimpy thought came to mind, I desperately crush it.

It’s all right.

We definitely can do it. I decided to continue!

There was a miscalculation as Lily’s physical strength is weaker than I thought, but still, we have somewhat of an advantage.

I want to believe.

This is a critical moment.

“...Ah.”

While thinking that I froze on the spot.

Beyond the line of trees, there was a figure of a new Magical Puppet.

Holding an axe and a buckler, and equipped with warrior-like equipment, a new Magic Puppet, with a blank, wooden face without eyes or a nose, turned toward us.

“You’re kidding…”

In an instant, my throat dried up.

What a bad timing.

Even though I consider myself usually unlucky, this was cruel.

We can’t afford to give the newcomer a response.

Lily can’t afford to release the current Magical Puppet opponent.

I have simple human strength and the difference in power is too great, so I can only buy some time and can’t afford to release the spear in our enemy’s hand. In this case, should we escape? No, It’s impossible. Lily is too slow and I don’t have the strength to run.

What to do?

What should I do?

As if to answer, the new Magical Puppet started running.

s.h.i.+t. It’s even faster than us and the guy we’re holding.

In an instant, it covered a distance of 10 meters or more.

“Lily! Attack!”

Following my instructions, Lily sent some of her tentacles in its direction.

If we should talk about the result, it was a bad move.

“Oops.”

Using power to shake itself loose, the Magical Puppet pulled out the spear that had been pressed into Lily’s body thus far.

“A, aahhh!?”

I held onto the spear, which dragged me to the ground with its momentum.

I closed my eye involuntarily, the tip of the wooden spear was coming down to where I was.  The Magical Puppet was on top of me, looking down with a blank face.

Lily’s tentacles started to entangle―there’s not enough time!

Baam, there was a sound, a head was smashed.

Scattering all over the ground were the small, broken fragments.

One life disappeared, and the noise of the battle calmed down.

“...What, happened?”

I am, dripping with cold sweat with the tip pierced into the ground a few inches from my face, trying to understand the scene before me.

Blown into pieces in one hit―The scene where the Magical Puppet was bent over while holding the spear with its head crushed.

Something came flying, I understood that.

But, I only know that far.

I could hear the sound of something splitting.

When I looked, there was a huge battle axe stuck in a tree.

The tree was cut in the middle and made a stomach churning sound while falling.

“......”

I stood with my upper body. Immediately, light wrapped around me and healed the small wound I had suffered in the fall. It was Lily’s healing magic. If you consider the damage, I think you should heal yourself and then me, but I will say that to you later.

And near me―there was a figure of a Magical Puppet holding an axe and a buckler near me, respectfully kneeling on one knee.

Well, it wasn’t holding the axe now.

“...Don’t scare me like that.”

When I complained, a puzzled sign came from the Magical Puppet.

That was, the same kind of connection I felt between me and Lily.

It seems that I can know what monsters can become my familiar by simply glancing at it.

…At least if I’m calm. You can say that I gathered some good information.

With a clash, I fell over dramatically.

It seems like I was able to pa.s.s the first fight.

And with it, I seem to have also gotten a rea.s.suring fellow.