[hr][center][h3]??? — Dilapidated Shack[/h3]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/JhorTIT.png[/img]
《 Level 1 Slime Feeder 》
[@ERode][@TheMushroomLord][@PKMNB0Y][/center][hr]
As the floorboard came free with a woody shriek, the crawlspace beneath the shack was exposed to what limited daylight illuminated the interior. A crowd of roaches started to scatter--and Conner jabbed his new weapon as fast as he could. The board's flat edge caught two of the critters, crunching them nearly in half. Leaning uncomfortably close to the earth scented hole, he managed to wedge the weapon up against a corner to trap another handful of scuttling adversaries. They almost got away from him, but with the speed and coordination of a gaming addict, Connor managed a second blow, then a third, to bring down the insectoid horrors!

Not nearly as dramatic as the opening battles of most isekai. Hell, even by casual JRPG standards that was barely worth calling a tutorial. But no new notifications appeared, and when he opened his status window again he couldn't see any kind of bar graph or rising numbers.

[i]Okay, so there's a few options. First, EXP might not be visible at all regardless of what tasks award it. Second, the bugs might not be considered "valid" targets--maybe only creatures roughly "on par" with me, level wise or something, award EXP. Or possibly, only "hostile" targets award it--maybe whatever deity dropped us here doesn't want to incentivize wanton slaughter.[/i] The jury was still out on whether or not some intelligent higher power HAD plucked them away from their deaths and deposited them. But considering the way these things usually went, and that "hole" in his memory... [i]Third, killing or fighting may not award EXP in this particular setup. It's rare, but there are some games where practicing your skills or completing roleplaying challenges are more important than being able to kill every enemy you come across. Fourth...[/i]

He'd have to think some more about it, or get more data. Probably both. The slime was already relating their own experience with trying to use magic, so he couldn't spend too much time lingering or they might level up before him.

For now he dropped the bugs onto the Slime's membranous surface, one at a time, and watched the result.

[quote][code]Contacts: "Slime"
Don't take this the wrong way, but watching you do this is actually pretty neat. Reminds me of a vid I saw once about how white blood cells attack foreign bacteria and such.[/code][/quote]

He watched each cockroach be broken down, then noticed some of them were disappearing more slowly than others. The slime's surface occasionally wobbled. No more new messages came through for the moment, as they were clearly focused on whatever internal processes were going on. But, as cool as this was...

[i]I feel like, even if we don't remember...no one would've chosen that form for themselves.[/i] If something or someone had summoned them into this new world, then the only two reasons Connor could think of as to why his companions were non-human were that it had either given them a choice--a "character creation,"--or it had simply slotted them into new bodies for its own purposes. Perhaps mere amusement.

So he, for some reason, was entirely the same, but some other prick got to be the tall bishie elf? Granted, Connor kind of hated most elves aside from the "classic" ones--and that was because most of the ones he hated just ripped off the tropes without ever innovating. But then there was [i]this[/i] poor soul. No eyeballs, no mouth, not even a functioning spine. Connor leaned one elbow on his knee, and let his chin rest in his hand as he sighed.

"[sub]Just like Earth, I guess--some people get handed everything they want, and other people get shit on their whole lives.[/sub]" He muttered under his breath.

Then the last bug's body disappeared before its head. And its head disappeared [i]very[/i] slowly. And...Connor felt like he'd need a microscope to be sure, but it sure seemed like something was happening inside that gelatinous mass.

[code]Ding[/code]

His eyes scanned the Slime's message, and a smile slowly started to pull at his lips. Then he pumped his fist.

"Hell yeah!" He shouted, though not quite as loudly as when he'd awakened the other two. Then he looked around sheepishly, as if expecting every fantasy equivalent to a meth-head to come spilling through the windows after them. But, so far, it seemed no one besides the catgirl had bothered to even check in on them...

[quote][code]Contacts: "Slime"
Nice! And, if you were able to digest the dirt, you could potentially dig tunnels to hide or get around unseen if need be. If something bad happens, the bug-hole I dug is...uh...to your left?

If you wanna rest, I'm gonna practice my own magic. Once I feel like I could conceivably defend myself I'll try to find us some water and a way to filter it. Bound to be a well around here but I'm sure it's filthy.[/code][/quote]

Before settling down to another task that could potentially become very distracting, however, Connor took another look out the window--only to find that the elf guy had walked some distance away with the catgirl.

[i]That knife eared sonnuvabitch! He better not be ditching us![/i] the younger man seethed, clenching one fist under the windowsill. Turning away with new fuel in the form of spite and distrust, Connor blew air through his nose while angrily reading over his Status screen again. Keeping what the slime had said about their own abilities in mind, he extended one hand and tried to think about how best to test this idea...

[i]Conversion of magical power into applied forces, huh...?[/i]

[hider=CONNOR'S INVENTORY][list][*]"Caliboard, the Holy 2x4."[/list][/hider]