Syl

Chapter 28: Does Gramps Have a Thing for Elves?

'What the hell just happened?' I ask with utter confusion.

The situation was absurd; I became some monster companion, got an emblem forced on me, and then subsequently removed, entrusted with a fancy plant bag, mercy-killed an elf under compulsion, usurped an emblem, and I've gone up three levels. I tried to calm my neurotic tendency by reading the new emblem.

This emblem was a reward chosen by the progenitor of the Elf race for triumphs worthy of the Gods and inherited by all descendants.

The progenitor elf was a master magus and wished his descendants to follow in his footsteps in mastering the arcane.

Magic and Mana related Traits and Skills are easier to acquire and receive a bonus to earned experience.

All mana costs, including upkeep, are reduced by 25%.

Mana regeneration receives a minor increase.

This emblem cannot be equipped.

'What bullshit is this? I was born being bullied by a child armed with a bucket and a knife. Meanwhile, all elves are born destined to be master magicians?'

'I can understand why someone tried to kill her if something as amazing as this is transferred through death. That's a crazy thought... I wonder if someone complained to Gramps about how overpowered elves were, and that last line was added as a concession.'

'I mean, now I have this absurd emblem. Although, doesn't this paint a huge target on my back? Now, not only am I a monster slime, but I also have some legendary elf emblem. I need to level up [Identity Block]... And get out of this forest.'

My immediate plan was to head east and get far away, but I wanted to try both my new forms before departure. The elf form was a mess; I could tell it was trying to copy Sylthaeryn, as she was my only point of reference, but it looked like she had crawled out of a vat of acid and missing a leg.

I would need to give this form significant attention and practice and level up my transformation traits before it is anywhere near usable. Another concern worth mentioning was that the form lacked any clothes, as my [Shapeshifting Mimicry] only copied the physical form, so I'd need to find some solution.

'I do own a lot of boar hides in my storage... But without a tailoring skill or something, I think I'd do more harm than good.'

The panther form was better but proportionally wrong in many ways, and it felt like my knowledge of quadrupeds contributed a bit to understanding this form. I moved towards the bag and got another surprise when I deposited it.

I shifted to my comfortable wolf form and started my trip while keeping a nose out for trouble. I had three trait points to spend and decided to peruse through the new profiles before I bought anything, just in case there was a hidden gem. The panther profile was a bunch of traits unavailable to me as a slime, lacking legs, muscles, stamina, or even organs.

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When I looked at the elf profile, I felt my core boiling with rage at the unreasonable bias. Firstly, the elf profile was very different from any profile I had seen before, and there was no trait pool and no separation between common and rare. Instead, there was a list of traits they started with and a list of unique traits only available to elves, and I imagined other intelligent races would share this layout.

Now, onto the source of my feelings of unjust inequality; elves had far too many starting traits! [Mana Circulation], [Mana Well], [Mana Sight], [Lowlight Vision], [Ageless], [Elven Reflexes], [Elven Glamour], [Nature Commune], and that was just the ones I could see with an incomplete profile.

'Gramps, don't you just love elves too much? Or is this bias against monsters? I guess I'll find out if I get a chance to eat a human or a smart monster. Either way, I'm going to lodge a complaint during our evolution meeting.'

I couldn't believe they were born with eight traits, two of which I had to purchase. Out of their starting traits, the only one that I could actually get myself was [Mana Sight], and I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy it for myself until I tested it with mimic.

See the flow of mana throughout the world.

Mana sight can see through obstructions based on trait level.

Trait level also determines the minimum level of mana able to be detected, and detection range.>

'Actually, couldn't I learn the trait from using it through mimic?' It was a thought worth exploring, as soon as I could successfully make the elf form usable - it couldn't even walk!

After going back and forth through ideas and traits, I decided to buy [Enhanced Intellect] and [Enhanced Vitality] and then keep my final point for an emergency like buying [Magic Resistance (Lesser)] or possibly [Dark Vision]. They weren't the most exciting choices, but I wanted durability and mental capacity if I was heading into unknown territory.

Increases mental processing and memory capacity per trait level.>

Increases your lifeforce per trait level.>

The vitality increase was hard to judge, but the intellect was noticeable as it reduced the maintenance on [Shapeshifting Mimicry].

Speeding along as my wolf with reinforced limbs was my best way to travel by far, and I just reached the pond, but I wanted to go past the pond and into the unknown. However, the sun wasn't cooperating, and it was about the time I'd usually settle down and practice before bed.

'Actually, I changed my mind. I want to keep traveling during the night, so let's grab [Dark Vision].'

Enhances vision to perceive in conditions with either little or no light.

Vision distance is 20% per trait level.>

My surroundings immediately lit up with near-perfect clarity, and I could see the clear dividing line where my [Dark Vision] expired and my normal vision continued. Journeying through the night was a new experience, and after what seemed like hours of uninterrupted travel, I spotted what looked like a cliffside in the distance through the breaks in the treetops. During my nighttime run, two more surprises popped up.

'I have been using my mana constantly since I got it, especially reinforcing my wolf legs, but I can't help but think this is because of the elf bullshit... Seriously, Gramps, do you have an elf fetish or something?'

Now that I had a new landmark spotted, I decided to make a temporary tree home and get some rest. While I didn't feel bodily fatigue due to my nature as a slime, I was concerned about what mental fatigue would do and decided to err on the side of caution.