NOVEL NEXT Ch. 6
“We’ll skewer the meat with branches, roast it slowly over a low fire.”
“Sprinkle some homemade seasoning, grill it till it sizzles with oil…”
“Hey, we can raise the fire a bit, just keep turning it.”
In the silent, frozen forest night, a blonde girl in thin clothing sat before a blazing campfire. Her delicate fingers moved with the rhythm of a pianist as she worked. And with her efforts, a rich aroma of roasted meat slowly wafted up from the makeshift grill before her.
“Smells so good…”
Rozelite was drooling.
She rubbed her slightly rounded belly.
Though it wasn’t completely flat thanks to Mister Slime living inside, she realized she hadn’t eaten in a long while…
“It should be ready.”
Russell rolled up a piece of roast meat and held it to Rozelite’s lips.
“Blow on it first, careful—it’s hot.”
“Thank you, Mister Slime. You really are a good person.”
Rozelite said shyly.
“…?”
“Why does this feel like I just got handed a Good Person Card…?”
Rozelite tilted her head toward the sky. All she could see were thick clouds. The wind had stilled, snowflakes drifting down, turning to droplets as they neared the fire.
She opened her cherry lips and bit down.
The skin was a little burnt. The fire hadn’t been controlled well. Without marinating, the meat had a gamey tang.
But still…
“It’s really delicious. Thank you, Mister Slime,” Rozelite whispered.
“Humans still need food to replenish their energy.”
Russell nodded.
Ever since he stopped being human, he found himself subconsciously forgetting things that once seemed obvious.
If not for that monster showing up earlier, he might have forgotten Rozelite needed food at all.
No, it wasn’t just daily habits.
Even his worldview might have been shifting, bit by bit, into something more… monster-like.
Hmm…
“If I really do become human again someday, but my worldview and instincts are already inhuman… wouldn’t that be bad?”
“But, um…”
Rozelite’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
She glanced toward the firelit edge of the clearing, where the massive corpse of the mountain-sized beast lay motionless.
“I didn’t think a monster would attack us so suddenly.”
“Yeah. We’d walked so long without seeing a single one. I thought they only gathered in dungeons.”
“With that size… it must’ve been at least B-rank.”
“B-rank?”
“Yes! Once, adventurers came to the palace to receive a royal reward. They said B-rank monsters are as big as mountains, able to swat castles away with a single claw.”
Rozelite’s eyes sparkled as she recalled the tale.
“B-rank, huh…”
Russell wasn’t clear on this world’s ranking system. He could see levels on his status panel, but they didn’t automatically translate into A, B, or S.
That beast had been around Level 38. Without his high-level [Mana Cannon], killing it in one shot would’ve been impossible. In the labyrinth, it would’ve been strong enough for a third-floor boss. But outside, it was only considered B-rank?
So that meant… A-rank was around Level 40–50, and S-rank even higher?
“No, maybe it doesn’t scale that neatly…”
Russell quickly gave up. Too few data points. Comparison was meaningless.
“By the way, Mister Slime, won’t you eat? It’s really good.”
Rozelite waved her meat skewer.
“Slimes don’t have taste buds. Eating would be a waste. And if I do eat, I have… other methods.”
With that, Russell slid out from Rozelite’s mouth once again.
[Shapeshift Lv. 7]
His round body transformed into a watery net, instantly enveloping the mountain-sized corpse.
Then he activated his cheat.
[Bottomless Appetite Lv. ∞]
This was his true golden finger. Back when he first transmigrated—weak enough to lose to a stray dog—this skill had already been in his list. Unlike other skills that needed leveling, this one started at ∞, making it feel like some bugged “stand on your own foot to fly” kind of hack.
Soon after, he figured out its use.
“Bottomless Appetite” meant greedy, insatiable.
By devouring captured monsters—not their flesh, but their mana—he could increase his MP cap and gain their skills.
Duplicate skills would stack and level up, though higher levels required exponentially more.
【MP: 968,500 → 969,900 ↑】
【Cold Resistance: Lv. 6 → Lv. 6 ↑】
【Symbiosis: Lv. 3 → Lv. 4 ↑】
Huh?
A skill leveled up?
Russell immediately opened his panel. Sure enough, [Symbiosis] had risen to Lv. 4.
That beast must’ve been hosting other symbiotic monsters, which he had devoured in one go.
Symbiosis wasn’t rare overall, but it was rare in dungeons. Made sense, dungeon monsters relied heavily on mana environments, and any species that survived only through symbiosis would naturally be rare there.
Back to the point.
What changed when [Symbiosis] reached Lv. 4?
Russell was eager to find out. Right now. Immediately.
“Rozelite, let’s do it!”
“D-do what…?”
“What else? Fusion, of course!”
[Symbiosis Lv. 4]
Russell withdrew fully into Rozelite’s body.
Compared to before, he immediately felt differences.
He could move inside her far more freely. His shapeshifted tentacles could slip more easily into her body—ahem, not what you’re thinking. He meant into blood vessels, bone marrow, and such.
On top of that, he could now connect to her nervous system, making control of her body smoother.
If this reached [Symbiosis Lv. 10], maybe they’d share the body equally—five senses and all completely synchronized.
“Um… Mister Slime.”
Rozelite swallowed, trying to ease the discomfort deep in her throat.
“What is it?”
Russell snapped back to attention.
“I’ve been meaning to ask… could you maybe not keep going in and out through my throat? Couldn’t you… use another way?”
Rozelite asked timidly.
“…?”
“Girl, do you think you’ve got a bunch of holes on your body? If not your throat, then where the hell am I supposed to go?”
Huh?