Chapter 17: Chapter 16: First Dungeon(1)
-Reyha Kingdom; Gallo City; Adventurers Guild; Testing Grounds-
In the testing grounds of the adventurers guild, Kymani found himself watching what would be the match between Chimena a silver-rank adventurer, and Merilyn, a soon-to-be silver-rank adventurer while being held by Lavenica his maid.
Rony, the guild receptionist acted as the referee to this match and gave the sign to begin.
Immediately, Merilyn got closer to Chimena with a single leap, lowering her center of gravity by crouching, while pulling her right arm back, preparing to punch Chimena around the area of her solar plexus, slightly above the stomach.
This attack was however evaded by a tin hair as Chimena barely sidestepped to her right, being slightly hit by the pressure of the punch on her waist, but that was not enough to stop her from using the opening in front of her, to knee Merilyn on the face with a high knee kick.
Unfortunately for Chimena, Merilyn blocked it with her left hand, before using her now free right hand to punch Chimena in the stomach five consecutive times, while using her left hand to grab onto Chimena's feet, stopping her from being sent flying due to the impact.
Before Chimena was able to recover, Merilyn focused both hands to grab onto get foot and began spinning her around so fast that a gust of wind began to build and blow the spectators' hair. Then using all that build-up, she slammed her onto the ground cracking it and creating a crate with Chimena's body as the center, and this caused Chimena to cough up a full mouth of blood. As well as send an even stronger gust of wind onto everything around.
{She's basically a natural disaster at this point... Can't wait to get to that point!} Kymani was motivated by this to get to that level as fast as possible.
{Not quite, she can't be compared to natural disaster with just this level of strength, it's still far from that.} Lavenica retorted.
{It was a hyperbole... Can you not take everything so literally?} Kymani would be shaking his head if he had one right now.
{Ok.} Lavenica pouted.
Against Kymani's expectations, Chimena got up and seemed completely fine aside from the blood she has dripping from her mouth.
"Wow! You're a real machine at work! Honestly, I would never have guessed from your rather gentle attitude... I guess it's on me for judging a book by its cover. Anyway, you definitely pass... I'm actually afraid I would actually lose in a serious fight. Hehehe... Great work!" Chimena was all smiles and seemed to be satisfied after getting beat up, which made Kymani suspect, she might be a masochist of some kind.
"Oh, you sound just like commander Rana right now." Merilyn commented without thinking much about it.
"You know my brother?!... How?! That guy is always in the palace or on some random mission, and doesn't even visit on holidays! Mother is still mad at him after what he did last time." Chimena complained.
"Hum... I just happened to be saved by him when I was wandering through the woods a long time ago..." Merilyn just said the first thing that came to mind.
"Oh yeah... He's always bragging about how many people he's saved all over the place.... I should have known. Though it would have been nice if you were a royal guard, that way you could at least give him mother's letter... In any case, you're officially a Silver-rank adventurer. Good luck, and don't slack off too much, or you might get demoted or worse, have your adventurer card revoked. So make sure to complete at least 3 silver-ranked missions every 3 months. Don't worry though, so long as you become a Gold rank they bother you anymore unless shit hits the fan. Anyhow, I have to go, bye." Chimena explained.
"Ok, I'll keep that in mind. Bye!" Merilyn replied.
"So, miss can we go finish your registration?" Rony came up to Merilyn.
Following that, the registration process was finally complete and Rony gave a final explanation.
"Adventurers are divided into ranks as you already know and there are 10 ranks in total. 8 mortal tier and two celestial tier ranks, but there are very few celestial tier individuals in the whole world, much less the Meshvenia continent which only has 4. The mortal tier ranks are: Wood, Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, Dimond, Platinum, and Orichalcum rank.
Aside from that, there are 6 types of Quests: Rescue, extermination, escort, gathering, obligatory, and bound quests. Rescue quests are exactly what they sound to be, missions with the focus on saving someone or something. Extermination quests which revolve around killing monsters. Escort quests being about helping the client transport some or someone. Gathering quests as one would expect having to do with gathering materials. Obligatory quests only applying to Gold ranks and above for dangerous times where monsters invade the city or cases of such magnitude. Finally, there are Bound Quests, which also only apply to Gold ranks and above, and they are quests that have been specifically assigned to an adventurer by a client at a higher price than general quests."
After having been informed of all the basics by Rony, Kymani and the girls got provisions using Merilyn's pocket money and then left the guild, to go to the basic dungeon, Goblin Lair(1). Luckily for them, Merilyn had brought her spatial bag other, they would have to start without anything, which would have definitely been a minor inconvenience. Considering Kymani is a slime, Lavenica a Dark Elf, and Merilyn a high-level human, there isn't much that a lack of a few provisions could do to them.
Even still, Kymani insisted on taking the provisions.
Soon, they reached the entrance of the dungeon, and a crowd of adventurers could be seen, standing there in various groups, from formed parties to merchants to those trying to form a party, everyone was moving in some way.
Passing by this open market-like environment, Kymani, and the girls entered the dungeon after showing their adventurers guild cards to the guards.
Inside things were a bit different, weathers the outside was more of a forest due to the various meters of vegetation that surrounded the entrance, while the inside was a cave system with a few tunnels in sight and only a basic level of lighting, produced by some sort of glowy musk splattered all over the walls.
The atmosphere sent chills down the spines of the girls as their hair waved lightly, and their breath could almost be seen coming out each time.
This however did not stop them in any way, and they proceeded calmly, bearing no worries about their surroundings.
After walking for what felt like a long while, the trio was met with the first goblin.
It was about as tall as a child, being at about 1,20m(3'11ft) with its wrinkly green skin and deep sun eyes blazing in the rather dim cave, with a bronze smile carrying nothing but an empty feeling of need, and on it, only the loincloth it used as clothing could be found, that is if one didn't care to consider the sharp nails borderline claws even.
Not fully standing, but instead crouching, this creature looked at the trio with its morning rise eyes, before getting on all fours and running at them.
{Let me handle this one.} Kymani suggested as he looked at the creature with this weak vibrating feeling, that would have probably been in his stomach if he had one.
At that moment, he was freed from Lavenica's hold as if a restriction on his very being was lifted, not because of her per se, but more so due to himself.
Despite knowing full well that this creature charging at him could not truly harm him, not only due to his own deposition but because of who was with him, Kymani still felt that he should be worried and this is a situation where he would have been scared, but he wasn't...
'Is this what being a monster means?' He moused as the now encroaching goblin finally jumped at him being close enough and pulling its right arm back, fully ready to claw at him.
Maybe it was instinct or perhaps the train of thought plaguing him found its last stop, regardless, Kymani compressed his own body and launched himself at the goblin, hitting it on the torso area, and sending it flying back a bit as spit flew out of the creature's mouth.
'No... There's something else going on but now is not the time. Let's finish this... After all, if I want to accomplish my goals, I'll have to be strong and ready... No bailing or I'll end up never doing it.' Kymani found himself cutting the doubt away or at least he tried to, as he moved closer to the goblin, he had a job to conclude.
Many were afraid of doing certain more questionable things due to the nature of the consequences, some because they legitimately found such actions disgusting and or deplorable sins, and at the end of the rope there was a group of people that felt differently... They were still scared but what made them scared was something else.
'It's now or I'll be stalling this for later endlessly...' Kymani engulfed the goblin's head with his slime mass, making it impossible for the creature to breathe, as it immediately began struggling, pushing, and clawing as hard as it could in order to escape to no avail.
When everyone else was fearing what they could become or what could become of them, the last group of people, they were afraid of the truth, they were scared to learn that they in fact, didn't mind those actions, wether be it for the punishment or the moral guilt, what truly terrified them was…
[You have killed a level 1 goblin. 1 experience point has been gained.]
Themselves…
'I did it... And... It's oddly empty... Maybe it has to be that way.' Kymani expanded his body to fully cover the goblin as he began to utilize <Absorption>, fully consuming the goblin slowly but surely as he returned to his normal size.
[You have consumed a phaseless goblin. You have unlocked the ability to <Mimic> and can now use the form of a phaseless goblin.]
Just then, Kymani used <Mimic>, and his body was surrounded by a purple glow as his shape began to change, and his size increased. Soon a purple goblin just as bald as the one that had been killed, the most noticeable change aside from the skin was the eyes which had the colors of the rainbow swimming in a silvery sea, and the eyebrows which had become just as silvery.
'Hahaha! I have limbs again!' Overriding his earlier thoughts, a gratifying feeling overcame him as the senses he had lost came to him once more, in rather a different package.
"... He grew quite a bit..." Merilyn commented seeing the rapid change Kymani underwent, and while she was aware of what slimes could do, it was still a completely different experience to read or hear about something, and then to see for yourself.
"This is only the start, if we properly make use of this location, we'll be able to get some decent amount of progress." Lavenica smiled witnessing that same scene, and if one were to pay attention to her disposition she was slightly trembling from what Kymani would assume to be excitement.
"I... Me... Speak..." Kymani tried to communicate but found himself having a hard time pronouncing or enunciating words at all as if something had been stuck in his throat stopping him.
"Goblins have a hard time speaking in human tongues. Though you should get the grip on it with a bit of practice." Merilyn explained while pressing the index finger of her left hand on her lower lip, carrying a thoughtful and somewhat mind-absent expression, with a similar tone.
"So, master? What do you say? Should we move on?" Lavenica saw Merilyn answer before she could, and moved on to a different matter.
"Just... Start... Go!" Doing what he could, Kymani gave a clear confirmation, or at least it was supposed to be one.
With that, the mismatched party continued.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone