Chapter 4: The First Hunt
The crimson fanged rabbit was the first to move. It vanished. Tanaka’s eyes widened. "So fast...!" A shadow shot through the grass.
The hunting slimes scattered. The rabbit’s claws raked across the ground where a slime had been an instant before.
Slash!
Dirt shot up from the impact.
The slime barely escaped. Another one shot forward, slamming into the rabbit’s side.
Boing!
It sent the rabbit skidding back a pace. Not far. The rabbit rolled and slashed, sending the attacking slime tumbling end over end until it crashed into a tree.
Tanaka’s core trembled.
"They’re coordinated..." The slimes weren’t smart enough to think up a plan. But they often hunted in groups. Whenever one attacked, the others distracted, flanked, and circled.
The rabbit was fast, but it was alone. The four hunting slimes surrounded it, attacking from all sides.
One lunged, but the rabbit easily dodged. Another rammed into its backside, sending it stumbling. A third wrapped around one of its hind legs.
The rabbit squealed furiously, its claws flashing. The slime split open before bouncing away, its body slowly knitting itself together.
"So that’s why slimes are hard to kill..."
The rabbit changed targets. Its crimson eyes locked onto Tanaka.
"Me?" Before he could react, it pounced.
Too fast. Too quick. Tanaka dropped to his stomach instinctively.
The rabbit shot over him, its claws grazing his backside.
He felt the air rub against his gelatinous body. "I almost died!"
The rabbit landed on its feet and spun around. Its ears twitched. This time, it was more careful.
Tanaka steeled himself. "Think." "I’m weaker." "Slower." "So what do I have?"
Survivor. Damage reduction.
A slime’s body. The rabbit lunged again. Tanaka didn’t dodge this time. The hunting slimes all tensed up. The rabbit’s claws sank into his gelatinous body.
Splort!
Instead of cutting him in two, the attack burrowed deep into his core. The rabbit froze.
"What?" Tanaka grinned. "I don’t have bones." His body constricted around the rabbit’s forelegs, holding them in place.
The rabbit thrashed wildly, its claws raking up and down his body.
Pain shot through his gelatinous muscles. Real pain. But not enough to kill him. Survivor dulled the damage.
"Now!" The other slimes attacked immediately. Three of them crashed into the rabbit’s side, sending it tumbling.
Boom!
Tanaka let go of the rabbit’s legs as it rolled across the dirt. It came to a stop, its breathing ragged. A few shallow cuts marred its body.
"So, you can bleed."
The rabbit screamed, a high-pitched sound that reverberated through the trees.
It attacked again, faster than before. It ignored the other slimes, focusing all of its energy on Tanaka. Good. He wanted it to.
Again, the rabbit pounced, but again, Tanaka refused to move. Instead, he bounced up off the ground. Surprised, the rabbit shot underneath him. Tanaka landed square on its back.
Boing!
He wasn’t heavy, but it was enough to send the rabbit face-first into the dirt.
The hunting slimes pounced, one from either side and one wrapping its body around the rabbit’s neck.
The rabbit screamed furiously, kicking backwards. The slime around its neck was sent flying, the other two slimes scattering.
The rabbit pushed itself up off the ground, wounded but angry.
Tanaka’s eyes were drawn to the rabbit’s left hind leg. It wasn’t moving. "That’s it." The attacks had taken their toll. The rabbit’s speed had decreased, if only slightly. The rabbit lunged again.
Tanaka waited until the last possible moment before sidestepping.
The rabbit’s claws raked across his side, but that didn’t matter. As the rabbit turned, Tanaka shot underneath it. He wrapped his gelatinous body around the rabbit’s injured hind leg.
Then he pulled.
Crack!
The rabbit screamed, its body twisting violently. Its balance failed it, sending it tumbling end over end.
The other slimes pounced, attacking relentlessly. One, two, three slimes slammed into the rabbit’s body. It fought desperately, refusing to die.
Tanaka looked at the exposed throat. "That’s the opening." He drew his body in, gathering his strength. Every ounce of his being went into the next attack. "Here goes!"
BOING!
He bounced up and over the rabbit’s back, shooting toward its neck like a blue cannonball.
Crunch!
He impacted the rabbit’s spine, snapping it in two places. The rabbit’s body went limp. Silence filled the clearing. No one moved. Tanaka remained on top of the rabbit’s corpse.
"..."
"Did..."...did I get it?"
The other slimes bounced happily around him. They had won.
Their first hunt, and he had landed the killing blow. Before Tanaka could bask in his victory, a warm feeling bloomed in his chest. The rabbit’s body was dissolving, hundreds of tiny specks of light drifting away.
"What?" The motes of light flowed toward him. Automatically, he ate them. Heat flooded his Magic Core, not pain, but something else. Something powerful. His Soul Record appeared before his eyes.
[ Soul Record Updated
Skill acquired. Leap Lv.1
The basic movement skill of the Fanged Rabbit.
Temporarily increases jumping speed and burst movement. ]
Tanaka’s eyes widened. "I..." "...stole its skill?" His gelatinous body glowed with happiness. Not because of the skill, although that was nice. But because of what it meant.
"If monsters leave behind skills..." "...then every battle makes me stronger." A grin spread across Tanaka’s face.
This world was suddenly much more interesting.
The other slimes nudged him, excitedly, before gathering around the rabbit’s body. A pale crimson crystal was embedded in the ground where the rabbit had been.
Unlike the rest of the creature, it hadn’t turned to light. The hunting party turned to Tanaka. Without hesitation, they gently pushed the crystal toward him.
"For me?" The four slimes bounced once.
The answer was obvious. He had earned it. Tanaka carefully scooped up the crimson crystal, tucking it into his gelatinous body. It floated next to the shiny blue pebble he had found in the village.
His first trophy. His second skill. His first victory. As the hunting party made its way back, none of them noticed the set of human footprints in the damp earth beyond the trees.
Fresh footprints. Watching. Waiting. And leading deeper into the forest.