Chapter 2: Tutorial Mob
The creature’s maw twitched, and then it moved with pure predatory intent. Its serpentine body cut through the water like a knife through flesh, far too fast for comfort.
’MOVE! MOVE MOVE MOVE—!’
Gray’s panic detonated. He willed his body to flee, to dart away like any self-respecting sea creature, but his gelatinous form had other ideas. His bell contracted in a weak, pathetic pulse and he drifted maybe a foot to the left. The creature was closing the distance with nightmare speed, its bony plates rattling as it surged toward him. The maw opened wider, far wider than should have been physically possible, that spiral of teeth rotating slightly in anticipation. Gray could see straight down its gullet into an abyss that made the ocean around him look bright.
’COME ON!’ He pulsed again. Another feeble drift. ’WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! SWIM! SWIM LIKE YOUR NONEXISTENT LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!’
The creature lunged, and something inside Gray crackled.
It was pure instinct, some deep primal wiring buried in whatever passed for a jellyfish’s nervous system. A surge of energy, sharp and electric, shot through his form. His bell flared blinding white-blue. Threads of lightning arced across his translucent flesh and discharged outward in a crackling sphere. The water around him snapped with electricity.
The creature took the full blast directly in its open mouth. Its body convulsed violently, the bony plates along its spine rattling audibly through the water. The sickly green glow along its fins flickered erratically like a dying lightbulb. It recoiled, thrashing, its serpentine form coiling into a defensive knot as dark fluid seeped from between its bony plates.
’...Whoa.’
Gray drifted there, stunned. His body still tingled with residual charge, the tips of his tentacles sparking faintly.
’That was... that was ME?’ His tentacles twitched, still tingling. ’I can do that?!’
The creature writhed, clearly hurt but not dead. Slowly, it stopped thrashing and hung there in the water, watching him. Its glow was still flickering unsteadily and its maw was no longer fully open. The predatory certainty in its posture had shifted into something more cautious, more hesitant.
Gray pulsed his bell deliberately, turning his body to face the creature head-on. He let a few sparks dance deliberately along his tentacles as a warning.
’That’s right. Back off. I’m not your easy meal. I’m a floating electric death machine now. And I have NO IDEA how any of this works, but I am MORE than willing to find out on YOU.’
The creature watched for a long, tense moment. Then, with a final frustrated lash of its bony tail, it turned and slithered back into the deep gloom from which it had come. The green glow faded, the pressure of its presence diminished, and then it was gone, swallowed by the abyss.
Gray let out a breath he did not have. His bell relaxed, the tension draining out of him in waves, and his bioluminescence dimmed from combat-bright to something softer and calmer.
’...Holy crap,’ he thought—and was startled to realize he could feel the words vibrate through his form, even if no sound came out. ’I almost died. AGAIN. That’s twice in... how long has it been? An hour? Less?’
He drifted, letting the current take him while he processed.
"Twice. Shot in a convenience store and almost eaten by a nightmare lamprey. My luck is actually, statistically impressive in how terrible it is."
Then a thought struck him, rising from the depths of his gamer brain like a bubble through water.
’Wait. if I’m in some kind of fantasy world... shouldn’t there be some kind of system?’
He remembered all the novels he’d devoured during his lonely nights. Status screens. Skill windows. Levels and stats. The tropes were practically law.
’Open status,’ he thought, concentrating hard.
Nothing happened.
’Status menu.’
Still nothing.
’Menu. Check status. Skills. Inventory. Character sheet. Open sesame. Abracadabra. System command. User interface. Admin panel—’
He cycled through every command he could think of, growing increasingly frustrated. His tentacles twitched with irritation, sending tiny sparks into the water.
’Of course I don’t even get a system. Why would I? That would be too convenient. I’m just a jellyfish with anxiety and an electrical disorder—’
Ding!
The sound was so sudden, so crisp and digital in the muffled silence of the deep, that Gray’s entire form jolted. His bell contracted sharply, and he spun in a clumsy circle before stabilizing.
[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE.]
The text appeared directly in his vision, glowing letters floating in the blue-black water like holographic fire. Golden and warm, they pulsed gently with each word.
[Congratulations on your second life, User: Gray Ashford.]
’I... what?’ Gray’s thoughts stuttered. ’It actually worked? It actually—wait, synchronization? Was it loading this whole time?! What kind of garbage latency is that?!’
The golden text continued, unfazed by his outburst.
[Due to an administrative error, your death was not scheduled. As compensation, you have been granted reincarnation in a new world.]
[Analyzing karmic balance... INSUFFICIENT.]
[Result: Your reincarnation form has been downgraded to accommodate your karmic deficit.]
[Current Form: Aurelia aurita — Common Moon Jellyfish (Bioluminescent Variant)]
Gray stared at the words. Then stared some more. His tentacles drooped.
’What the hell is that supposed to mean? [Karmic balance insufficient]?’
He replayed his life in his mind. Twenty-seven years of nothing. He’d never hurt anyone. He’d never helped anyone either. He’d just existed, drifting through his days like—
’...Oh.’
He drifted through his days like a jellyfish.
The irony was so sharp it hurt.
’My karma was so pathetic that I couldn’t even reincarnate as a human?!’
The system text flickered, as if waiting for him to finish.
[Do not be discouraged, User: Gray Ashford.]
Another line of text appeared, brighter than the rest.
[You have been paired with the GROWTH SYSTEM, a specialized guidance program designed to help even the weakest creatures reach their peak potential.]
Gray’s interest sparked—literally. A tiny arc of electricity jumped between two of his tentacles.
[With the Growth System, you may access:]
A new window materialized, translucent and sleek.
[STATUS MENU]
Name: Gray Ashford
Species: Aurelia aurita - Common Moon Jellyfish (Bioluminescent Variant)
Level: 1
Title: None
Stats:
· HP: 10 / 10
· MP: 25 / 25
· ATK: 1
· DEF: 1
· SPD: 2
· INT: 15
· LUK: -10
Skills:
· [Bioluminescent Pulse] (Passive) Lv. 1
· [Nematocyst Sting] Lv. 1
· [Static Discharge] Lv. 1
Evolution Paths: [LOCKED] — Reach Lv. 10 to unlock.
Gray absorbed the information in stunned silence. Then his gaze locked onto one particular stat.
’MINUS TEN?!’ His bell flared with indignation, pink and blue light pulsing erratically. ’My luck is NEGATIVE TEN?! Is that even legal?! What kind of—who designed this—YOU CAN’T JUST GIVE SOMEONE NEGATIVE LUCK!’
[Your Luck stat reflects your accumulated karmic balance.]
[At your current level, critical failures are more likely to occur. Please exercise caution.]
’[Critical failures]?! I died once already tonight and almost got eaten in my first ten minutes as a jellyfish! What’s next?! A whale?! A volcano?! Does this ocean even HAVE volcanoes?!’
The system did not answer. The golden text simply waited, patient and indifferent.
Gray took several deep breaths or at least, he tried to. Jellyfish didn’t breathe. The attempt was deeply unsatisfying, much like everything else about his current existence.
’Fine. Fine. Growth System. Okay. I can work with this.’ He focused on the screen again, forcing himself to calm down. ’It says I can level up and evolve. That means... I’m not stuck like this forever, right? I can become something stronger?’
[Correct. Evolution paths will unlock at Level 10. At that point, you may choose a direction for your growth based on accumulated experience, absorbed traits, and environmental factors.]
’Evolution paths...’ Gray’s mind whirred with possibilities. He’d played enough RPGs to know how this worked. Start weak, grind levels, unlock upgrades, become overpowered. It was the oldest power fantasy in the book.
Except in those games, the protagonist usually started as something slightly more dignified than a floating blob of goo.
’Okay. Okay, I can do this.’ He steadied himself, his bell rippling with determination.
He turned his attention to the darkness around him, the endless blue stretching in every direction.
’I need to find something I can actually kill for EXP without dying in the process.’
A small, translucent fish darted past him, barely the size of his bell.
Gray focused on it. His tentacles twitched.
’...Is that a tutorial mob? That has to be a tutorial mob, right?’