A three-meter-tall behemoth sat cross-legged on the forest floor—our protagonist in his new Frostarm Lawachurl form.
Absentmindedly, he played with a small, spherical creature in his massive palm..... a Cryo Slime, its gelatinous body shimmering with cryo energy.
Liam stared at the slime.
The slime stared back.
Did I just... summon this thing by digging my hand into the ground?
He reopened his skill menu to double-check
[Slime Throw]
Grabs a Cryo Slime and hurls it at enemies.
Huh. The description doesn't mention the slime will stay if i not throw it...
"Hey, you," Liam rumbled, poking the slime.
The creature wobbled in his palm, blinking with it somekind of white round painting eyes.
"Why don't you explode?"
"?" The slime tilted—if a sphere could tilt—clearly baffled.
Right. Why did I expect a slime to understand me?
Liam set it aside and returned to reading his skill descriptions.
Undeterred, the slime hopped onto his lap.
"Shoo, shoo. Don't bother me. Go play by yourself," Liam grumbled, swatting at it halfheartedly.
The slime, unsurprisingly, did not go away.
Liam stared at the slime still perched on his lap, then decided to ignore it and refocus on his skill details. Maybe he'd missed something important in the description.
After a few minutes of study, he stood up abruptly, sending the slime tumbling to the ground. Time for another test.
Digging his massive hand into the earth, he pulled out another Cryo Slime. Without hesitation, he hurled it at a nearby tree.
Splash!
The slime exploded on impact, leaving behind a swirling Cryo mist that coated the bark in frost.
"Oh..." Liam murmured, impressed.
His gaze dropped to the first slime he create, which was still staring up at him with what might have been accusation in its beady eyes.
Liam scooped it up, holding the gelatinous creature at eye level.
Should I throw it too?
A different thought struck him.
Wait... what does slime actually taste like?
He vaguely remembered Xiangling cooking slimes in her dishes. That meant they were technically edible...
The slime wobbled nervously in his grip as Liam's massive Lawachurl face twisted into what might have been a thoughtful expression.
"..."
Liam studied the slime in his hand for a moment before deciding to revert to his human form. A sudden blizzard swirled around him as his massive Lawachurl body began shrinking. The icy winds dissipated to reveal Liam standing in his normal form again.
He looked down at the slime still in his palm - and immediately dropped it with a yelp. "That's freezing!" He rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them.
I didn't notice how cold it was in my Lawachurl form... Now as a human, touching the cryo slime felt like gripping a soft block of ice.
The discarded slime bounced up and down excitedly in front of him.
"What? Are you actually eager to get eaten or something?" Liam asked incredulously.
The slime just kept hopping, its gelatinous body wobbling with each jump. Liam shrugged and turned his attention to the massive tower looming over Orario.
"Guess I should try entering the dungeon first..."
Suddenly, the slime launched itself up to eye level, demanding attention.
"What now?" Liam sighed.
The persistent creature bounced toward the tree where he'd thrown its counterpart earlier.
"Oh, you want me to throw you too? Fine then."
Scooping up the eager slime, Liam hurled it at the same tree.
Splash!
The slime exploded into a puff of Cryo mist.
"There. Happy now?"
"Wait a second..." Liam muttered, suddenly realizing something odd. "Shouldn't the slime not explode when I throw it? I'm not in Frostarm Lawachurl form anymore."
A thought struck him. Could I still use the Lawachurl's skills in my human body?
He quickly opened his system to check the [Talent] section, but found nothing new. Closing the interface, Liam decided to experiment. He mimicked the Lawachurl's motion, shoving his hand into the ground while mentally recalling the slime-throwing skill.
To his surprise, he felt something small and cold form in his palm. When he pulled his hand out, there was indeed another Cryo slime - though much smaller than the ones his Lawachurl form produced.
Liam noticed something else strange - patches of white fur had appeared on his hand, making it look partially transformed.
Without hesitation, he hurled the miniature slime at the tree.
Splash!
It exploded just like before, though with less force. As the icy mist dissipated, Liam watched as his hand gradually reverted to normal.
"Ah...!"
"Ah?!"
A grin spread across his face. I can use the skills without fully transforming!
There were limitations - the effects were weaker, and parts of his body will changed temporarily. But this was perfect. He could access the Lawachurl's abilities while maintaining his human appearance.
For time being no one needs to know I can turn into a monster - especially not a monster that shouldn't even exist in this world.
But this didn't mean the Frostarm Lawachurl will not appear.
If the Lawachurl causes trouble, it's the Lawachurl's problem - not mine!
A mischievous grin spread across his face. Heheh... It's like having two identities. Perfect.
With this clever loophole in mind, Liam decided his next move Time to hit the dungeon and grind some EXP for both forms.
Brushing the dirt off his clothes, he set off toward the towering silhouette of Babel. According to what he'd heard, the dungeon entrance should be beneath it.
As he walked, a nagging thought surfaced Did I forget something important?
He paused for a moment, mentally retracing his steps, then shrugged. Nah, probably nothing.
With that, Liam continued toward the tower direction.
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Inside Guild
The guild buzzed with the chatter of adventurers going about their business. Behind the counter, a brown-haired elf girl with glasses - Eina - diligently worked through a stack of paperwork, her pen moving swiftly across the documents.
A sudden voice interrupted her concentration. "Hey Eina~" sang a pink-haired girl leaning against the counter. "I heard you mistook some guy asking for information as a pervert trying to ask you out?" Misha's eyes sparkled with mischievous delight.
Eina's pen froze mid-stroke. "Ahem... that was... a misunderstanding," she replied, adjusting her glasses to hide her embarrassment. "I thought he was one of... them."
"Aren't you being a bit too free, Misha?" Eina countered, regaining her composure. "Shouldn't you be handling what the Guild Master assigned you earlier instead of gossiping?"
Misha playfully bonked her own head and stuck out her tongue. "Ahem, I was just about to do that! Though... maybe you could help me with it a little?"
Eina sighed, pushing up her glasses. "Fine, just wait a bit. Let me finish this paperwork first."
The guild door creaked open as two distinctive figures entered - a petite girl with energetic black twin-tails and a striking red-haired woman with a bob cut.
"Can you believe it, Hephaestus?" the bubbly goddess chirped, practically skipping alongside her companion. "I was about to get evicted in a few days, and suddenly someone wants to join my Familia! What a miracle!"
The red-haired smith goddess adjusted her eyepatch with a sigh. "There's no need to phrase it like that - people might misunderstand. Though I am happy for you, Hestia. But are you certain about accepting this person?"
"Of course!" Hestia puffed her cheeks. "Do you think I'd just accept anyone? The moment I got the notification from the guild, I went to check on him immediately!"
As they approached the reception counter where Eina stood, Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "You actually investigated him?"
Hestia nodded proudly. "Followed him from a safe distance all afternoon! He seems like a perfectly decent child, so stop worrying already, Hephaestus."
"Still, I'd like to meet this person you've taken such a fancy to."
"That's exactly why I brought you along!" Hestia beamed.
Upon reaching the counter, Eina bowed respectfully. "Hestia-sama, Hephaestus-sama. Welcome."
Hephaestus gave a curt nod while Hestia announced, "We're here regarding that potential Familia member!"
Eina gestured toward a side room. "If the goddesses would please wait inside, I'll notify the applicant immediately."
"Understood!" Hestia grabbed Hephaestus' arm and practically dragged her toward the room, her twin-tails bouncing with each step.
Eina watched as the two goddesses disappeared into the meeting room, then suddenly froze. A dreadful realization struck her - she'd never actually asked for the applicant's name!
Rushing to the back office, she enlisted her coworkers' help to track down the information. After several frantic minutes, Eina stared at the report in her hands, her eyebrow twitching dangerously.
The document revealed that person - the very person the goddesses were waiting for - was currently on the way to the dungeon.
"That idiot!" Eina hissed through clenched teeth. "Did he completely forget what I told him? Entering the dungeon without a deity's protection is suicide!"
Misha wandered over, curious about her friend's distress. "What's got you so worked up, Eina?"
"Look at this." Eina thrust the report into Misha's hands.
Misha scanned the page. "Hmm? What's the problem? Adventurer going to dungeon - seems normal to me."
"Normal?! This man has no god's blessing! And he's the one those goddesses are currently waiting for!"
"Oh... That's bad, isn't it?"
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Meanwhile, the oblivious culprit in question strolled casually down the street toward the dungeon entrance.
Achoo!
Liam rubbed his nose, glancing around suspiciously. "Someone talking about me?"
Shrugging it off, he continued on his way.
(A/n: I just realized that the MC's 'weak' stats at level 1 were far from actually being weak. I went back and checked all the Genshin Impact stat scaling from level 1 to 20... and it turns out Liam's stats were way too abnormal. So, I went ahead and adjusted them. Huh, why did no one mention this? Glad I reread what I wrote before it was too late!)