Novice Reincarnator

I hadn’t been idle during the past month I spent shut in my room. The characteristics of the several different dungeons on the Saint Mikhael Explorer Academy campus were drilled into my head along with their capture strategies.

From levels 1 to 70, there were dungeons appropriate for each level range. Since I was only level 2, there were only a few dungeons I could actually enter. After considering my options and the characteristics of my race, I settled on first entering the Slime Corridor dungeon.

Not only was it the weakest dungeon, but it was also the most unpopular one as well. Slimes weren’t profitable. In fact, explorers only started to make a profit in their dungeon dives once they reached level 14.

As a Common talent with a max level of 10, I would never be able to generate income from being an explorer unless I ascended to a higher talent rank.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and sucked in my breath. At the same time, I bound my chest far tighter than ever before. It was painful and I could hardly breath, but my chest was significantly smaller once I was done.

I appeared like an entirely different person once I wore my baggy white hoodie over the school uniform. My hoodie plus the short shorts variation of the female school uniform caused my thighs and legs to be far more eye-catching than my downgraded chest.

Nobody would think that I was the big-breasted loli girl who peed herself while I looked like this. I planned to distance myself from that identity as much as possible. Going to the dungeon at night where I was unlikely to encounter an Elder Human with [Appraisal III] was part of that plan.

I went to the bathroom one more time to stave off any accidents that might happen from [Weak Bladder] before heading to the front door. My hand hesitated on the door handle. Images of Leo’s new appearance appeared fresh in my mind and my hesitation disappeared. I opened the door and stepped outside.

The school campus was deserted at 2am. I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head and walked to the administration facility outside of the Slime Corridor dungeon. My heart pounded in my chest. I only saw one other person on the campus during my short journey and we were too far apart to interact with each other.

A bell rang as I opened the door to the administration building.

“Welcome.”

A half-hearted, sleepy greeting accompanied the bell that chimed as I entered the administration building. A half asleep cat Beastman sat at the front desk. My bet had paid off. Other than him, the building was entirely empty. He didn't seem to recognize me either.

I approached the Beastman and stated my purpose.

“I would like to enter the Slime Corridor dungeon.”

“Explorer card, please.”

I took off the explorer card that hung around my neck and handed it to the receptionist. My explorer card held the bare minimum amount of information, which was just my name and level. The cat beastman recited his lines with bored disinterest.

“I see that it is your first time entering a dungeon. Do you need me to recite the rules for you?”

“Yes, please.”

“All explorers are responsible for their own safety inside the dungeon. Sorry kid, but Saint Mikhail Explorer Academy will not be held accountable for any injuries you may incur in your exploration. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

The Beastman nodded to himself, not really caring about my answer one way or the other.

“Once you enter the dungeon, your explorer card will begin to automatically stream your exploration. Have you properly set up your stream settings?”

“No. I was hoping you could give me some recommendations on what setting to use.”

“Nobody is going to watch a brat like you, but it can’t be helped.”

The cat Beastman receptionist and I squared away everything that needed to be done for me to enter the dungeon. Students could borrow equipment for free. I didn’t need any armor since I was diving into a dungeon with slimes. I did take the chance to grab two basic daggers.

“May fortune favor you in your exploration.”

I waved to the bored receptionist as he said the customary explorer slogan and entered the dungeon. A blue transparent panel immediately appeared in the corner of my vision.

 

The broadcast ‘TS Demon Delivery’ has begun. Please keep in mind that all of your actions from henceforth will be recorded.

Current number of watchers: 0

 

TS Demon Delivery was the name I set for my broadcast. I needed a new image that people wouldn’t associate with the so-called Peeing Princess. Rather than sloppily playing a character full of holes, I might as well be true to myself.

Elizabeth and Leo would never imagine I reincarnated as a demon girl. Additionally, they knew I wanted to hide. Someone who wanted to hide wouldn’t announce that they were a man who transformed into a girl. I would hide in plain sight by taking advantage of that thought process.

Well, it wasn’t like anyone was going to watch a nobody like me travel through the Slime Corridor this late at night.

Slime Corridor was a long, rocky corridor much like the explorer’s entrance exam dungeon. Unlike that dungeon, the room was well lit even without any discernible light sources.

Small, pebble sized slimes dotted the length of the corridor. I didn’t even need to use a dagger. Stepping on them with my boots was enough to kill these weak slimes. Of course, the amount of experience pebble sized slimes provided was negligible.

Slime Corridor was a beginner dungeon targeting explorers in the level 1 to level 5 range. My heart pounded in my chest as I walked through the dungeon. My nerves tensed in preparation for another catastrophic event.

Nothing happened. I made it to the second floor where a floating blue crystal teleporter stood without a single incident. Something like randomly being teleported to a high level dungeon only happened once in a lifetime.

I wouldn’t encounter such trouble here. I put my hand on the teleporter and registered my explorer’s card with it. The next time I entered Slime Corridor, I would be able to start my exploration from the second floor now that I had registered with the second floor teleporter.

The slimes on the second floor were as big as the palm of my hand. Unlike the first floor, these slimes actually attacked me if I walked too close to them. Their slow moving leaps were far easier to handle than the Lesser Goblins I encountered in the explorer’s entrance exam.

My daggers easily pierced through the demon cores at the center of their bodies, bringing their lives to an abrupt end. Killing slimes like this didn’t bring in any income since the core was the only even remotely valuable part of a slime.

After another twenty minutes, I made it to the third floor of the Slime Corridor and registered with the teleporter. The third floor slimes were as big as soccer balls and they couldn’t be killed with nearly as much ease.

Still, Slimes were slow. I could run away if I ever got into trouble. I took a deep breath and calmed my racing nerves. The real exploration started from here.

“You can do this!”

I clapped my cheeks with my hands and fired myself up. Thankfully, nobody was watching my broadcast so I didn’t embarrass myself in front of anyone.

I approached the nearest soccer ball sized slime. It bounced up into the air at a surprising height. When it landed, it fired off like a cannon ball in my direction. I was too late to avoid it. The full weight of the slime slammed into my stomach.

“Geh!”

I grunted in pain. My breath was knocked out of me. Even so, I managed to remain standing. The slime bounced off of me and landed back on the ground. In the next moment, it shot back at me.

I was ready this time. I stepped to the side and let the slime whizz harmlessly past me. The slime tried to attack me from all different angles. I ducked and weaved to avoid each attack. It was kind of like playing dodgeball.

Avoiding a slime or two was no big deal as long as I kept my cool. I spent a few minutes practicing dodging and familiarizing myself with the slime’s movements. Elation filled my heart and a seed of confidence was planted in my mind.

I was doing it. I was holding my own as an explorer. I drew my daggers once I gained enough confidence to act. The next time the slime shot towards me, I tilted my body out of the way and slashed at the passing slime.

“Ugh, I missed the core.”

The thick, viscous slime body made it hard to target the slime’s core in a pinpoint manner. Additionally, the slime’s body easily mended itself and continued fighting. Any attack that failed to reach the core was largely ineffective.

“Dammit, stay still and die!”

I thrust my dagger over and over again, but I couldn’t hit the core. My lack of training in wielding weapons was beginning to show. After a few minutes of flailing, I scored a lucky hit on the slime’s core, causing it to perish on the spot.

I panted from exertion. My arms felt like they had lead weights attached to them and my legs weren’t in much better shape. I wouldn’t be able to clear the third floor of the Slime Corridor dungeon like this.

If I had any watchers, they would be laughing their heads off at my struggle. Thankfully, I had the wise foresight to dive into the dungeon at an hour where the rest of the world was asleep. I sheathed my daggers and took a short break to recuperate my energy.

A quick look at the broadcast’s clock told me that I was getting dangerously close to [Weak Bladder] causing an accident. I needed to quickly accomplish my objective in coming to the Slime Corridor dungeon before I embarrassed myself.

A few minutes later, I found another soccer ball sized slime. I didn’t pull out my daggers this time. I spent a minute playing dodge-slime and getting back into the rhythm for combat.

Slimes were incredibly strong against blunt attacks, but they had little resistance to penetrating attacks. It didn’t take much for an object to break past its rubber-like exterior and enter the viscous center of the slime.

When the slime entered the optimal path for me to intercept, I made my move. My hand formed a spear and I thrust it directly into the body of the incoming slime. A slimy, burning sensation immediately enveloped my hand.

Slimes on the third floor didn’t have a strong enough absorption ability to melt a person’s hand. At most, it would turn their hands red. The main danger of these slimes was their blunt, slamming attacks.

My hand easily grasped the core at the center of the slime. At the same time, I activated the racial skill unique to the Demon race.

“Become mine!”

[Contract] activated and bound the soccer ball sized slime to me. [Contract] required the consent of both parties. Normally, such a one sided contact would never work, but a slime did not have a distinct consciousness. Its instincts recognized that it would die if it refused my contract and that was enough for it to submit to me.

This trick was limited to beings with dim consciousnesses like slimes or golems. Even a goblin would inherently reject my commands. An Elder Beast’s [Taming I] skill was required to control monsters with clear wills of their own.

The burning sensation on my hand and wrist faded, leaving me with a cool, slimy feeling. If I closed my eyes, I could feel the contract that linked this slime with me. It was a mysterious, ever present sensation that would be with me as long as our contract existed.

I found myself sporting a giddy smile despite myself.

“Nice to meet you, Lime!”

My contracted monster grew cuter and cuter the more I looked at it. I would never have to feel alone again as long as I had Lime by my side.