Chapter 3

This has happened several times before. When my level goes up, a voice echoes in my head. I think this is normal, as it happens to others too.

The problem is that my level has indeed gone up. I hurriedly opened my status.

---

Alc Seirant, 17 years old, male

Level 5

Skills

<Slime>

"Mimicry"… Allows me to transform my body into a slime.

"Split"… Allows me to split my transformed body. Maximum is 8.

---

"Sure enough, my level has definitely gone up…"

The fact that my level went up was shocking.

I am a adventurer, after all. I have killed monsters before.

However, levels don’t go up so easily.

The higher the number, the harder it is to level up. It’s easy to go from 1 to 2, but it takes much longer to go from 2 to 3.

I reached level 4 last year. I remember reaching level 3 when I was 13. It’s rare for levels to go up so quickly.

It shouldn’t have gone up just from killing a few slimes. That’s why I’m so confused.

"Why did my level go up so quickly…?"

It’s too strange to be a coincidence. I racked my brain, trying to figure out what was different this time.

"Oh, right! 'Mimicry'!"

The cause was immediately clear. I had never fought monsters in the form of a slime before.

That’s the only thing that was different. The reason for the level up must be there.

"But why does mimicking a form make leveling up faster…?"

There are a few possible reasons, but this one feels the most plausible.

"Could it be… the experience value is multiplied by the number of splits!?"

When a party kills a monster, everyone except the one who delivered the final blow can also level up.

This is called experience value among adventurers. When a monster is killed, the experience value is distributed to the entire party.

Following the same logic, when I kill a slime, could each of my 8 split forms receive experience value?

In simple terms, 8 times the experience value.

Since I killed 1 slime in human form and 16 in slime form earlier…

1 + 16 × 8 = 129

I gained the experience value of 129 slimes.

However, experience value distribution isn’t that simple. It’s based on factors like contribution to the battle and the difference in strength between the party and the monster. In fact, I’ve never received experience value when I didn’t participate in the battle.

I think this is something different from just experience value distribution. This is probably a hidden effect of my skill. I decided to conclude that for now.

This is just a hypothesis, but if it’s true, it’s incredible. I gained the same effect as killing 129 slimes in just 20 minutes.

"Amazing… This is a great discovery!"

Why didn’t I realize this simple thing before?

With simple calculations, I can kill 8 slimes in the time it takes to kill 1, gaining the experience value of 64 slimes.

"I can do it…! With this, I can catch up to Dan!"

Feeling motivated, I clenched my fist and resumed hunting slimes.

Tackle, dodge, tackle, dodge, and then look for another slime.

Humans are simple creatures. When there’s a clear reward, we get motivated. I was completely hooked on the charm of 8 times the experience value.

Before I knew it, 3 hours had passed. I decided to return to my original form.

"Phew. How about this…?"

As I took a breath, a message flowed through my mind again.

---

Your level has increased to 6.

The abilities of <Slime> have been enhanced.

---

Great, my level has gone up! I couldn’t help but make a fist pump.

At the same time, something caught my attention. What does "abilities have been enhanced" mean?

I checked my status.

---

Alc Seirant, 17 years old, male

Level 6

Skills

<Slime>

"Mimicry"… Allows me to transform my body into a slime.

"Split"… Allows me to split my transformed body. Maximum is 12.

---

"Ah! The number of splits has increased!"

The enhancement of abilities literally means that my skills have been upgraded.

The downside was that my thinking became thin when I split into more than 8, but now I can split into 12!

And being able to split into 12 has another meaning.

Killing slimes 12 times faster. 12 times the experience value.

In theory, I can now kill 144 slimes in the time it takes to kill 1 in human form.

"Great! I can level up so efficiently in just one day!"

This is the first time the abilities of <Slime> have been enhanced, but is there a possibility that they will continue to improve?

I’ve never heard of a skill that improves. I’ve been an adventurer for two years, but I don’t think such a skill has ever existed.

"I don’t understand, but… getting stronger is a good thing, so I’ll take it."

Just as I was about to return to slime hunting,

"Ku-ku-ku!!"

A sound like a chicken being strangled reached my ears. If I can hear it in this grassland area, it’s definitely that.

Deep green skin. A wide, split mouth that grins. A little person about half the height of a human.

A goblin.