Ahem, let’s dive into this delightful tale of critters, magic, and goo! clears throat dramatically
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Sniff, sniff. This place smells like somewhere only the elite are allowed.
“Fragrant flowers? Platinum-tier creatures live in places like this? We deep-sea folks were busy munching on cave root vegetables back home!”
Black jackals sniffed the air and gasped in awe. Abraham and Isaac, under their protection, looked around with bright eyes full of wonder.
“These flowers aren’t just anywhere. They’re Bo Tree blossoms grown from pure energy. If we extract their oil, it can be used as medicine or even food!”
“Let’s take some back for the elders!” With that, Abraham and Isaac carefully plucked the flowers growing along the cave walls and tucked them into their leather pouches.
“Wow, this is so different from the lower levels. I can feel the magical power here; even my tail scales are shimmering with joy!”
Azidahaka stroked the plants growing on the cave walls and chuckled elegantly.
“Eww… something’s wet,” I muttered. The cave’s sandy floor felt strangely sticky underfoot. If this were soil, you could plant almost anything here and it would grow into lush fruits almost instantly.
“Ah, I see why this is called the Heavenly Realm now. Not everyone gets to come here, huh? It’s no wonder everyone wants to climb up.”
I plucked a red berry and popped it into my mouth.
System Message: You’ve gained Experience Points.
These tasted tangy and sweet, way better than most desert plants. My energy surged! With renewed vigor, I climbed up the spiral hallway. Nothing could stop me now.
“Hmm… why is it so quiet up here?” Unlike the bustling lower levels, Platinum Tier was eerily silent. Maybe the rumors about how few High Ascended ones there are were true after all.
“Yo, mutt. How many beasts live here?”
“I heard there are three.”
“Three?! Three creatures share all this luxury space? Typical pyramid scheme. Elite few hogging everything while the rest starve.”
As we walked further, Yingyi—who had been resting in Azidahaka’s arms—started shivering.
“Yieeng! Grrr!”
“What’s wrong with him?!”
Yingyi leaped out of Azidahaka’s arms and circled around wildly, his fluffy fur standing on end.
“Hey! Calm down, boy!”
“GRURRR!” His behavior reminded me of that time near the Sumarian Tower’s lowest level. Something big must be nearby.
But we had to keep going.
“I’ve survived worse.” I reassured us all as I stroked Yingyi’s head. My past experiences told me not to panic so easily.
“Ugh, why is the floor so sticky?” I complained, brushing some yellow fluid off my paws. Eww. Weird.
“Who dares trespass in this sacred realm?” A soft, velvety voice called out.
Then, right before my eyes, the gooey slime on the ground started moving and shaping itself. Arms, legs, hips—oh my god, it was forming a humanoid woman made of yellow goo!
“What… what is that?! A liquid human?!”
I blinked at the translucent gelatinous figure standing before us.
“It’s Desertling!” Azidahaka whispered, visibly shaken.
Desertling? Sounds like one of those Wildling-type creatures, but instead of fur, it’s all liquid. Probably a sand-dwelling variant. Could this be an evolved version of Wildling? Maybe a step below Eve?
“RRRRGH!” Yingyi growled fiercely, his fur sticking straight up as if he were warning us of danger.
“Oh? Never seen you guys before. Not initiates, are you? Hmm… intruders, then.” The Desertling tilted her head, amused. She wiggled her gooey arms, and suddenly streams of yellow slime shot toward Abraham and Isaac.
“Yaaaaargh!” One of the jackals leapt forward, shielding the boys with his own body.
“AAAAAAHHH! ITCHY! MY FUR! ITCHES!”
Meanwhile, the Desertling smirked. “You’ll d*e scratching yourself forever. My venom is more potent than desert scorpions or fire snakes!”
Venom? Interesting…
As the other jackals also began clawing themselves bloody, panic spread among our group. Clearly, this goo was no ordinary slime.
“Hey, Desertling,” I called out. “Does your goo contain poison?”
“Too late to figure it out now! My venom is stronger than anything in the desert. You’ll scratch yourself to d*ath!”
System Analysis: Poisonous goo, detected. Potential weakness: edible?
I casually licked some off my paw. ZING! A tangy citrus flavor burst in my mouth. Not bad. Too sour, but still refreshing.
“What the… YOU AREN’T SUPPOSED TO EAT IT!” The Desertling screeched.
“Thanks for the snack, though,” I chuckled, wiping my paws clean.
“What?! Why aren’t you itching?!”
“Easy. No itch, no problem.”
With that, I swatted her gooey torso with my paw, slicing through her body with my claws. SPLAT.
“cr*p! She regenerates!” Azidahaka warned as the split halves recombined.
“No poison works on me, apparently. But brute force isn’t cutting it either…”
As Desertling regenerated again, her gooey hands morphed into sharp spines. Oh great, now she’s got attack modes.
“Watch out!” She stabbed toward me, but to her shock, my fur didn’t tear.
“What?! Impossible!”
“Hey, buddy,” I said, licking my lips. “I’ve got an idea.”
Then, without hesitation, I tackled her, biting, chewing, and savoring her gooey flesh. Mmmm, still citrusy… like orange jelly.
“Geez! Stop eating me! That’s gross!”
“Sorry, can’t resist.”
And with every bite, Desertling regenerated, creating an endless supply of snacks. Crisis averted—turns out refugees could solve world hunger by breeding these things!
—
And that’s the tale of how I turned a dangerous monster into delicious calories! Victory through hunger is the best kind. 😎
