Free Web NovelChapter 2: Beginning [ 2 ]
The moment he thought of his first tentacle, a pitch black, wriggly tentacle appeared in his line of sight. It wasn’t directly connected to his Clownfish form. Instead, it floated less than an inch away from his skin, and he could move it wherever he wanted.
It was like a second arm.
A really cool second arm... Hehe... I can control it almost like it was my arm. I can also upgrade it from the looks of things. I didn’t play that many games, but I’m not an idiot. I’ll definitely abuse this power wisely. Nacho nodded inwardly.
Right off the bat, he swam down to where all the shiny rocks were and effortlessly picked all of them up with his new tentacle, tossing them into his inventory.
His tentacle scaled off his stats. It couldn’t lift very heavy stuff, nor did it move super fast. Oh, he also felt a little tired after using it, so he took a break and then continued.
Within two hours or so, his haul looked like this:
[(x52) Shiny Pebble (Common) <+>]
[Description: A regular pebble imbued with a little bit of mana.]
[+2 Strength]
[+3 Stamina]
[+1 Agility]
Moving just my fish body won’t really increase my stats, but if I constantly use my tentacle, it’s like I’m training my whole body. Neat. Oh, I should also use shiny pebbles.
[+52 Mana]
There weren’t any limits on how much mana he could absorb from the pebbles. Maybe this world had like a really high stat ceiling for it to not place any limits?
Well, whatever it is, I’m not complaining. Oh, but I still don’t know how to use mana. I reckon I have to get a skill first... They’re called Talents here, so I just need to kill some fish and absorb them for their talents, Nacho thought.
Just then, he spotted a school of fish swimming past him. Remembering the killing requirement he got earlier for his first tentacle, Nacho reacted instantly.
His tentacle tore through the school of fish, and killing those it touched instantly.
[You’ve slain: [x54] Sardine (Level 1). You’ve gained: +54 Experience]
[Ding!]
[You’ve gotten your (1st) First Tentacle upgrade!]
[Next Damage and Length upgrade in: Now!] frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Damage: 1 → 3
Length: 50 Centimeters → 1 Meter
[You’ve gotten your (2nd) First Tentacle upgrade!]
[Next Damage and Length upgrade in: Now!]
Damage: 3 → 8
Length: 1 Meter → 2 Meters
[Next Damage and Length upgrade in: 96 Kills.]
Also, the cherry on top was that Nacho held back near the end, making sure to capture one sardine with its body in tact. He brought it closer, and then snapped it in two.
[You’ve slain: [x1] Sardine (Level 1). You’ve gained: +1 Experience]
Since it was still kind of intact, he focused on it, then on the +.
[Sardine (Common) <+>]
[Description: Just a regular clownfish. A little tasty?]
[Current Form: Clownfish (Common)]
[Absorption Target: Sardine (Common)]
[Warning: Absorbing this creature will unlock the Sardine (Common) form and permanently grant one of its innate Talents.]
[Would you like to proceed?]]
He accepted, and the transformation began right away. His small Clownfish body twisted and began to quickly morph into a Sardine. It took less time than before. Even the Talent he got this time was better.
[Innate Talent Gained: Current Manipulation (Uncommon)]
Oooh? So like giving myself a speed boost or putting a protective layer around my body? Heh...
Before he tried anything, he went ahead and willed himself to change back into his Clownfish form, since as a sardine, he was way too small.
[Current Form: Sardine (Common) → Clownfish (Common)]
Perfect.
Now then, Current Manipulation.
Just like Toxic Resistance, the knowledge of how to use it appeared in his head. It was straightforward. He could generate and direct small but precise water currents from his body.
Doesn’t tell me much though. Hmm... I guess it’s all about mana. Since I can control the tentacle with my mind, maybe I can do the same with mana, Nacho thought and tried just that. fгeewebnovёl.com
Pushing mana itself didn’t work, but when he imagined pushing a current, it worked. A small bubble wrapped around his Clownfish body. He did it again, and this time, Nacho propelled himself tens of meters forward, getting a little bit of whiplash.
But he figured it out. Using Talents, he could do it through pure intent. Using mana itself, on the other hand, was a little trickier. He had no idea how.
Well, it’s still a gold-mine of untapped power... Huh?
[-88 MP | 452 / 540 ]
[-300 MP | 152 / 540 ]
Mana usage. He completely forgot there used to be such a thing in games. Speaking of, he hadn’t checked his status screen in a while, so he decided to do it now.
[Status]
Name: Nacho
True Name: None
Age: 0
Race: Evolving Tentacle Monster
Physique: None
Bloodline: None
Level 1: 0 → 54 / 100 Experience
Evolution Condition: [Reach Level 50]
—HP & MP
[HP: 10 / 10 → 40 / 40 (Regen 1/s)]
[MP: 10 / 10 → 152 / 540 (Regen 1/s)]
—Attributes:
[Strength: 1 → 3]
[Stamina: 1 → 4]
[Agility: 1 → 2]
[Perception: 1]
[Mana: 1 → 54]
[Charm: 1]
—Special Ultimate Ability:
[Talent Stealing: When you use your tentacles to perform a lewd act on someone, you steal one of their Talents and keep it permanently. The victim retains their Talent. Significantly reduced effect on Non-Humanoids. You can hold unlimited Talents.]
—Talents: Toxic Resistance (Common), Current Manipulation (Uncommon).
[First Tentacle (Supreme)]
Durability: Infinite
Ultimate Effect: Your Charm stat is increased by 10x whenever you touch someone with this Tentacle.
Damage: 8
Length: 2 Meters
[Next Damage and Length upgrade in: 96 Kills.]
Hmm. The stats seem to be growing well. I don’t know what I should be aiming for yet, so I guess if I want the best odds of survival, I need to increase my stats, Nacho decided.
Pebble gathering, sardine killing, and hopefully getting a bigger and faster body. Maybe a shark? Could he take on a shark?
Probably not.
Either way, Nacho set his sides on the shiny rocks and dedicated the next couple of days.
But little did he know, he’d soon meet something that would make him wish he knew just how powerful his tentacles were earlier.
