When I came to, I was on an altar inside a dim cave lit by several torches. I swept my gaze around the cave. The air stank with blood and gore as several tentacles munched on lifeless corpses.
Those tentacles are mine.
It felt good. I could taste the blood of these… humans? Yes. That’s what they call themselves. A swarm of notifications popped up before me, detailing the humans that I have killed… No. Assimilated.
[You have assimilated Aldric, the cultist of Xeno.]
[You have learned Aerimia Language. You can now speak Aerimia.]
[You have assimilated Xon, the cultist of Xeno.]
[You have learned Mana Sense.]
[You have assimilated Lisa, the cultist of Xeno.]
[You have learned Mana Manipulation.]
[You have assimilated Darius, the cultist of Xeno.]
[You have learned Fondaine Language. You can now speak Fondaine.]
[You have assimilated Aeger, the cultist of Xeno.]
[You have learned Mana Manipulation.]
[Mana Manipulation has leveled up to level 2.]
[You have assimilated Jill, the cultist of Xeno.]
[You have learned Mana Sense.]
[Mana Sense has leveled up to level 2. You can now use magic.]
[You have assimilated Fohl, the cultist leader of Xeno.]
[You have learned Dimensional Storage. You can now store items in a dimensional pocket.]
I swiped my hand and another notification popped up.
[Name: none
Race: Unknown
Level: Unknown
Status:
STR : 1500
Dex : 2000
Int : 5000
Wis : 6000
Skill:
Assimilation lvl Max
Regeneration lvl Max
Metamorphic Tentacle lvl Max
Mana Manipulation lvl 2
Mana Sense lvl 2
Fondaine Language lvl 1
Aerimia Language lvl 1
Dimensional Storage lvl 1
Trait:
Xeno: A being from another world not governed by level. You will gain stats equivalent to beings you have assimilated.]
“I am Xeno,” I muttered.
“Nyaa?” A white cat huddled at the corner, wary of her surroundings.
“Nyaa?” I tilted my head, looking at the curious creature. My tentacle hopped to it, its maw opening wide. The cat jumped in fright, dodging my attacks. But there was nowhere to run. My tentacle soon caught up to it and devoured it.
[You have assimilated a cat.]
[You have learned Cat Reflexes. You can increase your DEX instantaneously when attacked.]
My stats also went up with it. My eyes went back toward the cave. After rummaging through the narrow cave, I went out of the small cave. There was nothing there. No food. Only some shiny rocks and some yellow meal. I put them in the dimensional storage I had just acquired. When I stepped outside, my sight was met with a beam of sunlight.
“It’s a forest, nyaa…” I muttered. My ears perked up, trying to catch anything. I’m hungry. I want to eat some more. But there is nothing here except trees.
My tentacles went to the trees and bit out a chunk of them.
[You have assimilated a tree.]
[You can now transform your skin into tree bark.]
“It’s hard, nyaa…” I complained. It’s not very tasty. But a new skill is a new skill. I then extended my tentacle to a nearby rock and took a bite out of it. This one is harder.
[You have assimilated a stone.]
[A stone has now been stored inside your dimensional storage.]
[You can now transform your skin into stone using material from your storage.]
I shaped my tentacle. It now had a stone-tipped horn and wooden bark as armor. It looked lame, so I dismissed it and it returned back to the original pink flesh. Yeah, this one was more comfortable.
Then I found a lizard. It roared, but it was helpless as my tentacles munched on it.
“This one tasted better. Nyaa. Let’s find some more!” I was pumped.
[You have assimilated a land drake.]
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
[You have learned Hyper Beam. You can now shoot a beam of energy from your mouth.]
[You have assimilated an anaconda.]
[You have learned Armor Scale. You can now turn your skin into the scale of a drake.]
[You have assimilated a viper.]
[You have learned Poison Drip. You can now use venom in your physical attacks.]
“Hm… that drake was rare,” I muttered as I went through the forest, assimilating anything I found. As I was searching for things to eat, I heard a scream.
“Kyaa! Help! Help me!” I retracted my tentacle and went toward the scream.
“Kya hahaha! We !^#&( a nice *()&^ today! Look! A beautiful lady *@()@!)!&(! the forest! She is !&(!&(&((@&@((@. Don’t you know, I heard there are @&(!&!(^@( around here! Kya hahaha.” I saw five men surrounding and tying a girl.
“!^!&@, we should taste the !^@& before we sell her.”
I stared at the girl and the men alike. It’s the first time I heard someone speak. I tilted my head, wondering what they were talking about. I was simply curious. One of the bandits turned to me, and he smirked.
“Look! We just hit a !&(@&! A white-haired @(!(@! That one !&(@(@ will sell for a @&(@(#!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Nyaaa,” I said as I summoned my tentacle. Yeah, they are going to be food anyway. It doesn’t matter what they were talking about.
Bandit’s POV
“Kyaa! Help! Help me!” The girl’s scream sounded like music to my ears.
“Kya hahaha! We found a nice haul today! Look! A beautiful lady wandering alone in the forest! She is going to fetch a lot of money. Lady, don’t you know, I heard there are bandits around here. Kyahahahah.” My friend taunted the gullible village girl. She probably came from that poor Aubre village in the south, trying to gather some chestnuts for her empty stomach.
“Boss, we should taste the goods before we sell them.” Another one eyed the girl’s lascivious assets while grinning.
I grinned back. Yeah. We should taste her first before selling her. Why should we sell her to those depraved nobles in their castles while we work here in the woods? They should be satisfied with used goods instead.
As I was about to tear her sundress, my gaze fell on white hair peeking out from the trees. A young girl, no older than 12, looked at us curiously. A pair of cat ears twitched on her head. My smile grew wider. I am no pedo, but this girl would sell for more than thrice the price.
“Look! We just hit a jackpot! A white-haired catgirl! That one would sell for a fortune!” My henchmen and I then turned toward her.
Even after all this, she merely tilted her head curiously, showing no fear.
I should have taken that as a sign. Why would a girl be here in the woods? Moreover, why, instead of running, was she merely standing there?
Various abominations came out from her back. Two red beams poured through my teammates, blowing holes in their guts.
“Run!” Lucas, the more cowardly one, was quick to take action, but there was no escape. Another ball of mana exploded on his head. That was a Mana Bolt. Damn! This monster is magic-oriented! I must be quick. I used a sword skill, a skill that has been honed through countless practices in my mercenary days.
A golden flash drew an arc across the girl’s neck. Yes! I did it. I lopped off her neck.
But the nightmare didn’t end. The tentacles didn’t stop. More and more came from the side. I swung my blade at them, but they didn’t stop coming.
“No! No!! Help me!! Argh!!!” I cried in terror as my vision was filled with teeth and flesh.
Xeno POV
[You have assimilated a bandit.]
[You have learned Aerimia Language lvl 2. You can now speak Aerimia fluently.]
[You have assimilated a bandit.]
[You have learned Aerimia Language lvl 3. You now understand some Aerimia culture.]
[You have assimilated a bandit.]
[You have learned Sword Mastery. You can now cast a one-hit sword skill.]
[You have assimilated a bandit.]
[Your stats have been improved.]
[You have assimilated a bandit.]
[Your stats have been improved.]
“Aerimia…” I muttered as knowledge flowed into me. It’s a theocracy that lies in the south. This forest is right at the edge of it. Apparently I have no more skills to learn. Either these humans don’t have any skills for me to learn, or I have reached the cap for assimilating humans.
My gaze soon fell upon the girl that these bandits were capturing.
—-------------
Lily POV
Oh God! Today must be the worst day in my life. Several bandits caught me and were about to rape me. But my luck keeps getting worse. I thought I was going to live the life of a prostitute, but no. Somehow, God had decided that He would send a man-eating monster to our poor village. What did I do to deserve this?
I prayed to whatever god was out there, hoping that this cute, adorable, but deadly tentacle girl would pass on. I mean, she had already eaten five men’s worth of meat. She should be full, right?
“Hm… A woman. I don’t think I have tasted a woman before. I wonder if you are tasty, nyaa…” the girl muttered as she slithered her tentacle around my waist. My breath caught in my throat as several tentacles opened their mouths, revealing razor-sharp teeth, ready to devour me alive like those bandits.
“W-w-wait a minute. You want food, right? I have food. Please! I will give it to you!” I cried out.
The tentacles stopped. Then I felt the rope tighten on my hands and my feet loosen.
“Food? Give me, nyaa.”
“Yes! Yes! Please! Wait a second!” My hand reached out for the basket I brought. Today, I brought pies for lunch. I was about to forage for herbs for a bakery in the village before I met those bandits.
I am hungry too, but my life is more important. I then served the fruit pie along with several dried plums to her. Will these be enough?
The cute catgirl took one plum and put it in her mouth. Her face brightened up in delight as she ate the rest of the apple pie and my dried plums in gusto.
“Delicious! More!” she yelled. Her face brightened as she yanked me close to her face like a doll. Despite her small size, these tentacles were crazy strong. A single tentacle could lift me off the ground with little to no effort. What creature was she? How did she get this strong? More importantly, how am I going to escape?
“I-i-i don’t have any more.”
“Is that so…” Her ears plopped down hard. She already ate everything. I don’t have anything left. “That’s too bad. I guess I’ll have to eat you then, nyaa.”
Ah… it’s over.
