Epic of Caterpillar

261 Forsaken Labyrinth Conquest 53/69; J?rmungandr

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My family admired the massive corpse of the Basilisk, which lied in the ground, motionless, its flesh was roasted and a delicious smell filled the entire floor. I released my Slime Clones, and with the help of my wives, we butchered the whole thing slowly.

I ate its entire head, as it contained little meat for the rest, by dissolving it inside of my body as a Red Slime. Its fangs, eyes, and tongue contained incredible quantities of Magic Energy, although I didn't feel any taste, it was fulfilling to eat.

[Kireina] Learned the following Skills]

[Ancient Basilisk's Petrifying Venom Secretion]

[Ancient Basilisk's Paralyzing Glare]

Three Skills just by eating its head?! Indeed, this monster was worthy of being the eight Boss of this Dungeon, these Skills also sound strong and dangerous, with the ability to secrete petrifying venom… I should be careful about this.

Feeling no more threats, I "ate" my Seraph Armor with my own Aura, the moment I did, my body suddenly absorbed an incredible amount of Magic Energy that was making up the Armor, I suddenly regained most of my MP due to this. By doing this, the "energy" used to create this armor, was "recycled" inside of my body, becoming once again my own energy. I have developed this as my Aura grew in power and increased its practical uses.

I then took my [Legendary] Odachi, the best blade at my disposal, with the ability to cut through rock as if it were butter, and used it to slice the Basilisk's massive and long body, it had an incredible amount of meat, more than any previous Boss before, and the best thing was that it was already roasted and ready to eat.

As I butchered the beast, I took all of its skin in one go, although some parts were burned down, its scales were magnificent and could make an incredibly high-level armor. Thinking about the possibilities of gaining a new armor skill, I am all of the skin and its scales, which were pilled together, towering over twenty meters of pure material.

Even if these items were very sturdy, I dissolved them slowly with my slime juices. I considered using this Slime body as a weapon, but it would be inconvenient, as a living being can easily resist being eaten inside of my body, and attack me with magic… So, eating bosses while they are alive may be dangerous, what if they blast me off from my insides, I will be blasted into pieces, even as a Slime, I would still lose a lot of HP anyways.

[Kireina] learned the following Skills]

[Ancient Basilisk's Dark Green Orichalcum Scales Generation]

"Ah~! There it is…!"

I gave a small happy chuckle, and my wives who were butchering at my side looked at me with strange expressions.

"Big sis must have gained a new ability after eating the skin… She's happy" (Brontes)

"Oh, that must be it" (Nesiphae)

Are they already used to my strange reactions?!

Afterward, the meat was ready to eat, mostly being all grilled already. Everyone began to devour the delicious pieces of meat, while I munched on massive slices and the crunchy bones. The Monster blood was mostly all boiled, forming delicious salty juices, however, it didn't give me any upgrade on Skills or Blood Strength, sadly.

The meat was plenty, but I hastily devoured it without stopping, the bones were crunchy and just fine, holding immense flavors. Although this Basilisk seemed to be an Undead, it didn't taste bad at all, and it didn't need to be cleaned either, perhaps it was a different type of Undead, similar to vampires. The meat of this beast tasted similar to other Wyverns, but had a saltier hint to it, its blood in specific was especially salty.

I tried to assimilate a big piece of the Basilisk, but once again, nothing was obtained.

[Kireina] learned the following Skills]

[Basilisk's Phantom Tail; One Hundred Whip Attacks]

[Ancient Lineage of Malicious Snakes; J?rmungandr Bloodline]

The Bloodline of such an ancient Snake, I obtained it… Now, what does it even do? It's not as self-explanatory as other bloodlines like aquatic beasts or sand beastfolk, right?

[Ancient Lineage of Malicious Snakes; J?rmungandr Bloodline; A Bloodline which is also a Blessing given to those long descendants of the endless coiling snake, Jormungandr. Kireina has obtained such bloodline by eating the descendant and assimilating its [#####] with [Devour]

[Primary Effect; Grants great talent with Phantom, Poison and Dark Magic, increased affinity with them, alongside natural resistance]

[Secondary Effect; Future offspring may develop special abilities contained in Jormugandr bloodline like Petrifying Venom, Paralyzing Glare, Powerful Whip Skills, Transformations, etc]

It was a very unique "bloodline" or "lineage" Skill, if I were to fuse all of these similar skills, my bloodline may once again evolve, giving new benefits to me and my children.

Considering everything, I've been thinking about fusing Skills after completing this Dungeon, it would be the best time to use up all of these skills I've accumulated. Now that I can fuse several Skills at the same time, there is no need to impatiently fuse everything the moment I obtain it. I was considering the Skill that could automatically Synthesize things, but I've scratched that idea.

Maybe I could use them to mass-produce Alchemy Items, but not to fuse Skills, it may end up creating a big mess. I feel like that Skill was a trap, and it's better that I never obtained it when I was less aware of my situation…

After pondering these things for a bit, I kept feasting and drinking wine, while practicing some of my Skills, especially [Bacterial Nest], after producing and killing off bacteria, I was slowly learning how to proficiently create the ones I wanted. Perhaps I could put a lot of man-eating bacteria inside a poison cloud, and throw it to some Kingdom and see what happens. It would be certainly terrifying.

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After eating and getting so drunk that even my resistances didn't work, I fell asleep on the floor's ground. And now, as I was peacefully resting inside of my dreams, something strange tried to break through my Dreamscape.

Two massive yellow-colored eyes, those of a reptile, glanced at me with incredible power. A cracking and malicious voice resonated through my mind…

"You… You are not my descendant…!"

"Huh? Who exactly are you?" I asked, I really did not know who this guy was, but his voice was incredibly annoying. Can't he let me sleep in peace?

"Why do you have my bloodline?!"

"Your bloodline…? Oh… You're J?rmungandr?"

"Hmph! The one and only! The Endless Coiling Snake! The Malicious Snake that Devours Yggdrasil Roots!"

"And the snake that simultaneously died alongside Thor in Ragnar?k…"

"Huh? Thor?! That pesky god would never beat me!"

"Anyways, what do you need?"

Jormungandr opened its evil yellow eyes with a malicious glint.

"Insolent mortal! How have you managed to steal my bloodline from my descendant?!"

"You mean… Yiksu… Yisukek?"

"Yiksukesh! Her name is Yiksukesh! She is my descendant! Insolent mice!"

"Can you relax, you're in my dreams, and your angry yells really give me headaches…"

It seems that this thing remembers every name of its descendants, I should learn from him. What if I end up forgiving the name of my grandchildren when I become an old granny?

"I'm not going to relax, mice! Answer me truly, or I will torment your dreams forever!"

"I defeated her and ate her. Happy?"

"Y-You did what?! Damned mortal! My poor Yiksu…! Gggaaaah! I'm going to make your mind explode!"

Jormugandr opened its yellow eyes wide as powerful energy filled my mind, the pain-filled my entire brain as well, but my split minds woke up in time and activated my Mind Skills, quickly opposing the force that the snake created, and calming down the headache.

"Hm?! What is this power?! M-My Dream Magic cannot break it?! What are you, mice?!"

"Oh, you finally asked for my name, snake. I am Kireina, the Realm Menace of Lust, from the Realm of Vida"

"Realm… Menace?! To think that Vida did these things as well… And Vida…! Was my Yiksu in Vida?! However, if you really killed my poor Yiksu, her soul would be back already on Helheim, and Hel would give it to me to revive her right away…! What did you do to my Yiksu's soul?! Answer me!"

"Haah, good thing I didn't eat her soul, well she didn't have one"

"What do you mean?!"

"Sigh… Talking like this led to nowhere, Jormungandr, you know Hel?"

"She is my sister!"

"Oh? You're a God?"

"I am; however, I can only talk directly like this to my descendants! The ones possessing my bloodline, and you, a complete stranger, somehow has it…! What is this trickery?! How can you eat my Yiksu, who somehow doesn't have a soul, and obtain my bloodline?!"

"You know what, you're getting very annoying…"

I manipulated the landscape of my Dream, and by using Illusion and Hypnosis Magic, I exerted a powerful force towards Jormungandr eyes.

Blast!

"Gah! H-How could you damage me?! Mere mortal, know your place!"

"Calm down, snake. Let's negotiate, I have a lot of juicy info that could help you out, and I could even find a way to free your precious little descendant…"

Jormungandr's eyes shined brightly with a cunning light.

"I can see through your intentions, you're not lying… There is indeed a way to save my little Yiksu? Speak!"

"Alright, but I will only speak if you accept my negotiation offer… And to make things more reassuring, let's use the life of your Yiksu"

"Hmmph! Alright…! What do you want, mice?!"

"You're from Helheim?"

"I am… It is the Realm that I and my sister govern…"

"Your sister, is Hel, right? Well, I got a companion that wants a specific soul, can we go pick it up later on? Hopefully without her interfering"

"What are you talking about?! Hel would never let you take her precious souls! Helheim is her playground; you can't simply enter and grab whatever you want from here!"

"That's why, you're his brother, right? Convince her to let me take that soul"

"Ghh! I-I can't… Me and Hel… We have different statuses… I am a Rank 4 Demi-God, while Hel is a true Goddess of Rank 8…"

"Oh? Is there some hierarchy between godly beings?"

"Not of your concern, mice!"

"Sigh… Can you at least do something? Are you really scared of your sister? Don't you want Yiksu back with you? It's very sad what has happened to her…"

"I-I… Yiksu…"

Jormungandr seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end, he gave in.

"Alright… I can't convince her, it's impossible. Hel as a different personality, she isn't a reasonable Goddess… However, I can facilize things for you, or at least, give you some time for you and your companion to grab that soul… Details shall come when I can talk with my Yiksu again!"

"Oh?! That was easier than I expected, you really love your descendant. I comprehend you; I do have a family as well…"

"I don't care what the family of a mere mouse is! Now, talk!"

"Oof, what a personality you have, how old are you?"

"My age?! Seventy Hundred Thousand Years, you don't even have a year of age, mice… Now talk, if not…"

"Alright, alright… You know that the God of Sand and Earth made his own dungeon in Vida, right?"

"I do… What does he have to do with anything?! He's a god that does not belong to any pantheon, a loner"

"Well, surprise surprise, he grabbed your precious descendant and put her into the endless cycle of reincarnation inside the Dungeon as a Boss…!"

"G-Gaah?! M-My Yiksu… such destiny… She has always been so reckless… However, that means that you can save her?! But how can a mortal even take…"

"Luckily, I gained a nice skill that lets me steal Dungeons… I will rescue your precious descendant, and I will hold her with me for now, until we travel to Helheim"

"A Skill that steals Dungeons…?! Y-You're lying… No, you're not lying, I can see through your mind, you're an outstanding mouse…! You talk so much nonsense, but they are all true… Hm?! Blessed by the System Master…!"

"Oh? It seems that you're seeing my value now, how about it?"

"Not bad! As long as you save my descendant… I will support you in your journey to Helheim… But you better maintain my descendant safe, and don't dare touch her! You have strange kinks, mortal…"

"Huh, you can really see through everything in my mind it seems…"

"Not everything… There is something about you that I cannot fathom. An outstanding mortal like you should have his own secrets, I suppose…"

Does he mean the memories of Earth, he can't see them? Phew…

"So? Ain't I a good descendant?!

"Tsk! We'll see about that, mice! Make sure to treat my descendant with care! She is a pesky girl… Ahem, alright. You better not fail, or I will make sure to curse your family for generations! All of your descendants shall have nightmares for the rest of their lives!"

"Don't worry, I keep my promises… Mostly"

"You're not lying, partially… That Redgaria, he was blessed by my sister, yet he hates her? Mortals are such unethical beings… He should be careful… Hel is not a simple goddess…"

And just like that, Jormungandr disappeared from my dreams, and I was able to sleep peacefully once again. However, I couldn't. Who would sleep peacefully after talking to a Divine Beast that it's a direct sibling with Helheim, the Goddess of Death?

Hm, I think I forgot to tell Jormungandr that his descendant has gone a little bit insane inside of here.

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