Epic of Caterpillar
chapter-451

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[You learned the following Skills]

[Grotesque Monstrous Physique] (Assimilated by Superior Skill!)

[Aura of Fearful Nightmares] (Assimilated by Superior Skill!)

[You gained +40 Magic and MP for drinking a strong being's blood!]

Drinking the blood of the monsters that Geggoron uses for his 'army' seems to have given me a small boost.

We were currently in the middle of a feast, between the forest, using the empty village that was surrounded by earth walls.

Aside from Habitis's mutated body, which had been properly butchered and was being cooked in more than five different ways by my wives and Slime Clones, I also tried out the smaller monstrosities, which were, according to Cathin, normal citizens that were mutated into loyal monsters by Geggoron Split Souls.

I wonder if Geggoron has a similar ability to my 'Forced Evolution Induction'? Maybe something related to mutation.

These small monstrosities resembled barely what they formerly were. Most of them had deformed humanoid-like bodies, covered in deep black skin and slimy tentacles, alongside crimson eyes across their entire bodies. They had a mouth around their belly, which was filled with sharp fangs.

They tasted quite interestingly, like an octopus, but bitter, with a hint of red meat as well, perhaps this last hint of flavor was the vestige of their former appearances as citizens of Moonfang.

The bitter flavor could be easily cleansed through the manipulation of the toxicity inside of the corpses, using the [Transcendental Venom Attribute Source Magic] spell 'Poisonous Cleanse'. It seems that the bitterness was caused by a deadly substance inside of the bodies, which seemed to be charged with corrupted mana and divine energy… although it was not pure enough to taste good. By extracting this dark and gooey substance, the meat would taste better.

[You learned the following Skill]

[Venomous Black Goo] (Assimilated by Superior Skill!)

Next on in the inspection and 'taste test' were the 'Nightmare Hunters', which seemed to be gigantic humanoids wearing heavy dark armor. However, a detailed inspection would reveal that such armor was an exoskeleton.

They seemed to be mutated citizens that had become stronger than the average monstrosity, being granted weapons and commanding over smaller monstrosities. Taking out the exoskeleton would reveal bright crimson flesh, muscles, and this same dark goo. Their flesh tasted fairly better than the monstrosities, even if eaten with the goo.

However, if properly cleaned, they would taste incredibly good, like a meaty, fatty, and juicy cow beef, with a hint of pork. They were also quite chewy for some reason.

[You learned the following Skill]

[Nightmarish Hunter Obsidian Exoskeleton] (Assimilated by Superior Skill!)

Hm… a lot of the skills I am getting are assimilated by my stronger 'Superior' Skills… but the skills that are assimilating them are not leveling up. They probably need more skills to gain a level like this or some of greater quality.

"Mastaaaa! Lunch is ready~!" said Rimuru, calling me to the Golem Table that I set in the middle of the abandoned village.

"Alright, coming"

Several plates of all color and shapes were being put over it, the smell of grilled meat and spices filled the ambient, some monsters from the outside glared at our feast with drooling expressions.

I did not want to have spectators glancing at us while having lunch, so I used my Aura to intimidate them, though a few died immediately out of pure fear and shock. Well, they were very low level and weak monsters.

"Ah, these Takoyaki are so good! Is this octopus really that ugly monster there? I can't believe it!" said Gaby, who liked to eat Takoyaki ever since I introduced the recipe in the Empire.

"It really is… I am still wondering how does Geggoron's ability to mutate other beings into those octopuses even works… but it's probably useless to try to figure it out. I think I can do something similar as well…" I said while eating extra big-sized Takoyaki balls, covered in sweet and sour sauce.

Takoyaki is a Japanese dish made out of wheat flour batter and small pieces of octopus tentacles put inside. The batter is cooked in special molds with a bit of oil, slowly shaping them into a spherical form, with the pieces of octopus inside. When it is done, it's usually sprinkled with a variety of toppings and sauces, creating an impressive combination of flavors.

The wheat flour was replaced with forest grains flour, which seemed to work quite fine, though it gave the Takoyaki different colors, such as reddish or yellowy.

Munching on the balls would create an explosion of flavors inside of your mouth, alongside the cooked and hot batter filling your tongue with the steam saved inside and the warm and delicious octopus' piece. Using sweet and sour sauce, alongside dried seaweed sprinkled above and mayonnaise, the combination was simply perfect.

"These Takoyaki are really something else! I cannot stop eating them…! Kireina, just how did you come out with this recipe?" asked Nesiphae.

"Well… It's something from my previous life's world" I said.

"Oh… Ah! You mean that world you lived before reincarnating in here, Honey?" asked Zehe.

"Yeah, I just stole the recipes and inventions from there. The Rin Sisters used to be my split minds, so most of the inventions they come out with come from there" I said.

"Oh! You're so smart, Masta!" said Rimuru.

"It would be interesting to visit that place once… although, it's would be difficult to visit an entire world only filled with humans," said Brontes.

"Well, if all of those humans are like Kireina, then I don't think it would be much of a problem, isn't it?" asked Lilith.

"I guess so, I wonder if we could ever travel there… we would need Space Attribute Magic at the very least," said Charlotte.

"Hm, I don't think it would be possible even with that… we are talking about a completely different world. It is like, in another plane… another, erm, how was it? Universe?" asked Nanako.

"Yes, I haven't planned on coming back there… I don't think I have any means to do so as of now… and it is not like I don't like being in Genesis with all of you" I said.

"Hm… it is tempting to go to a world seemingly in peace, compared to Genesis where demons, monsters, and gods roam everywhere… it would be a nice change of pace," said Kaguya, while eating Takoyaki.

"Indeed, if such a world filled with so many inventions really do exist… it would be nice to visit it… Although I have to admit that it is a bit frightening to visit an alien world" said Ismena, delighting herself with Takoyaki, dipping them in more mayonnaise than it should be.

"I wonder what kind of refined delicacies there could be on Earth… Oh, and how about entertainment… those new 'Light Novels' that they are selling in the Empire… is that world filled with them?" asked Acelina, sipping some black tea.

"Oh, the 'Light Novels'? Yeah, they usually come from Japan, one of the countries of Earth… ah, there are a ton of good books from other countries as well… but I have a deviancy with Japan…" I said. I had to admit it, I was an otaku in my previous life.

"Well, that is kind of obvious, Kireina-sama. You always bring inventions and dishes from that country in particular!" said Sofelaia.

"Indeed… but have you wondered why there are some similarities with Earth and Genesis?" asked Sofarpia.

"I have seen that there are many… even in things such as Gods. Like Zeus, Apollo, or Athena. Those Gods are real in this world, even when on Earth they are just myths of older human civilizations… There is also the Azuma Empire and its Japanese-like culture, and the Athetosea Kingdom with its western-like medieval culture and influence… Well, this might be an alien world when compared through the perspective of an earthling, but also something akin to a 'parallel world' of sorts, where a lot of certain things from Earth are present in Genesis…" I said.

"That's… an interesting point of view… Well, there is no point in racking our brains while trying to look for a solution" said Altani.

"That is true… though I wonder, did my species existed on Earth? Ah! Was there a myth about me?!" asked Nixephine, her scorpion tail waving around in excitement about being known in an alien world.

"No… I do not remember any myths related to you in specific, Nixephine. Though I remember the Girtablilu as a monster species in a tabletop game… oh, and also in a series of lewd books about monster girls… well, never mind the last one. I am sure that there are also ties with Egyptian Myths and their gods. Wait, I think they were somehow related to Babylonian myths, though I never went into too much depth with them," I said.

"Egyptians… and a lewd book?! And Babylonian Myths? So, from where I am in there?! Earth is truly a confusing place!" said Nixephine, a tad bit angered.

"How about me?! Was I… something like an Egyptian Sovereign?!" Asked Nefertiti.

"Nefertiti? Your name does ring with Egyptians. I think there was a goddess with such a name… or was it a pharaoh? I honestly do not remember, I was never into Egyptian Myths or history… Sorry" I said… Egyptians were truly an interesting culture and civilization of the past of Earth… but I was too much into Japanese culture to care about them.

"No! It was actually good! So, I was either a goddess or a sovereign, a pharaoh! Hahaha! What do you think, Nixephine?! Meanwhile, you were just in lewd books about monster… girls? Or something!" said Nefertiti, laughing.

"Ah! Is that true, Kireina-sama?!" asked Nixephine

"Nefertiti, stop mocking Nixephine… I would appreciate it if you two could try to get well together… although I cannot deny that it is fun to see your interactions" I said.

The two glanced at each other but could not get well together��� I think it's nothing too serious, they seem to complement each other in some way. Perhaps I should not be so worried.

"Egyptians? Hmm… were there Onis on Earth?" asked Oga, eating a large slice of grilled monstrosity tentacle covered in a sweet sauce.

"Onis… yes, there were many, especially in Japan, where they see to have been myths. They are like ogres or demons if you compare them to the others of different cultures" I said.

"Ohh… that's kind of freaky… so in other words, we exist as myths in other worlds? That is a bit… hmm. Ah, I can't think so hard about this, I will just forget about it" said Oga, resuming her feast.

"It is pretty interesting to think about such things though, Oga-san. Were squirrels on Earth?" asked Kaguya, with a mild smile… her cheeks were all bubbly because she was 'saving' Takoyaki inside of her cheek pouches.

"Kaguya, Takoyaki aren't nuts! …And yeah, but they were simple and wild rodents found almost everywhere. They were just as cute as you thought… But did not possess human-like intelligence" I said.

"I see… so there are siblings in Earth after all, how wonderful," said Kaguya.

"Ah! I think there were some interesting subspecies, such as a flying squirrel that could glide by using membranes interconnected between their little arms and legs… they were interesting" I said.

"Oh! Flying squirrels?! Really? I would love to meet one!" said Kaguya.

"No, I don't think they would be able to talk with you… but I often fantasized about having a squirrel pet" I said.

"Ah! I can be your pet, Master Kireina!" said Kaguya, moving towards me and hugging me.

"Kaguya, I didn't mean it like that… ah, sigh… anyways, let us enjoy lunch before it gets too late, we should continue for a bit more around the outskirts of Moonfang" I said while caressing Kaguya's fluffy silverly white-colored tails. They would always release a sweet flowery aroma when they were caressed and Kaguya would do cute sounds… though she was now munching a dozen of Takoyaki inside of her cheek pouches.

Meanwhile, with my second body, I was about to join the god's projections inside of Morpheus's Dungeon, alongside Cathin, his servants, and my children.

Mohini and Maeralya's silhouettes began to appear as astral projections, Cathin glanced at the gods, worshipped by many in front of him.

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