I checked the "Second Character" option from the system menu.
To be more precise, the label actually read "New Character Addition," which suggested that there might eventually be a third slot and beyond.
"By the way, SP is shared across all characters-ssu. To be exact, you can transfer Gin-chan’s leftover SP to Pen-chan."
"Heh. So I could save up SP on a second character and pour it all into my main?"
"Exactly-uo. Or you could do the opposite—use the SP you’ve earned with your first character to give your second one a massive head start-uo."
Regardless of the method, it meant more usable SP overall.
Since the Home seemed to be shared no matter which character bought it, I figured my second character should probably be a production class that came with its own property...
...Then again, since Penpen was already here, I felt like our group was already well-covered.
However, that meant relying entirely on her. If Penpen ever retired—or worse, if her character suffered a permanent Lost—I’d be stuck.
"Alto, what kind of second character are you looking for?"
"I’ll decide once I’ve read the stories-uo. ...Whoa."
"What? What is it?"
"These stories are seriously grim-uo. Actually, aren't the scenarios even harsher than they were for our first characters-uo?"
"Tria-chan being a literal sacrifice was already pretty brutal, wasn't it?"
I wondered if it could really get worse than that. The thought was terrifying.
"It looks like there are more non-human options too-uo. Beastmen, vampires... oh, is this a monster girl-uo?"
"Let’s see, I’ll take a look as well... Hmm."
The story selection screen for the second character popped up before me.
The Frenzied Beast, The Broken Steed, The Defiled Priestess, Rightfully a Criminal, Extreme Faith... For now, I decided to check the one at the top.
The Frenzied Beast
You had no family except for your tamed monster, a White Wolf you had raised since childhood.
One day, someone demanded you lend them the creature that was like your own flesh and blood. You refused, but under relentless pressure, you finally gave in.
Just for three days, you told yourself. You endured those three days.
However, when the time came, only bones were returned to you. They told you, "The fur and meat sold for a decent price."
...Then they tossed a single silver coin at your feet. "Here's your share."
I’ll have my revenge, no matter the cost—
"Ugh. That poor tamer..."
"Oh, ohh! I’m going with this one, The Defiled Priestess-uo. See ya later!"
With that, Alto tapped the menu and went rigid. Ah. It looked like she had switched to Auto Mode. Her expression immediately went flat and vacant, making it easy to tell.
From my own menu, the entry for The Defiled Priestess vanished, replaced by a notification: "This story has been selected by another player."
A moment later, The Frenzied Beast disappeared as well. It seemed other players were making their choices at the same time we were. I’d actually been a bit curious about that tamer.
I’d have to check the Wiki later to see what was happening elsewhere.
Two new entries appeared: Test Subject and Under the Sunlight... I could guess the potential of the characters from their stories, but it was a difficult choice.
"Penpen, was there a specific reason you chose Gin-chan?"
"I wanted to deliver some divine justice to a total scumbag-ssu! Also, since Pen-chan is a production type, I really wanted a combat-oriented vessel for myself-ssu!"
That made sense. In that case, I really did want to try my hand at a production-focused build.
Let’s see... The Broken Steed seemed to be about racing. A Horse Beastman racehorse.
Rightfully a Criminal was... yeah, a criminal character. The kind that claims they didn't do anything wrong.
Extreme Faith sounded like a member of some fanatical cult.
Alright, I think I'll go with Test Subject. It looked like it would result in a Slime. Maybe I could pick up alchemy or something similar.
"I've made up my mind. I'm going to start my second character now."
"Good luck-ssu! Oh, and just so you know, the second character is probably locked to VR Mode-ssu."
"Hm? Wait a second, what’s the VR experience for a Slime even like—"
"Transferring to the second character’s origin."
The world shifted, and I found myself on the character creation screen.
For now, I was navigating in the Halo state. Right, right. As for the second character... here was the background.
Test Subject
An illegal experiment. A fusion of monsters. A Slime drifted inside a glass flask.
Its former shape and memories were long gone; it was nothing more than an experimental animal floating in a giant vat.
At the researcher's whim, it was subjected to every possible medicine and every conceivable poison.
Finally, at the end of its agony, it was deemed useless.
The decision for its disposal was made, and a Collapse Factor was administered.
Within its fading consciousness, the Slime wondered: What was I? If nothing else, it simply wanted to know the answer to that question.
So, I was going to be a Slime.
Wait, was this originally a human? Or was a human soul trapped inside?
There were actually customization options for limbs and a head, even though I was currently just a squishy, translucent blob. The red, marble-like core was likely the brain.
...Hmm. Still, since I was a Slime, I wanted a build that actually utilized my biology.
First, I spent SP on the Split skill. I could use this to isolate the collapsing parts of my body and nullify the damage.
Next, Predation seemed remarkably cheap to acquire, so I grabbed that too. It was likely discounted because it was a latent talent just waiting to be awakened.
Poison Absorption felt mandatory, or I’d probably die the moment I spawned. The story mentioned constant injections of toxins, after all. Survival had to come first.
I wanted to buy a Home as well, but... I was a little short on points.
I’d stick with these skills for now, then level up to earn enough for a Home. I wanted alchemy too, but I could look for a way to learn that naturally without spending SP.
Now, time to choose Slime-chan’s color.
The body was a round, squishy mass, much like a firm jelly. The core was red—that was fixed. As for the body color...
There was the classic blue. Pink was nice, too. Green definitely looked poisonous. Yellow felt oddly powerful. Flesh-colored... no, that just looked like a blasphemous lump of meat.
Oh, I could even go with a metallic sheen. And "Gaming Colors"... no, if my body flickered with RGB lights the whole time I was playing, I’d probably give myself a headache.
After experimenting with the options, I settled on making the body completely transparent. Clear as distilled water.
It seemed more versatile than a specific color. Even if it did make my core—my weak point—perfectly visible.
Hm? "Operation Check Mode"? What was this?
I didn't remember seeing this for Tria-chan... I suspected there had been a flood of complaints from players who suddenly found themselves legless and unable to move properly.
Regardless, it was helpful. I had no idea what it would feel like to control a Slime in VR, so I needed to test it. If I couldn't move, I’d be a sitting duck.
As I entered VR Mode, the sensation of becoming a Slime washed over me. My body felt tingly, though not in a bad way. It was like a low-frequency massage—the feeling of muscles twitching from a mild electric current.
Was this the effect of the poison and the absorption skill? Good thing I’d picked those up. It was actually quite helpful to get a feel for the body before the game started in earnest.
Let’s see... I didn't have a mouth, so I couldn't speak, but it seemed I didn't need to breathe either. Perks of being a Slime.
I found I could stretch out parts of my mass like tentacles. I could extend them with the same natural sensation as moving an arm. Plus, they could stretch quite far with a satisfying squish. This was actually fun. It was a bizarre sensation—like a deep stretch that just kept going until I could reach the far wall.
I extended an appendage, split the tip into five distinct strands, and wiggled them like fingers.
It worked! I could even play Rock-Paper-Scissors!
This was actually pretty handy; I almost wished I had arms like this in the real world. Aside from the fact that I was a literal puddle of goo, it was very convenient.
Being transparent might make it hard to judge distances, but I figured I’d get the hang of it soon enough.
Alright, time to start! Let’s do this!