The Body Collector
GOLD-grade ally 'Pruluru' comes scampering over and stares right at you.
Shelves lined with countless stuffed specimens. Among what looked like monster body parts, two human fingers caught my eye in particular.
"This is..."
I carefully picked up the fingers.
"My fingers."
Finger shapes vary from person to person. Size, thickness, joint positions, even nail shape—all unique. And these matched mine perfectly, down to the nail length.
The odds of some other human drifter in this place before me having fingers exactly like mine, and having precisely two of them severed and stolen by a monster? Slim to none.
No doubt about it. These were my fingers.
I set the fingers back down. No point taking them now.
After that, I slowly examined the other specimens on the shelves.
Not a single one decayed.
There was some alien power in this space. Some kind of superpower, maybe, preventing rot.
I picked up a large spider leg.
"This looks like a Dog Spider leg."
[Siii...]
I set the spider leg down and picked up a pink object next to it.
"And this is a Medical Mushroom cap?"
[Pii.]
"Mushy. You ever get attacked by a monster and lose part of your cap?"
[Pi pi.]
Medical Mushroom-004 shook its head. A clear denial.
"Guess it's from another Medical Mushroom then."
[Pii.]
No slime parts that I could see.
As I kept browsing the shelves,
[Kirik?]
A familiar voice echoed.
We both turned toward the entrance.
[Who the hell are you!]
At the entrance stood a childlike figure. Definitely a humanoid monster. This had to be the owner of the space—and the one who'd severed and stolen my fingers.
[Kiririk! Get away from my precious children right now!]
The monster stomped toward us. Now I could see it clearly, what I'd barely glimpsed yesterday.
It did look like one. Differences from a regular goblin: clown outfit and black wings sprouting from its back. Maybe a top-tier goblin evolution.
For reference, the strongest goblin I'd seen was an Infinity Evolution Goblin. It grew by devouring foes, A-rank threat.
This one was stronger. No—a strong specimen.
First S-grade goblin I've seen.
Apparent threat: B-grade. Real threat: S-grade. But nerfed to B-grade here, so I could handle it.
[Didn't you hear me! Stay away from my children unless you want to get hurt!]
Its eyes burned with hostility. It cherished these specimens.
Looked completely unhinged.
"Calm down first..."
Figured I'd try talking. It could speak, no need to fight if words worked. Though normal talk might not cut it.
I picked up the two fingers from the shelf. Once mine.
"Stop right there and put your hands up. Before I melt your trophy."
I held the fingers toward the magma slime.
[Ah, no!]
The threat worked. It froze, hands trembling as it raised them.
"Good. And from now on, no superpowers. Ever."
[...Kirik?]
"You can use superpowers, right?"
[......]
If my guess was right, this space was infused with anti-decay superpowers. So it probably wielded them. That insane speed last time? Superpower too.
"If I see even a hint of superpower use, these fingers are done. Got it?"
It clenched its raised fists, gritted its teeth, and nodded.
[Got it... I swear on my children, I won't use any powers. So don't hurt my children.]
Now we could talk freely.
I fired off questions. Starting with why it took my fingers.
[Collecting body parts from other creatures. That's the reason for my existence.]
Why not kill me when it could have gone for my heart?
[Can't kill. If the owner of my children dies, my power won't work on them.]
"If the body's owner dies, the specimen rots?"
[Yes.]
"Not a preservation superpower?"
[It keeps my children connected to their owners even when separated.]
"Connected? So I could move these fingers?"
[Kirik. They're your fingers originally, so yes. But I have to allow it.]
I asked more, then the big one: Did it have tracking superpowers? Could it track someone it'd never met?
[I can track. Even ones I've never met, but only if I have a body part from them.]
"Not with just the same species' body?"
[Kirik? Same species? I can widen to the whole species. But can't pinpoint without the exact owner.]
"So in other words..."
I pointed to the Dog Spider leg.
"With just this leg, you could track all Dog Spiders? Even if not specific?"
[What's a Dog Spider?]
"The species with these legs."
[...Not their name, but yeah.]
"Perfect."
Reason for these questions? To hunt drifters. And its powers could do it. Drifters were Rise's kin, and no others like them here.
[Questions done? Give back my child.]
"Not yet."
[Kirik?]
I approached slowly.
"Don't move. Finish this, and I'll return it."
[No idea what you're doing, but okay...]
I pressed my index finger to its pudgy nose. The red spot.
"That, and I can use its powers for taming others."
"After taming."
Chatting with the ally, I checked the spot's color change. Slow to green, as expected.
"Hey. Drop the hostility toward me."
[Ki, kirik?]
"What're you doing? Drop the hostility now. Can't you mind control? Demon-lord monster handling superpowers oughta manage that."
[I can. But you said no powers earlier...]
"Just that one."
[Okay... But can't hold it long.]
"Don't care. Short is fine."
It closed its eyes gently. The color shift sped up noticeably. Still slow overall, just faster than before.
"Focus harder on the mind control."
[......]
It squeezed its eyes shut, concentrating more.
Now the shift accelerated dramatically. Soon enough,
『Dog Spider-001』
『Jellyfish-002』
『Black Magma Slime-003』
『Medical Mushroom-004』
『005』
Using a loophole, I'd slashed taming time massively.
[Kirik. Feels weird.]
Time to release the hostage. Even if mind control wore off, no hostility left.
[Weird. I just meant to drop hostility, but suddenly I like that guy. As much as my children. Really weird.]
I gently placed the two fingers back on the shelf.
[Kirik? Th-thanks. For keeping your word.]
Taming success... so,
"Magma Slime."
[Sreung?]
"Melt those two fingers."
[Sreung!]
Payback's payback, after all.