[Detection: Target is not within attack range.
Ability activation failed.]
「It actually has to be within attack range... Huh?」
Ah, did she actually have to physically touch the Royal Slime's core for the One-shot Kill to work?
Now that it failed, did the system count the Ability as used? Did a failed activation still trigger a one-month cooldown? Actually, none of that mattered.
What mattered was...
「I'm drowning!!」
GLUB GLUB GLUB—BLUB BLUB BLUB—
The Royal Slime's fluid rushed into her mouth and nose, giving Miruku zero time to hold her breath. She thrashed a few times, realizing she couldn't possibly swim out, and finally just went limp.
It's over... this short life of mine.
At that moment, time seemed to decelerate a thousandfold.
She began to flash back through everything: the way she was ignored in class, eating lunch alone in a corner of the classroom, and those moments during free-grouping activities when no one ever approached her.
She remembered when someone finally did come over to talk, and after stammering through a few sentences, she suddenly started rambling non-stop... and they never spoke to her again.
She remembered someone waving at her; she waved back, only to realize they were greeting the person behind her.
By then, she'd already spent five seconds imagining them becoming best friends for life.
Thinking about it even now, she felt like she could curl her toes in embarrassment hard enough to excavate a three-bedroom apartment inside the Royal Slime's body.
...Why were all her memories so painful?!
But it didn't matter. She was dying anyway.
Let it end—this meaningless life!
At least in her final moment, she'd burned bright as the Thorn Hero! Dying like a hero wasn't such a bad way to go, right?
[F-Rank Dungeon: Slime Forest
Objective: Slay the Royal Slime (1/1)
Quest Completed!
Rewards have been issued to your backpack. Please check them.]
[Killed Royal Slime x1, Experience +13,000.
Level Up!
Lv5 → Lv7!]
SPLASH!
Suddenly, a violent sensation of weightlessness hit her.
Miruku felt her entire body lighten as the crushing pressure of the slime dissipated instantly. But she was completely drained of Stamina; unable to move a muscle, she could only succumb to an uncontrolled freefall.
But soon, a firm, warm sensation greeted her. She had landed on someone.
Even though she hadn't opened her eyes yet, her mind conjured the image of a prince in white elegantly catching a princess in a black gown.
Ah... how romantic!
Anyi looked down at Miruku—soaked from head to toe, hair a tangled mess plastered to her face, looking utterly bedraggled—and noticed her giggling with a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. He concluded she was definitely fine.
"You saved me once; consider this us being even," Anyi said flatly.
He wasn't worried about her drowning at all; mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was completely unnecessary. Because of the [Gluttony] skill, any excess waste in the body was automatically cleared and converted into stamina and mana. Swallowing a huge gulp of slime fluid was actually probably helping her recover a bit of stamina.
In the distance, Layton watched as the Royal Slime instantly lost its color and dissolved into liquid, leaving a massive hole in the ground. Then Anyi hopped out of that hole completely unharmed, catching Miruku, who had somehow managed to dive into the slime's body earlier.
Seeing that both were safe, Layton's legs gave out. Propping himself up with his shield, he sank to one knee, a smile on his face, looking like a man who had lost all his pigment.
The Dungeon was over, the Royal Slime was defeated. He...
Had burned out completely!
Ariana, lying on the ground, saw the system notification and began to wail like a small child. Whether it was physical or mental exhaustion, Anyi hadn't even made it over to her before she drifted off to sleep.
"Hmm..."
Anyi stood before the two unconscious teammates, then looked at Miruku cradled in his arms.
Was he really going to have to carry all three of them back by himself?
Actually, no.
He definitely had to figure out a way to haul them back as fast as possible. Once they woke up, they wouldn't be three people—they'd be three starving ghosts. If he didn't get them back soon, they'd be chasing down wild cows in the forest to gnaw on them raw.
So, Anyi stuffed Ariana into one pack and strapped it to his back, tucked Miruku into another pack and wore it on his front, and finally grabbed Layton by the ankles. He began the trek back, dragging him along.
Layton had 29 points in Durability; a little bumping and grinding against the ground wouldn't hurt him. Forget Anyi dragging him; you could tie him to the back of a motorcycle and drag him for hours, and he'd be perfectly fine.
On the way, Anyi checked the rewards he'd earned from this quest.
Aside from the fixed EXP reward for a first-time clear under Level 10—which guaranteed a 2-level jump—there was a new set of armor and a weapon.
[Slime Helmet Lv1
Slime Armor Lv1
Slime Gloves Lv1
Slime Leggings Lv1
Slime Boots Lv1]
And finally...
[Item: [Black Slime Sword Lv99]
Item Description:
Sasuga, Shadow-sama!
P.S: A sword forged from black slime fluid. Can freely change shape.]
Ignoring the somewhat nonsensical item description, Anyi was actually quite hyped for this blade.
In his previous life, the [Slime Sword] was a total joke of an item. It was a Water-attribute weapon, and since Water isn't exactly great for direct offense—coupled with the sword's malleable gimmick—getting it early on was basically useless.
On the flip side, the full Slime armor set was actually pretty decent for mitigating damage in the early game.
The Slime Sword Anyi had obtained in his past life was white. Unlike an iron sword, it was almost impossible to use for cutting, which meant it lacked any real killing power. Usually, Anyi only used it as a support tool to entangle enemies or wrap around his own body for extra defense.
Once he moved past the early stages and started looting elemental gear from other Bosses, the Slime Sword was relegated to gathering dust in his warehouse.
But in this life, he had just scored a version with a color he'd never seen before, and it was already maxed out at Level 99!
He was dying to see what this "useless" sword could do when paired with Max-level Technique and Max-level Gear.
As for why the Slime armor set was only Level 1, the reason was simple. Armor sets didn't benefit from Technique bonuses, and their levels weren't influenced by other attributes; the quality of the gear was tied directly to the demon's tier.
Since the Royal Slime itself wasn't a particularly high-tier demon, dropping a basic white set was perfectly normal.
Among the early-game Bosses, the Royal Slime was considered one of the tougher ones, but the gear it dropped offered some of the best bang-for-your-buck value in the game.
This armor set doesn't just mitigate direct hits; it also possesses an [Evasion] attribute, meaning physical attacks hitting it have a chance to have their damage completely nullified.
It's similar to a Goblin swinging a club at the slime suit: the weapon just slides right off without dealing a single point of damage to the wearer.
Plus, being a "white set" means the upgrade conditions are incredibly simple. To level up the Slime set, all you have to do is farm a massive amount of ordinary slimes.
The upgrades are synchronized across the entire set. If going from Level 1 to Level 2 requires 10 slimes, then once you've finished off those 10, the entire suit levels up at once.
Based on his past experience, it was most efficient to spend some time grinding the Slime set up to Level 20.
However, the downside was that after killing the Royal Slime, all the slimes throughout the forest would begin to migrate. If he wanted to farm them, he'd have to find a new hunting ground.
...
In a remote corner outside the forest, a Slime Cleaner was diligently slaughtering slimes.
Yesterday, a voice had suddenly echoed in her mind.
[Hero System Activated.]
[The first generation of Heroes has perished. Congratulations, you have been chosen as a second-generation Hero.]
[Elza · Gorete, congratulations on becoming the [Extermination Hero].]
[You have gained the ability: [The more demons you kill, the stronger you become].]
Elza had lost her parents at a young age and grew up being fed by the various families in her village. She remembered starting to help the adults clear slimes when she was only eight or nine.
Growing up orphaned had made her incredibly insecure around other children, leading her to become a loner. Though she had moved past the trauma now, she still preferred working solo over cooperating with others.
When the village was in crisis, she was in a corner of the outskirts clearing slimes.
When the village was saved, she was in a corner of the outskirts clearing slimes.
Even when the disaster struck, no one had bothered to find her or notify her. It wasn't until she went home to sleep that night that she realized what had happened to the village.
By the second day, the [Hero System Activated] notification rang in her head.
And she...
Was still in a corner of the outskirts clearing slimes.
Hero? System? Extermination Hero? What was all that junk?
All she needed to do was clear slimes to repay the village for raising her; nothing else mattered.
But it was strange: after a day of killing slimes, she felt her body becoming increasingly agile. Her killing speed was up, her movement was faster, and her efficiency had skyrocketed.
Could that voice in her head actually be telling the truth?
Whatever. It didn't matter. Wasn't it better to just kill them faster?
This way, she could help the village kill even more slimes!
So early this morning, before dawn, she headed to her usual corner to clear slimes and took over the shift from her night-shift colleague.
After slaughtering a good number of them, she suddenly realized that the speed at which slimes were emerging from the forest couldn't keep up with the speed at which she was killing them.
Before long, she moved to other areas to help out. Once she finished there, she'd return to her own zone, clear it out, and move on to the next section.
The villagers didn't overthink it; they just kept praising her for being so quick and efficient.
As she worked her way through, Elza suddenly noticed a crowd of colleagues and other villagers gathered near a certain area close to the village, as if watching something exciting.
She squeezed through a gap in the sparse crowd and looked up.
Standing in the center of the crowd was a sharp-looking, black-haired youth. About fifty meters away from him were dozens of slimes moving around randomly.
In his hand, he held a strange black rod; the material didn't look like iron, nor did it look like wood. If Elza had to give an answer based on the materials she'd seen in her life, she'd say it looked a bit like the luster of a slime.
Suddenly, the youth moved.
He lightly raised the black rod and flicked it toward the nearest slime.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The black rod extended instantly, piercing through the core of every single slime with blinding speed.
As the sound of slimes being punctured echoed repeatedly, dozens of them were wiped out in the blink of an eye. The black rod, which was originally only a meter long, had now zigzagged into dozens of segments, filling almost the entire space.
"Whoa!!"
"As expected of Lord Sword Hero!!"
"That many slimes killed all at once!!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, their eyes filled with admiration and shock.
Among them, Elza's eyes sparkled with a fascinated light.
Sword Hero? Was that black rod... a sword?
"So... so fast!"
If... if she could kill slimes that quickly, the village would never have to worry about a slime infestation ever again!
Elza replayed the scene over and over in her head, etching the image of that black sword into her memory.
The youth soon turned and left, followed by the villagers, but Elza remained, returning to her own work area.
「If... If I could have a sword like that...」
Elza clenched her fists, wondering exactly how such a feat was possible. The material of that sword looked just like a slime, didn't it? After all, it could change shape.
But how on earth do you turn a slime into a sword?
Elza casually grabbed a red slime in her hands.
「Do I just stretch the slime out to turn it into a blade?」
Lost in thought, Elza grabbed both ends of the slime and pulled them apart.
At that moment, a voice echoed in her head.
[Passive Skill: [Power of My Imagination] Activated.
Skill Description:
I think this thing could turn into a weapon, right?]
A red light flashed. The stretched slime in her hands shot out, elongating until it became a sword over a meter long, just like the one the Sword Hero had held.
[Obtained Item: Red Slime Sword Lv1
Item Description: Exclusive weapon for the Extermination Hero. Can be leveled up by killing slimes.]
"Whoa...!"
The slime actually turned into a sword?! So that really is how he made his?!
「Then... can I do it too?」
Testing the theory, Elza flicked the Slime Sword in her hand toward a nearby slime.
PFFT!
The Slime Sword extended, instantly impaling the unlucky creature.
"It really works?!" Elza cried out in excitement.
Who needs a hammer anymore?! With this sword, she could wipe out every slime in existence!
Though she desperately wanted to run and show off her Slime Sword to the other villagers, she stopped herself. If she killed them too fast, she'd be stealing everyone else's livelihood. Better not.
Being efficient was one thing, but being too flashy would just make people resent her!
For now, she decided to keep this as her own little secret.
Elza made her decision.
As the sun rose higher, Elza moved to a nearby area to help out. A colleague looked up and caught a glimpse of Elza's face.
"Elza? I feel like... you look a bit different somehow?"
"Different? Not really?" Elza touched her face, questioning.
"Your features haven't changed, but I feel like... you're much fairer than before. You've become quite pretty. Wow, I never realized you were so beautiful before! And wait, since when did you dye your hair red?"
"Red?" Elza froze, pulling a strand of hair down over her forehead.
Sure enough, her originally jet-black hair had turned a vibrant, fiery red. She let out a small gasp of surprise, wondering how that happened; she certainly hadn't dyed it.
"Whatever, red it is. The slimes are coming!" Elza didn't overthink it.
...
In a courtyard within the village, the villagers stood in a line, carrying plates of food.
At the dining table in the center, Ariana was shoveling food into her mouth, one spoonful after another. Layton and Miruku were engaged in the same frantic feast.
Compared to the two girls, Layton's eating style was downright feral; he looked like he wanted to just pick up the entire basin and pour the food down his throat.
On the other side, Anyi was exchanging information with the followers.
"Lord Sword Hero, within this short period, a portion of the Heroes has already fallen at the hands of demons." A follower handed over a list.
Anyi opened it, scanning from top to bottom.
Finally, his gaze locked onto the words [Extermination Hero], and he fell into a long silence.
To think that one of the strongest Heroes from his previous life hadn't even survived the first wave of Hero deaths?
Or was it because he had joined this squad, leaving the Extermination Hero to wander alone, leading to her premature demise?
If possible, Anyi didn't want the top-tier combatants of the past life to die so early. If they could reach the peak once, they could likely do it again in this life.
Losing them now meant they were gone from the history and memories Anyi relied on.
Who knew what variables the future might hold?
In his previous life, the [Extermination Hero] had hidden her real name, traveling the world under the alias "Aisha."
In this life, he finally saw her true name, yet she had died early on the path to the first Boss.
It was a sobering thought.
After more than three hours of what should have been a simple breakfast, Ariana, who had the longest Mana bar, was the last to finish.
Anyi recalled that in his previous life, she had the nickname "Gluttonous Saintess"; it probably wasn't just because of her appetite, right?
Once the feast concluded, Anyi suggested they familiarize themselves with their new gear before heading to the next zone. In the village square, surrounded by a crowd of curious villagers, the four of them stood in the center to exchange notes.
"I received a set of slime light armor and a Slime Sword," Anyi said, pulling the Slime Sword from his inventory.
"Huh? Anyi, wasn't your sword black? Why is it white now?" Ariana asked, a blob of white slime fluid floating in her hand. She had received a [Slime Magic Orb], which basically looked like a sphere of slime jelly.
"Slimes can change their color at will."
With a thought from Anyi, the Slime Sword in his hand began to light up like a neon sign, rhythmically cycling through a rainbow of colors.
"Whoa!" Ariana looked like she'd just discovered a new toy. "Teach me! Teach me!"
"Test the gear first." Anyi didn't even give her a second look.
"Ahem! I got a full set of slime heavy armor and a slime shield!" Layton announced excitedly. Like he was showing off, he quickly summoned the entire set and the shield.
Then, right before everyone's eyes, Layton was suddenly engulfed by a massive pile of white slime.
The hearts of the gathered Slime Cleaners skipped a beat.
"The Lord Hero... he's been swallowed by a slime?!"
"Where did that slime come from?!"
"Don't worry, Lord Hero! We're coming to rescue you right now!!"
Layton raised an arm dripping with fluid and waved it. "Don't panic, everyone! This is armor made of slime!"
The villagers probably had a bit of PTSD from seeing that much slime jelly, plus they didn't really grasp the concept of Slime Armor. How could something soft and slippery like a slime be made into armor?
"Right. Slime Armor can apparently change color and shape freely. I'm actually wearing mine right now, and you can't even tell, can you?" Anyi noted.
"Can you make it transparent?" Layton asked, also wanting to make this bizarre suit look a bit more normal.
"Make it transparent and shrink it down so it fits right under your regular clothes."
As Anyi spoke, he lightly rolled up his sleeve. On his forearm, a very thin, translucent layer of fluid was visible, clinging to his skin.
Next to him, Miruku's face scrunched up like she'd just bitten into a bitter melon.
Wait... isn't that just... really gross?!
"The skin doesn't feel slimy at all; you can't even tell there's a layer of fluid there. Plus, it won't stain your clothes," Anyi added.
Miruku: "..."
Can this guy read minds?
Ariana leaned in to inspect Anyi's sleeve, even poking his arm a few times.
Layton retracted his armor and checked his clothes, finding they were indeed spotless. "You're right!"
Technically, the equipment, skin, and clothing "occupy different layers." This meant the skin and clothes never actually made direct contact with the gear. Whether the equipment was covered in slime jelly or lethal poison, it wouldn't affect the wearer's skin or outfit.
"You can adjust the size and shape by asking the system and then configuring the settings," Anyi continued.
"What I got seems a bit different... Slime Wizard Hat, Slime Mage Robes, Slime Cloak, and this Slime Magic Orb," Ariana said, finally getting back to business.
"I... I got a set of slime light armor and slime... venom," Miruku chimed in, keeping pace but speaking hesitantly.
"Slime venom? What's that? Is the venom the weapon? Why didn't you get slime daggers?" Ariana asked curiously.
"I-I-I don't know!" Miruku squeaked, startled by Ariana's rapid-fire questions.
It's the first time I've seen this stuff in my inventory too! How should I know what it's for?! I wish it was something easy to understand like a Slime Sword or a Slime Shield!
If she could just take it out and throw it at enemies, that would be one thing. But... she couldn't even pull the damn stuff out of her backpack! She had expected slime twin blades or something similar, but what good is slime venom if you can't even hold it?
"The Thorn Hero isn't necessarily a dual-blade specialist. The weapons you get should be related to assassination," Anyi analyzed briefly.
Since she was the Thorn Hero, her "weapon" might not be a physical object, but perhaps a poison-attribute enchantment? This blade of mine is coated in venom!
"Miss Miruku, why don't you put on all the gear first and then try using the slime venom?" Anyi suggested.
If she equipped her twin daggers, she should be able to enchant them normally, right?
"Oh... okay."
Miruku adjusted the slime light armor in her mind, making it fit under her clothes as an inner lining. As long as she didn't wear the helmet, you couldn't even tell she had a layer of slime on her.
Her set consisted of a helmet, light chestplate, gloves, a groin guard, and boots. Likely due to her class, the set didn't include greaves to cover her legs.
Once she put the gear on, she realized it actually had some weight to it; it wasn't as light as it looked. After equipping it, she followed Anyi's advice and tried to summon the slime venom.
[Unable to extract [Slime Venom].]
「Why not?!」 Miruku screamed internally.
[Extraction conditions not met.]
「Extraction conditions?」
[Please equip the full [Slime] series equipment.]
With a flick of her mind, a thin layer of slime slid over her head, forming a transparent helmet. Though it was translucent, to any observer, it was clearly a distinct layer of gelatinous material.
「Extract Slime Venom.」
[Activation conditions for [Slime Venom] met. Initiating—]
In that instant, her slime light armor silently glided across her skin, rapidly flowing down her legs and across her torso, enveloping her entire body.
As the light armor surged over her mouth and nose, Miruku instinctively tried to break free, only to find the slime clinging firmly to her like flowing asphalt, swiftly consuming her form.
The translucent blue slime fluid tightly encased Miruku, its surface rippling with the definition of pulsating veins and muscular contours. Miruku was lifted slightly off the ground within the semi-transparent mass.
Quickly, her Slime Gloves morphed into powerful-looking talons. The slime fluid swirled around her head, forming elongated, jagged white eyes in front of Miruku's own.
Finally, a gaping maw opened, revealing rows of fangs and a long, flickering tongue.
Although Miruku was still visible through the semi-transparent fluid, the slime light armor on the outside had transformed into a literal monster!
Anyi: "..."
「Slime Venom...」
It really is Venom, huh?!