You know what they don't tell you about summoning slimes?
They're absolute menaces when they get excited.
"Oi, stop bouncing so much, you'll attract monsters!"
Boing, boing, boing—
Three slimes, blue and jiggly, were bouncing around me in circles, practicing "attack formations" by slapping each other's faces like children playing tag.
The Sproutling stood nearby, arms crossed, leaf sprout twitching in irritation, like a strict coach forced to babysit a hyper class.
We were on a small grassy clearing outside town.
This was Slime Horde Boot Camp, Day 1.
[Slime Horde: E-Rank Summon]
Units: 3/3
Current Stat Cap: 50
Current Stats: STR 5, AGI 6, VIT 5 (avg)
If I wanted them to eventually combine into a King Slime, I needed these three to hit their stat caps first.
But first, they needed to learn how to fight properly.
"Alright, let's review: What do you do when you see a slime?"
The three slimes looked at each other.
"Pyo?"
"Pyo?"
"Pyo?"
"…No, you are slimes. I meant when you see an enemy."
They blinked.
The Sproutling facepalmed.
We spent the next hour practicing coordinated bouncing on a rock I pretended was a "monster."
Slime #1 tried to headbutt it and immediately rolled backward. Slime #2 flopped on top of it, got stuck, and had to be peeled off by Slime #3, who then slipped and fell on its face.
Meanwhile, the Sproutling was climbing a tree to ignore the embarrassment.
"Hey, don't you dare leave me with these gremlins!" I shouted upward.
The Sproutling just sighed dramatically.
Finally, after much trial and error, they managed to execute a three-slime pincer slap on the rock, knocking it over.
They bounced in celebration, chanting "Pyo! Pyo! Pyo!" while the Sproutling begrudgingly clapped.
[Slime Horde gains +0.1 STR, +0.1 AGI (Training Bonus)]
"Oh, so training does give a tiny boost. Good to know," I muttered.
It wasn't much, but over days, even these tiny gains would add up.
After training, we returned to the guild to take a small delivery quest for lunch money.
The receptionist raised an eyebrow as the three slimes peeked over the counter, blinking at her with shiny eyes.
"They're still here?" she asked.
"They're my loyal warriors," I said proudly.
"Loyal warriors who left slime goo on the floor last time."
"...That was one time."
"Clean it next time, or no payment."
The delivery was simple: bring a basket of bread to an elderly herbalist across town.
The slimes insisted on carrying the basket together, waddling in a line while the Sproutling strutted behind them like a supervisor.
They nearly tipped the basket twice and got distracted by a cat once, but we somehow made it.
The old herbalist gave us a couple of copper coins and a warm smile.
"Thank you, young summoner. You remind me of my husband back when he was a slime tamer."
"…Slime tamer? That's a thing?"
"Oh yes, he even had a King Slime, you know."
The slimes all froze, turning to stare at me.
The Sproutling's leaf twitched dangerously.
"W-Well, we're working on it," I stammered.
The herbalist just chuckled.
Back at Base Camp
After lunch (bread and cheese shared with the slimes, who somehow "absorbed" cheese into themselves and bounced happily), I checked my system:
[Mana: 18/67] (Regenerating…)
[Slime Horde: +0.5 EXP (Training, Quest Help)]
Slow but steady.
I flopped on the grass while the slimes practiced synchronized bounces again.
The Sproutling sat beside me, nibbling a berry, side-eyeing the slimes with mild jealousy.
"You'll always be my first summon, you know," I told it.
It paused, berry in mouth, before looking away with a tiny "hmph.
As the sun set, I noticed rustling in the bushes near the forest.
Yellow eyes peered back at us.
Wolves again?
Or… something else?
The slimes lined up defensively, the Sproutling jumping to its feet, leaf sprout sharp.
...
Looks like training camp was about to get practical.
The bushes rustled again.
The slimes lined up, trembling with excitement rather than fear, while the Sproutling lowered its stance, tiny fists ready.
"Alright, team, this is it," I whispered.
The leaves parted.
A pair of yellow eyes stared at us.
Out stepped a forest fox, its reddish fur blending into the foliage, a thin scar across its snout. It was smaller than a wolf but quicker, its sharp eyes flicking between the slimes and the Sproutling.
The slimes bounced in place, chanting "Pyo, pyo, pyo" in increasingly aggressive tones, which was honestly adorable but not intimidating.
The fox tilted its head, confused.
"Don't let your guard down just because it's cute," I said. "It's an E-rank beast, and it's faster than you."
The Sproutling gave me a thumbs-up.
The slimes turned to each other and did their usual pre-fight ritual of smacking their faces together for luck.
[Quest: Forest Monster Subjugation] Objective: Defeat Forest Fox (E-Rank) Reward: 10 Copper
This was a good test for the slime horde's speed training.
The fox's ears twitched before it lunged, a blur of red and teeth.
The Sproutling leapt forward, intercepting it with a quick jab that barely slowed it down before flipping backward.
The fox snapped at Slime #1, who dodged just in time, leaving a slime trail that made the fox slip slightly.
"NOW!" I yelled.
The slimes moved as one, trying to perform their newly-learned triple pincer slap.
Slime #2 and #3 came from the sides, but the fox was fast, dodging left and right while swiping with its claws.
Slime #1 attempted a body slam but got swatted aside, rolling across the grass with a sad "pyooo…"
The Sproutling came back in, distracting the fox with quick punches, trying to lure it into the slimes' range.
The fox lunged at the Sproutling, who ducked under, grabbing the fox's tail and pulling it off-balance.
"Slimes, now!" I shouted.
The slimes jumped together, performing a synchronized triple slam on the fox's back.
THWUMP!
The fox yelped, twisting around, but the slimes clung on like glue, bouncing and smacking it repeatedly.
The fox rolled, trying to shake them off, but the slimes stuck like jelly magnets, jiggling with determination while the Sproutling moved in with a rapid flurry of small punches.
Finally, the fox gave a final whimper before collapsing, dissolving into sparkles, and leaving behind a tuft of fur and a small crystal.
[Forest Fox defeated. +0.7 EXP] [Slime Horde gains 10% of foe's stats] [Sproutling gains +0.3 EXP]
The slimes bounced up and down in triumph.
"PYO! PYO! PYO!"
They rolled into each other, forming a bouncing blue ball of celebration, while the Sproutling picked up the crystal and tossed it to me.
I collapsed onto the grass, exhaling deeply.
"That… was actually clean."
[Slime Horde Stats Updated] STR: +1.2 AGI: +1.5 VIT: +1.0
Even small battles added up. At this rate, it would take weeks to hit the stat cap, but it was progress.
And the slimes were learning to work together better with each fight.
I gave the slimes a thumbs-up, and they returned it by wiggling their whole bodies happily.
The Sproutling looked away with a "hmph," but its leaf was wagging, betraying its pride.
We returned to town as the sun dipped lower in the sky, painting everything in warm orange.
🏙️ At the Guild
The guild receptionist was organizing papers when I dropped the fox tuft on the counter.
Her eyes flicked from the tuft to me to the slimes, who were peeking over the edge, blinking their large eyes.
"You actually did it," she said, her lips twitching.
"Yup."
"And with slimes."
"They're E-rank warriors now."
One slime slipped and fell off the counter with a soft plop.
The receptionist snorted.
She handed me 10 copper coins.
"Try not to get them killed, Summoner."
"I'm trying."
"Good. The guild needs new stories once in a while."
🌙 Evening
After a cheap dinner of bread and vegetable soup (the slimes "ate" the soup by absorbing it while the Sproutling sipped from a small cup), we returned to the small shed I was renting behind the guild.
I checked the system window before sleeping:
[Mana: 33/67] (Recovering steadily) [Slime Horde EXP: Slowly increasing] [Quest Points: +10 Copper earned]
Slowly, steadily, we were grinding our way forward.
The slimes curled up together in a corner, forming a small bouncing pillow pile, while the Sproutling perched on a crate, leaf sprout softly glowing under the moonlight.
I lay on the rough mattress, hands behind my head, watching the moon through a small window.
"Day 3 in another world," I mumbled.
Not overpowered.
Not hopeless.
Just slow, steady progress.
And for once, that was enough.
(Author's Note: New Chapter Published Daily)