The air in Zher Woods grew heavier as we advanced. The Zher Trees, once sparse, now clustered together like soldiers in formation, their golden leaves emitting a faint glow that illuminated the mucus-covered ground.
— "Group ahead," Jina whispered, crouching behind a tree trunk.
Four slimes—three pink and one brown—pulsed around an exposed root, as if licking its sap. My hands grew sweaty on the spear's grip.
— "I'll handle the pinks. You focus on the brown one," Jina ordered, already moving.
She struck first. A leap, a spin, and her spear skewered two pink slimes at once. The third tried to flee, but she sliced it in midair.
The brown slime, alerted, swelled like a balloon about to burst. I lunged forward, but it jumped back, evading my thrust.
— "Don't think! Follow your instincts!" Jina shouted, blocking its retreat.
I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second. Breathed.
When the slime leaped again, my spear was already there.
Ploc.
The brown core rolled to my feet.
— "Good job," Jina praised, collecting the pink cores. "But don't celebrate yet. We've got ten more groups like this ahead."
That's when I asked what had been burning on my tongue since the beginning:
— "If they're so easy, why hasn't the town cleared the woods before?"
Jina stopped, her face serious under the dappled leaf-light.
— "Because these slimes don't matter," she said, crushing a pink core under her boot. "The real problems are the nests. Two blue slimes—Qi Gathering Level 4—these pests reproduce faster than we can handle."
My jaw dropped. Level 4. That explained Gareth's fear.
— "Why not hire mercenaries?"
She laughed, but there was no humor in it.
— "We offered 1 silver coin. No one accepted. One mercenary took 2... and ran." Her eyes darkened. "In Velmire, missions pay gold. Here? Only the desperate or the broke bother."
A heavy silence fell between us, broken only by the sound of slime creeping in the shadows.
Jina raised her spear.
— "Next group. This time, you lead."
After tracking for a while using the techniques I'd learned from Jina, we finally found some trails that seemed to lead to a group of brown slimes.
After a brief discussion, we decided to press forward in search of this group, which appeared stronger—and we weren't disappointed. After a short walk, there they were before us.
Three brown slimes writhed around a root, their bodies glowing faintly with the Qi they stole from fallen leaves.
I swallowed hard. I'm leading.
I advanced silently, steps careful on the damp moss. The first slime noticed my presence too late—my spear pierced its core before it could react. Ploc. A dark brown core rolled to the ground.
The other two reacted quickly, leaping in opposite directions.
— "Left!" Jina shouted, blocking one's escape with a spin of her spear.
The last slime stretched like a whip, trying to ensnare me. I dodged backward, feeling the air brush past my face, then counterattacked, thrusting the spear as Jina had taught me. The blade sliced through the gelatinous mass with a wet squelch.
— "Two intact cores!" Jina collected them, satisfied. "Better than expected. Let's keep going."
With that, we continued tracking and hunting small groups of slimes, collecting their cores. We were thrilled with our results—though we lost a core or two to being destroyed by our strikes, we were still very satisfied with today's haul.
— "Hehe, our earnings are looking great today. I estimate we'll get at least 70 to 80 copper coins each," I exclaimed, eyes shining.
— "Hehe, we really did well. To celebrate, I'll treat you to dinner tonight," Jina said, nodding with a smile on her lips. —"Come on, it's getting late... Look, the sun's already starting to set. We still can't handle the wolves yet."
— "Okay, let's go!"
I was happy, my confidence soaring. I'd practically doubled my money and learned so much during the day—hunting techniques, spear skills, and most importantly, real battle experience!
But that confidence didn't last long.
Turning a bend in the woods, we came face-to-face with eleven slimes—five brown and six pink—clustered around a wounded tree, devouring its leaves.
Jina cursed.
— "We're not fighting them... let's retreat," she said, eyes scanning for an escape route.
But before I could respond, three pink slimes alerted the group to our presence.
The brown ones were smart. Two came at me, while the other three leaped toward Jina.
— "JINA!"
She turned—but too late. The first brown slime slammed into her left arm, and a faint glow appeared—her Qi being drained.
Something inside me twitched.
Move.
My spear struck the slime's core, tearing out a sharp screech. The second one I took down with a horizontal slash, and the third...
The third stopped, as if sensing something.
Then, it fled—along with the other slimes.
I let out a sigh of relief and rushed to Jina.
She was on her knees, her left arm trembling.
— "Idiot," she growled, but her gaze was different. "You... saved me. Thanks."
I helped her up.
— "That's what partners do."
She laughed, still panting.
— "Let's rest first. I know a place. It's not too far and is close to the exit."
We walked a short distance and soon arrived at a beautiful spot. There didn't seem to be any monsters around, and there was a lake.
The lake was small, nearly circular, its waters so clear they reflected the sky without distortion. Jina dipped her feet in, washing off the slime residue.
— "My father brought me here when I was six," she said, skipping a stone across the surface. "Before the slimes took over the woods."
We sat in silence, listening to the wind in the leaves. Elizabeth's token weighed heavily in my pocket, and one question burned on my tongue:
— "Why don't you go to Velmire? With your skills..."
She looked at her hands.
— "Because this is my town. My father fought for it. My mother died for it." Her fingers clenched. "I won't run."
The sun was beginning to set when we stood up.
— "Shall we head home?" Jina said with a smile and a friendly look.
— "Yeah, let's go back," I replied, smiling as well.
Our return was peaceful this time—aside from a few pink slimes, we didn't even encounter a single brown one.
As we entered the town, one of the guards greeted us.
— "Miss Jina, welcome back. Your father was worried about you. Please speak with him as soon as possible," the guard said before his eyes shifted to Jina's arm, which was wrapped in an old cloth she had. —"Miss Jina, you're injured?!? Your father will be furious," the guard exclaimed, eyes wide.
Jina rolled her eyes at the guard. —"It's nothing, I'm fine! Just a minor burn."
— "Yes, ma'am, but you must inform the Captain about this!" the guard said with a tired sigh.
— "Okay, okay..." Jina replied with a pout. Then she looked at me. —"Let's get to the inn quickly, Ishida. I'm starving, hehe," she said, pulling me by the arm.
I let myself be dragged along as we set off. 'Not gonna lie... between breakfast and all that hunting, I'm starving too,' I thought as I was pulled along.