Walking slowly toward Jina, I let out a deep, exhausted sigh—"That was really tough..."—with a tired but genuine smile spreading across my face, marked by recent exertion.
Jina remained standing there by the last fallen slime, her head lowered in regret, whispering almost imperceptibly—"I'm sorry..."
"Eh...?? Why are you apologizing, Jina?" I asked, confused. It made no sense for her to blame herself. If anything, it was my fault for failing to keep up, botching the sneak attack, and consequently making the fight much harder by adding another slime to the equation.
"It was my fault… I shouldn't have suggested taking on this group," Jina admitted, casting me a regretful look. Her eyes briefly flickered to my left arm, as if seeing the marks of my recklessness—"Because of this, you got hurt, and we barely avoided even bigger trouble."
"But what? It wasn't your fault, Jina. If anything, I should be apologizing for failing first—my carelessness is what put us at risk. So please, I'm sorry, Jina," I declared, leaning toward her urgently, trying to convey my sincerity.
Jina's contagious laughter filled the air—"Hahahahahaha!"—making me lift my gaze to her. She was smiling, her eyes sparkling as she watched me with a mix of tenderness and surprise.
—"How did you manage to take the blame so quickly?" she continued, finishing her sweet laugh with a look full of gratitude.
—"It's the truth, Jina, I..." I started to say but was cut off when she raised her hands in a peace gesture.
—"Enough… I guess we both messed up, then, hehe. Come on, let's treat your arm and rest for a bit, okay?" Jina suggested as she gracefully stepped away, approaching an ancient zher tree and leaning comfortably against its sturdy trunk.
—"Okay, hehehe, I think you're right," I replied, sitting beside her. A few moments later, Jina gently pulled me by the hands, drawing me even closer.
Surprised by the sudden proximity, a shy nervousness began to take hold of me, but Jina firmly cut through my thoughts.
—"Let me see your arm," she ordered softly, already pulling out a bandage and a small potion from her bag while carefully rolling up my sleeve.
Throughout the treatment, it felt like all my worries dissipated. I focused on Jina's careful skill, watching her deep green eyes—filled with seriousness and concern—as she worked to ease the pain. I couldn't quite define what I was feeling, but I knew it enchanted me.
After the treatment, we remained there, sitting close together against the tree, allowing ourselves a moment of rest and calm. We waited patiently for the potion Jina had applied to take effect, preparing to return to the hunt once we were ready.
With my arm revitalized, we stood up decisively, ready to resume the hunt—when an unexpected snap of a twig shattered the forest's silence.
—"What was that?" I asked Jina, my eyes alert for any sign of danger.
Jina quickly scanned the surroundings, and within seconds, her face twisted into a mask of terror.
—"Ishida, get ready," she warned in a tense voice—"What's happeni..." Before she could finish, my eyes caught the threat: multiple slimes approaching, forming an overwhelming swarm.
A horde of slimes emerged from the shadows—at least twenty of them moving in unison, half brown and half pink. 'This is going to be trouble,' I thought, my mind racing with ideas on how to survive.
I exchanged a glance with Jina, who mirrored my unease and strategic thinking.
—"Ishida… I noticed how you used the trees against the slimes earlier. We can replicate that tactic here. Pink slimes are slow—let's push deeper into the woods."
—"Okay, let's go," I replied, already turning to follow her through the dense vegetation.
We began a desperate sprint, directionless, plunging deeper into the forest. After a few frantic minutes, I noticed the pink slimes falling behind—their sluggishness evident. But in a macabre dance, the brown slimes continued chasing us relentlessly.
—"Let's keep going a bit further. The pink slimes are retreating. I have a new plan," Jina said, fearlessly leading the charge.
We advanced swiftly, and gradually, the pink slimes vanished from sight while the brown ones, though still relentless, began to scatter. The strategy of pushing deeper into the woods seemed to have worked, but we knew we couldn't run forever. It was time to face the enemy head-on.
—"Ishida, let's execute the plan. There are two on our flanks—we need to eliminate them as quickly as possible and keep moving. Timing has to be perfect... Are you ready?"
I took a deep breath, focusing with all my senses on high alert.
—"I'm ready. Let's do this!"
—"Perfect. Up ahead, turn right to catch the slimes off guard."
Guided by near-instinctive decision-making, we plunged into a grove of tall trees that concealed our presence. When the two slimes approached dangerously close, Jina and I, in near-perfect sync, delivered precise thrusts—and in an instant, we resumed our sprint, leaving the momentary threat behind.
—"Hey, hey, don't forget the cores!" Jina reminded me, scooping up the two cores as we accelerated again.
I mentally admired her ingenuity even in chaos—'How can she think about cores in such a dire situation? Jina is truly enigmatic.'
Gradually, we maintained the tactic with surgical precision, eliminating slimes at the exact moment—like a deadly ballet. Every step, every movement was charged with adrenaline and calculation, culminating in our final victory as we defeated all the brown slimes.
—"WHEW…" Jina exhaled in relief. —"I thought that was the end for us, Ishidaaa, but we made it!"
—"Do you think the problem was letting the pink slimes escape? This was the first time we've seen such a large group, and they were clearly searching for something," I asked Jina while catching my breath.
—"If that's the case, we'll have trouble again… since 10 pink slimes are still looking for us. I'm not sure exactly where we are, but I think the big lake is just ahead. We'll have to circle around it and find another path. Going back the way we came might be too dangerous now."
—"Wasn't that where your father told us to avoid?"
—"It was… but now we have no choice."
—"Alright, if we have no choice… then let's go!"