Ch:59 – East Forest – Part 3

I steadied my breathing and forced my thoughts into order.

The voices were quiet for now.

That alone felt like a blessing.

“We don’t rush in,” I said, lowering my voice. “We observe first.”

Elise nodded immediately, already crouching beside me. Her eyes weren’t on the slimes or rabbits specifically, but on the forest itself—branches, roots, escape routes. She really was her wise grandfather’s granddaughter.

The battle ahead was chaotic.

The horned rabbits moved like flashes of white and brown, shiny horns lowered as they rammed through the slimes’ gelatinous bodies. Each impact sent blue fragments splashing across the ground, only for the slimes to reform moments later. In return, the slimes latched on, slowing the rabbits down, their acidic bodies hissing faintly against fur and horn.

The surrounding nature was quite damaged by their skills. They were likely without much mana left, as only the horns shone when they rammed, and the acid seemed to hurt. 

I wasn't sure if the slimes needed mana to melt things, but I doubted they could do it otherwise. 

Neither side had noticed us yet.

“That hole earlier,” I whispered. “That was a rabbit jump.”

Elise swallowed. “They can leap farther than they look.”

“And hit harder.”

Another slam shook the ground. One rabbit misjudged its landing and skidded, partially trapped by two slimes. It thrashed, screeching.

An opportunity.

I felt my pulse quicken—and with it, something else stirred inside me.

Love whispered of protecting Elise.

Wrath urged me to strike now.

Fright begged me to run.

I clenched my fist until my nails dug into my palm.

“Status, suppress emotional interference,” I muttered under my breath.

No response.

Figures.

“I have a plan,” I said anyway. “But it’s risky.”

Elise didn’t hesitate. “Tell me.”

I reached into my bag and carefully pulled out the pouch with the aconitum herb. Even through the cloth, I could feel a faint chill.

“If we can poison one side, the other will weaken them for us. Slimes don’t eat plants. Rabbits do.”

Her eyes widened slightly, then narrowed in understanding. “We bait them.”

“Exactly. I throw. You heal only if necessary.”

She frowned. “That’s not reassuring.”

I smiled weakly. “It’s honest.”

"I can do more than just healing." She winked at me.

Before doubt could settle, I stepped forward, keeping low. I picked a rabbit that had just broken free, breathing heavily, its movements already slowing from acid burns. With a quick motion, I tossed a crushed leaf toward a patch of grass ahead of me.

The scent carried.

The rabbit froze, nostrils twitching.

Then it lunged.

It took only moments.

The creature chewed once, twice—and then its legs buckled. It let out a confused cry before collapsing, muscles locking in place.

“Now,” I whispered.

The slimes surged, piling onto the paralyzed rabbit, but my sword was faster, and I pierced its head.

System: Horned Rabbit has been defeated.

Notice: You have filled the experience meter. You've received 20 fame; You've leveled up. You've gained one status point.

One down.

The two slimy creatures didn't seem to bother with my presence. All they did was to consume the corpse of the bunny.

"That's a loss," I complained, unwilling to place my hands in their dangerous fluid.

"Let's try like this."

I looked at what Elise meant and saw her take an Aconitum and give it to me.

"They eat all things, right?"

My vision returned to them, and I quickly threw the herb to the closest one.

Saw how it disappeared and then realized one of the slimes stopped consuming the horned rabbit.

Its body trembled like how I imagined mine when I had the unlucky chance to eat something bad.

"Give me more," I extended my hand in her direction, and she didn’t fail me. As the slimes and the horned rabbits traded attacks, I threw the herbs at the slimes. With the horned rabbits with open wounds, the effect from the digested herb passed on to them from the slime's tentacles.

System: You have received the title, Paralyzer.

Then, with my sword shining from the Elise-coated light element, I finished one after another, defeating all of them. 

Notice: You have filled the experience meter. You've received 200 fame; You've leveled up. You've gained one status point.

'Spend the points on wisdom.'

There was a sense of satisfaction in myself. Even if I had resorted to using herbs to cheat my way to victory. And had waited for an opportunity for them to be mana-depleted.

But, well, for a change, I utilized more than my wits and physique; I had used my brain.

The results spoke for themselves.

In such a cruel world, I had found a way to do more than just survive.

"Seven soulstones! That's quite the prize!" Elise started with a spark of joy in her tongue.

"Elise!" I shouted, my eyes looking at what was happening behind her.

Her head turned around, smile fading by the second.

A red slime and next to it, a clear slime, were eating the herbs that we had caught along with one rabbit.

"Did we take the soulstone from that one?"

"No." Her reply came fast.

"Oh no!"

That was when I had a bad hunch. The soul stone of the horned rabbit shone as the acid consumed it. The slime began radiating, creating an aura around itself.

System: The monster has reached its first evolutionary phase. The process will now commence.

'Not again!' My eyes darkened at the violet sight of such a violent and disgusting aura. Something about it made me feel bad to the point of almost puking. I could see Elise, who was next to me, her skin color turning pale, ill.

The circle appeared underneath the slime, a five-pointed one with a letter in each point.

"Chaos," my friend shook as that word slipped through the crack between her lips.

"I can't stop it." I took hold of Elise's hand and began retreating. The fire slime next to the evolving one looked menacing. We were already tired and had no mana left. 

Fighting this meant a true roll of the dice of fate. And neither of us wanted to give the merciless gods that chance.

I took hold of the bag from the branch and escaped with Elise, watching from afar how the slime evolved to a green colored version. Its ill color reminded me of the paralysis we used on the surrounding monsters.

"That doesn't look like good news," I coveted her attention.

"You're thinking the same as me?"

We glanced at my bag before exchanging scared expressions. In a place like this filled with magical rabbits, giving such a strong power to a slime... "We need to do something."

The helplessness seed cried its intent, 'you'll die. Remember! You almost died to the goblins!'

'If left alone, it might evolve further and attack the village!' I argued back for some reason. Was there a point in having this discussion? Towards a part of me at that.

The love seed joined the argument, 'the villagers aren't that important. Your life is!'

I flinched at such maddening words filled with sickly love.

'You're a weakling.' The wrath-filled seed with a rough tone went through. 

I clenched my hand into a full fist.

"Let's go warn the guild." I gave up, my life too precious to ignore.

Surprisingly, with this decision, the voices came to a halt. Silence reigned alongside my ineptitude to achieve more.

After escaping successfully, I headed home to rest. Elise, who lived closer to the guild, went to report the situation.