Chapter 72: Slimy situation

...

"Ah...ah... It's so beautiful... After all these years... I've finally escaped from that cave...!"

"..."

Jack, who was watching at the sunset with a mesmerized expression, sat down for a moment and started looking at his own skeletical hands.

"I can finally live as a human once again... even though I may look like this... I am finally free... No more rocks, no more stone walls, no more monsters... And no more darkness...!"

While his eye sockets glowed faintly, there was still a sad and melancholic atmosphere around him, probably reminiscing all those years trapped inside underground, or maybe remembering his years before becoming a skeleton. Either way, I thought that maybe it was better to leave him alone for some moments until he calmed down.

The whole forest surrounding the entrance of the cave seemed to be a little bit empty. At least, more of what it usually was. Usually there could be a few slimes jumping around leisurely, or at least a few bunnies or birds flying around. However, right now it was unusually empty.

"That's strange... why is there so much gel around this place?"

As I continued looking around, It wasn't long before I managed to discover a certain part of the forest that was completely destroyed, and looked as if some kind of enormous monster had passed through this forest and destroyed everything on its path, leaving behind a trail of gel all over the destroyed area...

...

Nah, I'm probably overthinking...

...

It was probably some group of Slimes that were migrating towards the north and accidentally destroyed everything in their path... Nothing else.

...

Yeah... It's not like something bad will always happen when I leave my home.

"..."

Wait, isn't my home to the north?

...

 

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*Booom!!*

*Bam!!*

*Crack!*

In the middle of the "Safe" area made by Aspen, many slimes were running rampant while destroying the surrounding trees, and walls that surrounded the area to prevent the monsters from entering during night.

In the middle of all this chaos, a shadowy figure ran among these slimes, and threw several knives towards their bodies in order to kill them fast.

It wasn't long before many Slimes fell and died pitifully without even being able to retaliate. And once the nearby surroundings were clear enough to take a break, the figure stopped running and took some time to rest properly in order to go back into action later.

This figure was Claire, who was currently fighting against the many slimes that were raining upon the area where their houses were located. And although she was doing fairly well, she still had a few injuries on her body, as well as a bit of blood that flowed down her forehead.

"Huff... They seem infinite! I don't think I can keep going for long, miss Evvie...! How long is it until the Slime cloud passes through our houses?!"

A few meters away from her, stood the Dryad. Who, just like her, was exterminating the dozens of slimes that fell upon their homes.

"It's at least three more hours... This kind of cloud moves a lot slower than normal ones due to its density, as it's mostly conformed out of Gel and mana"

"Great... I'm getting out of throwing knives already. And I don't think I can fight using my fists for long..."

"My mana is already draining out as well... there are so many Slimes that it's difficult for me to keep moving the nature around in order to continue attacking them..."

"... Then what should we do?"

"I can dig a hole  in the ground for us to enter until the Slime cloud goes away"

"No!... Cough... I mean... no, please, I don't have good memories of using small holes in the ground in order to survive..."

"What a strange human you are..."

*Crash!!*

"AAAH! NO MY HOUSE!!"

"AAAH! NO MY TREE!"

When both of them managed to notice, their houses were already on the verge of collapsing after being hit by a group of slimes Jumping around crazily.

"It took me an entire week to build that... You will pay for that!!"

"OH NO... whatever, I can just regrow another one in one a second..."

*Boooom!!*

Suddenly, before Claire could rush towards the group of slimes in order to destroy them, a small explosion appeared right behind them.

When both of them turned around to see what had landed there, suddenly a small and cute pink slime appeared out of the cloud of dust.

"Well, aren't you a cutie compared to these monsters?"

"I've never seen this kind of slime before... But it looks really weak compared to its companions... Could it be a slime from a weaker sub-specie?"

*Shiu!*

Out of nowhere, the small and cute slime disappeared from their sight before appearing right in front of Claire's face.

"What the?...!"

*Bam!!*

"Aaaargh!!"

*Crash!*

Claire, who received a direct hit from the slime right in the face, was sent flying away with probably a broken nose and maybe a few teeth off, and then crashed against the rubbles of her house.

"... Well, you might not be an actual weaker sub-specie... but a more dangerous one... However, you won't survive this little one!"

[Wood Spear!]

*Whoosh!*

Soon the Dryad lifted her hand and launched a very sharp and sturdy spear towards the body of the slime at a terrifying speed. Even the Purple Slime, one of the sturdiest and most resilient of all slime's species, could probably die after being hit by this Spear.

However...

*Creak!*

As soon as the spear crashed against the body of the Pink slime, it completely broke apart. Leaving behind only a small dent on its body.

"?????"

*Bam!*

Once again, the small slime disappeared from the Dryad's sight, and re-appeared right in front of her ready to smash her to pieces just like with Claire. Fortunately, she managed to react in time, and gathered her mana in front of her in order to create a wooden-shield to protect her from the incoming attack.

*Thud!*

The Dryad fell on her buttocks after receiving the impact, and although her face had a small frown in it due to the slight pain after receiving the impact, it also could be seen a small speck of curiosity coursing through it.

"Urgh...! That's strange... it's not as heavy as a normal slime? Could it be that this kind of slime sacrificed all his weight in exchange for sturdiness and speed? Very well, if piercing does not work... then what about this?!"

[Natural-Crusher!]

Soon, a giant fist made of wood appeared right above the Slime and descended at an incredible velocity towards the small pink slime. Ready to flat it until it ended like a pancake.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

The giant fist collided with the ground and plummeted the small slime under it. Leaving a giant crater of 30 cm deep, and lifting a giant cloud of dust as soon as everything calmed down.

"That should have killed it, right?"

*Creack...*

...

*Baaaaam!!!*

Just as the Dryad was about to go and take cover from the slime rain, the giant wooden fist was blown away into smithereens, and the small little pink slime emerged out of it as if he was a war god that had just survived and won a full-out war against a whole nation him alone.

The pink slime's body looked indeed like a pancake. However, it wasn't long before its whole body took its previous shape

"You've got to be kidding me... Just how sturdy is this slime?!"

*Whoosh*

Just as the Dryad was looking dumbfounded at her opponent, the pink slime lunged at the Dryad with ferocity and rage, this time completely ready to land a proper hit on her body. 

"Ah...!"

Fortunately, The Dryad was fast enough to react and dodge the incoming attack.

However...

*Bam!!!*

*Crash!!!*

... The house of Aspen was not spared from the impact and one of the walls fell apart as the Pink slime crashed against it.

"I don't think he's going to like this..."

...

*Crash!!*

*Bam!*

*Crack!*

As if feeling the worried state of the Dryad about the house, the Pink slime soon started creating havoc inside it. Destroying many walls, furniture, antiques, and most importantly... the bed.

Soon, the Pink slime came out of the house with a triumphant look. However, when it looked around, the Dryad had completely disappeared from where she was standing a minute ago.

While It looked around for its prey, suddenly it felt a strange yet strong grip all over its body.

"Did you have fun destroying everything I once loved...?"

Before the Slime could even notice, its whole body was being lifted in the air, and it was completely unable to move as the hands of a strange man were grabbing him with unbelievable strength.

"I've lost my only reason for existing... and It's all your fault..."

When the Slime followed the eyes of the mysterious man, it saw the destroyed remains of what was once a beautiful and comfy bed.

"I've had quite a lot of time to study the body of slimes... And I know that you guys have some barely visible, more solid muscles all around on your gelatinous body that allow you to jump around... However, once those muscles are incinerated or cut apart you guys lose your ability to move, and in the worst cases... You become completely unable to maintain your form and die. Thus, that's the reason of why you guys are not immune to sword attacks..."

While the man talked, suddenly the Pink slime started feeling that its whole body was starting to heat up by quite a lot. Its insides were boiling, as the muscles around its gelatinous body were starting to dissolve bit by bit...

"However, seeing that you're quite sturdy compared to most slimes... Then what about burning you from inside out?"

Soon, a translucent screen appeared right in front of the man while the pink slime started skirmishing in pain trying to get out of the man's hands while being burned alive.

"See you in hell, bed-wrecker..."

...

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