A hint of regret flowed from my brain through my nerves just like it had happened with the rabbits in the past. Was this truly, right? To kill to progress?

'As simple as that?' I knew there was nothing straightforward about it. There was a valid theory that taunted my purpose, everyone was equal to a certain amount of experience. Therefore, it was a function designated by the great gods who reigned Artana. 

'They're the culprits,' I shifted my doubts and pain to them. To protect what was important to me, I had to tag along their little racial war.

I hated it. But there was no other way.

Kill or be killed.

Between the provided options, I was far more inclined to the first one just as my mother instructed me.

Suddenly, in the corner of my eye, I noticed two identical silhouettes to the one being consumed by the slime.

I covered my mouth with my fingers when I saw one of them plucking a flower from the dry ground. It made my core flinch as he gifted it to the other goblin, one with a longer hair, and what seemed to be a more feminine appearance: slightly cuter creature.

My sword trembled. My heart clutched as if a hand surrounded it and gripped its somewhat round form tightly.

Pain coursed naturally like the blood within my body. A river stream taking on rocks down a waterfall, allowing them to splash with severity on the lake below.

An uninvited tear flowed down my eye; I bumped my head against the tree's oak. A hint of physical pain but not enough to cause a deduction on my health.

'Aurora...' I whispered her name within my mind. If it was her, she wouldn't think twice to slay both. 

But I wasn't her.

I was my own self, a feeble emotional human being.

A fragile girl who never reached anyone's expectations.

My senses tingled between being rational or turning insane.

Treacherous. 

Why did it have to be this hard? Why did my sword weighed more than ever? Each drop of blood that fell from its edge made me sink further in a bottomless obsidian pit of guilt.

I had to become vile, cruel, far into the wickedness that only someone truly evil could portray.

But I wasn't ready to become that being.

A piece to ignite such a transformation lacked within me as my reason to protect my family was not enough. To keep them safe was a personal goal, an oath to myself that I was willing to keep, and kill for, but not without feeling remorse, or being morally affected.

What I had seen, during nightmares and vivid fragments of Aurora's life, was just similarly to the demons from the ancient tales, told by the villagers of Astia. Once at Elise house I had heard about a certain story from her grandfather Vicent. 

Still, it didn't take long for the female goblin to notice their kin being consumed by the slime.

"Gobi! Our friend!" She pulled him by the arm, making his body turn to the sight which was causing her to panic. Her free hand made a pointing gesture, aiming towards a wobbling green creature trying to free himself.

They had no weapons with them, only a flower, a fragile one which wouldn't help them in any way.

Without proper thinking, they approached the slime, picking branches and small rocks from the ground.

Upon their despaired selves I perceived their intent to aid someone, the same way I would have tried. It felt obnoxious how these things acted like humans.

The monster body wobbled at their intent, slowly consuming the wood and stones whenever the acid touched it. 

'You won't...' I halted my thought, knowing that my words were those of them not being able to save him like that, but then the thought I saved in the corner of my mind returned. 

Notice: Soul-bound has reacted. Some of the grimoire memories have awakened. Unknown effect has bolstered its master.

 

'It is already dead,' my cheeks moved higher, delicately. What kind of expression was I making then? I didn't wonder too far into it but knew a smile had surfaced, perhaps not one of happiness, but rather vile like a grin. And in that instant the doubts and fears within my mind and heart vanished like they didn't exist in the first place. 

My body moved out of this wonderful hidden spot that had aided me thus far.

Ruthlessly, I appeared from behind them as they were lost in panic to save their relative. My knees deflected allowing my entire body to lower, enabling my sword swing to be horizontal, slashing through the back of their legs.

Quickly, they yelled in despair and pain, their minds turning further chaotic as they fell closer to the slime. Their calls were those of summoning death, the very Grimm reaper himself to come.

It turned out my connection to Aurora had been the key after all. I didn't know the secrets hiding in the link we shared but now more than ever a certain relief bore within my core.

Again, she had helped me.

As their bodies tried to rotate to see my face, my ruthless weapon flowed through the air, giving way for another dose of their ill-colored blood to spray to our surroundings, including the slime. And like a predator feeling its urge for more food, the round monster stretched itself to the two of them, getting their heads stuck inside of it: their legs and arms squirmed everywhere; the suffocation must have felt traumatic. I waited patiently for the moment they would be at death's door.

When the male almost stopped moving my sword went through his back, piercing his heart. Then, I repeated the gesture against the female, forcing the grand machinery of Artana to acknowledge me.

Notice: You have received 20 points of experience and 10 fame; Status updated.

 

'10 for each,' the chances I'd get prey this easy were probably not many. Considering I needed 100 of experience, this made things rather complicated. How could I earn higher values to level up faster? I took a quick peek at my progression.

Notice: System consumed 2 mana.

Status:
Level: 1 | Experience: 70/100

'Doesn't look like it cares,' as I was about to carve a hole on their bodies to remove the soul stone, the slime engulfed them. 

At that, I didn't increase my distance, instead, I stood there watching. Their bodies skin corroding, meat turning vivid, slowly disappearing. Whatever properties the fluid had; they were not that strong. 

'It wouldn't have melted my sword," I had been scared not knowing enough about these slimy balls, believing they would've destroyed my weapon if I hadn't frozen their texture.

'Are they that different from goblins?' This had been one of the biggest mysteries to humanity. Different gods usually meant they had distinct races worshipping them, potentially their system worked in a more unique way too. Therefore, it was known they distinguished from each other in some way. However, what were those characteristics? How did they differ? Did they had different classes, or was it the famous ability to evolve?

'Wait... can't I also evolve?' I had been told humans couldn't but was there a chance that humanity just hadn't found the way for it?

'It'll be worth researching a method,' a grin escaped my lips, potions, and whatever else I could discover. I'd use everything in my reach to dispose of these creatures.

I sought, dominance.

Patiently while checking my surroundings from time to time, I watched over the creature feasting.

That was when I noticed something more intricate, the soul stones shone as the acid corroded them and when they fully disappeared, the slime radiated. That was when something very simple like a clear slime, mostly a monster that by itself was harmless, created an aura around it, and words, mechanical ones followed through for me to hear.

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

 

'Consuming soul stones,' my eyes darkened, like a verdant forest bathed by the night of a beautiful yet melancholic starry sky. I took it as a sign of the gods, no. Not quite that, the machinery of Artana implemented their will, but that by itself was not a higher existence. My head shook to the sides as the violet circle appeared underneath the slime, a five doted one with a letter in each point.

'C, h, a, o, s,' right. Even someone as clueless as me knew what that meant and who it belonged to. The almighty god of chaos, one of the four great heavenly beings.

'Freeze!' the palm of my hand collided against the aura surrounding the slime as I did my best to breakthrough its evolution, unknowingly if it was possible.

Notice: System consumed 50 mana.

 

Nonetheless, it was my fault for allowing that mistake, and I couldn't allow it to become something more than what it already was. It could very well end up stronger than me, potentially even going as far as to kill me.

My nostrils went dry from my magic, the scent of death approached before me.

It seemed the grim reaper had plans for me too.

I noticed then the violet circle below turning white from my elemental skill. Thus, with my left hand, I waved my sword from top to bottom, willing to cut the creature in halves. The ice I had created broke with it and pierced the monster before me with the force of the metal. The circle below the monster broke and the clear slime halted its wobbling.

System: A set of achievements has been completed. The user's disgrace amount has exceeded the divine law by the goddess of summons. You have received the title One who opposes. A new option for classes has appeared.

Notice: The freezing skill went up to level 5. You have received 10 points of experience and 5 fame; Status updated.

 

The eerie circle before me crumbled and then disappeared. The fluids of the uneven halves dispersed causing me to take a few steps back to not be hit by its acid. The corrosive liquid melted part of the surrounding nature, turning part of the earth into a darker tone. Despite the weariness of my body, I managed to get away in time. It had been the first time I had used so much mana in one go, and the drawbacks were many, especially the soreness in my right arm and my fingers being frozen all the way to the center of my palm. It hurted like hell, aside of the part that was completely iced.

Carefully, I placed my sword on its usual spot, grabbed some leaves, and then grabbed the soul stone of the slime carefully to not harm myself. It was a bit bigger than the ones I had caught before.

Then, I turned my back to the corpses and left back to the village.