Chapter 23: Clearing with Slimes
Exhaustion washed over the soldiers’ bodies, and silence continued for much longer, with confusion still clear in their eyes.
Clame noticed her soldiers’ expressions. She had been like that before, and she knew this endless loop of doubt had to end.
With a faint smile, she stepped forward with her hands held behind her back. Her heavy, commanding pressure projected outward from her location with every stride she took.
"I understand your worry," Clame announced, her voice filled with excitement and determination. "These are just slimes. But they are the strongest of all slimes."
On the other side of the clearing, her soldiers could only watch in silence, convinced their commander was losing her sanity.
It could be the result of relentless pressure. They could understand it, even pitying her for the heavy responsibility of their lives lying squarely on her shoulders. But for real—slimes as strong beasts? That was an absurdity they couldn’t digest, despite their deep pity for her.
Yet, there was still hesitation to voice their thoughts out loud. Their profound respect for their commander was the only thing stopping them.
"Alright," Clame stopped her stride. "I know your worries won’t settle. That’s given. But you trust in me, right?"
They remained silent, though a few soldiers broke their tight composure, glancing at each other as they realized they all shared the exact same reaction to her words.
"With all due respect, Commander," the captain of the Elite Squad finally voiced, stepping forward. "Slimes are the weakest beasts ever recorded. If normal plants were classified as beasts, they would be far more dangerous than slimes, which can’t even hurt a child."
Clame’s face winced slightly at the blunt statement.
"That’s an exaggeration," Clame replied, emphasizing her next words carefully. "I will still take that as a general fact, but these slimes are different. I said ’they are the strongest of all slimes’."
The soldiers shook their heads subtly and returned to their former firm postures. Despite how absurd their commander sounded, it would be disrespectful to doubt her further. They had to stay behind her and follow her orders. The rest of the Elite Squad refrained from questioning her, unwilling to ruin her hopeful mood.
"Are you all ready?"
Clame observed her company, then noticed Nair standing off in her position from earlier, watching her with open surprise in her eyes.
Furrowing her brows, Clame exhaled to calm herself down.
’What is with that intense, surprised expression?’ Clame thought, quickly dismissing any lingering thoughts about her soldiers’ skepticism.
Clame’s words were woven with her silky, angelic voice. "Well then, it seems silence is a yes."
***
An army of slimes formed in front of the Nara City’s First Company. Standing to lead just behind the vanguard was the Lady Commander herself—a legend at such a young age, racking up military achievements that had quickly spread to other major cities. Clame Neil was a deeply respected commander, and despite how suicidal this mission felt, her soldiers followed her without stepping back.
Before them stretched a sunken, gloomy swamp. Protruding from the dark water were thin, mutated trees, with thick, slimy liquid dripping constantly from their leaves. The sky above glowed a pale, eerie green, while distant, haunting growls echoed throughout the biome dungeon.
Clame smirked.
Ahead of her, the Guard Slimes appeared to be floating effortlessly on the surface of the swamp. Their density was probably lighter than a feather.
’Amazing... they can even alter their density? Not just their physical shape?’
Recalling her earlier realization from the field test, she remembered how their makeshift pointed arms had clanged like heavy metal against the Inferior Ogres’ weapons.
Nodding at her discovery, she turned around to face her troops.
"Observe. Focus on enduring the mana pressure," Clame commanded, her voice showing zero worry or difficulty despite the crushing weight of the dungeon’s atmosphere. Even without tactical gear to lessen the environmental strain, her body remained entirely unharmed.
A member of the Elite Squad—a young lady with dark hair and striking violet eyes—stepped forward. Her face was slightly tanned, her slim body tightly fitted into her tactical armor. She was somewhat shorter than Clame, though still remarkably tall.
"Uhm... Commander. What should we expect from these slimes?"
It was an honest question. Clame liked it and nodded, her unusual, warm behavior becoming more frequent. The Elite Squad member, however, remained completely unfazed by her commander’s shifting expressions.
"Valin," Clame explained, "these slimes can change their shape at will. They can even manipulate their density to match whatever material they form themselves into."
Valin nodded without a shred of doubt. "Understood."
Valin’s slim figure stepped smoothly back into formation. Clame turned her eyes toward the rest of the platoons, clearing her throat to address the entire company.
"I didn’t want you to believe me blindly, which is why I let you follow me inside for your own sake," Clame declared. "But whatever happens, do not engage without my command."
Every soldier snapped a silent salute, refraining from shouting their response. Any loud noise could attract high-ranking beasts.
They had been returning to this rift for three agonizing months across separate raids. For some, this was their first drop; for others, it was their nth attempt—especially for the Elite Squad, who served as the supporting pillars of the First Company.
"Slimes..." Clame turned her focus back to her vanguard.
Suddenly, a massive growl echoed from their right.
"Just on time," Clame murmured.
Without waiting for a warning, the leaves of the slimy trees brushed violently against the wind, splashing dark liquid toward the company. Clame remained unfazed as a giant green frog beast—its stomach engraved with glowing crimson patterns—erupted from above with a massive leap. A broad canopy of shadow covered the company as the soldiers reflexively dropped into defensive stances.
Without their commander’s explicit order, they could not engage.
Mid-air, the giant frog shot its smooth, pinkish tongue straight toward them, wrapping its long, wet length tightly around Clame’s arm. Valin reacted instantly, drawing her weapon, but her captain threw an arm out to stop her.
The giant frog slammed onto the ground, its tongue still tangled around the commander. It skidded several meters across the swampy surface, exposing its full, four-meter-tall frame.
Clame casually pulled her arm back. In an instant, the creature’s tongue was severed cleanly. She simply moved her shoulder, completely unbothered, as the tension snapped.
None of the soldiers had even seen the strike. Their eyes glued themselves to Clame’s shoulder in absolute shock.
’It was a blur,’ Valin thought, staring down at the severed half of the tongue curling on the ground. ’It was cut down with... clean precision.’
Every soldier followed the path of that invisible slash. The attack hadn’t come from their commander, nor had it come from Nair. It had come directly from the slimes.
A single blue slime stood floating atop the swamp water beside Clame. One of its makeshift gelatinous arms hardened into a razor-sharp blade.
"How is that possible?" several soldiers muttered under their breath. No one answered them—not even Clame.
The blue slime that performed the strike bounced up and down with obvious pride. What it had done was nothing short of phenomenal.
Clame raised her hands and clapped once.
With that single clap, dozens of elongated, translucent spears pierced the frog beast from every direction. The rest of the Guard Slimes moved simultaneously, subduing a terrifying B-Rank beast in under five seconds flat.
These slimes shouldn’t be easily commanded without direct words. It’s as if they already understood Clame’s nature.
’What kind of beasts are these?!’ the soldiers asked themselves, their hearts pounding violently against their ribcages with every second that passed.
Slimes bounced in every direction across the swamp. Some leaped onto high tree branches, others slipped behind thick foliage, and a few even dived deep beneath the murky water to root out burrowed beasts.
The soldiers could only swallow hard, watching in stunned awe as these Guard Slimes completely took over their job of clearing the rift.
"Commander..." Valin’s brother, Galin, the captain of the Elite Squad, stepped forward with utter disbelief written across his face. His voice trembled over a few letters as he spoke. "I don’t want to question their power anymore, but... how?"
"What do you mean, ’how’?" Clame asked calmly.
"THIS!" Galin gestured wildly at the slaughter unfolding in front of them. "How could you possibly contract this number of powerful beasts?!"
Clame smirked secretly, looking out over her invincible vanguard.
"Took you long enough to ask."