Chapter 5: The Hunters Trail
The return to the village was different somehow.
Not because the forest had changed.
Because he had.
Tanaka bounced along with the hunting party, unable to keep himself from staring at the crimson magic core embedded in his body.
Next to it, the smooth blue pebble he had found the day before.
"I should probably stop collecting shiny things."
He glanced at the pebble again.
"No. It stays."
The little slime beside him bumped into his side.
Boing.
Tanaka laughed.
"I know. It’s pretty."
The little slime bounced twice in reply.
The hunting party bounced through the forest, skirting around tree roots and mossy rocks with practiced ease.
Tanaka tried to mimic their movements.
He did not do as well as the others, missing a few jumps entirely and walking into a tree twice.
The other slimes only stopped him when he peeled himself off the bark.
"You’re all surprisingly patient."
No one replied, only happy little bounces.
The village gathered near the cave entrance as the hunting party arrived.
The elder slime was waiting for them.
The hunters bumped into the elder one by one, a pulse of mana passing between them.
Tanaka only caught a few words here and there.
Food.
Rabbit.
Victory.
Safe.
The elder slime said nothing, only its silver core flaring with gentle light.
Its attention was on Tanaka.
Specifically, on the little crimson magic core floating inside his body.
The other slimes began bouncing excitedly around him.
Clearly, word of his exploit had reached the settlement.
"I feel like everyone’s staring."
The little slime bumped proudly into his side, as if saying
"He did it!"
Tanaka rubbed his butt against the cave floor.
"I’m not used to being the center of attention."
The elder slime bounced up to him, stopping just in front.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, the elder gently touched him, a warm pulse of mana flowing into his body.
It was different from yesterday’s awkward meeting.
This time, he could clearly feel the emotions conveyed through the connection.
Recognition.
Approval.
Pride.
__
"You’re congratulating me."
__
The elder slime bounced once, the whole village joining in afterwards.
Hundreds of little slimes bounced together, filling the cave with soft boings.
Tanaka smiled, feeling as if he had just received a round of applause.
The party celebration was short, food from the hunt being distributed to the village.
Tanaka noted that the rabbit’s magic core belonged to him, while the rest were shared between the others.
It seemed that, in the slime village, the spoils of the hunt belonged to the hunter who had defeated the monster.
A fair enough system, in his opinion.
Later that afternoon, Tanaka wandered into one of the less populated rooms of the cave.
He wanted some time alone to test something.
"Soul Record."
The little window popped up as he said the command word.
[ Soul Record
Name: None
Race: Lesser Slime
Rank: F
Magic Core: F
Skills
• Survivor Lv.1
• Leap Lv.1
Titles: None ]
"So..." Tanaka muttered.
"...how do I actually use it?"
He focused on the skill
Leap
But nothing happened.
Same with trying to imagine jumping.
"Hm."
Tanaka compressed himself, and, to his surprise, a pulse of mana from his core sent him flying.
BOING!
He shot across the room, nearly three times the length of his normal jumps.
Tanaka was silent for a moment. "That was awesome."
Unfortunately, awesome jumps meant awesome crashes, and he found himself face first in a stone wall.
He slowly pulled himself out. "Needs work."
For the next hour, the little slime room served as his practice arena, jumping after crashing, learning the mana cost of the skill.
It did not require much mana, not enough to use it constantly, but it was enough for him to learn how to time his jumps.
After dozens of failed attempts, he finally managed to land a clean jump, bouncing in a neat arc before landing on his intended spot.
"Yes!" He cheered, landing a second time in the same spot. Progress. Real progress.
As the sun began to set, Tanaka wandered back towards the cave entrance.
The forest beyond was painted in orange hues from the setting sun, looking beautiful and serene.
He gazed outside, taking in the peaceful sight.
"I wonder how big this world really is."
Tanaka’s slime senses suddenly picked up on a different scent in the air.
Sharp.
Metallic.
His slime instincts screamed at him, and he slowly turned his head towards the trees.
There was nothing there, only some bushes swaying in the wind.
"Probably nothing."
He turned back to the trees, only to spot something else.
A footprint.
Large, and clearly made by a human, was embedded in the muddy ground.
His slime core pulsed uneasily at the sight.
Humans.
Tanaka followed the trail with his eyes, spotting more footprints leading into the forest.
They stopped a short distance away from the cave, the imprint of a boot clearly visible in the ground.
Someone had been watching the slime village.
They had stopped long enough to leave the prints, watching from the trees.
Tanaka’s happy thoughts from before vanished.
"They know."
A cold feeling settled in his stomach as he looked at the footprints.
They did not lead into the village.
They led out.
The mysterious humans had found the slime village, and now they knew where it was.
High above the forest, a raven flew off into the sky, its cries echoing through the valley.
Far away, a cloaked figure turned their head to glance at the cave before continuing down the mountain path.
The figure’s shoulder was adorned with a leather bag, inside which was a rough map.
On the edge of said map was a fresh mark, drawn in black ink.
Minor Monster Settlement.
Below it was written, in the same ink, the word
Slimes.