Chapter 55: Slime Leader Tanaka
The forest was silent. Not the normal type of silence that comes from the Great Verdant Forest, but rather a tensed kind of silence. Leaves slowly fluttered down from the trees and broken pieces of wood littered the ground. There were still fresh craters from the explosions not too long ago. Beta Wolf slouched against a tree, panting heavily
Several of the wolves tended to the wounded. Goblins wrapped bandages around maimed arms while the slimes carefully covered fresh wounds with healing slime. One of the moss turtles remained still, its shell crushed by the hammer ogre’s devastating strike.
Everyone was silent. No one seemed to have the courage to speak. All of them had only one message in their heads
Stay alive. I’m coming.
Beta Wolf closed his eyes. The Great One was coming. All he had to do was hold on for a little more
Something was coming. It didn’t move fast or slow. It moved just enough. Every monster that had a telepathy link could see it. A familiar figure
Tanaka
He didn’t jump from tree to tree nor did he run. He walked normally, his blue skin bouncing along the ground. His face was as usual, but his eyes were narrowed.
"Which way?"
Beta Wolf immediately responded to Tanaka’s telepathy
North... three hundred meters... they’re still searching the area...
I see
Tanaka kept bouncing.
Back at the battlefield
The five ogres stopped chasing after the exploration party. The one wielding the hammer slung it over his shoulder.
"Tch. They got away."
The swordsman looked towards the forest. "They’re not too far." "We could still chase after them." The ogre with the hammer grinned. "I was hoping you’d say that." Before any of them could move, the young ogre raised up a hand, stopping both of the others.
"They’re coming." The warrior woman crossed her arms. "
"So they actually called for help," she said mockingly. The princess gave a small glance towards the trees. "I’m quite curious as to who their leader is."
The prince said nothing. His amber eyes stared intensely at the approaching figure.
Someone was coming. A figure with a powerful aura.
The beta wolf limped into the clearing, the others followed him. But the fear was gone. Because he was here. Tanaka bounced and appeared. The wolves, slimes, goblins and the moss turtles parted ways for him. He then
Moments later...
Beta Wolf painfully dragged himself back to the battlefield. Behind him, the rest of the exploring company followed. The wolves, the goblins, the kobolds, the slimes, the moss turtles. All of them, despite being injured, no longer bore the fearful expressions from before. Because he was here. A small blue slime bounced forward.
Boing. Boing. Boing.
The monsters immediately made way for him, not a single one giving an order. Tanaka halted in front of Beta Wolf, completely ignoring the ogres. "What happened to your shoulder," he asked. "It’s nothing, Great One," the gray wolf replied. Tanaka bounced forward. "It doesn’t look like nothing," he said. Tanaka extended a tendril from his body, blue light swirling from it.
Healing Ooze.
The slime covered Beta Wolf’s injured shoulder with the substance, the pain vanishing instantly. Meanwhile, the torn flesh began to knit itself together. Beta Wolf blinked in shock. "The pain..." "It’s gone," Tanaka said and nodded. "It’ll take some time to heal completely, but you should be able to move around."
He bounced forward, continuing through the formation. A goblin with a broken arm, a wolf with various wounds, a kobold with a cut on his forehead, a moss turtle with a cracked shell. Each and every one of them received treatment from the little slime. However, none of them were completely healed. They could all still move. All could still fight, should the time come.
Only when he finished treating the last injured monster did Tanaka turn to the five ogres. His eyes locked onto theirs.
"So..." Tanaka began. "You are the ogres."
_________
The hammer ogre laughed heartily.
"This is your Great One?" he asked, gesturing towards Tanaka. "A slime?" He laughed even harder. "The only thing special about him is that he’s darker than the other slimes!" Several wolves growled threateningly, the goblins tightening their grips on their weapons. Even the slimes puffed up in anger. Tanaka raised a single tendril, his voice calm.
"Calm down."
At once, all monsters became silent. The hammer ogre blinked in surprise. "What?"
Only one sentence. Not a single word of warning. Yet, every monster had obeyed his order, without question.
The young ogre approached Tanaka, eyes boring to the little slime who had an imposing aura. "You must be the one they follow," he said. Tanaka nodded. "I am." The prince studied him carefully. "You already know who we are?" "My scouts told me," Tanaka said simply. "But I’d like to hear it from you." The young ogre nodded. "We are ogres," he said. "We’ve lived within these forests for years." Tanaka gave a single nod. "I thought as much." The prince looked at him intensely. "And what should we call you?" There was no hesitation in his voice at all.
"Tanaka."
There was a long, stretched silence.
The swordsman’s eyes widened in shock, the princess unconsciously gripping her staff tighter, the warrior woman staring openly in disbelief. The grin on the hammer ogre’s face vanished.
"Tanaka?"
"A name?"
The hammer ogre was clearly dumbfounded. "A named slime?" "Impossible."
Tanaka only looked at him.
"I won’t explain how I got my name, you won’t possibly understand."
No way I’m telling them I was once human and I’m using my earth name.
Despite the fact I call myself Tanaka. My soul record still hasn’t updated it as my name.
The prince studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable. His curiosity hadn’t vanished, but something else had taken its place.
Respect, perhaps?
Or maybe... caution?
"A slime with a name..." the swordsman murmured. "Interesting."
"Tch," the hammer ogre scoffed.
Names meant nothing to him.
He raised his massive hammer.
"If he’s really their leader..." the big ogre snarled. "I’ll crush him first." He took a step forward. And another. Tanaka made no move to stop him, only looked at him directly. A sudden pressure filled the forest, an immense force that made the air itself shake. The wolves instinctively lowered themselves to the ground, the goblins gasping for air. Even the ogres stiffened. The hammer ogre’s body went completely rigid. Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
His body refused to move. Tanaka’s voice was as calm as ever. "The leaders are talking." His eyes locked onto the hammer ogre’s. "Brutes should stay silent." The words may not have been loud, but they carried so much authority that even the hammer ogre had no choice but to obey.
The big ogre gritted his teeth in anger, his instincts screaming for him to run. For the first time since meeting the exploring company, he actually feared them. The prince slowly raised a hand, the oppressive pressure lifting. He looked at Tanaka for a long moment before a small smile appeared on his face. "Interesting. I am surprised," the prince said. He took a single step forward. "I am the leader of these four," he said, inclining his head slightly. "I would like to test your strength."
Tanaka said nothing. The prince continued. "If you win..." he said. "My people will acknowledge your strength. If you lose..." he turned to look at the monsters behind Tanaka. "Your settlement will become ours." The hammer ogre grinned widely. "And we’ll crush every last one of them." Tanaka only smiled. "I accept. But give me a few moments to prepare." "Sure," the prince responded.
"I’ll also strategize with my people."
Tanaka moved away from them and activated his soul record. His skills were good, but as he remembered from fighting the wyvern lord, slime form was better. Should he try human form. There were some skills he couldn’t yet perfectly use in human form, but they weren’t weak. He scrolled through his skills.
Leap.
Earth Impact.
Stone Body.
Flight.
Sharp Claws.
Ooze Surge.
Wind Breath.
Storm Fiend.
Magic Casting.
Devourer, etc.
He didn’t mind using devourer, at once he could swallow them and gain their skills. But no, they could have an impact in the budding nation. They were each stronger than the goblins, kobolds, slimes and the rest. He would not overwhelm them in the fight.
He smiled.
Being an adventurer has let me know not to instantly one shot my foes. Like a friend of mine usually says, you can know a person feelings after exchanging blows with them.
Tanaka bounced back to the ogres.
"Alright, the rules of the fight are..."
"To the death!!" The hammer ogre gleamed. The prince sighed. "We are ogres, not barbarians. Of course I don’t mind a death battle but it won’t be efficient. We win fair and square." The hammer ogre grumbled but agreed.
"I’m going to fight all of you." Tanaka announced. The five ogres fell silent. Even the hammer ogre forgot to laugh. "All of us?" Tanaka nodded as though discussing the weather. "Yes." The Ogres all looked at him in shock. Was this slime overestimating itself or underestimating them.
The prince nodded. "Fine by me."
Human Transformation.