Chapter 12: A Monster That Would Not Fall
The cave was silent.
Because everyone was watching the slime that had just evolved.
The blue glow surrounding Tanaka slowly faded.
His body had become darker, denser. His Magic Core pulsed with far greater strength than before.
The hunters exchanged uneasy glances.
"An evolution during battle."
The bowwoman lowered her bow slightly.
"I’ve never seen that before."
The bearded leader didn’t answer.
His eyes remained fixed on Tanaka.
"Don’t panic."
"It’s still only one monster."
Tanaka heard every word.
One monster...
His gaze drifted past them.
The village.
The shattered walls.
The elder’s broken body.
The slimes that would never bounce again.
Then...
The little slime.
It slowly bounced beside him.
Bruised.
Covered in cuts.
But alive.
A pulse of relief reached him through their mana.
Tanaka’s core trembled.
I won’t let anyone else die.
The leader raised his sword.
"Finish it."
The hunters moved together.
The spearman struck.
Tanaka reacted on instinct.
Instead of dodging...
He remained where he was.
The spear pierced his gelatinous body.
Pain spread through him.
Then...
Something else happened.
Deep inside him...
An endless darkness opened.
The mana flowing through the spear detached from the weapon.
It flowed into that darkness.
Vanishing.
The pressure behind the thrust disappeared.
The hunter’s eyes widened.
"My spear...?"
Tanaka instinctively pushed forward.
Earth Impact!
BOOM!
The spearman stumbled backward several meters before catching himself.
His armor was cracked.
He stared at the damage in disbelief.
"Impossible."
Tanaka looked at his own body.
So that’s Devourer...
It eats the mana inside attacks.
Not the weapon.
Not everything.
Only the compatible energy.
The leader immediately understood.
"Don’t let your attacks linger."
"Strike and withdraw!"
The hunters changed tactics.
The bowwoman released three arrows.
Tanaka leaped aside.
One arrow grazed him.
The mana inside it disappeared the moment it touched him.
The arrow itself bounced harmlessly onto the floor.
The other two embedded themselves in the cave wall.
So touching me is enough...
The youngest hunter rushed in.
Sword raised.
He wasn’t as calm as the others.
He attacked too quickly.
Too aggressively.
Tanaka saw the opening.
Leap!
He shot underneath the slash.
Earth Impact!
The hunter’s feet left the ground.
He crashed onto his back with a cry, his sword sliding across the cave floor.
He was stunned.
The little slime quickly bounced between the fallen hunter and the surviving slimes.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Yet refusing to run.
Tanaka couldn’t help smiling inwardly.
You’re braver than you look.
The bearded leader attacked next.
Unlike the others...
Every movement was flawless.
One slash.
Tanaka tried to absorb it.
The mana disappeared.
But...
The sword still struck him.
Slash!
His body split open.
He bounced backward.
Pain surged through him.
I can’t absorb the blade itself.
Only the magic inside it.
The realization came with another.
Devourer isn’t invincible.
The wound slowly closed.
Much faster than before.
But it still hurt.
The leader narrowed his eyes.
"So there are limits."
He pressed the attack.
Tanaka retreated.
Leap.
Block.
Absorb.
Counter.
The cave echoed with impacts.
Neither side gained a decisive advantage.
The hunters couldn’t land a finishing blow.
Tanaka couldn’t break through their teamwork.
Minutes passed.
The youngest hunter finally regained his footing.
He stared at Tanaka with obvious fear.
"Captain, this thing is learning."
The leader didn’t answer immediately.
Instead...
He watched Tanaka intercept another arrow meant for the remaining slimes.
Again.
And again.
The slime never chose the easiest path.
Every dangerous attack...
He took himself.
"Interesting."
The bowwoman frowned.
"What is?"
"It isn’t protecting itself. It’s protecting the others."
Silence followed.
No one expected that from a slime.
Monsters fought to survive.
They didn’t shield each other.
The leader looked around the ruined village.
Dead slimes.
Terrified survivors.
Then back to Tanaka.
"The request was for an ordinary slime nest."
"This is no ordinary nest anymore."
The youngest hunter looked confused.
"We’re leaving?" He asked.
"Yes. We completed enough of the request." The leader responded.
The bowwoman lowered her bow.
"And if we continue?"
The leader’s eyes never left Tanaka.
"We’ll start taking real injuries."
"No reward for F-rank slimes is worth that."
The words hung in the air.
One by one...
The hunters stepped backward.
Weapons raised.
Careful.
They never turned their backs on Tanaka.
Tanaka didn’t chase them.
He wanted to.
Every instinct screamed at him to attack.
To make them pay.
But he knew better.
His mana was already running low again.
His body was covered in cuts.
If they truly fought to the death...
He wasn’t certain he’d win.
The bearded leader reached the cave entrance.
He stopped.
His gaze lingered on Tanaka.
"We’ll report this."
The other hunters nodded.
"An evolved slime inhabits this forest. We’ll return with a proper subjugation force."
The hunters disappeared into the forest.
Silence reclaimed the cave.
No one moved.
Tanaka remained facing the entrance long after they had gone.
Only when he could no longer sense them did his body relax.
He nearly collapsed.
The little slime hurried over and supported him as much as its tiny body could.
Boing...
"I’m... alright."
The words remained trapped inside his mind.
Outside...
Only a soft squish escaped him.
The little slime answered with another gentle bounce.
Around them...
The survivors slowly gathered.
There were so few now.
Less than half of the village remained.
Some had lost pieces of their bodies.
Others stared silently at the empty places where friends had once rested.
Near the center of the cave...
The elder lay motionless.
Its silver core had gone dark.
Tanaka slowly approached.
He lowered himself beside the elder.
Death remained death.
For a long time...
He simply stayed there.
The surviving slimes quietly formed a circle around the fallen elder.
Tanaka looked around at what remained of the place that had welcomed him without question.
This village had given a nameless slime a home.
Today...
That home had almost disappeared.
His core pulsed once.
A quiet promise formed within him.
The next time they come...
I won’t just survive.
I’ll be strong enough that they’ll never dare step into this village again.
Beside him, the little slime gently placed the shiny blue pebble it had once given him.
As if reminding him...
There was still something worth protecting.