Chapter 16: A Stronger Tomorrow
Three days passed.
The slime village gradually settled into a routine.
The hunters left the village at dawn and returned at noon, their satchels full of monster cores and mana crystals.
The younger slimes gathered berries and mushrooms near the cave, protected by several veteran hunters.
As night fell, all returned to rest.
And then the process repeated.
Tanaka observed the village from atop the stone where the elder slime once laid.
The village was far from perfect, but it was on the road to recovery, and that, in itself, was a great victory.
Morning dawned as it always did, with nearly twenty hunting slimes forming a group at the cave.
The little slime bounced beside Tanaka, filled with excitement since the training began.
Tanaka glanced at the hunting slimes group.
Same faces.
Same Magic Cores.
But they looked slightly different.
Their actions did not resemble those who had bunched together at every step a day ago.
They still moved in pairs, but when the enemy appeared, they parted ways, giving each other space to avoid collision.
They were learning.
With Tanaka at their side, the hunting slimes entered the dungeon.
The first floor had become less challenging since the slimes had learned to fight in organized groups.
Stone creatures occasionally appeared from the passageways, five, sometimes even eight, at a time.
Slimes fought them off in pairs, always managing to avoid the crushing blows from the monsters’ fists.
One distracted the foes, and another one struck them in the exposed core.
The battles ended quickly.
Tanaka remained in the background, only stepping in when one of his students made a critical error.
One such case happened when a hunting slime chased the stone foe to a narrow passage, leaving the monster free to summon another from the wall.
The chase ended when the little slime bounced at the creature’s side, knocking it off balance.
Boing!
The surprised hunter rolled to the side, avoiding the collision between the two stone fists.
By midday, they reached the chamber where the giant stone creature had stood.
Broken stone littered the floor, and the golden mana had long since dissipated.
Tanaka halted, observing the wall.
On one side, a line of pale blue crystals grew from the floor to the ceiling in jagged lines.
He had not noticed them before, but now, Tanaka bounced toward the strange formation.
The mana in those crystals was potent.
Tanaka broke off a small piece and forced it into his Storage Ring.
His Soul Record marked the item as soon as it entered the ring.
[Mana Crystal
High-quality natural mana. Can be used to restore magical energy or craft magical equipment.]
Tanaka’s core thrilled at the sight.
A superior quality crystal!
Little slime’s eyes widened at the shiny object that Tanaka extracted from his ring.
Its body practically vibrated at the sight.
Tanaka chuckled mentally.
A greedy little guy.
He accepted the crystal that the slime pushed toward him.
His collection of mana crystals was growing.
The training session continued, taking them deeper than ever before.
Tanaka felt it in the thick air, the difference in the very texture of the stones.
The second floor was slightly warmer, and the gray rock had transformed into dark red stone.
Even the mana had changed, becoming denser.
The senior hunting slime slowed as they entered the deeper part of the second floor, and the rest of the slimes imitated him.
Everyone realized the danger.
A deep growl reverberated from the passageway.
It was not a stone creature, not this time.
Tanaka’s body stiffened.
Another growl answered the first from somewhere in the distance, and another one soon followed.
Tanaka turned his head, his body preparing for battle.
Yellow eyes blinked at him from the darkness.
One, two, six pairs of yellow eyes narrowed at Tanaka and his hunting slimes.
Big beasts stepped out of the shadows, one after another.
Six wolf-like monsters with black fur pulled their muscles, showing crimson stripes on their bellies.
Each wolf had a magic core as big as two Fanged Rabbit Cores.
The leader showed its teeth, revealing a mouthful of pointed canines.
It was not made of stone, but of flesh and blood.
It breathed, it had lungs, and Tanaka realized with a start that it was intelligent.
The hunting slimes growled, their bodies bristling with magical energy.
Tanaka studied the wolves, comparing them to the stone creatures they had fought before.
They moved with a different energy, their motions more precise, disciplined.
The biggest one among them had a slightly bigger Magic Core than the others, and it radiated a sense of leadership.
The other wolves followed his lead.
A hunter, capable of commanding his pack, a living being with intelligence, similar to Tanaka and his hunting slimes. Tanaka’s pulse quickened.
The big wolf chittered and lowered its body, and the rest of the pack did the same.
It was the signal to charge.
Several hunting slimes near Tanaka shivered in fear, but the little slime moved to his side, showing no fear.
Tanaka glanced at the wolves, and his eyes met the eager faces of his own hunting slimes.
This would be the first time they fought enemies that were similar to them, thinking beings with instincts and minds.
Win, and they would grow stronger.
Lose, and the dungeon would take its toll.
The leading wolf let loose a deep, guttural growl and charged.
The rest of the pack followed suit, and the second stage of the dungeon hunt had begun.