I had only walked a short distance when something suddenly broke the quiet of the forest.
"Help! Someone—please help!"
A desperate scream echoed through the trees.
I stopped.
For a moment, I didn't move.
In a forest like this, rushing toward every cry for help could easily get you killed. It could be a trap, or a monster mimicking a human voice.
I stood there silently, thinking.
The scream came again—this time weaker.
"…Please… help…"
I let out a quiet sigh.
"Troublesome."
Even so, my feet had already started moving.
I followed the direction of the voice, pushing through thick bushes and weaving between the trees. The sounds of battle soon reached my ears—shouting, splashing, and something heavy hitting the ground.
When I finally reached the clearing, I saw the situation immediately.
A group of adventurers was fighting for their lives.
Or rather… barely surviving.
Three of them were already lying on the ground, their armor corroded and smoking as if something had melted parts of it. Two others were trying to hold the monster back, but their movements were slow and desperate.
And the monster itself…
A massive slime.
The creature towered over them like a giant blob of translucent jelly. Its body constantly shifted and rippled, and inside it I could see dark liquid swirling around.
Suddenly, the slime opened a hole in its body and spat out a stream of liquid.
Acid splashed across the ground, instantly burning the grass and dirt.
But that wasn't all.
Moments later, another blast came out—this time a powerful jet of water that slammed one of the adventurers into a tree.
I raised an eyebrow.
"…Acid and water?"
Interesting.
A small smile slowly formed on my face.
If I absorbed that core… I might gain another skill.
The thought alone was enough to make my mood improve.
Without wasting another second, I stepped forward.
The slime noticed me immediately and launched another stream of acid toward my direction.
Too slow.
I dashed forward, easily dodging the attack as the acid struck the ground behind me with a loud hiss.
The adventurers stared at me in shock.
"W-Wait! Don't get close!" one of them shouted.
But I was already moving.
In a single swift motion, I drew my sword.
The slime tried to launch another attack, its body swelling as it prepared to spit more liquid.
I didn't give it the chance.
With one powerful leap, I closed the distance and swung my sword straight through the center of its body.
The blade cut through the slime like slicing water.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then the creature split apart.
The massive body collapsed into a pile of shaking slime before slowly dissolving into a lifeless puddle.
Silence fell over the clearing.
The surviving adventurers stared at the scene with wide eyes.
"…It's dead?" one of them whispered.
I calmly wiped my blade and sheathed my sword.
One of the adventurers slowly approached me, still looking stunned.
"You… you killed it that easily," he said. "That thing nearly wiped our whole party."
I shrugged slightly.
"It didn't look that strong."
They exchanged glances before one of them bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you for saving us. If you hadn't shown up, we would've been finished."
"No problem," I replied.
After a moment, I looked at them.
"What happened, anyway?"
The man sighed.
"That slime appeared suddenly while we were hunting nearby. At first we thought it was just a normal one… but then it started spitting acid and water. We couldn't get close without our armor melting."
I nodded slightly.
That explained the condition they were in.
We talked for a short while longer while they recovered their breath.
Eventually, I turned away.
"Well, I should get going."
They quickly bowed again.
"Thank you again for saving us!"
I simply waved one hand without looking back.
Then I continued walking deeper into the forest.
After all…
Once the adventurers were busy tending to their wounded companions, I quietly walked back toward the remains of the slime.
No one was paying attention to me.
Perfect.
I crouched down and reached into the remains of the monster, quickly pulling out the slime's core. The small crystal glowed faintly in my hand, its surface slick with the creature's residue.
Without hesitation, I absorbed it.
The core dissolved into my palm, and a faint warmth spread through my body.
A small smile appeared on my face.
Whenever I absorbed a new core, my body would react like this. It wasn't painful, but it always felt unusual, like something inside me was changing.
For a moment, my vision blurred slightly.
Then a strange sensation gathered around my chest, spreading outward through my arms and legs.
Water.
That was the first thing that came to mind.
I raised my hand slowly and focused.
A thin stream of water suddenly formed in the air above my palm before dropping to the ground with a soft splash.
I blinked.
"…Huh."
I tried again.
This time, I focused a little harder. The water formed faster, swirling slightly before falling again.
Looks like I got something useful.
And if that slime really had acid as well…
I concentrated once more, this time imagining the burning liquid I had seen earlier.
A small drop formed on my fingertip.
The moment it touched a fallen leaf on the ground, the leaf instantly sizzled and dissolved with a faint hiss.
A grin spread across my face.
"Not bad at all."
Water manipulation… and acid.
Those abilities could be very useful in battle.
I flexed my fingers once before letting the liquids disappear.
The strange warmth inside my body gradually faded, leaving me feeling lighter somehow.
Honestly, absorbing monster cores like this was almost addictive.
Every time I gained something new.
Every time I became stronger.
I let out a small breath before looking ahead at the forest path.
"Well… that worked out nicely."
With that, I adjusted the strap of my pack and started walking again, heading back toward the town and the guild to finish my quest.