The power surging from deep within my body told me that Hamo was dead.
“(Well, it’s good that I defeated him, but the problem is…)”
Looking at Hamo, his body was floating near the center of the spring.
It’s a waste not to eat him, but I don’t have a way to get over there.
…No, if I don’t have one, I just need to learn it.
My Unique Skill should make it possible.
“(Alright, I’ll get the Swimming Skill here!)”
I used to go to the neighborhood swimming school when I was in elementary school.
It should be easier to acquire than other Skills.
“Swish, swish.”
First, some warm-up exercises. Thanks to the Dancing Skill I had somehow acquired, I could move with sharp movements.
Then, I approached the water’s edge and splashed water on myself.
And then, I entered the spring with great anticipation.
“Sluuurp.”
I spread my body thin like a kickboard and fell onto the surface of the water.
Splash.
I sank. Buoyancy didn’t work.
“(Damn it, I’m too heavy!)”
I hurriedly returned to the bank.
Phew, I almost drowned… Huh?
Come to think of it, I didn’t feel suffocated just now.
If I recall, I was fine even when I was swallowed by Hamo’s whirlpool.
“(Could it be that slimes don’t need to breathe… ?)”
I don’t know much about the ecology of slimes, even though I am one, but I don’t think I’ve ever consciously breathed.
Perhaps…
Splash.
I cautiously entered the water.
I slowly submerged my body, and eventually, my whole body was immersed.
I don’t feel suffocated yet.
I continued to dive for a while, but I didn’t feel any lack of oxygen at all.
This is… it seems safe to assume.
Slimes can live without breathing.
“(Alright, if that’s the case, I can eat Hamo even if I can’t swim.)”
I cheerfully advanced into the depths of the spring.
However, the bottom near the center of the spring was deep, so even if I extended my whip, it wouldn’t reach Hamo on the surface.
Damn it…
~Unidentified Information Log Area~
…
Fue Toukouya (Jewel Weapon Slime) has acquired the Skill: Swimming.
…
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“(Phew, swimming feels good.)”
After that, I trained hard and learned Swimming, and I completely devoured Hamo and the two deer.
I was surprised by the Stockpile capacity that could hold three Greater Beasts.
Having finished my meal, I’m now doing some post-meal exercise.
That is, swimming.
It seems there are no more Demon Beasts that pose a threat in this spring, so I can swim freely.
By the way, I adopted the balloon method for swimming.
I made my body spherical and filled the inside with air.
With the help of the Swimming Skill, I can swim quite freely.
Well, in the balloon state, there’s an unpleasant feeling like a foreign object mixed in my body, but I’ll have to endure it.
“(Alright, I guess this is a good place.)”
After enjoying swimming to my heart’s content, I went ashore.
It’s a place directly opposite the spot where I first fought Hamo.
Since I can move on the water, I tried moving straight through the middle.
The Mana density wasn’t that different, so I doubt if it had any meaning.
“(Alright, let’s get back to exploring.)”
It’s noon. I can still hunt a lot of prey before sunset.
If things go well, I might be able to Evolve again.
So, I’m steadily advancing through the forest.
I’m heading towards the direction with the higher Mana density.
Just in case, I’m also using Stealth, wary of something like the Great Bear from before.
“(I can’t find anything.)”
Well, I can’t find prey just by walking a little.
The same old forest scenery continues no matter how far I go.
Trees, trees, thickets. Trees, herbs, fleeing small animals. Trees, an old man, trees… Huh? An old man?
“(Why is there an old man in a place like this!?)”
I couldn’t help but do a double-take.
It’s not a mistake. It’s real. A real old human man was wandering around the forest.
His hair was mostly gray mixed with brown, and his skin was wrinkled.
His limbs were as thin as chopsticks, and he looked like an old man no matter how you looked at him.
“(Did he… get lost?)”
His clothes were just plain cloth, so that’s the only thing I can think of.
Humans in the forest usually wear armor or robes and carry swords or staffs. But the old man didn’t fit any of those.
He must have been lucky not to encounter any Demon Beasts so far.
But if an old man like that meets a Demon Beast, he won’t stand a chance.
Moreover, he’s heading towards the depths of the forest, where the Mana is dense.
If I don’t stop him, he’ll become Demon Beast fodder sooner or later.
“(But, showing myself in front of people is…)”
If I’m seen and it’s spread that there’s a monster with a lot of Experience Points, many humans might come to hunt me.
With humans’ information gathering ability, it wouldn’t be strange if they knew about Jewel Slimes.
–Therefore, it would be wise to abandon him.
“(…No, I can’t abandon him in this situation!)”
I shook my head to shake off the weak thought that had surfaced.
I decided to become strong like the Forest Turtle I saw that day.
It’s a joke for someone like that to hesitate because they’re “afraid of being targeted by humans.”
Even if a large number of humans come, I should have the spirit to escape unscathed!
Confirming my own will, I try to go in front of the old man.
However, just then, I stepped on a fallen branch and made a sound.
The old man turned towards me.
“Ho ho, so it’s a higher species of Jewel Slime. It seems living long has its perks.”
–This is bad.
The moment I made eye contact with him, all my cells sounded an alarm.
I started Fleeing reflexively.
I used Flee, I used Leap, I used Climbing… Before I knew it, Evasion was activated.
“Pervade Fist.”
It was a light sensation.
The old man, who had somehow gotten behind me, touched me with a strength that felt like a caress.
“(Wha, ha…!?)”
The impact came a beat later.
It was similar to when I was hit by the Great Bear, but it was much more intense.
Along with the sensation of my body exploding from the inside, the surrounding scenery was blown backward.
Or rather, I was blown away at a tremendous speed.
“(Lightning Strike!)”
In my consciousness, blurred by the pain, I activated my Unique Skill.
To blind and prevent pursuit, I continued to emit a pillar of lightning.
The lightning pillar wasn’t thick, so it could be easily avoided by going around it a little.
But even that small amount of time was desperately needed.
“(Leap! Compact Whip! Compact Whip! Leap!)”
I leaped diagonally upward, wrapped my whip around a branch, and forcefully pulled my body forward.
Sometimes I attached my body to the trunk and leaped horizontally from there.
I needed speed, no matter what.
I used every means possible to escape, to gain distance, to get away as quickly as possible.
When I finally couldn’t move due to fatigue and hid in the shade of a tree, I realized that I had already shaken off the old man.
~Unidentified Information Log Area~
…
Fue Toukouya (Jewel Weapon Slime) has acquired the Skill: Flee. The Skill: Escape has been integrated.
…
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