Chapter 3: Wolf
Crack
Huh?
I heard a sound like a branch breaking from behind.
I stopped and focused my awareness in that direction.
Since a slime’s entire body of liquid acts as its eyes, it has a 360-degree field of vision without doing anything, but the parts it isn’t focusing on are only perceived as blurry outlines.
Now, as I looked behind me, a beast emerged from the shadows of a tree in the distance.
“Grrrrrrr…!”
“(A Wolf…!?)”
I trembled as I saw the quadruped covered in brown fur.
Wolves are terrifying Demon Beasts with high 〖Power〗 and 〖Speed〗.
Its already fierce face was made even wilder by a scar that had crushed one of its eyes.
That single eye locked onto me.
This is bad!
I reflexively started running.
At the same time, the Wolf began to pursue me.
Damn it, bad luck! To be targeted by a Wolf so soon after being alone!
~Unidentified Information Log~
…
Fuetou Kouya (Roughstone Slime) has acquired 〖Skill: Flee〗.
…
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Is this what they call the power of desperation?
Before I knew it, I was running at a speed that didn’t seem possible with my 〖Speed: 1〗.
The scenery was flowing by faster than usual.
But that’s not enough.
“(What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!?)”
No matter how good my condition is, it’s impossible to shake it off with my base 〖Speed: 1〗!
And it’s still closing the distance on me.
Is there anything, is there anything, is there anything—that’s it!
I had a flash of inspiration and rushed towards a nearby tree.
And then I hugged it!
“(Guh, this, damn it, I have to climb quickly!)”
I hooked my body onto the hollows and trunk, lifting myself higher and higher.
Simply put, it was tree climbing.
I’m betting on the possibility that the Wolf can’t climb trees… but at this rate, it’s a problem before that. The Wolf will attack me before I can climb to the top.
I have to hurry!
~Unidentified Information Log~
…
Fuetou Kouya (Roughstone Slime) has acquired 〖Skill: Climb〗.
…
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…Phew, I somehow made it.
My 〖Power〗 is low and my body is heavy, so I couldn’t climb at all at first, but it turned out to be surprisingly manageable.
The trick is to flatten my body and increase the contact area with the bark.
Also, I was probably in some kind of zone due to the extreme situation earlier.
Even without figuring out the trick, I was able to climb surprisingly smoothly from the middle.
“Gwau, Vauwau!”
The one-eyed Wolf doesn’t seem to be able to climb trees, and is now scratching at the trunk below.
I was looking down at it from a branch.
“(…Somehow, now that I’m relaxed, I’m getting annoyed.)”
A feeling welled up inside me.
It was anger.
In the first place, why did I have to be chased around? I was just trying to become a kind slime that wouldn’t hurt anyone.
The moment I was safe, the thought that this dog-beast had gone too far surfaced.
“Sla, Sluuslaa-slaa! Slaa-slaa! Slaa-sura-slaa! (Hey, you crab that can’t even climb a tree! You’re not scary at all! If you’re so tough, come up here!)”
I insulted it in slime language.
I also used the flexibility of the branch to jump up and down, as if taunting it. In my mind, I was doing squats.
~Unidentified Information Log~
…
Fuetou Kouya (Roughstone Slime) has acquired 〖Skill: Taunt〗.
…
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“Grrr… Gaugau!”
It probably didn’t understand the words, but it seemed to have gotten the intention of my mockery.
It narrowed its one eye and bared its fangs at me.
Pleased with that, I raised the height of my jumps even higher to further provoke it,
—Snap
“(Nuoohhhhhh!?)”
The branch broke!
It couldn’t support me when I jumped so high!
Slimes don’t have the ability to fly, so naturally, my body fell downwards.
When I turned my panicked awareness downwards, there was the Wolf with its mouth open like a chick waiting for food.
Aah, this is bad, I’m going to get eaten!
The Wolf’s mouth, it’s getting closer.
What do I do, think, there’s no time, this is bad, I can’t do anything—
I couldn’t do anything in the face of this sudden event. I could only shrink and stiffen my body.
At the same time as the fall, the Wolf’s fangs clamped down,
—Crack, crunch, snap!
A dull sound echoed.
“Ughruvu…”
“(…Huh?)”
I had resigned myself to death, but I was alive.
A thud, the shock of something falling.
To grasp the situation and ensure my safety, I came out of the narrow, dark wolf’s mouth and looked around.
I saw that the Wolf had fallen to the ground.
Its neck was bent in an unnatural direction, and its fangs were broken inside its half-open mouth.
“(C-Could it be, did it break from my weight…?)”
A Roughstone Slime’s body is about the size of a bowling ball, and its weight is probably about the same.
It’s obvious that if something like that fell from a tree, it would have quite a bit of impact.
If it tried to swallow that directly, it wouldn’t be strange for its fangs to break and its neck to bend.
And my 〖Toughness: 152〗 seems to be a value that can withstand such an impact.
…Looks like I didn’t have to desperately run away after all….
~Unidentified Information Log~
…
Fuetou Kouya (Roughstone Slime) has acquired 〖Skill: Crush〗.
The activation of 【Best Harvest】 has been observed.
〖Soul Accumulation Value (Level)〗 has increased to 7.
…
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