The sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows through the forest canopy. Leaves rustled softly as Rai tread lightly across the underbrush, his newly acquired Tearfang Dagger secured at his waist. His body still buzzed from the recent fight with the spider horde and the satisfying glow of the "First Minor Boss Kill" announcement felt like a brand carved in his soul.
But there was no time to relax.
"Now that I've got that +10% EXP buff from the announcement bonus, I need to capitalize on it while it lasts," Rai thought, scanning the path ahead.
He moved deeper into the inner stretch of the woods, where weaker monsters had already been cleared by early players, and the next tier of creatures had started appearing.
It wasn't long before he spotted them.
Four gelatinous blobs, each about waist-high, bounced lazily through the forest glade. Their transparent, blue-green bodies shimmered under the filtered sunlight, rippling like thick liquid. Each had a single glowing core suspended within their gooey mass—pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
[Monster Info – Gelath Slime]
Level: 3
Type: Elemental-type Monster
Strengths: Physical resistance, poison immunity
Weaknesses: Lightning-based attacks, rapid slashing near the core
Drop Potential: Viscous Slime, Alchemical Base (Trash), Slime Core (Common-tier Material), Low-tier Equipment (Rare chance)
"Gelath Slimes…""Low-tier elemental mobs, they might look weak but they are tougher than they look.""Their bodies resist blunt attacks, and stabbing them is like punching a water bed. But their core is their true weakness. It's their nerve center. A few well-placed slashes near the core, and they melt apart like jelly and can be easily defeated."
"In my first life, I didn't know about that. Took me half an hour to kill a single one. And even that, I was only able to do with help.""This time, I'll do better than that."
Rai crouched in a thicket, eyes locked on the closest slime as it bobbed and jiggled in a slow patrol. He exhaled sharply and drew both weapons—his starter iron sword in the off-hand, and the uncommon grade Tearfang Dagger in his right one.
"All right, Let's do this."
Combat Begins
The first slime noticed him just as he sprang from cover.
It let out a strange gurgling noise—it got surprised seeing him—before Rai's dagger tore through its non-newtonian body in a horizontal arc. The slime trembled violently, its core flashing in alarm and pain.
The Tearfang Dagger left a poisonous aftershock with each hit, but the slime's body resisted poison. It was the speed and accuracy of Rai's slashes that made the actual difference and resulted in damage.
One strike. Two. Then a third, aimed precisely at the shimmering core.
SHRREEEK—!! The slime burst with a wet squelch.
But the sound drew the attention of the other three.
"Figures."
What followed was a desperate skirmish. The remaining slimes didn't have legs, but they moved frighteningly fast by compressing and springing their gooey bodies forward and backward like rubber balls. One launched at Rai's leg and latched on with a corrosive hiss, burning through cloth and triggering a damage notification.
[You are afflicted by Corrode – Minor Armor Decay]
Rai winced, slashing the slime off before rolling sideways and taking a breath.
His beginner armour, which was less of an armour and more of a battle suit got corroded by this attack of the slime.
"One hit from these little idiots won't kill me, but their debuffs are nasty. I have to keep moving—hit and move, hit and move."
He dashed in, using his skill 'phantom step' to engage, missed the core, and then pivoted around for a backslash. The slime reeled, giving him the opening.
Critical Hit!
[Gelath Slime Defeated]
Two down.
But his stamina bar was rapidly draining. Dodging the slimes' sticky lunges and keeping up the offensive and using the skills at the specific time required precise movement and timing.
The third slime landed a blow on his ribs, acid bubbling along the starter armor. He responded by plunging his dagger deep into its side and twisting, catching a glimpse of the core. Another stab—then it dissolved.
One left.
Panting, Rai rolled his shoulders and charged the last one, ducking low and slicing cleanly upward. His iron sword shattered on impact with the monster's core—but it was enough.
With a final shriek, the last slime burst apart, leaving behind a trail of goo and shimmering particles.
[You have gained some exp – Level 2 not Reached!]
[EXP Gained: 330][Previous: lvl 1(1460/2000)]
[Current: lvl 1(1790/2000) ]
[Items Acquired]:
3x Viscous Slime (Trash Tier)
1x Slime Core (Common Crafting Material)
1x Rusty Fang – Common Tier Dagger (Level 3)
5 Copper Coins
Rai sat on a boulder nearby, breathing heavily as he inspected the dagger he looted.
It was… mediocre. The Rusty Fang had roughly the same stats as the Starter Iron Sword he was given at the beginning of the game—nothing worth celebrating.
"Another common-tier junker… still, better than nothing."
"Even trash-tier loot is useful at this point. I can either sell them to a vendor or break them down at a crafting station later. If I sell this common dagger to the players then, I will be able to earn quite some money as many people have lost their weapons due to lack of durability as they didn't know about going to the blacksmith."
His gaze drifted to the slime core.
"Now this is worth holding onto. Slime cores can be used in basic alchemy or sold to potion vendors. I remember seeing them used in low-grade mana potions once the alchemy profession unlocks and we reach the cities."
He sheathed both blades and looked up at the canopy above.
The sunlight was thinning.
"I am about to reach Level 2, by this rate I should be able to reach level 4 by today as it has been just two hours since I started playing. Still a long way from 15… but at this pace, I'll make it in less than a week."
With that thought, Rai stood and resumed his journey, deeper into the woods—toward stronger monsters, richer loot, and the distant hum of a city that only a select few players would reach anytime soon.