While the 200 slimes continued devouring everything around them, Jiang Cheng went into the tent to sleep, leaving the five evolved slimes on guard. Although their round bodies looked harmless, they kept their sharp mantis-like limbs hidden, ready to unfold at the slightest threat.
In the depths of the night, a pair of golden eyes opened among the bushes.
A massive panther almost the size of a small car was silently prowling. Its muscles rippled beneath its dark fur, and its breathing was so soft that not even the leaves stirred as it passed. To the beast, the night was full of scents: damp earth, trees, moss scorched by the campfire… and the strange acidic smell of the slimes.
But that wasn't what it sought.
The panther had detected something far more valuable, something that ignited every one of its instincts: the scent of fresh human flesh.
The campfire dimly illuminated the camp. The slimes kept eating, unaware of any danger. The panther ignored them. They weren't prey. They weren't food.
But the tent… Inside it was a living being warm, breathing, pulsing with life.
A feast.
The beast crouched low, tensed its muscles, and with a silent motion, prepared to launch itself in a lethal strike. Its goal was to tear through the fabric, seize the human before he woke up, and kill him with a single bite.
It leapt.
But never reached its target.
The five evolved slimes reacted instantly. Their bodies moved with impossible speed, and from their surfaces emerged mantis limbs shining, razor-sharp, like freshly forged blades.
The first strike split the panther's muzzle. The second pierced its front leg. The third sank into its back.
The panther roared, furious and wounded, trying to crush the small monsters, but each slime dodged, struck, and cut back with deadly precision.
Within seconds, the beast fell. A final gasp. A twitch. And silence returned.
Awakened by the noise, Jiang Cheng rushed out of the tent. When he saw the massive body of the panther on the ground and the evolved slimes standing around it like silent guardians, a chill ran down his spine.
"Good thing I spent all my money evolving them…" he murmured.
"Otherwise, that attack would've killed me."
He approached the panther's corpse. It was huge, muscular, full of meat, and held far more energy than the plants, stones, and moss the slimes normally consumed.
He thought about his options.
He could try using the body to evolve another slime… but evolution cost 200 dollars, and although the panther was large, it had no special abilities. No natural weapons like the mantis limbs, no unique traits that could be worth integrating.
Using it for evolution would be expensive and inefficient.
He sighed.
"It's better if the normal slimes eat it. This will speed up their multiplication."
At his command, the regular slimes surrounded the corpse. Their bodies trembled with excitement at the scent of so much fresh meat. Within minutes, they began devouring it, absorbing its energy to strengthen and reproduce.
The night returned to its calm state, illuminated only by the fire and the wet sounds of slimes feeding.
Jiang Cheng went back into his tent.
Dawn
When dawn arrived, the first rays of sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating the translucent bodies of the slimes moving restlessly. The air carried a faint metallic smell, remnants of the panther that had vanished overnight.
Jiang Cheng stepped out of the tent still half-asleep, but the sight before him snapped him awake.
Slimes were everywhere.
Jumping. Bouncing. Sliding. Consuming the last bushes, pieces of logs, and every organic trace they could find.
"Good…" he mumbled as he started counting them.
The total even surprised him.
"Two hundred ninety-three… two hundred ninety-four… two hundred ninety… three hundred two?" He blinked, confused.
"Wow… they really do multiply fast with real meat."
In less than a night, the number had grown from 200 to nearly 300 slimes. And they continued reproducing steadily.
The five evolved slimes stayed close, vigilant. As long as they were nearby, any surprise attack would be nearly impossible.
The young man took a deep breath and crossed his arms, analyzing the situation.
The secret realm would remain open for a full week. That was more than enough time… if he stayed calm and followed his plan.
> "No need to rush. I just need to devour, multiply, and wait for the perfect moment to overwhelm everything."
The idea was simple and terrifying: to create an army so massive that, in the end, it wouldn't matter how strong the goblins were or how complex their villages became.
They would simply be… devoured.
So far, Jiang Cheng hadn't encountered any other student inside the secret realm. Nor had he seen any signs of goblins, villages, or patrols.
The forest was quiet… far too quiet for a realm filled with hostile creatures.
That silence only reinforced his theory.
If no one attacked him, if no one found him, then he could keep absorbing resources without pressure.
For his slimes, this was a temporary paradise.
And for him, a perfect opportunity to grow without limits.
"All right," he said with a calm smile. "Today's going to be a long… and very productive day."
He clapped his hands, activating the mental command.
"All normal slimes, spread out and devour everything you find within 300 meters. I want the forest clean before noon."
The little monsters moved like a living carpet, spreading in all directions. Their advance was relentless: every leaf, every root, every insect, and every organic fragment vanished inside their gelatinous bodies.
Jiang Cheng let out a satisfied sigh as he watched his expanding army.