From beginning to end, Suwey had never trusted the system.
Even after arriving in this slime world, Suwey reduced his use of the system.
But now, the system had taken the initiative.
Although he didn't know what it wanted, now that he held the initiative, Suwey wanted to use it as much as possible to obtain the information he needed!
The new ability Suwey possessed wasn't anything particularly powerful. The so-called "divine speed" was simply using explosively powerful magic to strengthen his legs in an extremely short time, using the burst of power to propel his body and achieve the "divine speed" effect.
This wasn't an important ability, and Suwey didn't care about it, but it was the first bargaining chip he had received, and he had to figure out why the system was so interested.
Therefore, at this moment, the choice he had to make was to refuse!
So, his finger pressed the "o".
Then…
Unlike the usual beep, this time the interface remained completely unresponsive. The "o" button seemed to have never appeared, remaining a dull gray.
On the other hand, the "yes" option was a pale blue, clearly clickable and capable of completing a "transaction."
Clearly, this was intended to force Suwey to choose "yes," giving him no chance to refuse.
His eyes narrowed sharply, his expression turning cold before quickly returning to calm. He inwardly mocked his own arrogance after his power increase.
Didn't he understand the system's nature? He'd been under its control for so long.
Suwey even felt that if it wanted to take over his body, it would only take a moment, but he didn't know why it hadn't.
Perhaps it was because once it chose a host, it couldn't change it.
Or perhaps it was because the system was simply someone's eyes, and Suwey was the object of attention for one of those eyes.
Suwey, his mood plummeting, simply closed the interface. Instead of choosing "yes," he opted to exit out of sight, a form of rejection. If the system were intelligent, it would have known Suwey didn't intend to agree.
This "what the hell" behavior successfully erased the system interface from his view. Just as he began to wonder if the damned system would let him off so easily...
*Beep!*
Suwey's eyes were suddenly filled with the question, "Merge?"
Unlike the previous one, this question didn't occupy Suwey's view, but rather resembled an icon on an LCD screen.
It was incredibly visually offensive, but if that were all, Suwey could tolerate it.
Seemingly realizing this wouldn't disgust Suwey, the system unleashed a chilling method. The options that had initially occupied only a corner of his vision multiplied like rapidly dividing cells, spreading out one after another.
In just a few seconds, the world before Suwey's eyes was filled with choices, leaving no space whatsoever. This time, the system was ruthless, directly overwhelming Suwey with "yes" options, forcing him to choose.
Moreover, while Suwey's eyes were filled with questions, his other senses were also severed by the system. To Milim and the others, Suwey suddenly darted a meter away and stood motionless.
No matter how they shook him, Suwey didn't move. His eyes lost their light, and even his breathing gradually weakened.
Although Suwey's vital signs didn't show obvious signs of decline, his condition was clearly not good. In fact, because Milim loosened her grip when turning away, he fell to the ground.
Most importantly, Suwey fell face-down.
On the ground, flowing crimson blood was gradually being absorbed by the mud and sand.
"Hey! Was it that lizard that poisoned my best friend?!"
Milim grabbed a lizardman by the neck, lifted him up, and pointed at the bleeding Suwey. High-temperature white mist emanated from her sharp fangs.
At that moment, everyone present could feel that Milim before them was like a gigantic beast awakened from ancient times; her immense magical energy even distorted the surrounding space.
The three lizardmen trembled, barely managing to hold back their blood. The most timid of them even tilted its head and fainted on the spot.
Given Suwey's physical strength, he shouldn't have bled from a mere fall. His body had been enhanced by the system to withstand superhuman strength.
But now, Suwey, seemingly unconscious, had his physical strength reduced to that of an ordinary person.
Having witnessed Suwey's physical strength and knowing his actual combat power, Milim and Rimuru both understood perfectly well that Suwey couldn't possibly be so weak, much less bleed from a mere fall.
However, unlike Milim, he wasn't anxious enough to blame everything on Gabiru and the others. Instead, he transformed into a slime, wrapped Suwey's body up, and ran towards the goblin village.
Although he didn't know what had happened to Suwey, Rimuru's first instinct was to get him to a room and try the prepared healing potions. If that didn't work, he'd have the Great Sage intervene!
"Hey! Hey! Slime, wait for me!"
Milim withdrew her fist from the lizardman's attack, casually tossed him to the ground, and followed Rimuru into the goblin village.
But the moment she stepped through the gate, a sword appeared before her. Flames crackling around its blade roared towards her, scorching the air. Yet, in a single exchange, Milim's hand gripped the blade tightly.
With a gentle pull, the sturdy weapon forged by the dwarven blacksmith snapped in two, as easily as tofu being crushed.
Milim's expression grew impatient. If this weren't Suwei's city, she would have long since given in to the provocation of these weaklings a sound beating.
And the fist of the Ancient Demon King—there were probably few in this world who could withstand it.
"Benimaru! Don't attack her! Let her in!"
Rimuru, sensing the magical energy fluctuations behind him, quickly turned around, stopping Benimaru, who was trembling with fear and ready to fight to the death, and ordered Milim to follow behind him.
"Lord Rimuru! Lord Suwei... what happened!?"
Behind Benimaru wasn't the only one under pressure from the massive surge of magical energy; the remaining Oni also emerged. The first to notice Rimuru and Suwei was Shuna, who hurried over.
The magical energy emanating from Suwei hadn't ceased, so she was unaware of his condition, mistaking it for an attack.
"Shuna! Come help!"
During this time, Rimuru's relationship with the Oni had grown closer, not only because he was the de facto leader of the goblin village, but also because of his strength.
The Oni revered the strong, and Rimuru was one of them.
Rimuru took out a large quantity of potions and placed them beside Suwei.
Although he didn't know what had happened to Suwei, he was now determined to do everything in his power to save him!