The slime stored her words—and the meaning behind them—deep within its core. It continued listening as Aria spoke again.
"I already told you I have debts, right? I need a way to at least pay this week's amount," Aria said.
She bit her lip, embarrassed for asking this kind of help. Without even thinking that she was saying all this to a slime.
Without realizing it, Aria was treating the slime as an equal, not just a monster.
The slime appeared silent, but inside its core it was carefully processing every word Aria said.
Its understanding of Aria had grown significantly. Ever since it had Consumed her tears which was something deeply tied to her body and emotions, it had begun to understand her feelings and thoughts far more clearly.
Because of that, it had also gained deeper knowledge about the creature called 'human'.
The slime then replied, "Yes."
It felt a strong interest in what sort of developments awaited it, so it decided to help Aria. It was not out of empathy or obligation to help a person in trouble, but because the slime was curious and eager to experience more.
After all, it would finally go to a town—a place filled with humans. The very idea made excitement bubble inside its core.
Aria nodded happily.
"Thank you," Aria said with a bright, relieved smile. "I promise that I'll repay you as best as I can."
The slime answered, "Take me to the town."
"Of course! And when we get there, I'll explain a lot of things to you. You'll like that, right?" Aria said.
"Yes," the slime replied.
"There's a small, low-tier Copper Dungeon to the west. It's much weaker than the Dungeon where you came from," Aria continued. "We'll go there, and you'll help me hunt small monsters so we can bring their parts back to town and sell them. Don't worry, the monsters in that Dungeon are weak. I'm sure they won't be a problem for you. But for me… they're still too strong."
Aria scooped the slime back into her arms and walked quickly westward.
A few minutes later, they arrived before the Dungeon. Just like before, a swirling white mist filled the entrance.
Aria pointed ahead and explained, "This Dungeon only has one floor, but it's fairly wide. The monsters near the entrance are called Stone Gnawers. They are creatures as big as dog that look like rats with rocky teeth, and Dust Sprites, tiny floating creatures made of powdery sand. Both are weak, low-tier monsters. We can harvest their parts and make some money."
She walked to the entrance and took a steadying breath and stepped into the swirling white mist.
The moment she crossed the threshold she smelled the air filled with earthy scent. Jagged stone walls rose around them, and tiny particles drifted down from the ceiling like dust caught in a weak breeze.
The slime hopped from her arms and landed on the rough ground with a soft plop.
Immediately, its core pulsed.
[Analyze]
Its vision sharpened in a mana sense. Shapes bloomed in its perception. It saw small, skittering creatures with faint mana signatures hiding among the rocks.
Two Stone Gnawers crawled out from behind a cracked wall. Dog-sized, shaped like rats, and armed with jagged hard teeth.
The slime used [Analyzed] and noticed that they were very weak.
Without hesitation, it lunged.
The nearest Gnawer squeaked and tried to bite, but the slime widened its body mid-air and enveloping the creature like a hungry wave.
The Gnawer kicked wildly, but its legs sank uselessly into the gelatinous mass.
A faint glow shivered through the slime's body.
[Consume]
The creature dissolved rapidly. Bones, flesh, and mana melted down and absorbed.
[Absorbing Core Mana…]
[Core Mana acquired: Stone Gnawer]
Aria gasped. "W-wait! Don't eat all of it! I need their teeth!" she shouted. "That's the part we sell!"
The slime paused and responded, "Yes."
It opened its surface just enough to drop the set of hard gray teeth onto the ground. The teeth remained, clattering onto the floor around the slime's body like pebbles.
Aria picked them up, nodding with relief.
"These teeth are tough. They're used as replacements for iron tools. People pay good money for them," she said.
The slime processed her words, then turned back toward the Dungeon inner rooms.
Another Stone Gnawer peeked around the corner.
The slime pounced with its quick [Predator's Leap] skill.
This time it attacked even faster. The slime rolled forward, flattening its body like a sticky net and wrapping the Gnawer before it could flee.
[Consume] was activated again, leaving only the teeth. The slime spat them out neatly onto the ground.
Aria blinked. "Ah… good job!"
But the slime wasn't done. It keeps hunting the Stone Gnawers.
A few seconds later it saw a Dust Sprite fluttered above it, trailing sand like glitter.
The slime used [Analyze] then launched itself up with a sudden elastic burst, snatching the tiny creature mid-air.
The Dust Sprite gave a soft puffing sound before dissolving into mana inside the slime's body.
The slime absorbed it all eagerly, leaving nothing behind.
Its core throbbed.
Its Evolution progress rose.
Aria jogged behind it, gathering the dropped teeth.
"You're incredible…" she whispered under her breath. But the slime could hear it.
Aria knelt down again and held out a small glass bottle.
"Oh, right. And if you eat a Dust Sprite, make sure to leave some of the dust outside," she said. "That's the part we sell from them. It can be used as medicine and as dye for armor or weapons. Adventurers love the stuff."
"Yes," the slime replied.
The information settled neatly into its core, stored beside all the other knowledge it had gathered from Aria.
They continued deeper into the Dungeon.
Aria jogged behind the slime, picking up the Stone Gnawer teeth and carefully funneling Dust Sprite residue into several tiny bottles.
Each time she bent down to collect something, her movements grew a little more hopeful, a lttle lighter.
Hours passed in steady rhythm. The soft plop of the slime leaping, the the faint glow of [Consume], the clatter of teeth hitting stone, and Aria's quick footsteps gathering everything.
When they finally stepped back through the white mist and out of the Dungeon, the world outside had shifted into dusk.
A warm pink glow spread across the sky, painting Aria's face with soft, gentle light.
She looked down at her feet.
Dozens of Stone Gnawer teeth filled her sack, and several small bottles of Dust Sprite dust clinked lightly against each other.
She tightened the rope around her pack, relief easing her shoulders.
With this… she could pay this week's amount. She could keep the collectors away a little longer.
Aria exhaled shakily, but this time her breath came with a calm smile.
"Let's go to the town," she said, turning to the slime with warm eyes.
The slime could feel it her joy and her relief clearly. It also saw the gentle warmth in her expression. It stored Aria's smile deep in its core, engraving it in the same place where her tears had once been absorbed.
"Yes," the slime replied.
They began walking side by side.
Aria took steady steps toward Greyside Hollow, and the slime bounced lightly beside her, its soft body glowing faintly with excitement.
—