The slime sensed the urgency rolling off Aria. Without hesitation, it accelerated its movements and immediately acted.
It began devouring the thug's corpse from head to toe, breaking down flesh and bone with ruthless efficiency while spitting out anything it couldn't eat quickly at this state, like pieces of leather armor, the man's sword, and a small dagger. They all clatter uselessly onto the floorboards.
Meanwhile, Aria finished packing. She carried only what was essential like her clothes, a small waterskin, and the money she had taken from the corpse along with her own savings.
She took a moment to count it all: eight Bronze Marks and two Copper Bits from her own stash, plus ten more Copper Bits from the thug.
It wasn't a fortune but not too little either. For her it was the largest amount she had held all week.
A small, flickering relief warmed her chest, just for a moment.
Then she paused in the doorway of her room, watching silently as the slime continued devouring the corpse.
Her thoughts drifted back to her parents.
The pain was sharp, bitter, and disorienting. After everything she had done… After working herself to exhaustion to pay their debts…
They had simply left her.
Just walked away.
Aria clenched her jaw, forcing the ache down.
Now wasn't the time for that.
Thinking about them was useless.
If they had truly chosen to leave her behind, then so be it.
Let it end there.
At last, the slime finished its Consumption. Its body pulsed faintly, and then a familiar voice echoed inside its core.
[You have gained a new skill: Polymorph]
Polymorph
Tier: 3
Mana Cost: 100 mana per transformation
Description:
Allows you to alter physical form at will, reshaping your body into various structures, tools, or creatures. You may assume any form whose complexity and mass do not exceed the limits of your Core Tier. The transformation grants only the shape of the copied form, not the abilities unless combined with other skills.
The slime knew immediately that it had gained something valuable for its strength. Its core pulsed with bright, rapid flashes of light. Its excitement was visible.
Aria noticed it as well. She had seen that glow before, and now she understood that whenever its core pulsed like that, the slime had gained something.
She didn't know what kind of thing it had earned this time. It could be some kind of power it gained after it ate, but there was no time to ask.
"Let's go," Aria whispered urgently.
"Yes," the slime answered in her own voice.
She scooped the slime into her hands, and it shrank itself smoothly, compressing its body until it could slip into her pocket again.
Together they moved toward the door.
Aria hesitated for a second and gave a fleeting glance at the inside of her old house.
That place was now nothing but a dangerous place she could never return to.
She clenched her jaw and stepped out.
But as soon as she did, her stomach dropped.
A group of men was coming down the street. There were five or maybe six of them, each with the same rough clothing, same swagger, and same hostile posture as the thugs who had burst into her home earlier.
Then she heard a familiar voice.
"There she is!"
The second thug—the one who had fled—pointed straight at her.
Aria felt a chill.
"Why are they so quick to come back here?!" she hissed, panic surging through her as she turned and bolted.
Her sack swung wildly behind her as she sprinted across the muddy street.
She cut between two houses, then slipped into a narrow alleyway that led toward the edge of the town.
Shouts rose behind her.
"Find her!"
"She went that way!"
"Don't let that bitch get away! She has a unique monster!"
Aria swallowed her saliva. She ducked behind an abandoned shed, squeezing herself through a gap in the rotting wooden wall.
Inside it was dark, cramped, and smelled of shit and piss.
She crouched low, pressing her back against the wall.
Outside, boots pounded past her hiding spot.
Men cursed violently at each other. Some were shouting her name. A man that possibly their leader barked orders.
The sound was everywhere.
Aria slapped a trembling hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her breathing.
Her entire body was shaking so hard she could feel the wooden planks vibrating behind her. The enemy was too many, the slime wouldn't be able to fight them.
Tears burned at the corner of her eyes. She squeezed her knees to her chest, trying to become smaller and quieter, anything to avoid being found.
Voices passed right outside the shed.
"Check the back!"
"She must be hiding somewhere here!"
"Boss said we need to bring her and that slime back alive, so don't screw this up!"
Aria squeezed her eyes shut, terror gripping her throat.
She didn't know how long she could stay hidden.
"You look scared, lady."
Aria jolted and a sharp yelp escaped her mouth before she could stop it.
The sudden voice struck her with incredible shock. She was already strung so tight with fear, so even the smallest sound would make her lose it.
She snapped her head up.
Someone was sitting right in front of her. There was a man she hadn't noticed before, previously lying in the shadows.
A faint sliver of torchlight slipped through the gaps in the shed's rotten walls, brushing across his face. He was bearded, with deep blue eyes and shoulder-length, disheveled hair.
"Are you the one those men outside are hunting?" he asked.
Aria stared at him, frozen. She didn't know whether she should trust him.
"Don't worry. I'm not with them," he said calmly as he pushed himself to his feet. "But I think they already know you're in here. They must've heard that little yelp of yours."
Aria's eyes widened in horror. The boots outside slowed… then stopped right in front of the shed. Low voices gathered outside.
Before she could say anything, the shed door exploded inward with a violent crack, ripped off its hinges by boot and brute force. Several thugs stormed in.
"There you are!" one of them crowed, grinning with smug satisfaction.
The slime shot out of Aria's pocket in an instant. Its green gelatinous body tensing, ready to fight. But then it sensed something.
The man standing in front of them was rising fully to his feet.
And the slime felt it. A strong and dense mana core that felt nothing like Aria's or any human it had encountered before.
"Gentlemen," the bearded man said casually. His posture was relaxed, almost bored. "You all give off a very unpleasant vibe."
"Hey, listen. Get away from there before I change my mind. Or we will kill you as well," said the thug leader.
"I can't do that," the man said. "I still can't get rid of my old habit."
—