The slime with Daelan and Aria moved through the narrow back alley with quick strides. The deeper they slipped into the maze of slums, the darker the world seems to become.
Shuttered windows leaned over the street, and piles of refuse blocked half the walkway. Damp stone glistened under the weak glow of scattered lanterns and torches.
They passed several men and women who staggered against walls or slumped on the ground. Most of them reeked of cheap alcohol, but the others twitched violently, their limbs jerking at odd angles.
A few of them even just stood frozen in place with their eyes rolled upward, as if their bodies had forgotten how to move naturally.
Their fingers clawed at the air or scratched their own skin in mindless repetition.
The slime studied them through its mana senses. It detected a strange foreign substance inside their bodies. That substance was thick, unstable, and corrosive to both flesh and mana.
It recorded that unknown substance inside its core. It did not understand the meaning yet, but it stored the information meticulously.
Aria barely glanced at the addicts. She kept walking with cold familiarity. Scenes like this had long lost the power to shock her. Misery in the slums had become part of her reality.
Daelan, however, scowled sharply.
His jaw tightened and his hand balled into a fist as he looked at the twitching bodies.
He recognized the symptoms instantly. They suffered from Cloudspine Extract, an addictive pill made from the blood of a certain Dungeon monster.
He knew because years ago, he had injected that poison into himself. He had escaped from that drug, but the damage had carved scars deep into his memory. No matter how far he ran, that part of his past always waited behind him like a shadow.
They pushed through one more of the worst corners of the town, where broken doors hung from hinges and the smell of rot clung to the air.
Aria led them around a collapsed stone wall and pointed down another narrow path.
"We just need to turn at the next street," she said. Her voice sounded calm again. But inside her chest, a storm of fear and anxiety was still raging.
Daelan nodded and hurried forward.
They moved quickly to minimize the chance of anyone noticing them.
The slime mapped every turn, corner, and building, storing it all inside its core.
It studied the humans who wandered the streets. Some of them looked unstable, some others looked hostile, some weak, some indifferent.
The slime felt a strange fascination. After eating and watching them, the humans seemed so chaotic and so unpredictable. In its growing understanding, they resembled monsters of the Dungeons. They just live in different nests.
And the slime wanted to understand more.
They reached Blackwater Alley. It was a long, uneven road lined with crooked buildings and dim lanterns hanging on rusted hooks.
Most structures leaned forward, and puddles of dark water pooled in the cracks of the cobblestone street.
A cold wind drifted through the alley, carrying the scent of rusted metal and piss.
Aria pointed at a small storefront near the center of the alley.
"There. Old Crow Salvage & Repairs."
A faded wooden sign hung above the door, depicting an old black crow missing half its beak. Metal scraps and broken gears decorated the windows, hinting at a tinkerer's workshop.
Night kept most people off the street, so they crossed without drawing any attention.
Daelan stepped to the door and knocked twice firmly.
"It's Rowlen," he called.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the lock clicked, and the door creaked open.
A young man stood behind the door. His messy dark-brown hair stuck out in uneven tufts and a pair of round bronze goggles rested on his forehead.
He looked only a few years older than Aria, maybe twenty at most. Soot stains on his hands and shirt marked him as someone who worked with tools more than people.
His sharp hazel eyes flicked between Daelan and Aria with immediate suspicion.
He gripped a spanner in his hand as if it doubled as a weapon.
The slime peeked from Aria's pocket and activated [Analyze]. It sensed a strong mana core inside the young man, but the mana didn't flow toward muscles or limbs. Almost all of it concentrated in his brain. The mana were dense, stable, and clearly shaped for calculation and creation rather than combat. The mana concluded.
"Hi, Calder," Daelan said with an urgent smile. "We're in a hurry. Can we get inside?"
Calder's eyes narrowed. "Who is this girl?" His voice carried suspicion, and he shifted his stance to block the entrance.
"Just a girl in trouble. Come on, man," Daelan said, lowering his tone. "We don't have time."
Calder exhaled sharply, then stepped aside with a reluctant grunt. "Fine. Get in."
They slipped inside. Calder immediately scanned the street, checking every shadow and corner. When he saw no one following them he shut the door, locked it, and turned off the lamps hanging near the windows.
The entire shop sank into darkness.
"Back room. Now," Calder whispered.
They followed him past piles of scrap metal, half-finished tools, and crates of gears and wires.
Calder opened a door leading to a small workroom littered with blueprints.
He hurried to the far wall, dragged aside a carpet, and pulled on an iron ring embedded in the floor.
A wooden trapdoor lifted with a creak, revealing a narrow staircase descending into shadow.
"Get in," Calder whispered. "Both of you."
Aria climbed down first with the slime secured in her pocket. Daelan followed next, then Calder, and he pulled the trapdoor shut behind them.
The underground room stretched out beneath the shop. It was a cramped space filled with shelves of books and thick wooden beams.
Daelan heaved a long breath of relief. His shoulders loosened for the first time since they fled the shed.
However, Aria did not relax.
She stood stiffly, her hands clenched at her sides as she glanced between Daelan and Calder.
Once again, she was inside a room with two men and her body reacted before her mind could stop it. Her breath tightened and fear curled sharp inside her chest, remembering the situation she had experienced with men before.
"What the hell is going on?" Calder asked. He stepped closer with sharp eyes. "I heard a commotion a few blocks away from here. Was that you?"
"Yeah," Daelan said. "This girl was in danger, so I had to act."
Calder let out a long, tired sigh. "You really need to learn how to mind your own business, man."
Daelan only shrugged. "Old habit."
Calder shook his head and finally looked at Aria. His expression softened a little, and he walked toward her. "Let me check your wou—"
Before he finished the sentence, the slime launched itself at his face. It wrapped around him in an instant.
"Urghhh!" Calder staggered and dropped to the floor, his voice muffled under the slime's grasp.
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