"So, how about that? I'm pretty strong after all, huh huh huh..."
The soft sword in the hands of the golden-haired elf was plunged into the ground. Panting heavily, she looked towards the judge, Shami.
Shami was speechless.
"It's just a level 7 Slime. How did you have to go twenty rounds with it before barely winning..."
"What can I do! After you cut a Slime with a sword, it revives. I had to take it down five times!"
A Slime doesn't die immediately when it suffers fatal damage; instead, it turns into several blobs of goo, triggering a 'regenerate' skill, slowly reforming and recovering its life.
As Shami instructed them not to go all out, Lureya could only wait for the Slime to revive each time.
After the fifth regeneration, its regeneration skill went into cooldown. This time, it couldn't revive.
So Shami called for a halt.
But, going twenty rounds with a mere level 7 Slime, Shami found it hard to accept.
"Hey, look, Jelly is almost level thirty."
Lureya quickly changed the subject.
Honestly, taking so long to deal with a little Slime, the golden-haired elf was feeling a bit embarrassed, her pointed ears quietly turning red.
Shami looked over, and indeed, the blue Slime was starting to glow, an indication that it was about to level up.
A blue light shone, then slowly faded.
A more sparkling blue Slime appeared before them.
[Species: Demon Race·Common Creature]
[Possesses Mutated Ability. Please choose mutation direction: Blue Slime Leader with reproductive ability; Ice Slime; Poisonous Slime...]
Shami directly chose the first one, letting it evolve into an ordinary Slime with reproductive ability.
He was currently raising this Slime as the future leader of the Slime Tribe, and having reproductive ability was enough for now.
The remaining Slime types could undergo these kinds of mutations when new Slimes appeared.
[Mutation Successful!]
[Ability: Reproduction (capable of splitting its body to give birth to new Slime life forms)]
[Status: Preparing to split]
Sure enough, after reaching level 30, the Slime could reproduce and split into new Slime babies.
Nearby, while looking at the Slime information scroll, Lureya had a look of realization as she watched Jelly.
"So that's how Slimes reproduce! In that case, just use a Teleportation Gate to place a level 30 Slime somewhere else, and soon you'll form a Slime Tribe. No wonder there are so many Slimes, spread so widely."
The elf struck a scholarly pose, raising her finger to adjust the non-existent glasses on her nose bridge.
Shami was quite satisfied with this.
Now, they could just quietly wait for the Slime to split.
The cave they found was large enough, once they put Jelly back, he and the golden-haired elf planned to return to the village.
"Alright, that's enough training for today."
"Yay! Let's have roast meat for lunch."
Lureya gestured with enthusiasm.
The two returned to the village just in time to find the villagers gathering at the village entrance for a meeting. Although they didn't know what was happening, they joined in.
Theo, seeing Shami, waved vigorously.
Just as Shami was about to walk over, a small hand pulled at his sleeve.
"Don't go over, stay with me."
Lureya looked cautiously towards Theo, then shifted her gaze to Shami.
"No particular reason. Can't you see the air around him is muddled? Getting too close will bring misfortune. Trust me, it's an elf's intuition."
Knowing full well that the golden-haired elf was bluffing, Shami still stopped in his tracks, waved a greeting, and stood with her at the back of the crowd.
[Affection +1 (10→11)]
Shami glanced from the corner of his eye towards the golden-haired elf's calm expression.
This was quite an unexpected gain.
But Theo still came over; Lureya quietly moved to Shami's other side, making him act as a barrier.
"Hey, an elf? Shami, you've been hanging out with an elf a lot lately."
"Yeah. I'm pretty familiar with the area. I can be her guide."
"Oh. I thought the elf took a liking to you."
Who would fancy him? A mere villager boy, apart from being a bit handsome, which other trait pierced through to her preferences?
Lureya internally complained, but her face remained cool and composed.
"What's going on in the village?" Shami asked.
"I heard a swordsman wanted by the Adventurer's Guild has been spotted around here recently, and two villages have been plundered. The village chief is gathering us to see if we should pool money to hire an adventurer to station here. I just overheard the details coming from the widow's house."
"Why were you at the widow's house in broad daylight? You look like you've lost a kidney!" Shami quipped.
"Ah, is that so? No wonder it's been hard for me to pee lately..." Theo realized belatedly.
Shami gradually understood the situation.
A fugitive named Cash Dillon, wanted by the Fess Kingdom's Adventurer's Guild, had been frequently active in the area, plundering villages.
Shami checked Cash Dillon's personal information. He was once a member of the Heroic Squad that fought to quell the Demon King, but later deserted during a battle against the Demon Envoy, becoming an exiled swordsman who committed misdeeds wherever he went. It's said his level is now that of a Level 45 Swordmaster, with formidable skills and ruthless means.
[Bounty: Capture alive and bring to the Adventurer's Guild for 5000 Gold Coins; kill and bring the head to the Adventurer's Guild for 3000 Gold Coins.]
Shami looked at this tempting bounty, lost in thought.
"But where do we have money to hire adventurers to station here?"
"Exactly! Ordinary adventurers wouldn't stand a chance against someone of that level!"
"And skilled adventurers wouldn't be available for our request."
The villagers argued loudly, while the old village chief Lugo furrowed his brows helplessly from his spot on stage.
At that moment, the old village chief, with his cloudy gaze, suddenly spotted the golden-haired elf standing at the back of the crowd and became excited.
"The elf lord is here, Yili Village is saved! With the elf lord here, we villagers will have security!"
Everyone turned to look at Lureya, who appeared bewildered.
The old village chief hastily made his way over with his cane.
"Elf lord, please help our poor little village. If it's you, we're sure you could easily chase away that rogue swordsman. We only need you to look after the village for a while. We'll provide free accommodation in the inn for you," he implored sincerely, as every villager fixed their eyes on her.
Standing beside Shami, Lureya naturally understood who village chief Lugo was referring to and couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows slightly.
She did have a helpful heart, but the situation at hand wasn't something a little, weak fairy like her could solve alone.
She looked to her side. Shami had yet to make any indication.
Theo had already distanced himself: "And who might these two be?"
Unflustered, Shami silently transmitted, "Accept it first."
Hearing this, Lureya inexplicably felt reassured, nodded slightly, and placed a hand on her chest, accepting the task.
"Don't worry. Everyone. I will take action when the time comes."