"It's because the scroll has to get stronger," Thomas said, folding his hands.
"Stronger?" Young Slime uttered, his voice breaking. "Does that mean it would absorb more soul essence?"
"No, no, no. It doesn't," Nobi replied, shaking her head.
She then pulled out a flask and tossed it over.
"This silver-colored potion is…?" Young Slime asked as he caught it.
"It is the elixir," Nobi answered. "Elixir of Dew Essence—"
Before she could even finish, Young Slime gulped it down like a hungry beast after opening the flask. Gulp! Gulp!
"…a rare potion which heals the soul," she completed the sentence. 'Did he never see that potion?' She mused while deciding, 'I'll gift him potions..since he likes them.'
'So cool,' he mused with a grin as a refreshing chill swept through his mind, then spread through his entire body.
But it didn't even take a moment for him to sigh. "As expected."
In the slime#47's soul dimension…
Remnant authority on his Will barrier flared, colliding with the rushing silver energy from the potion.
Gzz!
It wanted to heal Young Slime's soul, but the authority's remnant wiped it out in a fraction of a moment.
'It's useless,' he thought bitterly. 'If it were so simple, Future Self would have already informed me.'
He'd had hope for a moment, but it was wiped out in less than a second.
"What's wrong?" Thomas asked, glancing at the frown on Young Slime.
"Does the scroll… the Ancient combat style… absorb soul essence every level up?" Slime#47 asked, changing the topic. "I mean… I don't have this kind of potions in my time."
"Yes—how can I forget?" Thomas patted his forehead.
"You are really poor in your time," Nobi uttered, her lips twitching, "This kind of rare rank potions are as cheap as dirt."
"What?" Slime#47 exclaimed, glancing at the potion flask in his hands.
"How?" he asked. He recalled how Professor Seralyth gave rare potions like nothing, but he still remembered Professor Brad's narrowed eyes.
"Aren't they expensive?" he questioned, as he felt Nobi's pitied gaze on him.
"Hahaha," Thomas nodded. "They aren't as cheap as that young lady stated."
"No, they are really cheap!" Nobi yelled as she pulled potions one by one at high speed.
Soon, the area was filled with hundreds of potions in just a few seconds.
Slime#47's eyes went blank at the sheer number of potions on the floor.
"Elixir for sustenance; Elixir of Intermediate Mana Recovery; Elixir of Intermediate Aura Recovery; Elixir of Dew Essence; It's an Elixir of Hyper Thoughts;..." Young Slime muttered as he spotted the familiar potions among the pile of potions.
'Just how much have demons fallen?' Thomas mused, understanding Slime#47's situation yet again, 'To think he would be tempted so much by a mere rare-rank potion.'
The instructor yelled sharply, "That's enough. They are worthless like dirt to you…"
He glanced at Nobi, and as he leaked demonic force, shockwaves spread across the entire training basement.
"Who made the Instructor angry?"
"Run…"
"…."
Many demons rushed out, grabbing their weapons and belongings as they fled.
"Can you give me a few?" Young Slime asked, extending his right arm.
He felt embarrassed for requesting, but his situation was enough to push him.
"Why not?" Nobi nodded.
"Thanks," Slime#47 thanked, grinning widely.
Crack!
The wind waves tripled, cracks spread across the floor, and the violet barrier started to crack.
However, neither cared about the lion-headed instructor, whose eyes burned with fury as demonic force wrapped around his body.
"That's enough!" Thomas roared—crack!—shattering all the potions on the floor with demonic force.
"You have a rich grandpa…" he said, pointing his finger at Nobi. "But not everyone has a doting, flirty rich grandpa."
Nobi trembled. 'Looks like I made him too angry…' She forgot who Thomas was in a flicker of a moment.
He roared, "You'll clean the arena and do maintenance for the array of this entire training basement for one month!"
Nobi swallowed and nodded with a bitter sigh. "Okay."
He glanced sternly at her for a moment, then turned his head to Young Slime, who also trembled.
'Damn… what incredible power,' Slime#47 mused, noticing his trembling body.
"You cannot take anything from the past to the future," Thomas declared. "And those potions aren't cheap dirt…"
He turned to Nobi, who said bitterly, "I make potions for earning… so they are cheap for me—"
Young Slime cut in, "You made them?"
"Yes," Thomas nodded. "She is one of the best potion makers in rare rank and below."
'Damn…' Young Slime clicked his tongue, and he felt his core crack as he glanced at the broken potions and flowing liquid from the shattered flasks.
He knew why Thomas rejected him from taking them to the future, but wasting them by shattering them…
He couldn't take it.
"Normally, only a professor can take out that many potions," The instructor said. "You cannot take potions to the future—"
"Because future formulas and methods might have changed, or if anyone powerful finds them…" Nobi cut in, with her usual playfulness, "You will be in trouble."
Young Slime nodded, sighing. "I know…"
"Cough," Thomas coughed, returning to his calm demeanor as he sat back down and pulled out a beer bottle.
He took a sip, then said plainly, "About absorbing soul essence—it doesn't."
He glanced down at the bottle, which was three-fourths full. He shook it and took another sip.
Then he continued, "Combat style marks absorb soul essence directly from the soul only when inscribed on the soul—to strengthen themselves and perfect their shape and quality—"
Nobi said with a smile, raising her finger, "When one levels up their combat style, the mark just absorbs the soul essence from the atmosphere, not the soul essence from the soul itself."
"Air?" Young Slime muttered. "Does air have soul essence?"
He tried to sense the soul essence from the thin air. 'Yup, it does exist.'
It brought a wide smile to his face.
From the air, he sensed many energies—like mana, natural energies, and many more—along with soul essence.
"Yes, soul essence does exist in the atmosphere," Thomas said, slumping more back into his chair.
"How?" Slime#47 asked. It was out of his knowledge.
"I mean, wouldn't souls proceed to the afterlife after death?" he questioned, raising his right palm to the sky, indicating heaven. "And soul essence itself is from which a soul is formed!"
He recalled Nobi questioning him about why he had entered his soul dimension to practice the combat style mark—he'd felt she was just checking his knowledge.
But now he understood: the combat style mark could be practiced outside, as soul essence was present outside.
'Can I absorb it and maintain my soul…' he wondered, as he felt he'd found a more suitable solution to his soul essence leak problem.
His eyes were filled with a spark of hope—he felt he'd found a way to survive.
'Wait… my future self…?' Solid doubt struck him. 'He should have found this… did he survive using this method?'