“Alright, experiment number: three. Objective: Increase familiar’s elemental resistance and ensure the effectiveness of [Pain Nullification]. Starting now. [Summon Slime].” Nicholas said, mumbling to himself. He was all alone in a cavern within the Hydra Mountains, north of his home. The cave system went on for miles and was an immensely challenging labyrinth. Adventurers from all over the region would come to test their mettle against the monsters that lurked with.

Nicholas, however, was not one of those brave warriors. He was busy conducting tests on his newest skill, [Summon Slime]. It had been awarded to him after the fight with the griffin. Apparently, he’d gotten so good at spotting convenient slimes that Genesis created a skill to summon one of his own. A magic circle appeared on the ground, complete with various runes and ancient letters. The symbols started to glow, and the room was filled with light.

A small blue slime suddenly popped out of the magic circle. It bounced around with glee before stopping at its master’s feet. It gazed at the person that created it, though the slime had no eyes. In reality, Nicholas couldn’t tell what the slime was thinking or even where it was facing. The creature was just a blue blob. A sort of wet squishing noise escaped the summoned monster as it tried to get Nicholas’s attention.

“I still can’t understand you, but that’s fine. I’ll call you Tres.” Nicholas said. He was happy to finally talk to something normally, even if it was just a slime. The skill [Pathological Liar] wouldn’t activate whenever Nicholas spoke directly to his summons. This was the system’s way of avoiding confusion between master and familiar, but it also appeared to prevent Nicholas from going insane due to the nonstop lying.

The slime bobbed from the joy of receiving its name. Nicholas wasn’t sure if the slime he summoned was the same one each time or a new entity, so he gave each one a unique name. He gave the creature a moment to familiarize itself with its surroundings. Tres gazed around the room. It didn’t have eyes, so Nicholas was unsure how it viewed the world.

As one could imagine, there was little to find in a dark cave. A rope stretched off into the distance, likely to guide any travelers to a nearby exit. Lanterns were evenly spaced to provide light within the thoroughly explored tunnels. A small fire burned by Nicholas to presumably keep the area warm, and a bucket of water sat nearby.

“First, let’s have you jump into the fire,” Nicholas said. He didn’t waste a second before asking of the impossible. He tapped the ground before him as if to emphasize his point. An innocent smile appeared on his face. He seemed eager to see the results of his next experiment. The situation could have only been better if Nicholas had a pen and paper. Then, he would have been able to properly document his findings. Instead, he just had to remember everything on his own.

Tres looked back and forth between its master and the flame. At least, it appeared to be glancing at the two. To Nicholas, the slime was rolling around in anticipation. Tres tried to remember the order that was just given to it. Jump into the fire. It seemed simple enough. Why would its master order anything that may directly harm it? There was no need to worry. This thought was reiterated by the man that summoned Tres.

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“It’s alright. The two before you handled this test just fine. If it hurts at all, jump into the bucket. That said, your skill should prevent you from feeling it.” Nicholas said with an assuring voice. He held out his hands as if to calm the slime. A gentle palm caressed Tres. The outer layer of its body was soft to the touch. Nicholas had never felt one before. Normally, the membrane would break, and he’d collide with the acidic insides that dissolved almost anything.

Tres, however, was much tougher than normal slimes.

The slime reflected on its master’s wishes and didn’t want to disappoint. It promptly wiggled away from Nicholas’s grip and leaped into the fire. The flames swiftly engulf the creature. Its blue body was tinted a brilliant crimson from the surrounding blaze. Wicked heat grew as time passed, but Tres’s health never went down. It was a confusing moment. [Pain Nullification] stopped Tres from feeling the burning flames not taking damage. Its health should have continued to drop until it expired, yet the rate was much slower than expected. The slime turned to its master, but a third party opted to explain the situation.

“NOTICE. [FAMILIAR: SLIME] HAS ACQUIRED THE SKILL [FLAME RESISTANCE I].”

“Interesting. Seems like the third time really is the charm.” Nicholas said, mumbling to himself. The experiment was a roaring success. His familiar was susceptible to the same system he and his team were in. That meant that repeated actions could net the slime even more skills. Nicholas could become a powerful summoner. He contemplated what to do next. Considering his skill [Speech: Animal], he may be able to speak to the summoned monster after enough tries. Tres, or any of its successors, could learn offensive skills to attack in place of Nicholas. There was a limitless array of possibilities. Several minutes passed as he continued to formulate the best set of skills to work on first.

The still aflame slime bounced over to its master. It had gotten used to the fire that continuously burned its body. The natural health recovery undid any damage the flames caused, so Tres could theoretically stay on fire forever. Genesis once again reached out to announce another skill, but this was just the next version of the one recently acquired. [Flame Resistance II] essentially canceled out all of the fire’s damaging potential. Tres would need something more powerful to increase that skill any further.

“Sorry, little buddy. I’m running these trials to make you stronger. We’ll get you some more resistances. After that, let’s practice the best ways to attack.” Nicholas said. There was no reason to explain his thoughts to Tres, but he did anyway. It felt right to elaborate on why Tres was performing such trials. Nicholas stood up and dumped the bucket of water on his familiar. The flame went up in smoke, not that Tres noticed. It was focused on the final words Nicholas said.

Tres acted on the last word Nicholas said, attack. It looked around for potential targets. There were none to be seen. Its master hadn’t brought out any nor pointed in a direction. What did he have in mind? Did this have something to do with the previous experiment?

Of course.

It all made sense to Tres. Both needed to improve their resistances if they wanted to get stronger. Tres swelled with pride, assuming it could feel that at all. The slime happily jumped on Nicholas’s head and engulfed him. Nicholas felt the odd sensation. He looked around, but his vision was clouded and tinted blue. He tried to breathe but couldn’t.

Panic quickly ensued.

“NOTICE. [CLEVER COMMONER] HAS ACQUIRED THE SKILL [PANIC RESISTANCE III]. THIS SKILL HAS BEEN SHARED WITH [FAMILIAR: SLIME].”