My name is Slata. Even though I'm a slime, I've evolved into a Large Bloody Slime, a type of High Beast. I am a genius, really! Born a rare species, I quickly rose to become the leader of my tribe. One day, I'll surpass the High Beast stage and become a Mighty Beast, ruling this entire forest—it’s not just a dream.

Surasula! Saaalss! (Follow me, everyone! Today, we're exploring the depths of the forest!) I declared this in front of ten carefully selected slimes. They're weaklings compared to me, mere Minor Beasts, but they make up for it in numbers. At the very least, they can throw stones to keep enemies at bay.

We were about to set out, full of enthusiasm, but some of the slimes seemed hesitant. Sensing their unease, I decided to ask them directly.

Salsuu? (What's wrong? If you've got something to say, speak up!)

Slasuke suur! Ora! Saal! (…Slasuke said… The deeper parts of the forest… the mana is strong there. It’s dangerous to get too close.)

Slasuke was a weakling who used to be part of our group until recently. Though he was a rare species, the only thing exceptional about him was his Toughness. Other than that, he was a failure, always coming up with cowardly tricks and being more of a burden than anything else.

As if that wasn't bad enough, he constantly got in my way. Always saying things like, "There are dangerous monsters over there," or "It's too early for us to venture there," just because he was weak, thinking the rest of us were as feeble as he was.

It's true that we had to retreat once before, but we've grown stronger since then. We wouldn’t make the same mistakes now. That's why I expelled him—so we could finally explore the deeper parts of the forest. But now, at a time like this...

Slasuke… always causing trouble. I muttered to myself.

Even though my close followers are loyal, some in the group have been infected by his cowardice. The slime that just spoke up is one of them. It seems I need to set things straight before we head deeper into the forest.

SUUUURA!!! (What? Are you telling me you'd rather listen to that cowardly weakling than to me?)

Saa-! (N-no, that's not it… but…)

Ora salla!? (Then you have no complaints, right!?)

Suuu! (Y-yes!)

No one else voiced any objections. That's right—they should have just obeyed from the start.

Su-ORA! (Alright, let's move out!)

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I led the way confidently. My era was about to begin.

At least, that’s what I thought…

Saaalll--! (It hurts, it hurts!)

Sula! Sala! (Calm down. The enemy's dead. Rest, and you'll recover.)

Tch, one of them died… Our first battle was a hard-fought victory. Our enemies were goblins—a small group of just three.

We had eleven in our group, including me. Normally, that kind of numbers advantage would ensure an easy victory. But…

Sura, slasa? (The goblins were stronger than usual?) One of my kin asked me.

Yes, these goblins were slightly more capable than those in our usual hunting grounds. Though still classified as Minor Beasts, their level was likely higher.

And we couldn’t stop them from getting closer… The real reason was this.

Initially, I planned to hold off all three while the others threw stones from a distance. But the goblins' unexpected strength caught me off guard, and during the chaos, one of them ran behind us.

My subordinates tried to counter with Dissolving Acid, but the goblin's swinging sword killed one of them and injured the others.

Sullas! (If only Slasuke were here at a time like this──)

ORRA? (Did you say something?)

Su-u… (N-no, nothing…)

I silenced the one who started to speak with just a word. I wasn’t wrong. We didn’t need someone like him.

Srlsaa Suula! (Listen up, everyone. If the enemies are strong, that just means it’ll be easier to raise our Soul Accumulation Level! After eating these goblins, let’s move on to the next prey!)

Not long after, we found a new enemy.

Sura! (We’ll do it the same way as before.)

Slaa… (W-wait, but those are… humans…)

Or-ra? (So what?) I snapped, irritated.

Sulla srll-Slasuke! (H-humans have strong equipment. If they notice us, they’ll be troublesome. Slasuke said we shouldn’t attack them…)

ORRRRA- (Shut up with the nonsense!)

Thwack—!

Sllll-!! (Gyaaah!)

I shut him up with a punch.

Sulaa! (I’m the leader of this group. You follow my orders without question.)

SU. (…Understood.)

With my stern words, I strengthened the group's resolve and charged toward the four humans. At the same time, my subordinates threw stones to distract them.

Huh, what's this!?

What is it!?

The humans quickly took up defensive positions, but they were struggling against the barrage of stones. I kept charging, leaping toward the human who wielded a sword and shield.

Slash!

The human's sword cut into me, but it wasn’t enough to deal significant damage to my large life pool. I continued my advance, intending to use Dissolving Acid on the human.

Deflection!

Guh… But a sudden strong wind pushed me back. It seemed to be the ability of a smaller human behind him.

Retreat!

Just as I tried to press forward again, the humans turned and fled at full speed. Their hasty retreat was so unexpected that I forgot to chase after them.

Suura? (We couldn’t take them down?)

Suu. (Hmph, it’s fine. Now we know that humans aren’t a threat to us.) I said this to reassure my disappointed subordinates. Slasuke had been overly afraid of humans, making us overly cautious, but it was a letdown. Wolves would have been a tougher fight.

I knew it—I haven’t made any mistakes. I became even more certain. Humans aren’t our enemies, and if we keep training in these mana-rich depths, we’ll be able to defeat other beasts too. And beyond that, a slime paradise with me at the top awaits.

Sla-Sla-Sla! I laughed out loud at the vision of future glory. The day when I become the strongest beast and rule this forest is not far off!