A surge of power from deep within me signalled the demise of the Pike Fish.

“Well, it’s good that I managed to defeat it, but the problem is…”

Looking at the Pike Fish, its body was floating near the center of the spring. I wanted to eat it, but I had no way of reaching it.

...No, if I don’t have a way, I just need to learn one. With my Unique Skill, it should be possible.

“Alright, I’ll acquire a swimming skill right here!”

I used to attend a swimming school in my neighborhood back in elementary school. This should be easier to obtain than other skills.

“Slasla.”

First, I did some warm-up exercises. Thanks to the Dance skill I’d somehow acquired earlier, my movements were sharp.

Then, I approached the water's edge and splashed some water onto myself. Finally, I entered the spring.

“Slar.”

I flattened my body like a kickboard and collapsed onto the water’s surface.

Splash.

I sank. Buoyancy didn’t do its job.

“Damn, I’m too heavy!”

Panicking, I quickly returned to the shore. Phew, that was close—I almost drowned… Wait a minute?

Now that I think about it, I didn’t feel short of breath earlier. Come to think of it, I was fine when I got caught in the Pike Fish’s whirlpool, too.

“Could it be that slimes don’t need to breathe…?”

Even though I am a slime, I don’t fully understand my own biology. But now that I think about it, I’ve never consciously tried to breathe.

Maybe…

Splash.

Cautiously, I reentered the water. Slowly, I sank my body deeper until I was fully submerged.

I still didn’t feel any shortness of breath.

I continued to stay underwater for a while, but I never felt the need for oxygen.

This seems pretty conclusive. Slimes don’t need to breathe to survive.

“Alright, that means I can eat the Pike Fish even if I can’t swim!”

Feeling victorious, I headed deeper into the spring. Unfortunately, the center of the spring was too deep for my whip to reach the floating Pike Fish.

Damn it…

...

>> Aresnal Slime, has acquired the skill: Swimming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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“Ahh, swimming feels great.”

After that, I worked hard to acquire the Swimming skill and managed to eat both the Pike Fish and the two deer.

I was surprised that my Eating Capacity could hold three large beasts.

After finishing my meal, I’m now getting some exercise—specifically swimming.

With no more threatening beasts in the spring, I can swim freely.

Incidentally, I adopted the balloon method for swimming. I turned my body into a spherical shape and filled it with air.

With the Swimming skill’s boost, I can swim quite freely now.

Well, being in balloon mode does make me feel uncomfortable, like there’s something foreign inside me, but I’ll endure it.

“Alright, this should be good.”

After enjoying my swim, I climbed out of the water. I ended up on the opposite side of where I first fought the Pike Fish.

Since I could now move across the water, I decided to cut straight through the center of the spring. The Mana density didn’t seem to change much, so I’m not sure if that even mattered.

“Alright, let’s get back to exploring.”

It was noon. I still had plenty of time before sunset to hunt more prey. If I’m lucky, I might be able to evolve again.

With that thought in mind, I headed deeper into the forest. My goal was in the direction of denser Mana.

I was also using Stealth to be cautious, in case something like the bear from before showed up.

“Nothing so far…”

Well, it’s not like I can find prey just by walking for a bit.

The scenery in this forest is monotonous—trees, trees, bushes; more trees, herbs, and fleeing small animals. Trees, an old man, more trees… Wait, an old man?

“What the hell is an old man doing here!?”

I did a double check. It wasn’t a mistake.

There was a real human old man wandering through the forest.

He had brown hair mixed with a lot of gray and deeply wrinkled skin. His limbs were as thin as chopsticks, looking every bit like an old man.

“Did he get lost…?”

His clothes were just plain cloth, nothing fancy, so that’s the only explanation that made sense.

Humans I’ve seen in the forest usually wear armor or robes and carry swords or staffs. But this old man had none of that.

He must’ve been lucky to avoid encountering any beasts so far. But if he meets one, he won’t stand a chance.

And he’s heading toward the denser Mana in the forest's depths. If I don’t stop him, he’ll soon become some beast’s prey.

“But revealing myself in front of people is risky…”

If he sees me and spreads the word about a high-experience monster, many humans might come to hunt me.

Considering human information-gathering abilities, it wouldn’t be surprising if they knew about Jewel Slimes.

──That’s why, the wise decision would be to leave him be.

“…No, I can’t just abandon someone in this situation!”

I shook off the weak thoughts that had surfaced in my mind.

I’ve decided to become as strong as that Forest Turtle I saw that day.

Wouldn’t it be ridiculous for someone with such aspirations to hesitate because of “fear of being targeted by humans”?

Even if humans came in droves, I should be determined to kill them or…escape unscathed!

With my resolve renewed, I moved to step out in front of the old man.

But just as I did, I stepped on a branch, making a noise. The old man turned to face me.

“Hoho, to think I’d encounter an advanced type of Jewel Slime here. Living long sure has its perks.”

──This is bad.

The moment our eyes met, every cell in my body screamed in alarm.

My body moved on instinct, initiating Flight.

Using Flight, Leap, Climb… I found myself using Evasion without even realizing it.

“Pervade Fist.”

It felt light.

Before I knew it, the old man had closed the distance and lightly touched me.

“Gah…!?”

The shock hit a moment later.

It was similar to when the big bear had struck me, but much more intense.

It felt like my body was exploding from the inside as the surrounding scenery blurred away behind me.

No, it’s the other way around—I was being hurled at incredible speed.

“De-demonic lightning!”

In the haze of pain, I activated my Unique Skill.

To blind and deter any pursuit, I continued emitting a column of lightning.

The lightning pillar wasn’t very thick, so it could be easily avoided by simply moving around it.

But even so, I needed every second I could buy, as the situation was dire.

“Leap, Compact Whip, Compact Whip, Leap!”

I jumped diagonally upward, wrapped my whip around a branch, and forcefully pulled myself forward.

Sometimes, I’d cling to a trunk and then leap horizontally.

I needed speed above all else.

To flee, to put distance between us, to get away even a little faster, I used every trick I could think of.

Eventually, when my body was too exhausted to move anymore, I hid in the shadow of a tree. It was then that I realized I had long since lost the old man.

...

>> Aresnal Slime, has acquired the skill: Evasion. The skill Flight has been integrated.

~~~