“Dammit! Come out here!” I shouted at the edge of the spring. The Pike fish I was battling had escaped into the water and hadn’t surfaced since.
Despite the lingering effects of my Provocation and Alluring Glow, it seemed to be lurking in the depths, watching me, but it wouldn’t come any closer. These skills were hard to stack effectively.
“Come on, here’s some bait for you.” I extended part of my body, shaping it into something resembling a fishing rod and line, and let it dangle in the water.
It was tricky to transform into a fishing rod since it wasn’t covered by my Weapon Body skill, and the line looked more like a thick tube. Perhaps because my makeshift rod was so poorly made, the Pike fish showed no interest. The lack of real bait might have been another reason.
I considered using the deer carcass as bait, but losing it would be disastrous. After all, I planned to take that deer back with me. I’d gamble on it as a last resort, but for now, I wanted to try every possible method.
"Hey, look over there! A UFO is flying by!" I turned my back, showing my rear, but there was no reaction. Then again, slimes didn’t exactly have a front or back to show.
"Splash, splash." I tried dancing. But still, the Pike fish didn’t come out.
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>> Arsenal Slime has acquired the skill: Dance.
...
"Alright, next up..." I transformed part of my body into a whip and plunged it into the water. The Pike fish retreated a little, cautiously.
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The distance didn’t really matter, though.
"Activate: Demonic Lightning!" I concentrated my mana at the tip of my body, converting it into lightning and releasing it. The flash of lightning illuminated the spring.
"It looks like it’s working." The lightning shot straight into the Pike fish, dealing continuous damage. Its body twitched and convulsed.
I kept the lightning pouring on the struggling Pike fish as it tried to escape. I could sustain the attack by continuously expending mana, turning it into a laser beam. However, the mana consumption was severe, so I needed to keep an eye on my reserves.
When my mana dropped below 30%, I leaped backward, just in time to avoid the sharp teeth snapping at where I had been.
"Finally decided to come out, huh?"
"Shoo!" The Pike fish, perhaps realizing it was at a disadvantage, launched an attack. I moved to counter, but it retreated before I could land a blow.
Dodging its bite was a mistake. The sight of those fangs triggered a primal fear. Even though I hadn’t taken damage the first time, I couldn’t help but reflexively dodge.
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>> Arsenal Slime’s Soul Value Level has increased to 30.
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As I reflected on that mistake, I leveled up. But the Pike fish wasn’t dead yet. This was likely from killing other aquatic creatures in the spring.
My Unique Skill allowed me to direct the lightning to some extent, but a portion still scattered—especially in water. Feeling a bit sorry for the collateral damage, I kept my focus on the Pike fish. The lightning must have taken a toll because its bites weren’t as sharp as before.
But it wasn’t defeated. Its three eyes were still locked onto me.
"Juru...!" The Pike fish groaned in pain as it activated its skills, sending whirlpools and large globs of toxic purple liquid at me.
"Whoa, whoa…whoa." I dodged, dodged, and dodged again. The Pike fish seemed more adept at close-range combat, and its ranged attacks were full of openings.
The problem now was how to counterattack. I preferred not to use any more mana, but my whip couldn’t reach it from here.
As I pondered this, something caught my eye. To execute my idea, I kept dodging while adjusting my position.
"Alright, Slash!" I swung my whip-sword, slicing off part of the stag’s antler. I quickly wrapped it around and pulled it toward me.
"Slash!" I immediately leaped, jumping over the oncoming whirlpools and toxic liquids, and unleashed my Unique Skill.
"Shuru!?" The Pike fish’s movements slowed for a moment as the lightning struck, and I took advantage of the opening—
"Throw!" —I hurled the stag’s antler at it.
The sharp, ominous red antler hit the Pike fish square in the head. Maybe it was the stag’s curse—luckily, the sharp tip of the antler penetrated deeply.
"Juru…" The Pike fish, now wounded, thrashed about wildly. For just an antler wound, it reacted dramatically. There was something more at play, something sinister.
"Could that antler really be cursed…?"
After churning the water for a while, the Pike fish gradually lost strength and eventually lay motionless on the water’s surface. Blood from its head flowed out, darkening the clear water with red.
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>> Arsenal Slime’s Soul Value Level has increased to 38.
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