"I finally found you, blue Slime! Your Soul Fragment Experience Points are mine!"

While I was in the middle of consuming a massive fruit from a withered Trent tree to fuel myself for the upcoming move, a muscular man carrying a spear suddenly appeared in the square.

Four companions accompanied him, though they all seemed visibly worn out, their exhaustion evident in their posture and expressions.

It was clear that they had been through a challenging ordeal, their weary faces telling a story of struggle.

"Finally found it..."

"The result of three days' effort...!"

"Tch, pathetic. If you don't train like I do, you're bound to get exhausted from just this."

Leaving his companions at the edge of the square, the muscular man began climbing the slope alone.

"You guys stay there and watch as I level up! According to the plan, I'll handle that one alone!"

"Understood!"

It seems like he intends to monopolize the Experience Points gained by killing me. His companions don't seem to mind, but either way, it doesn't matter to me.

(I have no obligation to play along with this!)

I halted my consumption of the Trent tree and quickly prepared to flee. Judging by his spear-wielding stance and confident demeanor, this man was likely Jaykal, the high-level adventurer I had heard about just yesterday.

His reputation suggested he was no ordinary fighter—possibly even stronger than the old man I had encountered before. Even if his strength didn’t surpass the old man’s, there was a good chance he possessed a Skill that could bypass defences entirely, making him a serious threat.

Escape is my only option.

"Don’t try to run, Dark Iron Dome!"

(What?!)

I felt a surge of Mana.

Immediately after, a black iron wall rose from the hillside, completely enclosing the square. The wall curved inward, forming a shape like a massive, upside-down pot.

The sunlight was blocked, and the square was plunged into darkness.

"I’m glad I saved my Mana for this. Even a Arsenal armoury Slime like you won’t be able to escape now! And without Night Vision, you won’t even know where I am!"

Well, I do have Night Vision.

And, if you're charging at me loudly, your position will be revealed by your footsteps, won't it...?

There was no trick to his loud attack that misdirected his assault.

Jaykal (probably) charged straight at me and thrust his spear.

"Whoa! Heavy Thrust!"

(That’s close!)

"What?!"

I jumped nimbly to avoid it. The thrust hit a tree, leaving a huge hole in it. Not bad at all.

His running speed is about the same as a muscular goblin, so I should probably consider him a Beast King level fighter.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Tch, this guy... can he actually see—"

‘Yeah, I can see.’

"—!?!"

Jaykal's eyes widened. He was more shocked than when I dodged his attack. He took a half-step back, lowered his stance, and appeared extremely cautious.

"This voice in my head... it's you, slime?"

‘Yeah, that’s right. So, could you lower your spear for a second?’

"…If you want to talk, I’ll listen."

Jaykal loosened his stance. He hadn’t dropped his guard entirely, but it didn’t seem like he was going to attack right away.

‘Thanks. Actually, I’m not an evil slime. I’d never attack a human. So, could you let me go this time?’

"Are you asking me to believe just your words?"

‘Yeah. It’s hard to provide proof... but I want you to believe me.’

I know it’s a pretty unreasonable request. I was avoiding him up until now because I didn’t expect to be trusted. But Jaykal gave an unexpected response.

"Fine. I’ll believe you."

‘Really!?’

Now, it was my turn to be surprised. Jaykal, grinning, stepped closer to me.

(Why is he moving sneakily…)

"Yeah, when we get back to town, I’ll report that you weren’t an evil slime, and that—"

Suddenly, Jaykal accelerated.

"—I’ll report that you became my Soul Fragment Experience Points!"

‘Oh, no!?’

I barely dodged the sudden thrust from his acceleration. I had to be ready to Jump at any moment, or I might’ve been hit.

Jaykal quickly followed up with more attacks, but with Teleportation and Escape, dodging was relatively easy. I even had enough time to complain.

‘Why are you attacking me? Didn’t you say you’d believe me?!’

"Heh, no one will blame me for killing a monster! I’m not going to waste these great Soul Fragment Experience Points! You’ll quietly be killed by me!"

‘Stop! I’ll report you to the Slime Protection Society! If I die every slime, you ever meet will try to kill you again and again until you are killed!’

"I’ve never heard of that! Even if these measly slimes come at me, I will just get bags and loads of experience points!"

My desperate threats were useless, and negotiations fell apart. I turned my attention to the black iron wall. I tried attacking it as I ran, but it didn’t seem easy to break.

If only that wall weren’t there, I could escape...

(Hmm, if I kill him, will the barrier disappear?)

It’s a common trope in manga that magic disappears when the caster is killed or knocked unconscious. But when I faced a skinny goblin who controlled steel weapons, his enhancement on weapons didn’t disappear when he died.

(Well, whatever. As long as he’s in control of the barrier, I can’t try other methods. I’ll have to incapacitate him for now.)

I had decided on my course of action. Now, it was time to act.

"Tch, you’re a big guy, but you’re quick."

"Slash!"

I jumped strongly back.

Jaykal, determined not to let me escape, took a sharp step forward. As he did, I threw a rock I had picked up while retreating.

"Heh, I know you guys use rocks."

"(?)"

He uttered something strange, but I couldn’t afford to focus on it now; my attention had to remain solely on the impending fight.

Jaykal, wielding his spear with confident precision, attempted to knock a rock out of the air, using it as both a distraction and a weapon.

Sensing the immediate threat, I swiftly activated my Air Jump and Charge abilities, closing the distance between us in an instant. With adrenaline pumping, I prepared myself to engage him directly, fully concentrating on the battle that was about to unfold.

"What!?"

Wait, does slime even has adrenaline? Haa! Man, I don’t know anymore. My sudden assault caught Jaykal off guard, and he widened his eyes.

He hastily swung his spear to intercept, but that was a mistake. Although he put a lot of strength into the move, he couldn’t possibly stop me with just a spear.

My Toughness was enough to overpower it.

His thrust, without any skill to overpower my defence, was easily deflected by my invisible stone like skin.

"Dammit!"

"Slaslas!"

At point-blank range, I morphed my body and enveloped him entirely. Jaykal tried to resist, but my Toughness was too much for him.

"—! —...!"

Eventually, his movements ceased. He must have suffocated. At the same time, the black iron dome disappeared. My prediction was correct.

"Brother!?"

‘You guys better take him back responsibly.’

I threw Jaykal’s body toward his screaming companions.

It landed on the backs of the four who had cowardly fled, cushioning the fall, so Jaykal seemed unharmed.

"Ugh, nooo!"

‘Don’t come back!’

The four took Jaykal’s body and retreated again. More like they ran away comically!

They had made it this far, so I figured they’d probably make it back without issue. I wasn’t feeling very charitable, so I waved them off with Jaykal’s spear in hand as I watched them leave.

‘If he comes at me for the second time he shouldn’t expect any mercy.’