Each of the scouts around me fixed in place via pure mental pressure, the lion's share of my focus is centred on {See Through}, who suddenly doesn't look all that comfortable.

Making eye contact- or even specifying what you're looking at -is rather difficult as a slime, but there must be some kind of tell I'm unaware of, judging by {See Through}'s fidgeting.

Taking their time to formulate an answer, I wait, membrane tense with anticipation. C'mon mate, don't be a tease!

"Slimes who stay in fort do not 'level up'," the clear slime answers, matter of fact. "Some accompany hunters or scouts for fun, grow bigger. Many slimes in fort already grow before escaping Hunters with Big," they explain.

...

Damn it! I shouldn't have hoped for some kind of safe-levelling exploit, but come on! Give us slimes a break!

Seeing my disappointed droop, {See Through} ripples in apology, their words laced with barely perceptible confusion. "Why sad?"

Glooping into a loose puddle on the ground, I give one big, wave-like sigh. "I'd hoped there might be a way for the Baby Slimes to get stronger without putting themselves in danger, but I can't see how that's possible if they need to fight." Raising a little head-like mound out of the sludge-that-is-me, I flop it in {See Through}'s direction. "You said infants will sometimes come out with you or the hunters for fun, and that's how they get the levels they need to evolve. Why would they do that? From what I understand, the slimes would rather avoid danger than run out into it."

They seem a little confused by my question, which is a state of affairs I'm starting to become intimately familiar with. "Why? Said already, for fun." The clear slime gestures around at the other scouts still here and not on the other side of the room LARPing Ultimate Ninja Warrior 4. "We are scouts for fun. Are curious. Want to explore," they pulse, wanderlust beaming out from them like rays of sunshine. "Big gives us jobs, things to do, to find, while outside. Makes exploring more fun! Sometimes, others want to try, see if scouting fun." Gesturing to the slime I saved up in the tunnels, who nudges forward, {See Through} beams with pride. "{Bubble} was last Baby Slime to become scout. Last to get big too!"

Flashing a greeting and a glowing smile, appreciation and excitement glitters like stars within their slimelight. "Thank you for saving me! Play together soon, yes? Come scout?"

Pulling myself back together, I crawl over to boop against them. "Of course we can!" If I were a light bulb, I'd be doing my best to blow a fuse right now with how bright I'm shining. Not only do I now know the name of the slime I saved, they recognised me right away, and they want to be friends as well! To be fair, almost every slime I've encountered has immediately asked if I want to play, but I'm still gonna take this to heart, dang it!

The others pipe up in agreement, all aglow with excitement at the prospect of exploring the dangers of the dungeon. Before we can all start planning an outing, however, I still my trembling membrane and turn my attention back to {See Through}. "My second question was a bust, but what about the first? What can you tell me about Mana Hearts?"

Perking up, the pre-eminent force of information acquisition in the fort pulses confidently. "Can tell you lots! Mana Hearts..."

It doesn't take long for my trust in said confidence to sputter and die out. They're explaining it in terms of experience rather than ideas inferred from the system, but they're only able to tell me things I've already figured out for myself. I politely hide my disappointment, sitting quietly as the explanation wraps up. "Thank you for the information {See Through}. I appreciate it." It wouldn't do to offend them, and I really do appreciate having my interpretations of the System's description confirmed, but it's hard to ignore the little nugget of dejection, smouldering at the fact that I'm still stuck with limited information.

Bobbing in satisfaction, the clear slime crawls forward. "More questions?"

I shake my head. "No, I can't think of any right now..." Maybe I will later, but I still want to ask around and figure out what kind of Skills I might be able to pick up from the gam- "OH WAIT!" Startled by my sudden flash of realisation, {See Through} pauses in their departure to play with the other pre-ninja scouts. Wobbling sheepishly at their vaguely off balance ripples, I tentatively raise a nubbin. "Skills. Big said we can still learn them without spending Skill Points. How does that work? Like, if you teach me how to use Slime Shot, would I get the Skill on my status? Can I level it up? Also, I checked on the way over," I add, getting a little caught up in the moment, "I played that game a bunch earlier with Big, but the Slime Shot Skill hasn't shown up in my available Skills. Do I need to be the shot taker?" Watching them sit there silently, waiting for their response, I actually process the babble I just spewed froth. Glowing with embarrassment, I start to formulate an apology, lights swirling together across my membrane-

"Experienced slime explains how to play game. New slimes practice until slimes learn," {See Through} explains promptly, completely unbothered by the torrent of questions, answering them one by one. "If voice does not teach Skill, does not speak when slime improves. Voice only speaks when slime uses 'Skill Point'." Pausing in their answering streak, they ripple more than usual. Maybe they're thinking? "When is last time you grow stronger?"

Thinking back, I sift through recent events. When was the last time I levelled up...? "Oh yeah, I took down a really big hyena just before I found the lake, that took me from level one to three. Why's that?"

There's some subtle emotion I can't quite grasp in the way they respond. It's not confusion... Incredulity? Surprise? No, that's not right... "Voice not always show Skills right away. Sometimes, get stronger, then Skill appear."

"So what, I might need to level up before I get access to new Skills?" That would certainly explain why my available Skills haven't changed despite being exposed to all these new options, and why Swimming and Grip didn't show up until after I got the levels I needed to catalyse my Mana Heart. "That's really good to know, thanks {See Th}- what are you all doing?"

Broken out of my rumination by the sight of the scouts huddled together, membranes flickering with rapid, abstract concepts, I'm caught off guard when one of the slimes that hasn't spoken yet- another green one -flashes a question, the group remarkably serious.

"Hyena Predator; was Adult?"

Bobbing, I flash in the affirmative. They immediately huddle up again, throwing concepts around thicker and faster than before. "Uhh, why do you ask? Is that bad, or-?"

"How did you do it?" There's something steelier than their usual eager curiosity to {See Through}'s words, lending them weight. "How? Hyena Predator is death, no slime survive if not able to hide."

Still on the back foot, my response is nonetheless thought out and informative.

"E-eh? It was gonna eat me, s-so I jumped down its throat."

Yes. You are the pinnacle of effective communication. Well done Luke, you dumbass.

"....."

{See Through} and the other scouts just look at me, probably wondering whether I'm even worth the effort of talking to.

"So... beat Predator..." {Bubble} pipes up, hesitant, "by letting slime be... eaten?"

"Not really," I wince, aware of how stupid I sound. "I got lucky, managed to stick myself in its throat. I was trying to suffocate it, but then I got really unlucky, ended up in its lungs and eventually ate it from the inside out." Cringing again at the memory of how icky it was, I try to run damage control. "Seriously, I wouldn't have done it if I had any other choice. It was super gross, I nearly got coughed up a couple times, and I made a mistake that got me cut off from almost all of my mass. I nearly died anyway!" When my justifications peter out, another scout wiggles a nubbin, the same way I did when I brought up that last second question about Skills. "...Yes?"

Adopting a perplexed glow, "what is 'suffocating'?", the scout asks for clarification, the others in the group listening attentively for my answer.

"Oh, it's when something falls unconscious or dies because it can't breathe."

"...What is 'breathing'?"

....

Hoo boy.

"Uhh..." How do I explain breathing to creatures without lungs?! "Well, you see..." Ooo, wait, that might work! "It's like this!" Fixing the image in my mind, I 'project', as slimelight, the basic shape and function of a sac inflating and deflating with air, then put it inside a hyenas body, and make it look like the sac is giving the body energy. "Lots of creatures need to do this to stay alive. Slimes don't have to, but if something that needs to breathe stops doing it-" I show a little slime next to the hyena in the slimelight projection on my membrane, making them both glow, then show the hyena fall over and lose its glow when it stops breathing. At the same time, I compare it to the slime losing its glow, which then falls into a mess of watercolour and loose membrane, dead.

"-then it dies."

I spend the next minute or so clarifying, through shadow puppeting- light puppeting? -and snapshots of memories, how I tried to suffocate, then ultimately ate, the hyena, and agreeing with the scouts when they express how inconvenient breathing is.

One of the scouts pushes themselves up to get my attention. "If monster have lungs, can't stop breathing? Ever?"

"Nope," I confirm, "gotta do it all the time, even when you're asleep, but it's usually automatic. You don't really need to think about it most of the time."

"But what about eating," {Bubble} queries. "Monster breathe through mouth, but use to eat too. How not die?"

Nodding, I boop them on the 'head'. "Good question. Lungs can store a bit of air as well, so if they take a bigger breath, they can go for a little bit before needing more, or they can just breathe around the food in their mouth, if it's small enough."

"Ah. Understand."

Heeehee! Is this what teaching kids feels like? This is fun! They're so attentive, and cute! You gotta love their childlike desire for knowledge, it's so wholeso-

"Must make sure to fill mouth, or monster can still breathe," they pulse, looking over at {See Through}, who bobs in confirmation.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"...I'm sorry?" Surely I misheard. There's no way this little bundle of cuteness immediately went there.

{See Through} crawls forward, booping me while they pulse in appreciation. "Thank you, infant, for showing Predator's weakness. Will learn more, so can protect scouts and teach hunters."

Oh. Ohhhh. "Um, you're welcome?"

I am... conflicted. On one hand, being able to take advantage of such a glaring weakness could be hugely beneficial for the community. If the slimes can figure out a relatively reliable method of suffocating monsters that doesn't involve sacrificing their fighters, the fort's food issues could be a thing of the past.

On the other hand, however, I just become an enabler for, what is essentially, a contingent of choke-happy children with nothing less in their sights than the slow, horrific snuffing out of the souls of their enemies.

I say again. I am... conflicted.

Sending one of the scouts off to gather up the practicing ninjas, {See Through} addresses the rest of us. "Must practice 'suffocating'. Collect babies, meet under tree."

Looking around at the excited rush of activity, I feel like I'm missing something. "{See Through}, how are the newborns going to help us practice? None of us have lungs. And why are we meeting under the tree? I thought we were supposed to stay inside, avoid attention?"

The slime speaks with their 'back' as they crawl away. "Often bring Baby Slimes wanting to scout when leaving fort. Always, when learning or teaching."

Feeling a bubbling surge of anxiety mixed with excitement, I hustle after the clear slime. "Wait, so we're?-"

"Yes," they flare, bubbling with excitement and anticipation. "We leave fort. Find Predator. Learn."

----------------------------------------

A mere forty five minutes later, and our little contingent of field scholars are slipping out of the lake; nine scouts, three babies and myself crawling for the trees. Really there are ten of us; {See Through} is here somewhere according to the scouts, but none of us can see them. I got quite the shock when they simply disappeared into thin air the moment we left the safety of the tree. Apparently, they have a method of concealing their mana, rendering them invisible to mana sense, no matter how hard I look. {See Through} told everyone that it's something they got when they evolved into a clear slime, so others might be able to do it too, but no one knows for sure; they're the only one in the fort, so it's not like we'll ever be able to figure it out until another one comes along.

It explains why they're the community's best scout though. Trying to catch sight of any disturbances that might give away their position is an effort in futility with their multiple stealth Skills. Chatting with the other members of the expedition on our slow passage across the lakebed, I learned that even though most of them have already improved their Stealth Skill well beyond mine- I have no idea how long it would take to reach Advanced Stealth, but I can't imagine it's easy -all of them have a couple supplemental skills to help them be sneaky, while {See Through} is by far the most advanced. Hopeful, I asked how they unlocked their Skills, but to a T, none of them know. I guess that's the disadvantage of Skills only appearing after a level. Unless it's super stand out, you might never be quite sure what you did to unlock a specific Skill.

Not that these fellas would be paying attention to that anyway. Watching how they all spread out loosely, stopping to stare at one thing or another as we pass through the trees, I doubt they put much thought into builds or Skill synergies. It just doesn't seem like a very... slime thing to do. Continuing my observations, I'm a little concerned by the general carelessness of the scouts' movements. None of them are being left behind, sure, and it's not like they're making noise or even standing out particularly, but they're just kind of... meandering through the undergrowth.

Sidling up next to one of the slimes with a baby in their mass, I aim a discrete, targeted pulse of slimelight at them. "Is it really alright to move like this? What happens if something takes us by surprise? We're split up everywhere, it would be a disaster."

Without so much as adjusting their stride, the blue slime twice my size extends a thick tendril to boop me. "Do not worry, infant. Scouts know what scouts doing. If Predator appear, will see." Biting back a hasty rebuttal, I once again reaffirm my resolution to trust the slimes.

They've been doing this a lot longer than you, Luke. You've been in this world for, what? A few days? Maybe? It's impossible to gauge the passage of time, but I've only slept a couple times, so it can't have been too long. I may have life experience as a human, but that's a far cry from surviving in this place for however long the community has managed. Crawling behind the larger scout, the little red slime held within their mass floating around happily, my faith in their ability is immediately reinforced.

I try, I really do, but attempting to creep like they do is both supremely difficult and blatantly more effective. It's not simply that they slip through the undergrowth without so much as a whisper of sound, they're actually partially dissolving their membrane, letting the undergrowth slip through them. Sticks, loose rocks, leaves, grass, you name it; all of the minor sounds such contact might make muffled by their mass.

I'm not sure exactly where we're going, {See Through} didn't clarify that beyond "Predator territory", but everyone is moving in the same direction, so I just try to focus on emulating this scout's stealth tactics, to limited effect.

It's been about five minutes, I'm moving quietly while practicing my mana weaving, when I'm suddenly yanked inside someone. Swiftly carted off to a dense tangle of gnarled roots by {Bubble}, I flinch, casting around wildly for what made them grab me. "Wh-wha?!"

Responding with little more than a flicker to convey the need for silence, my slimelight fades and I let myself be carried to cover, trying to sense what might have alerted the scouts. All of a sudden, there's not a single slime wandering through this copse of trees, all of them either hunkered down beneath the leaf litter, behind cover, or outside the range of my mana radar. We were moving through this thick collection of trees for the express purpose of *avoiding* other monsters, the gaps between them smaller than would be comfortable for larger creatures.

{Bubble} finally reaches the mound of roots, easily slipping through into a small space within. Okay, we're out of sight. "What's going on? Is there something nearby?" I can still see out of a few gaps in the roots, but the view is limited thanks to the number and proximity of the trees. My mana radar's range has never felt so inadequate.

"{See Through} say Predator close." They pause, extending a- it's not quite a tendril or a nubbin, more like a a mound? Yeah, they edge a mound of their mass up near one of the gaps, and I realise they're using the trick I employed ages ago to peek around corners to look at something outside. "Say is Hyena Predator... is Adult... alone." Watching them shimmer the slightest bit in excitement, they nudge me with a current. "{See Through} thinks hunting. Has prey already."

"So it's on the way home?" That's good, it might not bother with us. "Does it know we're here?"

"Not think so," {Bubble} replies, slipping back out from between the roots to join the group of nine others, {See Through} appearing a moment later in the centre of the circle. "But scouts agree. Good target. Will practice 'suffocating'," they inform me, slotting us into the gathering and joining the conversation.

A thrill of trepidation runs through me. This is it, we're actually doing this. My fights have usually worked out before, sure, but I've only had myself to worry about in those situations. Now the risky as fuck method I introduced them to is about to be tested, and I can feel the icy talons of dread sinking themselves into me. What if something goes wrong? I tried to talk them out of it, or get them to at least bring the hunters, but apparently most of them were out finding food in the dungeon, and {See Through} and the other scouts were confident they had the best chance of getting close enough for this to work. After seeing, or to be more accurate, not seeing, the scouts' progress through the undergrowth without the aid of my mana radar, I must admit that point stands strong.

But this is a proper fight against an opponent that outclasses us to such a degree that if we give it even an inch of room, it'll decimate us. Yet, the scouts are unafraid...

No, wait. Looking around the assembled gathering of brainstorming slimes, I see trembling membranes, shimmering with nervous tension and outright fear. Everyone is visibly afraid, even {See Through}. The only ones who don't seem quite so worried are the babies, and that's likely because none of them have ever seen a monster like this before.

"Why are you all still so excited if you're this scared?"

I don't even realise I'm forming the words until they light up my membrane, drawing the attention of the group. Cowing a little beneath their collective attention, I figure I may as well sate my curiosity now that I'm here. "It's not like you're trying to hide it. You're all scared, but you still look like you're looking forward to this, you aren't talking about running away or practicing against an easier monster. Why?"

I know that old chestnut about how bravery is being afraid and doing the thing anyway, but something tells me that isn't this. This lot are giving off a entirely different vibe, but I can't figure out...

Crawling forward, {See Through} gestures for {Bubble} to release me. Sliding out into the dense leaf litter covering the forest floor, I look up the little I need to in order to get the best view of the slightly smaller than average clear slime, who stops just in front of me.

Appraising me, they seem to come to a decision. "You are most interesting slime I have met. Speak like Big, but only baby; know lots about strange, useful things, like ninjas, and breathing; think fear is reason to avoid things, yet can fight and beat Predators." Pushing up against me like they're resting their forehead on mine, but with their whole body, {See Through}'s ripples wash against me with a soothing regularity. "You are scared, but your fear look different to most slimes. What wrong? Show me," they ask, breaking the contact and crawling back a pace or two.

Unsure what they mean at first, I cotton on pretty quick. Rather than trying to articulate it into words, I gather all my emotions and thoughts together and just let it all... spill out.

I'm probably the most astonished of all slimes present when I turn into a cascading, swirling, coruscating sun of emotions, thoughts, vibes, desires and fears, all spilling and melting into each other like a bucket full of various paints that don't want to emulsify. Feeling disconnected from my body, I watch on in awe as the impossible to articulate spherical ocean that is my psyche is regarded, seen, and then considered by the thirteen other slimes present; even the babies are getting in on it, wobbling in wonder at the sight of this window into my mental state.

After barely a minute of discussion, which I find myself avoiding looking in on for some uncomfortable reason, {See Through} gets my attention. Looking around at everyone, they seem supportive, a couple giving me pulses of encouragement as I let the emotions fade. That experience in itself was cathartic but exhausting. I could do with a nap-

But {See Through} doesn't give me that option. "You do not think like slime," they inform me, matter of fact. There's no judgment there, they barely give any emotive weight to the words at all, but the comment still stings.

"I know," I mumble. "It's because I haven't always been a slime. I'm sor-

Interrupting me with a flash, {See Through} apologises. "Am sorry. Saw you think differently from other slimes, was not clear enough." They look absent, like they're concentrating.

Huh?

They repeat themselves, but there's more depth to the concepts they're trying to convey now. They're being more explicit, I realise, watching the slimelight swirl and deepen. They're making sure I understand the nuance, like the native speaker of a language talking to someone who learned to speak from a dictionary.

"You do not think like slime," they inform me. Only this time, I can see the positivity behind the statement. The perspective that, because I don't think like them, I came up with a tactic they might never have thought of. That I am a crawling, talking learning experience for all the slimes around me. I recall Big's reassurance, their emphasis that being different isn't a bad thing.

"You are scared." I can see what they see. Human fear. A response to danger, the unknown. Roiling, uncomfortable, makes me want to run away, but helps keep me safe.

"This is how slime fears," {See Through} explains, showing me their own. It's like hunger, or happiness. A response to danger, yes, but danger is something to be learned from, not avoided. Fear says you need to be careful in the same way hunger says you need to eat, it doesn't influence you beyond leading you in a direction. They give me a pulse of excitement tinged with curiosity. Hunger tells me I need to eat. Happiness tells me I'm having fun. Fear tells me I have something to learn.

Their words resonate with me, my instincts accepting the truth of them while simultaneously fighting against that truth. SlimeLuke and HumanLuke battle within me, vying for control, both parts of me saying they know best, that their way is rig-

WRONG!

Clamping down hard on the mental representation of these aspects of myself, I separate the two halves like I'm separating a mana strand into two pieces. Holding the pair back from each other by the head like a couple bickering toddlers, I give myself an ultimatum. This is not working! So, as a neutral third party, I- the actual, thinking Luke that has to do the shit you two argue about -will check in and decide whose way is best depending on the situation. Is that clear?

.....

I said IS THAT CLEAR, SlimeLuke?! HumanLuke?!

While giving myself a mental nod of assent, I wonder if I should be focusing less on evolving and more on locating some kind of mental health specialist. Reprimanding my own psyche after it had a fight with itself probably isn't within the wiggle room allowable for stable individuals.

"Okay," I pulse, silent for what has probably been an uncomfortably long period of time once {See Through} finished speaking. "I think that really helped. Thank you {See Through}, everyone." Glowing my appreciation, I square up my stance, as much as a globular slime can be squared up. "Let's go choke slam a bitch."