Kaden approached the pool with caution. As he neared the edge, he peered down at the glinting blue water. It was clear, but he couldn’t see far down, the light not traveling very far into the murky depths.

He could see hints of rocks and crevices lining the sides, but couldn’t spot the bottom. From what little he could see, it was much deeper than he had imagined. Not entirely sure, it looked like there was an underwater passage leading off to something.

Back then, he had a nagging suspicion that the slime had ambushed the girl from this very pool, likely while she was bathing. Now, as he stared into the dark abyss, that theory seemed even more plausible. The bottom could not be seen, and whatever lurked there remained hidden from view.

The notification had confirmed it as a water slime, and its blue hue matched the color of the pool. Everything pointed to it originating from this place.

But were there more down there? He hoped so.

Killing it had been challenging, but he was stronger now, more experienced. He knew its weaknesses, knew what to look out for. Even without the sword he used last time, he was confident he could defeat it again.

He slowly lowered himself to the ground, sitting at the edge of the pool. Tentatively, he dipped one leg into the water. The cold was immediate and intense, seeping into his bones with an icy grip. He gritted his teeth as he submerged his leg up to the knee, the cold numbing but not unbearable, his skeleton body proving rather useful for once.

Potentially losing a leg was a far better outcome than his sole arm. Without it, he had no way to fight back and would easily be submerged by a slime.

Gradually, he grew accustomed to the cold, relaxing as he dangled his leg in the water, swaying it back and forth like bait. His eyes remaining fixed on the depths, watching intently for any sign of movement.

Time passed, the cave echoing only with the sounds of running water and the gentle ripples created by him. Still, nothing stirred beneath the surface.

Maybe he needed to go deeper?

Reluctantly, he laid his bone spike beside him and lowered both legs into the water. Turning himself around, he let his body sink, gripping the ledge with his hand as the cold water enveloped him. His body shivered uncontrollably as the chill crawled up his bones, but his focus never wavered, and his eyes kept scanning the water, searching for hidden threats.

“Where are you, slime?” he muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper. He swung his legs more vigorously, trying to disturb the water enough to draw attention to himself.

Still, there was nothing.

Growing frustrated and weary of waiting, he prepared to pull himself out when he felt a sudden, powerful tug on his leg.

His eyes widened in shock as the force yanked him off the ledge, plunging his entire body underwater with a splash. The world around him darkened rapidly as he was dragged deeper into the pool. Panic set in, and he instinctively began thrashing violently, desperate to break free.

His struggle barely making a difference, he looked down and spotted a faintly visible blue blob latched onto his leg, its slimy form slowly engulfing his foot.

Damn it… the spike!

He reached for the knife at his waistband, pulling it free in one swift motion. With a jerk he bent at his waist, stabbing the blade towards the slime.

The knife sank into the gelatinous mass with a muffled squish, but its short length did minor damage and couldn’t penetrate far enough. Familiar with the slime’s tactics, Kaden quickly withdrew the blade before it could envelop his hand.

He wanted to drive the knife deeper, to finish the creature off, but his slow, clumsy movements underwater made it too risky. If only he had a longer weapon… not fixing the spike to the waistband was a terrible mistake.

But that was something he could beat himself up about later. Changing his approach, he began slicing at the slime, trying to cut it into pieces. But this only seemed to slow him down even more, the wide movements forcing him to displace more water.

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No matter what he did, he failed to slice through. The slime barely wobbled under his attacks, its grip on his leg tightening as it continued to swallow him.

But Kaden refused to give up. With a fifth desperate slash, he felt the slime flinch, its hold on his leg loosening just enough.

He didn’t miss the opportunity, yanking his leg back as hard as he could in that moment, barely pulling it free.

Seizing the moment, he yanked his leg free with all his strength and kicked furiously toward the surface. His eyes remaining fixed on the water below, alert for any sign of pursuit.

And he saw it. The slime surged upward with alarming speed, its body compressed under the pressure and resistance, forming into a streamlined shape resembling a bullet.

Kaden spun around, thrusting the knife forward with all his might.

Eyes flaring with excitement, he watched as the blade pierced the oncoming mass. The slime’s momentum combining with his and driving the weapon even deeper.

He felt the creature’s body wrap around his arm, but before it could tighten its grip, the slime burst like a bubble, its gelatinous form splattering into countless pieces that quickly disappeared into the depths of the water.

Not wasting a second, Kaden turned back toward the surface, kicking as fast as he could. The knife was still clutched tightly in his hand as he propelled himself upward.

─ Level 4 Water Slime slain.

─ Reward: 98 Experience Points

His head broke the surface with a gasp, and he clawed at the edge of the pool, dragging himself out with a sense of urgency. The knife clattered to the ground as he collapsed beside it, panting heavily.

But his brief moment of relief was shattered by the sound of three splashes behind him. He turned, eyes widening in alarm as he saw three more slimes leaping toward him from the water.

“Oh, fuck…” he spat, scrambling to his feet, water dripping from his soaked frame. He lunged for the bone spike, his hand wrapping around it with a tight grip. A wave of calm washed over him as he stood, the familiar weight of the weapon steadying his nerves.

“Phew…” he wiped the water off his forehead with the back of his palm, flicking droplets to the ground.

The thought of running didn’t even cross his mind. He needed the experience, and now it was right in front of him, practically begging to be claimed. The level-up was so close he could almost see the notification screen.

As long as he didn’t get swallowed, the threat was low.

The slimes made the first move, one of them jiggling toward him with slow, predictable motions. As it neared, Kaden didn’t even bother to dodge. He simply rammed the spike into its mass with a loud grunt.

In an instant, the first slime burst apart, the chime of a kill ringing in his head.

─ Level 4 Water Slime slain.

─ Reward: 98 Experience Points

Two more to go…

A devilish grin spread across his face as he turned to the second slime. It recoiled slightly as he lunged at it, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. But Kaden was relentless, striking again without pause. The second slime soon met the same fate as the first, exploding into a mess of blue jelly that splattered across the cave floor.

But the last slime hadn’t just been waiting around. As Kaden turned to face it, he felt a cold, sticky sensation latch onto his side, creeping up toward his arm. Without hesitation, he stabbed down with the spike in quick succession, his first strike shallow, but quickly reaching deeper and deeper into the slime’s body. Finally, it too burst apart, covering him in its viscous remains.

─ Level 4 Water Slime slain.

─ Reward: 98 Experience Points

─ Level 4 Water Slime slain.

─ Reward: 98 Experience Points

─ Experience Criteria Met!

─ Level increased from 3 to 4.

─ Species Reward: 2 Stat Points

“Ugh…” Kaden grimaced as he wiped the slime off his body, the bits of jelly hitting the ground with a splat. But despite the mess, he couldn’t help but chuckle. He had done it. He had survived, and now, the long awaited level-up screen was right here in front of him.

Finally..

So long had passed since the last time he leveled up. He had been waiting for this moment for days, enduring countless deaths, suffering, and struggles. All of it led to this.

─ Status

─ Kaden (Brittle Skeleton)

─ Level 4 (Classless)

─ Health: 15/16 ─ Stamina: 15/16 ─ Mana: 6/6

─ Experience: 20/1500

─ Stats

─ Strength: 7 ─ Agility: 6 ─ Vitality: 2 ─ Endurance: 2 ─ Mana Core: 2 ─ Mana Flow: 2

─ Free Stat Points: 2

─ Unique Abilities

─ Bone Essence Absorption

It might only have been two points, but it was still incredibly exciting. He pondered his options, trying to figure out which stat was best to spend them on.

He was curious about the whole mana thing. The idea of casting spells was very intriguing, but he knew pretty much nothing about it. His experience with magic was limited, and always as a target rather than a caster. All he knew was how it felt to burn or freeze to death. It wasn’t really something that made him confident about casting his own spells. And if he couldn’t, then the points were wasted.

As for vitality and endurance, they were tempting, but were they going to be the most useful right now? They seemed like they would be good for survivability, but extended battles and taking blows wasn’t his primary concern.

He had to play into his strengths, and whether he liked it or not, his greatest strength was dying. Being able to come back after death allowed him to take risks that others couldn’t. At least he didn’t think they could. Nobody he met acted as if they were sure to be reincarnated.

So what he needed was to keep getting stronger. As long as he could take someone out, he would keep leveling up.

Putting both points into strength, he nodded to himself. It was the best choice. Everything else could wait.

Now then… it was time to get grinding. Perhaps there were a few more slimes lurking in the depths, waiting to be drawn out. The easy experience was too tempting to pass up, even if the slimes left nothing behind for him to devour. His missing arm would just have to wait a little longer.