With everything sorted out, I decided to head back to the place I reluctantly called home.

A run-down shack in the slums, barely standing, but it was better than sleeping out in the open.

I didn’t have enough credit to rent a room inside the city, and slum rats like me weren’t exactly welcome inside of the city. .

As I walked through the bustling streets of Arn’s city center, the noise and liveliness of the marketplace felt distant to me.

Merchants shouted to sell their goods, adventurers laughed and bragged about their latest dungeon runs, and people haggled over prices. It was the usual hustle, but my mind was somewhere else.

I had too much to think about.

The events of the last few days still weighed heavily on me. Surviving Ragnok, nearly losing my life, Lila's family being held by three powerful guilds, the realization that I was still far to weak to make any relevant changes to my current situation.

It was all swirling in my head, and I needed a quiet place to sit down and make sense of everything.

I needed to come up with a plan for what came next.

My next move had to be calculated, especially with the limited time before the next dungeon portal opened.

I made my way toward the outskirts of the city, where the slums sprawled out like a forgotten shadow of Arn’s grandeur.

The roads became dirtier, the buildings more broken down, and the people less fortunate. It wasn’t a place filled with hope, but it was where I grew up.

The shack I lived in was no different from the others—worn-down walls, a roof that barely held up, and a door that creaked so loud I always worried it would fall off its hinges.

But it was secluded, tucked away enough that I could get some peace when I needed to think.

I opened the door and stepped inside. The familiar smell of old wood and dust greeted me as I placed my bag onto the small table in the corner.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my head heavy with thoughts.

Lila, who was still inside my bag, peeked out from the side of it.

“You okay, Leon?” she asked softly.

I looked at her and gave a small nod. "Yeah, just… thinking. We’ve got a lot to do before the next portal opens."

She climbed out of the bag and sat beside me on the bed. “You’ll figure it out. Like you always do.”

I appreciated her words, but the truth was, I couldn’t afford to mess up this time.

I needed to prepare, plan, and find a way to get stronger.

But more importantly, I had to figure out how to approach the next dungeon run without ending up in the same desperate situation as last time.

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My biggest problem was the lack of resources.

With only a few credits left to my name, I couldn’t afford new gear, potions, or even proper food.

"What should I do first?" I whispered, staring at the ceiling.

I needed to focus on maximizing my strengths and covering my weaknesses.

My slime summon had already proven to be more versatile than I had originally thought.

"Wait!" Then, an idea hit me.

I remembered what I had done when I couldn’t do much inside the dungeon—I scavenged using my slime.

So, why couldn’t I do the same now?

Just outside the slum area was Arn’s Dark Forest, a place that was in a perpetual state of near-darkness.

The forest was so thick and overgrown that sunlight barely filtered through, making it hard to see even during the day.

It was pretty much a forest version of the grotto I had been in during my last dungeon run but much worse.

Compared to the grotto, this forest was home to all sorts of monsters, ranging from low-level, easy-to-handle creatures to extremely dangerous beasts.

Thankfully, these monsters never seemed to leave the forest, so the slums and the City were safe from them—an odd phenomenon I had never fully understood. A mystery in itself.

Step into the forest, and you might find some harmless rabbit-like creatures with horns on their forehead, or you could stumble upon a 10-foot-tall bear with demonic claws that could tear you to pieces in an instant.

Most people wouldn’t even think of going near the place, preferring instead to wait for the dungeon to open and gradually increase their strength floor by floor.

It was predictable, unlike the forest.

In the dungeon, you always started on the first floor and worked your way up as you grew more confident. But the Dark Forest? It was completely unpredictable.

I had no intention of going in there myself. I wasn't suicidal. But my slime? That was a different story.

The forest had an abundance of resources that were largely untouched by others—berries, medicinal herbs, and perhaps the most valuable of all, loot from dead people who had met an unfortunate end venturing inside of the forest.

It was risky to enter the forest, but my slime could slip through the dense trees and do what I couldn’t.

It wasn’t much different from what I’d already done in the dungeon, sending my slime ahead to scout and collect whatever it could find.

"Yeah." I said to myself. "That could work."

If I could gather resources without needing any credit to buy them, I might be able to make enough to get by for the next dungeon run.

I stood up, feeling a bit more sure of myself now that I had something to focus on. Lila, who had been sitting quietly beside me, looked up at me.

“What’s the plan?” she asked, curious.

"The plan? We're staying right here, that’s the plan." As I said it, I used all my mana to summon six slimes, their gelatinous forms wobbling into existence.

I waited for the sun to set, watching as darkness slowly blanketed the slums.

I couldn’t risk anyone seeing my slimes leaving my home—just in case. And people here tended to keep to themselves after dark—no one wanted to risk unnecessary trouble.

Once night fell, the streets silent and still, I gave the order. "Go." I whispered, sending my slimes into the depths of Arn’s Dark Forest.

With a slurping sound, one of the slimes clung to the wooden wall of the shack, its gelatinous body flattening and stretching as it squeezed through a tiny gap between the panels.

Another slipped through an open crack near the floor, oozing its way outside.

The others followed suit, some climbing up and wriggling through holes in the roof, while others crawled beneath the door, disappearing into the night.

"Remember!" I whispered, "no confronting any monsters or living beings. Move quietly. Stay out of sight and avoid any contact. Gather what you can and come back here by tomorrow night."

Their task was simple: gather as much as they could. Berries, herbs—anything that looked remotely useful. I didn’t care if the herbs were medicinal or poisonous; both had value.

And if they happened to stumble upon some lost or discarded items? Even better.

Who knows, maybe they’d find a dead adventurer with a bag full of stuff, or perhaps someone dropped something valuable in the chaos.

Best to get as much as i could.

There was no telling what they’d find in there, but one thing was certain: this was my best shot at scraping together some resources without putting myself in harm’s way.

Now all I had to do was wait.