The plan was in motion, and on of my other priority was to stay out of sight.

Ragnok hadn't tracked me down yet—at least, not to my knowledge. I couldn’t afford to get comfortable, though.

It was best to assume they were currently searching for me. And I wasn’t about to risk for this possibility.

Thankfully In the city, he couldn’t act openly, but the slums were a different story.

Fortunately, the slums were vast, a chaotic debris that would make it a real headache for anyone to find a specific person.

Most of us slum rats looked the same—pale, thin, malnourished, with that sickly look that comes from scraping by day after day.

So, I kept to the shadows, laying low in my run-down shack at the edge of the slums.

It wasn’t much, but it provided the isolation I needed.

Each night, my scavenging operation grew stronger.

It started small, just six slimes gathering what they could from the forest. But as the days rolled by, I summoned more and more, until the count steadily increased.

The first night had been modest—a handful of berries and a few herbs, nothing extraordinary.

Still, it was enough to get me and Lila through the night.

We shared the berries, simple as they were, grateful for something to eat.

But as the days passed, I knew I needed more than just berries to survive.

I needed water, too. So, I assigned a slime to search out a water source within the forest.

To my relief, they found a water source. Every night, one of the slimes would return with enough water stored inside its gelatinous body to keep us hydrated.

Having experienced the slime inside my body before, I knew their composition wasn’t harmful and could act as a neutral container, making them perfect for safely carrying the water we needed.

With food and water covered, I focused on building my little army of scavengers.

By the end of the first week, I had summoned 42 slimes. Forty-two little gelatinous bodies crawling through the darkened forest, picking up whatever they could find.

It was a methodical process, almost like clockwork.

Each night I used all of my mana to summon more, and at that same moment, I reaped the benefits of their nighttime scavenging.

At first, the haul was modest—mostly berries, various herbs, and a few scattered roots.

The more slimes I had out there, the more Scarleaf Herbs they managed to bring back.

Each morning, I’d sort through the pile of them, mentally taking stock of what we had.

No rare items, no forgotten treasures left behind by adventurers, but the growing collection of herbs and berries meant we wouldn’t go hungry for a while.

And the Scarleaf Herbs? They were slowly becoming my ticket to a decent amount of credits, provided I could sell them in large quantities when the time was right.

Stolen story; please report.

I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction as I watched the piles of resources grow larger.

The days passed in a blur. I barely left the shack, not wanting to draw any attention to myself.

After all, it wasn’t just about scavenging—I was trying to stay off Ragnok’s radar, and venturing into the city too often would only increase the risk of being found.

But the isolation didn’t bother me.

As the second week passed, something finally broke the monotony of berries and herbs. One night, as the slimes returned from their scavenging, I glanced at each one, mentally preparing for another haul of the usual.

"Alright, let’s see what you’ve got for me," I said, half-expecting more of the same.

But one slime caught my attention. It wobbled forward, something clunky and unfamiliar inside its translucent body. I squinted, trying to make out the shape.

"Wait, is that—?" I reached out and carefully pulled it from the slime’s body. To my surprise, it was a crossbow.

"A crossbow? Really?"

The weapon was pretty rusty, the wood worn and chipped, but surprisingly it still seemed functional.

Nothing fancy—it was a common-ranked crossbow. But it was still a weapon, and in this world, that meant something.

This was the second weapon I owned after having to sell my dagger to pay off my debt.

"Not bad," I muttered, inspecting the crossbow more closely. "But no arrows."

Even if I had arrows, I had no experience using a crossbow. I’d probably miss every shot without a skill to boost my accuracy or aim.

Not to mention, getting a quiver and arrows would cost credits—credits I couldn’t afford to waste on something i would most likely suck at.

I sighed and placed the crossbow aside. "Looks like I’ll just be selling you for some extra credits later."

Still, the thought of my slimes managing to scavenge something like this gave me hope.

Maybe there were other things out there—better things—waiting to be found.

"Nice work," I said to the slime, giving it a small nod of approval.

By the third week, things started getting complicated.

I had reached a total of 126 slimes—an overwhelming number. It was too many.

If I kept sending them out and having them return all at once, they’d definitely get noticed, even in the cover of night.

"Alright," I said, rubbing my temples, "this isn’t going to work anymore."

I had to adapt.

So I divided them into smaller groups, parties of three.

I ordered them to come back to the shack in shifts, one group at a time.

That way, there wouldn’t be a massive crowd of slimes slithering into the slums, drawing attention from anyone passing by.

"One group drops the loot, then leaves, and the next follows." I instructed them, making sure they understood the plan.

The slimes nodded—or wobbled, I guess—and I watched as they dispersed into the night.

The fourth week had arrived, and with it, the final day before the dungeon would open.

I could feel the tension rising as I mentally prepared myself for what was coming.

Tomorrow, the dungeon would open in the morning, and today was the day of preparation.

"Alright, this is it." I whispered to myself, sitting in the dimly lit shack, surrounded by bundles of herbs and the small pile of berries I'd accumulated. The day for the final push had arrived.

I took a deep breath, thinking through the plan once more.

It was simple, but with how much weighed on it, it felt like a mountain.

"First, complete the herb request. Turn in the Scarleaf Herbs, get the credits. Easy enough." I said aloud, trying to calm my nerves. "Then, proceed with the Steelheart family request."

The Steelheart request was the real wildcard.

Unlocking Valerian’s pouch could lead to something valuable—something that might tip the scales in my favor. But it could also be dangerous.

"Too dangerous." I muttered, pacing back and forth. "Who knows what will happen to me when i succeed to do so…"

I couldn’t ignore the possibility that they might try something after I fulfilled their request. There were too many unknowns.

But at this point, I had no choice. I needed what was inside that pouch.

If I didn’t take the risk now, I’d be walking into the dungeon tomorrow, barely being able to climb a significant amount of floors..

"I’ll deal with that when it comes." I said, trying to push the nagging thoughts away. "For now, I just have to do it."

After completing both tasks, I’d head to the market.

That was the final step—gathering the necessary supplies, whether it be food, potions, or equipment's.

The credits I’d earn from the herb request would help, but I knew I’d need every bit of strategy I could muster to make it work.

"I've scavenged and stockpiled for this. Now, it's time to put it to use."

I grabbed the bundles of herbs, each carefully tied and ready to be delivered, and slung my bag over my shoulder.

Everything I’d worked for in these past weeks was leading up to today’s preparations. After today, there’d be no more scavenging, no more waiting.

"Tomorrow." I said, taking one last look around the shack, "it’s time to enter the dungeon again."

And with that, I stepped out into the cool, early morning air, ready to face whatever the day would bring.