『32 minutes and 24… 20 seconds until Sanguine wakes up』

After recovering Star's sword, I had no more reason to stay in the slime zone. I dragged Star a little further away from the slimes, along with my bag that I left.

I wonder if Star's still holding out the effect. Her twitching fingers had stopped quite a while ago. It's possible she's fainted from the suffering, but I can't tell whether or not that's true. Either way, it's like looking at a corpse. She's not moving, nor making any sounds. Honestly, it does worry me a little.

But Celeste kept telling me that it would not hurt her in any way. Most people lose consciousness after 5 minutes of dizziness, which is why it's usually not a big deal when someone gets slimed. She told me that only 1% of people can withstand the effect for longer than 10 minutes. It's likely that Star is already unconscious by now.

『Most people won't remember what they went through after they've woken up. Sanguine is going to be fine』

"If you say so."

…

So?

What do I do now?

There's still another half hour until she's done. Do I just sit here and wait for Star's effect to wear off? There's no way to cure her, no way to help her get it off in any way. The only thing I can do now is sit here and wait it out.

Even if I wanted to do the quest, it seems like the chances of me getting unique rare drops are borderline 0%. Star killed maybe a hundred slimes, and she still hasn't gotten a single drop. At the speed I can kill them, I have no chance of ever finishing the quest.

I guess I can only idly look out at the scenery. It's a beautiful scene. Typical grassy plains, slimes bouncing around, clouds flying through the sky. Nothing I've never seen before.

"sigh."

What a boring game.

…

『You know, there's a subtype of slime that will guarantee a drop』

"Clearly they're not the ones we're fighting here. I'd rather you not give me false hope."

『I am not. From my experience, the slimes here can be converted into the other subtype quite easily. And their drops will count towards your quest』

"Hm. 'Experience'… But, carry on."

『Enhanced Slimes. They're a subspecies of slime that is stronger by a margin but will guarantee a rare item drop』

"How strong we talkin'?"

『They will develop hardened shells and can launch spikes at you』

"That doesn't sound so bad…"

『Would you like to know more?』

"Yeah, sure."

----

Enhanced slimes. They are typically rare to find in places close to safe zones. Their appearance resembles a normal slime, but they have a hard shell enclosing their soft bodies as a form of protection. Spikes protrude from their backside as a form of aggressive defense.

Their attack pattern follows a normal slime's. The first attack will always be melee, followed by a ranged attack. This pattern repeats indefinitely until the slime is killed. It is important for the player to kill the creature. They will follow their target indefinitely and will not despawn, even if the player logs out of the game.

To kill these slimes, the player must break through their shells and slice through the soft body. The slimes are weak to fire and explosions, which is why it is imperative to always bring a torch when grinding for Enhanced Slimes.

It is possible for a normal slime to be converted into an enhanced one. Simply cast the spell "Ameliorate" on the target slime, and they will transform into enhanced slimes.

『It is not recommended for beginner players to fight these slimes, as their attacks will definitely hurt the player』

Or so she says.

"Clearly, you telling me all this would mean…"

『You were bored, weren't you? And you wondered about how hard the quest was. I am giving you a solution』

"So, you're encouraging me then."

『It is out of curiosity. I want to see you try defeating enhanced monsters as a beginner』

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"You made fighting enhanced slimes at my current level sound like a death wish."

『I know』

"… Well… Maybe it's worth a try. My muscles waste with every second I sit here… You know what? Screw it. If it kills me, it kills me."

I accepted Celeste's challenge. It's not every day that an AI tells you to do something way out of your league. I'm not one to back off from a challenge.

I guess it was her solution to my boredom. Killing two birds with one stone, right? Discovering a new species of slime and getting quest items while waiting for Star to wake up. This is probably one of Celeste's best pieces of advice up to now.

"You keep an eye on Star then."

『My eyes are your eyes. I do not—』

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep glancing at her."

----

I left Star and my bag close to a large boulder where I could see her from afar. It is imperative that she's safe above all else. Hopefully keeping her there will prevent any slimes from approaching her. I also positioned her to look like she's sleeping, to prevent other players from disturbing her.

With nothing but a shield and a sword, I moved forth towards the slimes.

In just a minute, I was met with scattered stray slimes. Compared to a crowd, these singular slimes would be really easy to kill. But Celeste said that they can be turned into enhanced slimes. So I used them as test subjects.

"So… You said there was a spell?"

『Yes. It is called "Ameliorate"』

"How do I cast it?"

『Simply say the word "ameliorate". Every monster that hears those words will become enhanced』

I held my shield as I approached one of the stray slimes. Before I gave it the chance to attack, I cast the spell. "Ameliorate!"

The slime immediately convulsed aggressively and shed its slimy liquid away onto the grass. I quickly stepped back to see the reaction. As it shakes, its outer skin starts to become opaque. It developed a blue outer crust of skin that looked quite rough. It was somewhere between scales and human skin.

CrackleCrackle*

Cracks started appearing on its surface, highlighting the possible soft spots of its skin. The liquid it shed started evaporating, covering the whole slime in a misty smoke. Then, there was a loud series of cracking sounds that could only be described as intimidating.

Crack!Crack!*Crack!*

3 large spikes emerged from the backside of the slime. They blended in with its crust of skin, light blue in colour, with white cracks permeating throughout.

With that, its transformation was finished. The globular creature had turned into a very aggressive piece of rock. I looked and admired the little details it had. Its foggy aura made for an extra intimidation factor.

"Heh… This is a bit more than what I was… expecting…"

My hands shook at the thought of fighting the slime. I thought the enhanced form would still look normal enough that I wouldn't have a problem with it. It was to my dismay that even just thinking about it made me shake in fear.

But I had already done more than others. If I don't kill this slime, it will literally haunt me until I die in game. Killing it is of top priority.

I quickly dashed and swung my sword to slice through the slime, hoping to catch it off guard and kill it before it even has a chance to kill me.

CkkCrackkk!!

The sword didn't get through!

It only cracked part of the surface skin severely. Cracks ripple through the shell, though it didn't give way to its soft insides. I quickly recalled my sword and stepped back, readying myself for its attack.

In less than a fraction of a second, the slime bounced up high into the air. Its shadow was on me as it fell spike first towards the ground.

Seeing that, I quickly pulled up my shield to block the fall. But its speed made me nervous. It was falling at terminal velocity. I couldn't tell how heavy its body was. I tried to imagine the force it'll put on me. Even if I blocked it, I would be put way off balance. In my indecision, I instinctively jumped out of its way at the last second.

Thwack!

Dirt started flying away from the crash site. Its spikes were buried into the ground.

I took the chance and quickly slashed its body.

Crrackk

My sword was stuck!

In between all the cracks and the slime's inner body, it couldn't be taken out! It turns out that the inner body has become a sticky substance. The more I pull, the harder it is to move.

Before I could do anything, the slime bounced back up and flipped back to its original position. My sword was still stuck there! I was forced to jump away from it and leave my sword. It dangled around as the slime kept bouncing up and down.

It was a miracle that my sword didn't snap from the trauma its being hit with.

I held my shield up, knowing the next attack would be a ranged one. I looked with caution, always facing towards the slime in case it suddenly attacked.

It squeezed itself and turned its back towards me. It's going to shoot the spikes at me!

I crouched and held my shield to cover my whole body. I was so nervous that I couldn't even look at the slime. It could immediately shoot as I peek to look. I could only nervously shield and wait.

Brrackk!

Swoosh!

I felt my shield blocking the hard projectile. It shattered into pieces that flew by me. One of them hit my shoulder. There was a thud as I felt a nudge on my right shoulder.

My shoulder felt weird after the hit, so I massaged it while preparing for the next attack.

I need my sword back.

I should pull it out when I have the chance.

…

Geez, this shoulder is killing me.

I should…

I…

It's… wet…?

I took my hand off of my shoulder and looked at it.

It's bleeding?!

My hand was covered in blood. When I looked back at my shoulder, there was blood streaming down my arm, dripping down onto the grass. "Oh my God!!" My breath became heavier in panic. My gasps took the better of me as it ate out at my thoughts. My eyes teared up thinking about it. I couldn't take it off the red line of blood.

『Watch out!』

Celeste's warning snapped me back to reality. I felt a rush of air coming from above me and saw the shadow under me. I quickly jumped out of the way and tumbled onto the grass.

Thwack!

『The slime's stuck! Now is your chance!』

I picked myself up and ran to the slime. All my momentum was put into the shield as I bashed into the slime with all I've got.

Crrack!

Another one!

Crrcck!

One more, this time with all my energy!

Crrshhh!

The slime's shell shattered and pushed itself deep into the slime's body. That was enough to damage the slime severely. The final blow pushed everything into the slime. All the sharp edges were enough to defeat it.

Its insides became liquid once more. Its hard shell became dust that flew away with the wind.

All that was left was me, my sword, and a glowing crystal that lay on the grass.

Though the reward was right in front of me, I couldn't hold it anymore. The pain suddenly seeped into me as I covered the bleeding wound. I had gasped so much that breathing normally made me feel lightheaded. I could only scrunch up as the waves of blood poured out of me.

"My… shoulder..!"