The flames danced elegantly in front of my hazy eyes, like a skilled maiden showing me her curves and casting shadows all around the floor of the room I was currently sitting in.

“Achoo”

It seems I got sick, though not surprisingly after using the slime. There was a reason that we chose to use the slime only for very dire injuries.

The slime, while really magical, has two annoying consequences.

Or three, considering how I cannot store it once used.

I glanced at the squirming purple slime on the ground that was slowly expanding, covering one-sixth of the room.

“This is the last slime; from now on, we have to be careful,” I told the orc.

The orc sitting across me, a small fire between us with all the meat we had getting cooked, nodded.

Massaging my head, I honestly felt frustrated. Ever since using the slime the first time, I have chosen to only use it sparingly. The reason is very simple: while the slime does heal you, it does so at the expense of your body.

The slime is not a miracle, but rather a healing effect that accelerates the body´s self-healing. The problem is that your body needs energy to heal.

The body thus breaks down all the fat and muscle to supply this healing effect.

This won´t be a problem if you have enough food, since the body would use the energy of the food immediately.

Sadly, while I do have enough food to survive, I do not have enough to sustain a full recovery.

“Achoo”

I used the dirty cloth piece next to me to clean my nose. I then took one of the sticks that had meat on it and started eating it like a feral beast.

With my body already being malnourished, and after it used god how many kg of fat and muscle for healing, it wasn't surprising that I became sick and weak.

And Thinking about the injuries and scars my body sustained since I awoke, I despaired.

My only hope was that cute elves loved masucline men with lots of scars.

Though I would need to regain all of my muscles...

I tried to carry my barrel backpack as a test of how much muscle I lost and... I was not able to carry it. This is already bad enough if you do not consider the third effect of the slime: magic.

Yes, magic.

Every time I use the slime, I can shortly afterward “sense” magic all around me.

It is a weird feeling, like smelling odors that you can see.

But I do not quite understand or make sense of it.

This leads to my brain overworking itself, which causes dizziness, headaches, shortsightedness, and reduced perception in all my senses other than touch and taste.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

But that is not all; not only do I sense magic, but I can also feel magic in my body.

Making me extremely uncomfortable, just like you would have a large stomach.

The closest thing I could link this feeling to is when you wish to take a shit you have been holding all day, but when you try to do so, it doesn't come out!

After finishing a few sticks of meat, I closed the book in my lab.

In the room we defeated the skeletons, there was a table, a stool, and a few bookshelves.

Most of the bookshelves were empty, but on the table, I was able to find some scrolls and books.

One of the scrolls was fresh, with ink dripping from it; likely the Skeleton Wizard was writing something before we came.

Sadly, I could not read. Neither did Athel, for his memories were just those of a novi-ahm apprentice blacksmith, and he never learned to write or read in those memories.

I asked the orc if he could read it.

To that end, the orc held the scroll intensely for a few minutes, then started flipping it around and sniffing it. Then he shook his head at me.

Dumb orc!

However, something was interesting inside the books. Each of them had something that I could recognize well.

Math!

In the books, there are a lot of numbers and equations. I could see some calculus and geometry being used.

If I had not seen the different illustrations, diagrams, and glyphs next to the math, I would have thought I was holding one of my high school textbooks.

Thankfully, I was good at math when I was in high school, and despite forgetting a lot of it, I could at least recognize some.

“I think we should be ready to go now; heh, this would be interesting. After all, this could be our last meal, bud.”

I felt my throat throb with a light pain.

Was I so weak I am struggling to even speak?!

Sigh.

The orc gave me a smirk any simple-minded would give as if he could not imagine this possibility.

I shakily stood up and put the book in the makeshift cloth bag I had been making for the last two nights. Then I slid it over my shoulders, adjusting it carefully.

Looking at the countless useful items I would be leaving behind ached my heart. The orc was unwilling to carry those items. in case he gets hindered in combat.

I didn't blame him; from now on, he would be doing the fighting alone.

I could barely hold up the spear, much less stab with it.

Still, I managed to take all the important stuff—all the books and scrolls, some crafting tools, and wear the robes that the undead wizard was wearing.

I did not know if the robes had any effect, but they felt very comfortable, almost to the point of giving me some clarity of mind despite my headache and dizziness.

I held the spear tiredly; even though it would be exhausting to use it, maybe I could distract with it.

The orc also got ready, wearing the armor of the skeletons, with a helmet and boots made with steel; he wielded the spear and shield.

Looking at my professional colleague, I asked, “May I have the honor of knowing your name, my friend?” I smiled dryly and continued, “We might die when we make it to the surface, and it would be a shame to die as strangers."

Despite living with this orc for over 2–3 weeks together, we never exchanged names or backgrounds.

Well, it was difficult to care when you were about to die at any moment.

The orc, suddenly looking somber, said, "Kurak." He took a step forward toward me, thrust his spear at the rocky ground, and extended his open hand, his biceps bulging. “You?”.

Perhaps the last month I lived in this sh*thole has changed me... I suddenly felt emotional for some reason; usually, I was the anti-social type, yet here I was, feeling brotherly love for this orc... tsk

I seriously replied, "Fink," then, with all the strength and power I could muster, I held his open pawn, and I then declared an oath of Aethel´s memories: “Let all the gods of this world, the nine realms and the pendulum lords witness this moment, I Fink, declare to die in glory alongside you, Kurak, if it must be so, and I swear to engrave your name and our journey onto my mind both in life and eternity.”

The orc was baffled by my sudden declaration, almost to the point of being frozen.

Did I do something wrong?

But just when I thought I did something foolish, the orc declared, “Let my Goddess Gia, the mother and savior of my kind, the eternal embrace of this wretched world, and the guardian of the earth, bear witness to this oath: I swear to engrave Fink's name and journey in my mind in life and eternity.” The orc paused, and I couldn't help but smile for copying me. Then he continued, “I swear to die alongside Fink in the glory of battle if it must be so.”

Hmmm, the oath part seems memoized since it is probably used in between orcs.

I wonder, who is Gia? She didn’t seem to appear in Aethel’s memories.

I nodded. “Then let us go. I wonder what the surface holds for us, Kurak.”

The orc pulled his spear out of the ground and replied in exasperation.

“Don´t jinx, Fink.”