Another chunk of Heaven crumbled and fell, only to be reduced to nothingness in a flash of lightning.

Ilias scowled, far from happy with the most recent development.

Admittedly, tampering with a spatial anomaly and then attempting to open a trans-universe gateway while inside a place held together by space magic hadn't been her smartest idea.

In her defense, there was no way she could have predicted the violent backlash her latest attempt produced. She was used to experimental magic either fizzling out or exploding in her face, which, regardless of scale, did absolutely nothing to her. That same pattern had been mirrored in her initial attempts to open a gateway until, suddenly, it hadn't. Instead, Ilias had encountered an unknown source of resistance to her spell, which not only caused it to fail but also released a wave of disrupting magic that destabilized all of Heaven.

She wasn't entirely sure if it was a sign of progress or something going catastrophically wrong, but what she did know for certain was that she would conduct any further experiments far away, likely on one of the more worthless planets of this solar system, just in case things went even further out of control.

But until things calmed down, she was stuck on cleanup duty. It was one thing if pieces of Heaven fell into the ocean, creating new islands, but one of them falling onto inhabited areas would have made a mess she didn't want to deal with, especially not now.

Theoretically, such a thing was impossible. Heaven was still successfully separated from the rest of the world, and it would take a veritable calamity to change that. But considering the recent unpleasant surprises that she had previously thought impossible, she was hesitant to take chances, even if they appeared to be zero percent at a glance.

It would only take a few moments until things would stabilize once more. And once it did, Ilias would take a well-deserved break. She had been able to confirm the safety of Luka's soul, even if it was incredibly far away (if the concept of distance even applied across universes). So she wasn't overly hurried, and she had been trying to make that wretched gateway work for a whole week now, which was very little, all things considered, but it didn't mean that the repeated failures did not frustrate her.

Fortunately, she already had just the right person in mind to help with her stress relief. Indeed, she had grown quite fond of Alipheese The Sixteenth, who had so graciously volunteered for the task in every loop. As fond as one could be of a living sandbag. Truly, no one had faces quite as punchable as the Fateburn family. She had honestly been expecting the ambush sooner, but it seemed like the time reset had overcompensated slightly.

The Monster Lord's first surprise attack succeeded in giving Ilias a black eye, not just due to the surprise of the attack itself but also because holding that abomination of a sword Ilias' daughter created somehow allowed the monster to punch through her defenses, something Ilias still hadn't found an explanation for after all this time.

But without those surprises, any successive attacks had been significantly less effective. And by now, Ilias knew precisely how far she could go with her beatings. More than once, she had killed the Sixteenth despite her ludicrous fortitude, either accidentally or on purpose. Those were some of the very few instances where it hadn't been explicitly Luka's fault that his journey ended in failure.

Even if you didn't account for the increased difficulty caused by a lack of Angel Halo and the Cursed Sword Skills taught by the Sixteenth, there was hardly a point in venturing forth to defeat the Monster Lord if she was already dead.

This time, she would live.

Ilias smiled cruelly.

She wouldn't promise anything more than that.

-Back in Ilias Village-

It finally happened.

"He... Help!" called out a man's voice, distorted in panic.

I looked up from my half-eaten breakfast.

"Monster... A monster is in the forest!" the voice continued.

I only wished it had been about five minutes later.

"Everyone, hide in your houses! Quickly before the monster comes into the village!" shouted another man.

Yeah, screw that. Shoving the remaining scraps of food into my Inventory, I bolted out of the door among various cries of fear and panic.

I rushed vaguely towards the forest. It was rather large, so I wasn't entirely sure where to go. I glanced toward a group of fleeing villagers. That way, huh?

Pushing against the wave of people, I heard a middle-aged lady call out to me, Betty, I believe was her name.

"Stop, Luka! Leave the monster to the soldiers at Ilias Temple!"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine!" I called back, and I could only hope I would be able to back up that claim.

She said something else, but at that point, I was too far away to hear it clearly.

Despite my worries about the upcoming encounters, I felt a brief wave of relief wash over me as I went past the village gates. I might not have been overly eager to have early-game Alice as a traveling companion, but at this point, I may have taken a Roper along if it meant getting out of here.

But before getting to Alice, I would first need to deal with the slime girl.

The forest was brightly lit, the sunlight easily piercing the thin foliage. It was quiet, but rather than eery, it felt almost serene to me. My surroundings didn't convey even a trace of ominousness. It was as if the world itself was mocking the villagers' exaggerated fear.

As I proceeded, I kept my eyes peeled for any hint of the color blue. Minutes passed, and I started to worry I'd missed her. That was when I heard a twig crack behind me. I wasn't sure how she managed that without feet, but I didn't dwell much on it as something else had occupied my mind.

HOW THE HELL DID SHE FIND ME FIRST!?

Was it the smell? I had made sure my hygiene didn't degrade too much, even with the unpleasantness of cold water, but it was the only reason I could think of.

Turning around, I found myself facing a blue blob in the shape of a young girl.

"Hahaha, a delicious-looking boy showed up!"

As she giggled, I examined her more thoroughly.

It almost looked like she was melting. Droplets of slime from all over her body pooled together in a puddle where her knees would be. Her sizable breasts were on full display, but even though she was technically naked, there were no 'naughty bits.' Her movement was accompanied by quite a bit of jiggling, and a radiant smile adorned her face.

She was as cute as could be expected of the one who was effectively the poster girl of Monster Girl Quest. It nonetheless felt surreal to see her in person.

"Ararara? Am I the first monster you've seen by any chance?" She asked teasingly.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I... suppose you could say that." Not just face-to-face, but unless you counted series like Digimon, then MGQ had been my first foray into the wonderful world of monster girls, making her indeed the first one I laid my eyes on.

"But you don't seem all that surprised to see me," she said, tilting her head.

"I'm kind of here because of you. There is a human village nearby, and the people there are afraid of monsters. So when one of the lumberjacks saw you, it caused a huge commotion."

She blinked.

"Because of me?" She asked somewhat incredulously.

"Yeah, I know. They're a... superstitious bunch. Most of them have probably never even seen a monster. But if you keep heading there, you will probably be accosted by a group of guards, and that would end... badly." I finished with a slight grimace.

"Aww, but I'm hungry!" She pouted, then started eyeing my crotch area.

"Or... maybe you are willing to treat me to some of your semen?"

I could technically do that without letting her feed directly. I had bottled some of the stuff during my weeklong stay at the village. When my pleasure tolerance may literally be a matter of life and death, I obviously needed to test my new equipment, and I figured the result could potentially be used as a bargaining chip with monsters.

I also noticed that I was more sensitive than before my reincarnation, which didn't come as much of a surprise. It was more of a curse than a blessing right now, but I would likely grow to appreciate it later.

However, I didn't intend to give any of that to the Slime Girl. I had other plans.

"Sorry, I can't do that, but-" before I could finish my sentence, my vision went white. When I opened my eyes again, they widened in fear.

The one standing before me was no longer the cute Slime Girl.

She was wearing several golden ornaments and a pure white dress, with equally white wings stretching out behind her. Her blonde hair went down all the way to her knees. She had large blue eyes, and along with her gentle smile and a hand held over her heart, she seemed like the incarnation of beauty and kindness.

To me, it was like death itself was staring into my face.

The Goddess of Light, Ilias, was before me.

After a full week without any contact, I dared to hope she wouldn't appear until I had the means to stand against her. But, as it was now, it took all I had to be in her presence without having a heart attack or starting to hyperventilate.

"Oh, brave Luka... I'm speaking to you directly in your head to give you guidance. I shall teach you how to fight."

It took me a moment to process her words.

"I already know how to fight!" I shouted in a panic. It was a lie, but I didn't want to be zapped down to a single HP.

"That is reassuring to hear... But you absolutely must make sure to remember; you must not eve—" That was when the scene around me started fading and returning me to the real world. It also left me incredibly confused.

What the hell just happened? That was just like...

But I was sure she would...

Wait...

Di- did she seriously automate the bloody Tutorial!?

A mixture of relief and disbelief welled up inside me.

I couldn't help wondering if she had even included the part where Luka dies if he asked for a repeated explanation and started laughing, tears appearing in my eyes.

"Umm... are you alright?" asked the slime girl, interrupting my hysterics with a worried tone.

Blinking away the tears, I remembered what I had been doing.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that, something... strange just happened to me. Where were we?" I asked with an awkward chuckle.

"Semen?" The slime asked with a hopeful smile.

"Err, right, sorry I can't do that, but I have something else you might like."

Of course, I could have simply fought the Slime. But, even without any combat experience, it would have barely been a fight. If I wanted a weaker opponent than this, I would likely have to rob a cradle. However, I felt no pressing need to beat up a poor, (almost) harmless Slime. She could also be more useful to me with a friendly disposition.

So I took out a fish.

Fish were the favorite food of slimes, aside from a certain fluid, so I was hoping I could win her over with this.

"Hmm, fish are nice, but I really wanted to have a taste of semen..." She said petulantly.

I took out a second fish and held it next to the first.

"But you're hungry, right? Isn't it much better to have a guaranteed meal than to take a risk?"

She looked at the fish in my hand, indecisive.

"And if you promise to be a good girl, I'll even give you something special," I said as I pulled out the second item I prepared for this occasion.

"What is that?" She asked, gaze affixed to the carved piece of wood in my hand.

"This, my dear, is what is known as a boomerang," I explained, trying to fight the smirk threatening to appear on my face after seeing her expression.

"Boomerang..." She repeated in awe.

I didn't quite understand this particular slime colony's obsession with boomerangs, but I wasn't above using it in my favor. There probably wasn't any profound reason for it, either. Well, other than slime-type monsters in Dragon Quest being able to use them as weapons, possibly.

She just continued staring, transfixed. Eventually, I decided to shake her out of her stupor by doing the same to the boomerang. Her eyes kept following it as it moved. She grew visibly excited as I started to pick up the pace until, eventually, she was panting, not unlike a dog. Having a silly idea, I threw the boomerang, and she went off after it.

I laughed; I couldn't help myself. The situation was just too bizarre and funny.

A moment later, the boomerang returned as it was wont to do, this time with a slime girl attached to it. Or perhaps it was the other way around; no way to tell for sure.

"Boomerang~, boomerang~" She was waving it around as she made her way back, her face showing pure happiness.

"Can I really have this?" She asked when she finally reached me.

I nodded. "So long as you don't try to attack any humans, you can—"

I was cut off by an exclamation of 'Yay!' and the Slime Girl throwing herself towards me. I was startled as she enveloped me but relaxed slightly when it became clear that she only intended for a hug. I returned the embrace hesitatingly, unsure of the proper way to hug a Slime. Would she splatter if I hugged too hard? Did head pats work on Slimes?

It was a strange feeling, and my clothes would need some time to dry afterward, but I didn't dislike it.

"Ehehe, we're best friends now!" announced the slime happily.

I winced slightly at that. I had intended to make her like me, but not to that extent. I would likely never meet this girl again, and knowing I would have to disappoint her was unpleasant. The mistake seemed obvious in hindsight. Her thought process was simple, childlike in some regards. It was only natural that she would respond like this to some kindness.

After another moment, we separated.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make you feel good? I'll make sure to be extra nice to you," she offered with sparkling eyes.

I bit my lip. The invitation was a lot more difficult to decline this time. I liked her; she was adorable, and at this point, she likely wouldn't have tried to force me into anything. But I simply didn't have enough time. The act itself would have been one thing, but I couldn't afford to be out of commission for the next few hours because of Critical Ecstasy.

I shook my head, both to clear my thoughts and signal my denial.

"Sorry, but I don't have enough time for that kind of thing. I'm starting a journey across the world today, and I can't take too much of a delay." I explained, hoping she would be understanding.

"Oh... can't I just join you? I like exploring; it's why I'm so far from home in the first place." She sounded slightly put out but still hopeful.

I was sufficiently surprised by that question. Would that even be possible?

"I mean, can you? I thought Slimes needed a constant source of pure water. That would be difficult enough during regular travel, but one region on Sentora is a massive desert. I'm not sure you would be able to survive there."

The only way of taking her along I could conceive of was if I made Alice cough up the Pocket Castle, but that thing probably didn't even exist in this world.

"Oh..." She looked sad, hearing that.

"Ah, I just realized we never introduced ourselves. You can call me Luka. What's your name?" I tried to change the subject.

"Oh, I'm Lime, Lime the Slime!" She said, sounding a little more cheery already.

I smiled at the familiar name. So she was the same as the party member from Paradox after all, huh?

"Also, here are the fish I promised you," I said as I handed them to her.

"Yay, thank you!" She called out, her earlier sadness already forgotten.

She took hold of the fish, and they sank into her body. She was slightly translucent, so they were still visible from the outside. However, they didn't seem to be dissolving just yet. Maybe she intended to eat after we were done talking.

"You mentioned your home; where exactly is that?" I asked.

I already knew the answer to that question, but it would be good to have a valid excuse for where my knowledge came from.

"It's over there," She said, pointing. "There is a spring in the mountains. A whole lot of slimes just like me live there."

She looked hesitant for a moment. "I... should probably go home soon. I need to get back to the spring." It was at that moment that a loud crashing sound could be heard in the distance. Apparently, we had talked long enough for Alice to make her arrival.

"It sounds like I need to be going too. It was nice to meet you, Lime." I waved goodbye before setting off toward the noise.

I could still hear a quiet "Ah...", but it was already too late to return. And there was not much else I could think of saying anyway.

I only got a few more steps in before a jingle resounded inside my head, distracting me enough to stumble and barely avoid faceplanting onto an exposed tree root.

Lime was befriended!

You earned 10 experience points!

You are now level 2! This one was accompanied by a different jingle.

Unfortunately, a 'Save Location' prompt didn't pop up. I would have really liked one of those.

I picked myself back up. I would need to ponder the implications of the reveal of another game-like mechanic later. Right now, I had a Monster Lord to meet.