Suddenly, the grass ahead rustled. Lucian froze.
"A monster?!"
The next moment, a pink blob rolled out of the bushes with a soft, squishy sound.
"Goo-chuu~"
Lucian blinked. Then a look of curiosity lit up his face.
"Is that... a Slime?"
...
...
"It's just a Slime," he muttered, puzzled. "In games or anime, Slimes are like, the weakest monsters ever. Total beginner-tier stuff. Even newbies with wooden swords can take them down, right? So this should be perfect for me to practice leveling up."
"Alright then. I'll start with this little guy—"
"No!" Lysera cut him off before he could finish.
"Huh?" Lucian looked confused.
Lysera stared at the Slime with an unusually serious expression. Her voice dropped.
"Why is there a Slime here...?"
"What about it?" Lucian asked, still not seeing the problem.
"Slimes aren't like what your world imagines. They're not harmless at all. In fact, they're terrifying."
"Uh..." Lucian blinked, baffled.
He hadn't considered that. The cute little pink jelly blob didn't exactly scream 'threat.'
Honestly, it looked more like something he'd cuddle with while sleeping.
"It doesn't look terrifying," he said, watching it. "If anything, it's kind of... adorable."
It really was. The Slime's body was round and springy, a soft pink gel that shimmered under the light. Two tiny eyes like red beans peeked out from its surface. It was downright cute.
Back on Earth, girls would probably scream over something like this and beg to keep it as a pet.
Lysera, however, clearly didn't share the sentiment. She shook her head firmly.
"Don't let its appearance fool you."
"This one's still in its juvenile state. That's why it seems so innocent."
"But if it grows… it could become a disaster not just for the Savage Wilds, but for the entire world!"
Lucian's brow furrowed. "Isn't that a bit dramatic?"
"It's not dramatic!" Lysera said, nodding seriously. "If you don't believe me, analyze it."
"Analyze it? How?"
"Just think about it. It'll appear in your vision."
Lucian nodded and focused on the Slime.
[Demon Slime: A creature born from the essence of the Demon Realm. Tierless. Immune to all physical attacks while unsaturated. Capable of absorbing all forms of energy, including magic.]
Lucian stared at the little pink blob in disbelief.
There was no way something so round and bouncy could be associated with the word "Demon."
"It's a Demon Slime?!" Lysera frowned. "Slimes are already immune to physical damage, and they can absorb magic too. That makes them incredibly hard to injure, let alone kill."
"But Demon Slimes? They're even worse. Stronger, tougher, capable of consuming even corrupted, dark energy!"
"And the more energy they absorb, the stronger they get. Eventually, they become waves of destruction, capable of engulfing entire cities!"
"Now do you get it? Slimes aren't cute little monsters. They're bosses. Very strong, very annoying bosses."
Lucian felt a bead of cold sweat run down his temple. "So... what now?"
While they spoke, the Slime had already reached a nearby rock. Its gelatinous body oozed over the surface—and in less than three seconds, the fist-sized stone was completely devoured.
Its body visibly expanded.
"Not good," Lysera said grimly. "This Slime must have just crossed into our world from the Demon Realm. And now it's begun absorbing matter."
"If it keeps going, the Savage Wilds will be eaten alive. And you'll be caught in it too."
Lucian sucked in a breath. "So is there a way to kill it?"
Lysera shook her head. "Not with your current power. But..."
"But?" Lucian pressed. "Spit it out already! Why are you talking in dramatic pauses like you're trying to hit a word count?"
"..."
"But there might be a way," Lysera continued, ignoring the jab. "This Slime is still in its early stage. It's barely aware of the world—it's just operating on instinct, absorbing energy to grow."
"As long as it hasn't absorbed any negative emotions yet, it's not truly dangerous."
"So there's still a chance to tame it."
"Wait, tame it? Like Pokémon? Should I throw a ball at it or something?"
"..."
"Use love to purify it!"
"..."
"Fuck you."
"You serious?" Lucian raised a brow.
Lysera nodded. "Absolutely."
"Slimes are extremely malleable creatures—especially when they're young. They're very impressionable."
"If you can project enough kindness and affection, and let it feel your intent, it might imprint on you instead of trying to devour the world."
"And if that happens, congrats. You've just gained a powerful new companion."
"So try it!"
Lucian took a deep breath.
Sure, that all sounded great… but how was he supposed to radiate love?
Love wasn't exactly something you could force.
Back in his world, the one time he confessed to a girl and tried to show her how much he cared, she looked him dead in the eye and said, "Broke dudes don't deserve to talk about love."
And this was a Demon Slime.
But hey—girls sometimes responded to genuine affection and went home with you. Why not try?
He stepped forward, crouched down, and held out his hand.
"Hey there, Slime. Come here, little guy~"
The Slime turned toward him, tilting slightly as if trying to understand. Its round eyes blinked.
Damn, it really was cute.
Unable to help himself, Lucian reached out to pat its head.
"Lucian, wait—!" Lysera shouted in panic.
The Slime's body could devour anything. Reaching out like that was basically sticking your hand into acid!
But Lucian moved too fast. She didn't have time to stop him.
His hand touched the Slime's head.
Nothing happened.
"...?" Lysera stared, stunned.
"There, there~" Lucian said softly, rubbing the Slime's head like it was a dog. The Slime closed its eyes and let out a pleased little "goo-chuu~" as it leaned into his hand.
"...What." Lysera was dumbfounded.
By all logic, the Slime should've instinctively consumed his arm. Why hadn't it?
Then she saw the smile on Lucian's face.
Warm. Sincere.
"Heh… it's so cute," he said, grinning. "I really wanna keep it. I wanna sleep hugging it..."
"..."
And suddenly, it made sense to Lysera.
The Slime had devoured Lucian's intent—his goodwill.
That was why it hadn't attacked. It could feel his affection.
But how the hell was he able to just radiate pure goodwill like that?
She had just explained how dangerous the thing was, and he still petted it like a puppy?
His nerves were ridiculous.
Still... maybe it was exactly that kind of innocence, that pure-hearted energy, that reached the Slime.
"Goo-chuu~" the Slime cooed happily, then bounced straight into Lucian's arms, snuggling into his hands.
"So soft... feels amazing..." Lucian said, cradling it like a baby.
Lysera let out a long sigh. That energy he was giving off—it was too genuine.
He really did just think it was adorable. That was all.
And the Slime could feel it.
"Goo-chuu~" the Slime chirped again—and suddenly, a red magic circle the size of a plate formed in front of it.
"Huh?!" Lucian's eyes widened. "Is this... magic?"
Lysera's eyes were even wider. "It... it's forming a contract?! On its own?!"
"That was way too easy!"
"What contract?" Lucian asked.
"A mutual pact!" Lysera said quickly. "It means it wants to become your partner! You'll be able to fight together, rely on each other—it's an equal bond!"
"I can't believe it's initiating one already... Hurry! Accept it!"
"How do I do that?"
"With blood!" Lysera explained.
Lucian's smile faded. "...Don't tell me I have to bite my finger. That's gonna hurt."
Sure, in manga or novels, the main character always bit their thumb or finger to drip blood like it was nothing. But in real life?
Biting your own hand sucked.
Still, for the cute little Slime... he'd do it.
He brought his finger to his mouth and bit down hard.
"Hsssss—ow, ow, ow!" Lucian winced and looked at his finger.
What the fuck. It was red, but there was no blood.
"Fuck! How do people do that in anime so easily?!"
He gritted his teeth and bit again.
This time, blood welled up.
And it hurt like hell.