It's the slime. But not just any slime; it's a sky blue slime that makes a cute "pew! pew!" sound while bouncing. I'm not sure what's going on, but if I come into contact with this legendary slime, which may be the reincarnation of a kind Japanese guy, I had to act quickly.
I bowed and said, "Konnichiwa! Slime-chan!" I hoped I pronounced it right since that was one of the few Japanese phrases I knew. The slime didn't show any expression. It stopped in its tracks and waited a minute, as if considering something. Then it jumped again, moving toward me and making that adorable "phew! phew!" sound.
Maybe it was smiling. With this thought in mind, I examined the light blue slime, cuteness radiating from its slimy body. It looked like the typical protagonist slime that would eventually become powerful enough to defeat even the gods. I really didn't want to upset this slime. Plus, I'm a fan of this type of story. I remember enjoying this kind of anime in my previous life; it was one of my favorites. Thinking of this, I reached for the slime and picked it up.
It felt squishy and slimy, almost like holding a jelly pillow. I understood why everyone in the anime loved holding their slime. While in my hands, the slime made some "phew! phew!" sounds, but I ignored it and placed it on the chair beside me to soak up some sun. I needed to clear up some doubts, so while looking at the slime, I asked, "Are you a reincarnator?"
The slime didn't reply. I asked again, "Are you Japanese?" Still no answer. I tried once more, "I know a good place with hot springs?" No response again. I suspected this was a normal slime, so I asked one last time, "Do you like magical girls?" The slime was silent. I concluded that it wasn't the reincarnated Japanese guy I hoped for. Yet, looking at its cute face, I let it stay with me while I instructed robots to bring it some monster meat.
I focused on the screen as my disciples were already at the finals of the competition.
- Roman: 1068 points
- Lu Xiaoran: 897 points
- Lina: 856 points
Roman led with his strong cultivation, followed by Lu Xiaoran. The most surprising performance came from Lina. Despite being just at the Qi condensation stage, she was doing great. If this continued, she might surpass Lu Xiaoran.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Lu Xiaoran sat on the ruins of a large goblin settlement and glanced at the leaderboard. He was surprised by Lina's performance. If it continued this way, she might even surpass him. Feeling a sense of urgency, he looked east and spotted another goblin settlement, bigger than the last. This time, he aimed for the main target: the goblin king, not those weak hobgoblins, orcs, or trolls. If he killed the goblin king, he could take the top rank in one go.
He masked his aura, hid himself, and created a mist as he moved toward the largest building in that goblin city: the goblin king's castle. As he approached, he heard thunder, which made him rush, realizing Roman was also targeting the goblin king. At the castle gate, he saw a large army of orcs rushing out, but they were struck down by thunder before they could form.
In the air above the castle, Roman controlled lightning, raining down thunderbolts on the monsters. This chaos allowed Lu Xiaoran to slip into the castle. However, as he went deeper, he faced numerous enemies, starting with orcs, soon followed by trolls.
These weren't just any trolls; they were the elite guards of the goblin king, clad in heavy armor and wielding massive swords. The worst part was their high regeneration. They could regrow severed limbs, meaning the only way to kill them was by destroying their hearts or decapitating them.
He gradually defeated them and moved forward, but another army of trolls appeared, this time in greater numbers. So he did the best thing he could think of—he ran. He dashed backward toward Roman. As he expected, seeing him flee from the trolls prompted Roman to help. Thunder struck down on the trolls.
Eventually, they reached the main chamber of the goblin king, where they found a five-meter-tall goblin that looked like an adult human, muscular and waiting for them with a spear. As soon as they appeared, he lunged at Lu Xiaoran with his spear.
Lu Xiaoran barely dodged and realized he had underestimated the goblin king. This was a genuine B-rank monster, far beyond his current strength. Roman, however, had different plans. He told Lu Xiaoran to stay back as he prepared to attack.
He engaged the goblin king without using any spiritual energy, fighting solely with his fists. Lu Xiaoran knew this maniac Roman intended to use the goblin king as a punching bag to test his strength.
Meanwhile, Vik was still trying to communicate with the slime. He coughed and began speaking in Japanese.
After concluding that the slime was normal, I sighed and glanced at it. Roman and Lu Xiaoran were doing well; the competition's winner would emerge soon. Looking back at the slime, I realized it was the first monster to interact with me for this long.
While I pondered, the slime jumped down from the chair. I didn't stop it as it hopped away toward the forest, making that cute "phew! phew!" sound. Soon, it reached the forest's edge. I felt a strong urge to adopt it as a pet. But for some reason, I decided to let it go. Perhaps it was meant for a different destiny. With a heavy heart, I watched as it entered the forest. Just before disappearing, it looked back at me, seemingly thanking me for the food, then bounced excitedly. I waved goodbye.
We bid farewell. My first monster friend was on its way. It might be a mindless slime, but I would remember it and this day as the moment I became friends with a slime in another world dungeon.
Just as I reflected on this, the system's voice came to mind. "Host, what was that creature?"
"System, didn't you know? It's the classic slime from fantasy worlds and my first monster friend."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but this world or any I know doesn't have any creature called slime."
Hearing this, I looked back at the forest, searching for any trace of the slime, but found nothing. I even flew through the whole forest, but it remained missing. Finally accepting my defeat, I looked at the sky and laughed. "It was really a good day."