The sun had barely crept above the rooftops of Silverhaven when Selena arrived at the guild hall, her boots clicking softly on the wooden floor. Her white tunic, now a little looser after days of movement, had been cleaned with care the night before. A copper badge hung from her belt, simple and modest, but it was hers.
Red was already there, sipping his usual black coffee in the corner, a thin stream of steam rising like smoke from a campfire. He didn't need to say anything. He just gave her a glance and a slight lift of his cup.
Selena (grinning): "Morning."
She darted straight to the mission board, scanning with wide eyes.
Her finger landed on one quest and stayed there:
Mission: Slime Population Control – EastfieldReward: 2 Silver (increased activity reported – caution advised)Note: Adventurers should not travel alone past noon. Possibility of larger variant.
Selena (whispering): "Larger variant?"
She didn't hesitate. She grabbed the paper and marched toward the front desk.
Receptionist: "Back again, Selena? You're moving fast."
Selena: "I want to get stronger."
The woman smiled, nodding as she stamped the form.
Receptionist: "Be careful. It's still a slime quest, but the reward's higher for a reason."
Selena glanced over her shoulder. Red was still leaning against the wall. Watching. Waiting.
Outside the East Gate
The morning air was crisp, the sky cloudless. Dew clung to the grass along the worn dirt path, glittering in the early sun. A few other adventurers were already trickling toward different roads, but Selena and Red veered east, the same familiar trail they had walked two days prior.
The same forest edge, the same rolling hill.
But this time, Selena walked a bit faster. Her grip on her dagger was a little more confident.
The slimes were already bouncing in the field when they arrived — round, jelly-like, and vibrant in colors from pink to blue. They blinked with curious little eyes, tilting side to side like overgrown fruit gummies.
Selena: "Let's do this."
Red: "Have fun."
She dashed forward, low to the ground, dagger ready. The first slime squeaked as it lunged, she pivoted, slashing across its side. The blade dug in cleanly this time, her motion smoother, the grip firmer. The creature deflated with a soft pop of sound, and a spray of harmless goo.
Selena wiped her arm, smiled, and ran for the next one.
An Hour Later
Her leather armor was splattered, but her breathing was calm. A small pile of defeated slimes lay in the field, dissolving into the earth. The quest had said "Population Control," and she was well on her way.
Red remained perched beneath a tree, a silent sentinel.
That was when the wind shifted. And the field grew still.
The birds stopped chirping.
A squelching sound came from deeper within the woods. Heavy. Wet. Slow.
Selena paused. Her hand tightened around her dagger as the tall grass parted.
Out came something huge.
It was a slime, but unlike the others, a towering mound of translucent pink jelly, easily the size of a cart. In its center pulsed a glowing core, like a beating heart. It dragged itself forward with unsettling grace, and several smaller slimes trailed behind it like droplets.
A crown-shaped ripple rose atop its head, a visual mutation, not metal, but oddly shaped.
Selena (gasping): "A Queen…?"
She turned to Red.
He didn't move. He didn't even flinch.
Red: "Figure it out."
Selena swallowed hard. Her first boss.
She knew she could run. Return to the guild. Call for backup. She was still a rookie, after all.
But her hand didn't move from the dagger.
Selena: "I can do this…"
The Battle
The Slime Queen shrieked, a high-pitched, echoing warble, and three mini-slimes leapt at Selena in unison. She spun, ducked, and stabbed, skewering one midair. The others bounced past and turned to attack again.
She dropped low, rolled, and slashed again. One went down. Then another.
Then the Queen struck.
It surged forward, a massive wall of pink, trying to envelop her entirely. She leapt aside, her boot sliding in the wet grass. The edge of her tunic sizzled where a glob of jelly grazed her shoulder — it stung, slightly acidic.
Selena: "Okay. No more mistakes."
She circled the monster, watching for patterns. The Queen shuddered, then reared back. That glow in the core, it pulsed faster now.
Selena: "The core… that's the weak spot."
She charged forward. The Queen responded with a whip-like tendril, swiping horizontally. Selena ducked under it, slid across the grass, and drove her dagger forward, aiming straight for the glowing center.
The blade sank in, not deep, but enough to make the Queen tremble violently. Goo splattered in every direction.
Selena: "Got you!"
The creature shuddered again, pulled back, and collapsed. The goo spread, the crown rippling before fading entirely. Its glow died.
Silence fell.
Selena stood in the center of the field, panting, dagger dripping.
And then…
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Red.
Slow, deliberate clapping.
Red: "Not bad."
Selena beamed, barely able to suppress the grin forming on her face.
Selena: "I… I killed a boss."
Red: "You did."
She ran a hand through her hair, then caught herself, her fingers sticky with goo.
Selena: "Ugh, I'm disgusting."
Red: "Victory perfume."
Back at the Guild
The walk back felt different.
The breeze on her face, the feel of her boots on the cobblestones, everything was brighter, warmer.
Inside the guild hall, she approached the receptionist again, holding her slime tags and a chunk of the Queen's crystalized core.
The woman blinked.
Receptionist: "You took the control quest alone?"
Selena (grinning): "And beat a boss variant."
Receptionist: "Well… damn. Two silver, plus a bonus. First time we've seen that variant in weeks."
The coin hit the desk with a solid clink. Selena gathered them in her hand, weighing them like they were sacred.
She turned to Red, who had already reclaimed his spot in the corner.
Selena: "Thanks for watching."
Red: "Didn't do anything."
Selena: "That's exactly why I'm thanking you."
He looked at her, then at the crowd of adventurers buzzing nearby, their attention starting to drift her way. One or two pointed.
Word was spreading.
Rookie. Solo kill. Slime Queen.
Red: "They'll start noticing you now."
Selena: "Good."
That night, as she bathed the last of the slime off her arms and legs, Selena looked at her reflection in the washbasin mirror. Her blue eyes were brighter. Her skin was bruised and scratched.
But her smile?
Unshakeable.
Not because she was strong yet.
Not because she was special.
But because she had chosen to fight, and didn't run.
She touched the edge of her copper badge.
Selena: "Rookie… for now."