Lucien stepped onto the fourth level of the dungeon.
The moment his boots touched the ground, two familiar presences stirred.
Life and Death Slimes.
They bounced lightly in place as if they were welcoming him. They looked like they understood that this moment was the end of a long journey.
Lucien's gaze drifted upward. Floating in the air above them was the final shard. It pulsed faintly with otherworldly radiance.
Within it, a vision took shape.
The Primordial Slime.
It doesn't look like a colossal beast of legend nor some divine monstrosity that towered over the world. It was a simple... translucent slime.
It was surrounded by a halo of blinding light... yet retaining the same humble form as the weak, pitiful creatures Lucien had fought in the Academy dungeons.
It was almost laughable. That something so unassuming had once carried the weight of the world itself.
