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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Deep Slime
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Deep Slimes are located in the northern part of the wasteland.
I walked straight, using the sun in the sky as my compass.
A Deep Slime should have appeared by now…
"What's this?"
I furrowed my brow.
Several footprints were etched into the wasteland.
Judging by the length of the prints and the stride, they were clearly human.
'Five of them. Three men and two women.'
This couldn't be a coincidence.
I wasn't the only one after the Deep Slime.
Boss monsters respawn ten days after being hunted.
That was a rule of the tutorial stage.
I have a lot to do; it'd be a pain to come back to the wasteland just for one Deep Slime.
*Boom-!* An explosion echoed in my ears.
Had they already found the Deep Slime?
I pushed power into my legs and ran in the direction of the footprints.
"Gloop!"
"Glooop!"
A few slimes rushed me, but I ignored them.
Before long, the battle scene came into view.
Five players were surrounded by a horde of slimes.
"So it's them."
*Tch-* I clicked my tongue.
I hadn't expected to find competitors in the wasteland.
However, the state of the battle was not good.
"There are too many slimes."
"We're going to be defeated before we can even hunt the Deep Slime!"
The two players acting as tanks screamed.
Smoke rose from their bodies.
Patches of slime mucus were caked all over their armor.
Seeing that it wasn't melting even in the dissolving fluid, they seemed to be wearing pretty decent gear.
Still, it was only a matter of time.
If they couldn't reduce the number of slimes, the outcome was obvious.
"Fire Bolt!"
"Fire…"
"Lightning!"
A bolt of lightning and two fire arrows struck the slimes.
*Bang-* The slimes' bodies swelled up and then exploded with a loud noise.
Two tanks and three ranged dealers.
'They should be able to handle the slime horde.'
But hunting the Deep Slime hiding in the back would be impossible for them.
I guess I'll hunt the Deep Slime myself, as a favor to these poor souls.
As I approached the heat of the battle, the team of players glanced at me.
"Hey, you! Slimes are too tough for a Day 1 player, so don't come any closer!"
One of the tanks shouted.
He must have seen my appearance and mistaken me for an unprepared player.
"You don't need to worry about me."
I stepped toward the slime horde without hesitation.
In the direction of the Deep Slime.
"Gloop!"
A slime spread its body wide.
"Fi…"
One of the ranged dealers hurriedly prepared a fire spell.
Like I said.
"You don't need to worry."
Making me repeat myself.
I swung my arm lightly.
*Pop!* The slime that had spread its body wide burst with a sound like a drum being beaten.
"Huh…?"
One of the players let out a dazed voice.
* * *
Oh Jiwon was a player who had been a weightlifter.
His awakened ability was [Iron Man].
It was a rare ability that granted additional bonus stats with each level up and added options to his defense skills.
Thanks to it, he was scouted by 'Phoenix', one of the top ten guilds in the country, and even received special training before challenging the Tower.
However.
'What is that man?'
Oh Jiwon's eyes trembled.
The man who had astonished him, Jinho, was overwhelming the Deep Slime from start to finish.
Oh Jiwon shifted his gaze to Kim Mijin, his fellow guild member from [Phoenix].
"Deep Slimes only take damage from fire or lightning attacks, right?"
"That's right. Generally speaking."
"Could he have enchanted his hands?"
The Deep Slime's physical defense was much higher than that of the wasteland slimes.
In theory, even a level 50 melee-type hunter would have a hard time damaging that mucus.
Kim Mijin, a fire-type awakened, shook her head.
"I don't feel any magical energy at all. That's pure physical force."
"Heh."
"Team Leader Jiwon. There is one other way to defeat a Deep Slime."
"Targeting the cores embedded in its body?"
A Deep Slime has five cores attached to its body.
Theoretically, it was possible to defeat a Deep Slime by destroying all the cores within its mucus.
"Even the instructor confirmed that was impossible."
Oh Jiwon shook his head from side to side and continued.
"You need the accuracy to strike at the perfect moment, along with immense power, to kill a Deep Slime."
"And it looks like the person doing just that is right over there, doesn't it?"
Kim Mijin's point was correct.
There was no other way to explain how Jinho was defeating the Deep Slime, other than by using that second, supposedly impossible method.
"Just one person. They said someone in the guild hunted a Deep Slime on their first day."
"Who?"
"Guild Master Yang Jeongsoo."
The number two ranker in the country.
A powerhouse who ranks among the top players worldwide.
"Come on, it's a bit much to compare him to the Guild Master just for catching one Deep Slime."
Kim Mijin said with a reluctant expression.
"You never know."
Oh Jiwon muttered calmly.
Whether the prospective Phoenix guild members were surprised or not.
"This thing is as nasty as ever."
Jinho furrowed his brow.
White smoke rose from the back of his hand.
For a regular slime, its dissolving fluid would disappear after destroying its single core.
But the Deep Slime had many cores, making it impossible to avoid contact with its fluid.
Each time a burn mark appeared on Jinho's hand, another core was destroyed.
"Just one left now, huh?"
"Gloooreup!"
The Deep Slime cried out pitifully.
The slime horde moved sluggishly.
Oh Jiwon raised his shield and blocked their path.
"You shall not pass!"
[Taunting Shout]
The slimes flinched.
A taunt skill that made them feel threatened.
It was extremely effective on slimes that moved purely on instinct.
"Jiwon, no, Team Leader Jiwon?"
Kim Mijin's eyes widened.
Oh Jiwon replied with a firm expression.
"Our team will help that player defeat the Deep Slime."
"But the Phoenix Guild gave us the task of bringing back the Deep Slime's corpse."
"If it weren't for that player, we would have been wiped out anyway. It's better to aim for the next one."
"That's… Ugh, I don't know."
Kim Mijin bit her lip hard.
She instantly created a fire arrow and struck the rear of the slimes.
"Gloop!"
"Gloop!"
Oh Jiwon was in the front.
And from behind, the ranged dealers' attacks poured down.
"Gloooreup!!!!"
"Bring it on!"
The pitiful scream of the Deep Slime and Oh Jiwon's shout mingled together.
While the slime horde was trapped, unable to move forward or back.
"You're noisy. Time to go to sleep."
Jinho's fist struck the Deep Slime's final core.
* * *
*Crack!*
The distinct feeling of the impact.
I smiled.
'Damn thing. Such a pain.'
Even with my hand submerged in the slime's mucus.
I no longer felt the searing pain.
[You have hunted the Boss Monster - Deep Slime.]
[You have achieved an outstanding feat. Player Yoo Jinho's name will be recorded in the Tower.]
[Additional rewards will be given upon completion of the tutorial.]
[You have leveled up.]
One level.
And the tutorial rewards were upgraded.
A message I'd heard ad nauseam before my regression.
I felt no great excitement.
I glanced at the group of players with an indifferent expression.
"This thing's corpse is mine."
"As you wish."
"You're yielding more easily than I expected."
Surprising.
This group of players must be rookies from a prominent guild.
I could tell just by looking at their gear.
At least Rare grade. They were decked out in weapons and armor worth hundreds of millions in cash.
They were either rich to begin with.
Or they received support from a guild.
It was obvious, seeing as they'd been moving as a team since the start of the tutorial.
"If it weren't for you, our entire team would have died here."
"That's true."
"We were about to be eliminated from the tutorial so pathetically. We're the ones who owe you a debt of gratitude."
The man spoke in a calm tone.
From what I saw earlier, his movements were quite decent despite his lack of real combat experience.
"What's your name?"
"It's Oh Jiwon."
I stroked my chin.
A name I don't remember.
A player with that much courage, character, and potential should have made quite a name for himself later on.
Or maybe he was eliminated while trying to hunt the Deep Slime recklessly.
After all, dying in the tutorial revokes your player authority.
"You guys."
"Yes?"
"Don't overdo it."
I pointed at Oh Jiwon's team with my index finger.
"W-What? This guy. I tried to be patient, but!"
The woman who used fire magic shouted, her face turning red.
"Ah, I'm not looking down on you."
"If what you just said wasn't looking down on us, then what… Mmph."
"I won't forget the advice you just gave."
Oh Jiwon stepped forward and covered the woman's mouth.
Oh, so he knows how to swallow his pride.
If I really did save a player by regressing, I'm curious to see how that man will grow.
'Am I being too sentimental?'
A bitter smile played on my lips.
The masterminds behind the Tower.
The Old Gods were powerful.
Even the top-tier players who would later be called [Monarchs] struggled to handle a single Old God.
I just hope he doesn't die somewhere for a stupid reason.
I stopped thinking about Oh Jiwon.
The only one I can rely on is myself.
With that in mind, I should get back to what needs to be done.
I plunged my hand deep into the Deep Slime's body and used [Predation].
The Deep Slime's body shriveled.
[Devouring the essence of the Deep Slime.]
[Essence Devoured: 100%]
[Stamina + 4]
[Mana + 3]
[Skill - Acidic Blood has been added.]
[Acidic Blood]
Grade: ★★
Classification: Active
Turns the user's blood into acid.
The acidity level changes depending on the amount of mana consumed.
At first glance, it seems like an ambiguous skill, much like [Dissolve].
But the significance of Acidic Blood lies in the 'concept' of changing the properties of blood itself.
'This is the first step toward divine blood.'
To reach the realm of transcendence, one must meet several conditions.
One of them is divine blood.
Normally, you can only obtain divine blood by receiving a god's protection or by consuming things like nectar or golden apples.
But, you see.
I have absolutely no intention of becoming a pet to the gods.
'The Old Gods are bastards, but the other gods are just bystanders.'
If you receive a god's blessing, you cannot intervene when the Tower encroaches on Earth.
Promised salvation?
They can shove it.
That's why.
I must make full use of [Predation] to reach the realm of transcendence.
It's what I did before my regression.
It won't be difficult.
I've already walked this path once.
It's like solving a math problem when you already know the answer; the process becomes clear.
"The Deep Slime's corpse shriveled up."
"It's the main ingredient for mana recovery potions, so it must be incredibly expensive."
"It wasn't ours to begin with."
I could clearly hear the prospective Phoenix guild members muttering.
I was reminded of my old moniker from before my regression: 'The Man Who Turns Gold to Garbage.'
"No complaints, right?"
"You have the right to it."
"Aim for ten days from now. I don't need this thing anymore."
I can absorb 100% of a rare species' essence with just one Predation.
When they try to raid it again in ten days, they'll be much stronger.
They probably won't have a near-death experience like this time.
"There's one thing I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"Your name."
Ah, right. I asked for his name but never introduced myself.
"Yoo Jinho."
"I will remember it."
"Planning to get revenge for this?"
"No. It's because I want to become as strong as you, Player Yoo Jinho."
Oh Jiwon's eyes burned with firm resolve.
That look in his eyes… not bad.
Still, he's just a guy who died in the future without ever making a name for himself.
"Just try not to die a pointless death."
I said it calmly, but with my own kind of sincerity.