A Warm Night

The campfire dispelled the darkness, its flames piercing the glistening green gel. The Slime's body shimmered with an amber luster, like a gemstone.

Chen Yu slumped into a liquid puddle on a tree stump, comfortably basking in the warm fire.

Seja was right; monsters were indeed afraid of fire.

The moment he saw the fire, the Slime felt a primal fear, but it was quickly suppressed by the "Slime Warrior" ability.

Seja sat nearby, skewering Moss Monsters with a stick and roasting them over the fire, their fat sizzling.

The aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air. Monsters stirred in the darkness but dared not approach.

Firstly, the roaring flames instilled a primal fear in them.

Secondly, there was the seemingly harmless Slime by the campfire.

Any predator with a modicum of intelligence could sense the danger radiating from it.

It was at least on par with a Stinger Bee.

They hesitated, then quietly retreated.

Seja, keeping watch, let out a sigh of relief and handed Chen Yu a roasted Moss Monster on an oak branch.

Watching the Slime voraciously devour the skewer beside her, she felt a momentary impulse to touch it, a feeling akin to blasphemy.

"Seja, aren't you eating?"

Chen Yu looked up at the dazed Seja, feeling puzzled.

"Oh...!"

Seja snapped back to reality, feeling ashamed of her fleeting thought.

"Seja, what were you thinking?"

"That is an emissary of Puto. You must show reverence."

"Reverence."

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and returned to the solemn and sacred task of grilling for the emissary.

The Moss Monster was perfectly roasted, tender yet sizzling with fat, infused with the woody fragrance, whetting Chen Yu's appetite.

After devouring several more Moss Monsters, he inquired about the outside world.

"Are you the only Scale Shedder left in the tribe? Are any companions looking for you?"

"Huh? What?"

Seja blinked, only then realizing what Chen Yu had asked.

Her mood turned somber.

"The corrupted faith spread during the Winter Year. Back then, not many in the tribe believed in the corrupted Morgul's Lizardfolk. Then..."

"Priest Zulok publicly called upon our people to embrace corruption. He claimed that the corrupted Morgul would grant us enough strength to hunt larger beasts and monsters like the Gnolls, so we wouldn't go hungry..."

"And so you believed him?"

Chen Yu swallowed a Moss Monster, his gaze filled with curiosity.

"Some of our people did. Amidst hunger and cold, the tribe erupted into fierce conflict. My father... died resisting Zulok... I then organized the last remaining Scale Shedder force with my sister, escaping Zulok's encirclement and hiding in the Swamp Forest."

"We were exiles for months, surviving dangers by relying on our faith in nature, until spring finally arrived..."

"But we were still forced to separate due to the Gnoll pursuit... I still don't know if my sister is alive."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes, her name is Semiya. She was the bravest warrior in our tribe. Under the witness of our people, she single-handedly slew a terrifying Bear Goblin and completed the tribal trial bathed in blood."

"Trial?"

Chen Yu latched onto the keyword.

"That's right. It's a ritual passed down through generations in our Scaleclaw Tribe. When a Lizardfolk defeats an impossibly strong enemy under the witness of the tribe, they receive a blessing from the Spirit of Life, becoming stronger and more formidable."

This is just like a Prestige Title.

Chen Yu was now certain. The native creatures of Zeyarila capable of obtaining Prestige Titles seemed to have entered a higher state of existence.

Just like him.

He had evolved from a common monster to an elite one.

Even though an elite Slime could still be easily crushed by some monsters, it was at least a good start.

Chen Yu had wanted to ask more, but seeing Seja lost in memory, he ultimately remained silent, allowing her to contemplate alone.

The night deepened, and the glow of the luminescent moss grew dimmer.

The campfire still burned, but the flames were no longer enough to dispel the heavy darkness. It was gradually being surrounded, shrinking to the front of the shelter built from branches and leaves.

"Sleep now. Remember to add firewood in the middle of the night."

Chen Yu hopped onto a rock a little further from the campfire, feeling the cool, damp air and replenishing the moisture in his body.

Basking in the fire was incredibly comfortable for him, but it tended to dry out his gel, so he couldn't stay by it all the time.

"You don't mind if I squeeze in, do you?"

Seja crawled onto the bed of leaves and asked cautiously.

Chen Yu didn't reply. He was slumped on a rock, circulating the Three Origins Sect's cultivation method, the Kaiyuan Scroll, already deep in meditation.

Zeyarila's spiritual energy was quite thin, but even a little was better than nothing.

The most concentrated periods were at night and in the early morning, perfect for cultivation.

Cultivating together provided better results.

As it entered its cultivation state, the Slime's body began to emit a faint glow. Tiny, almost imperceptible points of light quietly seeped from the surrounding air, soil, and even leaves, swirling around it.

The light was soft and pure, sacred and natural, as if it condensed the essence of moonlight, bringing a sense of peace.

Seja lay on the bed of leaves, watching this scene. Her heart, which should have been uneasy due to the unfamiliar environment, inexplicably calmed down, like a drifting boat finding a tranquil harbor.

She softly murmured a prayer to Puto, her eyelids growing heavy. Eventually, she fell asleep, her breathing steady and long.

She slept soundly.

Over the next few days, Chen Yu practiced the Lesser Arrow Technique while waiting for Seja's injuries to heal.

Unknowingly, four days flashed by. During this time, no Lizardfolk or Gnolls came looking for them.

Ignoring Seja, their new resident, the Swamp Forest was practically no different than before.

On this day, Chen Yu felt like it had grown a bit bigger, as if its old Beetle helmet had become a little tight.

--

Race: Acid Slime

Level: Black Iron Lv.3 [EXP: 0/30]

Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Lv.3 [Spiritual Power: 12/30]

Life Status: Healthy [HP: 105/105]

Racial Talent: Devour and Digest Lv.2

Other Talents: Acid Secretion Lv.2

Skill List: Kaiyuan Scroll Lv.4, Object Manipulation Technique Lv.3, Lesser Arrow Technique Lv.1, Sound Transmission Technique Lv.1

Prestige Title: Slime Warrior (An inexperienced Slime)

--

To be honest, after leveling up to Black Iron Lv.3, it only felt a bit tougher and more resilient. Other than that, there seemed to be no other changes.

Oh, wait.

Its Magic Organ could now condense more acid at once.

Chen Yu lurked in the swamp, observing the busy Oak Territory—Stinger Bees hovered around the oak trees, raising and harvesting Moss Monsters, while that group of Beetles still lingered beneath the tree, refusing to leave.

The two sides seemed to be in a stalemate.

However, after these days of recovery, Seja's injuries had completely healed.

It felt like the time had come.

It was time to drive these monsters out of its territory.