Slimes Must Know How to Split

Morning.

The sky was gray, but at least it wasn't raining.

The swamp's stench of decay grew heavier, pressing down on every monster's heart like a stone.

Even the Moss Monsters in the farm had lost their appetites. Though the Stinger Bees brought their favorite rotten moss leaves to their mouths, they were too listless to even nibble.

And beneath the Oak Swamp, Little Card the crocodile quietly surfaced, cautiously observing the busy Stinger Bees in its territory, the Beetles hauling goods, and the Slimes hopping about everywhere.

Today was the third day since it had joined the Swamp Great Demon King's Castle.

As the lowest-ranking being here, it had to constantly be wary of any approaching monsters, especially the little Slimes that treated crocodiles like toys.

Yesterday, it had even seen the little Slimes playing with those terrifying Stinger Bees and using Beetles as stepping stones.

It was truly terrifying.

Wuwu...

Today, it had to work hard not to become a Slime's toy.

After quietly observing for a while, it inexplicably missed the days when it explored the swamp with the King.

It seemed that as long as the King was around, nothing in the swamp that scared crocodiles was that terrifying anymore.

Crunch crunch...

What was the King doing today?

Its small eyes glanced towards the Oak House high above.

He must be undergoing a grueling trial of kingship.

Inside the treehouse, a ball of Slime was sprawled on a bed of leaves, fast asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yu gradually woke from his slumber. The moment he opened his eyes, he realized it was already noon.

His hazy consciousness instantly cleared.

"Crap, did I actually promote?"

Last night, he had ridden Little Card to explore the depths of the swamp and finally accumulated enough experience to level up. He hadn't expected that as soon as he returned to the castle, his consciousness would become so muddled. He only remembered climbing into the treehouse instinctively before falling completely asleep.

He bounced around and observed. His body was still the same size. Sweet life fluid and hallucinogenic factors still flowed within his gel. His stomach acid churned at the right time, producing bubbles and a gurgling sound.

His body hadn't changed, so what exactly had he promoted to?

He subconsciously looked at his status panel.

Race: Splitting Slime
Level: Bronze Lv.4 [EXP: 0/40]
Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Lv.4 [Spiritual Power: 3/40]
Life Status: Healthy [HP: 230/230]
Racial Talents: Devour and Digest Lv.4, Splitting Proliferation Lv.1
Other Talents: Acid Secretion Lv.4, Toxin Resistance Lv.4, Tough Carapace Lv.3, Hallucinogenic Factor Lv.2, Life Drain Lv.1
Skill List: Nine Terraces Palace Creation Art Lv.1, Object Manipulation Technique Lv.4, Lesser Arrow Technique Lv.3, Sound Transmission Technique Lv.3, Talisman Drawing Technique Lv.2
Prestige Title: Slime Warrior (A novice Slime)

Huh?

Splitting?

Huh--!

Splitting?!

On the Swift Bee Forest Path, Yano took advantage of the clear weather to follow the Stinger Bees on their way back to the castle, preparing to report the progress of the subjugation to his boss.

Recently, many adventurers had been heading south to hunt Corrupted Lizardfolk, earning double bounties from the Rotten Moss Tribe and the Adventurer's Guild. However, they were only operating in small teams and, overall, posed no significant threat to the Scaleclaw Tribe.

He had seized the opportunity, leveraging his prestige as "Miracle" Yano, to persuade adventurers from the Guild. He had already assembled a group of dozens of adventurers in Iron Boot Town. If all went well, they would be able to head south with the Lizardfolk tomorrow for the subjugation.

Such a major event naturally had to be reported to the boss.

He could also take this opportunity to get a few injections.

Otherwise, his heart would always itch, and he'd feel like his petrification was about to relapse.

He followed the familiar path and quickly returned to the misty area. He reached out to test it and encountered no obstruction, smoothly entering the mist.

"Boss, I'm back."

Yano called out towards the treehouse. While waiting for his boss to come down, he curiously observed the busy monsters in the castle.

Huh?

He suddenly noticed a small crocodile in the swamp.

Could it be the boss's pet?

But this crocodile didn't seem to welcome his arrival.

And looking at its appearance, it must be fierce, probably ready to bite him if he reached out.

After all, it's a demon's pet, so ferocity is normal. Fortunately, it's not some hellhound.

Wait, that doesn't sound right either. A crocodile's appearance might just be its disguise...

While Yano was lost in thought, a small slime hopped down from the treehouse.

At first, he thought it was a small slime that lived in the treetop, but he didn't expect the slime to be lifted by tree roots as soon as it landed on the ground, falling into his arms.

"Good morning."

Chen Yu's voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Yano jumped in fright before coming to his senses.

"Boss... how did you... shrink?"

As Yano exclaimed in surprise, he felt that the small boss seemed to have lost some of his demonic majesty.

"Isn't it normal for slimes to split?"

"That seems to be the case."

But how could he not remember there being Splitting Slimes in the Swamp Forest? Most of them were ordinary Slimes, right?

"Why are you here?"

Yano quickly told him about the subjugation, and then expressed his concerns.

"I have a feeling those lizardfolk who worship corruption won't be too peaceful... Tomorrow's crusade might not go smoothly."

"Mmm... I'll keep an eye on it."

"Take my split individual back with you later. I want to see how the signal is."

"Signal? Oh."

The boss was speaking some strange demonic jargon again.

After an acupuncture session in the castle, Yano, feeling relaxed, returned with the palm-sized boss in his arms.

He didn't yet know what the slime in his arms meant.

It might save his life at a critical moment.

As Chen Yu watched Yano leave, he also shared the vision of the small slime in Yano's arms.

The Lv.1 Splitting Proliferation was still very weak. It consumed 10% of his gel to split out one individual with 5% of his stats and another with a different talent, constantly straining his body.

But the magic of this talent wasn't in how powerful the split individuals were, but in the various wondrous uses it enabled.

For example, it could act as an automatic translator, allowing for smooth communication without needing to get close to others in the future.

Or, it could equip the split individual with his Life Drain talent, allowing it to be used as a blood pack in emergencies, saving a life.

Losing a split individual meant little to him; he could quickly replenish the lost gel with Life Drain.

More importantly, a split individual was like a connected camera, allowing him to see the outside world while staying in the castle.

However, it was regrettable that the connection had a distance limit.

As Yano left the Swamp Forest and crossed the riverbank, the small slime's vision became increasingly blurry and laggy, until it completely disappeared.

This distance was farther than he had anticipated, but still nowhere near the Adventurer Town on the other side.

"I need to keep upgrading."

Night, Scaleclaw Tribe tent.

The flickering bonfire cast dancing shadows on the thick canvas. Three or four lizardfolk stood behind the shadows, their faces obscured.

"Priest, tomorrow, those traitors will attack with the greedy humans."

"Are we really not going to retreat?"

In the center of their huddle, a figure lay on a thick grass mat. It was Zulok, the old priest of the Scaleclaw Tribe, the very one who had killed Seja's father.

The old priest's loose eyelids drooped, and his dull scales were weathered by time. Facing the impatient questions of these lizardfolk, he slowly raised his cloudy eyes.

"Dam, you lack piety towards Morgul's power."

"I..."

Old Priest Zulok's aged face flickered darkly in the firelight. "We Scaleclaws are not alone."

"The Rotten Moss Tribe, Seja, Semiya, humans... Heh heh, they are all just food."

The lizardfolk froze for a moment, then immediately understood the old priest's meaning.

"Allies?"