Morning.
The sky was gray and overcast, but at least it wasn't raining.
The swamp's rotting stench grew ever more oppressive, like a stone pressing down on the heart of every Demonic Beast.
Even the Moss Monsters in the breeding grounds had lost their appetites. Though Stinger Bees delivered their favorite moss and rotten leaves right to their mouths, they could not be bothered to lean over and take a bite.
Beneath Oak Swamp, Little Card the crocodile quietly surfaced, warily observing the busy Stinger Bees in the territory, the beetles hauling goods, and the Slimes bouncing around everywhere.
Today was its third day since joining the Swamp Great Demon King's castle.
As the lowest-ranking creature here, it had to stay alert for any Demonic Beast that approached, especially those little Slimes that treated crocodiles like toys.
Yesterday, it had even seen little Slimes pawing at those terrifying Stinger Bees and using beetles as stepping stones.
It was simply too terrifying.
Whimper...
Today, it had to work hard not to become a Slime's toy too.
It secretly watched for quite a while, inexplicably missing the days when it had explored the swamp alongside the King.
It seemed that as long as the King was around, all the things in the swamp that frightened crocodiles were not quite so terrifying.
Clack, clack...
What was the King doing today?
Its little eyes turned toward the Oak treehouse above.
The King must be undergoing a grueling King's Trial.
Inside the treehouse, a Slime lay sprawled across a leaf bed, sleeping soundly.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yu gradually woke from his dreams. The moment he opened his eyes, he discovered that it was already noon.
His hazy consciousness instantly cleared.
"Damn it, did I advance or not?"
Last night, he had ridden Little Card deep into the swamp to explore, finally gathering enough experience to level up. Yet the moment he returned to the castle, his consciousness had turned muddled. He only remembered climbing into the treehouse on instinct before falling completely asleep.
He bounced around in a circle to inspect himself. His body was still the same size, sweet Life Fluid and Hallucinogenic Factor still flowed through his gel, and stomach acid churned at just the right moment, bubbling up with a gurgling sound.
There was no change in his body, so what exactly had advanced?
He instinctively looked at his 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 Slime Just Starting Out)
Huh?
Splitting?
Huh—!
Splitting?!
On Swift Bee Forest Path, taking advantage of the rainless day, Yano followed the poison bees along the road back to the castle, preparing to report the progress of the campaign to his boss.
Recently, quite a few adventurers had headed south to hunt Corrupted Lizardfolk, earning double bounties from the Rotten Moss Tribe and the Adventurers Guild. However, they were only operating in small teams, and overall posed little threat to the Scaleclaw Tribe.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he had used the prestige of "Miracle" Yano to persuade the Guild's adventurers. He had already gathered an adventurer party of several dozen people in Iron Boot Town. If all went smoothly, they could follow the Lizardfolk south to launch the campaign tomorrow.
Such a major matter naturally had to be reported to the boss.
It also gave him a chance to come over and get a few needles stuck in him.
Otherwise, his heart kept itching, and he always felt that the petrification was about to flare up again.
Following the familiar trail, he quickly returned to the mist-shrouded area. He stretched out a hand to test it and met no obstruction, entering the mist without trouble.
"Boss, I'm back."
Yano called toward the treehouse. While waiting for his boss to come down, he curiously examined the Demonic Beasts busily at work throughout the castle.
Huh?
He suddenly noticed that there was a little crocodile in the swamp.
Could it be a pet raised by the boss?
Yet this crocodile did not seem particularly welcoming of his arrival.
And judging from its appearance, it was definitely vicious. It might bite him the moment he reached out his hand.
After all, it was a demon's pet. Ferocity was only natural. Fortunately, it was not some three-headed hellhound.
Wait, that did not seem right either. Its crocodile form might be a disguise...
Just as Yano's thoughts were running wild, a little Slime bounced down from the treehouse.
At first, he thought it was one of the little Slimes living among the tree roots. Yet the moment it landed, tree roots lifted it up and dropped it into his arms.
"Good morning."
Chen Yu's voice suddenly rang in his mind. Yano jolted in fright before finally coming back to his senses.
"Boss... why did you... shrink?"
Amid his astonishment, Yano felt that the tiny boss seemed to have lost a little of his demonic majesty.
"Isn't it normal for Slimes to split?"
"I suppose so."
But why could he not remember there being a kind of Splitting Slime in Swamp Forest? Most of them were ordinary mucus Slimes, were they not?
"Why did you come here?"
Yano hurriedly told him about the campaign, then voiced his concerns at the end.
"I always feel those Lizardfolk who worship corruption won't stay quiet... Tomorrow's campaign might not go too smoothly."
"Mm... I'll keep watch."
"Take my split body back with you later. I want to see how the signal is."
"Signal? Oh."
The boss was speaking strange demon code again.
After undergoing an acupuncture treatment in the castle, Yano felt instantly refreshed. He then carried his palm-sized boss back with him.
He still did not know what the Slime in his arms represented.
Perhaps it could save his life at a critical moment.
As Chen Yu watched Yano depart, he also shared the vision of the little Slime in Yano's arms.
Lv.1 Splitting Proliferation was still very weak. Consuming 10% of his gel only allowed him to split off one individual with 5% of his attributes and one other talent, while continuously taking up part of his bodily capacity.
Yet the wonder of this talent did not lie in how powerful the split individual was, but in the many marvelous uses it could lead to.
For example, it could serve as an automatic translator, allowing him to communicate fluently with others in the future without having to press up against them.
For another, he could equip a split body with his Life Drain talent and use it as a blood pack when necessary, saving someone's life.
Losing one split body meant little to him. With Life Drain, he could quickly replenish the lost gel.
More importantly, a split body was like a camera connected to him, letting him squat in the castle while seeing the world outside.
Unfortunately, this connection had a range limit.
As Yano left Swamp Forest and crossed beyond the riverbank, the little Slime's vision grew increasingly blurry and choppy until it disappeared completely.
The range was farther than he had expected, but still nowhere near enough to reach Adventurer Town across the river.
"I still need to keep leveling up."
Night, Scaleclaw Tribe tent.
The swaying campfire cast leaping shadows across the thick canvas. Three or four Lizardfolk stood behind those shadows, their faces impossible to see.
"Priest, tomorrow, those traitors will come with the greedy humans."
"Are we really not retreating?"
At the center of their gathering, a figure lay coiled atop a thick grass mat. It was Zulok, the old priest of the Scaleclaw Tribe and the culprit who had killed Seja's father.
The old priest's sagging eyelids drooped low, and his dull scales bore the marks of countless storms. Faced with the Lizardfolk's anxious questions, he merely slowly raised his clouded eyes.
"Darm, your faith in Morgul's power is not devout enough."
"I..."
The old priest Zulok's aged face flickered uncertainly in the firelight. "We Scaleclaws are not alone."
"The Rotten Moss Tribe, Seja, Semiya, humans... heh heh, they are all nothing but food."
The Lizardfolk froze for a moment, then immediately understood the old priest's meaning.
"Allies?"
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