His idea was soon proven true.
Gray mist drifted through the forest, sinking like ghosts as it searched... before finally pouncing unerringly upon every Demonic Beast.
There was no precise targeting, only a pure, primal attraction.
Gray mist rushing toward the swamp reflected in Chen Yu's tiny mung-bean eyes. His instincts roared with longing for this gray mist of unknown origin, but reason dragged him back into the depths of the foul, rotting mud.
He soon discovered that hiding was meaningless. The gray mist slipped through every crack, ignoring solid matter like real ghosts as it burrowed into his body.
Hiss... it seemed a little itchy.
A Slime's senses were simple, capable of feeling little besides pressure and pain. This was the first time his body had ever experienced the sensation of "itchiness."
Yet as the gray mist continued to pour in, the itch vanished, replaced by a floaty sensation, as though he were drifting atop clouds—relaxed and at ease, making him unable to stop.
Wait...
This was bad.
It was ice!
[Will Check · Passed]
[Race Check · Failed]
[You have entered an abnormal state (Greed)]
By the time he realized it, it was already too late. An inexplicable agitation had silently spread throughout his body.
His body shrieked. Every bit of gel trembled hungrily, screaming for more, more Mana... He floated upward against his will, wanting to reach the source of that Mana, greedily devour it, tear at it... possess it completely!
His green gel head emerged from the swamp, and the world that had once contained only white noise was suddenly filled with the furious roar of torrential rain.
The wind roared, and the forest trembled.
Raindrops the size of beans slapped against Chen Yu's head. Threads of icy cold and pain seeped deep into his mind, jolting him awake and dragging him back from the abyss of desire.
Looking around through the hazy curtain of rain, he caught glimpses of many Demonic Beasts flashing past amid the moss's glow in the darkness. Some were as small as rats, while others were as large as wild boars. All of them were chasing the source of the unknown Mana.
Though the pounding rain had long drowned out the world around him, amid that chaotic clamor, Chen Yu could still clearly catch the heart-pounding howls piercing through the rain.
Those were the roars of beasts from deep within the dense forest, low and violent, carrying a primitive, barbaric force that instantly pierced the Fear Instinct buried deep within the Slime's body, making his transparent gelatinous form shake uncontrollably.
"What exactly is in the depths of the forest?"
Chen Yu struggled to restrain his instincts and dove down again.
This time, he did not dare linger outside carelessly. He intended to dive back into the nest.
Halfway there, a green shadow suddenly rose from the murky water and swallowed him whole.
Slime Mother had come out to look for him.
Only after returning to that warm, reassuring gel did Chen Yu's tightly wound nerves gradually relax.
Yet what puzzled him was that Slime Mother seemed completely unaffected by the gray mist's Mana. When they burrowed into the soil, he saw Mud Swamp Worms curled up asleep beneath the earth, equally safe and sound.
Compared to the surface, the underground was strangely quiet.
Then why had he been affected by the gray mist's Mana?
If he had to name any difference between himself and these low-level Demonic Beasts, it was probably that he possessed a Magic Organ.
It seemed the Magic Organ was the key to sensing the gray mist's Mana.
Splat.
Slime Mother squeezed into the nest and placed Chen Yu back in the grass bed.
Slimes were Demonic Beasts that needed sunlight and rain to grow. Thus, through the long cycle of day and night, they had evolved sleep as well. The routine of foraging by day and resting at night had been thoroughly etched into Slime habits.
He landed in the grass bed and shoved aside the glowing Little Ones within. They did not react, merely sleeping quietly, their springy gel bodies rising and falling faintly with their breathing.
That tranquil, reassuring atmosphere affected Chen Yu. Sleepiness surged out like a tide, gradually drowning the island of agitation, while his reason sank along with it.
Who knew how long passed.
He fell asleep.
He slept soundly and deeply.
His somewhat large body rose and fell rhythmically alongside the surrounding Little Ones.
At the entrance of the nest, Slime Mother quietly guarded these little ones through the night.
The next day.
Crisp birdsong filtered through the paper window outside the thatched hut. Chen Yu, lying on the bed, stirred his eyelashes and slowly opened his eyes.
Race: Acid Slime Level: Black Iron Lv.2 [EXP: 6/20] Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Lv.3 [Spiritual Power: 0/30] Life Status: Healthy [HP: 80/80] Racial Talent: Devour and Digest Lv.2 Other Talent: Acid Secretion Lv.2 Skill List: Primordial Origin Treasure Scroll Lv.4, Object Manipulation Technique Lv.3 Prestige Title: None (An obscure Slime)
"Hmm?"
Chen Yu sat up from the wooden bed, only then discovering that while his cultivation had reached the third level of Qi Cultivation, Devour and Digest had also reached Lv.2.
It seemed to be thanks to the gray mist's Mana from last night.
However, the price was that once his conscious perception completely took over his body, waves of hunger immediately rose from his belly, his stomach urging him to eat.
Chen Yu hurriedly got out of bed to light the fire and cook. He took fermented sour bamboo shoots and pickled greens from the vat and ate them with firm white rice. Only after six huge bowls did the tormenting hunger in his stomach gradually ease.
After satisfying his noisy stomach, he felt threads of warmth welling up through his body. He sat back on the wooden bed, his consciousness wholly sinking into the Slime's body.
The commotion caused by last night's downpour had been so great that he could not wait to see what had happened outside.
Inside the Slime Nest, as morning arrived, the Little Ones in the grass bed gradually woke up and hopped about, blinking their mung-bean eyes.
If one had to ask what interested them most, it was naturally "headbutting" their biggest brother and enjoying the thrilling instant of being bounced away. Like a kindergarten slide, it was one of their few forms of entertainment—and their most enjoyable one.
Chen Yu woke from his sleep, his body, originally flattened like a puddle of water, gradually springing back into a three-dimensional shape.
Ignoring the mischievous Little Ones around him, Chen Yu hopped out of the grass bed and saw that Slime Mother had already gone out to forage.
He burrowed out of the nest and swam all the way beneath the rotten mud, stirring the murky water as he floated upward.
Before he even surfaced from the swamp, he vaguely sensed that something had changed within it.
Huh?
Why had the water suddenly turned so green...
He moved closer to look and discovered that this was not water at all. It was clearly one Slime after another swimming beneath the surface.
They were even bigger than him, as if they had suddenly grown overnight.
Seeing his kind, Chen Yu had intended to offer a friendly greeting. Yet three Slimes surrounded him, their pheromones radiating naked provocation, as though they were baring their fangs and snarling, "Get out of here."
Oh...
So they were gangster Slimes.
He guessed these foreign Slimes wanted to fight over swamp territory and had decided to bully him.
"Of all people to pick, you had to pick me."
Naturally, Chen Yu would not be polite with Slime underworld forces. Three Stinger Swords stored within his body, coated in Acid, suddenly shot forth.
Bang... The stingers pierced their bodies. The Slime Acid clinging to them sizzled in the water, causing the Slimes to twist and deform in pain, struggling wildly before fleeing in disgrace.
Chen Yu did not care about those three Stinger Swords either. Over the past few days, he had toyed with Stinger Bees and obtained quite a few stingers. He had hidden some in the Slime Nest, while four more remained concealed inside his body.
After he easily defeated the Slimes that had come to provoke him, the surrounding Slimes watching the fight also realized how terrifying Chen Yu was and silently swam away.
With no Slimes blocking his path, Chen Yu continued rising and surfaced.
Bright sunlight filled his vision. Last night's torrential rain had knocked countless leaves from the forest, and now sunlight could shine upon the swamp without obstruction.
Even the stale, decaying stench that had accumulated in the forest for years had been washed away clean by the rain, making the air much fresher.
He quietly poked out a pair of eyes and observed his surroundings.
Slimes basking in the sun covered the rocks, the moss-covered ground, and even the branches overhead.
Looking toward the swamp oaks ahead, he saw Stinger Bees gathering flesh to repair their nests damaged by the storm; Moss Monsters and Mud Swamp Worms continued feeding beneath the trees as usual.
Farther away, there also seemed to be unfamiliar figures wriggling and crawling.
Beetles, Jumping Mosquitoes, Giant Pincer Ants...
After a night of revelry, Swamp Forest had become much livelier than before. Yet for the weak Slimes living in the forest, that meant more natural enemies and predators. It was hardly good news.
I hope they don't disturb the peace of this land.
After inspecting the surroundings, Chen Yu's attention was drawn to a string of messy footprints on the wet ground.
Before you continue