Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 33: Jaskal

Episode 33: Jaskal

“I finally found you, Jewel Slime! Your <Soul Fragments> is mine!”

As I was munching on the Treant tree, preparing to move, a muscular man carrying a spear appeared in the clearing. He had four companions with him, but they all looked a bit worn out.

“F-finally found it…”

“Our three days of effort… finally paid off…”

“Hmph, pathetic. You guys are exhausted because you’re not as tough as me.”

Leaving his companions at the edge of the clearing, the muscular man began ascending the slope alone.

“Watch as I ascend to a new level! Just as we planned, I’ll take it on by myself!”

“””Yes, sir!”””

It seemed he wanted to hog all my <Soul Fragments> for himself. His companions didn’t seem to mind. Either way, it didn’t matter to me.

“(I’m not obligated to stick around for this!)”

I stopped dissolving the Treant tree and prepared to make my escape. From his description—a muscular spear-wielder—this guy was likely the advanced adventurer named Jaskal I’d heard about yesterday. He might even be stronger than that old man, or at least have some [Skill] that ignores defenses.

Running away was the only choice.

“Don’t even think about running away! [Dark Iron Dome]!”

“(What the—!?)”

I felt an explosive surge of |Mana|. Immediately afterward, a wall of dark iron rose from the hillside, curving inward and completely enclosing the clearing. It was like someone had flipped a massive iron pot upside down over us.

The sunlight was blocked out, plunging the clearing into darkness.

“Saving my |Mana| was worth it. No matter how quick the Jewel Slime is, there’s no escape now! And without [Night Vision], you won’t even know where I am!”

Well, I do have [Night Vision]. 

And shouting like that while charging straight at me—won’t I just hear your footsteps? 

It wasn’t even some sort of clever tactic to mislead me about his attack direction.

Jaskal (as I assumed) charged straight toward me and thrust his spear.

“Take this, [Heavy Thrust]!”

“(Whoa, close one!)”

“What!?”

I dodged by leaping aside. The thrust hit the tree, leaving a huge hole. Quite powerful. His running speed was about the same as a beefed-up goblin’s, so I should consider him on par with a mighty beast.

“Damn, can it actually see—”

“Yeah, I can see.”

“—!?”

Jaskal’s eyes widened, more shocked than when I dodged his attack. He stepped back half a step, lowering his stance into a cautious posture.

“This voice in my head… it’s you, Slime?”

“Yeah. So, it’d be nice if you could put down your weapon.”

“…If you want to talk, I’ll listen.”

Jaskal relaxed his stance. He wasn’t completely letting his guard down, but it didn’t seem like he would attack immediately either.

“Thanks. The truth is, I’m not an evil Slime. I would never attack humans. So, could you let me go just this once?”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“Yeah… I know it’s hard to prove, but I’m asking you to trust me.”

Even I knew this was a tall order. I’d been running away all this time because I didn’t think anyone would believe me. But to my surprise, Jaskal’s response was unexpected.

“Alright, I’ll believe you.”

“Seriously!?”

Now it was my turn to be surprised.

Jaskal, who had unexpectedly agreed, approached me with a sly grin.

“Yeah, sure. When I get back to town, I’ll report that you weren’t an evil Slime—”

Suddenly, Jaskal accelerated.

“—and that you became my <Soul Fragments> without resistance!”

“Whoa, close one!”

I narrowly dodged the sudden thrust. If I hadn’t been ready to jump at any moment, it might’ve hit me. Jaskal continued his swift attacks, but with [Instant Shift] and [Flee], dodging wasn’t too difficult. I even had enough leeway to complain as I evaded.

“Why are you attacking me? Weren’t you going to trust me!?”

“Hah! No one’s going to blame me for killing a magical beast! There’s no way I’m wasting high <Soul Fragments>! Now just die quietly!”

“Stop it! I’ll report you to the Slime Protection Agency!”

“Never heard of that!”

My desperate attempts at negotiation were in vain, and the peace talks broke down completely. My attention then shifted to the dark iron wall. I tried attacking it while fleeing, but it didn’t seem like it would break easily. If it weren’t for that, I could escape…

“(Hmm, will it disappear if I defeat this guy?)”

It’s a common trope in manga that spells dissipate when the caster dies or loses consciousness.

However, in the case of the slender goblin who wielded steel and had similar abilities, his weapon didn’t disappear even after he died.

“(Well, either way, I can’t try other methods if this guy is still moving around freely. For now, I’ll knock him out.)”

With that plan set, all that was left was to execute it.

“Damn, for such a big guy, you’re pretty nimble!”

“Slaa!”

I jumped back with some force to create distance. Jaskal, not wanting to let me escape, stepped in even more aggressively. That’s when I threw a rock I had picked up earlier while moving.

“Hah, I know you slimes use stones for throwing!”

“(?)”

What he said piqued my curiosity, but I needed to stay focused on the fight. Jaskal tried to deflect the rock aimed at his face with his spear. At that moment, I closed the gap using [Aerial Jump] and [Charge].

“What the!?”

Caught off guard by the sudden assault, Jaskal’s eyes widened. He hastily tried to counter by swinging his spear, but that was a mistake. Even though he put a lot of force into the hasty action, there was no way his spear could push back my mass. His thrust, lacking any special defense-ignoring properties, was easily deflected.

“Damn it—”

“Slaa Slaa!”

At close range, I morphed my body to envelop him completely. Jaskal struggled, but he couldn’t overcome my |Toughness|.

“—! —! ……”

Eventually, his resistance ceased. He must have suffocated. At the same time, the dark iron dome vanished. It seemed my prediction was correct.

“””Brooooother!!”””

“I’m giving him back, so take responsibility and get him home.”

I tossed Jaskal’s limp body towards his companions, who screamed in horror at the sight. It landed right on the backs of the four who had fled, using them as a cushion, so Jaskal seemed unharmed.

“””Ahhh! Aaahhhh!!”””

“And don’t come back here again!”

The four quickly retreated, carrying Jaskal with them. Since they made it this far, they should be able to manage the return trip, too. Not feeling particularly obligated to help them any further, I swung around the spear I had taken from Jaskal as I watched them go.