There it was: the quiver of cowardice. The very heresy of structure that betrayed the creature’s mortal anatomy.
My fingers tightened around the hilt. The Slime King heaved forward, and I lunged to meet it, channeling every ounce of pious melodrama into a single swing.
[Skill Activation: Saint’s Precision, Level I]
Damage: (9 + 8) x 150% = 26 HP
“Yes!” I procimed. “The doctrine of arithmetically justified violence!”
Then the rest of the maths resolved itself.
Final Damage: (9 + 8) x 150% = 26 HP - 26 END = 0
[-1 HP]
Cavernous King Slime’s HP: 249/250
Ah. Saint Merin had proven me a closed system: all output cancelled within.
Then the Slime King spped me.
[-7 HP]
HP: 35/55
Anabeth’s voice rang out. “Confirmed no aetheric resonance, Ser!”
I staggered backward, helmet ringing, slime still dripping from my pauldrons. “I demand the next rock now!”
She plucked the next sample from her satchel and hurled it past the creature’s getinous bulk. The shard arced through the air like divine geometry incarnate, sailing just above a pseudopod before dropping neatly into catching range. I simply just had to hold out my hand and it nded on my gauntlet.
Saint’s breath. She calcuted the parabo.
[TASK RECEIVED: Battlefield Logistics I]
Objective: Sketch a basic map of your immediate surroundings, including enemy position and ally pcement.
Boon: +120 EXP
Skill Unlocked — [Cartography, Level I]
Hold on. This is actually useful.
Except I was currently being chased by a 300-pound custard demon.
I threw the rock on the ground for now. I could always come back for it ter.
“Last one please!” I shouted at Anabeth. With another enthusiastic, “yes, Sir!”, she lobbed me the final rock. It followed the exact trajectory as the st one.
[TASK RECEIVED: Slime Specialization I]
Objective: Deal 25 total HP damage to a Slime-type enemy
Boon: +250 EXP
Skill Unlocked — [Slimebane Strike, Level I]
Effect: Deals 200% damage to Slime-type creatures. Stacks with other skills.
Cooldown: 30 seconds
I stared at the crystal in my gauntlet, then at the unduting green horror before me. Finally, a task that didn’t involve polite conversation, mapping, or algebraic heroics.
However, dealing 25 damage by itself was a tough task. With my current swings, I was barely scraping 1–2 HP per strike. At this rate, I’d be doing way more dodging than damage, and that was only if Saint Merin’s divine patience held out. A single misstep, and this getinous abomination would have me dissolved into something vaguely custardy.
Something important surfaced at the back of my mind: earlier, when I’d used Swordform: Guard, it had seemed as though the skill had progressed a bit. I willed Ceralis to let me check my Knightly Swordform progress.
[Knightly Swordform—Progress to Rank 3: 99%]Sure enough. I squared my shoulders, channeling every ounce of precise knightly technique I possessed. I wouldn’t cut at the weak point, as it was too far away and too risky, but close enough to make contact. A perfect strike along its getinous bulk would do.
I lift my bde.
[-1 HP]
Cavernous King Slime’s HP: 248/250
It bit through the slime with an almost satisfying squelch, and Ceralis chimed:
[Skill Upgraded]
[Knightly Swordform – Lv3]
Basic sword technique for aspiring knights. Accuracy and attack efficiency: 65 ~ 70%
With this efficiency, I could muster 10 ATK from my weapon. With perfect STR, I could deal 20 damage before any multiplier. If I hit a weak point, I’d deal about 30 damage, which would transte to... 4 damage after going through the creature’s defense, which would mean I needed... 62 more precise strikes to sy the creature.
Better than 1, I guess...
I’d only need about seven good strikes to unlock Slimebane Strike, which would bring my attack against the King to a whopping 70, since the effect would stack. Then I’d be able to sy the creature in five strikes.
Saint Merin’s mirrored armor be praised. I had a real chance.
With renewed focus, I charged forward. The bde sang as it struck the quivering cluster of parasitic slimes marking the weak point.
[-4 HP]Another calcuted step, another precise swing.
[-4 HP]
Cavernous King Slime’s HP: 240/250
[TASK PROGRESS: Slime Specialization I – 8/25 HP]
I felt power. The strike flowed from my shoulders down through my hips.
[-4 HP]
Before the recoil had even reached my elbow, I twisted the bde back.
[-4 HP]
One more time.
[-4 HP]
One more time.
[-4 HP]
At that exact moment of impact, the pseudopod smashed into my breastpte with an impact that leached motion itself.
[-7 HP]
HP: 28/55
Stamina: 49%
Every breath came syrup-thick. I’d forgotten to manage my fatigue level.
I retreated several paces, out of the slime’s immediate reach, holding my position behind a cluster of fallen rocks.
From somewhere behind the safety of a boulder came Anabeth’s voice, “Still zero sign of aetheric resonance, Ser! Excellent showing of choreographed mediocrity!”
[Stamina Regenerated: +2%]
[Current Stamina: 51%]
I forced my breathing to steady. The creature was closing in. No time left for breathing exercises.
Alright, you faithless custard. Let’s resume the sermon.
It tried to lunge, but I was faster. The moment its mass overextended, I cut through the fold beneath its core.
[-4 HP]
Cavernous King Slime’s HP: 220/250
[TASK COMPLETE: Slime Specialization I – 25/25 HP]
[BOON ACQUIRED: +250 EXP]
[Skill Unlocked — Slimebane Strike, Level I]
Effect: Deals 200% damage to Slime-type creatures. Stacks with other skills.
Cooldown: 30 seconds
EXP: 1850/1950
I grinned. Ha! Foul creature, you are mine now.
The Slime King’s surface rippled uneasily. It, too, understood the implications of arithmetic.
