"Isn't that pretty huge size for a slime?"

"It's a King, after all. Are you confident in defeating it?"

"Why are you asking me? Can't you tell that I'm weaker than that?"

"Well, if you're confident, I was going to let you suffer for a bit, —no, I was just joking! I won't let a single scar appear on your beautiful jade skin!"

"Hmph, are you sure?"

"Of course, why would I be here then?"

"To watch me suffer?"

"Ria, I was joking~."

Ria ignored Sheila completely while she narrowed her eyes at the huge figure in the distance. She didn't think that she would able to defeat it with her current strength, it was just a feeling but better be cautious than overconfident. Sheila could beat it with ease even with her eyes closed but to clear the floor, Ria had to be the one to kill it, or it won't count as her clearing the floor to ascend.  

"Ria!"

Sheila shouting close to the ears, brought her back to reality. She was so focused on pondering about how to defeat the Slime King that she has forgotten about Sheila. 

"What are you thinking deeply about?"

"What else would I be thinking at this moment?"

"How great I am?"

"Pfft—"

"Hey, you can't laugh! I wasn't joking!"

"Pfft-hahaha!"

It took a while for Ria to stop herself from laughing again whenever she looks at Sheila. Thankfully they were far away from the Slime King, if not it would have rushed toward them when heard of her laughing. 

"Are you done laughing at me?"

Looking at the pouting Sheila, Ria walks closer to her before wrapping her arm around the waist. She didn't say anything and just stare at Sheila by putting her jaw on her shoulders while hugging her back. Sheila looked away when Ria was staring at her, and she could feel the warmth of Ria's body when it touched her back. Although she was upset of Ria laughing at her, she had forgiven her since she knew Ria was just playing with her. 

"So, are you going to kill it or not?"

Ria went silent when asked by Sheila. It wasn't that she doesn't want to do it, but she is not confident that she could take care of it as easy as the regular slimes. Just by looking at that huge jelly-like body, she could feel the threatening aura coming from it. It was warning her of the danger, just like how the first time Sheila had met it. But it was different for Ria, as her status is currently still weak compare to Sheila back then. It was not just that; her class is healer which means for support, not a combat one. 

"You know that I'm here with you, right? I could assist you if you wanted to?"

Looking at Ria's expression, Sheila couldn't help but say that.

"But I should be the one to kill for the clear requirement."

"Did it ever mention anything about not having someone assisting you? No, right?"

"It didn't but.."

"Don't worry too much about it, if it didn't mention it, that means we could do it, that's all."

After saying that, Sheila removed the arms that were wrapped around her before running toward the Slime King. Ria was surprised but followed right behind, but since her agility is still low, she couldn't catch up to Sheila. When she arrived at the scene, Sheila had already immobilised the Slime King as she did with the regular slimes. Although it was a boss, it's overall strength is comparable to Elite Goblin at most. Sheila didn't have that much trouble in restraining it from moving around with her Shadow Binding. 

"Sigh, as I said, this is just cheating."

"Wait—"

Sheila was too late to notify Ria before a part of the huge jelly-like body stretch into a long tentacle before whipping it toward Ria who was close to it. But perhaps because it was still not used in attacking while being restrained, the tentacle attack missed. Ria was shocked when a tentacle whipped passed her; she didn't expect for slime to be able to do that. 

Boom!

She could hear the sound of the ground being whack by the tentacle near her. It sounds so powerful and just imagines herself getting hit by it, she definitely wouldn't survive in one piece. Her body trembled when she thought about it. Ria was too shocked and scared by the tentacle attacked that she couldn't move and frozen on the spot when the second tentacle was already whipping at her. Seeing the incoming attacks, she closed her eyes fearful and wait for the impact to arrive on her body. 

But nothing happened. Ria slowly opened her eyes and saw the tentacle that should have hit her by now was frozen mid-air from the swing. Not frozen due to frost but literally stood still on the spot. Her eyes narrowed, and she could see that the jelly-like body was currently trembling, she didn't know why. 

"Are you not going to finish it? Oh wait, don't look back! I'm currently using a skill, and you don't want to get hit by it."

Ria was going to look back when she came to a halt after listening to the latter part. Ria badly wants to know what sort of skill that Sheila used to make this frightening jelly frozen on the spot, but that will come for later. 

Remembering the time she was frozen and unable to do anything when the tentacle was flying on her way, she couldn't help but gritted her teeth at how powerless she is. She questions herself on how is she going to protect Sheila when something like that already gives her a scare. In the end, it was Sheila that protect her.

She knows that she is weak, but didn't expect for her to be this weak. Even Sheila had once fought against this monster when she was still weak, not comparable to the current her which could kill it easily with a single punch. But what about herself? She didn't want to compare herself with Sheila, but she couldn't help and think about it. 

Ria gripped the sword's handle hard and walked forward to the core that was swimming inside the jelly-like body and cutting it in half with a single swing. Even though she had killed the boss, she feels empty, like it went too easy for her, different from the time she feels when killing the immobilised slimes. She could feel herself getting stronger, but something doesn't feel right to her.

"What's wrong, Ria? You okay?"

Sheila suddenly appears next to Ria and worriedly ask her when she looked at Ria's expression. Ria simply shook her head before telling Sheila that she is fine. 

"Hmm, alright. Did you level up?"

"I did, I'm level 9 now with 10 AP ready to be distributed."

"Oh, then can you go up to Second Floor now?"

"Yea, it's possible."

"That's good, let's take a break outside, then?"

Ria nodded her head at Sheila's words. The two of them then disappeared from the grassland before reappearing inside a room they were familiar with. Ria went to bed and lay down before letting a sigh out her mouth. Sheila looked at her before moving onto the phone and noticed that the time is close to when Sylvia's school come to an end. She decides to leave now because, by the time she arrived at the front gate of the school, the bell should have rung. But she had to walk normally and couldn't use her shadow magic which wouldn't take her a few minutes to get there.

"Where are you going?"

"To get the girl. Do you want to go too?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll just wait here."

"Alright, up to you. See you later then."

Sheila bid a short farewell to Ria before leaving her room and went downstairs toward the exit. When she's out of the room and already downstairs, she couldn't hear Ria muttering something to herself.

"I need to get stronger."

It was the same word that Sheila told herself over and over. 

***

A beautiful red hair girl could be seen standing at the side of the road while gazing at the sky, looking aloof. Not so distance away from her, a group of students walked out of the gate while chatting to each other. The boys were surprised when their gaze locked onto her. They wanted to walk toward her and ask her number, but they were afraid of getting a reject, which was why they wait to the side and continue staring at her. 

The beautiful red hair girl appears not to be disturbed by the gaze and attention of the students going toward her. She just silently wait there while looking at the flood of students slowly coming out of the gate. When one of the boys finally gathered enough courage, the girl walks toward his group. The boys panicked, and when she was close, he was going to open his mouth when she walks passed him. It was his misunderstanding that she was walking toward him when actually, she was going behind him. He looked back and saw the beautiful red hair girl greets a girl with the same uniform as him but the hair of silver white.

"You are Sylvia, right?"

"I am, who are you?"

"I'm Akane, didn't I said I was going to wait for you at the front of the school gate?"

"I see, you are..."

"This is not a good place to talk, follow me."

Sylvia nodded her head at the girl in front of her. She was quite surprised to see how beautiful this girl named Akane is when the mask was not there on her face. She silently followed her while the students were sending weird gaze toward her.