For the first time since I returned to the land of the living, my eyes were graced with blue skies and a sun that was not hidden behind thick layers of clouds.

For the first time, I could fill my lungs with the freshness of the forest air. The dense soil, the woody pines, the thick bushes, and aromatic flowers; the smells and scenery screamed life and it truly made me feel like I was alive once again.

I walked on the soft ground beneath as the shade of the trees dappled the sunlight. I couldn’t help but smile as I felt a warmth in my chest.

This is it. This is what it means to be alive. If this is how things would be from now on, maybe I could start looking forward to—

“Hurry up before I tear your limbs off your body, you filthy manling.”

Aaaand now we’re back. I can’t even take ten steps through a forest without having my well-being threatened.

Yup….that’s reality alright.

By decree of the Queen, Viodel had taken me far from the dreary demonic lands to an expansive land of rolling hills, scattered towns, and bountiful forestry.

We used some portal near the entrance of the castle and were here in a flash. Quite convenient, if I say so myself.

I do wonder what its limitations were. The image of demons appearing out of nowhere in the center of a capital city was quite frightening.

Did that mean if I escaped I would never truly be free? They could chase me to the edges of the world with that thing if they wanted to….

Oh well. I doubt I could’ve managed to flee anyways. My livelihood now was riding on how well I could grow this soul.

“So what will I be fighting?” I asked Viodel.

He turned to glare at me.

Why?! It was a simple question!

“You will fight whatever we discover. Don’t badger me with your inane questions.”

“But I need to be prepared, don’t I? I can start preparing myself before we run into something.”

I lightly punched the air to show my readiness. There was a slight crack in my shoulder as I did that and I’m pretty sure, judging by his disgusted expression, that Viodel heard it.

….so it seemed I wasn’t the most athletically inclined.

“That’s just because I’m not warmed up yet! You guys had me locked away in that basement for weeks, so of course I’m rusty. Just give me a few moments to loosen up,” I said.

I was simply ignored as my ass of a guide continued marching on.

While I was being quite chattery, I don’t believe it was as rage-inducing as Viodel made it seem. Demons and humans weren’t on the friendliest of terms, that much was clear even to a child, but Viodel’s hatred for me seemed to stem beyond the surface level discord between the two races.

“You know, I don’t think we have to be at odds with each other. Yeah, you wanna rip my throat out and all, because you’re a psychopath, but I feel we can get past that,” I said.

“Do not seek camaraderie with me, human. I do this in favour of my Queen, not because I want to see you succeed. You will cease your incessant yammering immediately, and will not speak until I address you, do you understand?”

Yeah, nope. My offer is out the window now, this guy can eat my foot. Not literally, figuratively. I’m saying he should shut up; if you have a foot in your mouth, you can’t talk, get it? You shut up too.

“I’ve had it. I’ll take all the crap in the world from your Queen, but you’re a different story. We’re on equal grounds here, you and I. You better start treating me with some resp—”

“Don’t you dare compare yourself to the likes of me!” he roared.

My heart nearly stopped. His voice was so loud….

“I am above you! I am not the disposable lesser demons you humans love to depict us as. I am a higher being; you should grovel at my feet. If you speak out of turn again, I will slaughter you like the livestock you are.”

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I just hit a nerve. Would someone really lash out at a being they deemed below them? Wouldn’t they be too above that? Something fishy’s going on.

Maybe I could probe him a little.

“I might be a little mistaken here, but do you have a specific reason for hating humans so much? It seems like you do. I assure you, not all humans are bad. You….”

I slowly stopped my words as I felt this weight on my body. It was sinister and made my skin crawl.

Viodel had come to a halt and was heaving; shoulders rising up and down in grand, exaggerated motions. I think I heard him growl a few times too.

Now, my eyes have been playing tricks on me, but it looked like he was releasing some black mist from his body….oh, yeah that’s definitely coming from him.

It’s growing too. Ah, I see. That’s the sinister feeling. It’s his bloodlust. Makes sense now.

How many times do I have to be on the brink of death? This isn’t fair!

Probing him was a bad idea. It was foolish. I’m an idiot, a fool, a bumbling buffoon (I’ve come to like that saying).

“Heeyyy, Viodel? I’ll shut up now. Ok? We can stop with the whole aura busi—gah!”

His aura battered against me.

“What made you think you could question me? What made you think we were equals? You’ve angered me, manling. You will pay the price for your ignorance with your life.”

Oh no. No, no, no. If there were a time to pray, it would be now. What did the Queen say the goddess of man was called? Serena? Celian? Celine Dion? Oh god, I can’t remember!

I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I’m going to….Wait!

Just then, a thought came to my head. A last-ditch effort that I would bank everything on to survive.

“If you kill me, wouldn’t that be going against your Queen’s best interest? She said she needed me for whatever she was planning.”

I held my arms up like I was told to ‘Put your hands above your head’ and had my eyes closed.

The sinister feeling slowly disappeared.

I peeked one of my eyes open to see Viodel with a face of contemplation and realization.

“That….is true. She said you’d be useful….I was about to commit a grave sin towards my Queen,” he said.

He glanced at me and then turned his back and walked away.

Oho? Ohohoho? Did I just win? I’m pretty sure I did. I have leverage over him now! He can’t disobey his Queen! That’s a big ol’ win.

The fact that the bargaining chip was none other than my own life wasn’t the best of feelings….but hey, a win’s a win!

***

“There, that is your first target. It is the weakest existence on this planet. Arguably even weaker than a fly. Flies are annoying, despicable creatures….blasted flies,” Viodel said.

I was tempted to release a bottle of flies into his bedroom and see how he reacted. Would he ignore his Queen wishes if I did that? I’d rather not find out.

The creature this violet-haired man was referring to was a blob of blue gel that slid around in the clearing not too far from us.

Just like my instant knowledge of the demons, this being too was something I seemed to have known. It was a slime. The target of choice for beginning adventurers.

“Use your vision on it to get a better reading. Although it’s a slime that even a child could defeat, it doesn’t hurt to use it.”

Vision? Come on, Viodel, old chum. It’s a slime for crying out loud.

I looked at the handsome demon and snorted.

“You just said even a human child could defeat one. No point in wasting my vision on it; let’s just get this over with. I’m about to absorb my first soul!”

“So be it. It’s not as if I care if you do or don’t,” Viodel said. I could see it already. My leverage was taking effect. I could most certainly use this to my advantage.

“Here. While the slime may be weak, you still need to cause fatal damage to it and that’s not something you're capable of with your bare hands. Take this sword.”

He detached an iron sword from his waist and handed it to me. It was nothing special. The sheath was a dark brown and the blade itself was chipped and slightly dull.

I expected more from someone so high and mighty….

Viodel seemed to have noticed my judgmental expression as he squinted his eyes at me in annoyance.

“It is not my personal blade, you imbecile. I acquired it for your use. Get out of my sight and go fulfill your duties before I….just go!”

Hehe. Before you what, Viodel? Break my bones? Oh, that’s right, you can’t. That wouldn’t make your Queen very happy, now would it?. Haha! I have so much power!

….I’m still keeping these thoughts to myself though.

I entered the clearing with the blade unsheathed and in my hand. The eyeless creature noticed me but made no movements to attack or flee. It simply continued rolling over falling leaves and dissolving them in its stomach.

Mark your calendars. Today was the beginning of the legend of Kayn. It starts with a slime, and ends with a dragon! Or more! Who knows! Maybe more!

I dashed at the slime with the blade held awkwardly in my hands. I’ve clearly never used one before, but I wouldn’t need experience. I just needed to stab the sword through it and turn it into sashimi. I was really hungry now….

The slime finally stopped its meandering and began backing away from me. It was so slow!

It’s too late, slime. But be proud; you can brag about being the great Kayn’s first victim when you go….wherever it is slimes go when they die.

I thrust the sword directly at the slime. It was too slow to avoid my attack and—

“Gah!”

I was suddenly flying through the air and spinning uncontrollably. All the air was forced out of my lungs as I hit hard against the ground.

I felt a painful sting on my face.

“What in the world was that?” I said as I got back up to my feet.

The slime was slowly approaching me with a….frown? Its gel was contorted in a way that looked like its eyebrows were knitted. It was angry. Why the hell was a slime angry?!

Moreover, was it the slime that just hit me?

“Viodel! What just happened? What hit me?” I asked.

The demon in question had a look of disgust on his face. Don’t look at me like I’m an insect!

“It hit you. The slime hit you. You were moving so slowly I thought a snail was on the attack. Your thrust wasn’t even accurate—even if the slime didn’t jump at you and hit you in the face, you still wouldn’t have hit it. Are you….weaker than a child?”

The anger he usually had when looking at me was completely replaced with pity. It was like I wasn’t even worth being degraded anymore. If he said he was above someone so pitiful as myself, it would make HIM look bad. That’s what was written on his face.

“It hit me? I didn’t even see it move!”

Dammit! That was definitely just a fluke. I got too excited, that’s all. For safety measures though, I should analyze it.

Omni Vision.

The blue fog returned to my eyes once again. All the trees and plants turned to a blue variant of themselves, and a white, glowing ring encircled the slime, as it did with every other being of life.

I read the analysis above the slime’s head.

[Title: Slime]

[Danger Level: A ferocious blob of gel. Will break your bones and then dissolve them in its stomach while feeling no remorse. Although a child is capable of defeating it, you are not. Run away]

“HEY!” I shouted at Viodel. “The Queen said F-rank creatures. This isn’t F-rank! It says it’ll dissolve my bones! Dissolve them!”

“That is an F-rank creature.”

“F-rank my ass! This is definitely A-rank! Take me somewhere else, I’m not fighting this thing.”

Viodel’s disgust only grew.

“To think even a slime would be too much for you to handle. Your ineptitude never ceases to disappoint.”

Oh shut up! There’s no way a child could beat this thing. Maybe a man-child, sure. But they’re only children at heart! They have the bodies of grown men! The only way an actual kid is beating this thing is if their mother breastfed them steroid-laced milk. Big baby George with ten times my muscle as a seven-year-old could beat it no doubt. But I ain’t no big baby George!

I let out a sigh to calm myself down. Regardless of if I wanted to fight the slime or not, I had to. If I returned to the castle without any captured souls, my head would surely be rolling on the ground within seconds.

Despite Viodel’s disappointment, he hadn’t suggested we try a different creature or a different approach. If there was anything I could take from that, it was that this was something I was capable of.

I needed to fight it.

Picking up the fallen sword from the ground, I retook my stance and readied myself to attack again.

The slime inched closer and closer. If striking it first resulted in failure last time, then I simply needed to let it come to me.

Just as I made that decision, the slime leaped at me, aiming for my head once again. I wasn’t quick enough to slice it in mid-air, so I jumped to the side and rolled away from it.

It landed and immediately began charging towards me.

The only method of attack this thing had was to throw its body at me and try to wear me down, and if throwing itself at me was all it could do, didn’t that make this whole thing quite simple?

With no way to reposition itself mid-air, and if I knew where it planned to hit me, didn’t I win?

I jumped into a roll again as the slime flew for my stomach.

It seemed I was right about its attack pattern, but that didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t react in time to slice it.

Then suddenly, a lightbulb went on in my head. I knew the slime would jump at me, so I just had to charge and thrust at the same time it jumped.

I felt the slime's full strength just moments ago, it wasn’t enough to immobilize me with just a couple of strikes. Even if my aim was off, I would be fine.

With the sword held at my waist with both hands, I waited for the slime to jump at me again. I felt my heart pounding and my palms growing sweaty.

And then….it jumped.

I moved quicker than I expected and thrust my sword directly at it. My accuracy surprised me as the blade drove into the slime’s body. The force of the impact rattled through me and I felt a slight pain in my wrist, but I dared not let go.

After a few seconds of the slime wriggling on the blade in agony, it went completely still.

I dropped the sword. The slime didn’t move. It was dead. I had killed it….

“Haha! Did you see that, Viodel, you bastard! I killed it,” I said triumphantly.

While my excitement wasn’t warranted, as I had simply defeated a slime, I still danced a little at the sight of my fallen foe.

What’d I say? I said you’d be the first victim in the legend on Kayn! Slime killer. They’ll be calling me that in no time.

Hmm….maybe not ‘slime killer’. It wasn’t all that impressive.

“I did. You struggled against the weakest known creature and were forced to muster every ounce of your strength to defeat it. I see you in a new light now,” Viodel said as smugly as he could.

Dammit. At least let me celebrate for a little while, you punk.

Well, what’s done is done. I defeated my first creature, and that meant I got to absorb my first soul and grow stronger!

I activated the vision again and gazed at the slumped body of the slime. It now flowed a pure white in my eyes and had a new description after its title.

[Title: Slime]

[Soul Skill: Gain resistance against damage dealt from slimes]

Ohhhh. It wasn’t the greatest of abilities, but I’d take it.

“There’s something I should inform you about before you get too excited, human,” Viodel said.

I was too focused on the soul to care. I had power over you now, Viodel, you listened to me! So wait. I’m busy over here.

“Absorb,” I said, assuming that would be how I captured the souls—I assumed correctly.

The white light from the slime began entering into me and the slime’s body itself slowly began disappearing. When all the theatrics were over, a new description appeared in front of my face.

[Soul Absorbed]

[Soul Ability Gained: Slime resistance-Damage taken from slimes is reduced by 0.0001%]

….

Is that so?

Alright, I see how it is. I quit. I don’t want to do this anymore. Queen, kill me if you want, there ain’t no way I’m fulfilling our deal like this.

“Viodel! This is bullshit! I nearly broke my bones fighting that thing, and all I get is a negligible resistance? How do I get stronger with this garbage!?” I shouted.

My menacing demon partner was nowhere to be seen.

I gazed around at my surroundings, but couldn’t find him anywhere. That was until I heard the flapping of wings.

There he was, flying high above me at the treetops.

“What the heck are you doing up there?” I asked.

His arms were crossed and he glared at me.

“You ignored me. That was foolish of you. I had thought to be generous, but you gave me a wake-up call.”

Was he sulking because I ignored him? I didn’t expect him to be such a big baby. And why was he thinking of being generous? Being generous for what?

From all around me, I heard the crackling of leaves and the breaking of sticks.

Viodel chuckled manically.

“As I was going to tell you before: when slimes die, they release a pheromone the same way bumblebees do. These pheromones attract others of their kind.”

The slimy sound of a body of gel sliding across the ground filled the air.

….

“Viodel. I’m sorry. I won’t ignore you again, can you take me up there with you?”

No response.

The slimes broke into the clearing.

Oh my god. There were dozens of them. Red, blue, green, purple; they called the entire rainbow to come mess me up.

“Viodel! Come on, buddy, don’t do this.”

Still no response.

“Vi-Viodel! Viodel!” my voice grew high-pitched as the slimes began jumping at me.

“Aahhhhh! No! Stop! Gaaaah! Viode—”

It wasn’t long before the thirty or so slimes all took turns slamming into me with their bodies. It was like a game to them. I was nothing but a piñata in their non-existent eyes. All I could do was scream in pain.

I realized it then, but it would be a long while before any legend of Kayn began. For now, I believe slime killer would be an appropriate title to earn.

As long as it didn’t become ‘killed by slime’ first.