Evergreen Tower (4)
I tilted my head back and stared up at the massive dark-gray slime.
The thing was wriggling its tentacles nonstop, either to intimidate me or just out of habit, while chowing down on the iron ore the other slimes had brought it.
"That taste good?"
"Kkung."
"...You understand me?"
"Kkung?"
What the hell.
I'd never heard of a monster understanding human speech.
Honestly, it'd be better if it couldn't—makes it less awkward when I beat the crap out of it.
I let out a small sigh and slowly raised my right hand.
The slime immediately stopped eating the ore.
It turned toward me and started firing off another barrage of tentacles.
Doesn't hurt at all.
I didn't even need to use my right arm as a shield—this much was nothing.
So, just like with the Tutorial Tower guardian, I decided to learn by taking hits this time too.
Damn, it's springy.
I thought that as I took the slime's tentacles head-on.
This thing was incredibly elastic.
No wonder my punches didn't faze it.
I snatched one of the incoming tentacles with my right hand.
"Kkung!?"
The slime let out a startled cry as I grabbed it.
I lightly flicked the captured tentacle with my left index finger.
It trembled violently.
And then the full force of that flick transferred straight back into my right hand.
"So it reflects impact, huh."
Punching it straight-up wasn't gonna cut it.
Which meant...
"Time to rip?"
"...Kkung?"
The slime abruptly halted its tentacle assault.
Seizing the moment, I grabbed another tentacle with my left hand and yanked hard.
"Oh. Stretches nice."
The more I pulled, the more it stretched—taut and endless.
Practically impossible to snap.
"Kkung."
The tentacles started wriggling again.
But I didn't let go. A small smile crept onto my face.
"Yeah. Impossible, right?"
If my hand were normal.
I smirked crookedly and yanked the tentacle with all my left-hand strength.
"Kkik!?"
Streeetch.
It elongated.
Long.
Really long.
And that stretched tentacle...
"Yup."
I pressed down hard with the Black Dragon's razor-sharp claw.
Snap.
The tentacle severed clean off.
The moment it detached from the main body, the taut slime lost its elasticity and turned gooey.
I shook the sticky residue off my left hand onto the ground and grinned.
"Found the strategy... huh?"
"Kkyu, kkik...!"
"You were hitting me pretty hard a second ago?"
It hesitated.
The massive thing backed away, trembling.
I rolled my shoulders and took a step forward.
"Why run? Scared?"
Shiver, shiver.
The body that had brimmed with arrogance moments ago now quivered finely.
No mistaking it—its slime jiggled nonstop from the self-induced shaking.
I kicked off the ground hard and charged.
The Black Dragon's black claws gleamed, reflecting the sunlight.
Five dagger-like blades, sharp enough to slice anything, hurtled toward it to shred it apart.
The slime spotted them and rapidly deployed tentacles.
One, two, three... three?
What the hell?
It had been churning them out endlessly before.
But now, just three?
That didn't make sense for something retreating...
"Aha. Got it."
I grinned at the slime, which had stopped shaking.
"That wasn't shaking, was it?"
"...!"
This slime absorbs any impact dealt to it and reflects it back.
The fine tremors were impacts it inflicted on itself.
Then it gathered that force at the tentacle tips and fired them at me.
But.
"No chance."
Step.
I sidestepped, dodging the incoming tentacle by a hair.
As it grazed my shoulder, I slashed with the Black Dragon's claw.
"One."
Snip.
The tentacle severed.
Another came crashing down at my head.
"Two."
I leaped back, evading the slam into the ground, then sliced the embedded tentacle.
I eyed the slime, now trembling even more violently, with its final tentacle left.
It wasn't making more.
All its power focused into that one.
"Kkung!"
Screee—!
A single tentacle sliced through the air.
The dark-gray appendage aimed dead between my eyes.
I didn't dodge.
I just aligned my right fingers and thrust at it.
"Kkyuuk!?"
Boom!
The tentacle exploded on impact.
Drenched in black slime, I grimaced and spat on the ground.
"What the hell's this taste."
Metallic as fuck.
My mouth already tasted bloody from biting my cheek earlier.
But this slime reeked way worse.
I spat out the gunk and trudged toward it.
The slime stared blankly, no longer trembling.
"Sorry, but bye."
Whoosh.
I raised my right hand and swung the sharp claws at the massive dark-gray slime.
That instant.
"Huh?"
Poof!
Smoke billowed, and the huge slime vanished.
Eyes wide, I frantically scanned around.
Where'd it go?
Gone in a flash.
That massive bulk, just like that.
Impossible...
"..."
"..."
I looked quietly at my feet.
Where the giant slime had been.
A normal-sized slime bounced there, just like any other.
The difference? That familiar dark-gray hue.
"Hey."
"Kkik!"
And it flinched when I called.
I watched it slink between slimes with cold eyes.
So it could shrink its size.
Long sigh. I snatched it from between the green slimes with my left hand.
"Where you going?"
"Kkung! Kkyuung, kkung!"
"I don't wanna either, but I gotta for the next floor. Sorry."
"Kkyuuuk!"
And hey, you tried to kill me too.
Sucks to say, but you struck first.
Can't be helped.
I raised my right hand toward the wriggling thing in my grip.
"I'll make it quick."
Bye.
I thrust my right hand into the black slime.
Squelch, squelch.
Black goo dripped to the ground.
Done.
Long sigh. I glanced sideways.
Ha.
Finally.
You goddamn Black Dragon brat.
What? Can't hit 1.5%, so you'll take my body?
"Fuck off."
Damn, exhausting.
A wave of mental fatigue hit me, and I collapsed onto the ground.
Synchronization Rate has successfully reached 1.5% or higher.
The Twisted Underworld Guardian is somewhat satisfied with your actions.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld says he'll postpone taking your body.
Wow, what bullshit.
Don't postpone— just give up.
Can't even get a proper skill without this crap.
Everyone else probably doesn't deal with this.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld instinctively likes this space.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld makes you a proposal.
Conquer the Evergreen Tower!
A proposal?
I blinked wide-eyed.
Not a command.
A proposal.
And proposals usually ask for consent, not force it.
"...So if it's a proposal, I don't have to accept?"
Correct.
However, there is a reward for success.
Reward, huh.
I nodded, gesturing for it to spill.
Upon successful conquest of the Evergreen Tower, escape death once.
Escape death once?
That's huge.
Outside the Tutorial Tower, death's always lurking.
Blocking it once? No-brainer.
"What if I fail?"
No penalties.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld will just be a bit disappointed.
Disappointed, huh...
"Fine. I accept."
I was gonna climb the Evergreen Tower to the top anyway, no matter how long it took.
No other reason.
Clearing it grants a unique skill.
I'd planned to finish it regardless of the Black Dragon's proposal.
Once you decide to live as a hunter, who quits?
And it throws in a one-time life save.
Free win.
Plus.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld is greatly satisfied with your choice.
Refusing would've disappointed the Black Dragon anyway.
99% chance it'd force some bullshit like "2% in a week," making me climb regardless.
This way's easier—no deadline.
Anyway, it likes the tower?
The Black Dragon made this offer because it instinctively likes the tower.
Feels like it knows something about this place...
Won't answer if I ask, though.
It won't even explain the synchronization rate properly.
No way it'd spill.
Small sigh. I turned to the other lingering system message.
Slay the Slime
☑ 1/1
🎁 Success | Moving to next floor
System confirming success.
Guess that was the one.
Finally, I canceled the Black Dragon I'd kept active almost nonstop...
"...?"
The moment I did, a wet sensation in my left hand.
I tilted my head and looked at it.
There.
"...Snake?"
A familiar dark-gray snake was gripped tight in my left hand, thrashing.
What the—
When did I grab a snake?
I'd definitely had the dark-gray slime...
"No way."
Eyes wide, I stared at the snake.
"You're the slime?"
"Kkung!"
I gaped at the unbelievable truth.
Its scales were too familiar.
Asked on a hunch, and it was real.
"Why pretend to be a slime as a snake?"
"...Kkung."
It looked away at my voice.
Then nodded toward something, like look over there.
I blinked dumbly.
What is this?
Does it actually understand me?
Chuckle. I followed its gaze.
The slimes carrying ore were panicking without their leader.
"...Pretended to be the slime king so they'd bring you ore?"
"Kkung."
"Unreal."
It really gets speech.
Insane.
What even is this thing.
No such monster exists.
But it mimicked a slime to mooch off them?
"You sure you're a monster?"
Too damn smart for one.
Wait.
If it's this clever, it might know about the tower.
I opened my mouth to ask as it wriggled in my left hand.
"Ah."
Shiiiine—!
Bright light rose from my feet.
Then weightlessness enveloped me.
Damn it.
Why can't I stop this?
"Wait, time-out!"
Still stuff to ask it.
So stop.
Stop!
I desperately willed the system.
Skills activate on strong will.
So I willed.
Willed the system.
But.
Floor 4
Find the World Tree
Unachieved
Goddamn system ignored me.
Weightlessness faded; I'd arrived on floor 4.
Like floor 3, a forest.
A normal forest, all slimes gone.
Alone, I ground my teeth and clenched my fists.
"...Kkuek."
"...?"
Blink.
I blinked stupidly at my left hand, source of the sound.
There, the dark-gray snake lolled with its tongue out, limp.