A Slime-Covered Reunion and a Golden Opportunity

Sovenia stepped over the charred remains of the Slimes. As she dashed out of the cave entrance, she was greeted by a sight even more delightful than swiftly clearing the Slime Swamp without breaking a sweat.

It was none other than Wawalde, the hero who had once beheaded her, now coated head-to-toe in slime, resembling a beggar, and running straight towards her.

In stark contrast, Sovenia’s white sleeves remained impeccably clean, a picture of absolute decorum.

Behind Wawalde, the “Small” Slime King, accompanied by a Medium Slime guard, was crushing his doppelganger to death.

“You’re still alive,” Wawalde stated.

With that, Wawalde, the slime-covered warrior, turned to engage the Slimes in battle.

“What happened?”

“I saw a horde of Slimes pursuing you into the cave,” Wawalde added, his longsword piercing a Medium Slime. “So, I swapped places with my doppelganger.”

‘He swapped places…’

‘The hero actually sacrificed a doppelganger just to confirm her safety.’

‘What an idiot.’

‘Still, this truly is a good thing.’

‘The Slime King’s head was now within arm’s reach.’

“I’m fine, and I can fight.”

“Miss Sovenia.” Wawalde finally turned his head, his emerald eyes sweeping over her unharmed figure, his tense shoulders visibly relaxing. “It’s good that you’re alright.”

“I’ll help!”

The third round commenced. The three cards drawn were [Stun], [Attack], and [Reckless Charge].

Sovenia, wearing her knee-high leather boots, gracefully leaped over the Slime remains. With a swift motion, she scattered salt onto a Medium Slime that was attempting to split, causing the two Slimes it produced to smoke and dissolve into harmless goo.

“Laowu! Laowu!”

The “Small” Slime King let out a low growl, its body churning with bubbles. It clearly recognized Sovenia — the elf who had just incinerated countless of its offspring with fire magic.

“Miss Sovenia! Don’t go past me! Be careful!”

The carriage-sized “Small” Slime King violently lashed out a pseudopod at her.

Without a word, Sovenia’s knee-high leather boots tapped the ground with a soft click. She immediately activated [Reckless Charge], turning to rush towards a corpse instead.

Her legs erupted with all their might, yet consumed not a single shred of stamina.

The nimble, long-legged elf dodged the “Small” Slime King’s strike, having perfectly judged the enemy’s attack range.

Seizing the opportunity, Wawalde delivered two more strikes. The “Small” Slime King could no longer maintain its form and began to split apart on its own.

Sovenia bounded back up, now holding a pack of salt. She casually tossed a pack to Wawalde, and the two of them, acting like a pair of “illicit lovers,” viciously scattered salt onto the “Small” Slime King’s “wounds.”

The “Small” Slime King’s featureless “face” turned towards its brutally slaughtered offspring, its internal bubbles boiling, as it let out a final cry: “Laowu.”

It instantly collapsed, its bodily slime losing all tension, spreading across the ground like melted wax.

“Well done,” Wawalde said. “But don’t be so reckless next time; you don’t have armor.”

“It’s already dead,” Sovenia replied. “And the battle isn’t over yet.”

A sea of Slimes was surging towards them.

“Continue fighting.”

Sovenia and Wawalde charged into battle. Wawalde led the assault, while Sovenia assisted from the side, merely scattering salt and fleeing whenever a Slime pursued her.

As she ran, she gradually found herself growing fond of this elven female body.

Despite its frailty, its excessively long hair, and its delicate, overly pale skin that offered no protection and was easily exposed, its legs were truly long, its speed in running genuinely swift, and its face quite appealing.

‘Let the idiot handle all the difficult and unpleasant tasks.’

After nearly twenty minutes of grueling combat, the sea of Slimes was utterly annihilated under Wawalde’s tireless “hoeing.”

Once they were safe.

Wawalde began sifting through the Slime King’s remains, searching for a body amidst the goo.

Meanwhile, Sovenia eagerly made her way to another part of the Slime King’s remains, where a golden “question mark card” hovered in the air.

She silently commanded: ‘Examine cards.’

Three golden cards materialized before her, suspended in the air. Sovenia held her breath, her gaze swiftly scanning the card descriptions.

The first: [Poison Enhancement] Gold Card, Cost 1. Each turn, apply 1 stack of poison to the enemy. Each stack of poison deals half of your attack damage.

Sovenia frowned. She needed immediate damage, not a prolonged battle.

The second: [Golden Bell Shield] Gold Card, Cost 2. Consume this card to immediately gain 5x your defense for one turn.

Sovenia was delighted. ‘A divine card! It’s akin to negating most attacks within a single turn.’

She had already decided to choose this defensive Gold Card, but still, almost instinctively, she glanced at the third one.

The third: [Double Shot] Gold Card, Cost 0. Your next attack hits twice, but your cost is reduced by 1 point next turn.

Sovenia’s gaze sharpened.

She stared at the description of [Double Shot], her mind racing. ‘[Fiery Strike] deals 2x attack damage and can be upgraded infinitely.’

‘If combined with [Double Shot], that would be two [Fiery Strikes], costing 3 points.’

‘Wait. What if [Fiery Strike] were upgraded to 3x damage? Then [Double Shot] would unleash 6x damage. And if it were upgraded to 4x…’

Sovenia felt her heart quicken.

‘This is an excellent combination.’

‘She had initially considered [Fiery Strike] a “future-focused” card with low potential, one she wouldn’t bother with unless it was for an emergency.’

‘Before, she thought upgrade opportunities were scarce and not worth the investment. But now, with [Double Shot]…’

‘Future-focused? Being future-focused is good! A true powerhouse must always plan for the future!’

‘The only drawback was: what if she didn’t draw both [Double Shot] and [Fiery Strike]? This deck lacked fault tolerance.’

Sovenia’s gaze fell upon the slime-covered Wawalde, who was rummaging through the pile of corpses.

‘It’s fine; having the idiot to stall for her activation would be enough.’

Sovenia chose [Double Shot] without hesitation. The Gold Card dissolved into motes of light, integrating into her deck.

‘Fate truly is fickle.’

‘The compromise made in the previous card selection might just be the groundwork for the next.’

****

The treasure chest was located in another part of the Slime King’s remains, while Wawalde was dragging out a corpse clad in boar-patterned breastplate from the goo.

The prolonged battle had left him breathless, yet he still exerted himself to pull out the body.

The corpse had been so corroded that it was barely recognizable, but the boar pattern on its breastplate remained clearly discernible.

Wawalde placed the corpse on a dry rock, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together, and prayed in a low voice. His voice, deep and reverent, echoed through the cavern.

“May the benevolent True God guide your soul, Bart. May you find the bakery of your dreams in heaven, and may your daughter grow up safely.”

Sovenia watched the scene unfold with an impassive expression.

She couldn’t comprehend why Wawalde would speak to a corpse, much less why he would waste time praying.

‘The dead were merely dead, resources were just resources, and the weak were simply weak.’

Nevertheless, she did not interrupt him. After all, Wawalde had just helped her defeat the Slime King, leaving the final blow for her. She could certainly afford him this small measure of patience.

After his prayer, Wawalde stood up and turned, only to see Sovenia still standing amidst the pile of corpses, and on her perpetually impassive face, there was actually a smile?

The more he looked, the more it resembled a foolish grin.

Wawalde sighed and approached, initially intending to pat Sovenia, but seeing his hands were covered in slime, he said, “Miss Sovenia, are you alright?”

Sovenia snapped out of her fantasy of a divine draw and replied, “Alright? I’m excellent.”

“You don’t have to force yourself,” Wawalde said. “It’s normal to feel uncomfortable after experiencing a battle like this for the first time. You’ll get used to it.”

Sovenia was speechless, rolling her eyes internally.

‘A beginner? Me?’

‘I’ve killed more people than you’ve eaten bread since you were in diapers.’

Sovenia’s smile vanished. “I’m fine.”

“That’s good.”

“Are you done praying?”

“Yes, I plan to burn his remains later, and I’ve already collected his belongings.”

Sovenia walked over to the Slime King’s remains where Wawalde’s companion had been dragged out, and looked at the treasure chest that only she could see.

With a thought.

The treasure chest silently opened.