PLAYER SYSTEM C13 FIRST QUEST IX

The slimes retreated, sluggishly trying to adapt to Jack’s new rhythm—but they couldn’t keep up. One by one, the Merged Gelatine Slimes fell under his radiant assault. From twenty, their numbers dwindled to eleven.

Asha, Albert, and the rest of the party watched with growing relief.

“He’s turning the tide,” Albert muttered, gripping the hilt of his sword but not drawing it.

With another burst of Lumen Fang, Jack eliminated the eleventh slime. Ten remained. He rushed toward the next—only to suddenly halt.

The ten surviving slimes pulsed, shivered… then melted.

“What the—?” Jack’s eyes widened. “They’re… merging again?!”

“No…” an adventurer gasped. “They’re doing it again!”

Albert’s face turned pale. “Damn it. I’ve read about this. It’s rare, but when Merged Slimes combine again—what comes out is something worse.”

Asha leaned out of the carriage window, her hands clenched. “Please, no…”

Before their eyes, the pool of acidic gel churned violently, frothing and bubbling, refusing to stay still. Jack stepped back instinctively, unable to interfere as the fusion unfolded. The ground sizzled beneath the thick, sloshing mass.

And then it rose.

A single massive slime, nearly the size of a carriage, heaved itself upward. Its body was pulsing with condensed layers of semi-transparent gel. Inside its oozing form, half-digested crates, shimmering food scraps, tangled feathers, and bits of armor swirled. Now and then, a flash of a distorted face appeared inside its gelatinous core—perhaps echoes of what it had consumed.

It emitted grotesque sloshing moans, the occasional chime ringing out from metal pieces rattling inside.

The ground beneath it burned as it crawled forward—acid-glue residue trailing in its wake, warping the dirt and stone.

Albert’s face twisted in disbelief. “That’s… that’s a Blob Alpha—also known as the Glutton of Gloo! I’ve only seen it in bestiaries!”

Martha took a step back, clutching her staff. “I thought they were just alchemical folklore!”

Jack narrowed his eyes at the monstrosity, gripping his dagger tighter. His system screen flashed:
[Level 9 — 1,740 / 3,000 EXP]

‘Still not enough to hit Level 10… but maybe this thing can get me there,’ he thought. Then, under his breath: “If I survive it…”

He took one step forward and raised his voice.

“Back off! This thing’s not for group combat—it’s going to use wide-area attacks. If you stay close, you’ll just get hurt!”

Albert hesitated, but he knew Jack was right. “You heard him! Fall back!”

The party retreated quickly, pulling the wagons and carriage with them. Martha stood her ground.

“I’ll remain just long enough to buff and heal you. But be careful—I won’t be able to reach you mid-combat.”

Jack nodded, “That’s all I need. Thank you.”

And just in time.

The Blob Alpha quivered—then launched itself skyward.

“Get ready…” Jack muttered.

The monster slammed down with a deafening splash.

[Blob Alpha used: Belly Slam – AoE Impact! -80 HP]

The ground trembled violently, knocking back the wagons. Even the trees swayed. Jack staggered from the blow, a sharp pain racing through his chest.

“Ugh—!” He dropped to one knee, quickly casting Healing Light to stabilize himself. Golden light surged through his palm, mending torn tissue and dulling the ache.

He looked up, eyes narrowing as the slime loomed over him again.

“…Let’s dance, you oversized goo-ball.”

Jack lunged forward, his dagger glowing with radiant energy as he shouted, “By light’s edge, I strike true!”

[Gracepierce: Lumen Fang] carved into the slime’s dense body, releasing a burst of light—
—but the Blob Alpha merely quivered, far from finished.

The beast let out a warped howl—part gurgle, part shriek, like a kettle boiling over acid. Its gelatinous form pulsed violently as six smaller Gelatine Slimes spawned from its side with a wet plop.

They immediately charged at Jack.

"Tch." Jack clicked his tongue and cut them down quickly. Their cores shattered with ease.
[+20 EXP]
[+20 EXP]
[+20 EXP]
...And so on. It wasn’t much.

But before Jack could focus on the Blob Alpha again, the massive slime bounced once—then lunged toward the dropped equipment of a fallen adventurer. It absorbed the scattered gear like a vacuum, swallowing swords, bags, and scraps of armor.

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “So it regenerates by absorbing dropped items…”

He rushed forward and unleashed a barrage—
Piercing Dawn.

Piercing Dawn: Radiance.

Lumen Fang.

Each spell cut into the slime, bursting bubbles of light and gel… but it wasn’t enough. The blob’s enormous HP pool soaked the damage like a sponge.

“Damn it… it’s like I’m carving into a mountain with a spoon.” Jack gritted his teeth. “Is this thing a mini-boss or a raid mob!?”

Suddenly, the slime’s body began to bubble violently again. A shrill hiss warned him a second too late—

FWOOSH!

A corrosive mist exploded in a wide arc, burning everything in its path. Jack barely jumped back in time, but still—

[-30 HP]
The acidic spray had expanded its range. Now it reached nearly 8 meters in a 90-degree cone.

Coughing and wincing, Jack downed an HP and MP potion. “Running low…” he muttered, his voice strained.

Even with the healing, he felt the weight in his limbs. His breathing was heavy, and his mana pool was shrinking fast.

His eyes locked on the enormous slime, still pulsating with power.

‘This thing’s weak to pure light magic… but what about pure dark magic?’ Jack thought as he ducked another spray.

‘If I try using Grasp of Doom now, I might hit its core. Maybe even weaken it more efficiently. But…’ He glanced at the adventurers watching from afar.

‘If they see me casting dark magic... it could blow my cover. And if a developer’s watching—’

His grip tightened around the dagger. ‘Do I risk being seen as a cheater? Or do I hold back and drag this battle out?’

The Blob Alpha loomed larger, its acidic breath rising again.

Jack exhaled sharply, sweat beading at his brow.
“I don’t have the luxury of playing it safe forever…”

To his surprise, the Blob Alpha let out a gurgling rumble and excreted a flood of sticky gel, spreading out like a growing tide. Within seconds, it covered a ten-meter radius. The adventurers, carriage, and wagons scrambled back in panic.

Then it spread even further—twenty meters wide.

Jack tried moving but felt the resistance immediately. "Tch... great. Now I’m stuck in slime soup." His boots dragged with each step. ‘This just keeps getting better.’

But then his eyes darted around—the others were now well outside the range. His lips curled into a smirk.

‘Perfect. No one’s close enough to see.’

Without hesitation, he reached into the shadows.
“Let night bind your stride.”

[Grasp of Doom] surged forward, dark tendrils racing across the slime-coated ground and seizing the Blob Alpha’s shifting shadow.

The massive slime trembled and slowed.

“Bingo. So dark magic works too,” Jack muttered.

‘Still… dark magic is more volatile. If light magic restores and cuts, darkness consumes and ruptures. I need something stronger… less about impact, more about internal destruction…’

He sidestepped as the Blob Alpha slammed down with a thunderous Belly Slam, narrowly dodging the quake.

‘Wait… explosion.’

His eyes lit up with a dangerous idea.

‘The slime absorbs everything… but its structure is soft and unstable from the inside. What if I plant something… not to slice, but to rupture it from within?’

A sharp grin spread across his face. Dark magic was destructive by nature. So why not lean into that?

Jack moved fast—dodging, weaving, using the slowed slime’s sluggish response to his advantage. He rushed in close, planted his palm on the quivering surface—
—and released a pulse of pure, destructive magic.

He leapt back just in time.

The Blob Alpha vibrated violently, then—

BOOM!

A muffled explosion burst from within, sending gel splattering in all directions. The slime didn’t die, but it reeled from the internal damage. Its gel rippled uncontrollably, and its inner core glowed erratically—it had barely managed to shift the core deeper into its body just in time.

[New Skill Acquired!]

[Mournburst] (Level 1)
Chant: “Grieve… and detonate.”
Effect: Implants a volatile seed of sorrow into a nearby target, which explodes shortly after.
• Must be cast within 3 meters
• Detonates after 2 seconds, dealing Dark damage in a small radius
• Affected enemies receive -10% healing for 6 seconds
• Cannot be dodged once applied

Jack grinned, catching his breath. “Now that’s more like it.”

His mana gauge dipped—100 MP gone in one cast—but the power was worth it.

And judging from the way the Blob Alpha was writhing, it wasn’t going to recover easily.

Jack stepped in close—just three meters from the massive slime—and whispered, “Grieve… and detonate.”