PLAYER SYSTEM C11 FIRST QUEST VII

The milky white blobs glistened under the sun, their semi-transparent bodies jiggling gently with every hop. Each one was about the size of a grown man’s hand—small, almost cute.

Jack eyed the cluster of Gelatine Slimes with a raised brow.
‘This… these are the fearsome slimes everyone keeps talking about? They look like something you'd find in a candy store, not a battlefield.’

He crossed his arms. “So these are the Gelatine Slimes? I mean, even if there are hundreds, they’re small. Soft. Honestly, they don’t look like much of a threat. We could just blast them with magic—fire, wind, take your pick. Outside of their sticky trails, they seem harmless.”

Albert’s face darkened. “Don’t be fooled by appearances, Larkight. These slimes have survived in monster-infested wilds for centuries. They’ve adapted, evolved. What you’re seeing is nature’s trick—looking weak to catch you off guard.”

Another adventurer chimed in grimly, “My comrade died last year protecting a caravan from these things. He laughed at them too—until they melted through his armor.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed. He drew his dagger. “Understood. I’ll take this seriously.”

From inside the carriage, Asha’s expression tensed as the scene triggered a familiar dread. Her grip tightened on the edge of the window, knuckles white. ‘Last time... if it weren’t for those adventurers, I wouldn’t be here...’

She pushed the window open and called out, voice urgent. “Sir Larkight, please be careful! These slimes are far more dangerous than they look!”

Jack gave her a brief nod. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle them.”

With the enemy in sight, the adventurer party snapped into formation. Fireballs and wind blades tore through the air, while blades slashed in swift arcs.

Jack rushed forward, his dagger shimmering with both light and shadow. He grinned as he closed in on the first few slimes.

But the moment his boots touched the residue-coated ground, his movement slowed like he was wading through syrup.

“Tch...” He gritted his teeth, pushing through. A few slimes bounced toward him. He struck first.

“Light cuts. Shadow claims.”
[Gracepierce] activated. His dagger sliced clean through the first slime—its core split and dissolved instantly.

But before he could recover, another two slimes hopped and slammed into him with surprising force.

[-2 HP]

It didn’t hurt much… at first.

Then three more bounced in, coordinated like a swarm. He dodged two, but two slammed into him from the side.

[-2 HP]

[-2 HP]

Jack winced, sliding backward slightly in the sticky mess.

‘They’re small... but fast. Coordinated. They don’t act like regular mobs…’

And worse—more were coming.

Jack cast [Healing Light], quickly recovering from the earlier hits. Without wasting a second, he lunged forward and activated [Gracepierce], slicing into one of the bouncing slimes. The hit connected, but it wasn’t enough.

‘Tougher than they look…’ he realized, slashing again. It took several precise stabs before the core inside the gelatinous body finally ruptured and dissolved.

[+50 EXP]
[+50 EXP]
[+50 EXP]
[+50 EXP]
[+50 EXP]

A cascade of notifications followed as five slimes fell.

But when he glanced at his progress bar, his excitement dimmed.

[Level 6 – EXP: 280 / 1,500]

‘Still not enough to level up... Looks like I’ll need at least twenty more.’

Suddenly, several slimes bounced backward, compressing themselves before launching globs of gel from their cores. The blobs arced through the air—some heading straight for him.

Jack dodged most of them with a sidestep, but a few splattered against his arms and legs.

[You are affected by «Gel Toss». Movement speed reduced by 10%.]

“Tch. Damn, I really underestimated these little blobs,” Jack muttered, gritting his teeth.

He looked around—and things were getting worse. A few slimes had leapt onto adventurers, clinging to their lower bodies like leeches.

“Get them off!” one of the fighters shouted, stumbling as two slimes latched onto his legs.

Jack narrowly avoided another two—only for a pair to land squarely on his thighs, wrapping around him with wet, squelching sounds.

[You are affected by «Absorb Latch». -1 HP per second.]

“Seriously!?” Jack growled, swatting at them—but they held on tight.

He tried Healing Light again, but it only replenished the drained health—the slimes remained stuck.

Then he noticed Albert in the distance. The party leader dropped to the ground, rolled hard across the dirt—and the slimes were flung off with force.

Jack followed suit, throwing himself into a clumsy tumble. Dirt flew up. His robes got soiled—but the two slimes detached.

He pushed himself up and dusted off. “Ugh… rolling in dirt. Not exactly my style.”

He glanced around—one of the mages had slimes clinging to their back, and in response, she unleashed a small fire burst. The slimes squealed and detached instantly.

‘So either rolling or fire magic can shake them off…’ Jack noted grimly. ‘I seriously need some kind of AoE spell soon. Rolling around like this every time is not sustainable.’

But just as he caught his breath, another trio of slimes launched at him. Two latched onto his legs. A third smacked his shoulder and slid down, attempting to grip.

Jack growled, already dropping to roll again.

“Enough of this slime gymnastics!”

This time, Jack didn’t bother rolling. Instead, he stabbed at the slimes clinging to his legs with sharp, fast strikes. But no matter how many times his dagger sank into the goo, they stuck like glue.

“Tch—come on!” he growled.
‘It’s not enough… I have to hit the core.’

He focused and aimed, trying to drive the dagger directly into their weak point—but even then, it only grazed the core. It wasn’t until he angled the blade in desperation and accidentally cut his own leg during the strike that the slime finally burst apart.

The core shattered, and the slime melted into nothing.

“…Seriously?” he muttered, wiping off the remaining slime. “I have to bleed just to kill one of these?”

Still, he managed to take down two more, though it wasn’t easy. None of them died from a single strike. And with each kill, his frustration mounted.

Then more slimes bounced toward him.

Jack gritted his teeth. “Alright, time to get creative.”

He gathered Light and Dark mana together, weaving them into a swirling veil that surrounded his body like a barrier—hoping to repel the slimes.

But it did nothing.

The slimes latched onto him anyway, clinging as if the magic wasn’t even there.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Martha casting a glowing white spell. A gentle burst of pure light washed over her—and the slimes latched onto her dropped off instantly, hissing and shrinking away.

‘Wait… pure Light magic can repel them?’ Jack’s eyes sharpened.

With that thought, he focused only on the Light attribute and pushed the energy outward—but nothing.

‘Too diffused… it needs to be concentrated—like a beam.’

He pointed his palm at a slime crawling up his leg.

A focused lance of golden light burst from his hand, piercing straight through the slime. The core shattered instantly, and the slime collapsed.

[New Skill Acquired!]

[Piercing Dawn] (Level 1)
Chant: “Shine through the filth.”
Effect: Fires a concentrated beam of Light magic that pierces a single enemy.
• Deals Light damage
• Ignores 20% of target’s magic resistance
• Effective against corrupted and ooze-type creatures
• Range: 8 meters

Jack blinked at the glowing notification, then broke into a wide grin. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

He turned to another slime clinging to his leg. “Shine through the filth,” he chanted.

A tighter, more refined beam shot out—cleaner, faster—and struck the slime dead center. It shrieked and popped like a balloon.

He grinned wider. “Would be great if this was AoE…”

But the gears in his head were already turning.

He cast Piercing Dawn repeatedly, burning through his mana reserves. After draining two Mana Potions, and blasting through a dozen slimes, the spell finally leveled up.

[Piercing Dawn leveled up! – Level 2]
• Deals Light damage to one target (Base Power: 120 → 145)
• Range increased: 8 meters → 10 meters
• Ignores 25% of target’s magic resistance
• Effective against corrupted and ooze-type creatures

Still no AoE... but Jack’s mind was racing. ‘What if I reshape it... widen the beam—turn it into a spread?’

He drew his dagger, focused his mana, and slashed forward—not with the blade, but with the intention to spread light. A fan of energy burst out like a crescent arc, slicing through multiple slimes.

[New Skill Acquired!]

[Piercing Dawn: Radiance] (Level 1)
Chant: “Let dawn break upon many.”
Effect: Releases a wave of Light beams in a cone, piercing through multiple enemies.
• Deals Light damage to all enemies in front (small cone)
• Effective against corrupted and ooze-type creatures
• Ignores 10% magic resistance
• Range: 5 meters

Jack’s eyes lit up with satisfaction. “Finally. Now we’re talking.”