"Is that it?"
After killing all seven Slimes, Kai felt something was off. It had been too easy. Fighting a Slime one-on-one and winning made sense—but taking on seven at once didn't add up.
"Slimes are Level 1 monsters. What did you expect?"
As Alex spoke, another group of twelve Slimes came rushing toward them.
"Since you're starting to get the hang of things, it's time for the basics. When hunting Slimes, you need to keep two things in mind. First, Slimes don't have eyes, meaning they can't see us. But they can sense our Ki, which you can use to your advantage."
After speaking, Alex decided to demonstrate. He mobilized his Source Ki and concentrated a large amount of Ki into his right hand.
As they took their positions, the Slimes locked on and ruthlessly attacked Alex with acid spit.
However, all the acid attacks were aimed at Alex's right hand, which he easily moved aside.
"Second, after every acid attack, Slimes need five seconds to recharge. That's the moment you strike."
Dodging the attacks, Alex channeled Ki into his legs and, in a single dash, appeared in front of the Slimes. Then, in the blink of an eye, Alex killed all twelve Slimes with a kick.
"This isn't necessary for hunting Slimes, but you should learn to use your Ki in battle. Now, what are you standing around for? Quickly, collect the Ki."
Kai stood in stunned silence, shocked after seeing Alex take down twelve Slimes in seconds. Alex felt a twinge of pride. After all, just a few weeks ago, he was in Kai's shoes.
"Right!"
Snapping out of it, Kai activated [Devour] and gathered the Ki from all nineteen Slimes—seven he had killed himself, and twelve taken down by Alex.
[Ki: 626.1]
"Hunting monsters really is the fastest way to level up."
Seeing an increase of more than 2 points in under ten minutes, Kai was thrilled. Normally, it would take him an hour of breathing Ki to gain that much.
"Okay, keep going. I'll be back in a while."
As Kai was collecting the Ki, Alex sensed something and—without explaining—headed off.
"Wait—"
Kai tried to stop Alex, but it was too late. Alex had already used his Ki and rushed out of the cave in the blink of an eye.
"Whatever… Must remember: hide, wait, and attack. Hide, wait, and attack."
Thanks to the influence of [Clear Mind], Kai didn't panic at Alex's sudden departure. Instead, he calmly continued onward.
————————
After receiving the message, Alex immediately rushed toward the meeting point.
"How is the plan going so far?"
When Alex arrived, a man in a Grayish-Blue cloak was already waiting for him.
"Much better than before. He seems to have forgotten about the Contract and is working toward [Ki Control]. In a week or two, he should be able to make pills using [Ki Control]," Alex answered respectfully. After all, the man before him was his master—the one who took him under his wing.
"Good. With this, our chances of winning will increase greatly. Here, take these and find a way to pass them on to him."
The man was pleased. All the hard work behind the scenes was finally paying off.
"Master, about my mother…"
As the man handed over a storage bag, Alex cautiously asked about his mother.
"Don't worry. Someone is taking good care of her. Without the Soul Revival Pill, it will take about two to three years for her to recover. How about this—after Kai successfully completes his third Heavenly Trial, I'll take you to the Reach Fortress to see her."
For the past week, the man had been personally tending to Alex's mother, occasionally using his Soul powers to nourish her soul.
"That's great."
Alex let out a sigh of relief. Until now, every Fairy doctor he had approached told him the same thing—they couldn't do anything beyond keeping her alive, and only a Soul Revival Pill could help.
But now, his master was saying she could recover in 2–3 years even without it. How could he not be happy?
"Okay, I'll be going now. If anything happens, contact me immediately."
With that, the man disappeared.
————————
"At this pace, I'll easily be able to increase my Ki reserves to a thousand in a few days."
Kai rested while doing a quick mental calculation. Around him were many puddles of Slime gel.
[Devour]
[Ki: 626.1 → 627.3]
After Alex left, Kai encountered a group of 12 Slimes, which he killed one by one. The entire fight didn't last more than three minutes—but to him, those three minutes felt like the longest of his life.
"Let's continue."
After resting for a while, Kai picked up his shield and spear and headed deeper into the cave.
A few minutes later, Kai encountered another group of Slimes feeding on the grass.
The moment the Slimes sensed the bright red aura emitting from Kai's body, they attacked. Before long, fifteen acid attacks slammed into his shield, one after another.
Taking advantage of the Slimes' charging period, Kai sent two of them flying with a strong spear slap.
He was about to strike at the core of one of the Slimes when another acid attack shot toward him.
However, Kai didn't panic. He followed through with the attack and destroyed the Slime's core. As for the incoming acid spit—it hit the shield and nothing more.
Back when he was fighting the previous group of 12 Slimes, Kai had a brilliant idea after remembering Alex's words: Slimes could only sense Ki, not see.
So, he thought, Why not use that to my advantage?
When he encountered this group, he decided to test his theory.
He gathered a large amount of Ki in his stomach and let it remain there.
To the Slimes, the concentrated Ki swirling wildly inside Kai's stomach appeared like a lantern in a pitch-black tunnel.
Knowing his idea was working, Kai calmly hid behind the shield and eliminated all the Slimes within minutes.
[Devour]
[Ki: 627.3 → 628.8]
After collecting the Ki, Kai rested for a while and then headed deeper.
As he ventured further into the cave, the number of Slimes he encountered kept increasing.
"It's the end of the cave… Where is Alex? Did he forget which cave we took? Next time I should bring a watch."
Seeing a large chamber ahead, Kai decided it was time to head back. Although he didn't know exactly how much time had passed, he was fairly certain it had been more than an hour since Alex left.
During this time, Kai had killed hundreds of Slimes, and his Ki reserves had increased significantly.
[Ki: 628.8 → 642.3]
"Took you long enough."
Just as Kai was about to turn around, he heard Alex's voice.
Turning back, he saw Alex standing at the end of the tunnel.
"When did you get here?" Kai asked, clearly surprised—he had no idea how Alex had gotten behind him.