"This is where the Shamans lived," Mira murmured, wiping the blood from her face.
Jian Cheng nodded.
"Or at least, where they kept what they considered important."
They opened the doors.
The interior was divided into three main chambers, each filled with ritual remnants, pigments, wooden structures, primitive alchemy tools, and symbols of power that the goblins themselves could not comprehend.
They checked the Poison Shaman's room first.
There were corroded bones and purple flasks still bubbling.
Next came the Fire Shaman's chamber, where a brazier was still burning slowly.
Finally, they entered the Water Shaman's room, where a stone compartment was embedded in the wall, marked with the symbol of a droplet.
Mira pointed at it.
"There. They hid something there."
Jian Cheng placed his hand into the crack.
He pushed.
Nothing.
Then he applied a bit of force, drawing on the power of his inner world.
CRAAACK!
The stone gave way.
Inside, wrapped in a grayish cloth, were ten spiritual stones, glowing softly.
A gentle, dense, and pure aura emanated from them.
Mira's eyes lit up.
"They're real…" she whispered.
Jian Cheng took a deep breath.
He knew how valuable they were.
Enough to make his spiritual world grow.
He took out the ten stones and placed them on the ground.
"Take six."
Mira stared at him without blinking.
"And you?"
"I want the shattered corpses of the shamans and the goblins."
"I'll keep their remains. Their materials will help me improve my army. Four stones are enough… for now."
They both left the main building and found a relatively clean spot among the ruins of the village to set up their tents.
The sky was beginning to darken.
The wind carried ashes and droplets of water from the Elementals that were still patrolling.
Each of them set up their tent with slow movements, marked by exhaustion.
The normal Slimes formed a protective wall around the area.
The Evolved Slimes remained nearby, standing guard in silence.
The Elementals spread out, cleansing traces of poison and fire.
Mira retreated into her tent, exhausted, letting the Water Elementals form a perimeter around her.
"Don't stay out there too long…" she whispered.
Jian Cheng nodded, but did not move toward his tent.
He had work to do.
He walked toward the now-silent battlefield.
All around him, hundreds of goblin bodies lay scattered across the ruined streets, along with the melted remains of many Slimes.
When he opened his system interface, a number struck him like a hammer.
Normal Slimes lost: 2,213
He closed his eyes for a moment.
It hurt…
but for what they had gained, it was an acceptable price.
After reviewing his losses, the first thing he did was search for the corpses of the goblins who had wielded the corrosive aura. These would serve as materials for new Evolved Slimes.
"With this… I can create a new Slime branch," he muttered as he carefully stacked them.
Then he walked toward the most valuable bodies:
the three Goblin Shamans.
"You three… will be the foundation of my Shaman Slime army," he said with a satisfied smile.
He dragged them one by one to a secluded area of the village, far from the normal Slimes that were still advancing like an insatiable tide.
He ordered one of the Evolved Slimes:
"Protect them. Don't let anyone touch them. Not even other Slimes."
The Evolved Slime vibrated with a firm sound in response.
Then Jian Cheng walked to the center of the village and raised his hand.
Thousands of normal Slimes turned toward him, attentive.
"Devour everything," he ordered.
The response was immediate.
SHLORP—SHLORP—SHLORP
A river of Slimes spread into every corner, tearing down huts, consuming corpses, ripping roots from the ground, absorbing minerals, erasing every trace of the goblin fortress.
It was a terrifying sight…
With the village fully controlled and secured, Jian Cheng finally returned to his tent.
He collapsed inside.
Exhausted.
Injured.
But satisfied.
He closed his eyes…
and sleep took him instantly.
Sound was the first thing he heard.
A murmur… a constant vibration… as if thousands of small bodies were moving in unison.
Jian stepped out of his tent, rubbing his eyes.
What he saw took his breath away.
A sea.
An entire ocean of Slimes.
They covered the village from end to end, spilling over the collapsed walls and spreading toward the forest.
Their numbers had exploded.
The system pulsed before him:
Current normal Slimes: 10,842
Jian Cheng blinked, both shocked and thrilled.
"They multiplied… doubled!" he exhaled with a smile of pure satisfaction. "Excellent. I recovered the losses."
He stood there for several seconds, watching the ocean of Slimes stretching out before him. More than ten thousand gelatinous bodies moved silently, awaiting orders.
Then he stepped forward.
Took a deep breath.
And opened his portal to the inner world.
The space before him distorted, as if the air were being torn from within. A deep, dark, silent void opened.
"Five thousand," he ordered calmly. "Enter."
The Slimes responded immediately.
One after another, thousands slid into the portal.
When the last crossed the threshold, Jian Cheng closed it.
The interface appeared before his eyes.
Slimes sacrificed: 5,000
Evolution points obtained: 5,000
Jian Cheng exhaled slowly.
Without wasting time, he walked toward the area where the corpses were being guarded by the Evolved Slime.
The ten elite goblin bodies and the three shamans.
Jian Cheng pointed.
"You ten," he said, selecting ten normal Slimes. "Devour them."
The Slimes advanced.
They lunged onto the corpses, enveloping them.
The process was different from any previous devouring.
The Slimes trembled. Their surfaces bubbled. Small sections of their bodies darkened, releasing faint vapor.
Then the notification appeared.
Material detected: Corrosive Aura Core (Residual)
Material compatible with special evolution
New option unlocked:
→ Corrosive Slime (Base)
Evolution cost: 300 sacrifice points per unit
Jian Cheng's eyes gleamed.
"Accept."
The command was immediate.
Sacrifice points consumed: 3,000
The ten Slimes began to change simultaneously.
Their bodies compressed, becoming denser. Their gelatinous surfaces turned dark green. Small acidic bubbles formed and burst across their bodies, leaving smoking marks on the stone ground.
The air around them began to distort slightly.
When the process ended, the ten Slimes stabilized.
They had evolved.
Standing before Jian Cheng were ten newly created Corrosive Slimes, emanating a pressure unlike that of normal Slimes.
Jian Cheng observed them in silence.