Oblec rushed through the crystalline cavern into one of the intersecting tunnels that led further into one of the more dangerous regions of the Karhid Caves. Ravinecrawlers frequented this area. Not only was it close to a Dungeon, there was a lake rich in mana deposits located there too.

How could I be so foolish? the bearded Gremlin thought as Lire and Fissyah led the way. I should’ve known this would happen. I should’ve waited for them outside of the Dungeon—

And now, Violet was left alone to face a Ravinecrawler. A monster that probably had twice her Combat Power. Oblec feared the worst. He hoped he’d arrive in time. But there were only two outcomes from this. Two that were feasible. Either she would escape and hide away somewhere safe, or she’d be gobbled up as dinner for a Ravinecrawler.

Oblec prayed to Drasel that it was the former.

“Nn!” Lire called out, and the bearded Gremlin glanced up.

He saw the end of the tunnel up ahead. There were signs of a battle— the ground was torn open, clearly indicating a Ravinecrawler had been here. Oblec sped up. He left both the girl and the Shrouded Slime alone, exiting the tunnel and landing into the expansive cave chamber.

His eyes shimmered as his vision was enhanced. Please arrive in time… He followed the most recent trail of fighting, his gaze settling onto the corpse of a giant Ravinecrawler.

Oblec blinked. “What?”

That couldn’t be right. He rubbed his eyes once, before taking in the very much dead monster once again. He strode up to it and inspected its sizzling body. It was melting away from its own acid. Its tough skin could mostly withstand the yellow liquid, but many parts of its body had been flayed.

Its flesh had been torn open. And that was where the acid seeped through to eat away at its body.

But that couldn’t have just been it. These would’ve been grievous wounds, yes. However, they weren’t enough to bring down a Ravinecrawler so soon. There was something else to it.

Oblec’s eyes narrowed as he fixed on the monster’s upper body. Its neck seemed to bulge. As if it had swallowed something that was too large even for a Ravinecrawler to consume.

“Just what happened here?” he asked no one in particular.

But a voice answered. “I-I… guess you could say…”

His gaze snapped to the side. He spotted a small splattering of purple liquid lying at the periphery of a pile of debris. Violet lay there, barely a quarter of her original size, chuckling.

“The Ravinecrawler bit off more than it chew…”

[Arcslime - Level 31 (Combat Power: 1300)]

* * *

Everything was a blur after I killed the Ravinecrawler. I saw flashes of what happened, but it felt more like a dream than anything. Somehow, Oblec appeared and carried me back to his little hovel, accompanied by Fissyah and Lire.

The girl stared at me, wearing a concerned look on her face.

“Violet…” she trailed off.

“Hello, Fissyah.” I weakly waved at her. “Have you done your homework?”

“...what?” She blinked.

“Mr Bob said you have been skipping your lessons, and if this keeps up, you may not be able to get to college—” I groaned and felt like melting into a puddle. “I think I’m having a stroke.”

I didn’t remember what happened after, just that we returned to the crystalline cave chamber. Oblec applied some healing paste onto me, and the liquid seemed to meld with my body, speeding up my recovery process. I was a fraction of the size I was before, but I could feel myself becoming more whole again.

The soothing sensation ran through me as my vision once again seemed to blink out. I wasn’t sure if I was actually passing out, just that my memory was foggy during this time period. When I next took in my surroundings, I was lying on a table and covered in a blanket.

“Ugh… I’m alive…” I crawled out of the blanket and looked around the room. I paused when I spotted Fissyah sitting on a chair, resting her head on the table. Her chest rose gently as she lay there, sleeping next to me.

If I had a face, I’d be smiling. I ran an appendage over her white hair, whispering. “You were worried, huh?”

“All of us were,” a voice spoke out. I glanced over at Oblec as he stood at the doorway. “You gave us quite the scare. I didn’t know if you’d make it or not. But it seems that that regeneration ability of yours is more effective than even I’d thought.”

“Well, you won’t see me complaining about it,” I said as he sauntered up to me.

“So, you’ve reached your next threshold of power now, have you?” He came to a stop right before the table. “I’m sure you have many questions—”

“Wait,” I cut him off. I gestured at Fissyah who was still sleeping. “Let’s take this elsewhere.”

“Of course.”

We stood outside the hut now as I recalled the notifications that popped up right after I defeated the Ravinecrawler. I was Level 30 now— or rather, Level 31. But I’d received a deluge of new Skills upon hitting Level 30.

First of all, I gained [Nadir’s Bloom] from the act of killing the Ravinecrawler. Then, from hitting the so-called next threshold of arcane power, three Skills and one Passive Skill and one Passive Skill upgrade.

The Passive Skill advancement proved to be quite useful as well. From [Arcane Restoration] to [Rapid Arcane Restoration]. It would be quite beneficial for prolonged battles like with the Ravinecrawler.

[Rapid Arcane Restoration - You restore 50 Arcane Essence for every ten minutes of rest.]

I was most curious about the Passive Skill since it came with an actual description. The others I’d have to test out, but I would know what my Passive Skill did immediately. And, let’s just say [Arcane Efficiency] lived up to its name.

[Arcane Efficiency - Your Arcane Essence cost for all Skills is halved.]

“That’s… very useful,” I remarked as I pulled up my Status.

Name: Violet [Level 31]

Species: Arcslime

Combat Power: 1300

Arcane Essence: 1300/1300

Skills:

[Appraisal - 5 Arcane Essence]

[Arc Blast - 40 Arcane Essence]

[Arc Shot - 10 Arcane Essence]

[Arc Strike - 20 Arcane Essence]

[Detached Body Manipulation - 20 Arcane Essence]

[Healing Touch - 10 Arcane Essence]

[Nadir’s Bloom - 50 Arcane Essence]

Passive Skills:

[Arcane Efficiency - Your Arcane Essence cost for all Skills is halved.]

[Improved Absorption - You replenish an additional 50% of Arcane Essence from consuming bodies.]

[Morph Shape - Your body can take on complex shapes.]

[Rapid Arcane Restoration - You restore 50 Arcane Essence for every ten minutes of rest.]

Special Skills:

[Arc Symbiosis: Fissyah - 25% of Total Arcane Essence]

Titles:

[Destroyer of Fort Erkaed - Arcane Essence +50]

So, even [Arc Symbiosis] is reduced by half. It seemed like I got [Arcane Efficiency] just in time. If not for it, my brand new Skills— [Arc Blast], [Nadir’s Rise], [Arc Strike], and [Healing] Touch— would’ve cost quite a bit per usage. Specifically the former two, since they’d have taken 80 Arcane Essence and 100 Arcane Essence respectively.

“Did you say something?” Oblec asked, tilting his head.

“Oh, nothing,” I said, waving an appendage off dismissively. “I was just thinking about the new Passive Skill I got— [Arcane Efficiency].”

“[Arcane Efficiency], huh? I, myself, learned that Skill through honing my mastery over the arcane. Although, I would have preferred to gain it during my advancement as you did… ”

“What is this advancement, anyways?” I asked curiously. “I mean, I know what it is. It’s that threshold thing you reach, right? I got it twice. But what is it, exactly?”

“It is simply a point that every individual in the world crosses,” the bearded Gremlin explained with a smile. “A certain level where your growth is enhanced— where you unlock newfound powers. Level 10 and Level 30 are the first two, as you already know. Beyond that there’s Level 60, Level 100, and Level 150.”

“What’s after Level 150?”

“I do not know.” He shook his head. “There is no further threshold than Level 150 as far as I am aware. At least, no one mentioned in stories or in history books have reached such heights.”

“You read history books?”

“Bob lends them to me. Or… he used to lend them to me.” Oblec harrumphed. There was clearly history there.

Heh.

“So, anyways, what do these thresholds do?” I changed the subject. “You just… grow stronger?”

“That is correct,” he said, nodding. “Your growth multiples. Sometimes it is doubled. Sometimes it is even tripled. And for individuals such as Fissyah and I who have unlocked our Arcane Essence, our growth shall outpace those who rely solely on Physical Essence.”

“I don’t really see the point in that… growing stronger for the sake of growing stronger sounds dumb.”

“It is for those who have to fight for their survival. You are right, very few individuals rarely grow stronger for the sake of it. Not everyone levels, Violet. Not everyone lives such harsh lives. Most people in the Dark Empire go about their whole life reaching only the first threshold. Even then, it happens when they are aged and weakened. When their Physical Essence is reduced.”

That explained why most of the Dark Elf soldiers were barely around Level 10. They were young men and women who were in their primes, trained to be the best Warrior they could possibly become. Although, I still found their levels to be lacking.

At least, compared to what I’ve fought so far.

“So, since everyone hits this advancement at the same level,” I piped up, facing Oblec. “Are you saying Fissyah will soon be hitting it next?”

He scratched his scruffy beard. “That is if she continues her rate of leveling. Although, I’d prefer it if she learned [Basic Earth Magic] before that happens. After all, reaching the next advancement would advance your current Skills as much as it introduces new Skills.”

That was true. I did get [Rapid Arcane Restoration] from my Level 30 advancement. If I didn’t have the original base Skill, I likely wouldn’t have gotten the advanced version now.

“Still, I can’t wait for her to catch up to me.” I bounced up and down excitedly. “I wonder if she’ll get [Arcane Blast] too…”

Oblec furrowed his brows. “Wait, what do you mean by that, Violet?”

“Oh, I learned [Arcane Blast]... well, [Arc Blast], from my Level 30 advancement.” I raised an appendage, pointing at a nearby cluster of crystals. “See?”

[Arc Blast].

I felt a substantial amount of Arcane Essence build up at the very tip of my body. Then, all at once, it was unleashed. It felt like I was shooting a part of myself— although no physical piece of me was separated from my body— and it launched out like a missile.

The ball of purple energy was about the size of me, quite clearly smaller than Oblec’s own [Arcane Blast], although still significant in size when compared with [Arc Shot]. It impacted the cluster of crystals, exploding into a bright violet sphere. One that wiped the crystals clean off the ground, leaving behind a sizable crater in its wake.

“That’s… [Arcane Blast].” Oblec’s eyes grew wide.

“Actually, it’s called [Arc—” I started, only to pause when I saw the state of the bearded Gremlin.

He had fallen to his knees, hands pressing against the dirt ground as he stared blankly at the explosion. He slowly curled up into a ball and sobbed.

“It took me a decade to learn that Skill— and you learned it in a few months…”

“Uhm…” I hesitated. I bounced over to him and patted him on the back. “There, there…?”

I wasn’t sure if that would make him feel better. It did seem kind of ridiculous when you put it in that perspective. I didn’t even know how long I’d been alive for, but I knew it wasn’t long. And yet, in that short amount of time, I not only learned a Skill that took Oblec quite a bit of his lifetime to master, but I was already at my Level 30 advancement, when a Level 10 advancement at a young age was already quite notable.

I was beginning to understand Oblec and Bob’s concern when they said they were worried about my nature.

I accompanied Oblec as he picked himself back up and trudged back into his hovel. I glanced back once— into the vast cavern. Then I sighed.

I just want to get to the surface without much trouble. Is that too much to ask for?

Of course, the answer was obvious.

* * *

Zoreth the Onyx Vanguard stepped out of the interrogation chamber, massaging his temples. A voice drew his attention to the side. A familiar Ratwoman stood at the other end of the corridor.

“I’m assuming your ‘conversation’ didn’t prove productive?” Deviyus the Mistress of Chaos strolled up to him, raising a brow.

“The Necromancer refuses to speak. His unbreakable will is almost admirable— if it wasn’t so frustrating. No matter what is done or used against him, he will not speak.”

“Are you not worried?” She fixed her gaze on him. He knew she was studying every minute change to his facial expression. “Every moment that passes where your failure isn’t rectified is another moment you lose your favor with the God King.”

He closed his eyes, feeling agitated just at the idea. Everything he worked for— pointless. But he shook his head.

“There is no reason to fret. The Shadow Inquisitors aren’t remaining idle as we wait for the Necromancer to succumb to his interrogation. Already, Draxus the Savage Hunter is tracking down the Arcslime. He will always find his prey.”

Deviyus pursed her lips. “...about that.”

“What is it?” Zoreth raised a brow.

“I read a report recently— one from Fort Erkaed. Further revelations about Rioke’s untimely demise.” She shifted her feet, looking over her shoulder. “But before I continue you, this is something you must keep between us. It is something the Acolytes of Darkness have yet to share even with the God King.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Trazar is keeping it a secret, then? Just what is he scheming…”

“I cannot tell you that.” Deviyus sighed, shaking her head. “The report will eventually make its way to the God King with even more details. However, what I can tell you now is that the one responsible for Rioke’s death was said to be a Slime. One that could cast magic even the Mages of the fortress could not comprehend.”

“A magical Slime?” Zoreth frowned. “Are you implying that it was the Arcslime we’re searching for?”

“Perhaps.” She crossed her arms and strummed her fingers on her elbow. “I will not speculate with you. All I’ll say is that it was reported to have fled into the Karhid Caves along with a single captive. A Goblin girl from Korukh.”

“Korukh…” He closed his eyes. He remembered the village. He remembered the Gremlin with burning eyes.

Zoreth stood there for a moment, unmoving. Deviyus peered at him. She said nothing, just watching him. Then he straightened and nodded at her.

“I see. I thank you for your help, Deviyus. But rest assured, Draxus has yet to fail at tracking a target down, even if he had to scour through a thousand tunnels.”

“Well, that’s the thing…” The Mistress of Chaos sighed. “The Karhid Caves is located at the western edge of the Dark Empire, right?”

“Yes?” he agreed with her.

“Last I heard,” she continued as she massaged her temples, “Draxus was searching the Kixa Tunnels. The eastern edge of the Dark Empire.”

“Oh.” Zoreth placed a hand on his chin, registering this. Then he spun around and shouted at a handful of passing guards. “You there— get me a Messaging Scroll, immediately!”

* * *

“I’m so fucking lost…” Draxus the Savage Hunter cradled himself as he sat atop the corpse of a Ravinecrawler.

He’d been sent to find the Arcslime. But he had been given no direction. No path to follow at all. If he had a bit of a trail, sure he’d been able to find his target. However, right now, he was literally just searching blindly for something he wasn’t even sure existed.

“Maybe I should just disappear,” he muttered to himself. “Maybe I should vanish. They’ll wonder what happened to me, sure. And I’ll never be able to show my face in the Dark Empire ever again. But that’s better than being executed, right?”

He made up his mind as he rose to his feet.

“Right. There’s no way the God King won’t have me killed for returning empty handed. So, I may as well just not return—”

And Draxus paused. A scroll at his belt shimmered with magical energy. He pulled it out and read the glowing words on its papyrus. His eyes widened.

The Arcslime is in the Karhid Caves. Find it.

The Savage Hunter laughed maniacally as he leapt off the Ravinecrawler’s body. He spread his arms wide, shouting for all of the Hollowdark to hear.

“Arcslime! I will find you!”