Fighting the Slime Knight
"Let's go, Yuko... Let's take down this slime together." My voice is firm with determination as I step forward. Yuko follows closely, her soft, steady movements in sync with mine as we close the distance to the Slime Knight ahead.
I analyze the unusual slime, trying to gauge what we're up against. One thing becomes immediately clear—it can use magic, something neither Yuko nor I can do. It's also faster than me, but if we coordinate our attacks, I might be able to keep up.
As my mind races through possible strategies, a sudden notification from the System interrupts my thoughts.
Quest Triggered
Defeat the Slime Knight
Rewards: 800 EXP, 400 Pet EXP, 9 Free Attribute Points, Silver Key
I blink at the quest notification. The Silver Key intrigues me—I've never seen an item like that before. It's only my second quest, so I'm still unfamiliar with many mechanics. But what truly catches my attention is the 9 Free Attribute Points (FAP)—a significant reward.
(Should I write out "Free Attribute Points" every time or just stick with "FAP"?)
"I'll hold onto these FAP for an emergency," I murmur. Right now, my highest stat is Strength (14), while the rest are balanced. If needed, I can dump all my points into Strength. Yuko's strongest stat is Vitality (22), though her other stats are lower. If things get rough, she can take the front line while I power up.
Glancing at Yuko, I see her perched on a tree branch, waiting for the Slime Knight to move closer. The creature is still a good distance away, but I can make out its details now. It's at least twice Yuko's size. To put that into perspective, Yuko is about as big as an adult male's head. The Slime Knight exudes an intimidating aura, and inside its gelatinous body, an odd symbol floats. It shifts as if aware of my gaze, moving whenever I look at it. The symbol resembles a child with a crown—cartoonish, yet strangely surreal.
What does that symbol mean?
"I wonder what that signifies..." I mutter.
FWSSH!
In an instant, the Slime Knight vanishes from my sight—gone as if it had melted into the shadows.
"What the—?" My words catch in my throat. I whirl around, searching. "Yuko, do you—AHUUU!"
Before I can finish, something slams into my back with the force of a speeding car. Pain erupts like needles piercing my spine. I'm thrown five feet and hit the ground hard, landing awkwardly on my arm. Agony flares through my body as I struggle to push myself up.
What just hit me?
Gritting my teeth, I shake off the pain and quickly stand. My clothes are already in bad shape—I can't afford to ruin them further. Annoyed, I glance back at the spot I stood moments ago.
There, sitting motionless on the ground, is a small green slime.
Wait… that's the Slime Knight?!
How did it move that fast?!
I stare, dumbfounded. It's absurdly quick—one moment there, the next gone, like lightning.
Yuko reacts instantly, using [Charge] to close the distance. She slams toward the Slime Knight while it's distracted by me, but before she can hit, it summons a protective slime wall. Yuko crashes into it with a thunderous crack, forming a web of fractures. Undeterred, she charges again—this time breaking through entirely. The Slime Knight leaps back, seemingly surprised.
"Didn't expect a simple blue slime to be that strong, huh?" I taunt, smirking. I grab a nearby stick and charge alongside Yuko.
The Slime Knight retaliates, sending a barrage of slime pillars at me. One shoots straight for my head—I barely duck in time. Two more come at my arms, aiming to box me in.
Clever slime.
It's trying to trap me. No escape.
I keep moving forward despite the risk. Another pillar rises, aiming for my chest. Just as it's about to strike—
BOOM!
The cave walls suddenly collapse into rubble. The incoming pillar disintegrates.
I glance over. Yuko stands where the Slime Knight used to be. She must have knocked it back using [Charge]. The Slime Knight crashes into a tree, knocking it down with the impact.
"Nice work, Yuko!" I call out, relieved. But before I can celebrate, another pillar erupts from the ground and slams into both of us, sending us flying in opposite directions.
The pillar crushes into my stomach, knocking the air from my lungs. I cough, spitting blood and the remnants of the fish I ate earlier. The pain is excruciating, but I push through.
I stagger to my feet, scanning for Yuko. Thankfully, she's unharmed—her high Vitality cushioned the blow. Her HP drops, but it's still at 19/21.
"That's my girl," I grin, relieved.
We need a new plan.
"We've been attacking together, but it keeps summoning pillars. This won't work."
My mind races. Think.
Then it clicks.
"Yuko! Defend me while I push forward!" I shout, formulating a new plan.
I sprint toward the Slime Knight, dodging the relentless barrage of slime pillars. Their erratic nature actually makes them easier to predict.
"Yuko! Cover me!"
She dashes beside me, blocking incoming attacks I can't dodge. As we close in, I see an opening.
Then, out of nowhere—
A pillar erupts beneath me.
Not this again…
My HP is dangerously low—10/14. I brace for impact, convinced I won't dodge in time.
But then—
I'm shoved aside.
Yuko takes the hit instead.
She crashes into the cave ceiling, the impact shaking the entire cavern.
Her HP drops, but she's still holding strong at 19/21.
I exhale, grateful. "Yuko, once we're done here, we're going to have a serious talk about you putting yourself in danger!"
She wobbles slightly but nods, determined.
I tighten my grip on my makeshift weapon, eyes locked on the Slime Knight.
"Alright. No more playing around." I smirk. "Let's finish this."
Time to take this fight to the next level.
I looked at Yuko, who was right next to me, and said, "Split up and draw out all of its attacks. Don't get hit—just make it attack you over and over again." With a determined bounce, Yuko sprang toward the Slime Knight at her maximum speed, following my instructions perfectly.
"I guess it's time to finish this... I'm getting quite bored of this slime," I muttered, then took off toward the Slime Knight myself. "Come at me, you weakling! Also, you look like a potato," I taunted, trying to get under its slimy skin.
Don't judge, I wasn't exactly great at insults. So what makes you think I could insult a slime? Life's tough...
But guess what? It worked! The Slime Knight completely ignored Yuko and focused its attention entirely on me. Either I'm a master at provoking slimes or this one has some serious anger issues. Let's go with the first one.
I ran circles around the Slime Knight, dodging its relentless attacks. The creature's strikes were faster than I expected, but with my new agility, I could keep up. Yuko had stopped moving and was now just waiting, her eyes locked on the Slime Knight. If I ever got into trouble, she was ready to intervene.
I could tell that the Slime Knight was slowing down. Its attacks were becoming less precise and more sluggish as if it was tiring itself out. My instincts screamed at me to strike, but I held back, knowing I needed to wait for the perfect moment. The Slime Knight's aura was flickering. Its attacks had become erratic, and I could feel its energy draining.
Then, without warning, the Slime Knight stopped completely. There was a deadly silence, broken only by the soft sounds of the cave—the trickle of the river, the splash of fish, and the distant chirp of crickets. My heart beat like a drum, loud and frantic in my chest. The tension was suffocating.
"It's time," I whispered, turning to Yuko. "Yuko, charge!"
With a burst of speed, Yuko shot toward the Slime Knight, her charge skill propelling her faster than I could follow. I grabbed my stick, tightened my grip, and prepared to strike.
But just as we charged in, something strange happened. The symbol inside the Slime Knight's body disappeared, and the air around it thickened. It became harder to breathe, and my limbs felt like they were weighed down by a thousand pounds. My hands trembled. I felt lightheaded, like I was suffocating.
"Something's wrong," I muttered, fear creeping into my voice. "Yuko, retreat!"
Before I could even finish my sentence, the Slime Knight unleashed a thick, fast-moving pillar right in front of Yuko. It hit her with incredible force, slamming her into the cave wall. The wall shattered, and a hallway appeared behind her. Yuko crumpled to the ground, the air knocked out of her.
I looked at her HP—
"Stop," I scolded myself. "Being scared won't solve anything."
I glanced at Yuko, and despite the blow, she was already getting back to her feet, ready to continue. The Slime Knight's pillars had stopped for a moment, and I knew this was our chance. But then, something even more disturbing happened.
Multiple pillars shot up from the ground, surrounding me and the Slime Knight. The walls were too thick for Yuko to break through, and the Slime Knight wasn't going to let us escape. Trapped. There was no way out.
The Slime Knight, however, did something unexpected. It charged at me without using its pillars, and my instincts screamed at me to get out of the way. I tried to leap, to gain the high ground, but it was too fast. The Slime Knight appeared above me in an instant and slammed its entire mass down onto my back, sending me crashing to the ground in a crater. Blood erupted from my mouth as I gasped for air. The pain was overwhelming.
Then, before I could even recover, a pillar erupted from the ground and slammed into me, sending me flying into the ceiling. I crashed down with a sickening thud, boulders raining down as I struggled to breathe. Another pillar followed, crushing my ribs with a sound that echoed throughout the cave. The pain was unbearable, and my body was too weak to stand.
In a daze, I saw my HP—
I glanced at my Free Attribute Points, realizing it was time to make a decision. It was now or never.
"This is an emergency... It's time," I muttered to myself.
Without hesitation, I allocated my points. I placed 10 points into Agility and 3 into Stamina. The last 2 went into Strength. Instantly, I felt the weight lift from my body, and the dizziness began to fade. My hands stopped trembling, and my mind cleared. I was ready.
I glanced at my updated stats:
Name: Satoru
Family Name: Mikami
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: Tamer 1
Level: 5
EXP: 150/350
HP: 3/14
Strength: 16
Mana: 4
Agility: 22
Stamina: 15
Vitality: 12
Free Attribute Points: None
I could feel the surge of power. I was lighter, faster, and stronger than ever before.
"Let's finish this already, why don't we?" I shouted, determination filling my voice. I broke free from the pillar holding me down, ready to take the Slime Knight on.
It was time to end this fight.