The Mighty Slime

"Want me to respect you?" The old man remained unimpressed, pointing a gnarled finger toward the village outskirts where blue slimes bounced around like hyperactive Jell-O molds. "Simple. Kill one of those slimes and prove your worth."

"Ding!"

System Prompt: Would you like to accept the quest [Prove Your Strength] (Difficulty: D)? "Yes!"

Though ten thousand galloping horses were stampeding through Jack's mind—each screaming about how this was utterly ridiculous—he knew now wasn't the time to argue. With a pang of regret that the old man hadn't been graced with his mother's unparalleled wisdom, he accepted the bizarrely random task.

Quest: Prove Your Strength Description: Brave adventurer, slay a slime to demonstrate your might—if you can, that is. Reward: 20 Experience Points.

Time waits for no gamer. Jack bolted out of the newbie village, scanning the wobbly blobs as if they were sentient puddings of doom. Without hesitation, he raised his right hand and pulled from his measly ten-slot inventory his only weapon—a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

Oh heavens above! If not for me, Jack, this village would be trapped in an eternal dark age! "Stick, come forth!"

Crack!

A half-meter-long, wrist-thick beginner's wooden stick materialized in his grip, which he promptly smashed down on the nearest slime's gelatinous head.

-5!

The red damage number floated up like a neon sign at a Vegas casino, mocking him. "This game starts players off weaker than a wet noodle? Seriously?" Jack muttered under his breath.

Kaboom!

But before he could process what had just happened, the slime retaliated with the ferocity of a caffeine-fueled toddler throwing a tantrum. It launched itself into the air faster than a cheetah chasing nachos, slamming into Jack's chest and sending him stumbling backward like a drunkard trying to moonwalk. His health bar plummeted by half.

-50!

"No way!" Jack gasped, staring at the slime as if it had just insulted his grandmother. "This thing hits TEN TIMES harder than me?! What universe am I living in?!"

Before the slime could pounce again, Jack retreated back to the safety zone of the newbie village faster than a politician dodging taxes. He frantically opened his character panel, hoping there'd been some sort of cosmic mistake.

Jack Shui Level: 1 Health: 100 Attack: 2 Defense: 1 Reputation: 0 Luck: 0 Skill: [Scouting Technique] (Effect: Can scout basic info of creatures or items up to five levels higher than yourself.)

Aside from having three digits in his HP pool, his stats were so pitiful they could make a potato cry. Even his attack stat of 2 was only thanks to the wooden stick. Truly, this was gaming humiliation at its finest.

"What gives? Where are the free attribute points? Is this even legal?" Jack scratched his head, baffled. From the moment he booted up the game, everything felt off—like someone took *World of Warcraft*, threw it into a blender with *Dark Souls*, and hit puree.

"Damn it! I can't even beat a freaking slime!"

Just then, a flash of white light erupted beside him as a burly young man appeared, cursing like a sailor who stubbed his toe. Clearly, he'd been killed by a monster and respawned here.

Jack couldn't help but glance at the guy's username—and nearly choked on his own spit. PileDriver Supreme.

Wait, hold up. My epic name got rejected because it was too OP, but THIS guy gets away with calling himself PileDriver Supreme? Life isn't fair.

Not wanting to stir trouble, Jack kept quiet and watched as more players trickled in, all equally stumped by the slimes' absurd power. Some wandered aimlessly, others vented their frustrations aloud. Eventually, Jack logged onto the official forums within the game interface. Unsurprisingly, chaos reigned supreme.

One thread titled [I Am Slime, Hear Me Roar] had skyrocketed to the top of the trending list, blowing up faster than a SpaceX launch.

Curious, Jack scrolled through the comments, hoping against hope that some genius player had cracked the code.

OldHorseDad (Player): Everyone shut up already! The devs must have their reasons. Let me say something fair: Screw you, devs! ObviouslyNot (Player): No competition means they can do whatever the heck they want. HandsomeSuspect (Player): I asked every single villager for help. They practically flipped me off while cheering me on. Thanks, devs. You're the real MVPs.

…

No solutions yet? Fantastic. Just fantastic.

"Ding!"

System Notification: You've received new mail!

Mail? Finally, a lifeline! Jack eagerly clicked open the message from the developers:

Dear Adventurer, Greetings from the world of Everlasting! Our game uses a unique system to allow the continent of Tianheng to evolve organically, complete with NPCs who possess their own stories and emotions. Unfortunately, we cannot alter any data within the game. However, rest assured, the newbie village is not a dead end. We believe adventurers like you will rise to the challenge using strength, courage, and wit to earn the villagers' respect.

Sincerely, The Dev Team

"Oh, COME ON," Jack groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "They're really doubling down on trolling us, huh?"

He reread the email, mulling over the part about NPCs having their own stories and emotions. A lightbulb flickered in his brain. Walking around the village, he eventually stopped in front of a soldier clad in battered armor, sword at his side.

Newbie Village Soldier ???

The question marks indicated Jack's level was too low to fully analyze the NPC's stats. Still, he guessed the soldier was at least Level 5 or higher. Perfect.

Without hesitation, Jack approached the soldier with a grin. "Hey, buddy, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Nope." The soldier shot him down instantly, as if swatting away a fly.

Undeterred, Jack held up one finger dramatically. "What if I offered you…" But the soldier cut him off mid-sentence.

"You adventurers should focus on surviving those slimes first. Do you think petty bribes will sway me? Let me tell you, even TEN gold coins won't get you jack squat from me!"

Ah, so other players had already tried bribing the NPCs. Clever bunch.

Jack took a deep breath. "How about… ten THOUSAND gold coins?"

In *Everlasting*, currency came in copper, silver, and gold coins. One hundred coppers equaled one silver, and one hundred silvers made a gold coin. At this stage, no player could possibly afford even a single gold coin—it would render the entire economy pointless.

"!!"

The soldier froze, looking at Jack as though he'd just declared himself Emperor of Mars. After several long seconds, he managed to sputter, "Do you even understand what ten thousand gold coins MEANS?"

"Probably not," Jack lied smoothly, puffing out his chest. "But let me assure you, my wealth is legendary. Enough to last several lifetimes."

Several lifetimes! Of course, this was a bald-faced lie. In reality, Jack had just polished off a cup of instant noodles before logging in. The beef flavoring packet had contained exactly ONE tiny speck of meat, which he'd unearthed after draining the broth. Finding it had felt like discovering buried treasure.

"While I can't bring my riches to Tianheng yet, trust me, I'll soon become one of the wealthiest adventurers this land has ever seen. If you don't believe me, we can make a contract. If I break my promise, feel free to hunt me down."

Hunt him down! Ha! As a player, Jack knew the soldier wouldn't stand a chance once he leveled up.

"Uh…" The soldier hesitated. Sure, he earned a modest fifty silver coins per month. Who wouldn't be tempted by such an offer? Besides, these adventurers were laughably weak. Even if Jack betrayed him, catching him would be easier than stealing candy from a baby.

"If you think I'm lying, fine. Forget it." Jack turned away theatrically, adding, "I'm sure SOMEONE in this village will help me."

"Wait!" The soldier blurted out, panic lacing his voice. Straightening up, he said sternly, "Young adventurer, your generosity has convinced me. Tell me, how may I assist you?"

Behind his back, Jack smirked. Hook, line, and sinker.