Syl

Chapter 50: Back to the Beginning

Dewi immediately pointed an accusatory finger at Kurt, "Your mysterious benefactor!"

"What's this now?" Whitney asked.

"No-" Kurt tried to stop Dewi, but it was too late.

"Kurt here found a bunch of boar hides mysteriously left behind in the forest, all perfectly harvested."

"Oh. I wondered what happened to those." I commented, remembering my first tree home. It felt like ages ago, before even my first evolution.

"I waited around! I didn't see anyone or anything for hours, so I figured it was abandoned. There were no tracks either." Kurt tried to defend himself.

"I don't mind. I only did it for the skill training. Plus, you rescued me." I replied earnestly, as I didn't care about a few boar leathers. Back then, I might have been a little peeved, but compared to the stuff in my storage now, it felt like a pittance.

Kurt looked relieved until Whitney spoke up, "Syl. You're terrible with money, aren't you?"

'Am I? I know what money is, but I was a noble in my past life, likely with a silver spoon in my mouth... Is that influencing me? Or is it because I'm a monster? I care more about slime mass and experience than money...'

When I didn't respond and seemed far too lost in thought for a simple question, Whitney groaned, "Talk about a culture clash... If those were monster boars and harvested even half as good as these wolves you did, those were worth a good amount of coin."

Kurt turned pale again until Dewi threw him a lifeline, "How about Kurt pays her inn fees for a week while she settles in as an adventurer?"

"That sounds reasonable. Don't you agree, Kurt?" Roderick added, giving Kurt a hefty pat on the back. Kurt nodded frantically.

With that resolved, we started getting ready for bed, and they organized a sentry rotation, excluding me. I found out my sleeping arrangement would be sharing Whitney's tent.

I panicked, as I'd be leaving myself horribly vulnerable by not sleeping in a hole, not to mention that when I slept, my form would melt. I gave Alpha and Beta orders to work together to upkeep my form and to wake me up if anything threatened me or if the form failed. I hoped that would be enough, and found myself experiencing my first case of insomnia. Too bad I couldn't use sleep poison on myself like that giant badger.

Despite all my worries, I woke up unattacked, and my form was stable. I hated that my first thought was wondering if they didn't attack me to lure me into a false sense of security. At least Alpha and Beta showed the fruits of their labor, and after activating [Slime Conversion], I felt like I had enough slime mass to add a third [Sub-Core].

'New.'

'Yes.'

[Sub-Core Gamma] will receive donated experience from [Sub-Core Alpha] and [Sub-Core Beta] until level equilibrium.>

'Welcome to the team, Gamma. Start withdrawing slime mass, and Beta will store it. Just avoid the superheated slime at all costs.'

Perhaps I could turn it into a weapon somehow because it would certainly add an extra punch to my [Slime Burst]. I also set Alpha the task of reacting and creating injuries. Hopefully it would be enough, but at least this way I wouldn't risk forgetting about it in the heat of the moment.

I was alone in the tent, and I could overhear Dewi and Evan chatting in the camp. They were discussing the battle yesterday and the hobgoblin. One part in particular got my attention.

"Mana siphoning?" Evan asked.

"It'd explain his strength and also her terrible condition," Dewi replied.

"As if I needed another reason to hate that hobgoblin..."

When I exited the tent, I noticed Dewi and Evan sitting casually around the campfire. They seemed to be enjoying some drinks while chatting. Dewi was the one to spot me and beckoned me over.

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"Syl, just the person we were looking for." Dewi said cheerfully, "Maybe you can help us with a mystery. Elves are born with [Mana Sight], right?"

I nodded, unsure where this questioning was going.

"Great. Did you ever see black mana coming from the hobgoblin, and was any used on you?"

Krutz had black mana and definitely used it on me, so I had no trouble answering truthfully, "Yes. He did."

"Warlock..." Evan muttered.

"Or Necromancer, just to be pedantic, but considering there were no undead, yes."

"Thanks, Syl. I'm really sorry for what you went through..." Evan said, looking quite disturbed. Looks like Krutz's reputation was becoming even more infamous.

They again showed me unexpected kindness and gave me some of their breakfast - crackers and dried fruits. The benefit for me was sadly so miniscule that the act of fake eating felt like a detriment - but it's the thought that counts, right?

Before we left, I was handed a bow and quiver from Roderick, "Just in case, plus we'd love to see what else you can do."

I thanked him and hoped I wouldn't disappoint, as I'd be leaning heavily on [Elven Marksmanship]. It looked like we were one of the last groups leaving, and some had even traveled through the night. While traveling, we did encounter some wolves, to which Roderick pulled out his massive tower shield and immediately drew their attention.

"I got their attention. Feel free to shoot them." Roderick said casually.

I drew the bow and activated [Elven Marksmanship], which marked their eyes and throats. I pulled back on the bow and fired an arrow, scoring a direct hit to the throat. The wolf went limp and collapsed.

"Nice shot!" Kurt exclaimed.

"Mind taking care of the rest? Cleaning this shield is a pain when Kurt does it." Roderick said, easily blocking the wolves. They were still entirely focused on him as I fired another arrow, going for the neck again. It was another clean kill. For my final shot, I felt like showing off and went for a bullseye into the wolf's eye. It hit the mark and promptly fell.

"[Sneak Attack]?" Whitney asked me, and when I nodded, she grinned, "Makes sense. Combines very well with a bow."

"No! Don't you tempt her away from the path of a mage!" Dewi scowled, "Also, doesn't [Sneak Attack] work with magic too?"

Whitney twirled her hair while thinking, probably reading the skill description, "Maybe... It just says attacks." she said and displayed the skill.

Adds bonus damage to attacks on unaware or defenseless targets, scaling with skill level.

This bonus damage partially ignores most forms of mitigation and resistance if executed from stealth.>

"Sneak attack fireball..." Dewi mumbled, "Ugh, I don't want to risk the skill point. Syl, when you become a mage, please confirm this for me."

I nodded while Roderick had finished wrapping the three corpses into the sheet and dropping them into the bag.

After putting his shield away, he gave me a thumbs up and asked, "What level were they?"

"Highest was three."

"Fresh spawns then. Likely going to be a lot of activity in the forest with all the deaths."

'So Krutz wasn't lying all the time...'

We continued our journey, and Whitney demonstrated her own [Sneak Attack] with a throwing knife directly between the eyes. It almost turned into a little competition among the adventurers. Kurt did a flashy cross-slash with his two swords. Dewi burnt one to an absolute crisp. Even Roderick killed one by smashing it with his shield, crushing its entire head. It was strangely fun, and their cheerful camaraderie was infectious.

"So, Syl, what plans do you have for your next ascension?" Evan asked.

"Ascension?" I questioned.

"It's not a human-only thing, right?" Kurt asked.

"Maybe elves call it something else." Dewi pointed out.

"Every ten race levels, you get access to a one-time special purchase, usually something like an affinity." Evan explained, "Supposedly, the Gods gave us this to compete with monster evolutions, but..."

"They're kinda shit." Kurt interrupted, "That's why we put all our experience towards our class."

"Unless you're a mage. Then you might want an ascension or two to fill out your elemental repertoire." Dewi pointed out.

'None of this was in the human or elf profiles... Shit...'

"I'd want another elemental affinity," I replied, hoping it was the safe answer.

"As to be expected for our future master of the arcane. I hope you'll tell the Mages Guild in the capital that Dewi started you on your journey of magical mastery."

"I can't tell if you're serious, or you just want to butter her up and hope to get into her pants..." Whitney said, running her finger across a knife threateningly.

"Probably both," Kurt said with a smirk, causing the group to laugh, except for Whitney who gave both a backhand.

We eventually reached the forest clearing, and I could see the walls in the distance. Everyone visibly relaxed when they saw the familiar walls. I felt very conflicted when I walked past the blue slimes. I was back again, and this time, entering the town.

"Crazy that this all started because of missing slimes," Whitney remarked.

"That's our main economy you're talking about," Kurt said, to which she scoffed.

"And our main source of mana potions," Dewi added.

"Glad I'm not a mage then. You won't catch me drinking sewer potions," Whitney said, shaking her head.

"You do know active skills use mana. Right?" Roderick pointed out.

"Then I guess it's a pure passive loadout for me." She countered.

"Tabby had nearly the same response. Is it a girl thing to hate slimes?" Kurt asked, then turned to me, "Syl?"

I wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question. "No, I don't hate slimes. Except maybe green ones."

"Once you're a mage, you'll love them. They are free experience! One little spell, and they go pop!" Dewi said with a smile. Although, to me, it looked rather sinister. I internally shuddered.

We reached the gate to which the guards greeted the returning group. Roderick explained my situation and paid my entry fee for me. I stuck closely to the group when we entered, not wanting to get lost.

"First, we will head to the guild to hand in our report. And get Syl registered, assuming you were serious about joining? Seriously, no pressure. You could easily get a job as a dissector." Roderick said.

"I'd like to join and finally get a class. And even without Dewi's insistence, I've been interested in magic."

"Great answer!" Dewi and Kurt said together.

"Once you're registered, we'll show you to one of the best inns in town, where Kurt will pay for your first week's stay." Roderick continued, "I'll add a second week if you butcher these wolves for us, and a portion of the money from selling them."

"I'll help you get some clothes with that since you have no money sense," Whitney added.

I thanked them all and genuinely smiled. I was dumbfounded at how friendly they were being.

Maybe Roderick sensed my true feelings because he added, "When you're part of the adventurers guild, we're all like family, and we look out for our own."