Me and Rusalka headed east of town, just as planned. The trek took a few hours on foot, the grassland stretching out before us, blades swaying in a gentle breeze. Sunlight warmed my scales, my lizardfolk vision catching every ripple of green, every darting insect. It was a peaceful spot, perfect for testing Rusalka’s combat ability. She’d likely fit as a vanguard, but with zero experience, turning her into my shield while I cast magic from the rear would take time. I’d figure it out as I watched her progress.
Her combat skills… well, she couldn’t swing a sword properly. Feints? Forget it. My mind wandered to those thoughts as we reached a patch of open grassland, the air fresh with the scent of earth. I stopped, turning to her. “Alright, Rusalka, let’s start with the basics of swordsmanship. And I mean basics of basics—stuff I picked up from my brother’s training and watching Crimson Raid.”
I showed her how to grip the sword, my claws guiding her small hands. Her first swings were clumsy, the blade wobbling like a drunk. But her weiss goblin eyes locked onto my every move, absorbing it. “Rusalka, that’s pretty impressive. It hasn’t been an hour yet, you managed to copy me to perfection.”
“Tee-hee!! Thank you, master. I try my best. Weiss goblins are good at observing. It’s a trait.”
“Well then, shall we move on to the next step?”
We pushed a bit further, the grass brushing my boots, when I spotted them—slimes, their gooey forms shimmering in the sunlight. “Rusalka, this is perfect. Those are perfect for you to train on!”
“Eeh!? No way! Slimes are so… well… gooey!” she squeaked, her long ears twitching.
“You don’t like slimy things by any chance?”
“It’s not that. I… just don’t want scary woman to give me another bath.”
Ouch. Good thing Rose was nowhere near to hear that. I chuckled, scratching my scaled neck. “Look, Rusalka, now that you’re mine, you gotta learn how to fight. Come on. You won’t get hurt. Slimes are mostly harmless, unless they form a swarm. Even the most unprepared rookie can handle them.”
“O… okay…”
She was reluctant, her grip shaky as she took a stance against a slime. It looked like a spongy volleyball, its liquid body curving aggressively—a warning to stay back. The slime leapt, and Rusalka swung, her sword slicing it clean in half with a wet squelch. But both halves wiggled, still moving.
“Don’t tell me it multiplied from being cut in half?” Rusalka’s face twisted in distress.
That’s exactly what happened. A slime was one of the weakest monsters, but cutting it in half just made more. Another swing, another squelch, and the same thing happened. Again. And again. Soon, she was surrounded by bouncing slimes, their gooey forms glinting.
“Eeh!? I can’t take this!” she yelped, her ears flattening.
“Would you calm down, for a second? Look, stop swinging that sword randomly, will you? There are 2 ways to deal with slimes.”
I sighed, my tail twitching. I’d spent countless hours studying monster books for Crimson Raid—knowledge I couldn’t unlearn, even if I wanted to. “I shall explain. First is with magic. You blast them away, thus not giving them the chance to regenerate. The second method is…”
I stepped close, grabbing her wrist gently, her skin warm under my claws. “If you cut a slime just in 2 it will multiply. So you have to actually cut it in 4. A horizontal slash followed quickly by a vertical one. Or vice versa.” I guided her hand, our swords slicing through a slime in a swift cross pattern. The goo splattered into a harmless puddle, no regeneration.
“Got it? You need to quickly cut it in 4.”
“I… I’ll try…”
Her first attempt was clumsy, the blade missing one cut, leaving a wriggling half. She gritted her teeth, adjusted, and tried again. After a few shaky swings, she nailed it, the slime collapsing into a puddle. More slimes appeared, drawn by the commotion—a pincer attack.
“A pincer attack all of a sudden?” she grumbled, focusing on the ones ahead.
She sliced three slimes cleanly, but a fourth tackled her back with a dull thump, like a dodgeball hit. Her armor held, but she winced. “Kuh… it unexpectedly hurts. I guess I can’t play around.”
Bracing herself, she took a stance, her eyes narrowing. Two slimes lunged at once; she dodged, her movements sharper now, and cut one into quarters. Two more came from behind, but she spun, slicing them down. One slime remained. With a final swing, she finished it, panting, goo dripping from her blade.
“Seriously, master, why didn’t you help me?”
“I told you. You need to learn to fight for yourself. At least now, you’re not swinging that sword randomly anymore. I plan to have you fight some more. But for now, we need to make you stronger. In order for that to happen…”
I placed my hand on her head, her hair soft under my claws, and used my unique skill. “Experience Boost.”
A faint blue light surrounded Rusalka, shimmering before vanishing. “Master, what was that just now?”
“Just something that will help you grow faster. Think of it as me giving you…”
“Your love?”
I was about to say my blessing, but those puppy eyes melted me. “Sure.”
“Yay!! I received my master’s love!!” she squealed, bouncing on her toes.
For the next two days, we camped in the field, training from dawn to dusk. When I wasn’t guiding Rusalka, I studied the dungeon books, their ancient runes a slow puzzle. My noble education gave me a shaky grasp of the language—enough to decipher bits of magical knowledge, but it was tough going. Flowers bloomed around us, their colors vivid to my lizardfolk eyes, and small critters skittered through the grass. I wasn’t a battle maniac, so I didn’t mind the slow pace.
Under my guidance, Rusalka improved fast. Normally, killing slimes for two days would get you to level 10 at best. With my Experience Boost, she hit level 23, her movements growing sharper. Level 50 was the benchmark for a basic knight, but reaching it on slimes alone would take months, even with my skill, thanks to the sharp leveling curve past 25.
“Hey, hey, master, look! A jewel slime in such a place!?” Rusalka pointed at a sparkling slime behind some bushes, its core glinting like a gem.
My enhanced vision caught its shimmer. “We can sell its ‘jewel slime core’ for quite a sum. I’m catching it!”
Her eyes gleamed like a hunter’s—Rose’s greed must’ve rubbed off. She drew her sword, slicing the slime into quarters with precision. She nodded, satisfied. “That’s a good sign. Mh? Oh, wow! Look. That’s the rare meat slime. It’s said that its core if cooked is quite delicious. It’s mine!”
A reddish slime darted forward, faster than the others. Rusalka was faster, her blade flashing. “Haah!” She cut it into four, revealing a meatball-like core. It… didn’t look appetizing, but she was determined to cook it.
“What other slimes can we hunt?” she asked, her ears perked.
I blinked. Two days ago, she was scared of gooey slimes. Now she was a slime-slaying machine. Had I created a monster? I noticed the goo splattered on her gear, glinting in the sunlight. “Hold it right there!” I grabbed her shoulder, pulling her toward a nearby river. “Making you take a bath. You’re covered in slime fluids and I can’t stand to look at you like this. There’s a small river over here so we’re cleaning you up.”
“Me and… master together… naked! But if it’s master… if you really want to… I have no experience… but I don’t mind!” Her face went red, her ears twitching wildly.
My own face heated, my tail stiffening. Zero experience with women here, too. “For now… banish such thoughts from your head. We don’t have time for such activities.”
“Am… I not attractive enough?”
“That’s not the point. Yare, yare. Do you want me to call Rose?”
“Eeeep! No! I will quietly accept your bath, master. Just please don’t bring the scary woman.”
Phew. Dodged that bullet. My lizardfolk… anatomy was still a mystery, and I wasn’t ready to explore it. Hopefully, nothing unexpected would happen.