Ben had always wondered why slimes in fantasy worlds were sometimes portrayed as incredibly powerful creatures. In many stories, they started as weak monsters but eventually grew strong enough to challenge even the strongest beings.
"That’s... actually true," Morbius admitted.
"You might be right. In theory, they could grow extremely powerful, but I have never heard of a slime reaching such a level."
"Hmm..."
Ben looked at the slimes thoughtfully.
"Think about it. If they are weak creatures that everyone treats as nothing more than cannon fodder, how would they ever get the chance to grow strong enough to reach that level?"
He suddenly smiled.
"I have an idea. How about I start with one and form a contract with it, just like I did with you?"
Morbius paused.
"Hmm... we can try that."
"If your soul was strong enough to form a contract with me, then a slime shouldn’t matter anyway."
Ben looked at him.
"How do I form a contract?"
"Just awaken first. After that, I will teach you."
Morbius jumped onto a nearby rock and sat down.
"So go and kill thirty slimes. Meanwhile, I will relax and wait for you to awaken."
Ben looked at him in surprise.
"But the old man Raymond said I only needed to kill ten."
Morbius glanced at him.
"Your vessel is much bigger."
"It seems you possess a special talent."
Ben frowned.
"You said my vessel is higher?"
"Yes."
Morbius nodded.
"The vessel is the key place of a living being, where they store the Celestial Energy."
"It determines how much celestial energy a person can store inside their body."
Ben fell silent.
Then he suddenly remembered something.
Previously, he had once obtained a vessel expansion potion from his system. At that time, he thought it might be some kind of awakening potion or something similar.
He had drunk it without hesitation.
At the time, he felt a strange energy rushing through his body, but after that, nothing seemed to happen.
’So that potion really was something that enhanced my talent...’
’Does that mean all the rewards from my system are specifically designed to help me grow stronger?’
Ben’s eyes lit up as he realized this possibility.
Morbius looked at him and sighed.
"Hey, human. Come back to reality."
"Go and kill those thirty slimes."
Ben looked back at him.
"So I just have to kill them, right?"
Morbius nodded.
"Yes. Go."
"Since you’re bound to me, is there anything that can dissolve this contract?" Ben asked, looking at Morbius.
"No."
Morbius shook his head.
"The ritual you used was of an extremely high grade. This contract cannot be dissolved."
"Besides, even if someone were somehow capable of breaking it, they wouldn’t bother."
"They wouldn’t gain anything from doing so."
Ben nodded.
"Okay. Then I guess my secrets are safe with you."
Morbius raised an eyebrow, wondering what his master meant.
The next second, his expression froze.
A massive sphere of crimson energy suddenly materialized in Ben’s hand.
"What the hell, human?!"
"How can you use a spatial storage ability when you haven’t even awakened yet?"
Morbius asked, completely dumbfounded.
Ben smiled mysteriously.
"My secret."
He looked at the enormous energy sphere floating above his palm.
It was one of the many items he had obtained from the system during the last month.
A 100-meter-radius Energy Bomb, powerful enough to kill creatures up to the Bronze Rank.
Back then, he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
But now...
Now he finally understood how valuable it truly was.
Power levels in this world were divided into Grey, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Black Diamond.
Those were the only ranks Raymond had told him about so far.
"This should be enough."
Ben smiled.
The enormous sphere glowed with blinding crimson and golden light as violent streams of energy twisted around its surface.
Without hesitation, he hurled it toward the group of slimes.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion echoed across the grasslands.
The ground shook violently as a massive shockwave swept through the area, tearing apart the earth and sending dust flying everywhere.
When the smoke finally settled...
More than fifty-one slimes had completely disappeared.
Not even a trace of them remained.
Morbius stood there with his mouth hanging open.
He had originally planned to tell Ben that slimes were surprisingly difficult to kill.
Although weak, their gelatinous bodies allowed them to absorb most physical attacks, and unless their cores were destroyed, they would simply regenerate.
Yet this weak, non-awakened human had casually thrown a single bomb...
...and annihilated over fifty slimes in an instant.
For the first time since meeting Ben, even the proud Death Flame Cerberus was completely speechless.
’What the hell is this human?!’
Morbius questioned inwardly, but his pride wouldn’t allow even the slightest hint of shock to appear on his face.
Meanwhile, Ben felt a cool sensation spreading throughout his body.
"This must be the natural awakening," he mumbled.
The refreshing energy flowed through every part of him, as though something was carefully sculpting his body from the inside out.
Ben slowly closed his eyes and relaxed, allowing the mysterious energy to continue its work.
Just then, his system suddenly rang.
It was the first time it had ever done so, aside from displaying his daily sign-in rewards.
[Congratulations on successfully awakening!]
[A bonus sign-in reward is now available.]
[Status Screen has been unlocked.]
[The Status Screen displays the host’s attributes in numerical form, along with energy reserves, health condition, and overall physical and mental status.]
As the notifications disappeared, Ben felt his senses undergo a dramatic transformation.
His vision became sharper.
His hearing grew clearer.
His sense of smell became far more sensitive.
Even the slightest movement in the surrounding grass felt unusually distinct.
"This is marvelous..."
Ben murmured as he slowly opened and closed his hands, feeling the newfound strength flowing through every muscle in his body.
Ben continued moving his fingers, getting used to the changes in his body.
Everything felt lighter than before.
His body responded faster to his thoughts, and he could feel a faint stream of celestial energy flowing inside him.
Just then, another notification appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations!]
[Innate Ability Awakened Successfully.]
[Innate Ability: White Ruination of Decay]
Ben blinked in surprise.
"Innate ability..."
He immediately focused on the notification.
A new window opened.