After reaching 2-Star, the slime moved his mudfield deeper into the secret realm.
It was a region inhabited mainly by 2-Star Demon Beasts.
In game terms, it was a level-twenty hunting ground.
Demon Beasts corresponding to the high level twenties and occasionally 3-Star creatures in the low level thirties appeared there.
'Details like this really do make it feel like a game.'
He had entered a game.
So it was only natural that things resembled one.
At the same time, there was a sense of reality unlike any game.
The characters and backgrounds in the game seemed real.
That strange boundary made the webnovel loser feel that he truly had entered a game world.
The game had become reality.
'More importantly, it's time to hunt again.'
To raise their realms, members of the demon race.
Had to continue Devouring other Demon Beasts.
The demon race was structured to grow stronger the more it ate.
At the peak of that ecological pyramid stood demon immortals.
'In the game, they called that karma, along with spiritual energy.......'
All creation, down to the smallest insect, arose through this karma.
Because the universe itself was formed through karma.
Effect was born from cause.
And effect gave rise to cause once more, creating every phenomenon in the universe.
Through karma, all things in the universe moved and changed.
At karma's highest point stood the Great All-Encompassing Immortal, who created the laws of the universe.
'That's just the game's lore... and none of my concern.'
He only needed to think of it simply: when he ate, he accumulated spiritual energy and karma......
And became stronger.
Eating better things made him even stronger.
'It's easiest to think of it as experience.'
Killing a Demon Beast at a similar realm, or level, granted experience.
Killing one at a higher realm granted more (bonus) experience.
Killing one at a lower realm imposed an experience penalty.
If the difference in realm was large, he could assume it granted no experience at all.
Here, he only had to raise his experience by catching 2-Star Demon Beasts.
3-Star creatures were dangerous, but......
Catching one granted a corresponding bonus.
As always, the slime planted a spirit herb in the mudfield.
When he concentrated the surrounding spiritual energy in it, tempting spirit fruit formed.
Then the surrounding Demon Beasts gathered.
It was a simple and reliable hunting method.
2-Star and 3-Star Demon Beasts gathered around the mudfield.
The 2-Star creatures fled from the stronger 3-Star Demon Beasts.
The same situation as before unfolded.
However......
'This time is different. I have a good tool now.'
He had gained a way to deal with the bothersome creatures interfering with his hunt.
The slime used it.
***
ROAR—
ROAR—
ROAR—
The slime fired Water Cannons at a 3-Star Demon Beast prowling around the mudfield.
HISSS—
HISS—?
HISSS—
The Water Cannon was powerful enough to leave a creature dazed briefly after one hit.
SLITHER—
SWISH—
The startled creature simply fled.
SQUEAK—
SQUEEEAK—
ROAR— ROAR— ROAR—
SLITHER—
SWISH—
Even those that recovered eventually withdrew under the repeated Water Cannon attacks.
As the slime bombarded them with Water Cannons.
He solved the problem of the 3-Star Demon Beasts surrounding the mudfield.
'Water Cannon is the best!'
As expected, a ranged weapon that allowed him to beat an opponent unilaterally was excellent.
A 3-Star Demon Beast had to enter the mudfield to confront the slime.
That was both a battlefield unfavorable to it and a trap.
Nothing was more infuriating than being struck one-sidedly while unable to hit back.
Especially when the attacker was at a lower realm.
They did not avoid him because they were afraid.
They avoided him because his tactics were cheap and filthy.
The slime played the game in a fucking obnoxious way.
'This is what makes games fun. Ha ha.'
Even under those circumstances, one creature attacked.
It was a 3-Star Centipede Demon Beast with the Earth attribute.
ROAR— ROAR— ROAR—
SQUEAK—
SQUEEEAK—?
SQUEAK—
SPLAT—
It could move reasonably well within the mudfield.
Enraged by the Water Cannons, it entered to catch the slime.
It pushed aside the thick mud with its many legs.
'Stupid creature.'
The slime waited for the Centipede to enter deep into the mudfield.
Once it reached a suitable depth......
'Waterflow Control!'
Water began gathering around the Centipede.
The mudfield gradually thinned until it was like water.
SQUEAK—
SQUEEEAK—?
The change greatly startled the Centipede.
As the mudfield thinned, it became difficult for the creature to advance.
With its short legs, the Centipede could not easily resist the current the slime created.
'Got you.'
A contest of strength began between the Centipede and the slime.
'Centipedes can't breathe underwater.'
Their breathing pores became blocked, causing them to suffocate.
The Centipede possessed spiritual energy, so it could endure much longer.
But its contest of strength with the slime continued.
The Centipede's strength was rapidly depleted.
SQUEEEAK—
Exhausted, the Centipede turned and tried to flee.
'Waterflow Control!'
The current changed direction.
The slime's mudfield was easy to enter but difficult to leave.
It was like an antlion pit.
In the end, the Centipede suffocated to death inside the mudfield.
'Thank you for the meal.'
The quality of a 3-Star creature's spiritual energy was undoubtedly different.
It had the flavor of dense spiritual energy.
'My experience is filling up. Ha ha.'
The slime drove away the bothersome 3-Star Demon Beasts approaching the mudfield with Water Cannons.
Once the 3-Star creatures disappeared, the 2-Star Demon Beasts returned.
Bewitched by the 3-Star spirit fruit, they leaped into the place of their deaths.
The desire to advance one's realm only grew stronger at higher levels.
Even intelligence could not defeat greed.
The slime lured Demon Beasts into the mudfield and hunted them.
'Fucking sweet!'
No hunt could have been easier or more comfortable.
It was the very life the webnovel loser desired.
While he lived that way......
CAW—
CAW—
'It followed me all the way here in the end.'
***
The crow Demon Beast, still only at 1-Star, had come to a place occupied by 2-Star creatures.
It could be eaten by a 2-Star Demon Beast at any moment.
Even 3-Star Demon Beasts occasionally flew through the sky.
This was a considerable risk for the crow Demon Beast.
'It must not have had a choice.'
Crows and magpies were intelligent, but......
They were not birds of prey.
In size and strength, they were inevitably weaker than birds such as hawks.
To survive as predators, such birds had no choice but to form flocks.
The strength of crows and magpies lay in their intelligence and their flocks.
However......
'This crow Demon Beast has no such companions.'
A crow Demon Beast without a flock was inevitably weak.
Ultimately, it survived by reading the situation and stealing from others.
To such a crow Demon Beast, the spirit herbs and fruit cultivated by the slime......
Were an unparalleled opportunity and treasure.
It came to obtain them despite the danger.
All Demon Beasts desired to advance their realms.
Ultimately, the crow Demon Beast had no choice but to follow the slime.
'Is there a way to use that creature well?'
The crow Demon Beast was useful in its own way.
To eat the spirit herb and fruit, it lured other creatures here as bait.
'It offers a higher-realm Demon Beast and takes the spirit herb and fruit.......'
In a way, it was like paying money in exchange for goods.
CAW—
CAW—
The crow Demon Beast continued circling the mudfield.
Its realm was too low to bring a 2-Star or 3-Star creature.
One mistake, and it would easily be eaten itself.
Even so......
It could not recklessly eat the spirit herb and fruit the slime cultivated atop the mudfield.
The mudfield's owner was guarding them.
That owner had become more powerful than before.
It could even fire Water Cannons now.
The crow could not carelessly approach the spirit herb and fruit.
It wanted them, but......
Could not touch them, so it circled endlessly.
'Good. This time, I'll consider it payment in advance.'
He decided to regard it as an investment for greater returns.
The webnovel loser had achieved a measure of success.
He had gone from a single room to owning his own home and becoming a landlord.
'Right, eat as much as you want. I have enough now to be a little extravagant.'
With plenty of money, he could afford generosity.
The slime descended to the bottom of the mudfield.
He gave it space so the crow Demon Beast could eat the spirit herb and fruit without fear.
Perhaps the crow Demon Beast understood his intentions......
It descended from the sky.
The creature ate its fill of the spirit herb and fruit, then left.
Several days later... it returned as a 2-Star Demon Beast.
'You know how to repay a kindness.'
Behind it followed a 3-Star One-Horned Eagle.
CAW (Thanks for the meal last time)—
CAW (This is my repayment)—
Its cries seemed to carry such meanings.
The crow Demon Beast performed aerobatics just above the mudfield.
It lured the One-Horned Eagle while always seeming just within reach.
Then it suddenly plummeted as though its strength had failed.
The One-Horned Eagle descended to snatch it.
The falling crow Demon Beast.
Flapped its wings and rose just above the mudfield.
The One-Horned Eagle grasped empty air when it tried to seize the crow.
The price of that mistake was high.
THUD—
It crashed straight into the mudfield.
FLAP—
FLAP—
The One-Horned Eagle hurriedly spread its wings and tried to take flight.
The slime did not stand by and let it.
'Thank you for the meal.'
The slime erupted from the mudfield and swallowed the One-Horned Eagle whole.
'A higher-realm creature certainly fills me with more spiritual power.'
The slime rapidly digested the One-Horned Eagle.
His digestive ability had improved in the meantime as well.
He looked like the legendary Bulgasari, which devoured anything and everything.
Although he was only a 2-Star Demon Beast......
Within this mudfield, he was an invincible powerhouse no one could kill.
'Ha ha. This is what makes life worth living.'
He felt an exhilaration he had never experienced in a game.
'Bring it on! Bring it on! I'll take you all!'
The crow Demon Beast watching him landed on the patch of ground where the spirit herb and fruit had been planted.
CAW (I did well, didn't I?)—
CAW (Then I'll eat this)—
'Clever creature.'
It seemed to say exactly that as it leisurely ate the spirit herb and fruit.
They could not understand each other's words, but......
It was mutual understanding.
'One day, that creature and I will be able to speak.'
As a Demon Beast's realm rose and its spiritual intelligence awakened, it became able to exchange words with others.
Upon reaching Great Demon—the Great Demon realm—a Demon Beast could take human form.
It could transform into a human shape.
If he could communicate with the crow Demon Beast......
More varied forms of cooperation would become possible.
Only after eating the spirit herb and fruit and grooming its wings did the crow Demon Beast finally leave the mudfield.
It knew the slime would not harm it.
It behaved comfortably, as though this were its own home.
'Well, my home is large. I suppose I can take in one dependent.'
The mudfield the slime created was about one hundred meters across.
There was room for one crow Demon Beast to move in as well.
Perhaps it understood the slime's feelings......
From then on, it began using the mudfield as its base.
CAW—
CAW—
(I brought something decent. Deal with it.)
It not only brought him prey......
CAW—
CAW—
(There's decent prey over there.)
It also told him where prey could be found.
CAW—
CAW—
(Something dangerous is coming this way.)
It warned him of danger in advance.
CAW—
CAW—
(There's a good spirit herb over there. Gather it before anyone else does.)
It also pointed out spirit herbs and spirit trees that might help him.
After living with the crow Demon Beast for a long time......
The slime began distinguishing subtle differences in its cries.
They still could not converse, but......
They had developed communication better than merely understanding each other's hearts.
'It feels as though the time is approaching.'
Spiritual energy filled the slime's body to the brim.
The time to advance his realm through Evolution was approaching.
'Let's go!'
The spiritual energy filling his body overflowed and spread through every part of him.
He grew larger.
His skin became tougher and more elastic.
It was enough to repel most attacks.
The horns on his head grew glossier.
Their mystical aura became stronger.
'At last, I'm 3-Star!'
He successfully completed his Evolution and reached 3-Star.
It was time to advance to the next stage.