The next morning, the Everdark Forest was unusually quiet.
Soft sunlight passed through the thick branches of the ancient trees and fell onto the ground.
Near the small swamp, Ryu was bouncing around excitedly.
Beside him stood the Shadow Wolf.
The enormous black wolf looked completely different from the creature Ryu had fought yesterday.
Its red eyes were no longer filled with bloodlust.
Instead, it quietly watched Ryu.
Ryu bounced onto a small rock.
—Alright!
Let’s see what I can do now!
The Shadow Wolf tilted its head.
Ryu concentrated.
Suddenly, a strange sensation spread throughout his body.
[Skill: Shadow Claw]
[Description: Creates a claw made of condensed shadow energy.]
Ryu became excited.
—Shadow Claw!
A black shadow suddenly appeared around his body.
For a moment, it looked like a giant claw.
Ryu stared at it.
Then—
BOOM!
The shadow claw slammed into a nearby tree.
The tree shook violently.
Several leaves fell from its branches.
Ryu froze.
Then his entire body started bouncing with excitement.
—I actually did it!
He looked at the tree.
There was a deep mark across its bark.
Ryu became silent.
Just yesterday, he couldn’t even scare away a tiny insect.
And now—
He could damage a tree.
—Maybe I’m finally getting stronger!
The Shadow Wolf walked toward the damaged tree and sniffed it.
Ryu looked at the wolf.
—What do you think?
The wolf stared at him.
Then it turned around and started walking away.
—Hey!
Ryu quickly followed.
—Where are you going?
The wolf continued walking.
Ryu bounced after it.
—Wait for me!
After traveling for several minutes, they reached a darker part of the forest.
The trees here were much larger.
Their branches blocked almost all sunlight.
Ryu looked around nervously.
—This place doesn’t look very friendly.
The Shadow Wolf suddenly stopped.
Its ears moved.
Ryu noticed it.
—What happened?
The wolf growled quietly.
Something was nearby.
Ryu immediately became serious.
[Warning.]
[Multiple hostile creatures detected.]
Ryu froze.
—Multiple?
The bushes around them suddenly began moving.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then several pairs of glowing eyes appeared from the darkness.
Ryu slowly looked around.
A group of monsters emerged from the bushes.
They looked like large, ugly reptiles.
Their bodies were covered with dark green scales, and each one had sharp teeth.
[Species: Forest Fang]
[Level: 8]
[Number: 7]
Ryu stared at them.
—Seven?!
The Shadow Wolf stepped forward.
Its body became covered in dark energy.
Ryu quickly moved beside it.
—Wait.
The wolf looked at him.
Ryu stared at the monsters.
Yesterday, he had been completely helpless.
But today was different.
He had a skill.
He had a companion.
And most importantly—
He wasn’t alone anymore.
Ryu smiled.
—Let’s fight together.
The Shadow Wolf let out a low growl.
The seven Forest Fangs suddenly charged.
The first monster jumped toward Ryu.
Ryu quickly activated Analyze.
[Target identified.]
[Weakness: Neck]
Ryu moved sideways.
The monster passed directly beside him.
Ryu immediately used Shadow Claw.
SLASH!
The shadow claw struck the monster’s neck.
The Forest Fang fell to the ground.
Ryu stared at it in disbelief.
—I actually defeated it!
But there was no time to celebrate.
Another monster attacked from behind.
Ryu didn’t notice.
Just before the monster reached him—
BOOM!
The Shadow Wolf slammed into it.
The creature flew several meters away.
Ryu looked at his companion.
—Thanks!
The wolf simply growled.
The battle continued.
Ryu analyzed every monster.
He avoided their attacks and targeted their weaknesses.
The Shadow Wolf fought beside him.
Within a few minutes, all seven Forest Fangs were defeated.
Ryu stood in the middle of the battlefield.
He looked at the defeated monsters.
Then the familiar voice echoed inside his head.
[Seven Forest Fangs defeated.]
[Experience acquired.]
[Level increased.]
[Current Level: 4]
Ryu’s eyes widened.
—Level 4?!
He bounced around happily.
—I’m level 4!
The Shadow Wolf looked at him strangely.
Ryu stopped.
—What?
The wolf turned its head away.
—Hey!
Don’t ignore me!
For the first time, Ryu felt something he had never felt before.
Confidence.
He was still weak compared to the powerful monsters of Everdark Forest.
But he was no longer helpless.
Then—
A strange pain suddenly appeared inside his body.
Ryu froze.
—Huh?
His body began glowing blue.
[Warning.]
[Unknown energy detected.]
[Analyzing…]
Ryu became nervous.
—Unknown energy?
The blue glow became stronger.
For a moment, Ryu saw something.
A giant door.
An ancient temple.
And a strange symbol carved into stone.
The same symbol that had appeared on the sealed door the previous night.
Ryu’s vision suddenly disappeared.
He returned to reality.
The Shadow Wolf was standing beside him.
Ryu remained completely still.
—What…
was that?
The wolf stared at him.
Ryu looked toward the deepest part of the forest.
For some reason, he felt as if something was calling him.
Something ancient.
Something powerful.
Something that had been waiting for him.
Far away from there…
Deep beneath the ancient temple…
The sealed door trembled once again.
CRACK.
A tiny crack appeared across the surface.
Dark energy leaked through it.
The mysterious voice behind the door spoke again.
—His power has begun to awaken.
Another voice answered from the darkness.
—But he is still too weak.
The first voice remained silent for a moment.
Then it laughed.
—That’s exactly why this will be interesting.
The crack on the ancient door slowly became larger.
—Let him grow.
—Let him become stronger.
—And when the time comes…
The entire temple shook.
—We will see whether the little slime becomes the world’s greatest protector…
Or its greatest disaster.
Back in Everdark Forest, Ryu looked toward the horizon.
He had no idea what was waiting for him.
He didn’t know about the ancient temple.
He didn’t know about the sealed door.
And he certainly didn’t know why the symbol of a blue slime had been carved there.
All he knew was one thing.
His journey had begun.
Ryu bounced forward.
The Shadow Wolf followed beside him.
And together, they disappeared into the endless darkness of Everdark Forest.