Everyone turned their gaze at the sudden roar.
And there—
"What the?! Why is there another one?!"
There was another Lesser Troll.
The roar of the previous Lesser Troll.
It was a final cry to summon another Lesser Troll.
-Grrraaaaah!
The suddenly appeared Lesser Troll had bloodshot eyes as it looked forward.
It saw the already dead Lesser Troll and the humans loitering nearby.
And it heard the roar that called it.
It was clear who had taken down the one that called.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Lesser Troll charged forward in a rage.
Its speed was much fiercer and faster than the Lesser Troll Godrick's party had defeated.
It wasn’t worn out—it was in perfect condition, and its rage fueled its charge even more.
The true nature of the Lesser Troll, which sacrificed bulk and regeneration for speed, was now being revealed.
“Ugh!”
Godrick, Skol, and Def aimed their swords and axes at the oncoming Lesser Troll.
They didn’t even consider running, acting purely on reflex due to shock and tension.
It was only after the fact that all three realized their mistake.
“Get ou—!”
Godrick hurried to shout for Skol and Def to get out of the way.
But before he could finish, the Lesser Troll was already upon them.
Boing!
'Danger!'
When the second Lesser Troll began its charge, the slime sensed the three were in danger.
The slime quickly started to move.
But the distance was too far.
The slime had been with the injured Hawane.
So, even for the slime, it was impossible to reach them before the Lesser Troll did.
'No!'
At this rate, the Lesser Troll would crash into the three.
They’d get hurt.
They might even die.
‘I don’t want that!’
As soon as that ominous thought crossed its mind, the slime instinctively denied the situation.
It wanted to shatter this scene somehow.
To move faster, farther, and stop the Lesser Troll from attacking the three.
The slime’s desperate will triggered a skill unconsciously.
But it wasn’t a skill the slime had ever used before.
It was a combination of skills the slime had used.
The effect of Bounce Jumping:
The more mana consumed, the more elasticity increases.
The effect of Bounce Tackle:
Using the elasticity of the body to perform a powerful body slam in the desired direction.
One allowed increased elasticity but could only be used for jumping.
The other allowed directional attacks but had limited power.
Now, the slime subconsciously used only the strengths of both skills.
It consumed mana to maximize its body’s elasticity.
And at the moment elasticity peaked—
Boing~!
It used Bounce Tackle on the Lesser Troll just before it reached the three.
The speed was so fast it was hard to follow with the eye.
The slime’s body closed the distance in an instant, burrowing into the side of the Lesser Troll like a storm.
Bwaaam!
-Grahhh!?
The slime succeeded in protecting Godrick’s group from the Lesser Troll by a hair’s breadth.
But something unexpected happened.
The tackle wasn’t just powerful enough to close the distance.
It didn’t stop at protecting the party—it lifted the massive Lesser Troll off the ground—
And sent it flying over the cliff.
“Huh?”
Godrick couldn’t immediately comprehend what had just happened.
Just before the raging Lesser Troll’s hand could strike him, it had suddenly been launched over the cliff with a thud.
And embedded in the sunken side of the Troll was the slime.
“Tongtong!”
‘Huh?’
Only when it heard its name called did the slime realize the situation.
The emergency tackle it unleashed to protect the group—
It had been too powerful.
Even if it had wanted to knock the Lesser Troll away, it hadn’t expected to be launched along with it.
▶????
▶ What the heck is that?
The viewers were just as shocked.
Just when it seemed like a human-flinging Troll show was starting, the camera moved rapidly and this scene unfolded.
And then—
The slime fell off the cliff along with the Lesser Troll.
“Tongtong!!”
Splash!
The slime, hearing Def’s scream, got swept away by the rushing waters along with the Lesser Troll.
***
Viewers watching the slime’s broadcast were reacting in all sorts of ways to what had just happened.
▶It’s my first time seeing someone fall into water while saving a human, lololol.
Viewers laughed at the absurd scene.
▶What was that skill just now? It was super fast.
Viewers showed interest in the slime’s new skill.
[Thread-Lady] ▶Oh no, our squishy... parting from close humans like this is too sad. 🥹
Viewers were moved and saddened by the unintended farewell.
▶So where is it going now?
Other viewers were curious about the slime’s current location.
They showed various reactions, but none of them were concerned for the slime’s life.
Because it wasn’t really a situation to worry about.
The slime doesn’t have the concept of breathing.
So even if it falls into water, it doesn’t have to worry about drowning due to lack of air.
In fact, it was the Lesser Troll who was in danger.
No matter how strong its regeneration is, if it can’t breathe, it can’t live.
Swept away by the current, the Lesser Troll couldn’t breathe properly.
Eventually, as its wounds were regenerating, the constant thrashing of the torrent prevented it from breathing—and it drowned.
And the slime was on top of the Lesser Troll’s floating corpse.
'Godrick, Hawane, Skol, Def...?'
The slime tilted its body downward in gloom.
This wasn’t the first time it had parted ways with someone.
But the suddenness of the farewell made it all the more sorrowful.
At first, it tried to escape the current immediately, but the slime realized it was useless.
There was nothing around the raging water except steep cliffs on both sides.
It was only after about 30 minutes of drifting that it finally saw the end of the cliff section.
Even the slime knew that 30 minutes of drifting meant it had traveled a considerable distance.
Originally, it had planned to move as soon as the cliffs ended, but this time, Slime Queen and Troll stopped it.
Because it was dangerous.
[Free Spirit] ▶Stop, squishy. It’s dangerous.
[Squishy Queen] ▶ My kin! Falling into such a current is a disaster!
Breathing wasn’t necessary, so being underwater was fine.
But that didn’t mean the slime had the strength to resist the fierce current.
If it moved carelessly, it could get swept away and slammed into something.
It wanted to reunite with Godrick’s party.
[Free Spirit] ▶If you move recklessly and get seriously hurt, you might never meet those humans again.
Hearing concern for itself and the possible consequences of reckless action, the slime had no choice but to stay still.
***
A man and a woman were walking along a valley.
One was a woman wearing a white nun’s robe, with orange hair and green eyes.
The other was a man with brown hair and eyes, wearing silver armor with gold patterns—clearly a holy knight.
“Haah...”
“What is troubling you today, Saintess?”
“Paulen, please don’t call me Saintess at times like this.”
At her words, Paulen grinned and bared his teeth.
“Aha, you're sighing again because the weight of your duty feels too heavy, right, Amelia?”
“Do you really have to put it like that when you already know?”
“I just thought it wouldn’t be good for you to stay quiet and moody right now. I’ve said it before—those worries come from...”
Paulen raised both hands high, bent his arms, and flexed his muscles.
“A lack of exercise! Not enough muscle! If you exercise, those unnecessary worries disappear! Your heart gets healthier too!”
“...That’s just what you think, Paulen.”
“No! Amelia, just try it! Even a little bit every day! Just following along will give you energy! Come on! Flex!”
“...Flex.”
She didn’t agree at all, but Amelia couldn’t reject the words meant for her well-being.
So she followed Paulen, raising her arms and flexing her biceps.
Paulen smiled in satisfaction at the sight.
“Excellent! Hahaha! ...So, besides your usual worries, what else is troubling you, Amelia?”
Paulen had served as Amelia’s direct escort since she was appointed as a Saintess.
That’s why he could tell that the girl in front of him wasn’t troubled by her Saintess duties, but by something else.
“I wonder if what I’m doing now is just pointless.”
“Pointless?”
“The Lesser Troll extermination. I dragged you into this hassle because of me.”
“Oh dear. Your insecurity is acting up again, Amelia.”
“Acting up?! Can’t you say it more gently?!”
“Hahaha! Anyway, I’m not bothered at all, so don’t worry. In fact, I was getting stuffy staying in the Holy Capital, so it’s refreshing and nice to be out like this.”
“That’s... good to hear.”
Amelia couldn’t fully accept Paulen’s words at face value.
She had been chosen as the next Saintess, succeeding the legendary Saintess Presia, who had once eradicated a great calamity.
It had been five years since Amelia was chosen.
She was just an ordinary believer in the Holy Capital, and when she was suddenly selected during a routine group prayer session, she had felt stunned and overjoyed.
But over time, Amelia began to feel anxious and pressured.
Could she really fulfill her role as the next Saintess?
Saintess Presia, a near-legendary figure, was still alive.
Could she truly take on the role after someone so great?
When she was chosen, Saintess Presia had told her she would do well.
But Amelia still couldn’t fully believe in herself.
This time, when there was a request for support to subdue the Lesser Trolls, most of the holy knights had already been dispatched, and no one else could help.
Amelia couldn’t sit still and had stepped forward.
She was fine up to the point of leaving, but during the journey, doubts crept in—was her decision really right? What if it just caused trouble?
Such thoughts wouldn’t stop, so she had gone out for a walk to refresh her mind.
“Amelia, look. There’s a river. Shall we catch some fish and grill them?”
“It’s still far from mealtime, Paulen.”
“Eh, what’s the big deal? One fish isn’t even enough to fill the stomach.”
“That’s just you.”
“Don’t be so negative. Look around and lift your mood a bit! See, Amelia! A dense forest, a clear flowing river! And a slime on top of a troll!”
“Pardon? Paulen? What nonsense are you suddenly saying...”
Amelia thought Paulen was joking and looked up.
But seeing the genuinely shocked look on his face, she turned her gaze to where he was looking.
And then—
Boing!
Amelia saw a troll’s corpse drifting along the river with a slime on top of it.