Published: August 25, 2025
Today, three chapters are posted simultaneously.
This story is the first chapter.
In front of me stood a heavy gate, indicating that this place had once flourished. Connected to the gate were the remains of defensive walls. Most of it was covered in vines or crumbled due to the roots of Heat Dissipation Trees, but even as ruins, there was somehow still a lingering sense of its former glory.
...But now was not the time for leisurely sightseeing. As we drew closer to the village, I clearly felt a gloomy, unique stagnation in the air, like the atmosphere of a labyrinth of hunger and thirst. It must be leaking from inside these gates.
“Don’t enter inside the gate! Circle around to the right along the outer wall! First, secure a place where we can set up our base!”
“Got it!”
Mr. Glen changed direction and blazed a trail, swiftly dashing forward.
“It should be around here! Let’s enter through some suitable cracks!”
“Suitable... there’s no cracks in sight, so I’m breaking through!”
As he declared this, he was already hitting the plant-covered defensive wall filled with rubble. Each strike echoed loudly, attracting undead, but judging by the flying stones and plant debris, he was breaking through the wall at quite a rapid pace.
“‘Flash Bomb’... it’s reliable when used by allies...”
“Let’s finish this with it!”
While using light magic to buy time, suddenly a huge noise sounded and a large hole opened. Apparently, he had finished with a flying kick, jumping through the hole in the wall. We followed him into the village. Undead were scattered here as well, but what caught my eye even more was a single house.
A village untouched by humans for a long time had naturally been overtaken by Tree Sea plants. Yet, the area around that house showed noticeably less erosion compared to the rest. Only weeds had grown, and the house was relatively less dilapidated, making it stand out.
“‘Holy Space’ and ‘Dimension Home’.”
Having arrived at the destination, I secured a safe zone with the Holy Space directly taught by Miss Remily. I then mobilized all the Light Slimes and Grave Slimes. Since slimes are too slow, they become a hindrance in combat while moving, but in a situation where movement isn’t necessary, they can fully unleash their power. At that point, it’s no longer combat, but work.
I lured the undead with the necromantic attraction of Grave Slimes and swallowed them. Any that struggled were shot down by me and the Light Slimes using light magic. If magical beasts other than undead appeared, either I or Mr. Glen would take them down while protecting the slimes.
There weren’t any particular problems. If anything, the undead this time seemed more violent than usual. They resisted necromantic attraction more stubbornly than the undead in the ghost town. Could this be due to that magical beast’s influence? It was a little concerning, but whatever.
There were many more important things to do.
“Let’s finish checking inside, then rest here for today.”
I had the slimes merge to act as gatekeepers, preventing enemy intrusion, and stepped into my grandparents’ house, then my own. Inside was, naturally, in utter disarray, and the interior was simple. It hardly looked like the home of such distinguished figures called the Sage and Martial God.
The exterior was fairly large, but the building was a simple rectangular box with five chimneys. The walls were made of rock, and the roof and windows were timber, probably from the Heat Dissipation Trees. It looked as if it had been hollowed out from a large stone, so it was likely created by my grandparents’ earth magic.
At first glance, it appeared shabby, but the walls were unexpectedly sturdy for their age and didn’t budge. Although no one had lived here for a long time, it gave a sense of security. The ceiling and floor were rotten and seemed beyond repair, but that couldn’t be helped.
Just then, behind me, the floorboard creaked loudly.
“That was close, I almost fell through... But this is bad. Of course it’s old, but it looks like it wasn’t just the passage of time or magical beasts entering. It looks like people have ravaged this place.”