Afternoon.
The lazy autumn sunlight filtered through the high, pale blue sky, generously spilling into every corner of the Slime City palace.
The main structure of the Slime City palace did not pursue imposing grandeur. Instead, it was formed from a combination of numerous smooth curves, arched corridors, brightly colored hardened gel, and natural stone. One glance was enough to tell it was a castle in the slime style.
In the spacious courtyard, a thick and soft carpet woven from swamp moss was spread out. Various little slimes, like colorful, bouncy gummy candies, were scattered all over the courtyard.
Some were flattened into jelly pancakes, lying on the moss carpet warmed by the sun, squinting their tiny eyes, so comfortable it seemed their gel was about to melt into a puddle. Their bodies rose and fell slightly with their breathing, emitting soft "squish~ squish~" sounds.
Others were full of energy, hopping vigorously, trying to climb the old oak tree in the corner of the courtyard with its low, thick branches, or hopping up the specially designed textured surfaces and small ledges on the palace's outer wall towards the eaves. Then they would sprawl on the roof tiles, enjoying the sunlight and breeze from a higher vantage point.
Slime Mother sat squatting on the palace steps, like a kindly grandmother, watching over these newborn little ones.
Her round eyes swept over every corner of the courtyard, occasionally issuing a warning to some overly adventurous troublemaker climbing too high, or having a nanny slime catch a little one who almost fell.
Although the slimes had long since left the perilous primal swamp, perhaps due to some subtle influence brought by Chen Yu, the Slime King, these newborn little ones had almost shed the deep-seated fear instinct of low-level magical creatures. They were bold and mischievous, liable to climb to high places to play, or bump into each other, bounce around, and engage in chase games if you took your eyes off them for a second.
Though tiring, watching these healthy, lively little lives brought a sense of peace and calm to their hearts.
Not long after, heavy footsteps sounded outside the palace.
Peachy was back.
The massive Frost Giant Boar strode in with heavy steps, her nose puffing faint white vapor. Behind her rode Chen Yu and Little Flower on Little Ka's back.
"Mom! We're back!"
Little Flower jumped down from Little Ka's back, bouncing over to Slime Mother. She affectionately rubbed her round body against Slime Mother, bubbling with happiness.
Chen Yu watched this heartwarming scene, a warm current also rising in his heart. Meeting Slime Mother's concerned gaze, he also bounced over and gently nuzzled Slime Mother's warm green gel.
"King! It's the King!!"
The little slimes who had been lying lazily on the ground or dozing on the eaves instantly became excited upon seeing Chen Yu appear. They bounced up, converging from every corner of the courtyard to surround Chen Yu in a tight circle.
"King! King!"
A few little slimes who had been sprawled on the eaves, in their eagerness, tumbled straight down. They bounced on the soft moss carpet, rolled several times, then shook their dizzy heads as if nothing had happened, and diligently squeezed their way into the encircling crowd.
Chen Yu looked at these energetic little ones and asked Little Flower curiously, "Where did all these little slimes come from? I don't remember there being this many when I left last time."
"The King was away for a long time," Little Flower explained, a hint of pride in her tone.
Chen Yu listened for a good while before finally understanding.
High-level magical creatures like the Slime species were mostly born in environments with dense mana and humidity, such as swamps after rain, a process almost akin to natural generation.
But there were always some lucky or powerful slimes that could survive the brutal spring predation. By then, they had accumulated sufficient energy within their bodies and would instinctively divide and replicate themselves, reproducing new offspring.
Slimes had no gender, but after taking the Spirit Awakening Pill and gaining intelligence, they would assign themselves a gender based on their personality and preferences.
These little slimes were all offspring left behind by his siblings.
Chen Yu soothed the boisterous little ones while using his spiritual sense to probe their physical condition. He found these newborn slimes exceptionally healthy, even born with several talents and the title of Slime Kingdom Warrior from the start.
Born at Bronze-Rank... Perhaps in the future, through their own efforts and the kingdom's nurturing, growing to Silver-Rank might not be a problem, Chen Yu assessed inwardly.
As for wanting to become a Gold-Rank slime like him, that wasn't something achievable through talent and luck alone.
He also noticed that there were more and more Slime Scholars within the kingdom. They had even learned some advanced spells and magical arts. The offspring of the Metal Slimes were also beginning to learn combat skills typical of warriors and assassins in a proper manner, showing clear classifications for adventuring and combat professions.
Perhaps it was time for him to let go as well, allowing the slimes of the kingdom to venture out more, to gain experience, to see the broader world.
After all, staying forever within a safe fortress could never nurture truly powerful slimes.
Coincidentally, the Adventurer's Guild headquarters for the Slime Kingdom was being constructed on the snowy plains. It was time to lift restrictions and let those slimes aspiring to adventure and craving strength freely register as adventurers to go out and make their way in the world.
Hadn't Yano been an adventurer before? He could serve as the first guild leader, establishing contact and cooperation with adventurer guilds of other kingdoms, striving to legalize the "Slime Adventurer" identity and gain acceptance from more races and factions.
He believed that in future adventuring parties, there would be no shortage of slimes playing active roles. They might become reliable teammates, clever scouts, or versatile helpers providing aid at critical moments.
They would be welcomed and recognized by humans, elves, dwarves... and even more races.
After embracing for a while, until the trace of worry in Slime Mother's eyes over her child's distant journey completely dissipated, Chen Yu gently ceased his nuzzling.
He thought for a moment, his gel body shifting slightly as he spat out a sparkling vein crystal from within.
These crystals were occasionally discovered by the Beetle Miners while digging the Gray Gravel Crystal ore. They were crystals slowly condensed from high-purity mana under specific geological conditions.
The mana they contained was negligible to Chen Yu now, but their crystal-clear, beautiful appearance seemed particularly beloved by the slimes.
"Mom, this is for you." Chen Yu gently pushed the crystal towards Slime Mother.
Slime Mother extended a gel hand, carefully taking the heavy crystal. She caressed it lovingly, then stored it away inside her belly.
Then, she bounced to the sunniest spot in the center of the courtyard, turned sideways, letting the sunlight pass through her translucent emerald-green gel, clearly illuminating the dazzling halo refracted by the crystal inside her body.
She adjusted her angle slightly, making the light spots dance on the moss carpet, emitting a contented "squish" sound, as if admiring the world's most precious treasure.
Of course, this kind of shiny, reflective thing was something Count Bran couldn't resist at all.
If he and Arthur hadn't returned to the Eastern Swamp fortress to pack their belongings and prepare for the official move to the Royal Capital, those beady little eyes of his would surely have lit up upon seeing this crystal, and he would have pounced over begging for it.
After the pleasantries, Chen Yu prepared to ride Little Ka and leave the palace, heading outside the city to find a wider area to test his newly acquired talent.
But when he turned around, he saw Little Ka, that hopeless creature, lying sprawled on the ground, being used as a playground by the most mischievous little slimes.
The little slimes were hopping and jumping on his back, poking curiously at the soft scales of his wings with their gel hands. One particularly bold one even tried to tug at the tip of his tail.
Little Ka blinked his teary, large eyes, looking pitiful as he hugged his head, letting out a plaintive whimper in his throat. He didn't dare move, afraid he might accidentally hurt these "little ancestors."
Meanwhile, Peachy nearby had long since comfortably lain on her side on the ground, squinting her eyes, enjoying the bouncing massage from several other little slimes.
Other little slimes diligently offered sweet, juicy swamp berries nearby. Peachy accepted them all without refusal, eating them one by one with great relish.
"King... save me..." Little Ka, seeing Chen Yu look over, immediately sent a distress signal with his eyes.
Chen Yu found it somewhat amusing as he bounced over, temporarily quieting the boisterous little ones and getting them off poor Little Ka.
"Alright, go play. Don't bully Little Ka anymore."
The little slimes wobbled their gel, bouncing away scattered, off to find other amusements.
Little Ka quickly scrambled up, sidling close to Chen Yu, affectionately nuzzling him with his little head.
Chen Yu patted his head and climbed onto his back. "Let's go, we're heading out of the city."
"Kaa!" Little Ka let out a cheerful response, spread his wings, and carried Chen Yu, flying lightly away from the palace courtyard.
On a flat, open grassy area not far outside the Royal Capital, Little Ka landed.
The autumn sun was still warm. In the distance, slimes could be seen constructing new roads and irrigation canals. Further away, the faint outline of the continuous mountains and forests at the edge of the Western Swamp could be glimpsed.
Chen Yu jumped down from Little Ka's back, his round body bouncing on the grass. Then he looked down at his panel.
【Dragon Bloodline Lv.6】
This was the strangest talent he had ever seen so far.
Previously discovered talents were either some physical characteristic of a magical creature or some special ability. This was the first time he had seen a bloodline independently recorded as a talent.
And this also meant...
【Dragon Bloodline】
Chen Yu exerted force, his gel contracting. A sheen composed of countless tiny scale phantoms swept across his gel surface. He forcefully expelled,
Viscous toxic mist shot out like a high-pressure water jet, crossing over ten meters to land on a patch of lush grass ahead.
"Sizzle sizzle..."
The moment the toxic mist touched the grass blades, the emerald-green leaves visibly blackened and withered, eventually turning into a bubbling pool of black sludge that seeped into the mud.
This spraying breath ability originated from the Dragon Bloodline and could activate in conjunction with the "Acidic Breath" talent he possessed.
This was one of the most direct gains from devouring the petrified black dragon's heart.
Don't be fooled by the lack of earth-shattering explosion from that breath attack just now; it might not look scary. But if a Silver-Rank magical creature were standing before him, it would likely be corroded to nothing, not even bone fragments remaining, in an instant.
Even Gold-Rank magical creatures, without sufficient toxin resistance or protection, would have to be careful.
Beyond that, the "Dragon Bloodline" also granted him a "Dragon's Aura" stemming from the life hierarchy.
He discovered that the more one resembled a dragon in form—possessing dragon scales, claws, wings, skeletal structure... the more one could unleash the power of the "Dragon Bloodline."
The slime species and the Dragon Bloodline were not particularly compatible, unable to fully manifest the dragon's power.
But the wonder of slimes lay in their many varieties. There truly was one type of slime naturally compatible with the Dragon Bloodline: the Mimic Slime.
And Chen Yu happened to possess Gel Mimicry.
If he completely mimicked the form of a dragon, he could fully unleash the power of the Dragon Bloodline, even becoming no different from a real young black dragon.
Perhaps such a slime could be called a 【Dragon Slime】?
However, Chen Yu wasn't too concerned with this title internally. He was confident his "Demon King" bloodline did not lose out to any dragon bloodline.
For him, the power boost from the Dragon Bloodline wasn't actually that significant. It was more about potentially having surprising effects in specific situations.
But what if Little Ka possessed the "Dragon Bloodline"?
Chen Yu's gaze fell upon Little Ka, who was currently chasing a large, colorful butterfly on the grass, having a great time.
Current Little Ka, though he looked like a subdrake in form, actually didn't have a single trace of true dragon bloodline within him. He couldn't even be called a "dragon beast," only a dragon-mimicking magical creature.
Somehow, Little Ka felt unexpectedly compatible with the "Dragon Bloodline" talent.
Chen Yu bounced once, his gel body churning slightly internally as he separated out a Lv.3 "Dragon Bloodline" talent orb from within. Then he called back Little Ka, who was playing happily.
"King?"
Little Ka obediently ran back, tilting his head, his amber eyes looking at Chen Yu curiously.
"Little Ka, do you want to become a real dragon?" Chen Yu asked.
"A real dragon?"
Little Ka looked down at his own claws in confusion, then twisted his head to look at the wings flapping behind him, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
"Little Ka, can fly, is dragon."
Chen Yu gently patted his head with a gel hand. "Being able to fly doesn't make you a dragon. Count Bran can fly too, and he's a crow. A real dragon is like this."
As the words fell, pure dragon's aura erupted from within him, like a tangible storm pressing the surrounding grass flat.
Under Little Ka's wide, round-eyed stare, Chen Yu's gel absorbed the surrounding mana, violently expanding. His body's outline distorted, stretched, becoming elongated and filled with a sense of powerful beauty.
Hard scales, as if polished from obsidian, emerged from beneath the gel, covering his entire body, reflecting a cold metallic sheen under the sunlight. His limbs grew thick and robust, their ends extending into sharp, scimitar-like black claws that dug deeply into the ground.
Two dragon wings composed of bone and tough membrane on his back snapped open with a "whoosh," their wingspan nearing ten meters, casting a large shadow. A gentle flap stirred up howling gales.
Finally, the head.
The gel rapidly elongated, deformed, restructured, ultimately forming a majestic and fierce dragon head—a slender neck covered in layered, heavy shield-like scale armor, a protruding snout filled with dagger-sharp, interlocking fangs. Two plumes of hot white vapor carrying a sulfurous scent snorted from the nostrils.
Those originally small, round eyes disappeared, replaced by a pair of vertical pupils burning with a molten gold-like radiance.
The pupils seemed to reflect coldness, majesty, and the dumbfounded Little Ka below.
A real dragon?
The immense contrast and the awe stemming from the depths of his bloodline made Little Ka lift his head, staring dazedly at the sky-blocking figure before him. His little eyes gained a trace of yearning and desire.
He wanted to become a dragon!
To possess the powerful strength to protect the King!