Primordial Slime: I Devour The World

The guild master was depressed. The city lord was enraged. The adventurers were uneasy. The city was heavily damaged, the guild had surprisingly taken attacks and Tanaka, the monster lord was asleep. Still in slime form. Nira was in her room with him, waiting for him to wake. Other elves had tried to convince Nira to give up Tanaka as he was a monster. Nira scoffed at them. They couldn’t protect her from the bullies in the guild and now her only friend, she was to betray him. Never. She remembered the conversation.

An hour earlier...

Karelf stood in the doorway with two other Light Elves behind him, their cloaks still grey with ash. Outside, half the city was still smoking. Inside Nira’s little room, it was quiet. ”If this is about Tanaka, I’m not leaving his side,” Nira said before anyone could speak. ”He leveled half the city,” one of them cut in. ”He’s a monster lord, even in slime form. You know what that means.”

Nira didn’t flinch. ”I know what it means that he fought another of his kind to protect us. People he barely knew. Did any of you do that?” Karelf’s jaw tightened. He had never liked dark elves, and he liked this even less. ”We don’t like it either. But in this matter we have to agree. Hand him over to the guild for containment. For everyone’s safety.” Nira laughed, short and bitter. ”For whose safety was I when the guild bullies cornered me? Hm?”

”That was different,” the second elf muttered. ”No. It wasn’t.” Nira stepped between them and the blanket on the floor. ”You couldn’t protect me then. You want me to betray the only one who did. Never.” ”You’re choosing a monster over your own kind.” ”I’m choosing the one who chose me back.” Her voice dropped, steady. ”If you want Tanaka, you go through me first.” Silence filled the room. Karelf looked at her, then at the other two, then back at the door. ”Then we’re done here. I hope you don’t regret this.”

They left. The door shut.

________

On the blanket, Tanaka was a soft blue slime, pulsing faintly like he was breathing. Nira sat cross-legged beside him, picking at the hem of her sleeve. A small ripple ran through the slime. ”Nira?” He was in human form now. ”You’re awake.” She exhaled like she’d been holding it all day. ”Don’t scare me like that.” ”Scare you? I was asleep. You look like you fought a war.” ”I did. With words. Karelf and the others. They want me to give you up.”

Tanaka sighed. ”And?” ”And I told them no. I told them if they want you, they go through me first.” Nira replied. He went still for a second. ”That’s stupid. You could get hurt.” ”You got hurt for everyone, humans, elves and the rest. Don’t call me stupid for doing the same.” Tanaka drifted closer until it brushed her hand, warm and soft. ”I’m still a monster, you know. I’m a slime. City damage. Bad reputation.”

”You’re my friend. The rest can deal with it.” ”What if I go out and the guild master tries to arrest me?” ”Then we run. Or we fight. Or we make them tea and talk until they’re tired.” She nudged him with her knuckles. ”I’m not letting them take you.” Tanaka made a low, wet sound that was almost a purr. ”Guess I picked the right dark elf to nap next to.” ”Guess you did, Monster Lord.”

Tanaka smiled. He had a warm feeling in his chest. Of course he didn’t understand what it meant. Nira placed her head on his shoulder. ”I like your human form but your slime form is pleasing to the eyes and lovable. Sorry I couldn’t resist.”

”What did you do to me when I was asleep?”

Nira chuckled. ”Not telling. By the way, since you are a monster lord, you must have a domain, right.” ”Yes I do. Although I haven’t got a name for it yet. Also I’m not named yet. My soul record still shows unnamed.” Nira shook her head. ”You really know nothing about the soul record. Zarathiel was given a name by a dragon.” She suddenly turned to face him. He looked away shyly.

”Naming takes a lot out of the one giving it. Also as a monster, just picking a name can’t just update your soul record. Someone has to give you the name or you link to a mana source and give yourself a name. Mana sources are found in dungeons but you have to conquer at least a bit of the dungeon.”

Interesting. She speaks about the soul record so well.

”Do humans have soul record too?” He asked. ”Every being in this world possess a soul record. It allows for you to identify your race, your skills and others.” She suddenly stood up. ”Come. Let me teach you about humans and other races. You might learn some things to improve your domain.”

Nira led Tanaka through the damaged guild hall. The moment they stepped out of the room, several conversations stopped. Adventurers looked at Tanaka. Some stared. Others quickly looked away. A few even moved aside as they passed. Tanaka noticed all of it.

So this is how they see me now. Yesterday, I was just another adventurer.

Now I’m a monster lord.

Tanaka glanced at Nira. ”Do they hate me?” Nira shrugged. ”Some probably do.” They eventually reached one of the guild’s library rooms. Thankfully, most of the books had survived the destruction. Nira picked up a thick book from one of the shelves and placed it on the table. Monster Encyclopedia. Tanaka stared at it. ”You’re a monster lord who knows almost nothing about monsters so I’ll teach you.” Tanaka sat down and opened the book. Before he could start reading, Nira stopped him.

”Actually, there is something you should understand first.” ”What?” He asked. ”The Soul Record.” She replied. Tanaka looked at her. ”Do humans have Soul Records too?” Nira stared at him. ”Every being in this world possesses a Soul Record.” ”Every being?” ”Humans. Elves. Dwarves. Beastfolk. Monsters. Everyone.” Tanaka nodded. ”What does it show?” ”Your race, rank, Magic Core, skills, titles, and other information about yourself.” Tanaka thought about his own Soul Record. It was similar to his. He had always treated it like a game interface.

Apparently, it was something every living being possessed. Nira continued. ”It also shows your overall rank. She counted on her fingers. ”F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS and SSS.” Tanaka nodded slowly. ”Can monsters reach SSS?” ”Yes.” Tanaka’s eyes widened slightly. ”Really?” ”Why wouldn’t they?” Nira shrugged. ”Monsters are living beings too. Some can grow stronger than others. Some evolve. Some gain skills. Some become powerful enough to rule entire territories.”

Tanaka immediately thought about Zarathiel. So even monsters have the same ranking system. ”Then rank isn’t everything, right?” Nira smiled. ”Exactly.” She pointed at him. ”Someone with a lower rank can sometimes defeat someone with a higher rank. Skills, experience, intelligence, equipment and natural abilities all matter.” Tanaka remembered his fight with Zarathiel. That much was obvious. He had powerful skills. Yet Zarathiel had almost killed him. Experience really does matter. ”If you’re going to be a powerful monster lord, you should at least understand what being one means.” Tanaka nodded. Nira finally allowed him to continue reading. For the next several hours, Tanaka studied the Monster Encyclopedia. He learned that monsters weren’t judged only by their strength.

Their intelligence mattered. Their behavior mattered. Their evolution mattered. And their territory mattered. Tanaka stopped at a section about monster domains. ”What’s this?” Nira leaned over. ”Monster territories.” Tanaka read the information carefully. A monster lord could establish control over a territory. That territory could contain other monsters, resources, settlements and even smaller monster groups. The stronger and more organized the territory became, the more influence its lord gained. Tanaka frowned. ”So a monster lord isn’t just someone who’s strong.” ”Of course not.” Nira pointed at the page. ”Strength is only one part of it.”

Tanaka continued reading. Then he found something else. Settlement Classification. There were several categories. Camp, outpost, village, town, city, fortress, capital. Tanaka tilted his head. ”What determines the classification?” ”Several things.” Nira pointed at the list. ”Population. Infrastructure. Defenses. Resources. Economy. Importance.” Tanaka nodded. So simply having enough monsters wasn’t enough. A settlement needed to function. ”What about a monster settlement?” ”The same general principles apply.” Tanaka leaned back. He immediately began thinking about his own domain. How many monsters did he actually have? How much food did they produce? How many buildings were there? What kind of defenses did they have? What resources did they possess? He had never really thought about his territory that way. He had simply been building a place where everyone could live safely. Maybe that wasn’t enough anymore.

Tanaka turned the page. Another section caught his attention. Trade Routes. Nira pulled a large map from another table and unfolded it. ”Trade is important for any growing territory.” Tanaka studied the map. Roads connected cities, towns, villages, mines and ports. ”Why are trade routes so important?” ”Because almost everything moves through them.” Nira pointed at the roads. ”Food. Metal. Magic crystals. Medicine. Weapons. Monster materials. Tools. Clothing.” Tanaka followed the roads with his eyes. ”So controlling one would be valuable.” Nira nodded.

Tanaka stared at the map. A territory wasn’t just land. It was population, resources, settlements, trade, defenses, power. He had been thinking about his domain as a home. But perhaps a domain was more than that. It was something that could grow. Something that could become powerful. Something that other kingdoms could eventually notice. Tanaka closed the book. ”So...” Nira looked at him. ”I have a lot to learn.” Nira smiled. ”Finally, you understand.” Tanaka looked at the map again. Then he smiled.

More importantly...

I have a lot of work to do when I get back.