THE SKILL TREE

A soft, jiggling sound filled the air. They were kind of like a weird little melody that anyone curious.

Rave crouched low in the tall grass, feeling that familiar thrill bubbling up inside him. Ahead, in the clearing, he spotted five sky-blue slimes. They were bouncing around, their soft, squishy bodies jiggling with every little hop. It was quite a sight.

"Five easy kills," he smirked, gripping two boulder boar tusks tightly in his hands. As the other eight tusks were strapped to his back like trophies from some wild hunt.

But as he kept watching those creatures, his excitement started to fade a little.

"These guys…" His expression shifted as he squinted at their clear, jelly-like bodies. They looked way different from what he'd seen in anime or games. Not cute or bouncy at all! They were more like pulsing blobs of gel, filled with this strange, swirling liquid.

Beast cores glimmered softly in the center of the slimes. Suddenly, a system window popped up right in front of him, laying out their stats like a neat little list.

[Herbel Slimes – Lesser Rift Beast]

Attack: 1

Defense: 3

Speed: 2

Skill: Liquid Shot

[Herbel Slimes – Lesser Rift Beast]

Attack: 2

Defense: 1

Speed: 3

Skill: Liquid Shot

[Herbel Slimes – Lesser Rift Beast]

Attack: 3

Defense: 2

Speed: 1

Skill: Liquid Shot

[...] (And so on.)

Rave frowned. "All their stats are very terrible." He tapped his chin, thinking. "But they all have the same skill... Liquid Shot? What the heck does that even do?"

His gut was telling him to be careful. "Whatever. I'll figure it out when I start smashing them."

Without wasting another second, he took off running. His movements were so smooth, so precise and super light. It felt like he was made of cotton, legs carrying him like an Olympic sprinter.

The slimes? They didn't react right away, still wobbling in the same place. But as he got closer, their bodies pulsed once, it was a quick flash, almost like a warning. Rave narrowed his eyes, confusion creeping in.

And then—

SPLASH!

A fast-moving glob of liquid shot straight for his head.

"Sh..!" His instincts kicked in, and his body moved on its own. He twisted just in time, barely dodging the attack as the liquid splattered on the ground beside him. He skidded to a stop, heart racing as he exclaimed, "What the hell was that!?"

Turning back to the slimes, he noticed they were wobbling more aggressively now, their gelatinous bodies vibrating like they were gearing up for another round. Rave grinned, excitement flickering in his eyes.

"This might actually be fun."

Now he got what Liquid Shot was all about. It doen't look that problem as that was also adding more spicy to the fight. Rave sprinted forward, eyes locked onto the five slimes. It was like they sensed him reflecting the previous attack; all of them fired at once—jelly-like blobs of liquid shooting toward him like mini water bullets.

"Ha, predictable."

His Swift Steps skill kicked in instantly. His feet moved without a second thought, weaving through the incoming projectiles with smooth precision. Each shot barely missed him, zipping past and splattering on the ground.

He didn't have time to dwell on it, but something felt off. Where those Liquid Shots hit? The grass had withered, and little sizzling holes popped up in the dirt.

His grin faltered a bit.

"Okay… getting hit by that would definitely hurt."

Sure, it wouldn't kill him, but it would sting like crazy.

Still able to dodge them. With Swift Steps, he was too quick for them to keep up. He reached the first slime and swung one of the boulder boar tusks at it.

BAM!

Shockingly the tusk bounced off its gelatinous body, getting sent flying backward like it hit a rubber wall.

"What the—?!"

Before he could even process what happened, another Liquid Shot came zooming at him. Instincts screamed, and he barely twisted out of the way, the shot grazing his shoulder. A stinging burn spread across his skin, making him grit his teeth.

"Damn it!" He jumped back, eyes narrowing. "So, I can't just stab them normally? Their jelly bodies soak up attacks… then how the heck do I kill them?" he paused attacking and started to escape their attacking while finding a way to kill them.

Then, just like that, an idea struck him.

Rave took a step back to some far, creating some space between himself and those slimes. The tusk in his hand felt solid as he clenched it tightly.

"Momentum," he muttered to himself.

If the usual attacks weren't gonna cut it, he figured he had to up his game. His legs were tense now, muscles coiling, ready to unleash their power. Then—

He took off.

Faster than before, his Swift Steps skill was really pushing him to the limit. The wind whipped past his face, and he could feel himself gaining speed. His vision, sharpened by that skill, locked onto the core of one of the slimes.

At peak velocity he let the tusk fly like javelin. The sharpened bone shot through the air like a spear, aimed right for that slime's core.

SPLURT!

A wet, sickening sound cut through the air as the tusk sliced right through the shiny blue liquid. The core of the slime popped out, landing with a soft glow on the ground. The slime wobbled like crazy, its form collapsing as it began to melt away.

Rave wiped the sweat off his forehead, grinning. "Hah, I knew it." he exclaimed.

No time to waste now.

He quickly reached behind him, grabbing three more tusks, and repeated his momentum trick. His legs were on fire from all that sprinting, but he pushed through, launching those sharpened bones like lethal spears.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Each tusk went straight through a slime's core, splattering blue liquid everywhere. The last slime, wobbling and desperate, tried to escape, but Rave was already locked on.

FWIP!

The final tusk sliced through the air, right into the beast's center.

In just seconds, all five slimes lay still, their jelly-like forms slowly seeping into the ground.

"Too easy," he muttered, letting out a deep breath.

It might've been an easy fight, but his body felt otherwise. He was drenched in sweat, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

The tiredness wasn't really from the battle, it was all about the strain from that upgraded skill.

"Yeah, Swift Steps is pretty powerful, but man, it's wearing me out," he thought, stretching his arms. "Sure, I'm quicker now, but I didn't boost my strength. That's why I'm struggling to keep up."

Trying to shake off the fatigue, he glanced down at the ground where the slime cores had dropped—only to see them vanish in a flash of light.

A sudden ding rang in his mind.

[Lesser Rift Beasts Killed!]

[5x Rift Beast Cores (Lesser Tier) obtained. Sent to Inventory.]

He looked where the slime cores had been, surprised to find them completely gone.

"So they just go straight to my inventory?" He sighed and flopped onto the ground, arms spread out. "Well, at least I don't have to lug them around."

As he caught his breath, he felt a dry itch creeping up his throat. Thirsty, he realized. It dawned on him. Rave hadn't come across a single drop of water since he'd arrived in this crazy world.

His eyes darted to the shiny blue liquid left behind by the slimes. It looked... oddly like water, except for that faint glow.

He swallowed hard.

"No way... should I?"