Tobe & Miri

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The group of college students continued to discuss, and even argue, about what they should do next. Miri stood apart from the group, quietly staring at the scenery. Tobe and Jun noticed her and decided to check on her.

Tobe asked, "Yo Miri, you okay?"

Miri replied, "We're in a whole different world now. A world full of magic, weapons, strange creatures, and monsters—beasts you'd only see in fairy tales. Kusakabe-senpai, do you think we can survive in this world full of mysteries?"

Tobe answered with a calm smile, "This is all new to us. We can't be sure, but we have to give it our best shot. After all, we only have one life, so we shouldn't waste it, right? Oh, and you don't need to keep calling me Kusakabe-senpai. We're friends!"

Miri silently nodded in agreement, and the two of them gazed at the horizon together. Jun called out to them, saying that the group had made a decision. They had decided to split up into smaller groups. Tobe, Miri, and Jun returned to the group discussion.

The popular student, Chisa, decided to join a group, while the delinquent, Hiro, and the playboy, Naoto, opted to go off on their own.

Chisa formed a party called Vast Star, which included herself, the gyaru Lala, Umi, and the otaku Toma. They chose to follow the dirt road. Hiro tore a pipe off the bus and set off in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Naoto, noticing the shy student Yuka, tried to hit on her.

Tobe, seeing this, quickly used Mana String to pull Naoto away and stepped in front of Yuka to protect her.

"Yo! What the hell, man? Trying to pick up girls at a time like this? What's wrong with you, you creep!" Tobe shouted.

Naoto responded arrogantly, "What's wrong? It's just a little fun."

Miri mumbled just loud enough for Naoto to hear, "Scum."

Jun added, just as quietly, "Utter trash."

Naoto sneered and replied in an annoyed tone, "Tsk! You all are no fun. I'm leaving. You ruined the mood. So long, party poopers!"

With that, Naoto left in a different direction. Tobe turned to check on Yuka.

"Hey, you okay?" Tobe asked, reassuringly. "That creep's gone now."

Yuka, still a bit shaken, said, "T-Thanks, senpai. But what will I do now?"

Miri suggested, "Why don't you join us on our journey?"

Yuka asked, "Huh? Are you sure?"

Miri turned to Tobe and Jun for confirmation. Tobe responded with a cheerful smile, "It's cool with me! The more friends, the better."

Jun nodded, "I agree. The more allies, the safer we'll be."

Yuka smiled a little, feeling more at ease. She decided to join their group.

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Together, they prepared to set off in a random direction. Eventually, they reached the entrance to a forest full of different colored slimes—The Slime Forest1. Before entering, Miri noticed a long, sharp branch on a tree, which she snapped off to use as a temporary sword. Jun found a sharp, durable stick to use as a dagger. Feeling confident, they ventured into the forest.

At first, everything seemed fine, but soon more and more slimes appeared.

Tobe used Mana String to fling and smack slimes into trees, while Jun dodged their attacks and stabbed them afterward. They steadily gained experience and leveled up. Miri, protecting Yuka (who didn't have any offensive skills), fought off multiple slimes with her branch. In the process, Miri learned two new skills: "Strength Up1" and "Agility Up.2"

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Suddenly, a large green slime appeared and pulled Yuka away to a clearing. Miri, using her Agility Up skill dashed after her.

Miri arrived just in time to block the green slime's attack with her branch, angering the creature. The green slime transformed into a turret-like form and started shooting fast-moving, solid slime balls. Miri parried each shot but was losing stamina.

"I'm sorry, Miri," Yuka apologized. "I don't have any skills to defend myself or help you. I'm useless."

"Don't lose hope!" Miri replied, still trying to parry the shots. "You're not useless! Just let me handle this!"

The green slime changed forms again, blitzing from tree to tree, targeting Miri. On instinct, Miri pushed Yuka aside to keep her safe. She carefully observed the slime's movements, predicting its next attack. Then, Miri unlocked her first race ability, "Halo Flash.1"

With her new skill, Miri devised a strategy. As the green slime blitzed toward her, she blinded it with Halo Flash, then used Strength Up to slash it twice, severely wounding the creature. As she raised her weapon to finish it off, Yuka stopped her, asking if she could make a summoning contract with the weakened slime.

Miri agreed, and Yuka successfully made a contract with the green slime, naming it "Blubby.1" They hurried back to their friends.

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While Miri and Yuka were fighting the green slime, Tobe and Jun were busy defeating other slimes, gaining experience, and leveling up. Tobe unlocked a new spell, "Explosion Impact1," which creates an explosion on bodily impact. Jun learned two new skills, "Snatch2" and "Silent Step3," and found two empty flasks as rare drops. After regrouping, they continued through the forest, eventually reaching its exit. Tired, they sat down on the grass.

Jun noticed a large village in the distance. Excited, they all got up and headed toward it.

The village, named Seturia1, was colorful and lively, with villagers roaming about. The group explored, finding a blacksmith, a tavern and inn, an entertainment area with a stage, a training ground, and many vendors. They finally arrived at the village's guild and decided to check it out.

Inside the guild, they were greeted by the receptionist, who asked them to touch the "Verdict Stone1" to prove if they had committed no crimes. The stone glowed green for all of them, indicating they were trustworthy.

Now able to accept quests, they checked the quest board. Most of the quests ranged from F to B rank. They found a quest to defeat five weak slimes and show proof. They did defeat some slimes but they arent sure if they have proof, Jun luckily was actually also collecting the scraps and placing it into a plastic bottle he had in his bag, so he had a bottle of slime extract and two flasks filled with slime, so they registered the quest and were paid 50 bronze coins each easily.

Then they decided since it's night, they should head to the tavern and inn for some rest. But before heading to the tavern and inn, Tobe returned to the quest board and found a quest to defeat a Wind Wyvern for ten silver coins. Without thinking, he accepted it. Outside, he met Jun and asked where the girls were. Jun explained they had gone to enjoy the night sights and would meet them later.

Tobe and Jun went to the tavern and registered for a few nights at the inn. The girls arrived, and they all had a lively fun dinner before resting for the night. After a long day of fighting slimes, they deserved some good rest. For they would need it, as the next day would bring much more of a dangerous challenge.

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End of Chapter Stats of our Young Adventurers:

Tobe: Lvl 8 (Spells: Mana String, Explosion Impact)

Miri: Lvl 9 (Skills: Strength Up, Agility Up, Slash)

Jun: Lvl 6 (Skills: Stab, Silent Step, Snatch)

Yuka: Lvl 5 (Skills: Contract, Summon, Half-Summon. Summon: Blubby Lvl 7)