Oliver watched the aftermath of the explosion as dust and smoke slowly dispersed throughout the dungeon.

From within the smoke, a slime could be seen lying on the ground. Its body looked partially melted as it slowly wriggled weakly across the floor.

After receiving heavy damage from Nyx’s attack, it had reverted back to its original slime form.

"Luckily it only copied my stats. If it had copied the stats of one of my monsters instead, this would have been a really troublesome fight." Oliver muttered while crouching down in front of the weakened slime.

He then slowly raised his hand toward it.

[Taming Procedure Initiated!]

...

[Taming Successful!]

"Alright! My fifth monster is finally here!" Oliver exclaimed excitedly while clenching his fist tightly.

"Now let’s see what you can actually do." Oliver muttered.

He summoned Erb, causing a summoning array to appear before a small purple slime materialized atop his hand. Its size was now only as large as a football.

<Erb>

Inside the slime’s gooey body were two bright glowing lights that resembled eyes. It also felt surprisingly light resting on Oliver’s palm. Oliver carefully examined Erb while holding it up.

"Hello? Can you talk?" Oliver asked curiously.

"I can talk, bloob! I can’t believe I lost to a human, bloob! Let’s do a rematch. This time I will win! Bloob!" Erb suddenly shouted. Its voice sounded like that of a little boy with a very high pitch.

"Hooo... such a small creature, yet you have quite a big spirit. I like it, I like it." Oliver laughed while gently patting Erb’s head.

"Who are you calling small, bloob?! I can become bigger if I absorb large monsters, bloob!" Erb protested angrily, clearly disliking being called small.

"Alright, alright. I’m sorry." Oliver chuckled.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Oliver. And all of these are your friends," Oliver said before introducing the other monsters one by one to Erb.

"Friends?? What is that? Can I absorb them, bloob?" Erb asked innocently.

"No. A friend is someone who helps us when we are in trouble. And you also need to help them whenever they need your help. With more friends, our lives will become happier." Oliver explained while spreading both of his hands warmly.

"Happy... bloob! Yes! I want happy! I want friends too, bloob!" Erb shouted excitedly.

"Good! Now I want to give you a nickname. From now on, everyone will call you by that name. I’ll call you... hmmm... how about Bloob? Because you really love saying that word." Oliver suggested while smiling.

"Yes! Bloob! I like it, bloob!" Bloob bounced excitedly on top of Oliver’s hand.

Oliver smiled as he looked at the newest addition to his monster group. With this new monster, countless plans immediately began forming inside his mind on how to maximize Bloob’s abilities to their fullest potential.

A smirk slowly appeared on his face as he realized just how terrifying this kind of monster could become in the future.

---

One week passed, and the day finally arrived for Oliver to depart for the Royal Academy of Cyden.

Right now, Oliver was visiting Tamera’s grave.

"For the first time, I will be going somewhere far away for quite a long time. If I get selected into the academy, I probably won’t be able to visit you for a while. But don’t worry... I will always remember you in my prayers." Oliver said softly while standing before the grave.

"Who is this, bloob?" Bloob asked curiously while perched on Oliver’s shoulder.

"This is a dear friend."

"Dear friend..." Bloob muttered quietly.

Flora, who had been silently watching from the side for some time, walked toward the grave and gently touched the gravestone.

"What are you doing, Flora?" Oliver asked.

"Your beloved friend’s grave looks quite dull. Let me make it more beautiful." Flora replied.

Suddenly, vines and flowers began growing rapidly, covering the grave beautifully. Then, from behind the gravestone, a moderately sized tree slowly emerged from the ground.

It resembled a sakura tree, though much smaller, only around two meters tall. Beautiful flowers of various colors bloomed in clusters along every branch, creating a breathtaking sight around the grave.

"Beautiful..." Nyx muttered. Oliver and all of his monsters were completely mesmerized by the beautiful tree standing before them.

"This is the Tree of Remembrance. I created it so it is connected to your memories. As long as you continue remembering her, the tree will keep blooming through every season." Flora explained.

"Thank you, Flora." Oliver smiled warmly. It truly was a fitting resting place for someone precious to him.

Soon after, Oliver stood up and slowly walked away from the grave before making his way toward the plaza.

At the plaza, the moment Oliver arrived, there were already hundreds of people gathered there waiting.

"Where are you going, son? The academy carriage has been waiting for you." Arnulf said while carrying Oliver’s belongings and placing them into the back of the carriage.

Many children were surrounding the carriage excitedly since it was the first time they had ever seen such a luxurious vehicle. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The academy carriage was beautifully decorated with silver and gold carvings and bore the academy’s symbol on both sides of the door. Its emblem consisted of seven circles surrounding a radiant light at the center.

"All of you don’t need to send me off like this. It’s not as if I’ll never return again. If I don’t get selected, then I’ll just come back." Oliver said awkwardly.

"What are you talking about, Oliver? Of course you will get selected. You are the pride of our barony. To many of us, you are already like a hero. Thanks to you, this place has become much more peaceful. And also, you made me quite a lot of money too. Hehehe," Baron Eustache chuckled proudly as he too had come to personally send Oliver off.

"Yes. You have helped us greatly. This is the least we can do for you. All the best, Oliver, in your future endeavors." Guildmaster Nolan said sincerely.

Soon, many hunters came forward one after another to greet Oliver. Some of them looked sad since they would be losing a strong and reliable hunter from their ranks. Meanwhile, others felt happy and proud to see Oliver heading toward such a prestigious academy.

Travers and his group also arrived to greet him. The three of them had grown significantly stronger thanks to Flora’s guidance after she frequently joined their quests and trained them personally.

"You guys better keep this place safe, alright? I’m depending on all of you," Oliver said with a smile.

"You don’t need to tell us that. We already know..." Rusti replied in his usual bratty tone.

"...just focus on your selection and your studies." he continued while crossing his arms.

Oliver smiled after hearing Rusti’s words. It seemed the town would remain in good hands even after he left.

However, just to be safe, Oliver had already left behind several spiders from Queen to secretly roam around the area and maintain security.

"Oliver, always remember what we told you. Please send us a letter at least once every month. And don’t forget to eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner..." Irmine reminded him worriedly.

"Mom... it’s fine. I already remember everything." Oliver replied helplessly.

Irmine quietly looked at her son. Sometimes, she still forgot that the little boy she used to protect had already grown into a teenager capable of taking care of himself.

Still, the house would surely feel much quieter once Oliver was no longer around.

"And my sister...if you ever meet her, please send her my regards. Although... I truly hope you never meet her." Irmine continued softly.

"I will, Mom. Don’t worry," Oliver reassured her.

Soon, Oliver hugged both of his parents tightly before climbing into the carriage. He then waved toward all the townspeople gathered there.

A mixture of emotions filled his heart. But even so, he could not stop himself from feeling excited about what awaited him at the academy.

A completely new Chapter of Oliver’s life was about to begin. And it would become something far beyond anything Oliver had ever expected.

End of Volume 2 : New Beginning

Next Volume 3: Royal Academy of Cyden