The slime frightened him.

In those seconds between hearing the noise behind him and seeing what was producing it, something cold moved through his chest.

His body reacted much quicker than his brain, scrambling backwards along the ground on pure instinct with his palms scraping against the grass as he moved away from the monster.

But after that image registered with him, he stopped.

’A slime.’

The little blue creature rolled across the grass towards him without any visible means of locomotion, like some kind of oversized gelatinous ball. No legs, no arms, no face.

Just a blob of translucent liquid floating slowly in the double sunlight. In every book he had read, anime show he watched into the night, these creatures occupied a very specific place in the ranks of monsters - at the very bottom.

Absolutely useless and harmless creatures that were there to be the first victims of any protagonist, proving the system works and the numbers were real.

He was embarrassed about panicking like that.

He really was.

But then he noticed the darker substance suspended within the slime, slowly rotating inside of it. Ash observed the creature carefully, with wary eyes, but his heartbeat slowed considerably, allowing him to think clearly.

The slime had a translucent and slightly round shape with a dark core suspended within its center.

Schlorp...Schlorp...Schlorp...

It kept moving.

Then it stopped.

The fluid inside the body of the creature started swirling even faster, forming the lazy circle around the inner core of the creature.

The outer layer of the slime was rippling slightly as if trying to form another sphere with its inner side, compressing and then expanding with each movement. The motion was precise and purposeful in a way that had nothing harmless about it.

Pfft.

He barely had enough time to react and avoid being drenched in what was coming out of it. The slime’s shot hit the grass, only an inch away from where Ash planted his hand onto it.

It sounded like a dull thud, barely noticeable, and it was followed immediately by an alarming hissing sound of melting grass.

This thing was capable of producing acid.

Ash lifted his hand off of the grass and stood up in one swift motion.

’Harmless,’ he thought.

Four shots left. Only 15 mana per use. This thing needed to die before it could do any damage to him. He wasn’t going to give it that chance. Raising his hand to the sky, he recalled the card in his hand and then brought his arm down, aiming at the creature.

"Ember Shot🔥."

Fwoom - Fwoosh - Foom.

Ash saw the card dissolve in his hand from edge to center, breaking apart before disappearing entirely. Immediately afterward, he could see the fire forming near his fingertips.

This time it happened faster - he was already anticipating it and concentrating, so the process seemed almost effortless. He pointed the fire towards the creature and it went straight for it with blinding speed.

The slime exploded.

There was no other word for it. Its outer membrane instantly popped and sprayed a blue liquid all around it, splattering the grass nearby and creating a puddle of glowing liquid.

The edges of the grass nearest the spot were already burning slightly due to the heat from the explosion and were giving off small curls of steam.

As for the slime, it was dead and now covered in fire, which was dissipating slowly and fading away.

But right in the middle of its remains, sitting perfectly intact and catching the light of the twin suns - was the core.

He picked up the core of the creature and examined it. Hard and dense for its size - with a rich inner shine of its translucent surface that reminded Ash of a certain type of gemstone.

He immediately realized what he was holding - every novel prepared him for exactly that moment.

A magic stone.

Ash was looking at the object of his interest, admiring it in detail when the golden screen flickered right next to him.

------------------------

[⚠NOTICE⚠]

[★Card Used: ♥ 2 of Heart★]

[Ember Shot - Lv.1]

[Mana: 65 / 80]

----------------------

A second passed and then the second screen came out.

----------------------

[✦FIRST KILL BONUS✦]

[★Slime Defeated★]

[★REWARDS★]

[EXP + 15 (+100)]

[SP + 10 (+50)]

[★LOOT DROPPED★]

> Magic Stone x1

> Slime Gel x1

Storage: 2 / 20

[HP: +200]

[Mana: +120]

[★NEW CARD★]

> 2 of Spades

Water Shot - Lv.1

Deck: 2 / 54

[★NEW SKILL★]

> Storage - Lv.1

Holds up to 20 items

[✦CARD LEVEL UP✦]

> 2 of Hearts

Ember Shot

Lv.1 > Lv.2