Chapter 183: Welcome to Slime Village... Eh? A Literal Slime Village!? — Part 3.

Maddy narrowed her eyes, focusing her senses. From across the town, she could make out a structured area—a part that looked carefully built, almost like a harvesting hub. Normal Slimes, Material, Soothing, Food, and Hygiene slimes were constantly emerging from the ground, their movements coordinated and purposeful.

They were funneled into channels, corrals, and small processing zones, creating what appeared to be both an attraction and a production site. It was clever, almost industrial, and the villagers or whatever remnants remained had clearly spent generations perfecting it.

But then, her divine sight flickered on something unusual. A faint, fluctuating glow of mana orbs pulsed in the area, and her stomach sank.

"Oh no... a mana distortion just happened here!" she muttered.

She scanned the rest of the harvesting hub, checking each slime channel, and her eyes widened. Every section from Normal Slime, Material, Soothing, Food, and Hygiene carried the same signature of mana distortion.

"This... this whole place! All five slime types... Material, Food, Soothing, Hygiene, and even the normal ones. Rapidly spawned simultaneously and became stronger... and aggressive because of a massive mana distortion. No wonder there are so many of them at once!"

Her heart raced as she took in the scale of it, the perfect synchronization of magic and labor making Oozewell far more sophisticated and dangerous than she had first imagined.

As she scanned the surroundings, her stomach churned. Everywhere she looked, Sludge Slimes were feasting on human bones, their corrosive forms leaving skeletal fragments in their wake. The town’s lifeblood... the carefully managed slimes had become a deadly hazard.

Maddy frowned and called to Lucy.

"Wait... there are only five harvesting hubs, right? So... why are these Sludge Slimes here?"

Lucy’s calm voice replied, tinged with analysis.

[Response: Because of the mana distortion, there is a chance for monsters not native to a spawn site to appear. Even ordinary slimes can evolve rapidly under extreme spawning conditions. The Sludge Slimes you see are an evolved form, likely triggered by the excessive spawn rate and distorted mana. Their presence is lethal and may have caused or will cause casualties among the townspeople.]

Maddy’s eyes widened.

"So... the normal slimes, pushed to spawn faster than they should, evolved into these... monsters? And now they’re eating everyone?!"

Lucy’s response was steady, factual, but chilling.

[Response: Precisely. The accelerated evolution of the slimes, coupled with the mana distortion, created a dangerous cascade. The town’s own lifeblood has become its executioner.]

A cold shiver ran down Maddy’s spine. What she had first thought of as a marvel, a town thriving symbiotically with slimes, was now a trap of chaotic magic, turning Oozewell into a lethal nightmare. The same slimes that were a delicacy—the ones turned into sweet "Slime Jam"—were now turning on the humans.

Maddy’s chest tightened as she called out, her voice echoing across the chaotic streets.

"Is anyone... still alive? Please, if anyone is here—respond!"

She focused, drawing on every sensing trait she possessed but all she could detect were slimes. Her heart sank, and the weight of despair pressed down on her.

Before she could fully process her remorse, a sudden shift in the air made her spin around. Something solid, yet impossibly fluid, shot toward her with blinding speed.

Instinctively, she drew her round battered shield from her back, planting it just in time. Even though the surface is dented, the core of high quality mana infused minerals held firm, rendering the attack harmless. Sparks danced across the shield as the projectile dissolved on contact.

Maddy’s eyes darted to its source. A flaming red slime hovered a few meters away, its gelatinous body flickering with bursts of fire. It pulsed and hissed, a burning gaze fixed on her as if daring her to make the next move.

[New Monsterpedia Entry Added: Elemental Slime]

[Elemental Slime (Evolved Form) — Habitat: Forests / Volcanoes / Rivers / Caves]

[A slime that has absorbed elemental souls from its surroundings. Elemental Slimes can channel the forces of Fire, Water, Ice, or Lightning through their gelatinous bodies, allowing them to attack with bursts of raw elemental power. Their movements often reflect their element — fiery slimes leave trails of embers, water slimes ripple and flow seamlessly, ice slimes freeze surfaces, and lightning slimes crackle with energy. Highly unstable, they are dangerous even to experienced adventurers.]

[Magic: 125,000 | Might: 100,000]

Maddy’s jaw dropped as she processed the Monsterpedia update. Her heart raced, a mix of awe and alarm tightening in her chest.

"A... an Elemental Slime?!"

Her hand dropped to the hilt of the short sword at her waist.

"So... this is the other type of slimes that spawned unwanted from the harvesting hub of Oozewell. Looks like this kind isn’t just annoying... it’s a messy kind of trouble."

She draw her short sword. At first glance, it looked like plain iron, but the edge hummed with a lethality that could slice through the very air.

"Golden Captain... your skills are finally going to be useful for something good."

She could feel the Sword Mastery flowing through her arms, adjusting her grip and centering her balance. No hesitation, she was ready.

The Elemental Slime (Fire) lunged again, its molten body churning like a ball of liquid flame. A glob of searing lava shot straight at her face.

"Not a very warm welcome for your new... CUSTOMER!"

With a swift, fluid motion, she let her skill surge through her.

"SWORD RUSH!"

She launched. Her body propelled forward with the piercing whistle of a jet. In an instant, she was behind the Fire Slime, splitting it down the center. It burst, dissolving into a rain of harmless embers.

Before she could lower her blade, a searing heat caught her from behind. She spun, bracing her shield just as the fire hit. The blast was massive, shattering against the metal in a roar of light. The flames moved with the weight and speed of a living breath.

Maddy dug her heels in against the impact, shouting over the rush of heat. She joked,

"What now? A dragon?!"

She swiped the shield aside as the fire died. The metal was smoking but held firm. There, standing where she had been only moments before, was...