Syl-Chapter 220: Looking for Trouble

"Ugh... I think I'm so close..." Vee whined. "I just hate that absolute feeling of dread right at the end. It's like multiple alarm bells all going off at once."

I nodded sympathetically, "It was pretty bad. I absolutely hated it."

"Come on, it's not that bad... At least from what I can remember," Trixie shrugged.

"I wouldn't trust your memory. You're, how old exactly?" Vee questioned.

"Old. From what I could tell, she spent at least a hundred years in a cage," I replied.

"Hey!" Trixie cried out. "Don't go revealing a lady's age!"

"You never cared about it before..." I pointed out.

While Trixie grumbled her complaints, Vee and I continued our banter.

"So, how's your training going? Better than mine, I hope," Vee asked.

It had been rather fruitful, much to my relief. Effectively, I had at least regained my previous usage of [Mana Conception] and could filter it out from Lifeforce and Essence. I'd basically been overloaded with new information and needed to learn how to break it down.

It certainly didn't help that I'd gained extra levels higher than my original [Mana Conception], which also threw me for a loop. There were more details in the concepts baked into my spells that I'd previously been unable to comprehend. So, I was dealing with a combination of foreign and new information.

Now, I just needed to regain my functionality with [Life Sight] and [Essence Sight], and then I could start looking into the benefits of using this combined approach. At least in terms of magic, I knew that having essence would no doubt help isolate singular affinities.

I explained my results to Vee, and while most of it seemed to go over her head, she still congratulated me. Since I'd at least made my goal, we decided to retire for the evening, much to her relief as she was utterly exhausted.

The next day, I decided to introduce Trixie to Thern and his family, and to my surprise, Thessa was actually present. She looked far thinner than I recalled, no doubt absolutely locked away with her new toys to play with. I also had that habit, so I couldn't exactly fault her for the behavior.

All around, it was rather pleasant. Thessa met Vee for the first time, which was humorous as she hadn't believed Thern and Darmod when they'd told her I'd tamed a powerful spider monster.

As for Trixie, it was mixed results. Darmod was interested in seeing if the pixie knew anyone he could open potential trade agreements with, while Thessa was oddly cautious around her. Thern, on the other hand, requested some pixie dust, to which Trixie was more than happy to do a little dance over a bottle for him to collect some.

"Enchanting ingredients!" Thern said boisterously.

I quizzed him a bit on the uses, and it could effectively be added to some of the lesser materials to boost its Mana conductivity. Even a sprinkle added to some silver solution would boost it to gold, if not better. At this point, I could produce Orichalcum on demand, so I couldn't really see a use for it myself.

Not to mention, thanks to my latest slime upgrades, I could now make Adamantine and Mythril. I had wondered if Mythril would have replaced Orichalcum, but it seemed the latter still stood out in terms of pure Mana conductivity. However, Mythril was far lighter and more durable, and blades utilizing it were unnaturally sharp.

Adamantine was the complete opposite. Dense, heavy, extremely resistant, and almost reluctant to receive enchantments and the like. I'd certainly use it if I ever fought against a spellcaster, and I created a circular casing to protect my cores.

Who needs armor when I can just make casings!

I'd need to test which was better in the long run: an enchanted Mythril case or one made from Adamantine.

Or better yet, maybe once I reach the max level or uncapped [Metal Slime], perhaps I can mix the two. I need so many points to uncap things! I need that discount, Mother!

There was also Obsidianite to consider, and I wondered how that would change things. Seeing Thern's new enchanting tool and Thessa's new hammer made of the stuff was extremely impressive. All three dwarves tried to convince me to have some more stuff made out of the material for myself, hoping to lower the outstanding amount from my share of the wealth.

Quite frankly, I didn't really care about it and tried to wave it off, but it seemed the dwarves weren't happy about being "in debt" with me. Even though I'd repeatedly said, I don't see it that way. I'd even offered the condition that if they ever came across a slime core, they could hold it for me in reserve or something.

When Trixie mentioned wanting some rather fancy clothes, Darmod jumped on the opportunity. This caused Vee to mention rings, which I brought up for her. The relief on his face made me wonder what sort of turmoil he was going through. I'd just asked for slime cores; surely they weren't that hard to come by?

Then again... With how fragile they can be, I guess it could be challenging. How many adventurers actually try to kill them without damaging the core or are even capable of doing it. Maybe I'm literally monopolizing the entire market here. Just call me Syl, The Slime Core Baron. Hehe...

After leaving Darmod with a shopping list for my two friends, Thern and Thessa with a crafting order, and a wonderful meal, we returned to our inn.

"So, when are we going to do the slime farm raid?" Trixie asked curiously.

"Uh... I thought we might need to do some research and prepare," I answered. "Also, I don't think we're raiding them; we're just observing. As much as I want some more silver cores, I don't exactly want to kill their prized slimes."

Vee gasped, "Who are you, and what have you done with Syl?"

"Ha, ha... Very funny..." I droned sarcastically. "If they somehow trace it back to me, I'd rather not have an entire nation after me."

"Good point!" Vee quickly agreed. "I'd certainly not want to be caught in the guilty by association part."

"You might accidentally cause a diplomatic incident between the elves and dwarves," Trixie pointed out. "Which would be hilarious, by the way."

"Oh no! Don't go starting race wars! Bad pixie!" Vee scolded.

"No wars... Just a bit of mischief," Trixie winked.

"Maybe this is a bad idea..." I admitted.

"Agreed, I feel like it would be a very Fey thing to cause us to be caught!" Vee warned.

Trixie pouted, "I wouldn't do that! Can't you two take a joke?"

"Only if it's a good one," Vee replied.

Trixie gaped and went speechless.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Too far, Vee..." I said. "Sorry, Trixie, you're plenty funny."

Trixie, while sulking, patted my head, "You're the only one who understands me, Syl..."

Vee sighed, "Drama queen..."

"Maybe a little," Trixie admitted.

"Okay... So, if we do do this, what's our plan?" I asked.

"Do we even know where this place is?" Vee questioned.

"Yeah, it's in the industrial sector, obviously," Trixie replied.

"What makes you so sure?" I asked.

"Well, no doubt it would be near the forges. Surely you'd want to keep your slimes near where the metal is made?" Trixie explained.

Vee nodded in agreement, "Sounds reasonable."

"Okay... So look around the industrial sector near the forges," I said.

"I could probably sniff out where there's a lot of earth essence, which is probably where the slimes are kept," Trixie added.

"What are you, part bloodhound now?" Vee asked.

"Haha, nope! But I might as well be, woof!" Trixie teased.

Vee groaned, "I regret saying anything..."

"Moving on..." I interjected, hoping to change the subject, "We find the location and hopefully sneak in?"

"I can shrink more," Vee said. "Should help with getting in anywhere sneakily."

"As long as it's not bigger than my cores, I can probably get in anywhere," I added. "I could always melt a bigger gap, but I'd rather avoid leaving any trace behind."

"I'm already small," Trixie added. "And I can make us pretty much invisible."

"I really don't like the term 'pretty much invisible.' Can you not be more specific?" Vee asked with concern.

"Baring someone with the incredibly rare racial trait [Truesight] or an absurd level in [Illusion Resistance], we will be covered," Trixie said with a frown.

"Wow. That sounds like an awesome trait," I commented. "I don't suppose you have it to show me?"

Trixie shook her head, "It's extremely rare. I'm really not joking. Like I think only mythical monsters have it."

"Mythical monsters?" I asked eagerly.

Trixie sighed, "Of course you'd be interested in that. Stuff like phoenixes, dragons, gorgons, the biggest of baddest monsters."

"Sounds dangerous," Vee commented.

"Sounds delicious," I chuckled.

"Of course, you'd want to try to eat a dragon," Trixie sighed. "You don't mess with dragons, silly."

"It'd go very well with the tasty worm I ate," I joked.

"Yeah, until you take a face full of dragon fire..." Trixie pointed out. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'm almost fireproof!" I replied.

"I think you need way more than ten levels to be immune to dragon fire..." Trixie mumbled.

"Count me out then! If you want to fight a dragon, I'll teleport to safety!" Vee informed me.

"I mean... Not now, but eventually. It's something to aspire to!" I countered.

"I aspire to live a long life with lots of food," Vee responded. "Preferably with me on the eating end and not the eaten."

Trixie giggled, "Sorry, Syl. It looks like you'll have to become a solo dragon slayer."

I shrugged, "More experience for me, I suppose."

"I think you're forgetting [Bonded Companion]," Vee joked.

"Wait... No... That seems unfair!" I complained. "I take a risk to take on some colossal dragon and have to share my spoils..."

"I was only kidding..." Vee admitted.

"It probably has a range limit..." Trixie mused. "It would be strange for your [Bonded Companion] sitting at home a continent away to get experience from you."

"Oh wow, imagine that! I could be sitting at a cafe and gaining experience!" Vee said excitedly. "Is this my version of Syl's pay-to-win with slime cores?"

"There's a big flaw in your master lazy plan," I grumbled.

"You won't let me do it?" Vee asked.

"I don't think a cafe would let you in without Syl," Trixie explained before I could.

"Oh... Right, the whole spider monster thing..." Vee sighed. "Do you think I could get a shapeshifting evolution?"

"I can't say I've ever heard of one... Maybe something illusion-based?" Trixie offered.

I hummed in thought at the potential idea, "Seems risky; imagine someone bumping into you, and they go right through you instead."

"Very true, that's how I got captured," Trixie divulged. "I thought I was flawless, but Mister Gloomy noticed things passing through me. He kept it a secret until he revealed his trap."

"I think I see where Syl gets that reckless streak from," Vee quipped.

"Hey..." I objected.

"Nope! Syl was like that way before meeting me; I'm innocent," Trixie grinned.

"Hardly..." I opposed.

Vee nodded, "Pixies and Fey are never innocent; that's what all the stories say."

"Slander!" Trixie snapped. "Who wrote these books? I'll pull some strings and get them taken care of."

Vee chuckled nervously, "Good luck with that... It's stuff from my scrambled past life."

Trixie clicked her tongue in annoyance, "That certainly complicates things..."

"Uh... Can we get back to the silver slime farm espionage?" I spoke up. "We've gone on quite the tangent."

"True... Well, we needed to kill time anyway," Trixie shrugged. "Even if this place doesn't have a true night, being underground and all, people still follow sleep schedules. We definitely want to strike under the cover of darkness!"

"More like the cover of a magically illuminated city..." Vee corrected.

"Only a mild inconvenience if we put our heads together!" Trixie said triumphantly.

This is either going to go super well... Or end in disaster... Either way, it should be fun.

***

Name: Syl [Nature's Bane]

Race: Chimeric Cluster Slime (Blue) LV 11

Class: Elementalist LV 15

Status: Healthy

Mana: Overflowing

Emblems:

[Experiment]

[Apex Hunter]

[Elven Legacy]

[Dungeoneer]

[Nature's Bane]*

[Manhunter]

Traits:

Slime:

[Mana Slime LV 13]

[Acid Slime LV 7]

[Poison Slime LV 7]

[Blaze Slime LV 7]

[Cryo Slime LV 8]

[Voltaic Slime LV 7]

[Nitro Slime LV 7]

[Metal Slime LV 8]

[Luminous Slime]

[Morph Slime LV 8]

[Pseudopod LV 7]

[Slime Shot LV 8]

[Vaporize Slime]

Core:

[Core Collective LV 8]

[Core Storage LV 6]

[Sub-Core Alpha LV 6] [Sub-Core Beta LV 6]

[Sub-Core Gamma LV 6] [Sub-Core Eta LV 6]

[Sub-Core Delta LV 6] [Sub-Core Theta LV 6]

[Sub-Core Epsilon LV 6] [Sub-Core Iota LV 6]

[Sub-Core Zeta LV 6] [Sub-Core Kappa LV 6]

Mimic:

[Chimeric Mimicry LV 7]

[Chroma Shift LV MAX]

[Consuming Osmosis LV MAX]

Mana:

[Mana Circulation LV 7]

[Mana Reinforcement LV 7]

[Derived Element (Air) LV 6]

[Mana Infusion]

Attributes/Other:

[Soul Mastery LV 7]

[Enhanced Vitality LV 5]

[Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 5]

[Curse Resistance LV 2]

[Illusion Resistance LV 3]

[Sonic Resistance LV 1]

[Prodigy]

Senses:

[Soul Sight LV 8]

[Dark Vision LV MAX]

[Thermal Vision LV MAX]

[Eagle Vision LV 4]

[Electro-Magnetic Sense LV 5]

[Tremor Sense LV 5]

[Olfactory Sense]

Trait Points remaining: 16

Skills:

General:

[Universal Language]

[Equipment Swap]

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[Dissection LV 7]

[Mapping LV 5]

[Tracking LV 3]

[Identify LV 6]

[Multitasking LV 5]

[Perception LV 5]

[Aerial Finesse LV 4]

[Thunder Step LV 4]

[Wind Step LV 3]

Tamer:

[Companion Bond]

[Companion Training LV 6]

Combat:

[Tranquil Flow LV 5]

[Attack Mastery (Lesser) LV 7]

[Affliction Mastery LV 6]

[Exploit Weakness LV 5]

Magic:

[Water Magic LV 5]

[Fire Magic LV 6]

[Corrosion Magic LV 6]

[Ice Magic LV 5]

[Arcane Magic LV 5]

[Lightning Magic LV 5]

[Earth Magic LV 4]

[Air Magic LV 4]

[Light Magic LV 2]

[Mana Manipulation LV 6]

[Magic Efficiency LV 5]

[Magical Overcharge LV 1]

[Counter Magic LV 4]

[Elemental Shift LV 5]

[Elemental Adaptation]

[Ritual Casting]

[Mana Suppression]

[Elemental Harmony]

Sneaky:

[Vanish LV 6]

[Assassinate LV 6]

[Identity Fabrication LV 6]

[Acting LV 5]

[Rogue Expertise LV 4]

[Magical Subterfuge LV 4]

[Trap Mastery LV 3]

[Subtle Afflictions]

Skill Points remaining: 18

Profession:

Enchanting:

[Rune Reading LV 6]

[Rune Engraving LV 2]

[Rune Framework LV 7]

[Rune Tracing LV 5]

[Rune Design LV 3]

[Runecrafting LV 2]

[Rune Inspection LV 5]

[Rune Filigree LV 3]

[Rune Repair LV 2]

[Brand]

Profession Points Remaining: 0