System Discord

Kick.

Punch.

Throw.

Step.

There are a lot of things that Evan could do to try and kill the slimes and they bounce back. He has no idea that they were resilient.

He didn't have any weapons at all. How in the world is he going to kill them at this moment? Let alone survive when he managed to deactivate the Simulation Zone?

He stared at the slime in front of him, walking around it to look at it closely. There has to be a weakness, anything, that Evan could exploit that would turn the tide to his direction. 

That's when he noticed something.

The slime itself all had tiny bumps on their heads. They don't seem to be something that anyone can notice if they are bouncing around quick enough to try and hit someone's face, but because of how still the Simulation Zone is, Evan could see it.

With one smack on the spot, the slime in front of him splats on the ground and never bounced back.

Evan didn't even need to use so much strength. It felt like he had just smacked an insect to oblivion.

Before he killed all of the slimes in the Simulation Zone though, Evan decided to walk past all of them and into the end of the corridor. He wonders if he can inspect it now instead of killing all of the slimes later.

After he reached the last slime, his face collides with something solid that sent him on the floor. Letters were seemingly floating in midair in a shade of dark red as Evan stared at it.

[ Level 2 Required ]

Evan blinks and rubs his eyes. He's not seeing things, is he?

He looks up again and there it still is in the same shade of red and the same letters and words.

Evan stands up, placing a hand up to see if he can feel the invisible barrier that stopped him from going forwards.

He can feel it. There is something stopping his hand as he kept the pressure. It's not letting him entry.

Whatever it is, if Evan couldn't get in, he'll figure out a way to get in somehow in a different way. He still had to defeat all of this slimes and then when the Simulation Zone retracts, it was his cue to leave for now.

Evan might have found all of those slimes' shared weakness, but if he can't move as quick as they could or quicker, he would just get very overwhelmed very quickly. He needs a weapon, at least, which he doesn't have.

It will be a strategic retreat for now, but he knew what he is now working towards.

He began to walk around, hitting the slimes on the same spot from his location, until he gets closer and closer to where he began. Once he is done killing off all of the slimes in the Simulation Zone, the whoosh disappears and Evan practically sprints, almost falling over as he made a hard turn and continued.

He can hear the plop sounds of slimes giving him chase, and they were quicker than Evan expected them to be.

Evan began running up the stairs, adrenaline pumping in his veins as he goes up. The slimes were bouncing after him, and they were gaining on him.

Just as Evan's foot comes into contact with another step and the entrance could be seen from a distance, Evan heard the bounce sounds stop. 

He didn't know if the slimes truly did stop or not. The important thing was for him to be able to get at the top and out. That is the only time he will feel safe.

In what felt like forever, Evan reached the entrance. His legs gave out from the exertion, as he sat on the ground in relief. He is panting and trying to catch his breath.

Evan felt that he smells like sweat and old dust, but he could only laugh in relief at the ridiculousness of what he had just seen.

Slimes!

The extinct ones were just there, all along. There were many of them too. They were the type of animals that his dad told him first appeared when mana began to circulate around the world.

Is there a way to preserve their dwelling enough so that Evan doesn't need to kill them at all? He wonders if he can somehow get one as a small pet? Despite the exertion, he felt excited.

'30 minutes!' Iva interrupts his thought for the reminder.

Evan sighs out loud. "You have the habit of leaving me in dangerous situations."

Iva giggles. 'Well, I think you got it and I will just be a distraction.'

Evan shook his head at that. "Sure. Whatever you say. Thanks for the reminder."

Before his very eyes, the opening of the stone hill cave begins to close. But instead of the slowness it had when it was being opened earlier, the closing was smoother and it closed in less time.

A final thud was heard when it closed, and Evan felt lighter, somehow. He completely forgot about the feeling of being stared at after the cave opened to reveal itself.

"Is there a reason why you back out when I'm in danger?" Evan finally asked, standing back up and attempting to dust himself off as much as possible.

Iva didn't respond.

But Evan continues. "Because I don't think you realize that I'm not stupid. I'm young, but that doesn't mean I'm not aware. Did it have anything to do with the requirements? Is that why you stay silent because you're didn't want to spill me information?"

Another silence.

Useless.

Evan groans in frustration and began walking back the path he took to get outside the forest. If Iva's not doing to answer, then, what's the point of having it as his handy helper?

'Excuse me, I'm not useless.' Iva's protest echoes in his mind. 'If anything, you started going around and hoping anything sticks. That's not my fault!'

"Then, what am I supposed to do then, huh? You don't help me and you don't answer my questions." Evan stops in his tracks and waves his hands out in frustration.

'Use the Simulation Zone and call me with that.' Iva tone back to neutral. 'That's the only thing I can tell you in this state.'

"Fine." Evan replies. He's annoyed, but it is one of the things he hasn't done yet. He could've, but he has been too busy doing something else and hoping that was how it works. But most honestly, he just didn't think of that.

He takes a deep breath. "Simulation Zone, Iva." He says aloud, not expecting anything to change.

But things were now different.