Rank 3!

Alaric was in awe. The very ground he stood on, which seemed to stretch for at least 200 meters long, was actually a slime core?!

"Are you sure?"

If his slimes could eat this, wouldn't they immediately reach the peak? Wouldn't they become rank 10 experts? This also solved the question of how Sonic's mana signature had become stronger.

'Kri!'

Due to telepathy's side effect of the receiver inherently understanding the sender, Alaric caught onto what the slip slime was saying immediately.

"Grander showed you? In exchange for this core, you would join him?"

Alaric had personal experience with Grander, put bluntly, the false dragon was an idiot. Business propositions on equal standing, from that big hunk of rock? Impossible. Alaric presumed that someone must be standing behind Grander after all.

'Thankfully, I gave an alias.' Alaric thought, in relief.

But, Alaric now knew why the slime hadn't come back. Sonic was seriously considering the proposition. Still, his ability should invoke inherent royalty, power alone definitely wasn't enough to bring Sonic into a state of uncertainty.

Alaric sat on the giant core beneath him, and asked, "Why are you considering such a stupid proposition? You do realize that I can bring you more power than this core can, right?"

It wouldn't be wrong to call Alaric an infinite slime generator, no one else could provide as many slime cores as he could.

Sonic's eyes stared at Alaric, before his 8 slimy tentacles slammed into the ground, 'Kri!'

Alaric was a bit surprised, "Because I'm a coward?"

The exact translation of that "Kri" couldn't just be that Alaric was a coward. There was a deeper emotion within, a dissatisfaction emanating from the slip slime.

Alaric gave it some thought, 'This prideful, arrogant, and powerful slime is unwilling to back down. I completely disregarded its personality when putting on the display of submitting to Grander... it seems like it doesn't agree with such a stance.'

Because of the lack of hiccups so far, Alaric had mostly forgotten that his ability entailed "authority" rather than "control." Instead of pets, he would need to begin seeing the slimes as independent creatures. Rebelling wasn't impossible, especially from slimes with strong wills, like Sonic.

Whatever the reason, Alaric needed the slip slime on his side, "That was merely a ruse, Sonic! I was trying to save you! So that we could run away and fight again when we were stronger!"

The idea that a slime could rebel shocked Alaric back into reality, but he wouldn't act sappy. It was still a slime, he would convince it for now.

'Kri!

Alaric quietly pondered on his hopes that a rank 3 slime would be able to speak human language, but still responded, "Running away is cowardice no matter what? It was for your survival!"

Looking at the troublesome slip slime, Alaric indeed realized that it was the type to want to die fighting rather than run to live another day. Completely opposite to Alaric who was a coward through and through.

'Kri!'

Sonic simply responded with a tone full of disdain. Alaric even felt that it had no translation, that it was a telepathic transmission of pure emotion.

'I do have my own grievances about what I did back then... but I didn't expect it to become such an issue.'

The slip slime saw that this conversation wouldn't go anywhere, looked at Alaric, and the ground beneath it began dissolving. Sonic was eating the giant slime core!

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Alaric panicked.

If the slip slime ate this core, wasn't it a sign of his changing sides? If Sonic joined Grander, it'd effectively be an enemy. It was the strongest combatant Alaric had, and probably the one magical beast that Alaric couldn't defeat. Slimes couldn't eat slimes, and Alaric wasn't fast enough to defeat Sonic.

As of this moment, the slip slime was quickly gaining mana and changing form. Its tentacles grew longer, and its body taller. Very soon, without even breaking through the core's sky-blue shell, Sonic began glowing.

A voice reverberated within Alaric's head, 'Kri!'

Sonic's now much longer tentacles began writhing about, wildly. Alaric even had to back away, in fear of the slime breaking his skull with a stray swing.

Soon, the slime's form had grown much taller, nearly as tall as Alaric himself. It gained what seemed to be a neck and a head, but below it was a simple torso and 8 long tentacles.

Alaric felt its mana had skyrocketed, reaching the peak of rank 3! Existences at this level could even kill Wurst, the strongest man he had ever met. A peak rank 3 existence may even be able to challenge Grander!

The slime's eyes stared down at Alaric, floating within the part of its body shaped like a head. Behind them, laid Sonic's core. It had completely finished evolving, killing Alaric would be a simple swing of its tentacles.

'But, it doesn't seem hostile.' Alaric thought.

The slime inched forward towards Alaric, and the peak rank-1 human he was, Alaric decided that he should stand his ground.

'He must be even faster now, running is an idiot's game.'

Alaric stared into the slime's eyes, and said, "Is this your decision, Sonic?"

Soon, a telepathic link was formed between the two. Alaric could feel that Sonic would soon make his stance known, and prepared himself for the worst. Whether Sonic was an enemy or not, Alaric thought only the best of it.

Soon, a deep voice sounded in his head, 'I have not made a decision, my lord.'

Alaric went wide-eyed, Sonic could speak! It could speak human language, understandably at that!

"You've taken advantage of the core they so helpfully pointed their way, I don't take you to be one who makes false promises. Explain!"

Mana reverberated from the air exiting Alaric's mouth. He used his talent to command the slime to explain himself, in order to test if it would work on a rank 3 existence.

'You needn't use that witchcraft, I shall explain. You allowed me to become more than a mere pest, the humans no longer dare to slaughter me as they once did my friends and family.

I want to follow you, my lord. Every fiber of my being pushes me to do so! But, I am not willing, should you not awaken from your stupor. Why is it that you don't understand such a simple thing...'

Alaric looked at the slime confused, 'If you wanna follow me, just do it, damn it!'

It was a stray thought, and he, of course, wouldn't communicate it to the slime.

"Understand what? Everything I do is in line with logic!"

The slime's pupils seemed to shrink, and Alaric could swear this next sentence sounded louder, despite it being impossible for telepathy to have volume.

'A king mustn't kneel!'

Alaric was shocked.