Training as a Slime (88)

Fearing Cori would agree to the plan, Shanson summoned "Heavenly Tribulations" on the creature without hesitation. Within a split second, the beast disintegrated and the first item in everyone's inventory increased to 99 units. Despite so, everyone was caught aback by Shanson's action. 

"How can you be so selfish! That was our way back home!" Cori yelled in anger.

"And fall into its evil plan and be manipulated as it wished? Cori, stop being so naive," Shanson snapped back. His words cut deep into Cori's psyche.

"Stop it! You have no right to decide," Cori yelled.

"Stop yelling...," Meimei mumbled with watery eyes. Sky was just as angry as Cori, but he held back his tongue just for Meimei. 

"Let's go back Meimei, we should leave them alone," Sky said.

"No... something is coming," Meimei trembled with cold sweat, feeling the room twirling around her.

Sky immediately held onto Meimei as tightly as he could when the ground split. Cori immediately used swift steps and regrouped with Meimei and Sky teleporting onto safe ground. 

"Look out!" Shanson yelled swooping in and used his wings to shield them from the falling chunk of marbled floor. Cori's disheartened wore heavily on Shanson, "Look, Cori. There's more than one way to solve a problem. We must be wary of the games the gods are playing lest we get trapped here forever. The invasive force must have a way back too, we just have to figure out how. Anyway, there is no guarantee we will return in the same form we left."

"Right!" Cori answered knowing a god was possessing his human body on Earth and his way back was already supposedly guaranteed. He just needs to solve the puzzle to figure out how to return, "What had happened had happened. Let's move on."

"Meimei are you feeling better now?" Sky asked annoyed that Cori and Shanson were in their bubble of reality. 

"Mmm... I sensed something shinning. We should move there," Meimei answered.

"Guys! Let's move! Mei sensed something there!" Sky said. Meimei blushed at the call of endearment.

"Are you alright Mei? You feel kind of hot," Sky asked again with Meimei in his arms.

"I'm alright Sky. I can walk on my own now," Meimei said pulling herself away from him. She always had the worst luck in love, even here.

As Meimei led them deeper, they eventually reached a room with diamond flooring and sapphire walls. 

"Everyone, we are standing on a polished diamond floor and the walls are made of sapphire!" Cori said.

The cut stones were as big as those marble tiles. "This will be worth a fortune on Earth! Maybe I really shouldn't stop you, Cori," Shanson joked. 

"What if Sky cut a piece and used it to propose to me?" Meimei thought to herself, her already red face flushing pink.

Sky, "Mei are you okay? You feverish..."

Meimei ignored Sky out of anger and continued to lead the way until they came to a mysterious polished gem. "What's this?" Meimei asked as her paw reached out to touch it.

"Stop! It's an unknown missing number egg. If you touch it your soul will be trapped. It needs a special material to handle it," Cori said.

Sky, "We have to crush it! It might be how that vile creature revived."

Meimei, "Wait... what if we boil and eat it?"

The gem shuddered at the thought and started wailing.

"For an egg it's pretty intelligent, it can understand what we are saying. If it can speak we can leave it alone, or are you thinking of naming it?" Shanson asked looking at him.

Sky rolled his eyes. "Okay guys, break it off! You guys are worse than my mum and dad!" 

"Mami? Daddy?" the gem asked innocently.

Without a hint of hesitation, Cori used Dark Matter and sliced the egg into half. The gem dropped to the ground and turned grey like a pebble. "Better safe than sorry," Cori said to the rest.

The rest stared blankly at Cori.

"What? I had my knife just in case, plus it's an egg," Cori explained.

The wall where the egg was encrusted cracked. "Let's walk in," Meimei said.

The four of them entered and discovered a jewelled golem covered in dust. Its eyes slowly lit up and recognised Cori immediately.

"Master?" it said, its blue eyes looking at Cori with watery tears. Without any hesitation, it plunged and hugged Cori.

"Wait, do we know each other miss?" he asked.

"I'm Alice," it said.

"The same Alice in the bag?" Cori asked.

"Well, in a way yes. Do you have any manna stone with you?" it asked.

Everyone took out their manna stone and gave it to her. The golem squealed in delight, having been on saver for the longest time.

"What happened? Why are you here?" he asked.

"I'm on an assignment from you know who to defeat the unknown, but I used up too much energy coming here. Anyway, glad to see everyone again after such a long time," Alice greeted everyone cheerfully.

"I didn't know you have such taste Cori," Shanson jabbed.

"Shut up," Cori laughed sheepishly feeling awkwardly guilty in an unexplainable situation. "Alice, how did you end up here?" he asked.

"The generator behind me. It ripped open space and time, I came here to warn and guide you from the future as per your instructions. But I cannot reveal everything all at once because it might alter the timeline. Anyway, this castle will be our headquarters and the lodge will be the hideout. All I can say is that a war is brewing and all of you including gate, have to get ready," Alice said in a serious tone.

"Will there be consequences if you meet the you now?" Cori asked.

"Nope, we will just crash at the same time. Our memory will overlap, overload, and become corrupted that's all. No Biggie!" it smiled.

"How do we get back?" Meimei asked.

"I will open a portal for you and if needed all of you will be summoned here again," it said. "And Master, the duchess' lessons aren't over. You have to keep attending."

Cori nodded. 

Alice opened the portal and everyone finally returned back to campus except for the lonely golem.