A Slimy Situation

Reed, lying on his back, took a deep breath as he stared up at the sky. His hand, still gripping the dagger, felt heavy. With a groan, he lifted the blade to eye level. The runes, that once shun brightly, were now dull, and the durability stat flashed a warning:

|- Durability: 0/100

"Ugh, I guess it's useless now," he murmured. Just as the words left his lips, the dagger's blade cracked and shattered into countless fragments, scattering to the ground around him. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. The weapon had proven quite useful, and its final act was nothing short of amazing.

"Now all that remains is to gather the cores," Reed thought, pushing himself up from the ground. As he stood, his eyes scanned the battlefield. The grassland was littered with shimmering monster cores, vibrant in different colors, a quick reminder of the slimes he had defeated.

Reed smirked. All this was only possible because he had that skill, but even so, what he had pulled off was nothing short of insane.

He walked among the cores, and one by one, he started picking them up. Their smooth surfaces were warm to the touch. He placed each core into his digital inventory.

After Reed finished collecting the last of the monster cores, he made his way back to the tutorial village. The sun was beginning to set, and the night was drawing near. His body was splattered with the remnants of slime goo.

The village gates, a simple wooden structure, stood open, welcoming him back.

Reed passed through the entrance, feeling satisfied. His HP was full, and the slime sludge clinging to him was beginning to dematerialize, making his movements feel a bit freer.

He was eager to sell the cores he had collected, but first, he had to endure the attention his unusual appearance drew.

Near the village tree, which served as a common meeting place for the newbie players, a young man from the lancer class was lounging with his spear resting beside him.

His name was Case, known for his sharp tongue and even sharper spear. He noticed Reed in the same appearance he had seen that morning and couldn't resist the urge to say something.

"Well, look who it is," Case called out, loud enough to draw the attention of several other players nearby. "If it isn't Captain Underpants, back from a swim in the slime pool aye."

A few chuckles rose from the small crowd that had gathered, and Reed felt the familiar sting of unwanted attention. He kept his gaze forward, choosing to ignore Case's taunts.

"Drop it, Case," another player, Nash, a quieter and more reasonable guy, said from his spot under the tree. "Leave the poor guy alone. Obviously, he got his stuff taken."

Reed heard Nash's attempt to diffuse the situation but wasn't concerned. After all, he didn't care what they thought about him.

He continued walking, his focus was on the tavern just a few steps away, where he could finally sell the monster cores.

But Case wasn't ready to let Reed slip away this time. He stood up and started following him. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Case called out.

Reed sighed inwardly. He had no interest in dealing with Case, especially now when he was so close to the tavern. Without stopping, he replied calmly, "What do you want?"

Case caught up to Reed, wearing an angered expression. "You think you're better than us just because you killed a bunch of slimes? Think again. You're just a nobody, covered in muck, and for the love of God, put some clothes on."

Reed stopped walking and glanced to the side, narrowing his eyes coldly. "What I do is none of your concern. If you're looking for a fight, find someone else. I'm done wasting my time."

Reed then continued on his way. The villagers and players passing around them stared, waiting to see what would happen next.

Case felt frustrated. He wasn't used to being dismissed so easily and was preparing to actually fight.

Nash, seeing the glare in Case's eyes, quickly stepped in, placing a hand on Case's shoulder. "Come on, Case, let's not do this here. This guy has already had a long day, and we've got better things to do."

Case sighed "your right, there is no point trying to understand this crazy dude." and so let go of the issue. He turned back and went on his way along with Nash, placing his spear over his shoulder. Nash glanced back at Reed, wondering who he really was.

As Reed approached Tina's tavern, the familiar warmth and light spilled out from its windows, and the sound of laughter could be heard. A small smile played on Reed's lips before he decided to go inside.

Opening the door and walking into the tavern, Reed immediately became the center of attention. The lively chatter of players and NPCs quickly hushed as they all stared at him.

"Look at him!" someone said from a corner booth. "He must've had a run-in with slimes."

Another voice piped up, "Yeah, talk about a sticky situation!" A wave of laughter erupted, directed at him, covered in slime.

Reed sighed and did what he always do: ignored them. Without so much as a glance in their direction, he made his way to the bar where Tina was polishing a glass. Her eyes widened slightly at his slimy appearance but she didn't comment on it.

Reed leaned against the counter. "I'd like to trade monster cores," he said flatly.

Tina, a sturdy woman with a polite demeanor, stared at him. "Sure, how many?" she asked.

With a thought, Reed accessed his digital inventory and started offloading the cores. They poured onto the counter, filling the surface and overflowing onto the floor.

Reed watched the pile grow, his expression calm. "That many," he muttered, as if the huge quantity was no big deal.

The room fell into silence. Players stretched their necks to get a better look at the table filled with monster cores.

Ryker, a skilled novice player almost at level 10, stood up from his table, his eyes were shocked. How had a guy like him, without any visible armor or high-level gear, managed to get his hands on such a large amount of monster cores?

Thoughts of speculation filled the tavern. Some whispered that Reed must have somehow stolen the cores, but one glance at him made them reconsider. It was impossible.

There was no way a player without any form of protection on his body could steal that many monster cores without getting PKed.

Others believed that Reed must be exceptionally skilled, perhaps so much so that he didn't need any armor to face off against hurds of monsters. But that itself was also impossible.

But it didn't matter what they thought; Reed didn't care. He was only here for his rewards, not their approval.

Tina quickly composed herself and began counting the cores. After a moment, she looked up at Reed, her expression filled with respect and curiosity. "That's quite the haul," she said, her tone more respectful than before. "You must be quite skilled, Mr. Reed."

Reed sighed. "Just give me the cash," he replied nonchalantly.

"Sure, no problem."

Tina nodded and began quantifying the worth of the final core. In *Arcane*, monster cores are measured based on their grade and size.

A common grade 'C' core is worth around 6-9 copper coins, while the same grade but 'B' size can be worth up to 20 coppers.

Reed had brought in 115 'C' sized common-grade cores and one 'B' size core, which meant this was going to be a huge payday.

Tina packed all the cores in a bag and went into a compartment of the tavern. She came back holding a small bag of money. "Here you go."

She handed it over to Reed. "That's nine silvers," she said.

"Nine silvers!" one of the players shouted in shock, since a silver coin is worth a hundred coppers.

Reed glared at him before grabbing the bag of money and giving a small nod. "Thanks," he said, turning away from the counter, ready to finally get some actual gear.