Caught and Killed

8 of the pitfall traps Alaric set up were activated, and the sound of burning could already be heard from within.

The wolves struggled, unable to get a proper foothold in the holes, especially so with the strongest magical adhesives in the world latching onto them.

"Aru!"

Alaric laughed, "Eight! I didn't expect this amount! And they all fell into the traps well! If they had come from the other side, it'd have been a game over here."

'Kri!' the slip slime sounded, somehow Alaric could understand that it was... disappointed?

"Are you upset? Don't worry man, I'm proud of your results," Alaric exclaimed, raising his hand to pet the slime on his shoulder.

'Although I didn't expect slimes to develop more independent thinking skills after rank-2, it isn't exactly a bad thing.'

Now, Alaric was just waiting. It was impossible for the slimes to be able to dissolve and digest the soul shards, so he'd have them handed over after they ate the storm wolves.

The slip slime's eyes turned to the side of the grove where the traps were incomplete, its small core shaking as it did, 'Kri!'

"What?"

Alaric couldn't understand the slime, but some things were naturally conveyed through its telepathy. This was a warning.

'I should... finish the traps?'

Suddenly, a howl sounded from the forest, in the direction of the incomplete traps.

"Shit! There's more storm wolves?!"

Alaric rushed to complete the traps, hoping to complete them in time.

One trap complete.

Two traps complete.

Three.

"Aru!"

Alaric scrambled, "Shit! I still have 8 more!"

Suddenly, a green blur rushed out from the forest beyond the grove, easily jumping over one of the incomplete traps.

The green blur was brought to a stop, and Alaric saw its form. A wolf, with thick, green fur and a unicorn-like horn on the middle of its head.

It was a storm wolf, and it was directly in front of Alaric, growling.

'Kri!'

The wolf barked as if it could hear and understand the slip slime. Of course, Alaric could too. The slime's words came off as a taunt.

"What the hell are you doing?! You can escape, but I can't!"

Another growl sounded, and the wolf was lowering itself in preparation to pounce. Its target... seemed to be the slip slime.

Although figuring out the wolf's intentions would be impossible, as someone who had awakened their talent, Alaric naturally had better senses than the average person. It could even be called a sixth sense, he knew that the wolf was not directing its hostility at "them" but at "the slip slime."

'Still, I can't just sacrifice the slime. I killed 8 of my soldiers for it!'

Just as Alaric was beginning to feel hopeless, something sounded in his head, 'Kri!'

The same sound as always, a little high-pitched. It was the slip slime's telepathy, but for some reason, this time it was infinitely reassuring. As if, this little slime could handle all problems.

The wolf pounced, once again becoming a green blur that instantly arrived in front of Alaric, its horn aimed at the slip slime.

That was all Alaric saw before being pushed back, the slip slime using its stubby tentacles to propel itself forward and push Alaric out of the danger zone.

"What the hell? I just slid for at least 5 meters..."

The slip slime, who Alaric thought was escaping, collided with the wolf's horn, its small core slipping around the horn, evading a fatal blow.

Pierced by the horn of the storm wolf, it obviously wasn't the end, as slimes could survive any and all attacks as long their core was intact.

'Kri!!!'

The slip slime let out a loud cry, or, Alaric thought it felt louder, more intense. Telepathy would always be the same volume no matter what.

The slime's eight, stubby appendages stretched out, wrapping themselves around the wolf's maw. The slip slime had properly stuck itself onto the storm wolf's horn, and its tentacles had forced its jaw to a close.

Now, all that Alaric could here was a crisp sizzle. As if, someone or something had fallen into a vat of acid.

'The slime... is eating the wolf?'

Alaric, astounded, said, "Hey buddy... did a rank 2 slime just outsmart and outmaneuver a rank-3 wolf?"

'Kri!'

The meaning of this sound was very clear, "shut up!" The slip slime was struggling, the wolf was trying its best to shake it off, rubbing its claws on the slime as it writhed around the ground.

Still, the slime's core perfectly evaded the claws each and every time. This was a conscious effort by the slip slime. The core didn't have some sort of automatic defense system.

'This slime... is smart! The biggest gain from its evolution wasn't the mobility, but the intelligence!'

The sizzling sound continued, and Alaric could already see the skull and jaw of the wolf, its horn had already become a mere shadow of what it once was. The acidic properties of the slime seemed to increase as it evolved as well.

The wolf seemed to try and howl, but the tentacles kept its mouth shut. It was only a matter of time before its death.

"That's what you get for ambushing me!" is what Alaric would like to say, but even now the slime was struggling for survival. This situation could almost be attributed to luck, any other rank-3 magical beast would have killed the slip slime by now.

'I guess the slime is the wolf's hard counter.'

Suddenly the wolf fell onto its side, the slime had already come into contact with its brain, 8 crevices embed into the wolf's jaw from the slime's acidic appendages.

'Kri..'

The slime seemed exhausted and immediately retreated from the wolf.

Alaric walked up to, and grabbed the slime, putting it into the leather bag he kept with him, "Rest for now, I owe you one."

This all happened in the span of 5 minutes, Alaric simply had to wait for the slimes to finish dissolving the wolves in the pitfall traps. Of course, just in case, Alaric completed the remaining traps, not wanting another situation to happen.

"I guess... I can meditate now?"