Chapter 17

"Hup, hup "

Repeatedly a wooden spear was being thrusted forward. Giving it his all on every move. 'That should be enough for now.'

Jack returned inside the house and tended to the fire, allowing his body temperature to gradually decrease. He couldn't help but notice that he was starting to smell a little,since he hadn't taken a shower.

It had been more than two weeks since he last ventured into the slime cave. The first week he emerged from the cave, it started snowing heavily, and the snowfall didn't cease for a full week. Fortunately, he had stockpiled enough wood to keep the fire going. During the second week, he spent his time practicing his power strike and focus skill, managing to level up both. During the snowing time, Jack also leveled up his focus skill albeit not as fast.

It seemed that fighting did level up his skill. Since his health had gone down Jack didn't want to eat more goblins but with the stream freezing and him not wanting to get sick. So he mostly spent his time inside his home even though it was boring.

Feeling that it was time to resume his battle against the slimes, Jack realized that while his strength had not increased by a significant amount, his skills had improved somewhat. He was confident that his improved focus skill would allow him to react more quickly in battle.

However, upon returning to the slime-infested areas after a two-week absence, he found that the slimes had once again taken over the surrounding territory. Despite this setback, Jack persevered, spending a week fighting and recovering his mana. In the end, he managed to conquer 11 floors.

'That was a good nap' groogily Jack sat up and started stretching. He got up from bed and started stretching. At the moment he felt tired but not tired in the way of needing more sleep. After stretching Jack folded his blanket and took off his sweater just staying with his shirt and makeshift rat sweater. It currently had many patches from all the openings he had gotten from fighting.

Before leaving, Jack took some time to meditate and center himself. He knew that his shoes were not meant for snow, as they were not designed to withstand the cold for long periods of time. Although the shoes were well-made and kept the snow from entering, they did not provide much insulation against the cold. Surprisingly, he didn't encounter any monsters on his way to the cave system, which was a first.

It appeared that he had eliminated most of the slimes and the remaining ones had fled. Similarly, the goblins had all been exterminated by Jack. When he arrived at the cave, he began his descent. The cave system was not a straight line, and he ran the risk of getting lost a few times. However, he now knew his way around and was able to navigate the twists and turns with ease.

Jack had his ax and 2 spears just in case he lost any of his weapons. One did end up breaking before.

"This should be the 12th cave area."

To his surprise, Jack noticed a faint glow emanating from the area ahead. Upon arriving at the source of the light, he discovered a large slime accompanied by a smaller one. The big slime towered above the others, measuring about 6 feet in height and dwarfing its companion.

Upon entering the larger room, Jack quickly leaped to the side as a chunk of ice hurtled toward his previous position. Realizing the potential danger, he activated all the skills at his disposal, unsure of the big slime's power. He conjured mana tendrils from his torso and created two shields to defend against the incoming attacks. He used the cover of the shield to move to the side and repeat the process, dodging and blocking attacks while closing the distance.

As Jack prepared to strike the big slime, a wall of ice materialized in front of him, causing his spear to get stuck halfway through. He yanked it back, but the tip was already damaged. Undeterred, Jack tried again and was once more met with a wall of ice. To make matters worse, icicles began to sprout from the ground, forcing Jack to dodge them while continuing his attack.

Finally, he was close enough to strike and hurled his spear with all his might. The spear pierced through the slime's ice shield and began to crack through its core. The slime was forming a shield of ice around his core but before it could thicken, Jack's spear cracked through the shield.

While Jack was throwing his spear the big slime also shot a projectile at Jack. Jack wanted to deactivate focus for a second to relieve him of his burden but it would have to wait.

Just in time, Jack raised his shield, successfully blocking the incoming projectile. However, he received a notification indicating that he had lost some mana in the process.

'It's acid, or probably poison.'

When the projectile hit the mana shield, it ate away some mana and then evaporated.

Jack quickly jumped back and adopted a defensive stance. He cautiously approached the dead slime, retrieving his spear. Realizing that he was losing more mana than he could sustain, Jack attempted to dodge the slime's projectiles while moving closer. He fired his damaged spear once more, and upon impact with the acid slime, it began to slow down before eventually melting away in a few seconds.

' so the acid is stronger in the body and loses potency when it's out huh'

Another acid ball was shot and it brought him out of his thoughts.

As Jack closed in on the slime, it fired a smaller beam of acid at him compared to the first one. Jack quickly put up his shields and leaped out of the way, leaving the old shield behind as it melted away from the force of the attack. Despite Jack's efforts, the slime continued to move around, utilizing its mobility to stay out of his reach.

After a prolonged pursuit, Jack finally managed to get close enough to thrust his spear at the slime. However, even with extra mana, the spear began to melt upon contact with the slime. The acid slime retaliated by firing another ball of acid, which struck Jack in the stomach. The acid burned through his ratman clothes and shirt, damaging his skin.

Despite the pain,

Jack felt like screaming in pain, but he used his focus skill to endure it. Realizing that he was running low on mana, Jack momentarily stopped to regain his composure before pressing forward. He dispelled his shields and coated his arm with all the mana he had. As he closed in on the slime, Jack leaped forward and plunged his arm into the slime, crushing its core.

Jack hastily withdrew his arm from the slime, but before he could fully remove it, all the mana around his arm dissipated. As a result, Jack's left arm was drenched in acid for a brief moment, but it was enough to cause severe burns to his skin and begin to corrode his muscles.

[ + 220.8 exp ]

Despite the risks involved, Jack's gamble paid off, and he successfully defeated the slime.

However, as he backed away from the dead slime, Jack groaned in pain from the burns on his arm. The acid from the slime began to seep out through the opening Jack had created, eating away at the ground. Since the slime was dead, it was unable to regenerate the wound.

Realizing the severity of his injuries, Jack quickly made his way outside and applied snow to the burns on his arm. With one hand in the snow, he used the other to soothe the wound on his stomach, alleviating his pain for a short while.

After the initial pain subsided, Jack ceased applying snow to his burns. However, he was unaware of the potential negative effects of applying snow to burns, as he had not been properly informed about it.

Although Jack had experienced acid burns before, this particular incident had happened so suddenly that the pain was intense. Overwhelmed, he left the area without bothering to check what was on the next floor.

"As always, luck seemed to be on my side," Jack thought to himself. He often played games of chance, but he never seemed to have much luck, rarely getting the legendary characters he sought unless it was guaranteed.

In both games and life, it seemed that luck was never really on his side. However, Jack did notice that when things were at their worst, he somehow managed to receive the help he needed just in time. For that, he was grateful.

' I got to be more cautious.'

He went home and spent some days home recovering mana and using his recovery skill on it.