Training as a Slime(61)

A menacing presence appeared suddenly and emitted a guttural growl similar to that of a ferocious beast. Its sharp claws dug deep into the bark of the tree, creating a deafening screeching sound. As the mysterious entity slammed herself against the tree, Cori's wishing dragon pearl in his inventory resonated and detected the remaining pearls nearby. 

Cori, hidden between the branches, was silently observing the floating title. "How did she get cursed and poisoned? If she had a status ailment like confusion, it would state it like the poison status. Did she run into a competitor?" Cori wondered. As he continued to contemplate, Cori deducted, "There's a possibility that she had a skill that inflicted status ailments to gain greater power. But then again, it could be something worse at play... someone wanted her dead." To find out the truth and save his senior he decided to increase the level of his 'observation' skill.

System, "Skill reached max skill level for your current level."

Upon the system upgrading his skill, an excruciating pain surged through Cori's body and eyes, causing tears and blood to well up as he endured the intense strain of the levelling process. As the events unfolded in rapid succession, the unseen senior forcefully collided her form with the sturdy trunk of the tree, exerting an immense force that caused it to be torn from its roots entirely. In the chaos of the moment, Cori, who had been concealed, was abruptly dislodged from his hiding place, finding himself suddenly confronted with a formidable adversary of unknown capabilities and intent.

"Observation," Cori exclaimed just moments before Sam's body collided with his own. Fortunately, Cori's 'holy aura slightly golden fibrous armour' mitigated the impact, reducing the damage inflicted upon him. With a keen eye, Cori observed Sam's health dwindling rapidly, akin to a ticking time bomb. "Fine! If you desire it that much, take it!" he shouted, swiftly retrieving the wishing dragon pearl from his inventory, smearing it with 'sticky fluid', and hurling it towards her in a daring gamble.

Momentarily distracted, the invisible figure intercepted the glowing dragon ball. Yet, as she tried to place the wishing dragon pearl into her inventory, her attempt failed; the pearl stubbornly stuck to her hand, refusing to be stored away.

"As deducted," Cori thought, relieved that he had bought himself some valuable time. "Butthrust! Sticky fluid!" he yelled, not wasting a single second, and swiftly flew to the location where the floating title hovered, casting the adhesive liquid upon her. The invisible figure screamed in pain and anger, realising she was unable to move. Cori saw a timer above her head counting down from 10.

"Self-destruction?" Cori thought, certain that the perpetrator was determined to erase all evidence. In a last-ditch attempt, Cori decided to use "primordial holy power" on Sam, in hopes of saving her. Up to this point, he remained clueless about the workings of this mysterious power. However, given its classification as a 'holy' power, he deemed it worthy of a fighting chance.

A shining white light dawned on Sam and the floating title fell to the ground. With the invisible spell broken, Sam lay on the ground unconscious with all the status ailments dispelled.

As onlookers began to gather, including the competitors themselves, Cori surveyed the crowd with a growing sense of foreboding, his mind consumed by the pressing question: "Who? Who wanted them dead?"