“Aaaargh!”
The fallen adventurer clutched his severed arm, where lingering corrosive gas continued to eat away at his flesh.
Zoe's Mana was now down to a mere 64 points, which was still being rapidly consumed under the effects of [High-speed Regeneration].
But at this range, the advantage was entirely his!
Like a predator, he devoured the fallen adventurer in a single gulp.
The fallen adventurer thrashed and struggled violently.
Zoe began to corrode and digest his limbs. Once the fallen adventurer's limbs were fully digested, Zoe's Mana recovered by 200 points.
Human Mana capacity was far lower than that of monsters, but the recovery rate was incredibly fast.
Zoe spat out the fallen adventurer, who was now left with only his torso and head.
This was a noble spellcaster, after all; his brain was highly valuable to Zoe.
Particularly, the meditation method he had been yearning for—one that could refine Mana.
“You bastard! Accursed beast!”
The fallen adventurer spat in fury, his fear and despair manifesting as rage.
The High Slime before him completely defied everything he knew.
Why could a High Slime use such powerful fire magic?
Why could a High Slime use a corrosive attack that resembled a swordsman's skill?
Why didn't this High Slime just kill him instead of crippling him?
Although this High Slime's intelligence was likely staggeringly high...
...a beast was still a beast. He still had a chance!
A High Slime's core could regenerate severed limbs. As long as he stayed alive, there was still hope.
He would kill it and take its core!
Zoe removed the woman's head dangling from the fallen adventurer's waist.
Since he hadn't corroded or digested it earlier, the head remained completely intact.
Digging a hole right where he stood, he buried the head deep underground to prevent any monsters from digging it up, completely masking the scent as well.
Carrying the man, Zoe prepared to head back to his lair.
Right at that moment, he sensed another presence.
‘Someone else?!’
‘Is it this man's companion?’
His current Mana... was nowhere near enough to sustain another battle. What should he do?
Zoe warily eyed the direction the presence was coming from. The owner of the aura had no intention of hiding, stepping straight out into the open.
The newcomer's gender was indiscernible. They wore a golden mask and carried a cruciform longsword at their waist.
The long ears peaking out were the signature trait of the Elven race.
Across both of his lives, this was the first time Zoe had seen a living High Elf.
“That man is highly dangerous. If you do not kill him, it will bring future trouble.”
“Can you understand what I am saying?”
To think they didn't actively attack a slime like him.
“A Sacred Circle Knight!”
The man hanging over Zoe's head seemed to recognize the newcomer and let out a terrified shriek.
A Sacred Circle Knight was a special class of knight—an exceptionally rare and powerful profession.
They were capable of learning skills from both the warrior and magic paths.
However, becoming a Sacred Circle Knight was exceptionally difficult. One had to possess genuine uprightness of heart and action; only a true knight could sign their name under the Sacred Circle Covenant to obtain the class.
At the same time, they had to swear an oath to ensure their every word and deed aligned with their inner justice, never uttering a single falsehood.
If a Sacred Circle Knight ever violated their conscience or spoke a lie, their strength would be severely diminished.
However, while they could not tell lies, they were entirely free to remain silent.
“Puji, puji!”
Zoe gave the man on his head a shake, then dropped him onto the ground.
Sacred Circle Knights were strictly lawful good. Since this one harbored no ill intent, it was best not to provoke them.
Besides, it was hard for anyone to harbor bad feelings toward a Sacred Circle Knight.
“I tracked the trails of the Headhunter Cult to this place. This man's atrocities are truly abhorrent.”
“If you had killed him, I would not have shown myself.”
“But leaving him alive poses too great a risk. That is why I stepped forward.”
“I have no intention of stealing your prey.”
The Sacred Circle Knight explained their actions, reassuring the slime that they had no intention of fighting over food.
“Can you understand me?”
“Puji.”
“So, I must... process this ingredient. Otherwise, if you... if you eat him, you will be poisoned.”
“Do you know what poisoning means? It means you will throw up all over the place.”
“...Puji.”
‘So they don't want to steal my prey after all,’ Zoe thought. ‘That's fine then. As long as he's alive for me to interrogate, it works.’
The Sacred Circle Knight drew the cruciform longsword from their waist and stepped toward the fallen adventurer.
“No! No! Don't you dare come any closer!”
“Stop! Stop!!”
The fallen adventurer stared in horror at the Sacred Circle Knight, squirming frantically in an attempt to crawl away.
“Despicable scum, you have brought this upon yourself.”
“In the name of the Sacred Circle, I hand down this judgment: you are stripped of your Mana and stripped of your evil god's power. By the Sacred Circle, let this be bound!”
With that, the cruciform longsword pierced straight through the fallen adventurer's heart.
An invisible shockwave rippled outward. Under the blade, both the Mana within the fallen adventurer and the sinister aura of the evil god dissolved into nothingness, leaving not a trace behind.
When the Sacred Circle Knight drew back the cruciform longsword, there was surprisingly not a single wound or trace left on the fallen adventurer's chest.
“You bastard! Bitch! Long-eared subhuman!”
“Go to hell! Die, die, die!”
The fallen adventurer shrieked hysterically, but the Sacred Circle Knight paid him no mind.
“Thank you, Sir Slime. Or is it Madam Slime?”
“Puji.”
The Sacred Circle Knight tarried no longer, stepping back into the forest and vanishing.
Zoe looked at his now-detoxified prey, happily slung him over his back, and headed toward his lair.
Although his Land Dragon meat had been ruined, obtaining a captive he could interrogate was a massive win.
Throwing the fallen mage deep into a shaft within the mine, Zoe began his interrogation.
“Beep, beep, beep—beep—”
On the first day of interrogation, Zoe used written words to question him. In response, the man spat a barrage of incredibly vile curses.
Zoe was not discouraged. Persistence was key; if the first day didn't work, he could take his time.
From then on, alongside his daily hunting and practice, Zoe added another task to his schedule.
Interrogation.
After four consecutive days of interrogation, Zoe finally learned the fallen mage's name.
Elijah.
On the fifth day, unable to bear the relentless torture any longer, Elijah tried to starve himself to death.
Zoe simply force-fed food straight into his stomach. Having experienced this “enjoyable” treatment, Elijah stopped trying to starve himself.
“Mercy! I beg of you, please stop torturing me!”
By the tenth day, Elijah broke down completely. He begged for mercy and began reciting a meditation method.
“Puji.”
Seemingly aware that he would be killed once he finished revealing the meditation method, Elijah began to feed it to Zoe like squeezing a tube of toothpaste, offering only a tiny bit at a time.
To this, Zoe naturally responded with severe punishment.
No matter how little he tried to squeeze out each time, after a few days of persistent “encouragement,” Elijah finally emptied the tube on the fifth day.
Zoe had obtained his first meditation method.
At the bottom of the mine shaft, Elijah watched the retreating slime, his eyes filled with absolute hatred—and a hint of mockery.
He had indeed recited a meditation method, but it wasn't the one he practiced.
As long as this damned, bizarre slime cultivated that meditation method, even if he himself were killed, the freakish slime wouldn't survive for long.
“A mere monster, a mere beast... die with me.”
“Go to hell, all of you! The slime, the Sacred Circle Knight... die, all of you!”
After half a month of continuous torture, Elijah was on the brink of complete insanity.
Yet even in this state, he could not empathize with those he had tortured to death and sacrificed to his evil god.
Even when placed in the exact same predicament, people like him would never recognize their own wrongs.
He only felt that he was unfortunate.
Even if he felt regret, it wasn't for his past atrocities, but rather that he hadn't been cautious enough and got caught.
Rate on N.U.
