Chapter 355 Sailor of the Stormy Seas (1/2)

Starfall Year 833, 11th of June. Mount Nissia, the White Sleet Forest, Moldavia.

The pine woodland stood like a triangle between the mountain and the icy plains. They grew on the smaller hills, with a winding river streaming through the trees.

There were not much to be harvested from the forest—hunters rarely came by before Winter Fort Academy was built. So, there were many creatures that lived here, many of them magical.

Starlight could now be glimpsed between the branches. Night was coming, and the southern wind that seems to gain strength every passing moment was blowing away the layers of cloud.

It was time for the nocturnal mystical creatures to come alive, and deep within the trees, a dim blue light was flashing on a fallen tree that was decaying.

As the moonlight brightened in the absence of clouds, the luminosity became more and more obvious. With sloshing sounds of viscous liquid, a rubbery object half the height of a man that resembled a popsicle slipped out of the gaps between the tree bark to quietly absorb mana from the moonlight.

It was a soft living thing that resembles a latex, the most famous and weakest magical being in the world—a slime.

From the appearance, this was a Snow Slime that inhabited cold regions.

Like a jellyfish, it did not possess a brain and merely moved around instinctively. However, their species had incredible adaptability that allows them and their variants to survive in any environment.

Whether it was the depths of the ocean, glaciers, swamps or volcanic springs, it would live and as long as there is liquid.

Some mage scholars believed that slimes evolved from land jellyfish that lived during prehistoric eras of rampant seismic activity. Still, that notion was unsupported by evidence, with the Guardian over the Mermaids and the Deepest Seas (Deity of the Oceans) having even refuted it.

Others wrote more horrific theses. They believe slimes were an ancient supreme lifeform formed from the blood of primordial dragons. Though this belief was as ridiculous as the last, there seemed to be several bases for it.

For one, such a weak creature actually carried huge amounts of mana. It was the only known creature, albeit being of a lower level, that could stay alive in locations with heavy magical radiation, and could also reproduce while evolving rapidly depending on the mana concentration there.

That being said, slimes are slimes. They are basically a bunch of rubbery mixture of water and mana that stood at the very bottom of the food chain.

Many other beings consider them a premium beverage—which was why they rarely reach maturity and are rather few in number.

Most slimes hid in dark corners, absorbing dew and mana to grow. Since they lacked a brain they could not answer the summons of the Dark Tide to attack human fortresses. War was also the one-time slimes could gain a significant advantage, and through the acquisition of dead daemon flesh as well as mana they would grow instantly, split, and spread on a terrifying scale within a short period.

And that was exactly what was happening right now. After the more powerful creatures in the White Sleet Forest were chased off several days ago by human mages, they started to flourish in the absence of most of their natural predators.

On the tree barks, this snow slime was quietly absorbing mana and was preparing to undergo mitosis.

It did not notice a pair of grey eyes fixed upon it.

Ivan Makarov, the young wizard from Winter Fort Academy clenched his rather crude magical staff and waited for a chance to attack. His target was the only magical creature in the area—the rather big blob that moved slowly before him.

Today was the second day of the survival test of Winter Fort Academy. All students were banned from bringing food along while being told to hunt or harvest for sustenance.

It was therefore an advantage for Ivan, the son of a hunter. He naturally knew how to sustain himself in the northern woods, and caught two-days portion of rabbit and squirrel with several simple traps.

However, that might not be enough. According to the notice, he must hunt on magical creatures to score high marks in the assessment—just living through the hostile environment was not enough.

In this environment, the stronger magical creatures had already been chased off. All that was left were slime, sleet butterflies, and giant boars.

Of those three, the giant boars were the most powerful but also the rarest. The range in which they roam was also vast, which was why they were not a priority.

As for sleet Butterflies, they were simply too small and inedible. Their innate ability [Icepick] was also too dangerous for adepts, which was why they were out of the equation too.

In short, the only target left were slimes—weak, slow, common and also edible.

The best target.

That, of course, begs the question—could slimes be eaten?

The short answer is, it depends.

Slimes that inhabit volcanic zones, absorbing magma laced with sulfur, as well as heavy metals, were definitely harmful, and so were swamp slimes. But for most slimes that live in forests that grew on sap and fruits, they are both edible and nutritious.

As a mixture of mana and water, slimes could be processed into beginner-level potions that regenerates mana instantly. Ivan knows this as an initiate, which was why if he were to keep using spells or take down larger targets, he could not spare the ice slime in front of him.

”Landscape, unknown factors, the possibility of slime's retaliation, route of retreat…”

Running through every scenario in its entirely, Ivan fixed his hair a little so that it would not get in the way of his vision in the coming battle.

His fingers tightening over the magic staff, he focused and let mana flow across his body in preparation of his first spell.

”Joshua, what do you think?”

In the air above the forest bombarded by biting-cold winds, two silhouettes overlooked the land from above the clouds, their eyes seeking out one of the many flames of life.

Nostradamus, whose eyes were whirling with a soft-blue shade of mana, had been observing every student, noticed that the warrior who stood beside him was not replying. ”What do you think about these kids?” He pressed.

”… What do I think?” Joshua narrowed his eyes and repeated. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head. ”Inexperienced. They're almost immature when it comes to survival, hunting, and combat.”

”Most of them had chosen to stay in lairs or caves, and even their bonfires were mistaken, and made without considering the direction of the winds and poisonous bugs… Still, let's talk combat.”