บท 3: The Second Night - Part 1 - Isn't this a slime?
Renir who was full of thoughts was struck by the fact that the second night began.
Since the last moon sank in front of the cave then the second moon must be rising at the back, he thought.
The mountain's shadow from the moonlight made the region near Renir still dark, therefore, he decided he will not go out until he sees well there.
As time passes, his heart's throbs became heavier and faster until it counts as palpitation.
Anxiousness and fear were attacking his heart. His chest tightening, wondering what sorts of challenges the stone tablet was talking about.
"Stone tablet...", Renir stared immersed at the stone tablet.
He mumbled, "Rune User..."
Too much information was yet to be processed in his head.
And there was one thing.
"What does Rune User mean?", Renir asked himself.
The words "Rune User" is already self-explanatory.
But what does rune stands for in this context?
Renir was only familiar with the word "rune" in games and shows.
'Umm... rune is that... symbols... used to create magic....?', Renir was mustering all his brainpower to explain what the word "rune" is based on his knowledge.
Yet, he couldn't and missed some important points.
While he was thinking hard to avert his attention to his nervousness, at the edge of his sight, he saw a light glow of blue.
When he turned to look at it, startled-
Pak*
He was hit on his left cheek!
Renir fell on his back but frantically stood up to see what hit him.
His face was filled with sweat traversing on his skin. His breath was ragged and his heartbeat was loud and fast.
He held his cheek in pain, it was as if someone punched him!
But Renir looked around and saw nothing. Even the blue light earlier is nowhere to be found.
Renir was about to panic.
"... What is it?? haah.., ", he paused to catch his breath, "Where's that glowing blue?", he sharply exclaimed, scared it might hit him again somewhere if he failed to find it.
'Its glow was the same as the chylefruit, but lesser.', he thought to himself.
His eyes, rapidly rolling around and around. Renir's body was tensing up in self-defense.
The light illuminating the cave was still dim and not enough for him to s-
His eyes widened, in front of the stone tablet, he saw something like a ball but a bit flat. It was clear and softly reflecting the warmth from the torch.
That thing was like a transparent balloon barely filled with water and was twice as big as a fist.
Renir did not notice it much earlier for his mind was focused on finding something blue and glowing.
Renir stared observingly and cautious to it, 'That should be it, right?'
But this is the first time he saw that object...
Carefully, he walked closer to the clear object.
Then he noticed it moving, slow as a snail.
"It's not an... object?", Renir asked with his ragged breath.
He recognized this... thing.
"Isn't this THE slime?", Renir was mesmerized to it.
The only slime familiar to him was the most common monster at the start of almost every game.
And when he looked closer, there were white threads within it. These white threads were like branches with branches, like a root and its origin was the center- a white dot.
Renir was afraid to touch it, but from the look of its texture, that slime is surely what hit him earlier!
Was it unintentional and was he just unlucky?
"Probably not.", he frowned.
This is the only time he saw a slime since he woke up there in Gantlet...
Renir's face darkened and had a smirk on it, he lightly laughed.
"Hehe... he... the second night began, and the challenge should reveal itself soon."
He stared at the slime moving like a snail.
"Is the challenge, this?"
The words made it sound like he was belittling what Gantlet gave him, but in truth, his mouth was quivering when he said those words.
Right, fear hadn't left him.
If this creature was the one that attacked him then why is it... sliding away?
He waited and it finally hid in the darkness outside.
Renir didn't know what to do with it anyway. When the moonlight finally reaches his area, then he himself will wander to find that slime again and observe them to see what he can come up to- a hint, a clue, and if lucky, an answer.
A long wisp of air entered Renir's lungs that made him more relaxed.
Although the danger is still there, at least he now knows what it is.
Apparently, that was better than not knowing it, and it made him feel so much better.
It did not take a long while for Renir to wait as he noticed something coming out of the darkness from outside the cave.
It was uncertain if it was the same slime from before because now, the newly-arrived slime had a color to its translucency- light blue.
Even the threads within it were more visible for its opaque light blue color.
It was still slow like a snail and it stopped.
Renir walked closer to observe it, but he almost regretted that action.
The slime changed its shape as it flattened and its translucency glowed.
"Huh?"
Renir's instincts riled up and before the slime jumped to him, he dropped on his side, evading another attack!
'It was the same glow as earlier!', he thought.
He hastily turned his head to look but all he saw was another clear slime, its only color was the softly reflected light from the torch.
And now, it was sliding again back to the darkness.
".....", Renir became silent.
Now, he was convinced that the earlier slime was the one that hit him.
Renir now racked his brain up.
"There are two possibilities...", Renir softly touched his lips as he used his head, "It's either a new slime that came into the cave or it was the same slime that refilled its... some sort of energy back."
Whatever the answer is, there will be a lot to reveal.
"If it is a new slime then there might be more and if it is the old slime then they have to refill themselves again to have the energy to attack."
But either way, Renir was sure about something;
'They are coming to attack me!'
Of course, this was the challenge: Survive!
Renir wished it would not become more complicated than this.
But that wish never happened.
Renir began to see light from the outside as the mountain's shadow shrunk.
When the shadow was almost gone, Renir saw what he was fearing.
Several reflected lights came scattered from the outside, with a closer inspection, they were clear and like a ball, also, they were slightly blue.
These slimes were behind the grass so Renir wasn't sure if there were more.
And furthermore, all the slimes his eyes caught were all slowly moving towards him.
Renir, with furrowed eyebrows, had an awkward smile, "If that all hit me, I would be beaten to a pulp.", he gulped.
But he wasn't that scared now.
"It's obvious when and how they are going to attack...", Renir said to himself with a bit of confidence, "... also, their jumps only had one trajectory...", he whispered.
He thought he just needs to be aware of the blue glowing and there he knew where it will attack that he will dodge.
With this reassurance he said to himself, he had enough courage to walked out of the cave and observe them.
A small hesitation slowed him down and when he stepped out of the cave, he was immediately engaged in "battle" as he evaded a jump from a slime.
"Whoa!", startled as he was, he continued to evade one slime after another. As long as he was not surrounded, he was sure he wouldn't get hit.
"... damn, it was more than I expected... and what's more...", from his observation, he saw that there is a little span of time before a slime attack again.
He doesn't know what causes this since he was too busy dodging all their attacks.
Earlier, the two slimes came outside once it was lacking its blue tint after using an attack.
Outside, in front of the cave's entrance, there must be something there that replenishes these slime's energy to attack. Renir thought as he moved around and around trying to dodge all incoming slimes to his face.
"And what's more!", Renir had a clenched face, "What's more.... you all are targeting my face!"
"Why not the body once in a while, huh?!", he pointed at the dozens of slimes out of anger.
.....
The moon was already at its peak, and Renir's white shirt was soaked with sweat.
His tongue was limped out of his mouth as he huffed wildly out of fatigue.
Due to him moving around and dodging, his position was slightly far away from the cave.
"These slimes are increasing in number!", Renir frustratingly shouted.
He knew it was his fault for moving around too much and gaining attention from the scattered slime.
And if he does not find a way to decrease these slimes, they will only multiply!
Renir knew what the challenge really is.
But now, he was depleted of energy. It was only thanks to the chylefruit that he was capable of lasting this long.
If he didn't regain his energy as soon as possible, he will be beaten there to death!
So with all his might and last bit of strength, he sprinted back to the cave while evading every slime jumping at him.
All this time, he was not just blindly dodging and moving but he continued to observe them and now, he knew the slime's replenishments;
It was the grass!
They were dissolving bits of grass and turning them into some sort of energy.
'Me too, once I replenish back my energy, I am going to try to beat off those slimes!'
Renir decided!
The reason he was not attacking back was because he was unsure if it will have any effect. And it will cost more energy since he was using it to observe them first.
But while he was moving around, he felt he squashed one of them and when he took a look, that slime was popped like a balloon!
So it is possible to decrease their number, but still, it is harder than it seems...
Renir had his running wobbly from fatigue and finally, he reached the cave.
Hurriedly, he took a chylefruit and took a bite!
He was careful not to eat much.
With one bite, power surged throughout his whole body and his strength was replenishing on its own.
Renir smiled and felt his vigor freshen his whole being, maybe even stronger.
His huffing eventually stopped and he looked at the slimes outside with sharpened eyes as he shouted and kicked the ground to jump;
"Get ready to be beaten up!"
He had enough of them!
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