Regrettably, Paeris came back with unfortunate news. Due to the sensitivity of the entire situation, he couldn't arrange for me to leave for a hunt without proper security, which caused a big fuss.

I contemplated teleporting myself out and then back, but then I remembered the anti-teleportation measures blocking teleportation directly into Caelthal. I could leave, but I wouldn't be able to easily come back in.

"Well, we are going to a dungeon tomorrow, and they said you could join me on the first floor, so maybe you can get your last few kills that way?" Vee suggested.

I moaned and groaned a bunch before finally calming down and accepting it. I was just so close that it was making it so impossibly hard to sit still. Vee even further pointed out that it'd be better this way, as there was no way I'd be able to sleep with my evolution ready and waiting.

In theory, the best time for me to evolve is after I've given the antidote to Paeris so he can proceed with the interrogation and when Vee is talking with the [Dungeon Master].

It was super frustrating, though, and I tried various things to keep myself busy and occupied so that time would pass more quickly. Eventually, the vials came, and I started filling them with the [Basilisk Venom] from my storage.

My boredom, however, was eventually alleviated when Llewel came back and handed me a small box. I curiously opened it, and inside was an olive-green colored sphere—my brown slime core had arrived!

"Hopefully that will keep you settled for a bit," Vee commented, watching me caress the core between my hands.

"Maybe? I suppose it depends on what abilities it unlocks for me. I can assume Nature affinity would be a given."

"Did you literally just purchase that?" Vee asked. "Seems like a waste in hindsight."

"It mentioned a refund if I get it naturally," I pointed out.

"Do you mind if I watch? I can't say I've ever experienced something like this before," Llewel requested.

"Sure, not that it's much to see. I sort of pop it into my slime and dissolve it or crush it, then the system asks me if I want to integrate it."

"I see… then the reason normal slimes can't do this is because they aren't sapient enough to accept the system prompt?" Llewel suggested.

"Yeah, they are too dumb to say yes," Vee chimed in.

"Probably something like that…" I reluctantly admitted.

I grabbed the core and popped it into my mouth to avoid

Compatible core detected. Integrate the new core at a penalty?

Naturally!

Slime (Brown) Core absorbed. Trait [Mulch Slime] gained.

[Mulch Slime]? Not exactly an inspiring name.

But before I could look into it, I received two more notifications.

Trait [Derived Element (Nature) LV 6] has been removed due to redundancy. Trait point refunded.

28 Trait Points are now available.

Well, at least I got my full-blown Nature affinity out of it, not to mention a trait refund. Now, let's examine the new slime trait before reviewing the profile.

[Mulch Slime]

This slime can transform organic matter into a rich and nutritious slime mass, capable of nourishing even barren land and promoting strong, healthy plant growth.

While meat-based matter will always convert into more slime mass, this trait alleviates that burden by increasing the efficiency of plant-based conversion.

Compatible with other slime traits. This trait has no levels.

Oh… Uh… Nice, I guess?

I couldn't really see much point in this trait, as the only tangible benefit for myself was that I'd get more slime mass from eating plants now. Arguably, it just made my slime mass even more valuable, which was not exactly something I was trying to do.

Well, it's one more for the collection at least. I should be getting my pink slime core soon, and then I'll have exhausted the usefulness of my time here.

The brown slime profile was laughable. Just like the violet slime, it seemed to be an entirely passive slime, and so there were no new traits to look at. I could probably predict that the pink slime profile wouldn't have much either, as if it were a healing slime, then even [Slime Shot] would only help its foes.

"So? Get anything good?" Vee asked.

"I must admit I'm also curious to hear what you gained from devouring that slime core," Llewel said.

"Well, I got my refund on my derived nature affinity, and now I can eat plants, but otherwise… not really?" I admitted and even showed the description of [Mulch Slime].

"So you've gained the power of fertilizer," Vee snickered.

This text was taken from NovelBin. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Pretty much. Not exactly exciting, but at least it's one for the collection. If I weren't an Elementalist, then the access to [Nature Magic] would have been the true prize."

"I'm sorry it wasn't more beneficial," Llewel said.

"It's fine. Plus, gaining some slime mass from veggies could potentially be a lifesaver if I'm ever in some dire need of regenerating my slime."

"If you got it before the dungeon with all those plantoids…" Vee mumbled.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I wish I had asked beforehand."

Before Llewel left, I offered him a vial of [Basilisk Venom], and while he was initially a bit reluctant to take it, he eventually did. I knew he wasn't the biggest fan of poisons and such, but I figured it might be helpful for his alchemical research.

With little else to do, I decided to help Vee with some of her magic until it was time for dinner, and then eventually, bed. I was still bouncing with suspense on what tomorrow would bring.

***

The next day had finally arrived, and I felt giddy like a child. I even earned a scolding from Paeris, who wanted me to behave respectfully when we went to the Carren abode for our meetup. Thankfully, I had [Roleplay] to lean back on, and I wouldn't let his sourness ruin my glee.

"Just to confirm, we will be making the trade for the antidote here, and then you and Vee will be leaving with Sir Aimon to visit the Carren Grove and the dungeon?" Paeris asked.

"That's the plan. I trust once you have the captive awake, you won't need my help to interrogate him?"

Paeris nodded. "Just please remember to be respectful in their grove… You've done marvelously so far with the bare minimum in tutoring, and you are representing the Feirelle to a much greater extent now."

"I'll be on my best behavior. You focus on extracting all the information you can from the necromancer elf."

"That will not be an issue, especially with a Chronomancer on standby," Paeris replied, a dark glint in his eye.

When we were ready and the time of our arrival was near, we finally left. It was just Paeris, Vee, and me as Llewel was staying behind to guard the captive. We were reasonably sure nobody knew we had him, but nobody wanted to take any chances.

The Carren abode was about three-quarters the size of the Feirelle one, likely an indicator that they weren't as prominent in the elven hierarchy and not as close to the trunk. When we reached the door, Aimon opened it almost immediately and greeted us with an energetic wave.

"Lady Sylthaeryn, Vee, good to see you again."

"It's always a pleasure, Sir Aimon."

"Just Aimon is fine, but thank you."

"I have to admit, Vee and I are quite curious about the arrangement."

"We'll depart as soon as our first trade is complete," he replied. "I have secured our part of the deal."

I pulled out five vials full of [Basilisk Venom], and the look of shock and surprise on Aimon's face was certainly revealing.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were skilled in [Dissection]."

"There's more where that came from," I answered. "But we can speak of that after everything is resolved."

"Ah! Of course, of course," he said, bobbing his head frantically in agreement. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny crystalline vial, ornately decorated with a rather elegant stopper. "Here's the antidote."

"Paeris," I said, and gestured for him to take it.

At the same time, I handed over the five vials of venom to him, and he took care of the exchange. Aimon pocketed four of the vials and then began eagerly holding up the one vial to the sun, examining it closely.

"I shall be off then, Lady Sylthaeryn," Paeris said with a deep bow.

"Thank you for your services, Paeris. I'll see you after Vee has finished her goal."

"Of course," he said and then turned to Aimon, his face dead serious. "I trust you to keep the heir to our branch safe and secure, with not even a hair missing."

Aimon nearly tripped over himself at the sudden demand. He recovered relatively quickly and then even saluted, an odd display because everything I knew about elven hierarchy put him above Paeris.

"Yes, sir, I swear on my honor!"

Paeris nodded and, after giving me one last deep bow, departed. Aimon let out a sigh of relief almost immediately before turning to me with a nervous chuckle.

"R-right. Are you ready to go?"

"Absolutely. Vee and I can't wait to see what awaits us."

"Yeah! Let's see what this [Dungeon Master] has to offer me!" Vee agreed excitedly and waved her legs.

Aimon seemed delighted and then began leading us away from the home and towards the area where I had first arrived. At first, I thought we were heading to the exact same place, but we diverted a little and went to an offshoot with various other wooden structures.

He touched it, and the wood warped, revealing an inactive gateway with a whole variety of dark purple and black flowers decorating it.

Now that I know more about the elves, I can recognize that the dark purples and blacks are supposed to represent the Carren elves. I guess each portal will have flowers colored to match their Branch.

Aimon touched the gateway, and it bloomed to life, although at the same time, he let out a reluctant sigh and whispered to himself. "Two teleports so soon, my poor stomach…"

"Does he have teleportation sickness? That's pretty funny," Vee giggled.

"My own first long-distance teleportation experience wasn't exactly ideal, and my second one was a disaster…" I replied telepathically.

"True! I guess a little bit of stomach sickness is nothing compared to exploding."

We entered the gateway and once again experienced the familiar feeling of teleportation. At this point, I felt like Vee and I were veterans as we barely reacted at all, while poor Aimon was paler than the zombies and looked like he was about to lose his breakfast.

I had tried repeating my experience last time by gazing between the rift while teleporting with [Spatial Sense], especially now that I had [Triangulate], but unfortunately, I wasn't offered any new insights.

"Well… home sweet home," Aimon said, after taking a moment to recover his stamina.

What was immediately noticeable about the Carren tree was that it didn't have any elven guards; the role was fulfilled entirely by woodsprites, although they varied in appearance and all had some variety of creepy crawly living among their head branches—centipedes, wasps, beetles, but mostly spiders.

That last part was quite significant, as almost every corner of the tree home was covered in webbing. It was quite a sight to behold, and I wondered if Vee felt at home seeing so many spiders.

"Would you like to have a tour, or perhaps meet my parents, or go straight to the dungeon?" Aimon asked.

"Oh, please, it's gotta be the dungeon. You might explode if we have to wait any longer," Vee chuckled.

"The dungeon first, if that's alright. I'd be happy to take a tour afterwards. It's just… Vee has been so excited that she could barely sleep," I explained.

"Hey! Don't throw me under the bus," she whined and shook her legs at me. Unfortunately for her, it seemed Aimon mistook her leg flailing for excitement, and he instantly agreed.

"Right. No problem at all. I suppose it would make sense to drop Vee off first to avoid wasting any time. You can always walk around while she's occupied."

Sorry, Aimon, I'm planning on staying in there until I'm done. If things go as planned, then technically, Vee should be finishing before me.

Aimon interacted with the tree spirit and took us to the ground floor, then began leading us towards the dungeon. The outside was a startling surprise, as the forest was dark, the trees spindly, and a blanket of webbing seemed to be draped over it all.

"Wow, this is almost like a haunted forest," Vee commented.

Aimon pointed directly at the haunted forest. "The dungeon is right at the center of this forest. It's a good thing you aren't arachnophobic."

Ha! If anything, spiders fear me. I had to suppress a chuckle as I reminisced about how much screaming and crying Vee had done during our encounter.