In the dark ruins, a large number of slimes leaped through the air, all converging toward the same target—a young man wielding a pure white-bladed sword. He stood there in a white shirt and black trousers, his damp, pristine white hair clinging slightly to his forehead. Once he noticed that the slimes had gotten close enough, he began cutting them down one by one with his sword. Piles of slime corpses melted into liquid while the remaining ones fled.
"Thalesa, is this enough?" Laos asked, staring at the escaping slimes.
"No... I'm still hungry. I need more," a feminine voice echoed from the sword.
With that, Laos dashed toward the fleeing slimes and swiftly defeated them as well. The sword was remarkable, slicing through the slimes effortlessly and without a single mistake. Slashing, killing—it was so sharp it was terrifying. It was so effective that it made Laos overconfident, causing him to charge at the slimes without any caution.
"This is good. Just a little more," Thalesa murmured.
"Alright, let's try taking down the Slime King," Laos muttered, heading toward a staircase that led deeper underground.
As he descended, the place was as silent as ever. And, just like before, the Slime King was sitting still, unmoving, as if asleep. Laos stepped forward slightly before stopping, staring intently as he seemed to be devising a plan to defeat the Slime King. After a while of observation, he finally muttered, gripping his sword—Astral—which flickered with a cold blue aura:
"How did the Slime King respawn? We killed it just yesterday."
"That's because of Nemesis," Thalesa answered.
"Nemesis?!"
"Oh, are you illiterate?" Thalesa asked sarcastically.
"You idiot, I'm from another world," Laos replied calmly, wary of waking the massive slime in front of him.
"What? Are you one of those heroes summoned from another world?!" Thalesa asked.
"Yeah."
"Oh, that might explain your ability to use a Spirit Weapon... Anyway, it looks like you don't understand much. Do you even know how power systems work in Staria?"
"Uhh... There's magic, which is divided into colored magic and gray magic, and there's healing magic... and, uh, Spirits! The system I use!" Laos replied enthusiastically.
"No. There are three power systems, but they're not what you mentioned. First, there's Spirit, then Rune..."
"Oh yeah, Rune! I know that one! It's an ancient and mysterious power system!"
"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking."
"As I was saying, there are three power systems: Spirit, Rune, and Magic. The others you mentioned are just branches of Magic. Magic in Staria is divided into four types: Colored Magic, Gray Magic, Healing Magic, and Nemesis. Nemesis is a type of magic that only monsters can use. It allows them to be reborn. If you ever see a monster using magic, it's using Nemesis. Thanks to this magic, the Slime King was reborn after you killed it yesterday."
"Oh, that's awesome! Alright, we have a fight ahead of us. Focus!" Laos said as he firmly gripped his sword.
"How am I supposed to focus? You're the one fighting... You really start spewing nonsense when you get excited," Thalesa remarked.
"Exactly!" Laos muttered as he charged at the sleeping Slime King.
He stabbed it forcefully before quickly jumping back. In response, the Slime King spewed droplets of its poison. Laos swiftly retreated, but in an instant, the Slime King leaped toward him with an incredible jump. If there hadn't been a ceiling, it would have gone even higher. With ease, it landed right where Laos had been standing—but he had already dodged and begun swinging his sword.
"It's in cooldown! It won't spit poison for a while! I have to kill it now!" Laos shouted as he stabbed the Slime King repeatedly.
His attacks were aggressive—it was clear that the Slime King's leap had terrified him. He kept slicing at it, but the Slime King remained still. That's when Laos realized—it was waiting to gather its poison for another attack. Without hesitation, he quickly backed away as usual, then made his Astral sword disappear and tried to lift a large rock. He failed. Instead, he moved around, searching for a suitable one. When he found it, he lifted it high and hurled it toward the Slime King.
The rock soared briefly before smashing into the ground and shattering—completely missing the Slime King. Immediately, the massive slime leaped at Laos with that same terrifying jump. However, Laos dodged again. In a sudden motion, as the Slime King landed, it jumped again and propelled itself toward Laos' stomach.
Laos was knocked down with ease, realizing that the Slime King was about to spit poison again. He tried to flee, but the slime pressed its massive body onto him. Struggling against the weight, he attempted to push it away. After some effort, he finally managed to shove it back and escape. At that moment, the Slime King spat out its poison, but it missed Laos entirely.
"That was close! You're such a failure. You have a Spirit Weapon, yet you can't even defeat a Tier 1 boss? That's hilarious," Thalesa taunted from Laos' hand.
Ignoring her, Laos summoned his Astral sword again, causing his hair to turn completely white. He observed the Slime King, which stood motionless before him. Then, out of nowhere, he sprinted forward, gripping his sword like a long spear. He dashed at the motionless Slime King—only for it to effortlessly leap over him, dodging his reckless charge.
"Jumping beats it! Jumping!"
After shouting that, Laos leaped high into the air above the Slime King. Then, as he descended, he stabbed his sword straight through the middle of its body. He drove it down with such force that the blade pierced all the way through and hit the ground. His hands were buried inside the Slime King's body. The creature's solidity crumbled as it began to dissolve.
"Oh, god... Phew... Finally!" Laos sighed.
Suddenly, as Laos stood there, his sword was enveloped in a massive blue aura. The energy flared brightly, and Laos felt a surge of excitement, thinking he had finally gained his first ability. In a wonderful moment, the aura faded, revealing a new form for the Astral sword. It had become a short sword with an exceptionally wide, deep blue blade. Its handle was white with golden engravings, and at the top of the hilt rested a crystal as blue as the sea.
"Finally! This is the first form of the Astral sword. It's called the Sea Blade. And now, you have your first ability—Water Slash. It allows you to unleash a concentrated slash of water strong enough to cut down a tree," Thalesa explained.
"Are there more forms?!" Laos asked, examining the blue blade.
"The sword you found at the beginning was Form Zero. There are a hundred forms for Spirit Weapons. As you defeat monsters and refine your weapon, new forms and abilities will unlock," Thalesa replied.
"Then how do I switch between forms?" Laos asked.
"Intent," Thalesa answered flatly.
At this moment, Laos tried it out, and sure enough, the sword returned to its original form, its "Zero Form." Delighted, Laos flashed his signature grin before carefully examining the sword. He blinked as if waking up from a dream, and just then, Thalesa's voice rang out loudly:
"But be careful! Using an ability or switching between forms drains my power. If my spirit energy runs out, you won't be able to use the Astral Sword. You'll have to wait until I recover my strength."
"It's just like magic... But what if the sword breaks? Will you die?!" Laos asked.
"No, you idiot. Spirit weapons don't break," Thalesa retorted.
"So that means you're immortal?" Laos muttered.
"No. In reality, spirits die when their user dies. In other words, if you die, I die," Thalesa replied in a cold, quiet voice.
"Oh..."
"Anyway, I'm going to sleep," Thalesa added.
"Why?" Laos asked.
"You're heading back to the palace. Do you want me to stay awake and risk someone finding out you took the sword? I don't mind," she said.
"Oh, no, no! I don't want anyone to know... Please, go ahead and sleep!" Laos quickly responded as his hair returned to its usual black.
◆ ◆ ◆
In front of the grand palace gates, Tiana stood elegantly, dressed in a stunning violet gown with a red rose tucked into her golden hair. As always, she held up the hem of her long dress to keep it from touching the ground. The gown, adorned with intricate floral embroidery, accentuated her pure chest. Standing before her were Gaziel and Sabrina.
"Alright, prepare the servants for the best welcome possible. I want this reception to be perfect," Tiana ordered with sharp eyes and a serious expression.
"Gaziel, take care of the first floor. Make sure the chefs are ready to prepare the finest feast. Sabrina, you handle the second floor. They'll definitely want to see their friend."
"As you command," Sabrina replied before heading upstairs.
"Goddess, I'm excited to meet the heroes!" Gaziel said with enthusiasm.
"Gaziel, don't you dare challenge any of them to a fight. I swear by the Moon Goddess, if you do, I'll throw you out!" Tiana warned in a loud voice.
"Oh, that'd be even better! You kick me out, and I go back to adventuring. Can you believe I'm actually planning to head to Bardel? I heard there are a lot of Behemoths there, and they drop incredible loot. Think I could take one down?" Gaziel smirked.
"I'm not joking. But... could you really defeat a Behemoth?" Tiana asked.
"I have no idea, but I'd probably die," Gaziel replied casually.
"Just get to work already!" Tiana suddenly snapped, making Gaziel leave with a chuckle.
After that, Tiana stood directly in front of her palace gates, gazing at the lush green gardens bathed in the morning sunlight. With a graceful ease, she smiled—a smile that could make one mistake her for a beautiful, kind angel. But no one knew the sadist thoughts hidden behind that smile.
"Alright, listen up! Today, I'll be training you for one of the grandest receptions yet!" Sabrina's voice rang out loudly in front of the second-floor servants, Laos included.
"Pay close attention to my instructions. Each of you will be assigned a specific area, but this time, your behavior must be impeccable," she continued.
"Today's guest will be none other than three of the heroes from another world," the witch added.
"three of the heroes"
"the heroes"
"heroes"
!!!!