Ironboot Town, a rough copper nail wedged into the kingdom’s northern border.

This place did not have the polished dignity of southern towns, only a raw, vigorous growth: adventurers, merchants, mercenaries... They came with dreams of fortune or plans to escape, streaming in from the kingdom’s interior or heading further north.

People came and went, bringing not only bags and blades but also the gods and beliefs they clung to.

Faiths collided and clashed here, like the never-ending arguments in the taverns.

In this chaotic place of belief, the Cardos faith—championing courage, guardianship, and the warrior path—spread along with the border knights and took root as well.

At the west end of town stood a simple, clean-lined church built of gray limestone, its symbol a sword-and-shield crest on the roof.

Morning.

The pale dawn chased away the night’s chill, casting a light golden veil over the limestone church.

Alice and her adjutant Karen had finished praying to Cardos and were fully prepared to depart.

Their warhorses stamped in the church square, exhaling white mist.

Alice checked the saddlebag one final time to ensure supplies and papers were intact. Karen, a touch nervous, adjusted his sword strap beside her.

They were about to swing up and leave this brief stopover, returning to the Border Garrison’s post in the south.

At that moment, heavy footsteps and low complaints came from the other end of the street.

“...Damned mud, my boots are completely covered...”

“Tell me about it. This damn errand... more exhausting than a scrap with goblins.”

Two dust-coated kingdom knights appeared at the corner.

They looked exhausted, eyes sunken from a long, hard trek. One of them emphatically stomped to fling off thick clumps of mud.

When they looked up and their gaze swept across the square to rest on Alice, their complaints abruptly stopped.

Startled, they straightened instantly, instinctively placing their right hands over their chests and performing a standard knight’s salute.

“Greetings, Lady Alice.”

Alice’s eyes calmly swept over their bedraggled appearance. She nodded slightly, “No need for formalities. You two are...?”

The leading knight hurried to answer with a respectful tone, “Reporting, Lady Alice. By order of the Border Garrison, we’ve come to scout the Swamp Forest, to investigate the Goblin Army’s movements and area of influence.”

“The superiors worry they’ll use the arrival of the summer Magical Tides to harass border villages.”

Alice listened quietly, her gaze serene and unreadable.

After a moment she spoke.

“I already checked the Eastern Swamp. There’s no sign of large-scale goblin activity there;

you don’t need to waste energy.”

“You should check the Western Swamp.”

Hearing this, the two knights’ faces brightened with relief.

Scouting the swamp was a drudge, and venturing into areas that might hide goblin nests was especially perilous.

If they could skip the Eastern Swamp, the job would be half as hard.

Had anyone else said this, they might have been skeptical and reluctant to abandon the assignment.

But the voice that issued this command belonged to Silver Blade Knight Alice Arevalo, and her words carried unquestionable weight and authority.

“Yes, understood, Lady Alice.”

The lead knight’s voice grew louder and more confident, laced with gratitude. “Thank you for the information. We’ll head there after a rest.”

Alice nodded faintly, “Mm, thank you. Stay safe.”

“Yes!” The two saluted again, their exhaustion seemingly washed away by the good news, and strode toward the church with lighter steps.

Watching their departing backs, Alice said nothing further. She swung up onto her horse with practiced ease, Karen right behind her.

“Commander, the Eastern Swamp—”

He was about to ask more, but Alice tightened the reins and the horse moved.

“Let’s go, Karen. The Magical Tides will come fast this year;

those goblins likely won’t stay quiet.”

“Yes!” Karen hurried to catch up, leaving his earlier questions behind.

Alice and her companion rode away from Ironboot Town.

Meanwhile, Chen Yu had no idea that the Border Garrison of the White Horse Kingdom now harbored a spy from the Slime Kingdom.

At this moment he was soaking in a scalding hot spring, methodically catching the buzzing Heatland Giant Mosquitoes. Nearly every Stone Sword he hurled cut one down with precise ease.

Then he stuffed them into his lonely belly.

“Bang bang bang...”

As his gel squeezed and digested them, the warm mosquito meat popped like popping candy, crackling inside his stomach.

Hmm?

What a strangely wonderful food.

He was sure those odd meat chunks were the mosquitoes’ Magic Organs.

Chen Yu practically ate and digested at the same time, unable to stop.

[Devour Digestion Lv.6 triggered—Heatland Giant Mosquito profile fully recorded, gained talent Mana Explosion Lv.1]

Mana Explosion?

So that’s the source of the giant mosquito’s strange self-destruct ability?

No sooner had the thought flickered through his mind than the whole slime body bubbled as if it had come to a boil, foam rising and the gel swelling until it seemed on the verge of exploding.

No, no!

He wasn’t ready to give up yet.

This chubby little slime still had plenty of dungeons to explore;

it wasn’t going to bow out so soon.

Some instinct seemed to catch his intention, and the previously boiling gel gradually calmed.

“Is this thing only usable for self-destruction?”

Or does the explosion target the mana within the body rather than the body itself?

Chen Yu decided to test it.

He left the treehouse and went to the swamp’s edge, squeezing out a tiny blob of gel the size of a fingernail and dropping it on the ground, pushing it into the water.

Almost instantly the gel trembled violently. The swamp boiled, then with a “boom” it exploded, splashing hot water high enough to scald his face and sting.

“Ah? This thing’s damage is that insane?”

Surprised and excited, Chen Yu’s mind started fizzing. He felt he’d found the correct way to use “Mana Explosion.”

Self-destruct?

No, no, that was just the most basic use.

This exploding gel was basically a C4 explosive—stick it where you want.

Imagine attaching explosive gel to a long-range Stone Sword;

isn’t that like a kamikaze drone?

Blow up whoever you want.

Way better than the body self-destructing.

And the talent’s potential didn’t stop there.

An absolutely brilliant idea bubbled up in his head.

Chen Yu chose a Queen Wasp on the watchtower, then fed the stripped-off Mana Explosion to her.

A while later, ten nutrient-rich fast-growth larvae hatched from the nest.

These rapid-growth wasp soldiers had short lives, but they could mature from egg to adulthood in only two days.

While waiting for the eggs to hatch, Chen Yu kept harvesting the hot-spring mosquitoes and other monsters.

The idea of C4 Stone Swords could indeed work, but so far only his main body could use Mana Explosion;

the dungeon-exploring chubby slime didn’t have that talent yet.

Also, this tactic consumed a lot of gel and Stone Swords;

without logistics and supply, it wouldn’t be sustainable.

Two days later.

[Life Drain Lv.2→Lv.3]

[Mana Stripping Lv.1→Lv.2]

[Mana Explosion Lv.1→Lv.3]

Chen Yu, full of anticipation, went to check on the Queen Wasp and her baby soldier brood on the watchtower.