Ethan watched with a sense of satisfaction as the summoned slis moved with surprising coordination, bouncing toward the wild slis scattered across the clearing. The wild slis, slow and unaware of the coordinated attack, had little chance against Ethan's summoned force.
The sound of gelatinous bodies colliding echoed through the forest, followed by faint splashes as defeated slis dissolved into shimring puddles. Each successful kill left behind a glowing crystal core. Ethan kept his eyes on the notifications popping up in his peripheral vision.
[Ding! Your summon has defeated a Wild Sli. Experience gained: 5.]
[Ding! Your summon has defeated a Wild Sli. Experience gained: 5.]
The notifications kept rolling in as the summoned slis systematically wiped out their wild counterparts. Ethan couldn't help but grin at how efficient it was.
"Master…" Lia's voice pulled him back to the present. She was watching the scene unfold with her mouth wide open. "It's… like they're a small army."
"That's the idea," Ethan said, crossing his arms. "The more I level up, the stronger they'll get. And with your buffs, they're even more effective. Every little advantage counts."
Lia nodded slowly, though her gaze remained fixed on the slis. She randomly applied the buffs on slis one after the other. Each buff was active for 3 seconds and the skill drained a part of her mana.
Repeatedly casting the buff was quite tiring but on the bright side, it gave her experience points even though she wasn't involved in direct combat. After a few minutes, she received the notification that she had been waiting for the most.
"Master! I leveled up!" Lia shouted.
Ethan smiled and waved at the young woman working very hard on his behalf. anwhile, Ethan decided to take a small break. He was currently lying down on the green grass bed and enjoying the nature around him, sothing that he had never done in his previous life.
He stretched out on the soft grass, letting out a content sigh as he gazed up at the patches of blue sky visible through the forest canopy.
The rhythmic sounds of the slis fighting, the occasional splash of dissolving bodies, and Lia's enthusiastic shouts created an oddly soothing background noise.
"Feels like I'm managing my own little ecosystem," he murmured to himself with a chuckle. The situation was surreal—a lazy afternoon break while his summoned creatures did all the hard work, and Lia buzzed around them, casting buffs like an overworked but eager coach.
"Master!" Lia's voice broke through his thoughts again, louder this ti, tinged with excitent. Ethan turned his head slightly, propping himself up on one elbow to see her jogging toward him, her face glowing with a mix of exertion and pride.
"I leveled up again!" she exclaid, her breaths coming quick but steady. "And… my mana feels much better now!"
"That's aweso," Ethan said, sitting up fully and grinning. "Told you you'd be unstoppable once you got the hang of it."
Lia smiled shyly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "The slis are doing so well too. It's amazing how strong they've gotten with just a few buffs." She glanced back toward the clearing, where the summoned slis continued their relentless advance, scattering the wild ones like leaves in a storm.
"Yeah, they're doing great," Ethan agreed. He gestured for Lia to sit beside him. "Take a quick breather. You've been running around nonstop. It's important to pace yourself, you know?"
Lia hesitated but then nodded, lowering herself onto the grass beside him. "I guess I am a little tired," she admitted. "But it feels good… helping like this. I've never felt useful before."
"You're more than useful," Ethan said, his tone firm. "You're the MVP of this operation, Lia. Don't forget that."
Her cheeks turned a soft pink, and she looked down at her hands, a small smile playing at her lips. "Thank you, Master. That ans a lot."
They sat in companionable silence for a mont, the sounds of the clearing fading into the background.
Ethan took the opportunity to glance at his status screen again, noting his slow but steady progress. Leveling up personally was going to take ti as these were still level 1 slis, but most of his slis were now level 2.
He could already see how his slis were bigger than the other ones. It was probably going to take more ti to see a bigger visible difference. But maybe what they needed to speed things up was another grinding spot.
"Say, Lia, where do beginner adventurers head to next? What's a stronger target?"
Lia tilted her head, considering Ethan's question as she absentmindedly twirled a strand of her dark hair.
"Well, Master, after slis… most adventurers move on to the forest's outer edges. There are so packs of forest wolves. They are stronger than slis but still manageable for those who are careful and of course, you would need the special amulet from the guild."
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