The Kingdom of Lenarute was home to not only dark elves, but also the Evil Forest, a vast wooded area in the eastern part of the kingdom that people steered clear of. It was unknown if this was because of a geographical issue, but the Evil Forest was a peculiar region with mana wafting through the air. It was said that the mana in the air had affected every living creature within the forest, making them incredibly strong, and anyone who carelessly stepped into the depths of the Evil Forest would end up being food for those monsters.
Despite the warnings, many people made their way into the Evil Forest. Not only was it undeveloped territory, but materials collected from monsters sold for high prices and could be used to create powerful weapons as well. As a result, there were always people who headed for the depths of the forest in search of making a quick and straightforward fortune. However, very few made it back. The deeper you went into the Evil Forest, the more powerful the monsters became, which was why not many people survived.
In contrast to the dangerous depths, the forest entrance connected to Lenarute was nearly devoid of monsters and was completely normal. The dark elves visiting the forest never traveled past that initial area.
Within the Evil Forest, the most common monsters were slimes, which were said to be at the bottom of the food chain. They reproduced by collecting a certain amount of mana in their bodies, at which point they would divide into more slimes. They collected mana by absorbing it from the air within the Evil Forest, as well as eating plants and monster carcasses. Because of their nature, slimes reproduced infinitely, though it was not an issue since the number of slimes being eaten and the number of those reproducing seemed to balance each other out. There were never abnormal swarms spawning, nor were there any rises or falls in the slime population. They were quite the strange monster.
There was no way for anyone to know that among these slimes emerged one particular slime that never divided and instead appeared to continuously absorb and store mana. Once this slime had stored a certain amount of mana, something that could be called a feeling emerged within it. The slime began to feel fear toward the predators that ate its kind. The slime watched as its fellow slimes did nothing when being eaten and began to tremble in fear.
I don’t want to be eaten! I don’t want to die!
That was the moment this slime truly began to harbor feelings, despite such a thing normally being impossible for the species. This was an incredibly cruel thing to happen. If the slime had never had any emotions, then it wouldn’t have feared death. It could have continued to live as part of the forest’s food chain. Unfortunately for the slime, it had developed feelings.
What made it even worse was the fact that slimes were at the bottom of the food chain within the Evil Forest’s ecosystem. All that awaited the awakened slime was a reality where it would be constantly afraid for its life.
Despite these circumstances, the slime was quite optimistic.
Hm... If I stay with everyone, I’ll probably get eaten. So I’ll find somewhere to have a quiet life.
With that thought in mind, it traveled through the forest, desperately searching for a hole it could hide in and make its home. Fortunately, it eventually found a great hole to do the job.
This is perfect. I’ll be a little lonely out here, but it’s better than being eaten.
The slime decided to stay hidden and live quietly in that hole. Slimes were omnivorous, so the mosses and weeds found in and around its home were enough to sustain it. The hole was also only big enough to fit a monster around the slime’s size, so it would be protected from predators. And in that way, there came to be a bit of a strange slime that lived on its own out in the Evil Forest.