[ Ding!

—Opening Ancient Combat Style status—

—Growth: 72/100%

—Proficiency: 42/100 ]

"So much growth…" Slime#47 muttered with a small grin.

"Since you reached the brink of death and fought someone far stronger than you, the growth accelerated," Thomas said, glancing at Young Slime's smile.

"Growth is based on the opponent's power?" Young Slime asked.

"Yes," Nobi nodded, closing her eyes to recover her lost energy reserves. "And since ancient combat style has free movement, it's easy to level up."

Clap!

Thomas clapped his hands as he said, "No time wasting. There are only five more days—quick, level it up to Level Max."

Young Slime nodded. 'I'll have to face the dragon and clear it without dying.'

'But I need to check one thing,' he mused.

He entered his soul dimension and glanced at the two half-fused souls.

Beneath the cracked Will barrier, a golden barrier protected his soul.

"Good… it has acquired the energy," he muttered with a wide grin. "The soul essence has stopped leaking."

"How did it gain the energy?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the cracks—the remnant authority.

'I need to pay more attention,' he thought as he returned to his senses.

---

Five days passed by…

[ Ding! Ancient Combat Style proficiency +1! ]

[ Ding! Ancient Combat Style {Grade One} has leveled up to Lv.Max! ]

[ Ding! Ancient Combat Style has acquired a new slot! ]

Zzz!

Slime#47 dodged the Water Sword Slash, flying to his right in the shape of a sparrow formed from cyan lightning.

He grinned lightly as he read the notification.

"Tidal Sword Slash!" Nobi muttered as she waved her sword rapidly, forming multiple blue energy sword slashes.

Whoosh!

More than five water energy slashes dashed toward the lightning sparrow.

Zzz!

Young Slime dodged the incoming blade attacks, zig-zagging at high speed.

His speed was also enhanced due to his lightning elemental form.

"That's enough," Thomas ordered, raising his right arm.

Sudden pressure fell on both combatants as their powers were suppressed.

The lightning sparrow was forced to return to his humanoid slime form as he landed on the ground. Thud!

"You should have raised Ancient Combat Style to Level Max, didn't you?" the instructor asked, walking forward while dispersing his pressure.

Young Slime nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Did you understand the mechanics fully?" Nobi asked, looking grim, raising her brows.

Slime#47 replied, "Yes, I did." His lips twitched as he understood the reason behind her sadness.

"Your days here are over. You must proceed to the battle against the white dragon," Thomas said gloomily.

Both Nobi and the lion instructor enjoyed their days training Young Slime.

They felt genuine satisfaction, training someone who didn't give up despite their harsh methods.

"Take a break for one hour. Then we'll proceed to the battle," Thomas said, sighing.

Nobi turned silent, sheathing her sword.

She took out recovery potions like Elixir of Intermediate Mana Recovery, Elixir of Intermediate Aura Recovery, and a few others from thin air and tossed them over to him.

Gulp!

He gulped them down without wasting time and sat cross-legged, checking his status.

[ Ding! Opening Ancient Combat Style status

—Ancient Combat Style—

—Slot#1: Demonic Cloak

—Slot#2: N/A

—Battle growth: 100% ]

'100% done… and the second slot has been unlocked,' he mused.

"I'll store Demonic Pulse in that," he decided.

"I feel like an attack would give me some edge against the dragon," he muttered.

Healing won't help him against that dragon—it would only turn him into a punching bag.

Entering his soul dimension, he raised his right palm toward the empty slot and cast, "Demonic Pulse."

A dark symbol—like a laser beam—appeared in the empty slot, next to the left side of the closed eye.

Glancing at the eye, he recalled the differences from training. "It was half-open when its slot was empty, fully closed when the slot was filled, and fully opened when I unleashed the stored power."

He also glanced at the golden barrier beneath the Will barrier with a small grin.

He narrowed his eyes, glancing at the soul essence that couldn't leak out. He had figured out how it was getting energy.

"When I tried to absorb soul essence from the atmosphere, the authority remnant on the Will barrier flared and destroyed the soul essence I had absorbed," he muttered, rubbing his chin.

"But the Ancient Combat Style mark absorbs soul essence directly—without passing through my body. It's as if it's teleporting energy." He was impressed by its ability.

'Even when I was fighting in that bloodline power of Nobi's, this mark could absorb soul essence,' he thought, his eyes gleaming with interest.

He was stunned by its power. After all, he couldn't feel, nor sense any kind of energies while he was in Nobi's domain—yet this battle mark kept somehow absorbing energy.

He sat, meditating to recover his spent demonic force.

Soon, one hour passed by…

"Are you ready?" Thomas asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes," Slime#47 replied, glancing at Nobi and the lion instructor, who were a little disheartened.

Just when he was also feeling bitter, he was suddenly hugged by a soft body.

"Take care," Nobi said, pulling him close.

She broke the hug after a few moments and said with a shy smile, "I hope we can meet again...one day—in the future, in your time."

"Sure, we will," Young Slime grinned.

'I don't know whether she's alive even in my time,' he mused bitterly. He had gotten close to her as well in over a month.

"Good, I decided," Thomas suddenly said, holding Slime#47's shoulders with both hands.

"What?" Young Slime uttered, surprised by the instructor's sudden movement.

"I, Thomas, combat instructor of the demon race appointed by Demon King Remora, hereby grant him my blessing—Boundless Growth," Thomas announced, as his body glowed with blue light.

Slime#47 couldn't respond due to the instructor's fast movement and strong grip.

He felt huge energy pouring into him from the big arms on his shoulders.

[ Ding! You are blessed by Demon King Thomas! ]

[ Ding! You have acquired the trait 'Boundless Growth {Mythic}' from Demon King Thomas! ]

"In—" Just as Young Slime was about to ask what that was about, he suddenly felt a bright light in his eyes.

"Wait, what just happened?" he muttered, blinking.

He felt his body floating for a split second, and then he found himself on the ground.

He glanced around. He was in an open forest field, with large trees in between.

"Is this…" He understood. He was in the battle zone, where he would fight the dragon.

He quickly calmed himself for the battle as a childish kid's voice echoed from the distance.

"Are you here for a challenge?"

A half-meter white dragon manifested in front of him from white energy.

---

"Are you sure?" Nobi asked, shocked by Thomas's blessing.

The lion instructor grinned. "It was just a blessing. A mere blessing."

Nobi retorted, narrowing her eyes, "When one blesses or curses someone, they would permanently lose their mana."

"Yes, I did lose more than 30% of my mana," Thomas replied with a small smile.

"But it cannot compare to Young Slime's agony. Haven't you seen how easily he was sustaining pain?" He frowned when he recalled the mental state of Young Slime.

He was more bitter about Slime#47 than losing 30% of his mana reserves.

Nobi's eyes dimmed. 'He should have suffered so much agony for his Pain Tolerance skill to be so high.'

"Thirty percent of my mana can be retrained," Thomas said, sighing. "But he has no one to help. Since he appeared in my eyes and became my student—even if it's only for a month—he has all the qualities to get my blessing."

----

"Damnit!" Slime#47 yelled as the white dragon narrowed his eyes at him.

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