Kasla dutifully followed Mi-mi as she veered away from the stream, hurriedly pulling out the map. “Ah… Where are we going exactly?” He tried to get a glimpse at the map, but resigned to follow his senior’s lead.  

“Berry spots!” Mi-mi scanned the map, pointing. “We should check every berry spot near where it was last seen. This one is the closest.”

“But you said slimes can survive without eating for a month? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of looking in berry areas?”

“I said wild slimes.” Mi-mi had a victorious grin on her face, only puzzling Kasla more.

“I don’t think I follow?” he admitted, scratching behind his ear sheepishly.

“How to explain this, hm…” Mi-mi stopped for a moment, chin in hand. “Think of the slime as spoiled.”

“Spoiled? Like rotten milk?” Given there were apparently coffee-flavored slimes it made sense to Kasla. Plus slimes were sold as food and harvested for their parts as ingredients and materials. Yet the confusion only increased as he tried to understand how it related to an alive slime.

“No, silly! It's a pampered pet! A cush life means it’s never had to fend for itself. Slimes found in the wild tend to prioritize their safety because of their prey-like nature so they’re conditioned to eat less and hide more.” Mi-mi explained patiently, unable to hide an amused smile at Kasla’s confusion. “Remember, we are dealing with a slime who has never experienced such a life. Everything has been given to it on a silver platter…” 

“Oh, now I get it! The first thing it would search for is food it normally eats on a daily basis!” Kasla snapped his fingers in realization, brightening.

“Exactly. Let’s hurry and check every berry area. We might get a clue.” 

Following the map they passed trees and bushes, none of them bearing berries. As they hurried they saw numerous monsters that were Rank E, appropriate opponents for Kasla. Mi-mi assured him they wouldn't attack unless provoked and to give them enough space like most wild animals. Some of the impressively sized bees watched them from a distance, buzzing as they attended to flowers, gathering nectar, unbothered by the visitors.  

The forest seemed almost peaceful, filled with a calm from the everyday life of its denizens. There were no noises of distress signaling a cause for concern. 

They finally reached the first berry location, near a rock filled area as if something had bashed boulders into smaller bits. Weaving their way around the rocks they spotted bushes. They spread out to check each one for any sign of the slime. However the bushes were picked bare, not even unripe berries left.

“Finally a clue!” Mi-mi knelt next to the bush, touching pink residue. “The slime was here. Kasla, help me search for more clues. There should be more residue in the area since it ate.”

“Roger!” Kasla gave a salute and began combing the area. 

“Nava!” Mi-mi called, eyes glued to the ground.

“Nava! Here, slime! Here, rich slime!” Kasla coaxed as he checked under bushes, carefully studying the grass and around the rocks. 

As they canvassed the area, slowly expanding their search, Kasla halted next to a bush. He crouched down for a better look. A pink tinted residue was stuck to some branches, leaving a small trail leading away from the branches into the deeper woods.

“I think I’ve got something!” Kasla announced, eyes on the trail. Mi-mi hurried to his side, spotting what he was looking at.

“Good job, rookie!” She gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Let’s see—” She pulled out the map once more. “That direction leads to… another berry area. Come on, let’s get going! We have no idea how fresh the trail is.” She hurriedly rolled up the map and stowed it away, leading the way to hopefully their quarry. 

As they tracked the slime the trees grew thicker. Slowly it grew darker as more of the sunlight was seemingly smothered. The coolness that seeped through the trees and the growing darkness made it seem as if it were nearly the evening rather than noon—though without the sun visible it was hard to tell the exact time of day. Kasla felt comfortable in the growing chill of the trees though there was still a noticeable warmth.

“Whoa, check out the size of those bugs!” Kasla stared at the centipedes crawling around tree trunks, each the length of a belt.  

Mi-mi didn't bother to look, focused. “So long as it’s not giant spiders.” She suppressed a shiver, still foraging ahead.

Silence fell except for the sound of their footsteps. Mi-mi seemed completely focused, scanning the ground for signs of more pink residue. Kasla was unsure what to do except follow her lead. It seemed like a good time to talk, questions burning inside him as he had time to think.

She said she would show me the ropes, but she’s related to the Guildmaster. What if I say something really stupid or she thinks I don’t know the basics, making me danger prone?

Kasla worried about possibly annoying Mi-mi, causing her to drop him like a hot rock once the quest was done. He bit his lip in thought, glancing at her. It wouldn’t be the first time someone shunned me, albeit for a different reason.

“So, Mi-mi, I’ve been wondering…” he finally braved, swallowing his worry as he scratched at his cheek, fingers passing over his triangular red tattoo. If it was stupid or chanced painting him as a dangerously ignorant newbie he would backpedal as fast as he could to salvage what confidence Mi-mi had in him.

“Hm? Something on your mind?” Mi-mi looked at him, attentive.

“Well… uh…”

“Don’t be shy, you can ask anything. I’m your senior after all.” 

“Well, aha...” Kasla couldn't help a nervous laugh, rubbing his neck. “How long have you been adventuring? Just wondering.”

“Hmm...” Mi-mi thought for a moment, counting on her fingers. “Around three years or so, give or take.”

“Wow, that’s a while! I bet that you’ve fought big monsters or like a dungeon boss! Can you tell me one of your experiences?” Kasla brightened, his nervousness gone as excitement took its place in a stampede, grinding the worry to dust.

Mi-mi let out a thoughtful hum, cupping her chin in her hand. “Well, we haven’t defeated dungeon bosses before, but we do defeat some of the area bosses. They are rather tough, but we get by especially with those two knuckleheads in the party. They are battle gluttons, always looking for a fight.” 

“Area bosses?”

“Oh? You haven’t heard of area bosses?”

Kasla shook his head, causing Mi-mi to stop for a moment. “Then here’s an Adventurer dungeon monster lesson guide for you, a summary of monster ranks. First, imagine a pyramid. At the bottom, the least threatening are common monsters, like slimes and the critters here in the forest. Next is the monster boss, a bit tougher. Above that is the area boss, which is tougher and usually much bigger than the monster boss. Now comes dungeon specific rank monsters: floor boss and dungeon boss. Floor bosses require large advanced ranked parties to take them down while dungeon bosses are like their ruler, their god so to speak—extremely difficult to beat. You with me so far?”

Kasla nodded, letting out a hum of understanding. He was completely engrossed.

“Alright. So, area bosses are a type of monster that specifically guards a certain area of a dungeon. They are rather special in a sense since you can only encounter them if you happen to be in their territory. If the dungeon were a kitchen, then the chef is the boss since they work there and call the shots, if that makes sense?” Kasla nodded, prompting Mi-mi to continue as they continued walking.

“In order for you to get to the dungeon boss, you need to pass through the floor boss that guards the next floor to go down. Past that floor you’ll be facing more and more powerful monsters until you’ll get to fight the dungeon boss that holds authority over the whole dungeon.

“Floor bosses are another kind of danger. They are much more powerful than the area boss. It would take at least a party of ten or so Rank S Adventurers just to defeat the boss themselves. One would say that if you defeat a floor boss you are on the road to becoming a Hero Candidate, appointed by the kingdoms.”

“That’s so cool!” Kasla beamed with excitement. “Maybe someday I’ll get to slay one of the bosses!”

“Oho. Tell me, Kasla, do you dream of becoming a hero?” Mi-mi gave the teenager a curious as well as amused look.

“You bet! I want to be like the heroes of legends! Especially the Hero who saved the world from the Detestable God, End!” Kasla declared, clenching his fists.

Mi-mi laughed lightly. “Don’t we all? Was that your wish the lil guy asked you about it?”

“No… Ha, truthfully, becoming a hero isn’t on my wishlist.” Kasla grew sheepish at his misleading excitement, an uneasy laugh escaping him. “That’s a dream I can achieve on my own, no wish needed.”

“Hm? Then…?”

“I still won’t tell!” He let out a chuckle at Mi-mi’s attempt to lure the answer out of him where Chrono had failed. “It’s a wish after all and wishes are meant to be a secret or they won’t come true.”

“Darn, too bad! Here I thought you’re going to spill your backstory.” Mi-mi gave a light laugh, shaking her head. “A country boy going out into the world, being an Adventurer, traveling, slaying monsters and getting fame and glory…”

“Haha. Well, that is true. I wanted to become an Adventurer to travel and slay monsters, but I want to help people as well. Fame and Glory is not on my list.”

“That’s cute. How noble.”

Kasla fidgeted, scratching his cheek once more. It’s now or never… “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot to ask.”

“Hm?”

“I was wondering if someone in the Guild would know about magic without incantations and prayers? Maybe once I get to monster hunting training I could ask them for help. It would be super handy in a battle!” 

“What? That’s impossible, you do know that, right?” Mi-mi gave him a wild look, clearly baffled. “The gods give us our magic through prayers. Channeling mana is one thing but… actual magic use?” 

“I do, it’s just that…” Kasla paused. Think of an excuse! Don’t mention Chrono and his dad! “I thought that there would be someone, you know? When I was a kid, back in Eci, I wondered if mages could do magic without a prayer. To cut the time needed to… execute?” He tried to give his most sincere expression, shrugging. Please believe me!

“Well… if you put it that way… Not that I know of? There’s nobody in the Guild, or any guild for that matter, who knows prayerless magic. That’s just asking for something that doesn't exist. The gods give us our magic, how could you not pray to them? We have to give voice to our prayers, silent ones don’t count.”

“Ah, is that so… Never mind that I asked.” Kasla waved off the conversation to dispel any suspicions Mi-mi might have. Curiosity burned within him as despite what she said, what logic demanded, he had witnessed what was declared the impossible. Then how can those two do it with ease?