Primordial Slime: I Devour The World

Morning sunlight spilled through the emerald canopy of the Great Verdant Forest, painting golden patches across the stone streets of the settlement. Tanaka stood on top of the watchtower, looking down at everything below.

Two years and six months. That was how long it had been since he awakened as a nameless slime inside a damp cave. Back then, he had known nothing. Nothing about the world. Nothing about monsters. Nothing about humans. Not even about himself. Now a settlement stood beneath him. Stone roads. Wooden houses. Workshops. Herb gardens. Watchtowers. A training ground.

It was no longer a place where monsters simply gathered together to survive. It was becoming something more. Tanaka smiled. ”This is home.” A small blue shape suddenly bounced against his shoulder.

Boing!

Tanaka turned. The little slime had somehow climbed the watchtower without him noticing. ”You really like surprising me.”

Boing!

Tanaka chuckled and picked it up. ”You’ve gotten stronger.” The little slime puffed itself up proudly. Tanaka could feel the difference immediately. Its mana reserves were greater. Its body was denser. Its movements were faster. It was still a Lesser Slime, but it had grown considerably through constant training. ”You’ve worked hard.” The slime bounced happily. Tanaka smiled before looking over the settlement again.

Yesterday, he had returned from Rosen City. Yesterday, he had celebrated. Yesterday, he had simply enjoyed being home. Today,he had work to do.

_______

After climbing down from the tower, Tanaka walked toward the central building where Eldrin and the other leaders were waiting. The meeting was smaller than usual.

Eldrin.

The Alpha Wolf.

The Rabbit Leader.

The Kobold Leader

Several goblin representatives.

And a few slimes connected to the telepathic network.

Tanaka sat down. Eldrin placed a stack of papers on the table. ”Before we discuss the new tribes...” Tanaka began.”There is something we need to address first.” Eldrin looked at him. ”What?” He asked. ”Our population.” Eldrin blinked. ”Our what?” Tanaka stared at him. ”The number of monsters living here.” ”Oh.” Tanaka leaned back. ”How many are there?” Silence.

Tanaka looked around. Everyone looked at everyone else. He slowly narrowed his eyes. ”You don’t know?” Eldrin coughed. ”We have an estimate.” ”An estimate?” ”Yes.” Tanaka sighed. He had just returned from Rosen City, where he had learned about settlement classification, population, trade, and territory. And somehow, he had returned home without knowing how many people lived in his own settlement. ”Then we’re fixing that.” Tanaka stood.

”Starting today, we’re conducting a proper population count.” The leaders exchanged glances. The Rabbit Leader raised her hand. ”How do we count the slimes?” Tanaka paused. ”That’s...” He looked toward the little slime. The little slime bounced innocently. ”Actually, that’s a good question.” The room became quiet. Tanaka rubbed his forehead. ”This is going to take longer than I thought.”

________

By midday, the entire settlement had turned into organized chaos. Goblins moved from house to house. Rabbits recorded names and numbers. The wolves counted their own packs. The kobolds assisted. Slimes gathered in groups. The moss turtles were counted separately. Tanaka personally checked several areas. He quickly discovered something.

They had grown far more than he realized. New goblin families had arrived. Several rabbit families had been born. The wolf population had increased. The number of slimes had nearly doubled. Even the moss turtles had grown in number after several younger turtles emerged from the deeper forest. Tanaka stared at the records.

”This is...”

Eldrin smiled.

”Our population has grown considerably.”Tanaka slowly nodded. That was good. But it also created a problem. More monsters meant more food. More houses. More tools. More medicine. More territory. More responsibility. He looked at the numbers again. A settlement couldn’t simply continue growing without planning. Otherwise, one day they might run out of space, food, resources.

Or worse...

They might expand into territory belonging to another monster tribe. Tanaka’s expression became serious.

”How large is our territory?” Eldrin hesitated. ”We don’t know exactly.” Tanaka stared at him. ”You’re joking.” ”I’m afraid not.” The Alpha Wolf lowered his head slightly. ”We know where our patrols reach. We know which hunting grounds we control. But we have never properly mapped the entire territory.” Tanaka slowly leaned back.

So that was another problem. He had spent six months learning about territories.Yet his own territory wasn’t properly mapped. He looked toward the rough map Eldrin had shown him the previous evening. Several markings surrounded their settlement. Some were based on wolf patrols. Others came from scouting expeditions. But there were still large sections of the forest that remained blank.

Tanaka tapped one of them. ”What is here?” ”We don’t know.” ”And here?” ”We don’t know.” ”This entire section?” ”We don’t know.” Tanaka sighed. ”Alright.” He stood. ”We’re exploring.”

_________

The first exploration team was formed that afternoon. Tanaka wanted information, not a battle. So he didn’t simply choose the strongest monsters. The Alpha Wolf selected several experienced wolves who knew the forest. The Rabbit Leader selected two rabbits skilled at identifying herbs and plants. Eldrin chose several goblins who could record information and draw maps. A few slimes were included for scouting narrow spaces. Even a moss turtle joined the expedition to carry supplies.

Tanaka looked at the group. ”This isn’t a hunting expedition.” Everyone listened carefully. ”We aren’t going out to conquer anything. We’re going to learn.” He pointed toward the map. ”We need to know where our territory ends. We need to know what resources exist. We need to know which areas are dangerous. And most importantly...” He looked toward the wolves. ”If we encounter another monster tribe, we don’t attack unless they attack first.”

The Alpha Wolf nodded. ”Understood.” Tanaka smiled. ”Good.” He looked at the map again. This was something he had learned in Rosen City. Strength wasn’t enough. A ruler needed information. Without information, even the strongest territory could make stupid decisions.

The meeting was dismissed.

____________

Before the team left, Tanaka decided to walk through the settlement. He wanted to see how everyone was doing. His first stop was the Craft Quarter. The constant ringing of steel filled the air. Goblins worked inside open workshops. Some forged farming tools. Others repaired weapons. Several younger apprentices worked beneath Eldrin’s supervision. ”Not like that.” Eldrin adjusted one apprentice’s grip. ”Guide the blade.” ”Don’t force it.” The apprentice tried again. This time, the cut came out perfectly smooth. Eldrin smiled. ”Good.” Tanaka watched quietly. The goblins weren’t simply working anymore. They were teaching. Knowledge was being passed to the next generation. Eldrin eventually noticed him. ”So you’ve decided to inspect us?” Tanaka shook his head. ”No.” ”I came to admire your work.” The old goblin smiled proudly. ”You gave us purpose.” ”We’re simply making the most of it.” Tanaka nodded. ”Keep doing that.”

___________

Next came the herb gardens. What had once been scattered patches of medicinal plants had become organized terraces. Wooden signs identified each herb. Rabbits carefully watered the plants while younger apprentices copied notes into handmade journals. The Rabbit Leader waved Tanaka over. ”We’ve doubled production.” She proudly showed him several rows of healing herbs. ”These are common medicines.” She pointed toward another enclosed garden. ”And those are the rare ones.” A faint blue flower caught Tanaka’s attention. ”I don’t remember seeing that.” ”We cultivated it ourselves.” Tanaka blinked. ”Cultivated?” She nodded. ”We discovered that planting certain herbs near mana-rich soil changes how they grow.”

His eyes widened. ”That’s interesting.” ”We’re still studying it.” Tanaka smiled. His people weren’t simply surviving anymore. They were experimenting. He had left them with a growing settlement. They had turned it into a place of learning.

_________

Near the training grounds, loud cheers echoed across the district. The Alpha Wolf stood in the center of a clearing. Several young wolves practiced coordinated hunting formations. ”Again!” The Alpha barked. The young wolves spread out. One moved left. Another moved right. A third remained behind. Tanaka recognized the strategy. Encirclement. Rather than attacking individually, they moved as one pack. One pup rushed forward too early. The Alpha gently knocked him onto his back. ”Never chase alone.” ”The pack hunts together.” The young wolf lowered its ears. ”Again!” They restarted. Tanaka smiled. These wolves would become stronger than their parents. Not simply because they had talent. Because they had teachers.

_________

By evening, the exploration team was ready. Tanaka looked over the map one final time. ”We’ll start from the northern border.” The Alpha Wolf nodded. ”Our patrols rarely travel beyond there.” ”Then that’s where we’ll begin.” Tanaka looked around at his people. Six months ago, he had left this place. He had returned to find it stronger. Now he wanted to know exactly what they had built. Not just the settlement. The land around it. The people living inside it. The resources supporting it.

The creatures watching it. Everything. Tanaka folded the map. ”Tomorrow, we explore.” Eldrin smiled. ”And the population records?” Tanaka looked at the mountain of papers sitting on the table. He stared at them for several seconds. Then sighed. ”Finish them.”