"What happened?!"
I followed Roche-san behind the carriages to the butchering area, which was in a state of total uproar.
"What’s going on? Any injuries?"
"We started bleeding the catch, and the blood in the bucket suddenly started thrashing about," one of the boys explained. "Gave everyone a fright, but no one’s hurt. What the hell is this? Did an animal fall in or something?"
"Ah, that was where I’d placed my slime... That’s strange. Is something wrong?"
I could sense an aura of panic radiating from the Bloody Slime. There was no sign of any external threat, but it was clearly distressed.
"Gazel-kun! Which one did you just start bleeding?"
"Prey? Oh, that one on the very end."
"Appraisal!"
I immediately examined the hanging carcass.
Grass Rat Carcass: A herbivorous rodent widely found in areas with dense vegetation, such as plains. The meat is fresh but tainted with poison. If ingested orally, the poison is generally harmless unless there are open wounds in the mouth. Edible, but not recommended.
"Just as I thought. There’s poison in here."
"Poison!?"
"We didn't use anything like that!" Gazel-kun's companion protested.
My Appraisal was definitive, but I doubted they were lying about not using poison themselves. That meant the source had to be elsewhere... There it was.
"Look at this."
Hidden beneath the blood and fur on the inside of the front leg were two small, puncture-like holes.
"It’s a snake bite. This rat must have been attacked by a venomous snake before you caught it."
It had likely managed to limp back to its burrow to die, only to be caught when the boys went hunting. The venom had remained in its bloodstream, and when they started the bleeding process, the toxin flowed right into the bucket with my slime.
The slime was probably thrashing in an attempt to avoid the tainted blood. But then—
"Oh? It’s settling down."
"...It looks like the Bloody Slime absorbed the poison along with the blood."
"Is it going to be okay!? Do you have medicine or something?"
Based on the region and the fact that the venom was harmless if swallowed, it was likely a Bush Snake. I had an antidote, but it was a human-grade oral medicine—not something designed to be administered directly into the bloodstream. My first priority was to dilute the toxin as much as possible.
I retrieved the other Bloody Slimes from their respective buckets to gather more blood.
"There were seven more Grass Rats, right? I’m sorry to ask, but could you check those seven as well? If they aren't poisoned, could I have their blood? This is outside the scope of the training, so I’ll pay you for it."
"The trouble started because of our mistake, so we don't need your money. Right, guys?"
"Y-Yeah. Take as much blood as you need."
"We were just going to toss it anyway."
"Definitely."
"Thank you!"
I quickly verified the other seven rats were clean and poured their blood into the bucket.
"I hope this dilutes the toxin enough... Even if it doesn't, the Bloody Slime can still derive nutrition from it."
The slime was clearly suffering, but the situation didn't seem critical yet. Bush Snake venom is relatively weak, and Bloody Slimes possess a natural Poison Resistance. While not as high as a Poison Slime's, they can withstand a certain amount. I decided to wait and see while providing more blood and dilution. Giving a slime a medicine I’d never tested on its species would be a last resort.
"I’ll let it rest here for a while. Thank you, Gazel-kun."
"Don't thank us; we barely did anything."
"Just providing the blood was a massive help. The situation with the slime was partly due to my own lack of oversight, so please don't let it weigh on you. That goes for the rest of you, too."
The three companions nodded, though they still looked incredibly awkward. Roche-san stepped behind them and gave them each a light slap on the back.
"It might be hard not to worry, but moping won't change the facts. Don't just end this by feeling sorry for yourselves; reflect on what happened and figure out how to do better next time. Ryoma, that works for you, right?"
"Yes. Exactly."
In this case, the poison was mostly harmless if eaten, but they could have easily consumed the meat without noticing. If it had been a toxin that remained lethal even when ingested, they would have been in serious trouble. In the worst-case scenario, it could have been fatal.
"Listen up. People start making mistakes once they get comfortable with a job. For an adventurer, that complacency can lead to a fatal error. Take this as a lesson to stay sharp, even during the hunts you’re best at."
"Yes, sir!" the boys shouted in unison.
"Then get back to work. Ryoma, I don't know the first thing about treating slimes, but if there’s anything I can do, just say the word. I’ll help however I can."
"Us too!" Gazel-kun and the others added.
I thanked them and promised to let them know if I needed anything.
Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen...
"Ah, is it time for the shift change?"
"Yeah."
"Good work. I'll take over from here."
I’d been carrying out my duties while keeping the jar with the Bloody Slime close by. As my relief arrived, the other instructors gathered around.
"I heard your slime drank some poison. How is it?"
"It’s settled down quite a bit, fortunately."
During my watch, the instructors and students who knew the situation had been flexible, allowing me to care for the slime. I’d used my "patrols" as an excuse to hunt small prey nearby and feed the fresh blood to the Bloody Slime. Thanks to that, it seemed the slime had passed the crisis point. It was still weak, but it was no longer thrashing in pain. Its recovery was faster than I’d anticipated.
"That’s a relief."
"Yes, it’s all thanks to everyone’s help."
"Still, Ryoma-kun, you really do bring slimes everywhere with you."
I tilted my head, wondering what he meant. His tone didn't suggest he was mocking me for using weak monsters.
"Don't tell me you don't know what people call you?"
"If you mention 'the adventurer with slimes' in Gimul these days, just about everyone knows it's you," another added.
"...Really?"
"I'd say you're pretty famous for tearing things up in the abandoned mines and opening that unique shop."
"Not many people know your face or name yet, though. Even I didn't realize it was you at first. If I’d seen the slimes during the initial assembly, I would have known instantly."
I see... I’d become that well-known in the city without even realizing it. It was a bit embarrassing, so I kept the rest of the conversation short and headed off to get some rest.
"We still have work tomorrow. Well, today, I suppose."
"Rest up, kid."
"Good night."
I returned to the base, but I was so preoccupied with the Bloody Slime’s condition that I couldn't feel sleepy at all. Its state was stable, so there was no cause for alarm, but... thinking back, it had been a very long time since any slime of mine besides a Poison Slime had consumed venom.
In the past, I’d fed slimes poisonous herbs for evolution experiments, but I’d learned to choose individuals that naturally preferred them, which made the process safe. Since discovering that, I hadn't intentionally exposed a slime to poison—if my memory served me correctly.
"...Monster Appraisal."
On a whim, I used the skill on one of the Bloody Slimes that had absorbed the venom.
Bloody Slime Skills: Blood Sucking Lv5, Deodorization Lv3, Disease Resistance Lv3, Poison Resistance Lv2, Feigned Death Lv10, Digestion Lv2, Absorption Lv4, Division Lv1.
...Its Blood Sucking and Poison Resistance levels had both gone up by one.
Blood Sucking was the natural result of its diet, but Poison Resistance... I hadn't given it anything toxic until now. Disease Resistance hadn't changed, but since that level was already high, it was hard to tell. Had something been in the blood I’d fed it? No, that was impossible. I’d only ever given them blood from my own hunts or from Sieg’s butcher shop. That meant the Poison Resistance level had risen specifically because of this incident.
It had stabilized its condition and raised its resistance level...
"...Did it overcome the toxin in that short of a time?"
Poison Resistance is exactly what it sounds like—a physical resistance to toxins. It isn't a technique like swordsmanship; it's a physiological trait, much like Disease Resistance, built through innate constitution or experience. It seemed linked to immune function. If so, was Poison Resistance essentially the presence of antibodies?
But even so, it shouldn't be possible to develop them overnight... unless it was because it was a slime.
The Creator God, Gain, had told me that he’d given the primordial slime the traits of extreme adaptability and reproductive power. The chances of that information being wrong were slim to none. If that adaptability was also present in the Bloody Slime, it may have adapted specifically to survive the poison within a single night. I had no hard evidence, but...
"Blood, diluted poison, antibodies... If this works the way I think it does, I might be able to create an antiserum..."
It was a sudden realization. If I investigated, I might be able to confirm the presence of antibodies.
"I’m going to take a little bit of your body."
I extracted a small sample from the Bloody Slime that had consumed the poison. Much like the way slimes produce acid, poison fluid, or deodorizing fluid, I was able to collect the Bloody Slime’s "blood." Ordinary slimes leave nothing behind when they die, but as they evolve into high-tier species, their nature seems to grow closer to the substances they consume.
I set that thought aside for later. Right now, I needed the serum. Since serum is a component of blood, I used alchemy to perform a separation. I could have waited for it to separate naturally, but I wanted the results immediately.
"Appraisal!"
I focused on the orange liquid remaining in the container.
Serum: A serum extracted from Bloody Slime fluids via alchemy. Contains antibodies against Bush Snake venom.
I felt a surge of excitement. This was proof.
While the theory of their adaptability was still speculative, the existence of antibodies in the serum was a fact. There was already an antidote for Bush Snake venom, but not every poison has one. "Snake venom" is a broad term; its components vary by species and even the age of the snake. There are countless toxins recognized by the guild for which no known cure exists.
I didn't know yet if this serum could be safely administered to humans as an antivenom. However, on Earth, horses were injected with antigens to produce serum for medical treatments. The possibility was there. Best of all, this serum cost almost nothing to produce.
I needed to think about preservation methods for emergencies, but depending on the toxin, I could potentially produce the antivenom on the spot if I had the right antibodies prepared. As my population of Bloody Slimes grew, mass production would become feasible. It was a capability I definitely wanted to have in reserve.
However, while I had utilized Earth’s knowledge many times, the invention of serum was a massive milestone in medical history. This was significant enough that I had to be extremely cautious.
I decided that, for now, I would research the serum in secret.