The Slime Doesn't Die from Mana Transfer

“Push harder!”

“Yes, just like that! Hold your breath and push!”

“Wait—don’t just strain with your backside!”

Inside the cramped inn room.

Rozelite clenched her fists, bit down on her teeth, and turned red in the face from holding her breath.

Her slim body trembled, taut as if something was about to burst out…

But nothing happened.

In the end, exhausted and utterly spent, the girl collapsed onto the bed again. Russell could only sigh helplessly.

It really wasn’t going to work.

Though 【Insatiable】 and 【Symbiosis】 had forcibly given Rozelite the skill 【Mana Enhancement】, without mana she couldn’t activate it no matter how hard she tried. It was like updating a computer endlessly but never plugging it into power—the screen would never light up.

“Give me control of the body,” Russell said.

Rozelite didn’t reply. She just lay on the bed, panting heavily, too drained to lift even a finger.

Russell hadn’t expected an answer anyway. He simply seized control of her body.

【Mana Enhancement Lv.2】

The skill activated. Mana immediately began draining, and the body grew stronger—

Or rather, his body.

Only Russell felt the enhancement.

The effect of 【Mana Enhancement】 wasn’t shared with Rozelite through 【Symbiosis】. Thinking back, it made sense—whenever he had used skills while controlling Rozelite’s body, only his mana was consumed. This time was no different. There was no reason she would be enhanced as well.

…Or maybe there was.

Another explanation occurred to him: skill level.

When 【Symbiosis】 had been only Lv.3, it couldn’t share the effect of 【Insatiable】. But after reaching Lv.4, it could. By the same logic, since the skill was literally called 【Symbiosis】, perhaps at a higher level, 【Mana Enhancement】 could also apply to Rozelite.

And more than that—

What if he could share his mana directly with her?

Russell believed it should be possible.

Whether Rozelite had talent or not didn’t matter.

If he used 【Insatiable】 to forcibly feed her skills, and then used 【Symbiosis】 to share his mana, wouldn’t that allow her to wield them even without having any mana of her own?

But first, he’d have to raise 【Symbiosis】 to Lv.5… no, probably Lv.6.

“Mr. Slime…”

Russell was lost in thought when Rozelite’s voice called out softly.

Through the eyeball at the tip of his tentacle, he looked at her—only to see her eyes brimming with tears, ready to spill.

“Mr. Slime… am I really just a fool?”

Her voice wavered, choking.

“…Maybe. But that doesn’t matter in the slightest.”

A tentacle brushed away her tears.

“Rozelite, ever since we left the labyrinth, I’ve been thinking about something. Do you know what it means to be human?”

“Eh?”

Rozelite blinked in confusion, giving him a strange look.

“I believe being human means living according to one’s will—choosing the path you want for yourself.”

Russell didn’t mind her puzzled gaze. He continued.

“I once heard it said that the main quest of human life is simply to find enough food each day to fill the belly. Everything beyond that is just a side quest.”

“So, humans can choose their road freely. Even if you can’t graduate from the Academy because you’ll never master magic—so what? You can do other things you enjoy. The world is vast, so vast you couldn’t see all its wonders in a lifetime. Why let a single setback decide your fate?”

“So hold your head high. Your journey’s only just begun—it’s far too soon to give up.”

As he spoke, a tentacle rubbed her head gently.

Perhaps his words truly struck her.

Rozelite drew a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and nodded firmly.

“You’re right, Mr. Slime. I won’t give up!”

“That’s better… that’s the way.”

Russell said with satisfaction—when suddenly, inspiration struck him.

“Wait! You should try the one-handed sword! You studied it seriously before, didn’t you? Try it again—maybe things will be different now!”

【One-Handed Sword Mastery】

This was a genuine skill Rozelite had earned through her own effort. It required no mana, a permanent passive skill.

But thanks to 【Symbiosis】, it had been forcibly leveled up once.

Russell was curious.

Normally, a skill like this only advanced through constant training and deeper understanding. So if Rozelite’s had been artificially boosted, what would happen? Would it be hollow, or would her strength truly improve?

Russell’s gut told him it was the latter.

“Hurry, Rozelite!”

“Show me your swordsmanship!”

He urged eagerly.

“…”

Rozelite stood still, staring blankly.

She glanced down at her empty hands.

“But… I don’t have a sword.”

“…No sword?”

Russell froze. His eye rolled around the room, finally landing on a broom in the corner.

“How about this?”

He used a tentacle to hand it to her.

Rozelite’s face darkened visibly.

“Mr. Slime, what you just did insulted thousands of years of swordsmanship history. I sincerely hope you—”

“Don’t make it so dramatic! Just try it first!”

After much coaxing, Rozelite reluctantly imagined the broom as a sword and began moving through the forms she had been taught.

And surprisingly… Even though it was only a broom, in her hands it looked like a real sword.

【One-Handed Sword Mastery】 did have some substance after all.

“Hyaa!”

With a sharp cry, Rozelite pivoted, balancing on one foot as she thrust.

Thud—!

The wooden bath tub burst open.

Water, still left from her bath, poured across the floor in a flood.

“…”

“…”

Russell wordlessly cleaned up the mess.

(For the record, he didn’t drink it—he just mopped it with a towel.)

“It’s just the feel of it,” Rozelite muttered, face flushed.

“A broom feels nothing like a real sword… not even like the wooden practice swords. That’s why I…”

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

Russell nodded knowingly.

“Which is why—we should buy you a real sword.”

“Eh?”