Ren and Akio stood in front of the mission board at the hunter guild, scanning the list of available jobs. They had only just become D-rank hunters the previous day, but they were eager to take on their first mission. Their eyes settled on a rather simple-looking job: a quest to kill 100 slimes and bring their bodies back to the guild as proof. The reward was modest—5 copper coins—but for their first task, it was perfect.
"Slimes?" Akio asked, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds...easy."
Ren shrugged. "A job's a job. Let's get it done."
After accepting the mission from the receptionist, the two set off toward the nearby forest where slimes were said to be plentiful. As they walked, Akio couldn't help but feel excited. This would be their first real mission as hunters, and although it wasn't exactly glamorous, it was a start.
The forest was dense with towering trees and thick underbrush, the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind filling the air. Ren led the way, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana, while Akio followed close behind, his hands ready to summon fire at a moment's notice.
It didn't take long before they encountered their first slime—a small, gelatinous creature with a translucent body that quivered as it moved. The slime was only about the size of a dog, but its unpredictable movements made it seem more menacing than it should have been.
Ren drew his katana and slashed at the slime with precision, but to his surprise, the creature dodged his attack, sliding across the ground in a quick, fluid motion.
"What the—?" Ren muttered, annoyed that such a weak creature could evade him so easily. He swung again, but the slime dodged once more, this time leaping back with surprising agility.
"These things are faster than they look," Akio said, summoning a *Flame Bullet* in his palm. "Let me try."
With a quick motion, Akio fired the *Flame Bullet* at the slime. The fiery projectile struck the creature dead-on, and with a hiss, the slime dissolved into a pile of melted goo. Akio smirked, satisfied with his accuracy.
Ren watched the scene, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "I need a ranged attack," he said, almost to himself. "If I'm going to keep up with you, I can't rely on just close-range fighting."
Akio glanced over at him. "You'll figure it out. For now, let's focus on killing these slimes."
The hunt continued, and for hours, the two of them scoured the forest, searching for more slimes. They quickly learned that while slimes weren't particularly strong, they were annoyingly evasive. Every time Ren tried to slash one, it would dodge his attacks, forcing Akio to use his fire magic to finish the job.
By the time the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky, they had killed 87 slimes, but the constant chase was beginning to wear on them.
"This is getting frustrating," Akio said, wiping sweat from his brow. "They're weak, but they just keep slipping away."
Ren didn't respond. He was deep in thought, considering how he could adapt his fighting style. As they walked, his eyes fell on a small pebble lying on the ground. An idea sparked in his mind.
Bending down, Ren picked up the pebble and held it in his hand, focusing his lightning magic into it. The stone began to hum with energy, crackling with a faint blue glow. Without saying a word, Ren hurled the pebble at a nearby slime.
The pebble shot through the air with the speed of a lightning bolt, piercing straight through the slime's body. The creature gave a final quiver before collapsing into a lifeless puddle of goo.
Ren smirked, pleased with himself. "That'll do."
Akio blinked in surprise. "Did you just...throw a pebble and kill it?"
"Looks like I found my ranged attack," Ren said with a grin. "Lightning-charged projectiles. It's not as flashy as your fire magic, but it gets the job done."
Akio chuckled. "Not bad. We might just finish this job after all."
With Ren's newfound ability, the remaining slimes were much easier to deal with. Ren would pick up small stones or sticks from the ground, charging them with lightning before throwing them with pinpoint accuracy. Meanwhile, Akio continued using his *Flame Bullets* to take out slimes from a distance.
After another hour of relentless hunting, they finally reached their goal. The 100th slime was killed, and the forest fell silent once more. Ren and Akio gathered the bodies—or what was left of them—into sacks, ready to bring back to the guild as proof of their success.
As they walked back to town, exhausted but satisfied, Akio looked over at Ren. "That was tougher than I expected."
"Yeah," Ren agreed, wiping some sweat from his forehead. "But we did it. First mission complete."
When they arrived at the hunter guild, the receptionist greeted them with a nod. "Did you finish the job?"
Ren and Akio dropped the sacks of slime remains on the counter. "All 100 of them," Ren said.
The receptionist raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on the slime remains' gooey appearance. After a quick inspection, she nodded approvingly. "Good work. Here's your reward—5 copper coins."
She handed them the coins, and while it wasn't a fortune, it felt like a significant achievement for their first mission. They had proven themselves capable hunters, and more importantly, they had learned valuable lessons in combat.
As they left the guild, Akio pocketed his share of the reward and looked over at Ren. "So, what's next?"
Ren smirked. "Next? We keep getting stronger. This was just the beginning."