Chapter 6: The Affinity
When the sun was already high in the sky, Eren Vale stepped out from the shadow of the twisted tree that marked the symbolic limit of the safe zone and onto the beaten trail that wound into unpatrolled territory.
The air smelled damp, heavy with crushed grass and soil churned by recent rain. Mud dried in uneven plates, cracking under his worn boots. He walked with calm, heavy steps, his body complaining in every joint. The marks from the beatings still throbbed, but they didn’t make him hesitate.
Semi-wild zone. Unregulated. Unmonitored. Medium risk. Best cost-benefit for unofficial missions.
He thought like that, calculating. It made sense to start with tasks untracked by the official guild. Nothing registered, less bureaucracy, direct profit. Short missions that paid in local coin, barter, or even items.
Behind him, the slime-girl followed with curious steps. She swung her wide, translucent hips in a sway that seemed unlearned, just something that had appeared with the remodeled body. Her enormous, see-through breasts bounced with every movement, glinting under the dappled light from the trees.
Eren noticed she didn’t seem to have any shame about her gelatinous nudity, which made even small animals hide in the bushes, uncertain of what they were seeing.
She wore a goofy smile on her face and walked almost glued to his back.
"Slime," he called without turning.
She gave a little excited hop.
"Yes, Master?"
"Back off a bit. The noise you make when you walk messes with my thoughts."
She blushed—or rather, turned a darker green, her transparency tinged slightly—and mumbled an apology as she took two steps back. Even then, he could hear the wet sound she made when she moved.