After her duel with Nellin, Claire was completely defeated and asked Nellin to take her as a disciple.
She pleaded for guidance to become stronger.
In response, Nellin gave her a condition.
They were looking for a very intelligent and human-friendly slime.
She had to find that slime.
However, Claire hated monsters.
She despised them.
Because monsters had attacked her village and taken her loved ones away.
They stole her friends, her neighbors, and her parents.
Claire, the sole survivor of the village, looked at the remains of the villagers scattered on the ground and was consumed by a desire for revenge.
Later, protected by adventurers who arrived too late, she ended up in an orphanage in the city.
There, she pursued strength to take her revenge.
She would visit the Adventurer’s Guild every day, grabbing adventurers and begging them to make her stronger, saying she’d do anything.
One day, a martial artist who took pity on her taught her how to fight, and for years, she devoted herself to training.
Since the day she became an adventurer, Claire had taken down monster after monster with her fists and feet, rising quickly to become a C-rank adventurer on her own.
Even after reaching C-rank, her desire for strength never waned.
Her yearning to become stronger so she could kill more monsters remained as fierce as ever.
Even now, if she closed her eyes, she could vividly picture the tragic scene of her village.
That was why Claire was bewildered when she heard Nellin’s words.
She wanted to kill monsters, yet the person she sought guidance from wanted her to find a slime.
And not just any slime—an intelligent, human-friendly slime.
A monster she hated!
But Claire’s hesitation didn’t last long.
After all, it was just a slime!
A slime was too weak to even be considered a proper target on her path to strength.
The monsters she despised were strong, brutal, and caused harm to humans.
Claire thought to herself.
A slime didn’t even qualify as one of the "monsters" she hated.
Her burning desire to grow stronger and defeat those she hated convinced her to compromise.
And so, Claire asked Nellin.
If she found that slime, would Nellin teach her how to become stronger?
Without much expectation, Nellin replied.
“Sure. If you manage to find that slime, I’ll help you become stronger.”
“It’s a promise… okay!”
Thus began Claire’s search for the slime.
First, she headed to the place where she thought the most information would be gathered—the Adventurer’s Guild.
She decided to gather information there.
“Do you know where I can find an intelligent slime?”
“Huh? Um... are you perhaps looking for the slime that Godrick’s party is searching for?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m sorry. Unfortunately, we haven’t received any information about an intelligent slime yet.”
“I see.”
'What should I do... I’ll try asking others.'
After a moment of thought, Claire decided to ask not only the guild receptionist but also other adventurers if they knew where an intelligent slime might be.
Of course, no one gave her a clear answer.
Most adventurers looked confused and thought Claire was strange for asking such a weird question.
'No one knows...'
Unable to find any useful information at the Tartan Adventurer’s Guild, Claire decided to stop searching there.
'I’ll ask somewhere else.'
If no one here knew, she would just go elsewhere and ask.
Claire was a girl full of initiative.
Leaving Tartan, she traveled from town to town asking if anyone knew about an intelligent slime.
But she had no notable success.
The only lead was a rumor about a strange village that raised slimes.
However, when she heard about that village, Claire thought the slime she was looking for wouldn’t be there.
'They must have already visited that village.'
It was said to be such a unique and famous village that she assumed the party traveling with the elf she wanted to learn from had already been there.
'Didn’t find it again.'
Though the lack of progress was frustrating, Claire had no intention of giving up.
Her desire for strength wasn’t something that would be abandoned so easily.
The elf, Nellin, possessed strength that Claire felt she could never match.
She was convinced that learning from Nellin would allow her to achieve her goal.
While burning with determination, Claire suddenly realized something.
'I haven’t taken any requests recently.'
She had been so focused on finding the intelligent slime that she hadn’t done her usual guild requests.
Thanks to the prize money she earned from the Colosseum, she didn’t need to take any requests for now—or even for several months.
But for Claire, requests weren’t just a way to make a living.
They were a vital part of her quest for revenge.
Though she was searching for a slime to receive training, that didn’t mean she could stop hunting monsters.
Claire immediately headed to the guild.
She checked the request board and tore off a C-rank monster elimination request, bringing it to the counter.
“I want to take this.”
“You want to take the Howling Fox extermination request, correct? May I see your identification tag, please?”
“Here.”
Claire handed over her identification tag, and the receptionist verified it.
'So this is the girl they call the "Frost Fist." She looks even younger than I expected.'
As long as her rank matched the request, she could take it.
Looking at Claire, who seemed to be only about sixteen, the receptionist thought of her own daughter.
That was why she didn’t stop Claire but offered her some advice.
“Verified. Miss Claire, please be aware that the forest near this town is known as the Lightning Strike Forest.”
“Lightning Strike Forest?”
“While it is mostly inhabited by C-rank monsters, B-rank monsters are also known to dwell there. You could encounter a B-rank monster while hunting C-rank ones, so please be careful.”
“Got it.”
Claire nodded as she listened to the receptionist’s advice but wasn’t particularly nervous.
She believed she knew her own strength well.
She could already handle C-rank monsters without much difficulty.
Even if a B-rank monster appeared, she believed she could take it on or run away if needed.
Claire thought it was perfectly fine to retreat if it meant she could kill more monsters later.
As soon as her request was processed, Claire headed straight to the Lightning Strike Forest.
Howling Foxes.
They resembled foxes and were known for their distinctive howls, attacking in packs.
Their typical tactic was to surround their prey and unleash sonic waves from their mouths.
The Howling Foxes' sonic waves were infused with magic, giving them considerable physical force.
Individually, each one was about D-rank, but because they always moved in packs, they were classified as C-rank.
Since Claire had hunted Howling Foxes before, she aimed to eliminate them quickly.
Bam! Smack! Crack!
Screech!
Screech!
Less than twenty minutes after entering the Lightning Strike Forest, Claire encountered a pack of seven Howling Foxes and engaged them in battle.
Before the Howling Foxes could launch a group attack, Claire rushed in and struck them down one by one with her fists.
Howwwl~
But perhaps because there were more than she expected, Claire wasn’t able to stop one of the Howling Foxes from howling to summon reinforcements.
“Hmph!”
Smack!
Screech!
She hurriedly smashed the monster’s forehead with a downward strike, but its howl had already spread far, summoning its companions.
Thud!
Realizing that staying put would only attract more Howling Foxes, Claire quickly left the area without even collecting trophies to confirm her kills.
She ran through the forest, trying to get as far away as possible.
But soon, Claire heard the sound of something tracking her.
'Strange. It’s fast.'
This wasn’t her first time hunting Howling Foxes.
Even if something had come right away after hearing the howl, it was odd to hear pursuit this quickly.
Whoosh!
Graaah!
And as if to answer her suspicion, it wasn’t a Howling Fox that burst from the bushes to attack Claire.
'Gluttony Bear!'
A greedy bear with an insatiable appetite, known for stealing other monsters’ prey.
Heavier than a normal bear but incredibly agile, it delivered powerful strikes, earning it a B-rank designation.
Since Gluttony Bears were notorious for stealing prey, this one had heard the Howling Fox’s howl and immediately started tracking Claire.
The Gluttony Bear swung its front paw at her.
Slash!
“Ugh!”
Caught off guard, Claire tried to dodge by pushing off the ground, but the bear’s claws grazed her shoulder.
Blood dripped from a fresh wound on her pale skin.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a serious injury.
'This is nothing.'
Claire widened the distance between them and faced off against the Gluttony Bear.
The bear was full of determination, unwilling to let its prey escape.
'If I try to run, it’ll just keep chasing me. And more Howling Foxes could catch up too. I have to finish this fast.'
Channeling magic through her entire body, Claire aimed to take down the Gluttony Bear quickly.
Though she had been easily read and blocked by Nellin...
Thud!
Smash!
Graaah!
The Gluttony Bear couldn’t match Claire’s full-speed assault.
But this was a B-rank monster.
No matter how hard she hit, it wasn’t going down with a single punch.
Staggering, the Gluttony Bear retaliated with a swipe of its paw.
Claire effortlessly dodged its attacks and unleashed a flurry of punches, gradually wearing down the beast’s stamina.
Even with her injured shoulder, Claire’s use of circulating magic ensured she wouldn’t lose to the Gluttony Bear.
That is—if it had remained a one-on-one fight.
Graaah!
‘…!’
Just as she was about to deliver the finishing blow, another Gluttony Bear ambushed her.
'Not falling for it twice.'
This time, Claire dodged the second bear’s sudden attack and created some distance.
Now there were two Gluttony Bears.
Claire figured she could handle it since one was already badly injured.
That’s when it happened.
Screech!
Screech!
A pack of Howling Foxes, following the sound, caught up to Claire.
***
“Huff, huff, huff…”
Claire slumped against a tree, out of breath.
There had been no time to rest between battles.
The moment the Howling Fox pack joined the fight, the balance had tipped.
She had missed the chance to finish off the injured Gluttony Bear, and when she tried to escape, the relentless pursuit only attracted more Howling Foxes.
Even when she used magic to take them down one by one, every time she went to strike the last one, another Gluttony Bear would interfere.
While dealing with the Gluttony Bear, the Howling Foxes would call for reinforcements, and soon another Gluttony Bear arrived, drawn by the howls.
Claire’s stamina steadily declined, and her accumulated fatigue finally allowed the monsters to land some hits.
'No…'
Panting heavily, Claire looked at the monsters approaching her.
They were closing in on a worn-out prey.
'I can’t die here. I need to get stronger… I need to kill those monsters…'
She wanted to get up and run to survive, but her body wouldn’t move.
At this desperate moment—
Boing!
Claire witnessed an unbelievable sight.
Smash!
Screech!
Screech!
Out of nowhere, a light green slime flew in and tackled one of the Howling Foxes.
The slime’s body slam sent the fox flying with incredible force, and the nearby foxes were caught in the impact, crashing into trees.
Screeech!