The guild hall buzzed with evening activity as Kelsa led the party to Master Torven's office to report the contract completion. Arin followed, his core still processing everything that had happened over the past two days. He'd officially become an adventurer, proven himself in combat, and earned his first payment.

  Master Torven looked up from his desk as they entered, his expression neutral. "Back already? The escort contract?"

  "Completed successfully," Kelsa reported. "Wolves on the first day, handled easily enough. Bandits on the return trip, six of them led by a Level 7 fighter. Three dead, three escaped including the leader. Merchant's safe, cargo's delivered, no casualties on our side."

  Torven made notes in a large ledger. "The bandit encounter is concerning but not unexpected, given recent reports. I'll pass the information to Captain Thorne. As for your party's performance?" His eyes flickered to Arin. "Any issues with the probationary member?"

  "None," Kelsa said firmly. "Arin performed exceptionally. Saved Essa's life during the bandit fight by spotting and eliminating their rogue before he could strike. He follows orders, works well with the team, and shows good tactical instincts."

  "High praise from you, Kelsa." Torven wrote something else in the ledger, then pulled out Arin's membership document and added a note to it. "I'm officially marking his probationary period as successful. Full Bronze rank member as of now, with all standard privileges and responsibilities."

  Relief washed through Arin's core, surprising him with its intensity. He hadn't realized how much the probationary status had weighed on him until it was lifted.

  T H A N K Y U S I R

  "Don't thank me. Thank your party for vouching for you." Torven closed the ledger with a heavy thump. "Now, about your next contract. The goblin raid situation has escalated. Four more farms hit in the past three days, and witnesses report the attacks are becoming more organized. The guild is assembling multiple Bronze rank parties to deal with it. Are you interested?"

  Kelsa glanced at her party members. Torvin and Essa both nodded. "What's the payout?"

  "Thirty gold split among participating parties, weighted by contribution. Minimum four parties, possibly more. The operation begins at dawn three days from now, which gives everyone time to prepare and rest."

  "We're in," Kelsa decided. "Put our party down for it."

  After leaving Torven's office, the party split up with plans to meet the next evening. Essa headed toward the temple district to report to her order. Torvin went to find a blacksmith to repair some damage to his armor. Kelsa pulled Arin aside before departing.

  "You did well today," she said quietly. "Really well. I know joining the party was a risk for you, and I'm glad it worked out." She paused. "Take tomorrow to rest and handle personal business. We'll take on some smaller contracts the day after, nothing major, just keeping our edge sharp before the goblin operation."

  W I L B E T H E R E

  "Good. See you tomorrow evening at the hall. Six o'clock, same table."

  Arin flowed back toward Baker Street as evening deepened into night. The streets were quieter now, with most people settling into their homes for dinner and rest. Lanterns cast warm light from windows, and the smell of cooking food filled the air. It reminded him of the woodcutter camp, that sense of community and belonging he'd found there.

  When he reached Marta's house, he found the woodcutters gathered around the kitchen table for a late meal. They looked up as he entered, and Jorin's face lit up immediately.

  "Arin! You're back!" The boy jumped up from his seat. "How was your first contract? Tell us everything!"

  Arin settled onto the floor and began forming letters, describing the wolf encounter and the bandit fight as best he could. The woodcutters listened with genuine interest, asking questions and marveling at the details. When he mentioned saving Essa's life, Gareth nodded approvingly.

  "Protecting your party members is what matters most," the older man said. "Sounds like you're fitting in well with them."

  Y E S T H E Y A R E G O O D P E O P L E

  "Just like us," Mira piped up from where she sat with her leg still elevated. "We're good people too, right Arin?"

  Y E S T H E B E S T

  The girl beamed at him, and Arin felt that warmth in his core again. These people, both the party and the woodcutters, had given him something precious beyond measure. They'd given him purpose and community, reasons to keep growing stronger beyond just survival.

  The next morning, Arin woke early and made his way through Greengate's streets. He had a full day before meeting with the party again, and he wanted to use it productively. His first stop was a shop he'd noticed during his initial exploration of town, a store with a sign showing an open book.

  The shopkeeper, an elderly half-elf woman with spectacles perched on her nose, looked up from her work as Arin entered. Her eyes widened slightly at seeing a slime in her shop, but she didn't flee or call for guards.

  "Can I help you?" she asked cautiously.

  Arin flowed to a clear section of floor and formed letters.

  N E E D M O R E R E A D I N G B O O K S

  "You can read?" The woman's surprise was evident. "Well, that's... unusual. What level are you at?"

  B A S I C W O R D S S I M P L E S E N T E N C E S

  The shopkeeper studied him for a moment, then moved to a shelf and pulled down several thin volumes. "These are children's primers, more advanced than the basic alphabet books. They have simple stories with illustrations that might help. And this one," she pulled down another book, "is a collection of folk tales written in straightforward language. Nothing too complex, but good for building vocabulary."

  Arin examined the books carefully, wishing he could flip through pages like a human. Instead, he had to ask the woman to show him samples from each volume. The folk tales book looked particularly promising with its clear text and interesting stories.

  H O W M U C H

  "The primers are two silver each, the folk tales book is five silver." She paused. "Can you... handle coins without dissolving them?"

  C A N H O L D I N S I D E M E W I T H O U T T O U C H I N G

  "Fascinating." The woman watched as Arin carefully extracted coins from his mass where he'd been storing his payment from the contract. "I'll give you all three books for eight silver. Consider it an investment in literacy."

  The transaction completed, Arin carefully absorbed the books into his gelatinous form, holding them suspended and protected the same way he had the coins. The shopkeeper watched the process with academic interest rather than fear.

  "Come back when you've finished those," she said. "I'd be curious to know what a slime thinks of our folk tales."

  Arin's next stop was less pleasant but necessary. He needed to understand the town better, including the parts that were hostile to him. He flowed toward the east market district, where Brund had warned him the temple folk gathered, keeping to the edges of streets and staying as small and non-threatening as possible.

  The difference was immediately noticeable as he crossed into the temple district. The buildings here were newer and better-maintained than those in other parts of Greengate. The people dressed in cleaner clothes and carried themselves with an air of righteousness that made Arin's core pulse with unease.

  A temple dominated the district, its white stone tower rising above everything else. The symbol of the sun blazed in gold above the main entrance, and Arin could see robed figures moving within. Several people stood on the temple steps, engaged in conversation.

  "It's unnatural," one woman was saying, her voice carrying across the square. "A monster with guild membership. Next, they'll be letting goblins join."

  "The guild master should never have approved it," a man agreed. "Captain Thorne's too lenient. Someone needs to speak to the town council about this abomination."

  Arin stayed hidden in the shadow of a building, listening. The hostility was palpable here, concentrated in a way that made him understand why Brund had warned him away. These weren't just people uncomfortable with something different; these were people who saw his very existence as an affront to their beliefs.

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  A young priest emerged from the temple and approached the gathering. "The order is watching this situation closely," he said. "We've sent word to the regional bishop about the slime. Rest assured, the church will not allow corruption to take root in Greengate."

  Corruption?

  That's what they saw him as, a corrupting influence that needed to be purged. Arin flowed away from the district quietly, having learned what he needed to know. There were forces in town actively working against his presence, and they had the backing of religious authority.

  Good to know where the threats are.

  He made his way back toward safer parts of town.

  Better to be prepared.

  The afternoon found Arin in a different part of Greengate entirely, a rough section near the docks where Brund worked. The dwarf had mentioned being part of "the interesting half" that found Arin's presence fascinating rather than threatening, and Arin was curious about what other people in town might share that perspective.

  The docks were bustling with activity, as workers loaded and unloaded barges that traveled the river, connecting Greengate to larger cities. Arin spotted Brund directing a team as they maneuvered barrels onto a barge.

  The dwarf noticed him and called out a greeting. "Oi! The adventuring slime returns! How'd your first contract go?"

  G O O D S U C C E S F U L

  "Excellent! Told ye you'd do fine." Brund gestured to the other workers, who'd stopped to stare at Arin. "This here's the slime I told ye about. Joined the guild, killed a hobgoblin, now he's a proper adventurer. Any of ye got problems with that?"

  The workers, a mix of humans, half-orcs, and another dwarf, exchanged glances. Finally, one of the half-orcs shrugged. "Guild vouched for him, that's good enough for me. Temple folk can stuff their complaints."

  "Aye, that's the spirit," Brund agreed. "Down here at the docks, we judge folks by their work, not their species. Slime wants to be an adventurer and can do the job? More power to him."

  The casual acceptance from these rough laborers meant more to Arin than they probably realized. These were people who understood hard work and judged others by their actions rather than their appearance, exactly the kind of people Levi had always admired.

  T H A N K Y U F O R U N D R S T A N D I N G

  "Don't mention it. Just keep proving the temple folk wrong, aye? Show them a slime can be worth ten of their pompous priests."

  That evening, Arin returned to Marta's house for dinner time, though he still couldn't eat. Jorin had been waiting for him, eager to continue their reading lessons. They settled in the kitchen with Arin's new books, and the boy's eyes widened when he saw them.

  "You bought more books! That's wonderful!" Jorin opened the folk tales collection and began reading aloud, helping Arin understand more complex sentence structures and vocabulary. The stories were simple but engaging, tales of heroes and magic that reminded Arin of the stories Levi used to tell him during their training sessions.

  "This one's about a slime," Jorin said suddenly, pointing to a story near the back of the book. "Want to hear it?"

  Y E S V E R Y M U C H

  Jorin cleared his throat and began reading. "The Tale of Glimmer the Brave. Long ago, when the world was young and magic flowed like rivers through the land, there lived a…” Jorin paused his reading and smiled before resuming. “A small slime named Glimmer in the depths of a forgotten cave. Unlike other slimes who knew only hunger and instinct, Glimmer was curious about the world beyond the darkness..."

  Jorn read he story told of a slime who befriended a lost child and helped her find her way home, braving dangers and proving that courage came in unexpected forms. By the end, the village that had feared Glimmer came to see him as a hero.

  Jorin closed the book softly, beaming from ear to ear. "That's a good story. Do you think that's what you are? Like Glimmer?"

  Arin considered carefully before forming his response.

  H O P E T O B E L I K E T H A T S O M E D A Y

  "I think you already are," Jorin said with surprising conviction. "You saved Mira. You saved the woodcutters. Now you're saving people as an adventurer. That makes you brave, just like Glimmer."

  The comparison touched something deep in Arin's core. He'd never thought of himself as brave, just as someone trying to survive and honor Levi's memory. But maybe the boy was right, maybe courage was simply doing what needed to be done despite being afraid.

  Part of him wondered how they could have a story about a slime hero. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.

  The next day passed quickly as Arin took on simple errands around Greengate to become more familiar with the town. He helped a shopkeeper move heavy crates, earning a few coppers and more importantly, goodwill. He scouted the forest edge for any goblin activity, finding none but mapping the terrain better in his mind.

  By evening, he was ready to meet the party at the guild hall. When he arrived, he found them already gathered at their usual table with several contract postings spread between them.

  "There he is," Kelsa said. "Perfect timing. We're picking tomorrow's work." She gestured to the postings. "We've got options. There's a wolf den that needs clearing about two hours northeast of town, which pays three gold. We could do the merchant escort quest to one of the nearby farms, which pays two gold. Or there's this one, investigating strange sounds coming from the old mill outside town. Pays four gold, but it's marked as potentially dangerous."

  "What kind of strange sounds?" Essa asked.

  "According to the posting, grinding and scraping noises at night, and something that sounds like crying. Could be squatters, could be monsters, could be nothing. That's why it pays more, the uncertainty."

  T H A T O N E S O U N D S I N T E R E S T I N G

  "The slime votes for the mill," Torvin said with amusement. "Figured ye might. It's the one with the most potential for actual danger."

  "It's also the one that best uses our skills," Kelsa pointed out. "Arin can scout it first with Stealth, we can approach carefully, and if it turns out to be nothing dangerous, we still get paid for investigating. If it is dangerous, well, that's what we're trained for."

  "I'm fine with it," Essa said. "Just promise me if it's ghosts, someone else goes first. I hate ghosts."

  "It won't be ghosts," Kelsa assured her. "Ghosts don't make grinding sounds. That suggests something physical, probably some kind of creature that's moved into the abandoned mill."

  The party agreed on the mill contract and spent the next hour planning their approach. Arin learned more about party tactics and strategy than he had during the entire escort contract, as Kelsa walked them through various scenarios and how they should respond to each one.

  "Remember," she said as they wrapped up the planning session, "we scout first, assess the threat, then decide whether to engage or retreat. No heroics, no unnecessary risks. We're Bronze rank, not invincible."

  When the meeting ended and the party dispersed, Arin found Peck waiting near the guild hall entrance. The young ranger had been one of the first people to welcome him to the guild, and Arin had developed a friendly rapport with him over the past few days.

  "Heard you got approved for full membership," Peck said with a genuine smile. "Congratulations. That's a big achievement, especially given how short your probation was."

  T H A N K Y U H O W A R E Y U R C O N T R A C T S G O I N G

  "Oh, you know. Still Bronze rank, still taking whatever pays. My party's doing a dungeon delve next week, nothing major, just clearing out a small cave system. Should be interesting though, first time we've done anything underground." He paused. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask. What's it like? Being the only slime in the guild? Do you ever feel lonely?"

  The question caught Arin off guard with its directness and empathy. He thought carefully before responding.

  S O M E T I M E S B U T H A V F R E N D S N O W

  "That's good. Friends matter more than anything in this line of work." Peck shifted his bow to his other shoulder. "Listen, if you ever need someone to talk to or just want company on a job, let me know. I know what it's like to feel different and not quite fit in."

  W H Y D O Y U F E L D I F F E R E N T

  Peck laughed, though there was a hint of sadness in it. "Because I'm barely Level 7 and everyone in my family's at least Level 12 by the time they're my age. I'm the weak link, the one who disappoints. My older brother's a Silver rank adventurer, my sister's in the royal guard, and I'm still struggling with Bronze contracts. But hey, at least I'm out here trying, right?"

  That perspective helped Arin understand the ranger better, showing that everyone had their own struggles and insecurities regardless of their appearance or species. Peck wasn't looking at Arin as a curiosity or a monster but as a fellow adventurer facing their own challenges.

  T H A N K Y U F O R S H A R I N G T H A T

  "No problem. See you around, Arin."

  As Arin made his way back to Marta's house through Greengate's evening streets, he reflected on everything that had happened since joining the party. He'd gained full guild membership, earned his first payment, made friends beyond the woodcutters, and learned more about the town's complex social dynamics. Some people accepted him, some feared him, and some actively worked against his presence.

  But he had allies now, people who saw his worth and potential rather than just a monster to be driven away. Kelsa, Torvin, Essa, the woodcutters, Brund, Peck, even the bookshop owner who'd sold him reading materials. Each one represented a small victory against the prejudice and fear that dominated parts of Greengate.

  Tomorrow would bring new challenges with the mill investigation, and in three days the major goblin operation would test him and the party in ways the escort contract hadn't. Beyond that lay countless more contracts, more battles, more opportunities to prove himself and grow stronger.

  All of it led eventually to Vyrdan and the answers he sought about Levi's death. But that was still far in the future, and Arin had learned the value of taking things one step at a time.

  When he reached Marta's house, he found everyone already asleep. He descended to the cellar quietly, settled into his resting spot, and checked his Status one final time before letting sleep claim him.

  [Name: Arin]

  [Species: Adaptive Slime]

  [Level: 9]

  [Mass: 199% of base]

  [Essence: 85/180]

  [Skills:]

  - Charge (Tier 1)

  - Darkvision (Tier 1)

  - Stealth (Tier 1)

  [Abilities:]

  - Absorption (Tier 2)

  - Acidic (Tier 1)

  - Fire Resistance (Tier 1)

  - Ice Resistance (Tier 1)

  - Lightning Resistance (Tier 1)

  - Physical Resistance (Tier 1)

  - Shadow Resistance (Tier 1)

  - Magical Resistance (Tier 1)

  - Slime Control (Tier 1)

  [Skill Points Available: 1]

  While he was only Level 9, that would change with more contracts and experience. He needed four more skill points to unlock a fourth skill slot, or he could save them to upgrade existing skills to Tier 2. The choice would depend on the challenges he faced and the abilities that proved most useful.

  For now, sleep beckoned with the promise of rest and recovery. Tomorrow would bring the mill investigation, and Arin needed to be ready for whatever they might find there.

  The journey would continue, one contract at a time, toward becoming the kind of person Levi had believed he could be.