Today, as usual, I was watering the trees around the spring.

...It’s not like I’m bored or anything. Nope.

That said... the trees around the spring seem to have grown a bit bigger.

The leaves look fresher too, and the pretty flowers growing near the roots have started blooming vibrantly after I watered them carefully.

I guess this Miracle Spring Water doesn’t just improve metabolism in living beings — it seems to have a great effect on plants too. Amazing.

I really did a good job here (self-praise).

"Piyoooooo———!!!"

A loud cry rang out. While I was sprinkling water on the flowers, I turned toward the source of the sound.

(What’s that?)

Rustle! Flap flap!

"Piyo piyo piyo——!!"

A yellow chick burst out of the bushes, flapping its wings desperately as it ran.

It was crying and tumbling forward with tears streaming down — clearly fleeing for its life.

Right behind it, a brown wolf came chasing after. Just as I thought.

(Ah!)

The wolf swung its left foreleg down and tore deeply into the chick’s side. Blood splattered everywhere.

"Piiiii————!!"

The little chick collapsed right in front of me, scattering blood as it fell.

The wolf approached to claim its prey, then noticed me.

"Grrrrrraaaah!"

Not wanting its kill stolen, the wolf opened its massive jaws and lunged at me.

Too bad for you. This slime isn’t going to lose to some random wolf.

I formed my right arm in my mind and shot out a tentacle like a right straight punch, thrusting it straight into the wolf’s mouth.

"Guboh!"

The wolf let out a pained groan. But since you bared your fangs at me, you’ll have to face the consequences.

I extended the tentacle deeper inside, reaching all the way to its internal organs, then released acidic digestive fluid from the tip.

"GYAAAAAaaaaawwn!!"

The wolf screamed in agony as it was melted from the inside. Too bad — this is what happens when you pick a fight with me.

After that, I wrapped my slime body around the entire wolf and began digesting it.

I don’t actually need to eat, but absorbing and digesting things seems to increase my energy. There’s no numerical display, so I can only tell by feel.

Now that the wolf was taken care of, what should I do about the dying chick in front of me?

The chick was looking at me with round, teary eyes, letting out a very weak "Piyo~~..."

Looking closely, its side had been brutally torn open. At this rate, it would definitely die.

(Hmm... maybe I should try using my slime cells...)

I extended a tentacle again and pressed it against the chick’s wound.

I sent the image of assimilating with its body, and once the wound was filled, I cleanly severed the connection.

The attached slime glowed brightly, and the chick’s wound completely disappeared.

"Pi? Piyo!? Piyoyoooooo——!!"

The chick seemed shocked that its injury had vanished and it was saved.

It flapped its wings wildly and started flying around.

"Piyoyoooooo——!!"

Now full of energy, the chick began clinging to me.

(Uwoah!)

It smacked me with its flapping wings, then started pecking me like crazy with its beak.

"Piyo piyo piyo piyo!!"

(Owowow! Wait, I don’t have pain sensation, so technically it doesn’t hurt! But I’m still getting pecked like crazy!)

Wait... wasn’t this chick smaller before? It looks one size bigger than when it was on the verge of death.

Did I give it too many slime cells?

Still, its joy was off the charts. Actually, it was starting to become a nuisance.

『Hey! That’s enough!』

When I sent the thought like telepathy, the chick flinched and froze.

『Boss!! Thank you so much for saving my life! I am truly honored and overjoyed!』

Whoa! The chick saluted and answered with extreme politeness!

What a weirdly military-style chick. This one seems like it’ll be a handful.

『This life that Boss has saved! From now on, I vow to serve Boss with my life on the line!』

『Ehhh~~~~~, I don’t really need that though.』

『Boss!? N-no way!』

The chick made an incredibly teary-eyed pleading pose, crossing both wings in front of itself with full power.

How is it so dexterous with its wings? The tips almost look like little fists now.

『Fine, fine. Do as you like.』

Even if this chick becomes my subordinate, it’s not like it can do much anyway.

『Boss! Thank you very much!』

This time it knelt on one knee, pressing one wing to the ground and bowing its head.

This chick is way too skilled with its body. Wait, do chicks even have knees?

That was when it happened.

Rustle rustle

A wolf even bigger than the previous one emerged from the forest.

『Hm!』

I turned my body to face the wolf, but—

『Boss, please leave this to me.』

The chick stepped in front of me and struck a dramatic pose.

Wait, weren’t you almost killed by a smaller wolf just moments ago? You had a huge gash in your side, remember?

I thought it was trying to show off because it said it would serve me, but...

The chick began incredible footwork, darting left and right at blinding speed.

The wolf was so intimidated it stopped moving.

"Guooh!?"

The chick leaped into the air and unleashed an ultra-fast barrage of pecks all over the wolf’s body.

"Piyo piyo piyo piyo!"

"GYAAAAAHHH!"

Watching the wolf get its fur mercilessly plucked out, I felt a tiny bit of sympathy.

The now tattered, near-death wolf made one final desperate lunge with its jaws wide open.

"GAWOOOOOH!"

I thought the chick would dodge the charging wolf, but instead it took a firm counter-attacking stance.

"Pyo! Pyo! Pyoooooo——!!!"

It twisted its right wing from the ground up and delivered a powerful uppercut!

While spinning like a tornado in a screw motion, the chick smashed into the wolf’s jaw.

That was totally the Rising Dragon Fist, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it!?

And why does even the battle cry sound so similar?

The wolf vomited blood, flipped through the air, and died.

The chick dragged the wolf’s corpse right in front of me.

『Boss! I offer this hunted prey as tribute!』

Wait, you were the one being hunted just a minute ago!? How did you suddenly switch to the hunter side?

And how are you dragging a wolf several times your size? Just how much did you power up?

Is this because of my slime cells? So even though I have no cheats myself, giving my cells to others turns them into cheaters...?

『Umm... are you not going to eat it?』

『I love meat, nuts, meat, and everything else, sir!』

『Then let’s eat it together.』

『It is an honor!』

The chick said, then started pecking the wolf to pieces and devouring it.

What a violent little chick.

...

『Phew! Are you full now?』

I don’t really feel fullness myself, so I’m not sure, but eating a wolf this big with that small body must have been a lot, right?

『Completely satisfied, Boss!』

The chick saluted energetically. Yeah, this one really stays in character.

『Now then... what should I do next...』

As I muttered to myself, the chick spoke up:

『Boss! If you’ll allow it, I would like to gather my clan and other comrades to serve you!』

Eh~? You want me to take care of your entire family and gang?

『I will definitely make myself useful to Boss!』

It’s really motivated... Well, I don’t really have a reason to stop it.

『I see. I’ll leave it to you, Captain Chick.』

The chick reacted dramatically to my casual words.

『You are appointing me as Captain!? I am deeply moved! I shall serve Boss with utmost loyalty and sincerity!』

Just calling it captain made its intensity increase by 100 times.

『Then I shall immediately form the Chick Legion and return to your side! Please excuse me for a short while! Farewell!』

With that, Captain Chick flapped its wings and flew off into the distance.

Huh... so chicks can fly. I didn’t know that.

---

A while had passed since Captain Chick returned with his entire clan and followers in tow.

Are you wondering if I felt lonely now that my freshly acquired subordinates were gone?

Not at all.

In fact, things got even more intense. And here’s why...

『Boss! Booooooss!』

Who the hell is yelling like that? And who is this "Boss" anyway? ...Yeah, it’s obviously me.

『Ah! Boss! This is terrible!』

A group of Wolf Fang Clan members came running toward me. Yep, they really were talking about me. Makes sense since they’re using telepathy.

Unlike normal wolves, the Wolf Fang Clan are a type of monster.

How do I know that? I asked their boss directly, of course. ...Is it weird to call the boss of monster wolves "himself"? Whatever.

After I thoroughly beat their previous boss not long ago, the entire Wolf Fang Clan started calling me Boss and sticking to me like glue. I asked the former boss (who now worships me as his new Boss) for information. It’s great being able to communicate!

Come to think of it, ever since I reincarnated as a slime, I’d been wandering around the spring all alone. Captain Chick was the first one I could actually communicate with. But he left right after bringing his whole clan, so I was alone again.

The next ones I managed to talk to were the Wolf Fang Clan.

These guys started treating me as their Boss and refused to leave my side. So I laid down some conditions.

If you want to call me Boss and become my subordinates, you must follow these rules:

Do not attack humans

(This includes adventurers who come to hunt. However, evil humans attacking other humans are exempt.)

Do not fight among yourselves.

Absolute obedience to me (lol)

The Wolf Fang Clan boss answered with a cheerful "You got it—!" like some guy at a bar. I wonder if he actually understood.

Anyway, I already have a proper subordinate in Captain Chick... though he still hasn’t come back after saying he’d bring his comrades.

『So, what happened?』

『We were attacked by humans near the highway! They’re probably those "adventurers" you mentioned, Boss! They came at us with swords, bows, and magic. We followed your order not to attack humans, so our leader acted as a decoy...』

『What!?』

Crap! I made that rule because I eventually want to trade with the villagers and didn’t want humans to see me as a threat. But of course, from their perspective, they’re just coming into the forest to hunt for meat.

『Where!? Lead the way!』

『Boss! This way!』

One of the Wolf Fangs took off running. I followed at high speed. I recently discovered that instead of hopping around in Tear-Drop form, moving in Derone form by grabbing and pulling the ground in front of me lets me glide smoothly across the dirt. This way is way faster.

A short distance off the highway, the Wolf Fang Clan leader was lying on the ground, covered in blood. He had taken quite a beating.

『B... Big Bro...』

The leader panted heavily.

『You idiot! With your strength, you should’ve been able to drive off some adventurers!』

Even though I was the one who made the rules, I couldn’t forgive the fact that their leader had been hurt.

『Hehe... We wanted to become Big Bro’s underlings, so...』

He muttered weakly, on the verge of death.

『What are you saying? You guys are already fine subordinates of mine! You’re my comrades!』

I shouted.

『B... Big Bro... please take care of my comrades...』

The leader, seemingly aware he didn’t have much time left, worried about his clan.

『Don’t screw around! I’ll take care of you too, along with everyone else!』

『Big Bro... you really are the best...』

Wait, this isn’t the time for a touching back-and-forth. I need to heal him quickly.

I completely enveloped the leader and gave him my slime cells, assimilating them into the wounded areas to close the injuries.

『Huh...?』

The former boss of the Wolf Fang Clan (I’ll just call him the leader since it’s less confusing) looked bewildered as his near-fatal wounds completely vanished.

『Is this... your power, Big Bro?』

『That’s right. I shared my cells with you to close the wounds. So now a part of me is inside your body.』

Upon hearing the explanation, the leader was overcome with emotion.

『OOOOOOOOOH———!! Right here and now, I swear eternal loyalty to Boss!』

『『『『『We swear!!』』』』』

The leader and the clan members behind him howled in unison.

Well, since they’re swearing loyalty, I guess it’s fine.

Wait... wasn’t the leader smaller before? Oh crap, did I give him too many slime cells? He’s grown at least two sizes bigger. Oh well.

『Boss. If it’s not too much to ask, could you please give me a name? As proof of my eternal loyalty, I wish to carry the name you give me until the day I die!』

The Wolf Fang leader sat respectfully in front of me, but his tail was wagging furiously left and right. This guy is so easy to read.

『Umm... How about Logan?』

『UOOOOOOOOOOOOOH———!! Boss gave me the name Logan———!!』

『『『『『UOOOOOH!!』』』』』

These guys are so over-the-top. They got way too excited.

『By the way, how many of you are there?』

『There are about 60 of us under my command, Boss.』

That’s a lot! Feeding them is going to be a pain. At least there’s plenty of water here.

Looks like I’m really stuck taking care of them now.

...Naming the Wolf Fang leader "Logan" was pretty straightforward, huh?

Well, he seems happy with it, so it’s probably fine.