A sudden shift of shadow flickered across the rough cave wall.
Haruki's eyes snapped to the source.
A creature stepped out from the darkness — small but fierce-looking, hunched low with sharp, jagged teeth glinting in the dim light. Its skin was rough and mottled, blending perfectly with the rocks behind it.
The system's voice rang clearly in Haruki's mind:
"Target identified: Cave Goblin. Threat Level: Low."
The six floating slimes immediately reacted.
They bounced excitedly and in perfect synchronization, leaping toward Haruki's arm and wrapping around it like living bracelets. Each let out a distinct, cute sound — "Poyo~," "Bloop," "Squee," "Twi~," "Mew," and "Boing."
The moment they synchronized, a brilliant curved blade of shimmering blue energy materialized, hovering just above his forearm like a summoned weapon.
Haruki felt a surge of power pulse through him as the slimes' joyful voices merged into a single harmonious note.
His first weapon.
Ready.
Haruki barely had time to react when his arm, the one wrapped with the glowing blue blade, began to move on its own.
Slowly, the arm lifted — steady, purposeful — as if guided by an unseen force.
The system's calm voice echoed in his mind.
"Contract Skill activated: Partial Control. One of the Floofi Six is assisting in combat by controlling the weapon."
Haruki's eyes darted between the six slimes swirling around his arm.
"Which one?" he asked quietly, still surprised by the sudden movement.
The system responded almost with a teasing tone.
"The naughty one."
At that moment, the slime forming the blade let out a high-pitched, cute, yet slightly annoying squeak — a tiny, playful "Poyo~!" that echoed through the cave.
Haruki couldn't help but smirk despite himself.
Without a moment's hesitation, the cave goblin charged at Haruki, its crude wooden club raised high, ready to slam down with brutal force.
But before it could reach him, the glowing slime blade on Haruki's arm flashed forward in an instant.
A cute little "Pwi~" sound escaped from the blade as it sliced through the air cleanly and sharply.
The blade's energy struck the goblin's body, freezing the exact part it cut — ice crystals spreading like frost on glass.
The cave goblin's movements froze abruptly, its body split down the middle where the blade had passed, the two halves slowly tearing apart in a shimmering, frozen fracture.
The chilling silence hung for a moment before the goblin collapsed, immobilized and defeated.
Just as the frozen goblin shattered beneath the crushing foot, a deafening roar shook the cave.
Haruki's eyes locked onto the massive figure charging at him — an Ogre Bear, its fur mottled in deep green and blue shades, muscles rippling with raw power.
System: "Target identified: Ogre Bear. Threat Level: High."
The beast raised its massive claws, aiming a deadly swipe at Haruki.
Without hesitation, the slime controlling the blade stretched smoothly from his arm, extending like a living, flexible whip.
Haruki's arm moved on its own, guided by the slime's will. He felt no effort, just the pull of the weapon as it moved precisely.
Haruki instinctively dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the crushing blow.
In an instant, the slime retracted the blade, shortening it back to its original shape.
Then, with fluid grace, it guided Haruki's body into a rapid spin.
The blade hummed sharply as it sliced through the thick fur and muscle of the Ogre Bear's torso.
The beast let out a furious roar, deep wounds glowing faintly with the weapon's energy.
As the Ogre Bear roared fiercely, preparing to slam its massive paw down on Haruki, the blue slime immediately reacted.
It stretched and reshaped itself, quickly forming a translucent, shimmering shield between Haruki and the beast.
The shield pulsed softly with energy, glowing faintly blue as it absorbed the full force of the Ogre Bear's crushing blow.
A cute, high-pitched "Pwi~!" echoed from the slime, almost like a playful giggle.
System: "Shield activated by Floofi. Defensive ability engaged. Cute sound detected: 'Pwi~' — expressing determination and protectiveness."
Haruki felt the shield's cool energy ripple through his arm, steadying him as the impact reverberated through the cave.
The Ogre Bear's savage blow landed with a deafening thud against the blue slime's shield — but it didn't break.
The attack bounced off harmlessly, a shimmer of energy rippling across the shield's surface like waves on a pond.
Before Haruki could react, the slime shifted again.
It yanked his arm backward with a surprising force, repositioning him smoothly.
The shield collapsed, re-forming in an instant — the blue mass thickened, hardened, reshaped.
In a heartbeat, the slime had transformed into a glowing warhammer, swirling with blue energy and soft light trails that buzzed with magic.
Haruki barely had time to brace as the slime-controlled arm hurled the hammer forward.
CRACK!
The hammer slammed straight into the Ogre Bear's jaw with brutal force, the sound echoing like thunder inside the cave.
A sharp, almost metallic "Pwonk~!" escaped from the slime mid-swing.
The impact lifted the massive beast off its feet, its body twisting in the air before it crashed down several meters away, crashing into a wall with a shower of broken rock and dust.
System: "Direct hit. Target's jaw fractured. Aggression temporarily neutralized."
Haruki stood there, wide-eyed, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.
The blue slime, now cooling and settling back on his arm, let out a softer "Pwi~" — like it was proud.
Just as the dust settled around the fallen Ogre Bear, a sudden sharp, high-pitched noise rang in Haruki's mind — not cute this time.
It was angry.
"PWI-RAAA!!"
The blue slime on his arm shivered violently, pulsing with reddish-blue veins before it rapidly changed hue — swirling into a deep pink with sparks of energy rippling off its surface.
System:
"Warning: Emotional spike detected. Floofi Unit #3 has taken control. Personality: Temperamental."
The pink slime squirmed aggressively across Haruki's arm, adjusting his stance with sharp tugs.
His elbow bent backward, shoulder lowered, and hand jerked into place.
The slime reshaped quickly — first into a dense cylinder, then extending and hardening into something heavy and mechanical.
Haruki's right hand now gripped a side handle, instinctively locking into a cannon-like structure mounted to his forearm.
Steam hissed from vents along the slime-formed barrel. Magical lines glowed hot pink with unstable energy.
The slime vibrated violently, as if growling.
System:
"Pink Floofi Form: 'Pulse Cannon' Mode Activated. Compression complete. Shot: Non-lethal... probably."
Haruki's eyes widened as the cannon aimed itself toward the groaning, half-upright Ogre Bear.
The pink slime let out one last, furious "PWWWOOOO!!" and—
The pink slime cannon hummed louder for a moment, energy crackling along its surface.
System:
"Skill Activated: Grime Cannon — A powerful concentrated blast of magical energy designed to launch targets backward."
Haruki took a steady breath as the slime cannon charged, glowing brighter and brighter with pulsing pink light.
Then, with a sudden roar of power, the cannon unleashed a massive blast wave.
A brilliant surge of pink energy exploded forward, hitting the Ogre Bear squarely in the chest.
The force was overwhelming.
The beast was slammed backward through the cave, crashing into the rocky walls with a tremendous impact that shook the ground.
Rocks and dust scattered as the Ogre Bear lay sprawled far from where it had stood.
The cave fell eerily silent except for the heavy breathing of Haruki and the faint buzzing of the slime cannon settling back into his arm.
The pink slime pulsed fiercely, emitting a sharp, cute "Pwi-pwi~!" as it transformed into a powerful cannon on Haruki's arm.
When Haruki gently patted the slime cannon, it immediately relaxed, letting out a soft, adorable sigh — its anger fading like a calming breeze.
Its color slowly shifted through soothing shades of blue and green before settling into a gentle lavender hue.
The slime then shrank and molded itself perfectly to Haruki's forearm, fitting like a flexible, translucent glove that moved naturally with his wrist and fingers.
From this lavender form came a small, shy sound — a timid "Pwu~" — soft and almost hesitant.
Almost instantly, Haruki's system translated the sound in his mind:
System:
"Floofi Unit #5 detected. Personality: Timid.
Command detected: 'Lift your left arm to the right.'"
Haruki blinked, surprised by the clear communication.
He slowly lifted his left arm and moved it to the right as the system instructed, feeling the slime glove subtly respond to his movement with a faint glow.