Eon wiped a sheen of virtual sweat from his brow, his muscles screaming with a fatigue that felt unnervingly real. The sun had climbed higher in the sky over the starting meadow, but the crowd of new players had thinned out, all having graduated to more exciting prey. He watched a group of five Mages, their brand-new robes still bright, chant in unison. A volley of <Ember> spells shot forth, instantly incinerating a pack of large rabbits.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUolopvXFt9
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7l207VOahO
“Speedrun Leveling with this 5 Mage Party Set-Up!” he muttered, recalling the video he’d binge-watched last week. “Must be nice.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qKpQm5klL
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Their laughter echoed as they collected loot and sprinted toward the forest, leaving him alone with the bouncy, gelatinous inhabitants of the field. For the past two hours, his entire world had been the squelch of a fist hitting slime, the dull thud of one hitting his shin, and the faint, warm pulse of a stat increase.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6tH26PWO3
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JPj6HCBAE
[Strength +1]317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyR4DJtCAS
[Strength +1]317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUFmSJqYcz
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The notifications were his only reward. The fights were undignified brawls. He’d learned to dodge their slow, bouncing attacks, to kick them away when they latched onto his leg, and to finish them by grabbing and pulling them apart with his bare hands. It was messy, exhausting, and profoundly inefficient.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUWL8rAlJY
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His inventory, a sparse mental interface, held his meager earnings:317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBA4qHLV1e
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnljNoWz1F8
[Slime Core x12]317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBTOjzZUv1
[Slimy Mucus x23]317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFP9NYx81c7
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQHoR5sjtj
“Probably vendor trash,” he sighed, kicking at a clump of grass. Just then, a deep, gurgling rumble echoed from his stomach. The sensation was so sudden and so visceral that he clutched his midsection in surprise.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCl4JfryddQ
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfx1r60zZbA
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m hungry? In a game?” The realism of Illusion Tree was suddenly less impressive and more inconvenient. He had no money, and the idea of trying to barter with slime mucus for a piece of bread was deeply unappealing. But the gnawing hunger was a persistent notification all its own.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNI1uxMyI8V
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxpT8nZFUX
Gathering his resolve, he trudged back towards Haven’s Reach, his body aching from the repetitive labor. The village gate came into view, and with it, the familiar sounds of commerce and chatter. He braced himself.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGfcUBY3uT
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He bypassed the blacksmith and the potion shop, heading straight for the bustling marketplace—a wide square filled with stalls run by NPC merchants and a few enterprising players. The air was thick with the smell of spices, roasting meat, and fresh bread. His stomach growled louder.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsTFzBUnj1
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJf7ofQG8F
He approached a fruit stall run by a plump, cheerful woman with ruddy cheeks. “Excuse me,” he began, trying to sound confident. “I don’t have any coin, but I’ve got these.” He mentally willed the slime cores and mucus to appear in his hands.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFE1QLVbaF
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlaRilEd0Q
The woman’s smile didn’t fade, but it became fixed, like a painting. “Oh! Slimy bits! I do need those for a few things. The alchemist is always pestering me for mucus. Tell you what, lad. I’ll give you five copper for the lot. It’s not much, but it’s honest.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXag9e57Ri
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh33BuFzDFZ
Eon’s heart leapt. “Yes! Thank you!”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQZDMKoxX7
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwkwbVeEmU
A transaction window appeared before him. He confirmed it, and the disgusting items vanished from his hands, replaced by five small, cool copper coins.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUjPDszmNT
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[Currency Updated: 5 Copper]317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkM8qEnN8u
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“Now,” she said, her smile becoming genuine again. “How about a nice apple? Only one copper. Fresh from the orchard!”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyw9niD672
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1oV3Z6peH
He handed over a coin and took the perfect red fruit. He bit into it. The crunch was deafening, the juice sweet and tangy. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted. The gnawing hunger in his stomach immediately subsided.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3C5mJvbsl
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA674hrYM8r
“Whoa.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfygHmBfoKA
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“Told ya!” the merchant woman laughed. “Nothing better!”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xdoDA5PA3
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTczxoaC7M9
Feeling momentarily victorious, Eon wandered deeper into the market, his four remaining coppers feeling like a fortune. He watched players haggle and trade.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVaVYm9XCe
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jElfAZtYT
“—need one more for the Wolf Pack quest! Tank and healer secured!” a player shouted.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KEFq5UBxa
“Selling [Chipped Wolf Fang]! Great for low-level crafting! Three copper!”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MJ9cGHN2k
“Buying all [Rabbit Meat]! Two copper each! Power-leveling my Cooking skill!”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZVtSNB1fx
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7fTjAYIRi
Eon listened, absorbing the economy. His slime parts were the absolute bottom of the ladder. He needed to find something more valuable.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoA2zKW4eO
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“Hey. You.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUrGyOnN4o
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8TXy7ykXy
Eon turned. A player, taller than him and clad in sleek, dark leathers—a Rogue—was looking him up and down with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. His nameplate read ‘Kaelen’.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkePYI5VuOJ
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHYa5wgtKh
“Yeah?” Eon said, wary of more mockery.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjlrEKEVL9
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“I saw you come in from the slime fields. And I saw you trading that junk to old Martha,” Kaelen said, his voice low. “You’re the one, aren’t you? The guy who didn’t pick a class.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSGSy4DlFq
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx6KwVYtji
Here it comes, Eon thought. “What about it?”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7XNGlX6fi
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CCBYBGVCt
To his surprise, Kaelen didn’t laugh. He smirked. “It’s a stupid move. The stupidest. But… it’s also kind of fascinating. Like watching a train wreck in slow motion. How many points did you get?”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHZf39k6rC
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“Points?“317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUF1MxgDbm
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡguHcfyvWnm
“Strength. From the slimes. They don’t give XP without a class, but they do give a point of Strength for every ten you kill. It’s a hidden mechanic for… well, for situations that were never supposed to happen.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUInggFYvM
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3vLbnRkAj
Eon was stunned. This guy knew. “I… I got four. So, forty slimes.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbwu8Md5zu
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXwzIudpUX
Kaelen let out a low whistle. “Forty slimes with your bare hands. You’re either dedicated or insane. Probably both. Look, those four points? A level 5 Warrior with a decent strength build might only have eight or nine. You’re already halfway there, and you’re not even level 1. That’s something.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpzn1V6yt5
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3mi0ujfMI
For a fleeting second, Eon felt a surge of pride. It was immediately crushed.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlE8SjQjW9
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“Of course,” Kaelen continued, his smirk widening, “it’s completely useless. You have no skills to use that Strength with. No weapon to swing. You’ll hit a hard wall at, oh, about level 3 mobs. They’ll have too much health for your pathetic bare-handed damage, and they’ll hit too hard for you to survive. You’ve essentially wasted hours to create a slightly stronger, but still utterly useless, character. It’s a brilliant study in inefficiency.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkSRUoV95Ta
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKVKjL4BaU
Eon’s fists clenched. “Why are you telling me this?”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQiKJVAaz2
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjk6tSysW0
“Like I said. Fascination.” Kaelen shrugged. “I’m a data miner. I like knowing how the game works in its weird little corners. You’re a living, breathing weird corner. Keep it up. The moment you finally break and reroll will be the most interesting data point of all.”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxIba47tE5
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5qBGrVVs4
With that, the Rogue melted back into the crowd, leaving Eon standing there, his brief triumph soured. The guy’s words were poison, but they felt true. What was the point?317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8R5OQVV7Nz
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7YOLxxyqi4
He looked down at his three remaining copper coins. He was hungry again. He bought a piece of tough journey bread for one copper and chewed on it grimly. He was back to being broke, but the hunger was gone.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZBFCZJqA9
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He walked out of the marketplace, past the laughing, geared-up players, and back towards the village gate. The guard gave him the same pitying look.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo7za1C2fi
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“Back so soon? The wilds not to your liking?”317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhCgTelD3y
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Eon ignored him, his eyes fixed on the field. The slimes bounced, oblivious.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2KyaHJ1B9
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Kaelen was probably right. It was inefficient. It was stupid. He was a data point for a smug Rogue’s amusement.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1E8hQEZZG
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLANtgLwSl6
But as he stepped onto the grass, his stomach full, his body still aching, he saw another slime. And another notification waiting to be earned.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4WUqH18r0
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxalWiqQdL
He cracked his knuckles. It was something.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOlOHu8euZ
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He fell back into the rhythm. Punch, squelch, dodge, kick, grab, tear. The process was mind-numbing, a brutal, repetitive loop. His inventory slowly filled again with cores and mucus. The sun began its slow descent, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. Other players returning from deeper hunting grounds gave him wide berth, some snickering, most just ignoring the strange, classless player still farming the tutorial mobs.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTQ4cDfMMG
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkJySZUpIl
After what felt like another lifetime of punching jelly, he started to notice things. It wasn't a dramatic shift, just subtle variations in the endless green tide. One slime seemed a shade paler, almost mint green. Another was darker, with a mossy, deep-jade hue. Their sizes fluctuated slightly too; some were the standard melon-sized blobs, but every so often, a smaller, grapefruit-sized one would appear, moving just a fraction faster, or a larger, pumpkin-sized one would wobble into view, its movements slower, more ponderous.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMhhjGZla2
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He mentioned it aloud to no one, the words swallowed by the field. "Huh. That one's kinda small. Weird."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0STwB6hgeU
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrWUPZsE4K
It didn't change his strategy. A punch was a punch. A smaller one might be a bit harder to hit, a larger one might take one more hit to burst, but the outcome was always the same: a satisfying pop, a warm pulse in his veins, and another filthy trophy for his inventory. The variations were just background noise to the monotonous grind. He didn't think to use his non-existent <Appraise> skill, not that it would have worked anyway. They were all just slimes. The only thing that mattered was the result.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkvA8d2vEA
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[Strength +1]317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIb8v1i3vf
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He lost track of how many that made. Seven? Eight? He’d long since stopped counting the individual kills, focusing only on the rare, rewarding notification. His body was a symphony of aches, but beneath the fatigue was a hard, stubborn core of satisfaction. He was earning this. No one was giving it to him.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxiw8NvRSw
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UGkWUsGFu
The light was fading fast now, the world taking on a deep blue twilight glow. The meadow was empty of other players. It was just him and the bouncing, glowing slimes under the emerging stars. He was exhausted, hungry again, and down to his last copper. But he had a small fortune in slime parts.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGlqq1cak7
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJ2UTetFAt
With a final, weary sigh, he turned his back on the field and began the slow, trudging walk back to Haven's Reach. The village lights twinkled in the distance, a promise of food, a safe place to rest, and another round of mockery he’d have to endure. But he’d be enduring it with a few more points of Strength than the last time. For now, that was enough.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqB4nnssNN8
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5pVoDdUXf
The hiss of the VR capsule releasing its seal was the loudest sound in his quiet apartment. Eon pushed the lid open, his real body feeling strangely heavy and stiff after hours of virtual exertion. The familiar sight of his dim, cluttered room was a jarring contrast to the vibrant fields of Haven's Reach.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtFOrPnLUa
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He stumbled to his desk, the glow of his monitor a beacon in the dark. The first order of business was a microwaved dinner, eaten without tasting it. The second was to dive into the sprawling digital labyrinth of the Illusion Tree forums.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWHrh9xIkZ
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgRaVaKPWe
He navigated to the "New Player Help & Guides" section, the header plastered with posts like "BEST Starter Class Tier List!" and "How to Hit Level 10 in 3 Hours!" He ignored them, his fingers flying across the keyboard. His search was specific:317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPVxxYe1HD
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KUbetH1Fc
"Slime variants Haven's Reach."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiOSHe6ZGN
"Different colored slimes."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwt7xyVIUn
"Slime size differences."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23AsZLnv8A
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzLpnmPc7Q
The results were… sparse. Most threads were years old, from the game's early launch.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkMa8mXy5Y
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLD2ouBOWFc
A post titled "Slime Farming for Alchemy Mats" had a single, off-hand comment: "Yeah, the greens are all the same, just RNG on the model size. Don't overthink it, noob."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQA9Bi8pUVa
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIh7bomevb
Another, "Weird Slime?", was just a picture of a standard green slime with the caption "This one looked at me funny lol." The replies were just as unhelpful.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1s7qQf0XK
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4edcHneydQ
a chorus of "go to sleep, man" and "touch grass."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR87RCYe5cS
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0et1cb9Yj
He refined his search, adding terms like "hidden mechanic" and "classless." This yielded even less. A few threads mocked the idea of going classless, echoing everything Kaelen and the others had said. One particularly venomous post read: "Anyone who doesn't pick a class is a moron. The slimes don't have secret forms, you're just seeing things because you're bored out of your skull punching them."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcQedAO2g0
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Frustration began to simmer. He was sure he’d seen variations. It wasn't just his imagination. He opened a popular video-hosting site and searched for "Illusion Tree slime guide."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1lG1vdLds
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7nufFTLUE
The results were all the same. Content creators in gleaming armor demonstrated area-of-effect skills to vaporize entire fields of slimes in seconds for efficient farming. They talked about drop rates for cores and mucus, the best classes to farm them, and how to quickly turn the materials into starter capital. Not a single video paused to examine the mobs. They were just obstacles to be cleared, background noise to be optimized.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOzxyHh4HO
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoSVr3VQDp
One video, "MAX Efficiency Slime Core Farming," featured a Mage in ornate robes. "Alright, guys," the player said in a hyper-energetic voice. "You just pull the entire field right here, pop your <Chain Lightning>, and bam! Twenty cores a minute. Easy. Don't waste your time on anything else in the starting zone."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ88wwMX5ge
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Eon clicked off, a sour taste in his mouth. That was the entire world's approach. Faster, stronger, more efficient. No one stopped to look. No one cared about the details.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiecgTOdBj
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhv58lMjRuj
He leaned back in his chair, the glow of the screen reflecting in his tired eyes. The collective knowledge of two billion players, and it had all been focused on racing forward. Nobody had bothered to look down at the very first step.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6wmuuLMUa
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6Nyy3jH3a
Maybe they were all right. Maybe he was a moron, wasting his time on a pointless endeavor, seeing patterns where none existed. Kaelen's words echoed in his mind: "…a brilliant study in inefficiency."317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgW5w86hjFm
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKQvNRHDdU
But then he thought about the feeling of his fist connecting with the gelatinous body. The specific, slightly different squelch of the darker, larger slime. The quicker, almost evasive bounce of the smaller, paler one. It wasn't just visual; it felt different.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbubezfe7v
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The forums had nothing. The videos had nothing. The entire player base had dismissed it as irrelevant.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XvxqY9BGh
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdnYGWXfbR
A slow smile spread across his face. For the first time, it didn't feel like a disadvantage.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡin98cKuMOp
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It felt like a secret.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zAVkgdigY
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If everyone else was too busy sprinting toward the horizon to notice the cracks in the pavement at their feet, then that meant any secret hidden there was his and his alone to discover.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw1oWdZzwM
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9GbXNESTE
He minimized the browser, the unresolved search hanging in the digital air. The doubt was still there, but it was now overshadowed by a new, stubborn resolve. He didn't need their guides or their approval.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1LbyVGq3y
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbjTkxOO1T
Tomorrow, he wouldn't just mindlessly punch slimes. He would observe. He would test. He would pay attention to the things everyone else thought were too trivial to matter.317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6cpTLWguf
317Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0s0S2Xteao
He powered down his computer, the room plunging into darkness save for the city lights bleeding through his window. As he lay in bed, his mind didn't race with fantasies of epic loot or high-level dungeons. Instead, it replayed the subtle variations in a lowly green slime's hue, a mystery waiting in the most overlooked corner of the most played game on Earth.1234 copyright protection313ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzgd7rJW6a 尼

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