TTIGRAAS: Predator

Chapter 38

Without a warning, Milim scooped me up in her arms and rocketed away again, leaving me holding myself together for dear life.

This girl has got to learn to warn people! I griped in equal parts terror and frustration.

We landed in a secluded glade with a crash that flattened grass and ripped limbs off the nearby trees. Milim unceremoniously tossed me into the center, where I landed with a bounce.

"Alright, let's get started!" She cheered.

"Um, okay. What are we go–oooOOOOOING!"

Before I could finish my sentence, and before I even knew what was happening, I'd been splattered all over the ground.

Pulling myself together, I bounced up and shouted, "what the heck Mili–M!?"

But instead of with words, Milim answered with a punch faster than I could see, splattering me again.

"Wait-wait-wait!" I yelled as fast as I could, preemptively shooting across the clearing as soon since I'd gotten all my slime back into me. I was in some serious danger!

Milim's fist hit the ground where I had been, then immediately she turned and crossed the several dozen yards between us in the blink of an eye.

"Wahahaha! Not bad!" Milim praised me as she slammed and splattered me against the ground again. "You picked this up faster than the last few!"

So this was her idea of 'training.'

Instead of asking about what she meant by 'the last few,' I decided to shut up and focus on survival, because right now those three punches I'd endured had already taken over half my magicules.

[[Correction: magicule capacity is actually at 24.37%]]

I would have screamed at [Great Sage], but right now I didn't even have time to think. I was going to die!

Help me, Sage! I prayed as I started hopping away from Milim as fast as my slime body could allow.

[[Attempting to access 'reserve' magicules... confirmed.]]

Suddenly I felt a rush of energy, and my previously sluggish regeneration picked up again.

Milim stopped, skidding to a halt with her fist right above me.

She tilted her head and let out a curious "Hm?" but I was too busy dodging behind her to care. Behind her now, I entered human form and swung Shizu's sword at her as hard as I could.

If this was training I was supposed to hit back after all, right?

"Wahaha!" Milim grabbed the blade in one hand, turning a glowing, draconic blue eye toward me with an expression that would make even veteran soldiers faint. "Good try, Rimuru~!"

Unceremoniously, I was hit again. I slammed against the trunk of a tree with a *WHAM*, my human form partly lost cohesion, but at least I was in mostly one piece.

"Gah!" I peeled myself off of the tree and dove out of the way of another punch from Milim, which shattered the trunk of the tree. It fell towards us, at a snail's pace compared to how this battle was going. Milim and I were long out of the way before it had gone very far.

C'mon... I can do this. I tried to land another hit on Milim, but she whirled out of the way toward me before I could even move much.

"Aaaaah!" I cringed, waiting for the blow... but it didn't come.

Cautiously I peeked one eye open and turned [Magic Sense] back on, which had vanished when I braced for the blow. I didn't want to see my head get punched clean off again. Not after last time.