In the fading light of a crimson sunset, the Aldren estate stood on the outskirts of a once-prosperous barony. The grand halls, now lacking their former splendor, told the story of a noble house in decline. While the Aldren name still held weight, its power and wealth had long dwindled.
Yet within these aging stone walls, a young boy named Lucian Aldren thrived in a way no one expected.
Unlike his elder brothers—one a rising knight, the other a promising mage—Lucian had no obligations placed upon him. He was not unloved, nor was he ignored, but his family simply had no expectations of him.
And that was exactly how he liked it.
Not that he could explain why, but he had always felt detached from the world. His father barely acknowledged his existence, his mother had died years ago, and the few tutors he had given up on him quickly.
And yet… deep inside, Lucian knew something was wrong.
He would sometimes wake up with flashes of strange memories—of forging weapons that could cut through mountains, of fighting alongside caped warriors, of standing before entire cities as their ruler. But these memories were distant, like faded dreams.
They felt real, yet they weren't his.
He shook his head. It didn't matter. Dreams were dreams. Reality was that he was a spare heir in a dying noble family.
---
From an early age, Lucian spent his days conducting experiments on slimes.
Most saw slimes as weak, mindless creatures. Common pests. Annoying, but harmless. Yet Lucian, through endless trial and error, had discovered something fascinating—
Slimes could change.
Through feeding them different materials, exposing them to certain environments, and even influencing their internal structures through mana manipulation, he learned to create mutant slimes with special traits.
One of His greatest achievement?
The Cleaner Slime.
A small, translucent blue slime that could dissolve dirt, grime, and even toxic substances, yet was completely harmless to living beings.
It had been born by accident—after Lucian fed an ordinary slime various herbs, monster cores, and a bit of his own blood.
For whatever reason, the slime mutated, gaining a strange ability to absorb filth and purify its surroundings.
Fascinated, he named it "Bubbles.". Then he felt some of his mana leaving his body.
And then, something unexpected happened.
The Voice of the World
> [Naming complete. The monster has awakened new potential.]
[You have formed a bond with Cleaner Slime – Bubbles.]
Lucian's breath caught. This was the Voice of the World, an omnipresent force that governed all life. To hear it meant something important had changed.
And that wasn't all.
> [You have acquired the extra skill, Beast Taming]
From that day on, Bubbles became more than just an experiment—it became his companion.
And slowly, as the years passed, he gained more skills.
---
Lucian Aldren – Skills and Abilities
[Adaptation] (Innate)Allows the user's body and mind to gradually adapt to environmental changes, toxins, and external influences.
[Thought Processing] Increases thinking speed, improving decision-making and analysis.
[Parallel Mind Processing]Enables the user to run multiple thought processes at once, enhancing learning and multitasking.
[Beast Taming] Grants the ability to befriend and tame monsters and beasts.
[Poison Resistance] Built up over years of experimenting with various toxic substances.
---
Despite possessing these powerful skills, Lucian never spoke about them.
Not because he was hiding them—his family simply never asked.
They were used to him being "the quiet one" who spent his time with slimes instead of swords or magic. And honestly? Lucian was fine with that.
---
By the time he turned fifteen—the age of adulthood in this world—Lucian had already made up his mind.
He had no interest in noble politics. He wasn't going to be a knight or a mage. His family wasn't forcing him to stay.
So why should he?
One morning, he packed his things—simple clothes, a bag of coins, and Bubbles bouncing along beside him—and walked up to his father.
"I think I'll leave," Lucian said casually. "I want to raise slimes."
His father, Viscount Aldren, raised an eyebrow. "Slimes?"
Lucian nodded.
A pause.
Then, his father sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You've always been an odd one, Lucian."
He wasn't angry. He wasn't disappointed. If anything, there was a hint of amusement in his tired eyes.
"I won't stop you," his father said at last. "You were never the type to sit still in a noble house anyway."
Lucian smiled.
And with that, he left behind his noble name, heading into the wilds to become a slime farmer