diff --git a/object/slicer/slicer.go b/object/slicer/slicer.go
index c27e6e03..952b2cdc 100644
--- a/object/slicer/slicer.go
+++ b/object/slicer/slicer.go
@@ -569,15 +569,15 @@ func (x *PayloadWriter) _writeChild(ctx context.Context, meta dynamicObjectMetad
 	if x.withSplit && last {
 		var linkObj object.Link
 		linkObj.SetObjects(x.writtenChildren)
-		obj.WriteLink(linkObj)
+		obj.SetType(object.TypeLink)
 
 		obj.ResetPreviousID()
 		// we reuse already written object, we should reset these fields, to eval them one more time in writeInMemObject.
 		obj.ResetID()
 		obj.SetSignature(nil)
 
-		payload := obj.Payload()
-		payloadAsBuffers := [][]byte{obj.Payload()}
+		payload := linkObj.Marshal()
+		payloadAsBuffers := [][]byte{payload}
 
 		if uint64(len(payload)) > x.payloadSizeLimit {
 			return fmt.Errorf("link's payload exceeds max available size: %d > %d", uint64(len(payload)), x.payloadSizeLimit)
diff --git a/object/slicer/slicer_test.go b/object/slicer/slicer_test.go
index 36ebf8c6..ad78138d 100644
--- a/object/slicer/slicer_test.go
+++ b/object/slicer/slicer_test.go
@@ -34,39 +34,23 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
-const defaultLimit = 1 << 20
-
 func TestSliceDataIntoObjects(t *testing.T) {
-	const size = 1 << 10
-
-	t.Run("known limit", func(t *testing.T) {
-		t.Run("under limit", func(t *testing.T) {
-			testSlicer(t, size, size)
-			testSlicer(t, size, size+1)
-		})
+	const limit = 1 << 10
 
-		t.Run("multiple size", func(t *testing.T) {
-			testSlicer(t, size, 3*size)
-			testSlicer(t, size, 3*size+1)
-		})
-	})
-
-	t.Run("unknown limit", func(t *testing.T) {
-		t.Run("under limit", func(t *testing.T) {
-			testSlicer(t, defaultLimit-1, 0)
-			testSlicer(t, defaultLimit, 0)
-		})
-
-		t.Run("multiple size", func(t *testing.T) {
-			testSlicer(t, 3*defaultLimit, 0)
-			testSlicer(t, 3*defaultLimit+1, 0)
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name string
+		ln   uint64
+	}{
+		{name: "no payload", ln: 0},
+		{name: "limit-1B", ln: limit - 1},
+		{name: "exactly limit", ln: limit},
+		{name: "limitX3", ln: limit * 3},
+		{name: "limitX3+1B", ln: limit*3 + 1},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			testSlicer(t, tc.ln, limit)
 		})
-	})
-
-	t.Run("no payload", func(t *testing.T) {
-		testSlicer(t, 0, 0)
-		testSlicer(t, 0, 1024)
-	})
+	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkSliceDataIntoObjects(b *testing.B) {
@@ -206,11 +190,7 @@ func randomInput(size, sizeLimit uint64) (input, slicer.Options) {
 	in.signer = user.NewAutoIDSigner(*key)
 	in.container = cidtest.ID()
 	in.currentEpoch = rand.Uint64()
-	if sizeLimit > 0 {
-		in.payloadLimit = sizeLimit
-	} else {
-		in.payloadLimit = defaultLimit
-	}
+	in.payloadLimit = sizeLimit
 	in.payload = testutil.RandByteSlice(size)
 	in.attributes = attrs
 	in.owner = usertest.ID()
@@ -488,10 +468,10 @@ func (x *writeSizeChecker) Close() error {
 
 		var testLink object.Link
 		require.NoError(x.tb, testLink.Unmarshal(payload), "link object's payload must be structured")
-	} else {
-		require.LessOrEqual(x.tb, x.processed, x.limit, "object payload must not overflow the limit")
 	}
 
+	require.LessOrEqual(x.tb, x.processed, x.limit, "object payload must not overflow the limit")
+
 	require.Equal(x.tb, x.processed, x.hdr.PayloadSize())
 
 	// deprecated things
@@ -529,7 +509,7 @@ type chainCollector struct {
 
 	mPayloads map[oid.ID]payloadWithChecksum
 
-	children []object.MeasuredObject
+	link oid.ID
 }
 
 func newChainCollector(tb testing.TB) *chainCollector {
@@ -576,6 +556,8 @@ func (x *chainCollector) handleOutgoingObject(headerOriginal object.Object, payl
 	var header object.Object
 	headerOriginal.CopyTo(&header)
 
+	require.Empty(x.tb, header.Payload(), "payload must be unset in header")
+
 	id := header.GetID()
 	require.False(x.tb, id.IsZero(), "all objects must have an ID")
 
@@ -648,14 +630,7 @@ func (x *chainCollector) handleOutgoingObject(headerOriginal object.Object, payl
 			var testLink object.Link
 			require.NoError(x.tb, header.ReadLink(&testLink))
 
-			children := testLink.Objects()
-			if len(children) > 0 {
-				if len(x.children) > 0 {
-					require.Equal(x.tb, x.children, children, "children list must be the same")
-				} else {
-					x.children = children
-				}
-			}
+			x.link = id
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -745,9 +720,17 @@ func (x *chainCollector) verify(in input, rootID oid.ID) {
 	rootObj.SetPayload(restoredPayload.Bytes())
 
 	if uint64(len(in.payload)) <= in.payloadLimit {
-		require.Empty(x.tb, x.children)
+		require.Zero(x.tb, x.link)
 	} else {
-		require.Equal(x.tb, x.children, restoredChain)
+		require.NotZero(x.tb, x.link)
+		p, ok := x.mPayloads[x.link]
+		require.True(x.tb, ok)
+		payload, err := io.ReadAll(p.r)
+		require.NoError(x.tb, err)
+
+		var l object.Link
+		require.NoError(x.tb, l.Unmarshal(payload))
+		require.Equal(x.tb, l.Objects(), restoredChain)
 	}
 
 	id := rootObj.GetID()