Towards the Summit (2)

The moment right after was a blitz. Butterfly’s claim of an optimal route proved no lie—every path we took was the correct one, and the troublesome traps that had always blocked our way left not even a trace. In the end, there was only one thing for me to do along the way: clear out the monsters obstructing the right path. Even that process went smoothly. Perhaps because we were still on the first floor, the overall level of the beasts wasn’t particularly high, which meant their combat ability was weak. They were the perfect opponents for someone like me, still a beginner when it came to fighting. Most of the No-Faces on this floor specialized in close-range attacks, so all I had to do was swallow them whole once they closed the distance themselves. It was like taking candy from a baby. On top of that, I got to sharpen my ability to read and dodge their attacks as a bonus.

Entering this castle, I had worried for nothing—the proceeded far too smoothly. Still, none of it would have been possible without the support I received from Ur beforehand and Butterfly’s abilities. Compared to the last time I tackled this dungeon with a party, fumbling forward while relying on a crude map and enduring all sorts of hardships, this felt like hardly any effort at all. Even when I compared our speed to other similar dungeons, we were far exceeding the normal pace needed to reach the top. There was no need for tedious scouting to avoid traps and ambushes, nor any risk of getting lost in the castle’s tangled corridors. Thanks to that blistering pace, I reached the gate leading from the first floor to the second in roughly two hours. Recalling that my old party had taken about six hours to get this far, I had nearly tripled our speed.

I let out a hollow laugh at the unbelievable result, then noticed something odd. Even a hunter with exceptional stamina would be exhausted after running nonstop for two hours, especially with unavoidable skirmishes along the way. Yet strangely, I felt no physical strain despite setting such an absurd record. Ur must have done something to ensure the special training could proceed smoothly. The fact that I wasn’t even breathing hard after sprinting without rest was suspicious no matter how you looked at it. Then again, given the nature of this body, I could simply reshape it to compensate for any lack of stamina, so there was no real need to train it anyway. Training stamina in a dream felt odd too.

After sorting through my thoughts for a moment, I turned my gaze toward the figure standing not far away. A man guarded the circular staircase leading upward. His build was in a completely different league from the other guards on this floor. His armor looked sturdier than what the common mobs wore, and the weapon in his hand was a morning star—a spiked iron sphere connected by a chain to a handle of moderate length. The massive lump of metal, gleaming coldly under the castle’s lights, was nearly the size of my head. Even a glancing blow would tear flesh apart like paper.

The hulking man radiated an overwhelming presence just by standing there. As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if on cue, Butterfly’s voice rang out.

“Finally. A named monster guarding the floor transition. Probably the strongest one on the first floor.”

I muttered while staring at the creature that matched my memories exactly. These “floor bosses” were a unique feature of this dungeon. They were far weaker than the final boss at the top, but still noticeably stronger than the surrounding mobs. Their other defining trait was that each one waited alone in front of the stairs leading to the next floor, like a gatekeeper. Their appearance alone carried far more menace than the ordinary monsters scattered throughout the floor, yet ironically, their strategy was simple: swarm them. Overwhelm with numbers and the fight became trivial. Unlike the top boss, they couldn’t summon minions, so they always fought alone. Tankers could simply surround them with shields while mages rained down ranged attacks from behind. There was no need for warriors to pull aggro.

Of course, a few floor bosses higher up required more effort, but in the end, brute force with numbers worked. This time, however, I had to face it alone. No tricks. I would have to defeat it in a fair one-on-one duel.

A tense silence settled as I revealed my hostility. The creature showed no intention of backing down and assumed a combat stance. Unlike the monsters I had faced earlier, it didn’t charge. Instead, it stood rooted in place like a statue, simply staring at me—as if telling me to come to it. Its only duty was to guard the stairs, so if I wanted to pass, I had to move first. I was the one in a hurry, after all.

I had half-hoped it would close the distance on its own, but things didn’t work out that easily. Taking a deep breath, I sprinted forward at my maximum speed. The creature reacted instantly. The morning star’s chain rattled, and a vicious swing came whistling through the air.

Cha-ra-ra-ra-ra! Whoosh—!

The moment I entered its range, relentless attacks poured down. The chilling sound of the chain and the sharp whistle of tearing wind filled my ears. I managed to dodge the first strike thanks to my honed instincts, but the barrage that followed was too much even with Butterfly’s help. Forced to maintain distance, I eventually left an opening. The iron sphere slammed into my left shoulder with a dull thud.

“Hup…!”

The impact sent me flying backward. I skidded across the floor before finally stopping, yet the creature made no move to pursue. It simply stood its ground, exuding arrogance, as if its priority was guarding this spot above all else. Frowning, I pushed myself up. My shoulder bore a deep bruise, but the entire area had already transformed into slime and sealed the wound perfectly. The smaller cuts from glancing blows vanished in the blink of an eye. It was a miraculous regenerative power, yet my expression remained grim.

I had expected as much, but this opponent was far more troublesome than the others. The spears and swords of the common mobs hadn’t been a big deal—the recovery time was short and the damage area limited. But that morning star was different. Powerful impact, wide damage radius, long-range attacks that didn’t allow me to close in, and considerable speed. Even with Butterfly marking the strike zones, my body couldn’t keep up. I could dodge single-digit combos, but anything beyond that would create openings like before.

Residual: [7/10]

The number floating in the corner of my vision caught my eye. Scattered across the floor were fragments of my body that had been knocked away by the impact. The slime pieces instinctively crawled back toward me. Once they all returned and my Residual recovered, I fell into thought. Just like when my heart had been destroyed earlier, this body’s regeneration had one fatal weakness: when Residual ran low, it could no longer maintain its original form while regenerating. Attacks like that morning star, which could tear off chunks of my body, were especially dangerous. If I took repeated hits, my body would collapse ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠faster than the fragments could return.

To solve this, I either had to dodge every attack… or raise my level to increase my Residual stat. Neither option was feasible right now. In other words, this gatekeeper was the most difficult enemy I had faced so far. Unless I could somehow break through the range of that morning star, there was no way forward.

“…You’re not going to tell me what that strategy is, are you?”

Butterfly gave no reply. I didn’t press further and simply reset my stance. Relying on external help might get me through this crisis, but it wouldn’t be a real solution. Butterfly knew that too—that was why it stayed silent. Some powers could only be gained through direct confrontation.

While waiting for my Residual to recover, a plausible plan suddenly came to mind. Success wasn’t guaranteed, but since I couldn’t die anyway, it was worth trying. The creature watched me approach once more and raised its guard, extending one arm while lifting the morning star threateningly with the other. Its appearance was enough to instill fear in anyone. I didn’t even blink and maintained my speed until I was right at the edge of its range.

Just like before, a merciless swing came straight at me. This time, however, I didn’t dodge. Instead, I spread the fingers of my right hand and focused. A sturdy hilt and a long, sharp blade—the steel sword once wielded by the guards I had absorbed. Part of my body separated and instantly transformed into the shape I envisioned. A longsword perfectly suited to my frame now rested in my hand.

The creature flinched in surprise, but it was already too late to stop its attack. Clang! I swung my sword and deflected the incoming morning star with all my strength. An unpleasant metallic screech rang out as my entire body trembled. My right arm in particular felt as though electricity had coursed through it. Though there was no pain, the recoil was stronger than expected and my expression twisted. I had reinforced the muscles in my arm to the limit, yet this slender frame still had its limits. If I hadn’t prepared at all, the sword would have flown from my grip on impact.

Now the creature was the one in trouble. It had clearly expected me to dodge again. Instead, not only had I blocked the attack head-on, I had even knocked it back. The small opening that created was exactly what I had been aiming for.

Whoosh—!

My movement was lightning-fast. My black skirt flared as my leg shot out in a powerful kick aimed straight at its head. I had reinforced the muscles in my leg and lower body just like my arm, so the speed and power were beyond imagination. If it connected, it would deal significant damage. Yet just before impact, the creature’s free hand caught my leg with ease. Its large, rough palm gripped my small, slender leg effortlessly. Objectively speaking, my surprise attack had failed completely.

But a deep smile spread across my face. The creature, having blocked the kick almost on instinct, soon realized something was wrong. My leg, now transformed into sticky slime, refused to let go no matter how hard it pulled. I had changed it the moment it grabbed me, coating it with the viscous property unique to slime. As a result, it could no longer create distance between us. That alone was practically proof of victory.

Realizing it had fallen into a trap, the creature roared in fury and raised its morning star high before bringing it down with all its might. Crash! The impact was tremendous. Half of the girl’s head in front of it was obliterated. Yet what filled its vision afterward was not red blood, but translucent gray slime. The girl in black had transformed her entire body into slime while maintaining a human shape. Worse still, the iron sphere that had struck her head was now completely buried inside the slime. There was no longer any way to resist.

Staring at the frozen creature, I smiled with what remained of my face and opened my mouth.

(…I’ll. Eat. You. Well.♥)

Of course, my vocal cords had already lost their shape, so no actual voice came out. The impression conveyed by the moving shape of my lips was more than enough. Then even the faint outline of the girl’s form vanished completely. In the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fading vision, the last thing the creature saw was the slime slowly devouring its body.

Countless blue messages appeared before my eyes as if on cue. I only noticed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them after a while, still lost in the deep sense of satisfaction. The floor boss, once so massive, had vanished without a trace. All that remained was gray slime.