Queen Slime (Part 3)
I calmed my startled heart and first assessed the situation.
Fortunately, this monster didn't seem to have any interest in me, whether I was here or not.
Then it should be okay to observe it safely.
I started observing from a slight distance.
Its size was still hard to get used to.
Could something like this simply be lumped together and called a slime?
It felt like a force of nature, a majesty that even the word 'colossal' was insufficient to describe.
The only reassuring thing was that it just jiggled quietly and showed no other movement.
If something this big had been moving around, the wetland would have been devastated long ago.
"...Bubbles?"
I immediately stepped back at the sudden change.
The monster slime's body was bubbling and boiling all over.
Was it finally going to attack, albeit belatedly?
I gripped my mace and sword, preparing for any unforeseen situation.
But contrary to my expectations, the acid didn't explosively erupt like magma.
Instead, clumps of acidic liquid were shot out with a *squelch*, as if popping a pimple.
As I watched them, wondering what they were, the mucus surprisingly began to move on its own.
Could these be baby slimes?
Seeing their wriggling movements and their dust-sized Cores, they were indeed slimes, albeit tiny ones.
This monster wasn't just big; it seemed to be the mother body of the wetland slimes.
I saw over ten just in my field of view, so probably hundreds of offspring were expelled from its entire body at once.
Now I understood why the wetland ecosystem had collapsed.
With those slimes hunting and eating every living thing in sight, nothing but grass could possibly remain.
I had discovered the secret of the slime proliferation.
Now the choice was whether to fight this monster mother or not.
The reward for killing it would undoubtedly be its Core.
Proportionate to its massive body, its Core also seemed to be about a meter in diameter.
If I submitted that to the guild, I'd not only get subjugation credit but also a reward in gold coins.
The problem was that I didn't know its combat capabilities.
Since it could even produce offspring, it clearly had other special abilities.
Therefore, even for me, it was difficult to easily guarantee victory.
Before deciding, I took off one of my gloves.
Although it was a peculiar specimen, it was ultimately an acidic slime.
If its acidity wasn't too strong, it would be a fight worth attempting for me.
I approached right up close and touched its flesh with my bare hand.
It stung a bit, but the pain was bearable.
This meant the strength of the acid itself wasn't much different from a regular slime. I had my estimate now.
I kicked off the ground, leaped, and clung to the slime's body.
Then, gripping the squishy flesh, I climbed upward as if rock climbing.
It was far from easy to maintain balance due to its constant wriggling and slimy texture.
After several attempts, I finally reached the summit.
The height was greater than most hills, so the scenery of the wetland was clearly visible below.
The monster slime still hadn't noticed me.
Standing on its body, I swung my mace with all my might.
*THWUMP-!*
With a sound of shattering, several chunks of its flesh burst out at once.
I continued to smash down with my mace, also stabbing my sword into the cracks that formed.
To break the Core, I first had to clear away this vicious acidic liquid.
Now, while it hadn't noticed, was the perfect opportunity.
Thanks to digging incessantly, I got quite close to the center of its body.
I was nearly at a distance where I could directly strike the Core.
"Ugh...!"
But the situation no longer progressed optimistically.
Perhaps because I was getting close to the Core, its pain point.
The monster slime began to thrash about violently, as if having a seizure.
If I fell here, my entire body would be buried in acid.
I staggered, trying to steady my posture on the roughly surging body.
I had to strike its weak point, the Core, before it regenerated its flesh.
Gritting my teeth, enduring the quaking, I repeatedly struck it with my mace.
Finally, the monster slime's Core was revealed from within the acidic mucus.
I drove a full-force blow into that mottled, smooth nucleus.
*CRACK-!*
A slight crack appeared on the surface. It wasn't as hard as I thought.
I continued to rain down fierce blows on the creature as it thrashed even more wildly.
Then, through the spreading crack in the fissure, I caught a glimpse of the Inner Core.
If I shoved my sword into this hole and tore it apart, the monster slime would surely be very pleased.
Just before executing that ambitious plan, a tremor unlike any before arrived.
The shaking impact and vibration made it hard just to keep my footing.
The acidic mucus, which had only been sloshing, began to bubble with an ominous intensity.
I didn't know what it was, but getting caught in it would be dangerous.
Heeding my instinct's warning, I hastily jumped off its massive body.
There was surely a reason for this commotion.
Keeping my distance, I watched and realized the change.
Its size was rapidly decreasing.
Its body, which had been absurdly the size of a small mountain, was clumping and converging around the Core.
Could this be a second phase?
By the time I realized it, the contraction was already complete.
The amorphous, squishy body was gone, transformed into a slime in the shape of a giant.
It was about 3-4 meters tall, with abnormally large hands and feet.
Seeing its long hair and the ample chest holding the Core, it seemed to be a female form.
This must be the mother body of the wetland slimes.
"...Gruoo."
Her pupil-less, deep green eyes looked down at me.
She was several sizes larger than a dire wolf.
Could I really defeat that?
"Gruoooo-!"
The slime's mouth stretched wide, and a resounding roar was vomited forth.
Simultaneously, she began charging toward me with heavy, thudding steps.
She was so heavy that the ground shook with every step.
If that monster hit me, my bones would undoubtedly shatter and my organs burst.
But for now, I had no choice but to clash with it once.
The monster slime stretched out its fist as it charged.
I narrowly dodged its fierce attack and swung my bastard sword.
"...Ah."
The moment the tip of the sword touched the slime's chest, I realized my mistake.
The attack had no effect at all.
The sword was helplessly deflected, as if striking steel.
"Kgh...!"
The price for my mistake was devastating.
The slime's fist, swung again, slammed into my stomach.
Sent flying several meters by that tremendous impact, I crashed into the ground and rolled.
If I hadn't used Recovery mid-air, my spine would have shattered and I'd have died instantly.
A single exchange was enough to know. Without some variable, I absolutely could not win against that.
That massive body had shrunk to a 3-4 meter humanoid form.
Only the volume had decreased; the mass remained the same. The density of the liquid had also increased drastically, making it impervious to my blade.
Frankly, even a dire wolf would tuck its tail and run from that monster.
A head-on fight was practically suicide. The only option left was to flee.
I turned my back on the monster charging toward me with ground-shattering force.
It was a tactical retreat for now. The only saving grace was that it was incredibly slow.
"Gru! Gruoo!"
Trampling bushes and knocking down trees, the slime chased after me wildly.
Yet, the distance between us didn't close at all.
I was certain. If I decided to run, I could easily shake it off.
In that case, it would be okay to try one risky gambit.
Leading the monster slime, I soon arrived at my destination.
It was none other than the bandit mercenaries' campsite.
I quickly scanned the surroundings and spotted the sacks piled in the corner.
"Gruooo!"
I fiercely threw one of the sacks at the monster that had caught up.
White powder burst out in all directions upon impact.
Its identity was lime, known to neutralize acid.
"Guoo? Guoooo!"
The monster slime, covered in white powder, thrashed about and let out a roar.
It seemed to be effective.
I threw another sack of lime powder, hitting it directly.
"Guooet! Guooet!"
Its previously ferocious appearance vanished completely, replaced by an expression of agony.
This thing was, after all, just an acidic slime.
Encouraged by its violent reaction, I threw another sack.
After repeated lime bombardments, its deep green body was completely smeared white.
"Guuuer, Guuuuet...!"
The monster, disoriented by the lime, suddenly turned and began to flee.
Now it was my turn to chase.
I pursued it, sacks in hand.
There was no way it could escape me with that heavy body.
I aimed a sack at its right foot, which had less lime powder, and launched it.
"Gruet!"
The directly hit sack burst like a bomb, spraying lime.
The impact must have been significant, as the monster slime screamed and collapsed to the ground.
Victory was now within grasp.
I drew my sword with my free hand and stabbed it into a sack I had tucked under my arm. Lime enchantment complete.
I sliced halfway through its arm with the white-powdered bastard sword.
"Guooet!"
There was still some resistance, but the attacks were effective enough now.
I repeatedly stabbed the frenzying monster slime as it lay fallen, sprinkling lime as I went.
Who knew I'd make such good use of what the bandit mercenaries left behind.
By now, it was almost subdued; I just needed to break the Core.
Just as I stepped on its back to prepare the finishing blow—the nape of my neck prickled.
An instinctive feeling that something was seriously wrong.
Before I could even grasp the reason, the situation unfolded.
"Kgeut...!"
Mucus explosively proliferated from the monster slime's body and burst forth.
Acidic liquid, sweeping through the wetland like a tidal wave, swallowing everything in its path.
Caught in the rough torrent, I was swept away helplessly.
Everything before my eyes was green.
The mucus clinging to my entire body made it impossible to struggle free.
It must have expanded its body all at once again, after contracting it into a humanoid form.
I was caught up in it without a chance to react, swallowed by the acidic mucus.
"Uhbuep..."
I regenerated my melting skin with Recovery and filled my lungs with oxygen.
It was just called Recovery for convenience; this demonic ability was the power to forcibly manipulate my body.
If I defined the state of having oxygen in my lungs as normal, then I could breathe even within this acidic mucus.
Of course, this wasn't as all-powerful as it sounded.
Just enduring the stinging pain of the acid while using Recovery was already pushing my mental strength to its limit.
If my consciousness wavered even a little here, I would die from suffocation.
Moreover, the slime's mucus was even invading my body.
Through my mouth, nose, ears, of course, and even my genitals, urethra, anus... it was forcing its way into every hole in my body.
That malicious act made pain and pleasure alternately hammer at my mind.
Damn Lilith's lingering influence.
To feel pleasure while being violated by acidic mucus... this body was truly hopeless.
"Uhbuep...!"
Mucus was forcibly pushing into my oral cavity, rectum, and even deep inside my uterus.
Its force was too fierce, making it hard to erase even with Recovery.
Enduring my stomach swelling up like a pregnant woman's, I tightly held onto my fading consciousness.
It was desperately trying to snuff out my life. I couldn't lose to a mere monster.
My long-cherished desire was revenge for Rubia. To repay her grudge, I absolutely had to survive.
I repeated that fact constantly, pouring Recovery all over my body.
Skin regeneration, oxygen supply, and foreign object removal became a single routine, repeated over and over.
They say humans are animals of adaptation.
After enduring for a while with gritted teeth, I started to feel gradually accustomed to this mucus ocean.
Pushing aside the sticky, binding mucus, I tried to move my body once.
The pressure was extreme. It felt like swimming in a deep quagmire.
But the important thing was that I could move, albeit slowly.
Flailing my limbs like swimming, I painstakingly advanced toward where the Core was.
Around what felt like one or two hours later. I finally succeeded in reaching the front of the Core.
In my green-tinted, wavering vision, I could see the broken part of the Outer Core.
Moving my arms was difficult inside this acidic mucus.
Destroying the Core by striking it was nearly impossible.
However, the story changed if I used the principle of leverage.
The crack I had made earlier. I inserted Agony's Ecstasy into the narrow gap between the Outer Core and the Inner Core and pulled, applying force.
The Outer Core shell, unable to withstand my full strength, shattered helplessly.
Gruoooo-!
As if sensing its impending death, the slime thrashed violently.
Of course, it was useless. It was time to end this disgusting struggle.
Within the annoyingly clinging mucus, I finally drove Agony's Ecstasy all the way in.
The moment the Outer Core was completely shattered, the lifeless acidic liquid collapsed all around at once.
"Huaa, Huaaa...!"
The green world vanished, and color returned before my eyes.
The refreshing natural air I had missed so much.
But before I could savor it, nausea surged.
"Uweck!"
Fallen on the ground, I vomited out mucus, tears and snot streaming down.
The amount that had infiltrated my body was too much; even Recovery couldn't remove it all.
"Huk, Heuk...!"
While gasping for breath, thin green liquid also flowing from my nose and ears, a sudden urgent signal made me hastily pull down my underwear.
"...Hueuet."
My clenched anus opened, and a sticky slime mass pushed out from inside.
Simultaneously, residual fluid gushed out in a steady stream from my vagina and urethra like a siphon.
After expelling mucus from both ends for a long while, exhausted, I let my head drop to the ground.
I could feel the holes defiled by the monster slime gaping and breathing.
"...Damn it."
I was clearly the one who had seized a hard-fought victory, yet a sense of self-loathing washed over me.
My face flushed red to the ears with shame and humiliation.
It was a relief no one saw this disgraceful scene of vomiting and excretion.
Even I couldn't remain composed after showing something like this to others.
Anyway, I was the one who survived.
I straightened the underwear I had pulled down and got up.
All my clothing, except for the dire wolf armor, had melted away in the acid.
My mace and bastard sword were also long ruined, corroded beyond use.
It was a pity to lose two good weapons, but there was nothing to be done.
Weapons are just consumables anyway unless they're made of something like rare metal.
I had plenty of money, so I could just buy good ones again.
Brushing off the mud and mucus on my body, I looked around.
The area was devastated from the fierce battle between it and me.
Among the torn bushes, fallen trees, and churned mud, something glittered like a gem.
It was none other than the monster slime's Core.
A dazzling, multicolored light radiated from its Inner Core, larger than my own head.
Something was strange. It was far too bright to simply be natural luminescence.
I had felt this peculiar sensation once before.
The Seven Deadly Sins within me, 'Greed', desired that Inner Core.