The Slime Dungeon (1)
After wrapping up our brief consultation, I headed back to the gymnasium with Eden. While we were away, another instructor had taken over refereeing the remaining matches.
Please, let it not be over yet.
I kept an eye on Eden while quickening my pace as much as possible. I absolutely had to see this duel with my own eyes.
The duel between Lee Cheri and Mercury.
I needed to gauge Lee Cheri's abilities, but I was far more curious about Mercury. I intended to use this opportunity to verify exactly how that guy had managed to enter the academy at the top of the class.
The moment I hurriedly flung open the gymnasium doors,
Tweet—!
"Match over! The winner is Cheri von Astria!"
The referee's shout signaling the end of the match echoed through the hall.
...Damn it, it was already over?
The result seemed to be Lee Cheri's victory. Unfortunately, it looked like there was no major upset. However, the atmosphere in the room was strangely tense.
The gymnasium was dead silent.
The students' reactions were similar to when Ok-ja and I had fought. Everyone was frozen in place with dazed expressions.
What's with this reaction?
Normally, they would have been cheering and applauding to suck up to her. But right now, not a single person uttered a sound.
Mercury was slumped on the floor, and Lee Cheri stood blankly, staring down at him. But the problem was Lee Cheri's expression. It was far from that of a victor. Her face was flushed red, and her eyes were brimming with tears.
What...? Tears?
Something was seriously wrong.
Lee Cheri—who was she? She was someone who hadn't shed a single tear even when winning first place on a music show, or when she was getting absolutely ripped apart by everyone for her terrible acting.
For someone like her to be crying over a mere duel...
And she was the one who won, wasn't she?
"Oh! Lady Cheri, did I offend you? Could it be because of me...? Ah! Should I ask them to let us fight again?"
"Shut up."
At Mercury's words, Lee Cheri slammed her wooden sword onto the floor. As she turned to leave the gymnasium, her eyes locked with mine standing at the entrance.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. If Rosemary's fans back on Earth were here, they would probably scream about how rare of a sight this was.
The silence lasted only a moment. Lee Cheri wiped her eyes and brushed past me without a word.
"Ch-Cheri! Are you okay?"
Choi Seoyeon quickly followed after her, her voice laced with worry.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. With Princess Cheri abruptly leaving, chaos descended upon the gymnasium. The Special Class students began whispering among themselves in shock.
"Whew, you little shits. I'm not going to get fired soon, am I?"
Beside me, Eden clutched his hair in frustration. The situation was making even me feel self-conscious. Having a guilty conscience myself, I quietly slipped into the crowd of students.
For certain reasons, the final representative selection match was postponed to the following week.
Of course, the blame for this fell entirely on me and Mercury. Back in the dormitory, I stared intently at the guy sitting in front of me.
"Haaaa... Yeong-sik, what do I do now?"
"What is it this time?"
"For someone who claims to adore Rosemary to make the Princess cry... I have no excuse even if I die. You idiot! Just die, die!"
He had been carrying on like this for a while. Ever since we got back to the dorm, Mercury had been repeatedly hitting his own head with his fists. I let out a soft sigh and asked him.
"So, what exactly happened?"
"I told you, I really don't know! I was just getting beaten up the entire time..."
"And she suddenly started crying?"
"Yes, exactly!"
That made no sense. Lee Cheri was not the type to cry over something like that. I was willing to bet there was something I hadn't seen.
That wasn't all. There was another reason I suspected Mercury. The contemptuous glares the Special Class students had given earlier were all directed at him.
This guy definitely did something.
It was closer to conviction than suspicion. Reading my expression, Mercury pouted.
"Could you please stop interrogating me? I'm already feeling terrible for disappointing Lady Cheri."
"...Fine, whatever."
Seeing his gloomy demeanor, I decided to drop the subject.
"Sigh, by the way, Yeong-sik."
"Yeah? What?"
"Why are you on bad terms with the ladies of Rosemary?"
...
It was the same question Eden had asked earlier. Mercury must have been curious for a while, as he asked while carefully gauging my reaction.
"Well, it's a bit of a private matter."
"I suppose... It's only natural for there to be conflict when hero candidates are tasked with such great responsibilities."
"No, it's not really like that..."
"But you'll have to cooperate with the Rosemary ladies in the future. Will you be okay?"
...Tell me about it.
Sometimes he really knew how to hit where it hurts. Just as Mercury said, it was something that had been weighing on my mind as well.
As fellow hero candidates, we would eventually have to join forces.
There were only 68 days left until the Total Lunar Eclipse. The academy would undoubtedly expect us to cooperate and fight together. In fact, we had to go to a dungeon together this very weekend.
Not unless I've completely lost my mind.
No matter how much I thought about it, it was impossible. It was obvious that both the Rosemary members and I would rather kill each other than the monsters. Cooperating with Rosemary? I'd rather fight alone and die.
"Sigh... I'm worried too."
"You really have it rough, Yeong-sik. We still have time, so take it slow and try to work things out."
"I don't know. It's not the kind of problem that can be worked out."
"Haha, hang in there."
I could guarantee there would be no reconciliation with them. And there was absolutely no way I would be the first to forgive.
A few days later.
The day my resolve would be tested arrived much sooner than expected.
"Today's goal is to defeat the leader of the slimes, the 'Slime King.'"
The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye.
Eden spoke to the Rosemary members and me, who had gathered early in the morning.
"And Princess. I have something to say before we depart."
Pausing his explanation, Eden looked at Lee Cheri standing opposite him.
"...What is it?"
"I would like to ask for your permission. I hope you will understand if my speech becomes somewhat informal when we are all together."
"...Understood. I do not mind."
Hmm. It seemed he was determined to establish strict discipline today. At Eden's words, I swallowed hard.
"Is everyone ready then? We will inspect our weapons before we set off."
The Rosemary members and I were already fully armed. At his command, we checked the weapons we had brought.
As expected, Rosemary's weapons were the ones bestowed upon them by Mercury.
Lee Cheri drew the massive battle axe slung across her back.
Ok-ja gripped her crooked staff with both hands.
Choi Seoyeon plucked the string of her golden bow.
Even a glance was enough to tell they were extraordinary.
And as for me...
Shring—
I drew a razor-sharp longsword from its scabbard.
The blade was meticulously maintained. Its polished surface gleamed without a speck of dust. It felt incomparably sharper and lighter than before.
Heh, this feels good.
It might not be on the level of the weapons received from Mercury, but it was still a weapon prepared by the Imperial Palace for me as a hero candidate.
I clanged the round shield in my left hand against the longsword in my right to check their condition. The sharp metallic sound rang satisfyingly in my ears.
"If there are no issues, let's move out. I have already connected a portal to the dungeon."
We were in the portal room inside the Imperial Palace. Eden stepped onto the magic circle first and gestured, and the Rosemary members and I followed him.
Hummmmm—
The magic circle vibrated with a crimson light, and soon a massive barrier of light rose before us. It was a fascinating sight, the first of its kind I had ever seen. Immediately after, the space in front of us warped, and my vision was dyed in bright light.
Flash.
My head spun. Though only a few seconds had passed, I felt completely intoxicated.
Countless lights sparkled before my eyes. It wasn't because of the dizziness. The source of the glitter was the blue crystals filling the area. The crystals covering the cave interior created the illusion of entering a world of mirrors.
"I will observe for now, so move out on your own. I will point out any issues as I see them."
Behind us, Eden watched with his arms crossed.
Hmm, so that's how it's going to be.
It seemed I shouldn't expect any help. But that didn't mean I was out of options. I had my own ways.
Mercury, are you there?
— Speak.
I want information about where we are right now. Like our location, or the monsters that inhabit this place.
— Understood. Wait a moment.
After a few seconds of loading.
— The dungeon is located in the northeast of the Empire, about 110 kilometers away from the Imperial Palace. It is divided into four floors, and the primary monsters inhabiting it are slimes.
Ah, I see. What about the location of the boss monster?
— If you mean the Slime King, it is on the fourth floor, the deepest level. I will guide you along the path.
Oh, thank you!
This was an unexpected windfall. To think she would even guide me. I suddenly felt a bit guilty for calling her an AI all this time.
In any case, she was becoming more and more useful. Finally, after activating combat mode, I spoke to Eden.
"I will lead the way. I have a rough grasp of the layout."
"What? Who do you think you are, ordering—"
When I whipped my head around to glare at Ok-ja, she gasped in surprise.
"Hic. Wh-what are you going to do, glare at me...!"
"I know the way, so just follow me. If you don't want to, then don't."
My reply left Ok-ja completely speechless.
She had been reacting like this ever since the representative selection match. I had expected Ok-ja to fly into a rage, but since that day, she seemed to be avoiding any arguments with me.
"Hooh."
Behind me, Eden watched with an intrigued look. When he nodded silently, the Rosemary members had no choice but to follow. They didn't really have any other options anyway.
A short while later.
...This is awkward as hell.
Naturally, there was no conversation between Rosemary and me. Of course, they must have felt just as suffocated. If Eden hadn't been watching from behind, we would have split up long ago.
After walking in silence for about ten minutes.
Beep beep beep!
Suddenly, Mercury's detection signal went off. I reached out my hand to block the path ahead.
"Monsters are coming."
The Rosemary members gave me displeased looks at my warning. Only after glancing at Eden did they finally draw their weapons.
...These girls are annoying even when I'm giving them a heads-up.
I also gripped my sword in my right hand, preparing for the upcoming battle.
I remembered learning in class that the monster responsible for the most human deaths was none other than the slime.
Don't let your guard down.
This was my first time in a dungeon. I had absolutely no intention of taking it lightly. As I held my breath, I sensed the presence of a monster in the distance.
Boing—♪
Boing—♪
It was a sound that instantly deflated all tension.
[Slime]
Level: 2
A bluish, spherical monster appeared before us. It looked exactly like the ones in cartoons. With a smiling face, it hopped toward us.
If there was one thing different from my expectations,
It was that it was way cuter than I thought...?
"HOLLLLLYYYY!!"
"Kyaaa! It's so, so cute!!"
Ok-ja and Choi Seoyeon were the first to react. Forgetting that it was a monster, the two of them hopped up and down and ran toward the slime.
"Sigh..."
There was only one person who behaved differently. Standing in the back, Lee Cheri watched Ok-ja and Choi Seoyeon with a displeased look. She had already drawn her axe and rested it on her shoulder.
Oblivious to everything, Ok-ja squatted on the ground and gestured to the slime.
"Come here, baby. Come to big sister. Who's a good boy?"
The slime approached Ok-ja without hesitation. With its small, round body and doll-like sparkling eyes, there was absolutely no sense of threat in its adorable expression.
Boing—♪ Boing—♪
The slime hopped, making squishy sounds. To think such a tiny thing was a monster. Who could possibly bring themselves to attack it? The creature leaped straight toward Ok-ja's open arms...
"Kekekekeke!"
Huh?
A bizarre sound suddenly burst from the slime's mouth. At the same time, a pair of muscular legs sprouted from its body. Ok-ja's eyes widened in sheer horror.
And then,
Chomp—!!
The slime swallowed Ok-ja's head whole. It took only a few seconds. It happened so fast that no one had time to react.
"Kyaaaaaah!!"
Choi Seoyeon, who was standing right next to her, shrieked.
""Sigh...""
Lee Cheri and I let out a sigh in unison. Choi Seoyeon's screams echoed endlessly through the cave. Caught somewhere between bewilderment and annoyance, I gently covered my ears.