I see a knife at our first meeting
I see a knife at our first meeting
"That's a slime."
"Jageun-i's world doesn't have slimes?"
"I've never seen one. There aren't monsters like here... people rule all the lands there."
"A world ruled by humans? Then there wouldn't be hatred or fighting between races?"
"That's not true either. There's racial discrimination based on skin color, and now instead of monsters to fight, they fight over gender differences."
"Gender differences? Hmm... I can't imagine it."
Angelica had many questions, as if she wanted to know a lot about me. Her body leaned more toward me than the slime right in front of us.
"Angelica, you're a rogue, right? Earlier I heard them looking only for Angelica at the general store, so is that different from what Philim-ssi does?"
"Yes, a rogue's role is to find where monsters are or to navigate dungeon paths."
"Like a navigation system."
"Navigation? First time I've heard that."
"Think of it like a guide or a map."
Seeing this, with Angelica asking about me, it felt like I was on a blind date. She was completely different from the part-timer Lee Yu-rim I met on a blind date. In Yu-rim's case, as soon as we met, she asked about my specs and then looked at her phone or was more interested in tteokbokki, but Angelica was looking into my eyes.
"But is it really okay to stay here? Those things are rushing over..."
"Don't worry. I've been sick of catching them for two years."
Angelica pulled out throwing weapons from inside her chest and inner thigh. She looked at the tiny jewel inside the slime's body and threw it.
-Pak!
The slime hit by the throwing weapon sagged down, leaving only slime and stopping its movement.
"This is how you hit the slime core."
"They die so easily?"
"It looks easy, but when you actually try it, it's different."
"Then I'll try it too."
Angelica nodded and handed me a small throwing weapon. I closed one eye as if throwing a dart, aimed at the gem-like stone inside the slime's body, and threw.
-Hwik
I thought I could just throw it like a dart, but I was wrong. The throwing weapon I threw couldn't even pierce the slime's jelly-like skin and fell to the floor.
"It's tougher than I thought."
"Pfft. Jageun-i really sucks at throwing."
"That's because it's my first time."
"Watch closely. Hold here, and use your arm snap, not your wrist."
Angelica looked at the slime again and threw the throwing weapon. Along with the sound of cutting through air, it precisely pierced the slime's core.
"Like this."
"Let me try again."
"Try as much as you want."
With my pride at stake, I took the throwing weapons again and as soon as I saw a slime, I threw them. The result: total failure. It was really difficult. I wondered if this required talent, and the more I tried, the more amazing Angelica seemed.
At the end, she even showed off a trick of picking up slime cream and simultaneously throwing a throwing weapon, accurately hitting the slime's core, which made me feel like I was hitting a wall.
"You're not going to try more?"
"I won't. I guess I just don't have talent."
"It was hard for me at first too. Don't worry, if you stay on the 1st floor for two years, you'll be able to do it like me."
"Two years... that's longer than military service. I give up. I'll just summon a spirit."
"Don't be too disappointed. Everyone has their own role~"
"You're infuriating."
Angelica seemed to enjoy my incompetence, as she laughed all day in the dungeon. Even though I became a laughingstock, I didn't feel too bad about it. From a man's perspective, there's nothing better than a beauty smiling.
"Looks like we've collected quite a bit of cream. Should we head back?"
"I feel like I only caused trouble."
"No way, thanks to Jageun-i, I laughed a lot in the dungeon. This is the first time I've had this much fun in the dungeon."
"Still, I'm glad you had fun."
I did nothing, but kind Angelica covered for me. I got the feeling that she was on my side.
"Jageun-i, wait... I sense a dangerous presence."
"Dangerous presence?"
"I think there are more monsters nearby."
"Then let's hurry back before more gather."
"That would be best... Jageun-i, dodge!"
At Angelica's shout, I twisted my body and rolled across the dirt floor of the dungeon.
-Pushee-ee!
A liquid bubbling like soda sprayed onto the spot where I had been. I raised my head and looked at the creature.
"Crazy..."
"King Slime! Jageun-i, get behind me!"
The King Slime Angelica mentioned was dozens of times larger than the slimes we caught with one throwing weapon. It sprayed liquid in all directions and oozed out from the ceiling, looking like a scene from a horror movie.
"Tch... the throwing weapons don't reach."
Fighting it wasn't easy, as expected of the king of slimes. Angelica threw several throwing weapons, but because its volume was so huge, they couldn't reach the core.
And if there had been only one jewel core, maybe it would have been barely possible, but there were at least ten visible cores inside the King Slime's body.
"Even if it reached, I think we'd have to destroy all the ones inside."
Angelica nodded as if she knew. But the immediate problem was that Angelica's weapons were mostly projectiles.
With the weapons we had now, we couldn't penetrate that mucus and reach the core.
"If the core is that deep... I'll have no choice but to dig in and stab it."
"That's dangerous! The ground is melting away, so going in there is insane!"
"Still... to break through that passage, there's no other way..."
Angelica seemed to have made up her mind. She pulled out a dagger longer than the throwing weapons and ran toward the King Slime. Her speed was such that even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it.
She dodged the flying mucus one by one, approached, and thrust the dagger deep.
-Tsu!!
"Aghk!"
But she couldn't completely pierce the thick mucus, and she got away with only the dagger stuck inside the King Slime.
Her strength was enough, but the weapon was too short. If only there had been a long spear or even a longsword, it would have been possible. But in this situation, there was no way such weapons were available.
After the failed attack, I used blood magic looking at the spirit to help Angelica as much as possible.
-Spirit! Block the slime's attacks and smash all the cores inside!
When my blood droplet was delivered to the spirit wandering in the air, the spirit nodded.
"Got it!"
The spirit, receiving my will, pierced through the air and flew toward the King Slime. Right in front of the Slime King, it puffed up its mouth and unleashed a massive spray of water.
A water spray strong enough to wash away a passage. But.
"It's useless..."
The King Slime stood its ground calmly, unaffected by the water current. The spirit was startled and flew back to me.
"You're too weak!"
'Ugh.'
The spirit had said that if the summoner is weak, it becomes weaker too. Since I didn't have the strength to take down a King Slime, the spirit was also impossible.
The situation was getting more serious. The blocked passage was growing thicker because of the King Slime, and it was approaching us in that state. If it kept going and we hit a dead end, it was clear we'd meet the King Slime and our bodies would melt.
"Jageun-i... it's impossible to catch it like this. I'll push the King Slime back as much as I can, then you escape alone."
"Huh? What are you saying? You want me to leave Angelica behind and run? I absolutely cannot allow that."
"Right now, there's no other way. The King Slime is a boss monster that requires at least two parties to join forces to catch. The only way right now is for you to escape..."
Running away. If Angelica, who had spent two years in the dungeon, said that, it was probably true. But abandoning a beauty who just said she liked me and running away alone? That could never exist in my dictionary, even if I died.
I may be a jobless guy waiting to return to university now, but just a few months ago, I was a soldier protecting people.
'If you can't protect even one person who likes you, what's the point of saying you'll protect the nation? Build some muscle! Exercise, you bastard!'
The words the Administrative Supply Officer-nim said to me finally hit home now.
'A weapon... if only I had a long weapon...'
I racked my brain somehow. The slime's thick mucus that Angelica's short weapon couldn't penetrate. Then if there was a long weapon, Angelica could have attacked the core somehow.
'If only I could make a long weapon... Wait, I can.'
The rod made of blood that Professor Scarlet-nim had shown during class came to mind. Weapons made with blood magic transform freely and even had incredible strength. Even if I couldn't do it perfectly like Professor-nim, if I could just imitate it enough, I could pierce the slime's core.
I closed my eyes as much as possible and focused on the movement of blood at my fingertips.
The blood flow grew stronger. It surged madly and was grasped in my hand.
"Angelica!"
I opened my eyes and threw the weapon in my hand next to Angelica.
The blood-colored spear drew a parabola and lodged into the ground. Seeing it, Angelica pulled it out and charged at the King Slime.
-Squish! Squish, splurch!
The King Slime's skin was pierced, and the slime core inside was skewered. She didn't stop there. Continuing the combo, Angelica rotated her body, dodged the flying mucus, and simultaneously stabbed dozens of cores.
-Gururuk!
With all its cores destroyed, the Slime King gradually lost its hold and collapsed. The passage opened, and the wind flowing through the dungeon blew in.
In an instant, Angelica had attacked the giant slime's weak point. All I did was hand her a single spear.
"Angelica! Are you okay!"
I ran to Angelica, who had collapsed.
"I'm okay..."
Seeing her skin scorched by the acidic mucus, my heart ached.
A man just standing back and watching. I had no words to say. I hugged Angelica tightly. Perhaps understanding my feelings, she even patted my back.
"This makes the dungeon trip worthwhile."
"It was really dangerous. How worried I was."
"There have been many times in the dungeon even more dangerous than now."
Even though she had just been on the verge of death, Angelica smiled leisurely and seemed pleased that she saw my earnestness. Her strong heart was truly amazing and gave me a sense of respect.
"It's become a slime cream field."
We stayed until the excitement from the battle subsided, then gathered the enormous amount of cream left by the Slime King.
"We'll get several times more silver coins."
Angelica picked up all the slime cream in sight and put it into a small pouch.
"I've been watching since earlier... it's amazing how it keeps going in?"
"It's a must-have pouch magic tool for dungeon adventurers. No matter how much you put in, it doesn't get heavy, so it's convenient."
"Can you move houses and stuff with it?"
"Only small things work, so if it's bigger than Jageun-i, it probably won't go in? Want to try going in?"
"N-No!"
"Kukuk. Let's go back now."
Fortunately, we managed to take down the King Slime and escape the dungeon. We immediately exchanged the cream for silver coins at the general store, then came out to the street with silver coin pouches filling both hands.
"Is there something like a hospital?"
"Hospital?"
"Ah... I'm looking for someone like a pharmacist or a healer."
"Why? Did you get hurt somewhere?"
I pointed to Angelica's face and said.
"You're hurt, aren't you? Let's get treatment first before it scars."
"Ah~ Got it."