The Slime's Second Phase
Sub-dungeon #3. "Listen, we aren't here for a field trip. Everyone understands that, right?" A sharp, piercing mental lecture. "Mitchell, if you get too reckless and run off alone, we can't help you. Do you intend to fight without your party members?" Cold, individual feedback. "…Alright, I'll stop there. Let's do better next time. Don't forget what I said, keep it in mind." Even a clean, no-hard-feelings conclusion. Wow—this is what a true leader is. I had clearly demonstrated to everyone what a proper party leader should be. As expected, everyone looked impressed, as if my hard work hadn't been in vain. Oh dear. Did I show a bit too much charisma? It’s not like they need to respect me this much. It’s a little overwhelming.
"Estelle-ssi, I definitely understand. From now on, I'll do better, just like you said!" However, the moment I finished speaking, Flora suddenly pulled me into a hug. …Huh? It’s soft and warm, so I don't exactly hate it, but… 'Did I… show off my charisma?' Even a stern leader shouldn't keep too much distance from their party members. I suppose I can consider this a natural expression of respect… maybe. But wait, isn't she hugging me a bit too much like a doll?
"You were informative and cute, Estelle-ssi. You're just like a baby bear doll that speaks the truth."
"The kid's a bit cheeky, but what she says makes sense. Yeah, I'll take that into account." Mitchell approached and ruffled my hair. She even pulled on my cheeks. …Charisma? …Do I have any? This isn't the atmosphere I wanted. But I couldn't exactly get angry here. In the midst of that, I made eye contact with Wagner. "Ahem." It seemed Wagner, at least, had roughly guessed what kind of image I wanted to project, but he just averted his gaze with a look that said, 'What can you do?' Guys. Can you stop petting me? I'm not a toy, you know? Especially you, Flora. Where do you keep putting your hands? You're secretly touching some strange places, aren't you?
"Estelle-ssi, please say it one more time. 'We aren't here for a field trip!' Like that. Okay?"
"…."
"Aww, please—that part was the cutest!"
Buried deep in Flora's embrace, I quietly closed my eyes with a hollow feeling. To become a dignified party leader… it seems I still have a long way to go.
The raid on the Polluted Waste Deposit continued. Following the translucent eyeballs, various variants of the eyeball series began to appear. The mud monsters also grew larger and faster. "Senior, 'Aing Eyeball' behind you!" "Yes!" At my shout, Flora quickly turned around and used a magic shield. Boom— The 'Aing Eyeball' self-destructed with a roar by a hair's breadth. Fragments flew like bullets in all directions, but they were all blocked by the magic shield. "Phew—that was close. Thanks, Estelle-ssi!" "I know, so keep focusing, Senior!" "Okay!"
There was no time to leisurely exchange thanks. I kept my body moving without rest, keeping the monsters in check with magic arrows. It was most efficient for me to handle the 'Bloodshot Eyeball' that floated in the air, dripping polluted blood, while the 'Rotten Mud Monster' that trailed swarms of flies was suppressed by the combined efforts of Wagner and Mitchell. A fierce battle without a moment to catch our breath continued. A short while later, piles of monster corpses lay everywhere.
"Phew—I'm a little tired now." Mitchell sat down with a thud, rubbing her shoulders. It was understandable. As the party's main dealer, she had worked hard. If there were a damage meter, Mitchell's damage output would undoubtedly be #1 in the party. Wagner played the role of a tanker, mainly blocking monster attacks, and Flora and I had to rest without doing anything once our mana was depleted. We decided to take a short break. Wagner finally set down his heavy shield, and Flora fell asleep nodding off in the meantime. Everyone seemed to have accumulated fatigue… but I was the only one wandering around, poking at the monster corpses during this time. 'I have to harvest as much as I can before it rots.' I absolutely cannot stand seeing loot go to waste after we've hunted so hard. Especially the biological tissues of the eyeball series, which sell for a high price; if you don't collect them quickly, they rot in no time.
Snip, snip. With my nimble hand movements, the dagger danced happily, tearing through the skin. It was disgusting at first, but now that I know it's all money, it's just rewarding. "Kid, what are you doing? Need help?" "Forget it. I'll do it, so you just rest." I didn't seek help. In terms of maintaining the party's combat effectiveness, Mitchell needs to keep working like a dog in the future, so it's better to let her rest and recover her stamina now. And if she ruined the loot trying to help with her clumsy skills, I'd be furious. No one in our party can match my harvesting skills.
Hard hunting. Then, loot collection. Even though it was a game, I had repeated it countless times, so it was a very familiar routine. Perhaps because my heart was at peace, I found myself humming a tune. After finishing the harvest, I called the party members back together. "Alright, break's over. Let's move." Everyone still looked tired, but they stood up obediently without complaint. We had already passed the middle section of the Polluted Waste Deposit. The level of monsters appearing became significantly more threatening as we went deeper. Furthermore, the problem wasn't just the monsters.
"Oh, uh?" Wagner, whose foot slipped, flailed wildly in place. Just before Wagner's legs, his balance broken, fell into the polluted waterway, "Whoa, be careful—" A magic shield appeared at a hair-raising timing, serving as a foothold. Wagner let out a sigh of relief and wiped away cold sweat. "Phew, thanks." "Eh, it's nothing—"
In the latter sections, the polluted waterway gradually erodes the path, reducing the area where one can move properly. Because of this, I designated Flora as a rescue agent, assigning her the mission to 'super-save' colleagues with a magic shield at a moment's notice. It wasn't just the slippery floor we had to be careful of. The toxic slime seeping from the walls and ceiling was also a target of caution. Splat. Mitchell, who had rested her shoulder against the wall without knowing, let out a sharp scream. "Ah, damn it!" She had only touched it for a brief moment, but Mitchell's shoulder turned red quickly, and smoke began to rise. "Ow—that really hurts." "…Don't spit on it, Mitchell. It'll get infected. I'll treat it properly with herbs later."
The fear of poison, magic pollution, and corrosive acid. An adventurer who hasn't learned how to be wary of and navigate a hostile environment would quickly become prey to the Polluted Waste Deposit and melt away. However, there was a separate, most fearsome enemy… "Estelle-ssi, now that I think about it, your clothes have changed?" "Yeah." "Is it an image change? The new outfit is cute, too—" I still don't know whether to say thank you or what to do when told I'm cute. Anyway, I had used the break time to change into a different style of clothing than the sporty girl fashion I usually wore. Ordinary cloth clothes and a skirt. They're junk items that have no special options, and you could say they have no defense whatsoever. They're equipment I wouldn't even pick up later because I'd regret the backpack space. But there's a reason I went out of my way to change into worse equipment.
"Uh, what is that?" Mitchell narrowed her brows. An amorphous monster approaching in the darkness, undulating. "Is it a mud monster?" "It's different from the ones we've seen. It's green." "Wow, it looks like melon jelly—how pretty."
Has it finally appeared? The difficult enemy of the Polluted Waste Deposit, the Slime. Unlike the large mud monsters, they were less than half the size, and their appearance had changed to be somewhat pretty, just as Flora said, but these guys are truly dangerous. Why, it's like that in cartoons, too. Like the cliché that the small guy standing with his arms crossed next to the burly brute is stronger. I immediately used the Frost Sword. A long blade of blue cold extended over the ceremonial dagger, illuminating the darkness of the waterway. 'Two slimes. It would be nice if we could take them out quickly, but….' There is no easy strategy. We just have to fight with all our might, just like we did against the other monsters. I just hope that fatal damage doesn't accumulate.
"Hup!" Wagner raised his shield, and the battle began as he struck down forcefully with the mace held in his other hand. Crunch. The slime, struck directly by the mace, was crushed into the shape pressed by the weapon, then soon shook elastically and restored its original form. High health and regeneration that won't fall with one or two attacks. And, the ensuing counterattack. "Argh…!" Sizzle— A small drop that splashed from the slime's body began to corrode Wagner's armor. Wagner let out a groan. Wagner's hand and neck, exposed without the protection of armor, burned, emitting smoke in an instant. The extremely troublesome [Corrosive Fluid] trait. Every time it attacks, fragments of its body scatter, raining acid damage on the surroundings. It's a disaster for a party of our level that hasn't secured countermeasures yet. "Ugh…." Even Wagner, who had silently been the party's shield until now, was groaning in pain. "Mitchell! Come behind me!" "Uh, wait. Bear-guy, if you do that—" "I don't think we can hit it with bare fists!" Wagner raised his voice, which was rare for him. Mitchell, reading the urgent atmosphere, followed Wagner's words without a word of complaint. 'Accurate judgment.' Wagner's split-second decision was correct. Wagner, armed with steel armor, might be able to endure it, but the rest of the party would find it hard to withstand the slime's acid attacks. Not to mention Flora and I, who were wearing cloth clothes that were no different from casual wear, and Mitchell, whose bare skin was exposed as much as an athlete's. However, this was simultaneously a harsh judgment for Wagner himself. As Mitchell retreated, the slimes, looking for a target to attack, attached themselves additionally, and two of them rushed at Wagner at once. "Arghhh!" Wagner gritted his teeth as if they would break. The sight of smoke rising from various parts of his body was hard for even those watching from behind to endure. "Ughhh—p-please hold on just a little longer!" Flora, half in panic, fired magic arrows in a barrage. She had completely lost her composure, but anyway, a long-range attack from a distance was an effective attack method. In the meantime, I aimed the Frost Sword and approached the slime. "Estelle, get back…!" "A party leader doesn't abandon their comrades."
I dodged the acid drops splashing in all directions and accurately captured the slime in my sight. Cutting off a part of its body isn't enough. If we fight like that, the damage will only accumulate endlessly. Just one shot. I just need to pierce one shot accurately. Right in the middle of the wriggling, undulating melon-colored fluid. Toward the core that was faintly visible. "Here I go." Thwack. The Frost Sword pierced the slime's torso. I immediately turned my body and pierced the core of the next slime. "It stopped! Is it dead?" Mitchell, who was behind me, said the line she shouldn't have said. Mitchell. Do you not know that line is a taboo? If you hear that, even enemies that were dead come back to life. It's the same as an emergency defibrillator. Well, anyway, the slime still has its 2nd phase left, though. The slimes, frozen in the shape of having their cores pierced, soon began to boil, emitting bubbling bubbles. It's a signal that it's changing from [Corrosive Fluid] to the next trait. The two slimes, which had slowly transformed their bodies into green heart shapes. It started. Phase 2, Ero-Slime Mode.