Side: Lydia
Rudia and I are facing a horde of slimes. There are about thirty of them, and frankly, they’re a nuisance.
“Ugh, so many troublesome things again! Seriously!”
Rudia is fuming, and I can understand how she feels.
Slimes are T-rank monsters, creatures that even a child could defeat with their bare hands. However, slimes come in an incredible variety, considered one of the most diverse types in Helios Orb. While the common species are T-rank, higher-ranking species range from I to S-rank, and rare species go from S to P-rank. The abnormal species, Huge Slime, are M-I rank, and the catastrophe species, King Slime, are A-C rank.
King Slimes have only been sighted within labyrinths, and the demise species are unknown. However, slimes rarer than rare species are difficult to hit with physical attacks, making it not uncommon to have to flee depending on the situation.
Since numerous rare or higher slimes are now in front of Rudia and me, it’s troublesome and vexing.
“Big Poison Slime, Big Metal Slime, and Big Wind Slime are all troublesome, but why is there a King Slime here?!”
“I’d like to know that too, but since it’s here, there’s nothing we can do.”
“I know, but…!”
With slimes, higher-ranking species are called “____ Slime,” and rare species are called “Big ____ Slime.”
Metal Slime types are hard, but physical attacks tend to be relatively effective, making them easier to deal with. However, with Poison Slime types, you risk being poisoned if you attack carelessly. Attribute slimes like Wind Slime use corresponding attribute magic, making them troublesome.
Furthermore, Big Slimes are massive, about five meters tall, attempting to engulf us. They are also strong, and if you are swallowed, you will be digested.
However, even more troublesome and vexing than those are the A-C rank King Slimes.
Only one species of abnormal or catastrophe slime has been confirmed. It is said that once they evolve to that extent, they acquire all the abilities of slimes. In fact, during a past extermination of Huge Slimes, the extermination party was reportedly wiped out once.
While their size is similar to Big Slimes, they use an astonishing variety of attacks for slimes, and their strength is considerable. It is said that even an Ancient Class would be in danger if caught by their tentacles.
“Fortunately, there are no Ice Slimes, so I’ll freeze them as much as possible.”
“Please do. I’m too mismatched for them.”
With many Big Slimes that are resistant to physical attacks, and even King Slimes among them, they are a natural enemy for Rudia, a Martial Artist.
They are also a considerable threat to me, a Twin Swords user. However, slimes other than Ice Slimes have a weakness: they are vulnerable to ice attribute magic.
The slime’s body has a core covered in a watery substance. If that watery substance freezes, they can no longer attack, and their bodies become brittle. Therefore, if there is a user of ice attribute magic, slimes can be considered relatively easy monsters to hunt. They don’t die unless their core is destroyed, but once frozen, they can be dealt with.
However, Ice Slimes have icy bodies and are resistant to ice attribute magic, so this tactic is ineffective. Even with other slimes, it is fine up to the rare species, but abnormal species have ice attribute magic among their acquired abilities, making this impossible as well. It is said that even during the Huge Slime extermination, despite many ice attribute magic users, they were unable to freeze them.
If even Huge Slimes couldn’t be frozen, there is no reason why the catastrophe species above them, King Slimes, would freeze. Still, it will free us from worrying about the Big Slimes, making it easier for both Rudia and me to move.
“Rudia, can you keep the King Slime occupied for me?!”
“Got it!”
Leaving the King Slime to Rudia, I unleashed my Unique Magic, Grandest Blizzard. Since it’s integrated with Heavenly Attribute Barrier Magic, I’m confident that once I trap them, I won’t let even P-rank monsters escape. Indeed, the Big Slimes are moving to escape my Grandest Blizzard, but their movements are gradually slowing down.
My Grandest Blizzard has been improved. It creates a tornado with water blades made from water attribute magic and pelts them with gravel made from ice and earth attribute magic. It’s fused with Heavenly Attribute Fusion Magic, which I gained upon evolving into an Ancient Dragonewt, so its power and precision are beyond compare. A moment later, as I exhale Ether Breath of Ice, the tornado gradually freezes, and the ice and earth gravel and water blades continuously strike it. Even those with some resistance to ice attribute magic cannot defend against it. The Big Slimes are successively freezing and being blasted through their cores as they fall. My part is handled. Only the King Slime remains.
The King Slime is stretching its tentacles towards Rudia, who is moving freely both on the ground and in the air, but it hasn’t managed to catch her. Oh, Rudia just used Fire Arms against the tentacle.
“Hard! What is this?!”
However, Rudia’s punch couldn’t shatter the tentacle. Instead, Rudia is surprised. Wait, that’s dangerous! As the King Slime’s tentacle was about to wrap around Rudia, who had momentarily stopped moving, my Ice Blading intervened in time. I managed to cut it off, but its hardness was such that it was no wonder Rudia was surprised.
“Thanks, Sis!”
“I understand you’re surprised, but don’t stop moving. Besides, it’s said that even abnormal species acquire all slime abilities, so it’s not strange for the King Slime to do the same.”
“Right.”
Still, that hardness was no ordinary hardness. The only possibility is a mineral-based slime, like the Metal Slime. However, there are slimes with bodies of iron, gold, magic silver, or adamantine steel. It could be one of those, probably magic silver or adamantine steel. No, even Rudia’s Drag Rapier and my Drag Sword and Drag Breaker wouldn’t feel that hard if it were those. Perhaps it’s Divine Metal, which is even stronger.
“Rudia, consider the King Slime’s tentacles to be on par with Divine Metal.”
“Whoa, that’s so troublesome…”
I understand her feelings, but I wish she hadn’t said that out loud. However, underestimating our opponent’s strength could put us in danger, so we should assume the highest level, even if it’s an overestimation.
“Rudia, it’s difficult for me to land effective attacks on the King Slime, so please deliver the finishing blow!”
“Got it!”
With renewed determination, I clad my Drag Sword with a shortened Ice Blading and my Drag Breaker with Shock Blast, my Unique Magic, infused with Dragon Spirit Magic Ether Chain. Even for a Twin Swords user, it’s difficult to clad both swords with different magic, but I managed to master it. Accelerating Magic is essential for it, making it unsuitable for chaotic battles, but facing the King Slime, even if it’s just one, should be fine.
“Hah!”
I swung my Drag Sword, cutting off tentacles one after another, but no matter how many I cut, there was no end to them. Eventually, I couldn’t just dodge and had to block the tentacles with my Drag Breaker, and that was the moment I was waiting for.
“!!??”
The moment my Drag Breaker contacted the tentacle, it burst. This was because Shock Blast activated. Shock Blast, my Unique Magic, is a magic that fires lightning and ice from the blade when an attack is blocked, using wind, ice, and lightning attribute magic fused by Fusion Magic. It’s also infused with Ether Chain, so the number of lightning-ice projectiles is proportional to the magic power I’ve accumulated. With countless lightning-ice projectiles striking as a counterattack during the vulnerable moment of an attack, even if there’s no damage, it should create a significant opening. This magic can be used with a shield without issue, but as a Twin Swords user, I don’t use shields. Wing Crest users who could effectively use it would be Mina and Raus, who use shields.
Be that as it may, as I intended, the King Slime stopped moving, overwhelmed by the unexpected impact. Seizing the opportunity, I enlarged the blade of my Blading and swept it horizontally. I couldn’t cleave it in two, and its core was intact, but I succeeded in blowing the King Slime away a considerable distance.
“Gotchaaaa!!”
There, Rudia, clad in her new Unique Magic, Assault Blazer, was waiting. This magic enhances the power of a single blow by imbuing her fist with Ether Burst and a fusion of fire, lightning, and wind attribute magic. It cannot be used simultaneously with the multi-hit Fire Impact, as its effect disappears after one hit. However, if it connects, it can defeat even M-C rank monsters in a single blow. In fact, Rudia defeated a Mega Quake, an M-C rank monster inhabiting Krater Labyrinth, with a single blow. Rudia’s blow, clad in Assault Blazer, went straight through the King Slime’s core, propelled by the momentum I gave it. Given its five-meter body, it looked as if Rudia’s body had been engulfed by the King Slime, but Rudia’s fist had pierced through the King Slime’s body, leaving her without a scratch.
“Whew. It was troublesome, as expected.”
“If it had frozen, it would have been easy, but then its rank would likely have been lower.”
Still, we managed to defeat it, so let’s consider it a success.
“It’s just a shame that even after all that trouble, we only get a Magic Stone.”
“It’s convenient that we don’t have to dismantle it, but still…”
The only material obtainable from slimes is a Magic Stone. When a slime’s core is destroyed, it vanishes, leaving behind a Magic Stone. Therefore, it serves as proof of subjugation, and even T-rank Magic Stones have value. However, it’s disheartening that even defeating an A-C rank King Slime yields only a Magic Stone. Furthermore, attribute slimes leave behind Magic Stones of their corresponding attribute, but other slimes, including King Slimes, leave behind water attribute Magic Stones, making it all the more disappointing.
“Rudia, let’s pick up the Magic Stone later. Look, here they come!”
“Huh? Oh, right!”
I alerted Rudia, who was a bit dejected after picking up the King Slime’s Magic Stone, and she quickly turned around. I want to believe she didn’t forget entirely.
“Now it’s Avalanche Howl and Icicle Tiger. We didn’t fight them at Golud Great Glacier, but I never thought we’d be fighting them here.”
“Indeed. I have something that concerns me, but right now, we need to deal with this Labyrinth Flood. We can think about that later.”
“Yeah! Wait, what’s the thing that concerns you?”
It’s that there are too many abnormal species, let alone catastrophe species, for a Labyrinth Flood. And besides, I told you not to think about it now!
