novelraw Chapter 57 : Brute Force Miracles
Chapter 57 : Brute Force Miracles
“Slime! Look, Mr. Slime, it’s a slime!”
Rozelite pointed excitedly at the rough little sketch in the handbook.
It showed a round blob with two bulging eyes, looking completely harmless.
“So this is what Mr. Slime actually looks like? Come to think of it, I’ve never even seen your real form before.”
Rozelite tilted her head.
“…”
Russell was speechless.
What was so exciting about a slime?
Slimes were the most common monsters—anywhere damp and dark, you could find them. From Russell’s experience, down in the south they probably outnumbered stray dogs. Their breeding rate was slow, their threat level almost nonexistent, making them bottom-tier monsters.
Calling them “monsters” was generous; they were more like ordinary animals of this fantasy world.
Still, Rozelite’s judgment wasn’t wrong.
Swamp environments were crawling with slimes—the kind of monsters most likely to carry the 【Symbiosis】 skill. The dungeon’s C-rank meant the slimes’ skill levels wouldn’t be high, but numbers added up.
“This one it is,” Russell decided.
Their first dungeon expedition in Flemont: The Swamp Labyrinth.
…
…
But though the choice was made, they didn’t rush in.
Newbies often thought that mental preparation was all it took. In reality, dungeon exploration cost money. A lot of money. Not even counting the cost of hiring allies, there was gear upkeep, consumables, and environment-specific supplies.
Rozelite was already broke.
So they could only afford the bare minimum:
A pair of swamp boots for traction. A few antidote potions. Several days of rations.
And with that, her coin pouch was completely empty.
Rozelite nearly wept staring at her flattened purse. This time, begging on the streets really wasn’t far off.
“Relax. As long as we bring back enough loot from the dungeon, we’ll make it all back. Don’t get so down.”
Russell comforted.
“…Okay.”
Maybe the empty purse gave her a sense of crisis, because after a short rest back at the inn, she checked out of her room altogether. With what little she could carry, she set off for the labyrinth.
…
…
It wasn’t hard to find. A little ways across the snowy plain stood a crude wooden sign marking the dungeon entrance: Swamp Labyrinth.
Shabby, but enough. On a barren tundra, even a signpost was a beacon.
“Here we go, Mr. Slime!”
Rozelite pumped her fists.
“…It’s only a C-rank dungeon. No need to be so dramatic.”
Russell sighed.
He figured even without his help, Rozelite could manage the outskirts of a C-rank just fine.
The entry path was cleaner than expected.
Despite the name “underground labyrinth,” it wasn’t a straight drop, but a spiraling stairwell leading down.
From the first step inside, the difference was clear.
The air grew damp. Warmer. Thick with the rot of plants and a strange, cloying sweetness.
The handbook said the smell wasn’t poisonous—just nasty.
This was the nature of labyrinths. Not mere underground caves, but domains sealed by their own rules, entirely separate from the outside world.
“…This place smells just like where you used to live, doesn’t it, Mr. Slime?”
Rozelite pinched her nose.
“Does it feel like home?”
“Well, similar, maybe. But different in essence. And didn’t I already tell you? Slimes don’t have olfactory organs. Neither my body nor my mimicked form can smell.”
“Oh.”
Rozelite muttered, “…So it’s true, you really can’t smell… Mhm.”
“…”
“Is she still sulking about me sniffing her cloth pad back then?”
Their banter was cut short by the faint slosh of liquid ahead.
Russell recognized the sound instantly.
“Ohhhhhh!”
Rozelite squealed, pointing down the corridor.
A light-blue slime oozed along the floor, its gelatinous body wobbling like jelly.
It appeared!
A wild slime!
【Name: Slime】
【Species: Slime】
【Level: 1】
【Status: None】
【HP: 3/3】
【MP: 4/4】
【Skills: Slam lv1, Digest lv1】
“Look, look, Mr. Slime, it’s a slime!”
Rozelite’s eyes sparkled.
“…Yeah, yeah.”
He still didn’t get what she was so thrilled about.
“There’s no point hunting such a weak monster. The drops aren’t worth the space in your pack. Just walk around it.”
With stats that low, even its HP and MP together didn’t hit double digits. Not Russell’s type.
“But it looks so squishy… I really want to touch it…”
Rozelite’s eyes gleamed.
“Mr. Slime, can you ask it to let me pet it?”
“…Slimes don’t have vocal cords.”
“Eh? Then how did you talk with other slimes before?”
“…By killing them.”
“….”
“Anyway,” Russell added, “you still lack real combat against monsters. Why not use this one for practice?”
“Eh? Kill it? But it’s cute…”
“…Do you even remember why we came here?”
At his insistence, Rozelite reluctantly stepped forward.
Rozelite vs. Slime.
She struck first, drawing her sword and thrusting straight into it.
Clang!
The blade skewered through.
But the slime only wobbled, as if nothing had happened.
【HP: 2/3】
Not that it did no damage—just that it didn’t show.
Then, while she blinked in surprise, the slime suddenly bounced up and slammed into her forehead!
Slime used 【Slam lv1】!
Smack!
The jelly bounced off, tumbling back, while Rozelite staggered two steps clutching her head.
【HP: 7689/7690】
Hmm. The damage was almost identical.
A perfectly balanced fight.
Russell spoke up.
“Unlike fighting humans, monsters have traits. Slimes resist pierce and slash damage, but they’re weak to fire. If you don’t have flames handy, even dirt and grit can disrupt their—”
But Rozelite didn’t let him finish.
Her jaw set, her sword angled—then she charged again.
【Mana Reinforcement lv4】
Whoosh—!
Boom!
Her sword came down not like a blade, but like a hammer, slamming the slime with sheer force.
With a muffled pop, the slime couldn’t withstand the sudden brute power. It burst apart like a water balloon, gelatin flying everywhere.
The once-cute blob was now shredded into gore-like jelly.
“…”
Well. Forget tactics.
Sometimes, brute force was the miracle.