The Slime Doesn't Die from Mana Transfer

Chapter 74 : Entering the Labyrinth

“Latest news! Latest news!”

“The first batch of adventurers who explored the Undead Fortress has returned!”

Early in the morning, the Adventurer’s Guild was already buzzing with noise.

As the newest information came in, adventurers eager to seize the spoils of the Undead Fortress hurried over to hear the reports firsthand.

A few days earlier—

Once the appearance of the Undead Fortress had completely stabilized, exploration of the labyrinth had officially begun.

And at that moment, people had split into two camps.

Some rushed recklessly into the labyrinth, desperate to be the first to reap its rewards, terrified of being too late and letting others take everything first.

Their motto was “strike first or lose out”—these were the radicals.

Others thought the opposite. They wanted to wait, gather reports from the frontlines, evaluate the labyrinth’s dangers, and prepare properly before entering.

As the saying went: “Sharpening the blade does not delay the cutting of firewood.” These were the conservatives.

Rozelite had already noticed over the past few days that Flemont’s population had visibly decreased.

It seemed many had already thrown themselves into the labyrinth.

And now, the first radicals had finished their reckless charge. It was time for the conservatives to act with caution.

“The first expedition party to enter the labyrinth included one A-rank team, three B-rank teams, and eight C-rank teams, with a total of 52 people. That’s practically the maximum number a labyrinth can accommodate at once.”

“According to the newest report, this expedition was halted on the third floor!”

“The first floor had Iron Beetles and Skeleton Soldiers.”

“The second floor had no Iron Beetles, but in addition to Skeleton Soldiers, there were Skeleton Archers.”

“The third floor had no Iron Beetles, but along with Skeleton Soldiers and Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Mages appeared!”

The information caused an uproar.

Iron Beetles and Skeleton Soldiers were manageable—but Skeleton Mages were extremely troublesome!

In the cramped confines of a labyrinth, large-scale magic attacks were impossible to dodge, making them incredibly hard to deal with.

Far more difficult than ordinary monsters.

The first batch of radicals had been forced to retreat specifically because of the Skeleton Mages. Their endless wide-area spells had overwhelmed the adventurers.

At once, many adventurers who had been itching to go in started to hesitate.

“Magic, huh... That’s tough to handle.”

In one corner of the Adventurer’s Guild—

The Blue Falcon squad had just received the first-hand report, and their mood grew heavy.

They hadn’t come all this way just to return empty-handed, but this labyrinth seemed far more difficult than they’d expected.

“Hey, captain, should we just give up?”

Kate asked lazily, arms folded behind his head.

As captain, Thomas rubbed his chin, sinking into thought.

As a warrior who had slain countless foes on the battlefield, he had fought many mages before and knew their kind well.

Yes, once you closed the distance, a mage could be dealt with easily. But in actual combat, they were always protected behind legions of soldiers, serving as devastating weapons of war.

Their defenses and mobility were weak.

But their attack range was long, their area of effect was wide, and their damage was high. Worse still, skilled mages who mastered multiple schools of magic could adapt their spells to battlefield conditions, even altering the environment to make fighting them a nightmare.

Thomas had suffered bitterly at their hands before—even now, the old wounds on his body still ached faintly.

Few people understood magic. Beyond the fact that only nobles and wealthy commoners could afford to study it, the majority simply lacked the talent in the first place.

“Winnie.”

At last, Thomas turned to look at Winnie.

“What do you think?”

“No problem.”

Winnie crossed her arms, leaning casually against the wall, her tone calm.

“As an advanced type of skeleton, Skeleton Mages won’t appear in great numbers. Just give me cover, and I’ll eliminate them first.”

“Wow,” Kate clapped expressionlessly, “Miss Winnie is so cool. She seems like the type who could clear the labyrinth alone.”

“Can you shut up already? Nobody would think you’re mute if you kept your mouth closed!”

Chris couldn’t help but smack him on the head.

Every time they tried to treat him seriously, Kate had to open his mouth.

“Well then, let’s work out a strategy.”

Thomas had made up his mind.

This labyrinth expedition might cost them more than it was worth, but if they could push deeper than other teams, it would be a mark of prestige for their squad.

In the future, they would have more leverage in negotiations when taking commissions.

Meanwhile—

Outside the Adventurer’s Guild, in a quiet corner—

A girl shrouded in a long black cloak held the newly delivered report, reading it carefully.

Her aquamarine eyes shimmered faintly.

Through Rozelite’s optic nerves, Russell could also see the outside world through her gaze.

“Never thought that after all this searching, we’d end up circling back here.”

Russell sounded a little helpless.

He had been searching for a labyrinth suitable for raising the level of 【Metallization】 and 【Hardening】.

But after looking high and low, nothing had fit.

In the end, it turned out the Undead Fortress was exactly what he’d been looking for.

The Iron Beetles.

According to the Adventurer’s Guild’s report, these were creatures that appeared alongside undead monsters. They were corpse-bugs born from rotting bodies, and after devouring all the flesh and blood, with no other food available, they began gnawing on the iron ore inside the labyrinth.

Over time, iron armor grew over their bodies.

At first glance, they didn’t sound too intimidating—just oversized armored insects.

But in actual battle, the simplest brute-force monsters were often the hardest to deal with.

Monsters with special gimmicks could be defeated by exploiting their mechanics. But stat-based monsters had to be beaten with raw stats in return.

That said—

For Russell, this was no challenge.

No matter how many of these low-level monsters came at him, he could handle them.

“Mr. Slime, let’s go.”

Rozelite said.

“What, aren’t you terrified of bugs? And skeleton monsters, too. Not scared anymore?”

Russell teased.

“Hmph, don’t underestimate me.”

Rozelite huffed, then said seriously.

“I just don’t want to rely on Mr. Slime’s protection forever. Someday, I want to shield Mr. Slime from the wind and rain. I want to be the one who protects him!”

“Alright, then it’s decided.”

Russell replied, and couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

When he first met Rozelite, she had been a timid child—hesitant in everything, clueless, quick to tears at the slightest trouble.

But now, in just two or three months, she had already grown enough to stand on her own.

Perhaps, someday—

Even without him, she would be strong enough to face the world.

...

Two days later.

The intelligence gathered by the first radicals had already spread throughout Flemont.

Even A-rank adventurers could only barely make it to the third floor and no further.

No wonder it was an S-rank difficulty super-labyrinth that had remained unconquered for over fifty years.

At the same time—

Led by the S-rank squad 【Blue Falcon】, the second wave of adventurers preparing to explore had gathered at the labyrinth entrance.

No one noticed—

A cloaked girl had quietly blended into their ranks.