The Slime Doesn't Die from Mana Transfer

Chapter 80 : Frontline Exploration

While Rozelite was busy clearing the first floor, the vanguard adventurer teams had already reached the third.

Thanks to the intelligence brought back by the first wave of explorers, the first three floors were almost trivial.

The first floor mainly spawned Iron Beetles and Skeleton Soldiers.

Though numerous, their levels were low—most under 10—and posed little threat to most adventurers.

Veterans could even clear it solo.

On the second floor, Skeleton Archers appeared alongside Skeleton Soldiers, making teamwork more necessary.

The melee Skeleton Soldiers, frail-looking though they were, hit surprisingly hard, and with archers covering them from a distance, a lone adventurer who failed to notice a hidden shot could easily suffer a crippling wound.

After all, this world lacked convenient healing magic.

A serious injury meant losing combat ability for a long while.

By the third floor, the difficulty spiked.

Though the first wave reported “stopping” there, the truth was this: the moment they encountered the first pack of monsters, they realized it was utterly beyond them. They had fled at once, tumbling over each other in retreat.

On top of Skeleton Soldiers and Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Mages appeared on the third floor.

Skeleton Mages were exceptionally rare, even among monsters. Not because they were particularly strong, but because of how skeletons came to be—when a living person died, their corpse was corroded by mana and reanimated by the labyrinth, their powers echoing their past life’s “instincts.”

A swordsman in life became a Skeleton Soldier.

An archer in life became a Skeleton Archer.

And thus, only someone who was a mage in life could become a Skeleton Mage.

Given how scarce mages were, most labyrinths that spawned skeletons only produced Soldiers and Archers.

But the Undead Fortress, being an enormous S-rank labyrinth, proved its worth here.

Upon stepping into the third floor, the vanguard team—the Blue Falcon—was immediately swarmed by hordes of skeletons.

The front rank of Skeleton Soldiers carried axes, spears, and swords, clad in armor.

Anyone could see at a glance that their equipment was on another level compared to the first two floors. Their armor was thicker, their weapons sharper, even gleaming with metallic sheen instead of rust.

The Skeleton Archers following them were swifter, their shots sharper and more precise.

And at the very back stood the Skeleton Mages, clutching bone staves.

They looked weak—but every seasoned adventurer knew they were the most dangerous.

At once, tension spread through the ranks.

Some were already thinking of turning back.

“Oi, oi, this isn’t good.”

Chris hurled out a glowing orb for light.

“These aren’t normal skeletons—they’re elites! The intel was wrong!”

“Well, Captain?”

Kate already had an arrow nocked.

“Do we retreat, or press forward?”

“Stick to the plan.”

Thomas spoke calmly, one hand closing around the massive greatsword on his back. His arm muscles bulged as he hefted the blade, heavy as a door slab, with a single hand.

“I’ll take the front and draw their fire. Kate, Chris, harass them. Winnie—prioritize the Skeleton Mage.”

Before the others could respond, he charged.

Battle erupted instantly.

Thomas swung the greatsword in a sweeping arc. Its sheer weight made every strike devastating. The front rank of Skeleton Soldiers shattered upon impact, their fine armor meaningless as if they were just pieces in some puzzle game being cleared away. A massive gap tore open in their lines.

He shifted immediately, parrying spears and axes with the greatsword, the clang of metal resounding again and again.

Then he spun, cleaving through more with a whirlwind strike, like a black tornado cutting down everything in its path.

He was a living black hole, devouring all enemies drawn to him.

Skeleton Archers in the mid-ranks raised their bows, aiming at Thomas rampaging through the melee. Their soulflame eyes burned with eerie green glow, locking onto him.

But suddenly, one aimed upward and loosed.

The arrow struck Chris’s thrown orb.

Boom!

With a muffled explosion, a cloud of silver-gray dust fell across the Archers’ ranks, forming a lingering screen.

The Skeleton Archers instantly lost sight of their target.

The next moment—

An arrow flew from outside the dust, piercing one of their skulls dead-center. Its soulfire winked out.

At the same time—

While most skeletons focused on Thomas, a lithe figure darted low through the mob. Her movements were barely visible, but every skeleton she passed collapsed in pieces.

Whether armored Soldier or sharp-eyed Archer, none survived her blade.

Godspeed Sword.

A style built purely on speed and precision, striking only to kill.

Winnie had once claimed: Within two meters, no one alive could match her.

Against monsters, who lacked tactical caution, that was all the more true.

Each swing of her blade cut down another skeleton cleanly. Swordlight blurred into a storm, carving a jagged path through the tide of monsters.

The Skeleton Mage finally noticed her approach. Its soulflame flared as it raised its staff, white light gathering at the tip.

But Kate’s arrow flew at the same instant.

Though the distance was too great for real damage, it struck the staff, making the white beam veer off. It struck the ground beside Winnie, blasting a shallow crater.

She didn’t falter.

In a flash she closed in, and when the mage raised a clawed hand to strike, Winnie ignored it. Her sword swept forward—

—and cleaved the Skeleton Mage neatly in two.

Its frame locked, then scattered.

The Skeleton Soldiers stalled, their rhythm broken.

Some Archers burst from the dust cloud, trying to line up shots.

But Thomas seized the moment, gripping his sword in both hands. With a mighty sweep, he smashed through several skeletons at once.

He stepped forward into another strike, crushing an axe-wielder.

The battle pressed on in steady rhythm.

Other adventurers, who had stood frozen in awe, finally found their voices.

“As expected of an S-rank team...”

“The gap between A and S rank... it’s like a chasm...”

But then someone shouted.

“Don’t just stand there gawking! We’re not here to spectate!”

“That’s right! Even if we can’t match them, there’s still plenty we can do!”

“Once this is over, I’m going home to get married!”

Shouts rang out, and the rest of the adventurers rallied, weapons raised, charging to join the fight.

The battle raged for nearly four hours.

When Winnie’s blade severed the spine of the last skeleton, silence finally fell.

The passage was littered with scattered bones, some already dissolving into black mist.

Thomas wiped sweat from his brow. Even with his battlefield experience, such prolonged intensity left him weary.

He glanced at his comrades slumped to rest, then raised his gaze toward the end of the passage.

A door stood there.

The door to the fourth floor.

The first expedition had stopped at the third. From here onward, there was no intelligence—only the unknown.

Maybe it was just his imagination.

But Thomas swore he felt a biting chill radiating from that door.