A Brief Pause, Then Forward

After it was all over, it was a stable fight with few dangerous moments.

However, that was only thanks to Paula, the key player who drew out the maximum potential of the monster-kids, Yoru and Kuu. I realized during this boss battle that game knowledge alone is difficult to apply to real combat.

Hiding my dejection, I held out my hand, and Paula quietly curled the corners of her lips as she shook it back. I felt a slight sense of dissonance at her smile—it was a bit different than usual—but I voiced my thanks regardless.

“That was incredibly precise direction. We won because of you. Thank you.”

“…No, I am just happy to have been of use.”

“It would really help if you could keep giving orders like that from now on. Can I count on you?”

“Are you… certain you want me?”

“Yeah, because I lack the experience. I’m not trying to dump everything on you, so don’t worry. If it’s too much, just advice would be great.”

“Advice, is it? Hehe, I don’t quite understand, but I accept.”

Paula squeezed my hand softly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. For now, we just have to keep gaining experience.

Just as the mood was getting good, Mia interrupted with a carefree voice.

“Whew, I’m tired, Sensei. Can I drink this water? Oh, it’s cold and yummy!”

I watched with an exasperated face as the girl started scooping up water from the fountain and drinking it without permission.

“Hey, don’t drink before I answer. It could be poisonous.”

“Eh, poison?! Jeez, tell me that first! I could’ve died.”

“Well, seeing as the Blue Slimes were gathered here, I figured it was fine.”

Blue Slimes, which love water mana, have a habit of keeping the water itself clean. I started to explain this, but the word I just used sparked the answer to my question.

“…Right, poison!”

The Boss Slime battle just now. There was no doubt that Yoru’s tail strike was what finished it. But for a finishing blow, the attack didn’t feel like it had any power behind it. I’d actually thought it was a useless specialty. Yet, immediately after that, the Boss Slime fell effortlessly.

The only explanation was that she injected a potent poison into its body in that instant. Otherwise, its sudden purple staining and death made no sense.

I hurried over to the Boss Slime’s corpse, where the two little ones were once again crouching and poking it playfully. If the cause of death was poison, touching it carelessly was dangerous.

“Hey, that’s dangerous!”

I grabbed the two from behind and pulled them away from the monster’s remains. However, as I looked, the purple color had already vanished from the Boss Slime, returning to the familiar blue.

“The poison disappeared… No, if that’s the case…”

Would a poison that decomposes so easily work on a Blue Slime, which naturally purifies water? Especially since the opponent was a boss monster with special resistances.

“Yoru, let me see your tail for a second.”

Curious, I set Kuu down on the floor and reached toward the beast-child’s backside. When Yoru unleashed her specialty tail, it had looked to me—just for a split second—as if the tip of her tail had split in two. Yes, it was almost like…

But the moment I tried to touch her fluffy rear, Yoru twisted her body in resistance. She shook off my hand, hopped down to the floor, and crouched down, clutching her backside with both hands.

“Refusal!”

“Koo koo!”

“What’d you do, Sensei? Yoru-chi really hates that.”

“Sir, that was truly heartless of you.”

“W-was it?”

Looking back at Yoru, her large triangular beast ears were pinned flat against her head. That was definitely a sign of extreme dislike. Forced compliance is never good, so I gave up. I’ll probably get a good look the next time she uses the specialty.

“Alright, alright. My bad. I won’t do it again.”

When I apologized sincerely, the two jumped up energetically. They approached the Boss Slime again, crouched down, and poked it.

“Master!”

“Kuu!”

“Hmm? What is it?”

They looked up at me imploringly, drool trailing from their mouths. Seeing Yoru and the other looking hungry, I had another realization.

“Could it be… you want to eat it?”

Yoru and Kuu nodded vigorously in unison.

The specialty skill, Eating. Looking at the other specialties, I had judged it useless based purely on the name like Tail and Flat. But the others had turned out to be powerful skills. If that was the case, there was a high probability that Eat had some unstated, powerful effect as well.

“Alright, you can eat.”

“Much obliged!”

“Kuu kuu kuu!”

The two lunged at the Boss Slime’s body, happily sinking their teeth into its skin. They began to vigorously suck out the contents. In an instant, the slime’s body went flat, and in exchange, Yoru and Kuu’s bellies began to bulge outward. Before I knew it, the monster’s corpse was nothing but skin. Volumetrically it should have been impossible, but the contents had apparently all fit into their stomachs.

I immediately checked their status through the menu command and let out a sound of disbelief at the unexpected result.

“The… Body slot?”

At first glance, their status values hadn’t changed much since before the boss battle. Their MP was significantly depleted, but that was all. Or so I thought, until I saw that in the middle of the equipment section, next to Body, it now read (Slime Body).

“Wait, eating it counts as equipment? Eh? What does that mean?”

Baffled by the unexpected change, I crouched down and touched their now-round bellies. A soft, squishy sensation—another unexpected touch—traveled through my fingers. They still looked furry and feathered on the outside, but their elasticity had clearly increased.

“Wait, is this actually a slime’s body?”

“Absurdity!”

“Kuh, kuh, koo!”

Whether they were ticklish or not, the monster-kids started making strange laughing noises. They seemed to be in good physical condition. Looking at the status values again, their Physical Defense had increased by 10.

“So Eat lets them incorporates a monster’s biology… There was definitely no mechanic like this in Dra-Chro 2. Who on earth are you guys?”

Yoru and Kuu didn’t answer my bewildered question, simply wearing identical beaming smiles. Then, they hugged the arm I had been using to pet their bellies. They were just like innocent children. And they were so fluffy and comfortable to hold.

“I guess asking is useless. Well, they’re cute, smart, and strong. That’s enough for me.”

I picked the two up and headed toward the fountain where Paula and the others were resting. But before that, I opened the item list and collected only the remaining Boss Slime skin. As I did, an unfamiliar item appeared in the list along with the skin.

“Oh, a Blue Magic Cluster too? This is great.”

Magic Clusters—masses formed from gathered magic stones—are necessary for crafting large quantities of items at once or for making High-grade items or above. They’re rarely found and quite expensive. It even had a two-star rarity.

The stars indicate rarity; the more stars, the rarer the item. Everything else from today’s haul was one-star, so I was quite happy with the Blue Magic Cluster (Small).

Feeling satisfied, I returned to the lion-faced fountain and sat Yoru and Kuu on the edge of the basin.

“Here, the water is good.”

“Much obliged!”

“Koo!”

“Whoa, they’re really drinking! Yeah, it’s yummy. It’s been ages since I saw water this clean.”

“Glad you like it. And it’s not just tasty.”

“Really?”

“Labyrinth spring water contains a massive amount of mana. It’s actually an excellent item that restores MP just by drinking it.”

It even has the special name “Labyrinth Water.” Though, I only remembered that after noticing Mia’s MP—which should have been exhausted—had partially recovered when I checked her status.

As I spoke, I opened the Transmutation command and set a Blue Magic Stone, a Yellow Magic Stone, and the Slime Skin. With the effect of the Compound Art Join , the holes in the skin were sealed in an instant, and the name changed to Slime Pouch. It uses two magic stones, but this is an incredibly convenient transmutation.

Slime skin is very similar to the rubber from my past life, making it a versatile material. However, it used to be a difficult material to process since you could only cut it. But with Join, I can shape it at will, which opens up a wide range of uses.

I began filling the newly transmuted Slime Pouches with Labyrinth Water. Using this water to craft drugs increases their potency or adds extra effects, making it a top-tier material. It’s also excellent as drinking water.

“My, Sir. There is something over there.”

As I was busily collecting water, Paula pointed to the wall behind the fountain with a soft voice. Looking up, I saw something resembling light-blue moss covering the upper part of the fountain opening.

“Could that be…”

I stopped what I was doing, walked around the edge of the semi-circular basin, and approached the wall. When I touched it, it vanished instantly into my item list.

“It really is Labyrinth Moss!”

The official name is Labyrinth Sphagnum. It’s a plant used as a material for Vitality Potions because it improves blood circulation. By the properties and them with Labyrinth Water, I can easily create Mana-Vitality Potions, which restore both MP and vitality, even at the lowest grade.

Excitedly, I gathered the moss, though I made sure to leave about thirty percent of it behind. It’s probably fine, but if I harvest it all to the root, it might not grow back, so it’s better to be cautious.

When I finished gathering the moss and returned, Mia was completely relaxed, poking the two enslaved slimes and enjoying the sensation. Paula had her hood off, her face looking cool and composed as she provided a lap pillow for the now-full Yoru and Kuu. The tension had melted away, and they seemed to be resting well.

“It’s pretty warm here. It was freezing outside.”

“Subterranean labyrinths are mysterious spaces. But there are probably floors that are incredibly hot or cold too.”

“No way, I wanna see that!”

“Is that okay?”

I looked at the stairs leading down into the darkness at the back of the room and asked Mia if she wanted to continue. We’d come this far together by chance, but the deeper we go, the more dangerous it gets. Since we’d successfully defeated the Boss Slime, it was a good time to head back.

However, the girl gave a big nod, her eyes sparkling.

“Of course! I’ll go anywhere with you!”

“That helps me out, but are you sure you’re not pushing yourself?”

“Nope, this is super fun! I get to fire off magic like crazy.”

Now that she mentioned it, she was right. Encountering and experiencing new things was incredibly stimulating and fun. As someone who had lived safely without adventure, it was something I tended to forget.

“What about you, Sensei? Are you okay just staying in the back taking care of things? Isn’t it a nuisance?”

“Me? I’m happy just gathering materials. I’m satisfied… no, more than satisfied.”

Noticing my gaze, Paula smiled quietly and joined the conversation.

“I feel the same. However, I was told that the path to Subordination was a very difficult one; to have mastered it so easily is truly surprising. This ‘leveling’ is quite enjoyable, Sir.”

“Moving out!”

“Koo!”

Looking at the two and the little ones overflowing with motivation, I tightened my expression and nodded.

“Alright, let’s try the second floor!”

“Yeah!”

As we stepped onto the stairs leading down, I was hit by that familiar sensation mid-way. Apparently, we had moved through space again.

When we landed on the second floor, the first thing that hit us was the humid air. And a scent that was somehow offensive to the nose.

The passage had turned into a series of jagged, exposed rocks, looking like a natural cave. Stones hung from the ceiling like icicles, and there were no White-Glow Stones to be seen. Instead, the area was dimly lit by glowing plants called White-Light Grass. These only grow inside labyrinths, and you have to be careful because they wither instantly if picked carelessly.

Jagged ground with stone sprouts growing everywhere made for difficult walking, combined with stagnant air and a poor light source. This floor immediately felt like a den of monsters.

I pulled out the White-Glow Stone lantern I had stored in my item list and held it up. It still gave off a bright light because of the mana I’d channeled into it before entering. The darkness receded, and I felt a brief moment of relief.

But then, from the darkness a few meters ahead, a sudden creaking sound echoed.

We held our breath for a few seconds.

Lumbering out from the depths of the passage was a dog. However, there was no flesh left on its body. Only bare white bones were moving. When the skeletal dog noticed us, it let out a grating sound by gnashing its jawbones together.

The sight was so eerie that Mia grabbed my sleeve and blurted out:

“Ugh, that’s super gross! I wanna go home now.”

“You changed your mind fast, hey!”